Creating the most beautiful experience!
Seaclean
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Hi there. 
I want to create a thread where we discuss ways to improve ESOs visuals (legally, of course) in order to achieve the most beautiful experience possible for those of us with the rig to handle it. This is solely about creating the best visual result, and as such this does not take performance into consideration. Also, I understand that beauty is highly subjective to the eye that sees, so you may not agree with the visual style/choices I've made. It's just to show you my configuration and what the game can look like. Feel free to share your own screenshots of beauty.
We are limited in the ways of mods seeing as this is an MMO, but there are still ways to improve the graphics considerably beyond what's achievable through the in-game settings.
(High-resolution (you have to click on the magnifying glass in the image twice): http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot128977_zps5df6ad9b.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot140448_zps8043359f.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot70121_zps6aaa3f05.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot128605_zps3b1b22d0.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot140772_zpsbeef9aed.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot14970_zps54e39c50.png~original )
I'm using Sweetfx 1.5 to alter the colors and contrast/gamma of the game.
Sweetfx 1.5 can be downloaded here. You need to copy+paste the files into your eso.exe folder (usually C:/program files/zenimax/The Elder Scrolls Online EU/game/client). After that you'll need a configuration text file (Sweetfx_settings.txt) which is what creates the unique colouring and style. Those can be found here - personally, I'm using this configuration.
As for the increased draw-distance and removal of fog, I'm using ESOLauncher. The link provided explains what it does, but among the highlights is that it removes the fog effect and increases the draw-distance.
I'm also using an ENB series originally designed for use with Skyrim. I don't know exactly how much of an improvement this is (as numerous mods were required to make use of an ENB with Skyrim), but it does seem to shine up the character models.
The link can be found here, just follow instructions.
Finally, there are various other ways to subtly improve the visuals of ESO. First of all, you can force textures to not stream in (pop in) and always be displayed as the best it can. You do this by finding your Usersettings.txt file (usually located in documents/Elder Scrolls Online/liveeu/) and altering this line
I should also mention that I'm using Nvidia Control Panel to alter my contrast and color settings using "adjust desktop color settings".
And that's it! Let me know if you've got any questions about my settings or how to install these features. Maybe even post your own results or share other cool ways to improve the graphics!
DISCLAIMER: To the best and brightest of my knowledge, all of these program/alterations are legal and does not give you an advantage over anyone else (in fact, they'll probably kill your FPS quite a bit). Credits go where credits are due.
Edited by Seaclean on 13 May 2014 17:13 I want to create a thread where we discuss ways to improve ESOs visuals (legally, of course) in order to achieve the most beautiful experience possible for those of us with the rig to handle it. This is solely about creating the best visual result, and as such this does not take performance into consideration. Also, I understand that beauty is highly subjective to the eye that sees, so you may not agree with the visual style/choices I've made. It's just to show you my configuration and what the game can look like. Feel free to share your own screenshots of beauty.We are limited in the ways of mods seeing as this is an MMO, but there are still ways to improve the graphics considerably beyond what's achievable through the in-game settings.
Screenshots!
Here are some screenshots of a few locations I've taken with my current settings (I may add more of other locations):(High-resolution (you have to click on the magnifying glass in the image twice): http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot128977_zps5df6ad9b.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot140448_zps8043359f.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot70121_zps6aaa3f05.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot128605_zps3b1b22d0.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot140772_zpsbeef9aed.png~original )
(High-resolution: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/SoRn/Screenshot14970_zps54e39c50.png~original )
What's available to improve the graphics?
As you can see, my draw distance is greatly enhanced and the colors are more vibrant than what you'd normally see. I'm using a few things to achieve these things.I'm using Sweetfx 1.5 to alter the colors and contrast/gamma of the game.
Sweetfx 1.5 can be downloaded here. You need to copy+paste the files into your eso.exe folder (usually C:/program files/zenimax/The Elder Scrolls Online EU/game/client). After that you'll need a configuration text file (Sweetfx_settings.txt) which is what creates the unique colouring and style. Those can be found here - personally, I'm using this configuration.
As for the increased draw-distance and removal of fog, I'm using ESOLauncher. The link provided explains what it does, but among the highlights is that it removes the fog effect and increases the draw-distance.
I'm also using an ENB series originally designed for use with Skyrim. I don't know exactly how much of an improvement this is (as numerous mods were required to make use of an ENB with Skyrim), but it does seem to shine up the character models.
The link can be found here, just follow instructions.
Finally, there are various other ways to subtly improve the visuals of ESO. First of all, you can force textures to not stream in (pop in) and always be displayed as the best it can. You do this by finding your Usersettings.txt file (usually located in documents/Elder Scrolls Online/liveeu/) and altering this line
SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELSto
SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS "-3"
I should also mention that I'm using Nvidia Control Panel to alter my contrast and color settings using "adjust desktop color settings".
And that's it! Let me know if you've got any questions about my settings or how to install these features. Maybe even post your own results or share other cool ways to improve the graphics!
DISCLAIMER: To the best and brightest of my knowledge, all of these program/alterations are legal and does not give you an advantage over anyone else (in fact, they'll probably kill your FPS quite a bit). Credits go where credits are due.
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ZiRM✭✭✭✭✭
✭Those screenshots look kind of doctored up to me.Want to become Vampire? 5k @ZiRM in game.ESO Server Status. ( ^_^)o自自o(^_^ ) SkåL!!!!!0 -
Seaclean✭I've added a high-resolution option to them, so it's better to see the details. What do you mean "doctored up"? I haven't enhanced them in any way. They're as they appear in-game when I play. Edited by Seaclean on 13 May 2014 16:430
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Origin✭✭✭Well, first of all your images are too saturated and the contrast is way to high. A lot of details are lost. Yeah, they appear more punchy, but also they look un-natural. I like the game more as it is.3 -
D34thly✭✭It tends to be what people like (look at skyrim ENB screenshots) I don't like it, but to each his own. I do like ESOLauncher though I just wish there was an option for minimal fog instead of on/off due to the fact the DOF/LODs are F******* terrible lol.Blacklist DC NA
Iron Lotus DC NA0 -
Seaclean✭Well, first of all your images are too saturated and the contrast is way to high. A lot of details are lost. Yeah, they appear more punchy, but also they look un-natural. I like the game more as it is.
I understand what you're saying. My girlfriend prefers to play ESO as it is exactly because you tend to lose some of the details hidden in the darker areas when playing as I do. It's a matter of preference. I like when shadows are darker, colors are more saturated, etc. It gives me a more immerse feeling for sure, but it can hinder gameplay if the dungeon you're in is already dark. Luckily there's a quick gamma slider for that in-game
Edited by Seaclean on 13 May 2014 17:130 -
Audigy✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I think its nice to see a positive thread once in a while so I thank the OP for this. I do still play with the original ESO version so to speak, but I also played around with the settings.ini options before.
In the end of the day, its all about personal preference. I for instance hate Depth of Field in games, I always turn this off - others even add mods to have it
Edited by Audigy on 13 May 2014 17:150 -
o_0✭✭✭✭I have been using both of these for a couple weeks now and absolutely love the way they make the game look.0
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Seaclean✭Thanks for the feedback, guys. It's nice to see so many opinions about this. I hope to see some of your screenshots as well. 0
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remilafo✭✭✭✭Hey thanks for this Info OP...
I've been using sweetfx and fxaa tool since like forever but im new to the esolauncher fun.. and man it's good removing the fog is just so GOOD! so much damn fog in this game by default.
I am also familiar with ENB but i don't think there is anything to gain in ESO as of yet by using it. In skyrim it was great because it literally took over much of the lighting effects in the game but thats not happening in ESO nor do i think it will either. So all you can do with ENB can already be done with sweetfx.
BUt anyways ESOlauncher awesome and totally needed. once real full screen is made availible this game will finally be at a point graphically where skyrim (lightly modded) was.
peace!
PS!!
I play at 3240x1920 resolution with 3GB Vram.. this
SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS "-3"
is crash to desktop central... a value of -1 produces a significant improvement but doesn't crash for me.Edited by remilafo on 14 May 2014 03:100 -
Seaclean✭BUt anyways ESOlauncher awesome and totally needed. once real full screen is made availible this game will finally be at a point graphically where skyrim (lightly modded) was.
peace!
PS!!
I play at 3240x1920 resolution with 3GB Vram..
What do you mean "real full screen"? And nice resolution, you've got. My monitor only supports Full HD. But if I ran the game at 3240x1920 then I imagine my PC would short circuit haha... I've got a GTX 670 with a i5-2500k CPU and 12GB DDR3 RAM...
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freche✭Is there any official statements regarding the use ESOLauncher and SweetFX?
Many people seems to use them so I doubt they are bannable atm but I'm just curious if anyone from ZOS has said anything.0 -
remilafo✭✭✭✭BUt anyways ESOlauncher awesome and totally needed. once real full screen is made availible this game will finally be at a point graphically where skyrim (lightly modded) was.
peace!
PS!!
I play at 3240x1920 resolution with 3GB Vram..
What do you mean "real full screen"? And nice resolution, you've got. My monitor only supports Full HD. But if I ran the game at 3240x1920 then I imagine my PC would short circuit haha... I've got a GTX 670 with a i5-2500k CPU and 12GB DDR3 RAM...
Currently ESO's fullscreen is just a fullscreen borderless window. You may have noticed that ESO is Ultra Alt-tab friendly this is because the game is actually playing in a window.
Gamers running more than One-GPU (graphics card) have been asking for "real" fullscreen since beta because DUal-GPU setups like SLI or crossfire require fullscreen. For nvidia users there is a work around to enable SLI in ESO's current state. There is also a Crossfire work around for AMD users but it directly conflicts with Sweetfx, so it's one or the other.
Anyways, the "real" fullscreen issue pertains mostly to multi-gpu users but it also applies to Single-GPU gamers as well because Windows operating system allocates hardware resources differently when things are run in windowed mode vs Fullscreen mode. Single GPU users can still expect ESO's performance to improve by about 10-15% once real fullscreen gets enabled.
Last i checked, The BIG patch comming up version 1.1 is "supposedly" providing a "real" fullscreen mode.
Also good processor you got there on your system. I have that baby on my old computer, that chip is an overclocking beast i got mine to 4.75Ghz what a monster. My wife plays on that computer now lol..
Currently im running an I7-4820K @ 4.55Ghz with 16GB ran... I run 2x Amd 7970Ghz edition in Crossfire (err at least i will be once real fullscreen shows up) and i use three 40" LCD tv's in portrait position to get 3 x "1080x1920"..
I hope that answer the "real" fullscreen question.0 -
remilafo✭✭✭✭Is there any official statements regarding the use ESOLauncher and SweetFX?
Many people seems to use them so I doubt they are bannable atm but I'm just curious if anyone from ZOS has said anything.
Officially these things are not supported. Sweetfx isn't illegal and it is not a bannable offence. Sweetfx is no different than using image quality adjustments via your AMD or Nvidia control panel.
However ESOlauncher is definitely illegal! because it is a third party software directly changing graphical settings in the game. Like removing fog or changing the Field of View or chaning how textures are loading. In short this could be used in an unfair way in a pvp match or whatever. ESOlauncher is innocent but someone with similar code could make a program to prevent walls textures from loading let's say, allowing one to see through walls or maybe even walk through walls.
My hope is that the GM's do full investigations before Banning accounts and hopefully they are gamers also and can appreciate players of ESO wanting to enhance their experience in a fair way. ESOlauncher at the moment is Fair.
Remilafo0 -
Seaclean✭However ESOlauncher is definitely illegal! because it is a third party software directly changing graphical settings in the game. Like removing fog or changing the Field of View or chaning how textures are loading. In short this could be used in an unfair way in a pvp match or whatever. ESOlauncher is innocent but someone with similar code could make a program to prevent walls textures from loading let's say, allowing one to see through walls or maybe even walk through walls.
You have a point, but I'd like to see an official statement about the legality of ESOLauncher (in its current state and use) before jumping the gun.
Edited by Seaclean on 15 May 2014 15:440 -
esoone✭✭✭Can a CS plz coment on the use of thise cause its awsome and i wanna use this to. Also funny i see myself riding in the picture i remember seeing you there( Dont see alot of half naked nords in 30ish zones ) Very nice screenshots!1 -
Seaclean✭Can a CS plz coment on the use of thise cause its awsome and i wanna use this to. Also funny i see myself riding in the picture i remember seeing you there( Dont see alot of half naked nords in 30ish zones ) Very nice screenshots!
Haha, what a coincidence! My Nord character is a brutish warlord, and we all know brutish warlords go shirt-less.
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PVT_Parts✭✭✭Hi there. I want to create a thread where we discuss ways to improve ESOs visuals (legally, of course) in order to achieve the most beautiful experience possible for those of us with the rig to handle it. This is solely about creating the best visual result, and as such this does not take performance into consideration. Also, I understand that beauty is highly subjective to the eye that sees, so you may not agree with the visual style/choices I've made. It's just to show you my configuration and what the game can look like. Feel free to share your own screenshots of beauty.
@Seaclean Does this still work? I did all the steps except the the nexus mod. I changed the settings in the launcher, etc. There doesn't seem to be much change in my game and the fog is still there.Edited by PVT_Parts on 24 May 2014 04:310 -
Ooyama_ST✭✭That ESOLauncher is actually Hook?
Sure sure no one gets banned for using it? Because seems nice X)
To make my game look nice I was using Nvidia Experience with high res scale mode and Freestyle Game Filters. ESO was in the list of supported games for the beta, but seems like it’s not supported anymore and the game disappeared from Experience at all, so I’m playing in vanilla atm.
My game looked like this with those features.
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