[HD Texture Project] Xenoblade Chronicles (v5.0U - May 17, 2014)

[neobrain]

(05-13-2014, 05:37 AM)Bighead Wrote: neobrain, if you don't mind I have a few questions regarding the matter. I won't even pretend to understand how texture dumping/loading works in Dolphin. So excuse any ignorance I display with them. I'm hoping you can help me to understand.

First, I'm assuming by your post that changing the accuracy affects the outcome of the file names?

Yes.

(05-13-2014, 05:37 AM)Bighead Wrote: Second, if it does, how does Dolphin know to load the correct file names? (Actually you can just skip this one if you don't want to explain.)

Whenever a game is loading a texture from a chunk of RAM data, we create a hash from that (tl;dr: we generate a number from the texture data) which is hopefully unique enough to identify each texture. We generate the hash by picking a few random(-ish) texels from the texture and performing some cryptography on them. The number of texels involved in that calculation is exposed in the GUI as "texture cache accuracy". The generated hash is used for the filename used when dumping or when loading custom textures.
Point is: If you pick too few texels, you end up with identifying different textures with the same hash, but if you pick too many texels performance suffers.

(05-13-2014, 05:37 AM)Bighead Wrote: No need for a solid technical explanation, throw a "googoo gaga" at me if possible. Considering this happens at all, to me it seems that Dolphin is searching for a specific name to replace a texture with. Unless there are multiple names that could fit that hole? I'm a bit confused because I don't have a clue in the least how any of it actually works.

googoo gaga. Hope this was helpful :p Don't hesitate to throw more questions at me.


Soo guys, what do you think about forcing texture cache accuracy to safest when texture dumping or custom texture loading is active? That might slow down things drastically, but it's ultimately the only good solution we have currently.

[frozenwings]

Haha, I think that it generates a totally new set of IDs. Which is depressing, since I'm not spending another few hundred hours dumping :p. But, I'll continue working with what I have. If a few dupe IDs pop up, people can just deal with having a portrait in a funny spot if they want to use the pack.

However, this does explain why we have some duplicates of things that shouldn't. We've been calling them "rare", but I think it's just different settings in Dolphin causing the different dumps. It also might explain why people come in here sometimes not seeing all of the textures redone, but some are.

Bighead, I have the attached file (SX4P01_cacc3a77_2.png) in my UI_Title_load folder. However, I didn't know where it was used. Loading up into the game in "Safest" replaces the "fatter", normal load screen Monado symbol that Echoes redid recently (also attached, SX4P01_30b32207_2.png) with this thinner version. I think this is the same texture (but a different ID) that is used in the art screen.

So I think the thinner symbol ID in the Title_Load folder is for the set generated by "Safest" setting.

Edit: Just double checked, the thinner one is definitely the ID dumped with the "Safest" setting.

[Bighead]

Thank you for the answers, that was extremely useful information (especially the answer to my 3rd question ) and it made all my foggy confusion crystal clear. And.. since you insisted, I have two more questions if you don't mind.

Does this affect all textures, or just paletted textures?
And, does this mean any dumped textures at "Fastest" should be redumped at "Safest"?

Edit: I guess I wasn't very specific with my first question. I really meant is it possible a paletted texture could end up somewhere else. I dunno how to explain it other than like a _9 end up where a _0 or _2 texture is.

[neobrain]

It affects all textures (and potentially worsens the "the same paletted texture gets dumped multiple times" issue in the sense that it might get dumped even more often).

Yes, you should probably redump all textures, making sure the texcache accuracy is "safest" this time. Do note that this will maybe incur a large performance penalty. Maybe medium accuracy is enough for your purposes, but there are no guarantees for anything but "safest".

[frozenwings]

It looks like it effects everything, Bighead. Some of the stuff is textured, some isn't. I think it's probably just some IDs we have from different people dumping at different settings.

For example, I'm in safest right now. None of the UI echoes redid is retextured, none of the "text" from the skill trees are retextured, and the menu palette background (the brown stuff) is not retextured. However, some of the paletted stuff like the main menu palette and the sub menus are retextured. In fact, everything is retextured in the menu besides the skill trees and the portraits.

Edit: The problem is that if we dump in safest, then everyone will have to play in Safest too, right? It doesn't look like the IDs transfer either way.

Edit edit: If someone else wants to redump 85,000 textures, they can knock themselves out :p

[Bighead]

(05-13-2014, 06:10 AM)frozenwings Wrote: Edit: Just double checked, the thinner one is definitely the ID dumped with the "Safest" setting.

But here's the big question, the ID you got from "Safest", does it still load when the slider is set to "Fastest"?

[frozenwings]

Nope. Check my edit above.

They might as well be considered alternate realities. However, the title screen stuff seems to work.

Edit: We do have two sets of some things on the title screen though, this is starting to explain a lot.

[Bighead]

(05-13-2014, 06:23 AM)frozenwings Wrote: They might as well be considered alternate realities.

LOL

(05-13-2014, 06:23 AM)frozenwings Wrote: Edit: We do have two sets of some things on the title screen though, this is starting to explain a lot.

Yep there are no further questions, except there is just that one remaining mystery. The one where you get different IDs without Load custom textures enabled. If that holds true for every accuracy setting, then there is potentially 6 IDs for every single texture.

[frozenwings]

Well the way I see it, people better play on "Fast" and just deal with Reyntime up in their corners.

Unless you want to redump everything?

[Bighead]

(05-13-2014, 06:32 AM)frozenwings Wrote: Well the way I see it, people better play on "Fast" and just deal with Reyntime up in their corners.

Unless you want to redump everything?

Well to cover every accuracy setting would get a little rediculous. If textures dumped at Safest worked for both Medium and Fastest, it would seem worth it it in the end. As for me redumping it all, for the non paletted textures, sure why not. Covering all 3 possibilities is an afternoon. Covering paletted textures for every setting, is well.. far more than that and a 20GB+ texture pack.