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

[SolarNova]

Ok cool ill grab the latest version. Glad they got the crash issue sorted, i remember that vexing me a few times lol.

Is the OP still keeping this thread up to date ? It seems as though the last update for the 1st post was a while ago.

[poweredbykimchi]

(08-30-2013, 10:43 PM)SolarNova Wrote: Ok cool ill grab the latest version. Glad they got the crash issue sorted, i remember that vexing me a few times lol.

Is the OP still keeping this thread up to date ? It seems as though the last update for the 1st post was a while ago.

No, I'm not. I haven't updated in awhile, because there isn't anything big enough to update. There are a lot of little scattered things throughout the thread but nothing big enough to justify a new pack.

[frozenwings]

Most of the texture updates since the front page have been for the menus. There hasn't been many, if any, retextures of environments or gear.

If you're interested in the menu stuff, you can check out these two packs here . It also contains a lot of the contributions made by other people up to that point. I'll probably add Flanqer's maps to the pack if he finishes a good chunk of them, if he lets me. I do recommended going through the last few pages and picking them up though, the maps are very nice.

[SolarNova]

Im more interested in the environment, and 'model' textures more tbh.
but thanks for the update

[lolmetimbers]

These are files I have acquired from the Xenoblade HD Texture thread. It is meant as an easy and quick way to make the game look more appealing. However since it is a random mix expect some textures to not merge properly, particularly the sand on the beach. I have optimized and reformatted most of the files into DDS format so it is less taxing on the gpu and memory.

Original:

http://i.imgur.com/cBbDzct.jpg
Modded:

http://i.imgur.com/xRsVilo.jpg?1

DOWNLOAD V2: http://www.mediafire.com/?xb21q11wedxoqde

-Credit to SolarNova for Path, Water and Rock&Cliff textures
-Credit to ScorpyX for Monado building brick wall and floor as well as Version 1 of his bridge floor.
-Credit to lenoxseer for his Skyrim HD Grass

Apologies for not asking for permission first.

Installation:
1. Extract the entire folder from the .zip or .rar file.
2. Create a folder called "SX4P01" in ".../Dolphin/User/Load/Textures/"
3. Copy the retextures you want from the extracted folder/s to the "SX4P01" folder (delete or replace any existing files). Sub Folders do work and will load textures, however it may be more compatible if you copy individual files directly into the SX4P01 directory.
4. In Dolphin, use Direct3D9 (Direct3D11 causes issues), under Graphics Configuration, Advanced Tab, check Load Custom Textures.
5. Run and play normally.

[delroth]

Just curious, is there a noticeable performance improvement with PNG->DDS for textures? Could you try and measure that performance improvement?

[Adamvc]

this looks super impressive nice job

[lolmetimbers]

I've always found that DDS files are much smaller in size while still maintaining good quality. Many other texture modders have claimed that DDS loads faster but it is certain that memory usage is substantially reduced.

With the original grass files, I noticed my GPU was maxing out at 99% so I downsized the pixel density to 35-50% of original, optimized the PNG and then converted to DDS which reduced overall size file by about 10 times without too much quality loss. This resulted in only ~50% GPU usage instead. I suspect that the original hi-res textures simply put too much load on my vram (GTX 660 TI - 2G GDDR5, texture fillrate 105.4 Gtexel/s, bandwidth 144.2 GB/s)

In any case, I will do some more objective testing where I compare the same quality textures in one area, the only difference being whether they are PNG or DDS and report back to you.


--------------------------------------
EDIT:

After extensive testing I have come to the conclusion that (at least for me)...GPU usage is NOT affected by whether the file is in PNG format or DDS. The biggest factor in usage was how high res the textures were. 100% = 99% usage. 50% = 57% and a mix of 35-50% = 50%. No grass textures + loaded other textures = 40%. For reference, the 100% original size grass was mostly 1280x1280, with two files being 2048x2048 and 1024x1024. My FPS only dropped when my GPU was maxed out - anything under doesn't really affect FPS but I knew that my graphics card was working a lot harder on the 50% over the mix 35-50% files.

However, the file size for the DDS files were substantially smaller than its PNG equivalent. DDS format can effectively reduce file size by 40-60% over PNG without any noticeable quality loss. This massive size reduction may influence performance on rigs that aren't too powerful, as loading big PNG files may cause slowdown in texture streaming. This is only speculation, but I see no reason not to convert most files to DDS as long as the texture retains it's alpha and transparency settings so it appears the same...only smaller file size. The only drawback is that editing and viewing DDS files can be a pain unless you have a viewer or Photoshop/GIMP.

For Dolphin, I would say that texture resolution should be carefully considered to optimize performance. Unlike PC games, an increase in pixel resolution has a SIGNIFICANT impact on GPU usage, and when this is maxed out you will encounter stuttering and lag as well as higher power consumption and noise. At a certain point, increasing resolution results in minimal image improvement and a dramatic increase in gpu utilization. Therefore, textures should be sized to be as small as possible while still looking good.

[lolmetimbers]

SweetFX Preset for Dolphin x32 and x64 Files included as well. Makes the game sharper, more vibrant and warm.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ccex8h0w4883ev8


Copy all of the files into your dolphin folder (where dolphin.exe is). Replace the two .dlls from SweetFX 64 folder if you have x64 bit Dolphin. Press Scroll Lock to Activate in game. Adds around 5% GPU usage for me with no noticeable performance hit. Tweak settings as you wish. Enjoy

[SolarNova]

Im suprised people are still using my textures, i only made them as place holders till som1 with legit graphics/art skill got around to doign them properly