Lower graphical options

The two reasons I can't play with my onboard card

from GalCiv3 Forums

I've been messing with the configurations files in hopes of lowering the graphics even further so that I can play this game without my video card (that crashed and burned, I am waiting the new generation to buy a new one)

 

I've found the two biggest resource hogs:

The Fog of War shader and the Minimap Shader

The following screenshot is how the game is looking for me, this is running at 60~fps on my onboard card

 

All I ask is some 'low graphics mode' shader that replaces all the special effects on the FoW and just paints gray where it should be, just like the one that paints black at the map ends (just replacing one for the other did not work, the FoW seems to only work with FOW4.fxo)

 

The minimap is also slow, but this one I assume that it's not as easy to 'fix'

 

23,648 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Take a look in ColorDefs.xml(Colors) & GalCiv3GraphicsDefs.xml (Transparancy/Intensity) for possible FOW adjustments.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I messed up with the intensity, reducing it to 0 from 4 made some difference, but outright turning it off made even a bigger impact :)

The transparency, I can't be sure it will change anything, more often than not, changing the transparency to 1 will not change how much it costs GPU wise, that would require the game knowing that there is no need for the transparency and using a different shader (I think)

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Did you play with the colors?

 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>FOWUnexplored</InternalName>
    <Red>30</Red>
    <Green>35</Green>
    <Blue>40</Blue>
  </Color>
 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>FOWExposed</InternalName>
    <Red>45</Red>
    <Green>55</Green>
    <Blue>60</Blue>
  </Color>
 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>MiniMapFogColor</InternalName>
    <Red>40</Red>
    <Green>45</Green>
    <Blue>50</Blue>
  </Color>
 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>FOWBorderColor</InternalName>
    <Red>50</Red>
    <Green>55</Green>
    <Blue>60</Blue>
  </Color>


  <Color>
    <InternalName>FOWGridColor</InternalName>
    <Red>255</Red>
    <Green>0</Green>
    <Blue>0</Blue>
    <Alpha>0</Alpha>
  </Color>
 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>FOWStarColor</InternalName>
    <Red>100</Red>
    <Green>110</Green>
    <Blue>125</Blue>
  </Color>
 

Each race I think has its own Fow Unexplored color that overrides the default:

 
  <Color>
    <InternalName>TerranFOWUnexplored</InternalName>
    <Red>25</Red>
    <Green>25</Green>
    <Blue>30</Blue>
  </Color>

 

Edit:

Scratch that the overide is commented out in UIColorDefs.xml

Also I think you want 0 transparancy (so the stars dont show through)? 1 would be 100% 0 would be 0%.

 

R 64

B 64

G 64

Is Dark Grey.

R 160

B 160

G 160

Is Light grey (Similar to color in your SS)

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I want better performance, not aesthetics, although I could consider your post when if my priorities shift

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I know what you wanted dude. An if you had bothered to try well....But well each to own I guess.

Teach me to try an help ppl!

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Funny how you can achieve what you want with the FoW without actualy editing any xml, even if it is darker than what you wanted:-

Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Horemvore, reply 6

Funny how you can achieve what you want with the FoW without actualy editing any xml, even if it is darker than what you wanted:-

except thats not what hes looking for
when you zoom in a little you can still see all the background effects the "skybox" through the unexplored area and fow its hard to tell but im betting that its still an animated unexplored area as well.

what hes after is not really a flat grey color but a simple solid FOW and probobly a static Skybox to cut down on the GPU usage 

Reply #8 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

when you zoom in a little you can still see all the background effects the "skybox" through the unexplored area and fow its hard to tell but im betting that its still an animated unexplored area as well.

 

With certain graphics settings yeah. But with others.....No. I zoomed in not a little...alot. Changing the intensity/transparancy solidifys the "Fow".

 

 

You can also adjust the Skybox. (You could effectively, with alot of editing of png/xml have a 100% black skybox with no FX/Stars)

 

Edit: - The Screenshots are non modded btw.

Reply #9 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I turned it all off, Fow and Skybox(I left the stars), its a bit extreme but well it shows what you can acheive with a bit of editing:

Reply #10 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Now, that last one is promissing, but doing that increased the framerate?

Depeding how the space background was implemented, it should not cost much in terms of processing

How did you remove it?

Reply #11 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I did not check frame rates. -_-

SkyboxDefs.xml

GalCiv3GraphicsDefs.xml

ColorDefs.xml

Are the files I messed with get the mini mod here. Compare them with the originals and you will see what I changed. I cba to look atm (An I forgot what I exactly changed, Intenisties, shimmers and urm stuff) its 1am here an I'm off to the land of nod!