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Dark Souls internal rendering resolution fix (DSfix)

Durante

Member
Since I don't want to keep updating the OP with every version:

You'll always find the latest DSfix here.

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Comparison images provided by Corky:

1) Default settings, 1024x720 render resolution @ 1920x1080

1024x720xozqm.png



2) 1920x1080 render resolution @1920x1080, 1080 dof setting, no smaa

1920x1080ybxmv.png



3) 6400x3600 render resolution @ 1920x1080, 1080 dof setting, ultra smaa

6400x3600ultrasmaa91yg1.png



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Version 0.5

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Version 0.4 including the DoF fix is now online.

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Version 0.3 is up.

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Some information for those having trouble with their framerate being locked at 15:
chiablo said:
If you have a 120Hz monitor, you might run into one of two problems:
Framerate locked at 15Hz, or resolution is locked at 720x540.

The fix is to open up the DarkSouls.ini file and manually set your fullscreen resolution and monitor's framerate there.

The .ini file is located here: C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\Local\NBGI\DarkSouls\DarkSouls.ini

Some people have reported that using HDMI rather than DisplayPort also resolves the issue.



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Version 0.2 is up.

Fixes text, button prompts and downsampling.


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EDIT: Download is UP!
Blur is fixed!
God's in his heaven, all's right with the world!

unmodded:
data2012-08-2401-28-0xepj9.png


1080p:
data2012-08-2401-24-0c4qnh.png


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Edit: I think some expectation management is required:
People really shouldn't order the game and expect to play the whole thing at high res just yet.

Again: No one knows yet how well (or if at all) this works for the entire game!

If you're unsure, wait a day or two for feedback!
Also:
Again, I'd really prefer to keep the discussion away from what FROM should/could have done.

1) We don't know yet if this works for the entire game
2) We don't know the circumstances of the port
3) Even if they did mess up, it doesn't help much to point and laugh



Please read this whole post before downloading anything!

As most of you may know, the Dark Souls port for PC has a fixed rendering resolution of 1024x720. I couldn't believe this when it was first rumoured, and when it turned out true I vowed to do my best to fix it.


What is it?
It's an interception d3d9.dll that you place in the same folder as the game executable. It intercepts the game's calls to the DirectX 9 API and changes them as necessary to enable a higher internal rendering resolution.


How do I use it?
Place d3d9.dll and DSfix.ini into the game's binary directory. (The place where DARKSOULS.exe is)
You can open DSfix.ini with a text editor to adjust the desired internal resolution.


Will it work?
So far, this has only been tested on my computer, on the first half hour or so of the game. I can not and will not guarantee that it will work for anyone else, or not have any adverse effect on your game/computer. Use at your own risk! If you encounter any issues that seem like they could be caused by DSfix, let me know.


Why is it still blurry?
I don't know at this point in time. It's already clear that there is a lot more detail and less aliasing using an increased framebuffer resolution -- as you would expect! -- but there is some residual blur. I'm trying to work out if this is due to my method or something inherent in the game. I will certainly continue working on this.


Will it cause performance problems?
That depends on your system configuration. Usually, performance scales rather linearly with framebuffer size, and so far this game does not seem different. My 660 maintained a locked 30 FPS throughout ~ 1/2 hour of testing in the starting area of the game at 2560x1440.


Can I donate?
If you really want to donate I won't say no, I'm not particularly rich :p.
Go to my blog post about the fix here.


Some other points
  • I did not do the entire work for this in 23 minutes. I developed an interception dll framework during this week to prepare for the job. I did the actual work to make the game render at higher res in that amount of time though -- based on the framework -- and spent a few more hours testing and adding the config file.
  • Please refrain from disrespectful remarks like "lol Japanese development". There are plenty of Japanese developers that deliver technically excellent PC games
  • Buy Dark Souls if you like hardcore action RPGs.

I'll provide the download links here soon. I just thought it would be good to have a separate thread so that the discussion in the OT can focus on the game again.
 
And to think that I was ready to play this with a shitty res... that pic looks so much more detailed. Durante you are the mang
 

linko9

Member
Wow, thanks for this! Love to hear how it works for other people. I've been holding out on getting the PC port, but I might go ahead and dive in if this doesn't have any issues.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
WOW, already?!
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
I was thinking "Someone out there has to be able to mod this and make it render correctly..."

Never expected Gaf's own.

Thank you man.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Nice, but the game looks so muddy even like this, wow. At least in your screens. Better still, obviously.
 
This single-handedly made me interested in buying this again. Already played a bit on PS3 so I am happy that it will now actually take advantage of my PC :D
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
Nice, but the game looks so muddy even like this, wow. At least in your screens. Better still, obviously.
Someone needs to explain to me what the issue was with playing at the game's original resolution (serious question, no sass intended).
 

dino1980

Member
Durante: Does it work together with a FXAA injector that also has d3d9.dll like your fix? If not does it work with a SMAA injector that has a dxgi.dll file?
 
No surprise to see this coming from the glorious "Torment is the greatest game ever" brotherhood.

Obviously, a person with PS:T avatar will be the best.

23 minutes? Wow, I'm lost with words now. How about you contact From or Namco, maybe they can patch the version :D

Someone needs to explain to me what the issue was with playing at the game's original resolution (serious question, no sass intended).

Shit resolution would be STRETCHED on your screen. Imagine 720p stretched to 1080p, as that's what most of us are using. Not bad still? Now imagine that instead of your TV 3 meters away you are looking at it from 50cm. Yeah, not fun.
 
Someone needs to explain to me what the issue was with playing at the game's original resolution (serious question, no sass intended).

Everything looks sharper and less aliased at higher resolutions. Specially when your sitting close to the display, which is something most people do when playing on PCs.


However that screenshot doesn't look like your typical 1920x1080p screenshot. Looks like it's upscaled.
 

Neiteio

Member
If this works as advertised, with no adverse effects to the computer, I may be buying Dark Souls after all! I have a GTX 560M (2GB VRAM), 8GB RAM, i7. I would want to scale to 1600x900. Should this work?
 

def sim

Member
Someone needs to explain to me what the issue was with playing at the game's original resolution (serious question, no sass intended).

It would look terrible on a monitor that's not native 1024x720. That would make it everyone's problem.
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
Everything looks sharper and less aliased at higher resolutions. Specially when your sitting close to the display, which is something most people do when playing on PCs.


However that screenshot doesn't look like your typical 1920x1080p screenshot. Looks like it's upscaled.

I'll have to look at some comparison shots then. That screenshot looks like an upscale to me as well.

Props to durante though.
 
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