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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 18th Sep 2017 at 5:42 PM
Default Have you modified your game's visuals in any way?
Or:
  • Do you use ReShade or a similar tool?
  • Do you use custom graphics configurations or overhauls?
I'm curious to know how people feel about this. There's so many reasons people play this game, and I hadn't yet even considered why or why not others in this community do or don't play for the same reasons I do.
Do you care about graphics? If not, why not? If so, why? What bothers you about graphics or the people who bitch about them? What do you like? And if I tell you I spent like a year trying to make my game marginally prettier, does that sound like the biggest waste of time you've heard all year, or does it not?

Let me know where you guys stand on this.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
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Lab Assistant
#3 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 2:12 AM
Oh so that's how you get your game looking amazing! I'll try it, but Sims 3 runs horribly on my computer (Possibly the processor, possibly the graphics, I don't know. Ran better on my parents iMac with a 512mb graphics card, probably because it was an i5 Processor).

I have quite a bit of cc, maybe a lighting mod idk. I'm not sure if I should turn Advanced Rendering on or if it'll fry my graphics card.
Lab Assistant
#4 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 3:02 AM
Your tuning for Reshade looks really good. I especially like the way it brings out the plants.

As for me, I've fine tuned SweetFx to my liking. Along with environment and texture replacement mods, I find myself more interested in looking around and taking pictures than playing.

I talk to myself but no one answers ;_;
Site Helper
#5 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 3:07 AM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
And if I tell you I spent like a year trying to make my game marginally prettier, does that sound like the biggest waste of time you've heard all year, or does it not?

It only sounds like a waste of time if you didn't enjoy doing.it. If I enjoy a game, then the graphics are just an extra. Not that I don't like having the graphics improved, but great graphics don't mean it's a great game, and horrid graphics don't mean it's a bad one. I still rather enjoy a game that has an asterisk running around the screen fighting capital letters. (And running away from those W's because they are wraiths which are the most dangerous monsters in the game!)

I am Ghost. My husband is sidneydoj. I post, he downloads, and I wanted to keep my post count.
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Inventor
#6 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 3:14 AM
I do care about graphics, but what I like, and what you seem to like Pi, couldn't be any more different. You prefer effects such as depth of field and bloom. And although these effects make the game look more realistic, they also make it blurrier. I loathe that. I want the game to look as crisp and sharp as possible. I forced the game to use Anisotropic Filtering and Ambient Occlusion for that reason. I have a mod that enables higher resolutions for skins and textures, and I have even replaced some textures in game with higher frequency ones. So what you call "prettier" to my eyes looks the opposite of that. Sure, it does look pretty in still images, but the thought of playing with a game that looks that blurry, I just can't handle it.
Scholar
#7 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 3:48 AM
Would love for my game to look like that (well some of the effects, not all of them), but I'm afraid it would cause my computer to explode, and I have absolutely no money for a new PC. >.< (Plus, I think I've already spent enough money on that considering The Sims is the only PC franchise I even play)

♫ Keeping this here until EA gives us a proper playable woodwind/brass instrument ♫
For now, though, my decorative Bassoon conversion for TS4. =)
Mad Poster
#8 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 6:28 AM
I have not. I do not have the best graphics card by any means, but I have my game set on all the highest settings and the game looks fine/OK to me.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#10 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 10:38 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Naus Allien
I do care about graphics, but what I like, and what you seem to like Pi, couldn't be any more different. You prefer effects such as depth of field and bloom. And although these effects make the game look more realistic, they also make it blurrier. I loathe that. I want the game to look as crisp and sharp as possible. I forced the game to use Anisotropic Filtering and Ambient Occlusion for that reason. I have a mod that enables higher resolutions for skins and textures, and I have even replaced some textures in game with higher frequency ones. So what you call "prettier" to my eyes looks the opposite of that. Sure, it does look pretty in still images, but the thought of playing with a game that looks that blurry, I just can't handle it.

Oh, I absolutely agree. For starters, I use all those things you mentioned and I couldn't live without them.
If there's one thing wrong with how my game looks now, it's that it's too blurry. I definitely get where you're coming from.
The thing is, when I first started using ReShade I had the whole thing looking quite crisp and sharp, and that was fine. I had the default game, but with aggressive sharpening and film grain and everything.
But the problem was, it still looked like an 8 year old game with unsophisticated lighting and a bad colour palette. It all still looked flat and artificial. But the real world is very intricate and full of subtleties we can't even begin to comprehend. So for the sake of realism, I decided the best way to go would be to change everything. I tried to fix everything using the same method opticians do - trying out two options at a time and progressively getting better results by picking the right one each time. And I kept going until I'd changed every option I could find.

The problem is, as it stands, that I want this game to look like a modern game. I've been in shock and awe at current-gen lighting engines, and I know that TS3 could potentially look like those games. So while I do agree that I need to find a good middle ground between this blurry, "natural" aesthetic and the original, ultra-crisp one, I put more faith into my "UltraReal" project of updating the game's own lighting engine. This really should have it's own thread, but here's my expectations for that:
  • At the very least, I expect to be able to change the way lighting works in this game. If I'm not able to improve it, at least I'll be able to alter it.
  • I will look into porting the improved shaders from Medieval to TS3. This can't be too hard seeing as Medieval uses the same engine as TS3.
  • Since TS3 is built in a fairly straightforward way, I suspect it may be possible to implement new effects in the lighting engine with limited modifications. (think god rays, some sort of real ambient lighting, and various atmospheric effects.)
  • Best case scenario: it will be possible to completely overhaul TS3 and make it look completely fresh and realistic. Jaws will drop, TS4 will look like an even bigger joke. And they lived happily ever after.
  • Worst case scenario: the shaders are confusing and hard to work with, they don't allow for nearly as much change as hoped, it won't be possible to access the game's lighting model, any changes will heavily decrease performance, and I'll run into serious fundamental design problems such as a lack of certain texture maps required to make use of realistic lighting effects.
So once I've either done or not done that, I'll revise ExtraReal here to suit the needs of the game then. Because in either case, it needs adjustments. And I expect that, if successful, this whole game won't need nearly as much postprocessing to achieve the desired look.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#11 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 11:14 AM
But anyway, I had to find the right balance between picture-perfect, pretty visuals and playability, and I've found a balance where the game is still largely playable with these shader settings of mine. A big part of it is that you can just turn it, or parts of it, off with a hotkey. So in Build/Buy and CAS, I often just toggle it off. But in regular Live Mode gameplay, I've found it to be more than unobtrusive enough to leave it turned on 99% of the time.

But it's difficult to determine how others will feel about that. I'd have preferred it if ReShade doesn't render over the UI, but it does. So if you have a white UI like I do, and if you have lots of postprocessing effects, they'll sometimes get in the way of the UI too. So I've put quite a lot of time into making that as tolerable as possible.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Instructor
#12 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 4:24 PM
I have Shimrod's Soft Lighting Less Bloom, does that count? Although I also have the one that is supposed to get rid of the full moon lighting which doesn't work, so I'm not even sure it does anything.

I just really started playing TS3, so I figure I'll give it a while before I revamp the lighting.

I might one day finish my Zanes Hollow project, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Until then, you can see what I'm up to on my Simblr!
Scholar
#13 Old 19th Sep 2017 at 4:46 PM
Default replacement Skins + Eyes... but in terms of environment or overall graphics, I used one of Bhuhudain's Lighting mods for a while... but I removed it. I dunno, either I didn't notice the differences or it looked the same.
Test Subject
#14 Old 21st Sep 2017 at 7:44 PM
Default Have you modified your game's visuals in any way?
Have you modified your game's visuals in any way? Yes, after spending 6 months completely revamping my mods, custom content, and worlds what was left was dated and lacking. First off the blue UI had to go and so it did with a pink gradient replacement. Next the green plumbbob had to go, made my own to match the new UI color. BurntWaffles light mods can change worlds on the fly to anything you want them to look like. Shimrods camera mods allowed for more close up views to provide better visuals details over the standard EA camera. Next new default replacements for police car, school bus, taxi's, food truck, ice cream truck, and any other object default replacement I could find. Default replacement skins, eyes, makeup, nose etc... to change the look of the sims in CAS. Hid all of EA's Clothes and Hair. Replaced the CAS background screen, start up scrolls, new booting music, and loading pictures for a fresher look.

I have made a custom video card configuration for the Sim 3 to get the most out of my 680 video card. Did try the HQ mod but my 4 years old computer ran too hot with it. The ReShade tools looks very interesting along with SweetFX but not really an option right now with my current computer set up.

Yes I care about how the graphics look, my changes have made a major impact and the time spent was worth it. The game has a more modern look, is fresher, and the lacking part is gone. The Sims 3 appeals to me for it open world and why I continue to improve the game in anyway I can. People who have seen my game in person, who were former Sims 3 players cannot believe how it looks and how it plays.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#15 Old 21st Sep 2017 at 7:53 PM
That's great! I love your attitude. This is the kind of game you can totally make your own, and you should, and it's epic when you find new things to improve it with. But...

Quote: Originally posted by xzone7
Yes I care about how the graphics look, my changes have made a major impact and the time spent was worth it. The game has a more modern look, is fresher, and the lacking part is gone. The Sims 3 appeals to me for it open world and why I continue to improve the game in anyway I can. People who have seen my game in person, who were former Sims 3 players cannot believe how it looks and how it plays.

...you can't say this and not post screenshots.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Field Researcher
#16 Old 21st Sep 2017 at 9:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
Or:

Do you use ReShade or a similar tool?
Do you use custom graphics configurations or overhauls?


1.) I have no fondness for third-party reShade/ENB tools. They often cause less than ideal game performance for me, or other graphical artifacts such as a blurred graphic user interface.

2.) User dDefinder's lighting and shadow modification is one modification I have used for quite some time now.

We all have to look for answers somewhere. Some in big ol' books, others in big ol' bottles of whiskey.

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Theorist
#17 Old 22nd Sep 2017 at 1:29 PM Last edited by tizerist : 22nd Sep 2017 at 1:40 PM.
I haven't modified my visuals (apart from a 'less blue nights' mod) for the simple reason that Ts3 is a very script heavy game, especially with my trillion or so mods, meaning it already splutters and jerks around. I don't want to make the FPS worse than it is already. I have however, modified the AA in Nvidia Control Panel. Does that count? I can't even notice a difference, if I'm honest. Oh, and a gray UI. But that's only for the UI, which is worth it.
Same reason I don't do visual mods for Fallout NV or Skyrim. They already look damn good. Now it's all about optimizing the performance. (I lie. I meant I don't use texture mods)

If there was one graphics mod that totally doesn't impact performance, then yeah, I would use it.

#BlairWitchPetition
TS3 NEEDS: TENNIS COURTS > BUSES > PIGS/SHEEP
Can't find stuff in build and buy mode? http://www.nexusmods.com/thesims3/mods/1/?
Field Researcher
#18 Old 22nd Sep 2017 at 10:28 PM
I use sweet fx wanted reshade but even with my gtx1060 it lags when i use this effect I really love that enhances shadow detail. Not sure what its called but I have just gone back to sweet fx for now might get reshade if i get a better gpu
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#19 Old 22nd Sep 2017 at 10:30 PM
Quote: Originally posted by lloyd118
I use sweet fx wanted reshade but even with my gtx1060 it lags when i use this effect I really love that enhances shadow detail. Not sure what its called but I have just gone back to sweet fx for now might get reshade if i get a better gpu

Lucky you.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Field Researcher
#20 Old 22nd Sep 2017 at 10:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
Lucky you.

I play in 4k which might be why i cant use full reshade without lag, yeah looking at that chart i would get 10- 20 fps which is a big noooo
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#21 Old 22nd Sep 2017 at 11:59 PM
How big of a screen do you have for 4K to be a practical option?

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Field Researcher
#22 Old 23rd Sep 2017 at 8:27 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
How big of a screen do you have for 4K to be a practical option?

Mines a 27inch Asus something XD forgot what name it, is cost £600 almost when I first bought it but now it should be cheaper Its really good to play in 4k tbh I can always send you screen shots of my UI.
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