Author Topic: Fixing the Shaders  (Read 6290 times)

Offline Paradise12314

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Fixing the Shaders
« on: October 06, 2021, 04:57:56 PM »
Hi everyone, my first post on this forum

I decided to have a mess around with the Shader files, and something interesting.

All the Brightly lit objects use the file Diffuse.fx

So a little swapping around I managed to fix it.

Before


After


Here is the Shader. Make a backup of the shader file in /Data/Effects first.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/o9mroq4ngnk1hat/Diffuse.zip/file

I will keep plugging away at the Shaders to see what works. I will update this Thread as I find things.

Offline Dinomite

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2021, 01:35:44 AM »
How fun. :) Thanks for sharing this with us.

Offline Nutshot

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2021, 04:25:19 PM »
Wow, this is cool.
Yeah, i think i remember now that on PC it looked always so different from what i remember from playing it on console long ago.
Turns out it was the shaders all along. Can it be that the PC Version is based on a more earlier Version of the Game? Or maybe that they forgot to include the shaders properly?
I mean wasn´t Evolution one of the last Games for Acclaim? Maybe they production of it was more troubled then we know.

Offline Paradise12314

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2021, 04:52:38 PM »
As far as I can imagine, it is the Xbox engine that was ported to PC. After all the xbox is a cut down PC.

But I think because the Xbox GPU was custom made, there had to be new hlsl shaders created for PC.

But, I don't think Super Happy Fun Fun had any idea about PC graphics. And I certainly believe they never created those Shaders.

If they were capable of programming Shaders, the port wouldn't have been in such a mess in the first place.

I assume all the effects are in the engine waiting, it just needs someone with graphics know-how to create working Shaders. (That's not me btw  ;D)

I will keeping poking the shaders, moving them around to see what I can find :)

A good thing, if you minimize the game, make some changes and save, the game loads those changes.

Offline Dinomite

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2021, 06:24:01 AM »
As far as I can imagine, it is the Xbox engine that was ported to PC. After all the xbox is a cut down PC.
Correct, but they used a different build than what we got on store shelves.
But I think because the Xbox GPU was custom made, there had to be new hlsl shaders created for PC.
Not necessarily, but there is some truth to this.
But, I don't think Super Happy Fun Fun had any idea about PC graphics. And I certainly believe they never created those Shaders.
If they were capable of programming Shaders, the port wouldn't have been in such a mess in the first place.
They've created plenty of games prior to porting Turok: Evolution. I'm surprised they did as "good" a job as they did, given the state of the game.
I assume all the effects are in the engine waiting, it just needs someone with graphics know-how to create working Shaders. (That's not me btw  ;D)
I will keeping poking the shaders, moving them around to see what I can find :)
I don't know about that. Only one way to find out, though. :)
A good thing, if you minimize the game, make some changes and save, the game loads those changes.

50/50, it depends on what you're trying to load.  :feather:

Offline Paradise12314

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2021, 03:06:13 PM »
I think you are both right about an older version of the Engine. Could be that acclaim didn't want an outside company to have access to the newest updated version.

It's a shame really. But when you think, the console versions were bugged as well. Maybe not in graphics, but in the gameplay. It was a rush job for acclaim right from the start. If the console versions were more polished, the PC version could have been great.

For the Shaders, found something else.

Waterfalls use SelfIllum.fx
The current way they work, the alpha is not blended correctly.


Adding an extra line for blending,


I've also disabled Culling on the Shader in the first post. Looking in specific directions, some tree leaves and random objects were disappearing.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/9iiqdwz86ygrt15/SelfIllum.zip/file
https://www.mediafire.com/file/6t7fotxu1vg1gjx/Diffuse_Updated.zip/file

Offline Nutshot

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2021, 03:00:22 AM »
From what i know is that the Xbox Version definitely has the best water of all the Versions.
Maybe the Xbox Version was indeed the lead Version, this would also explain why so much prototype Versions exists but only for the Xbox and not any other platform. By this i mean they probably used the Xbox as a general Testing Platform before porting it to other systems.
@Dinomite probably knows a lot more about this.

One thing i also can remember and that´s also the point why i deleted the Game on my PC, that the Mouse was strangely working different then in your usual FPS Game.
It sometimes feels like it wants to emulate an Joystick instead of a proper Mouse Look. Sometimes it feels too slow.
It´s strange how Acclaim wasn´t able to implement a proper Mouse Look in "Turok: Evolution", they got it right on previous Games on PC.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2021, 03:02:12 AM by Nutshot »

Offline Paradise12314

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2021, 01:04:31 PM »
One thing i also can remember and that´s also the point why i deleted the Game on my PC, that the Mouse was strangely working different then in your usual FPS Game.
It sometimes feels like it wants to emulate an Joystick instead of a proper Mouse Look. Sometimes it feels too slow.
It´s strange how Acclaim wasn´t able to implement a proper Mouse Look in "Turok: Evolution", they got it right on previous Games on PC.

As far as I know, Acclaim didn't have any involvement in the PC Port. So while Acclaim has made Turok games on PC before, presumably with proper Mouse Aim (dunno never tried PC versions), it was actually "Super Happy Fun Fun" that made this Port. But @dinomite has said that SHFF has previously made PC games so dunno  :o

If you have a Mouse with adjustable Polling Rate, put it on the lowest. Also in Mouse Settings, turn off "Enhance Pointer Precision". I find that makes aiming behave a bit better. Although not perfect.

Offline Dinomite

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2021, 03:49:30 AM »
I think you are both right about an older version of the Engine. Could be that acclaim didn't want an outside company to have access to the newest updated version.
I doubt this is the reason why SHFF got an earlier build of the game to work with. I think it's more so related to the fact that Acclaims management was absolutely horrible at the time and only kept getting worse as time went on.
For the Shaders, found something else.

Waterfalls use SelfIllum.fx
The current way they work, the alpha is not blended correctly.


Adding an extra line for blending,


I've also disabled Culling on the Shader in the first post. Looking in specific directions, some tree leaves and random objects were disappearing.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/9iiqdwz86ygrt15/SelfIllum.zip/file
https://www.mediafire.com/file/6t7fotxu1vg1gjx/Diffuse_Updated.zip/file
Veeeery nice. :) It's starting to look more and more like the console Xbox port of the game, minus some stuff that's flatout just missing from this build of the game with seemingly no way to reimplement it. Great job.

Offline Paradise12314

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Re: Fixing the Shaders
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2021, 08:48:15 AM »
I doubt this is the reason why SHFF got an earlier build of the game to work with. I think it's more so related to the fact that Acclaims management was absolutely horrible at the time and only kept getting worse as time went on.
It's a shame really. They had such a good franchise going. If they had sorted themselves out, they would still be around today.

Veeeery nice. :) It's starting to look more and more like the console Xbox port of the game, minus some stuff that's flatout just missing from this build of the game with seemingly no way to reimplement it. Great job.
Thanks :) Im trying my best. Im no programmer, so I just fiddle around with it instead. Sometimes I find things, sometimes it all just breaks before my very eyes  ;D

There is a lot of things missing. Point Lights for example. The lights are defined in the Map files, but objects receive no lighting from them. I know the lighting is under the Vertex Shader section, so if I can put it into the Pixel Shader instead, it might get that working. (In theory).

I can make the Reflection Mapping for the Tek-Bow work also, but it breaks the rest of the Textures with a strange Green Tint.

I will keep digging. 8)

 

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