Universal GTA 4 shader patch (U4SP for short) aka ALTERNATIVE GRAPHICS TWEAK.

Note from GTAGarage: Your Antivirus software may claim this mod is malware. This information is false, and caused by poor research on the part of your Antivirus software.

Description:


 This is universal rage_postfx.fxc shader patch.

 Within every new patch, Rockstar brings new rage_postfx.fxc file with some tweaks and fixes, so keeping
 outdated rage_postfx.fxc isnt good idea and could lead to gfx glitches and corruption.

 This universal patch could disable Near, Middle and Far distance blur to suit your tastes and in same
 time it will preserve all new changes made by Rockstar.

 So if you are using that "Ultimate Graphics Tweak" with outdated rage_postfx.fxc, you really should get
 rid of it and use this patch instead.

 If Rockstar will ever release new patch, just make sure that rage_postfx.fxc was updated by rockstar's
 official patch, then just run Universal GTA 4 shader patch again.

 You may ask:
 "How the hell this going to work with any new file, what if offset will change or something?"

 i did few separate versions of patch, one version with fixed offset, and another one with heuristic
 search of values that should be patched. In normal case you should use fixed offset version, but if it
 will fails to patch, just run heuristic version.


U4SP vs UGT:


 You may ask me:
 "Why do i need to use this, when i have Ultimate Graphics Tweak, whats the difference?"

 And i can tell you the difference:

 1) Multiplayer:

 To make this thing clear from begining - this is one of the most important difference comparing to
 "Ultimate Graphics Tweak", you can play multiplayer with no problems, with no additional tools, and
 without any magic tricks you used to do with UGT.

 Magic is already inside this patch, and this magic is simple - you dont need modded visualeffects.dat
 to have all waht Ultimate Graphics tweak promice to give you, its all in shader;-)

 2) Always new shader:

 Many users of UGT, inlcuding its so-called "Author" (who in fact isnt author of it), dont even realise
 that outdated shader produced in january 2009 that they use, do not include all the fixes and optimisation
 that rockstar did in next patches and could be source of many problems they have with game (including
 performance and graphical problems). When i recommended bartekxyz to call for original modder of shader
 to performe same modification on new shader that was included in patch, he just ignored that and said
 not true thing that there is no difference. There is a difference, latest rage_postfx.fxc includes
 14590 new bytes, which are mostly new shader instructions.

 So answer of bartekxyz was just an excuse for his not so big knowledge or Laziness, or even both of them.
 But hey, now he could use my patch to create and finaly put updated shader, or he even can pack my
 patch inside (i just hope he would not cut parts of my readme about him) ;-) (Read more about this in
 "EXTRA NOTES" bellow)

 3) Simple and fast usage:

 You are old lazzy ex-programmer or ex-hardcore gamer? Or just noob? Or no one of them, but just a man
 who care about his time and just dont want to waste it on many unecessary things?
 It doesnt matter who you are, in any case you will find U4SP aka AGT more comfortable than UGT.
 Bacause all you need to do just perform 2 clicks
 1st to run Patcher, 2nd to press on "Patch" button and enjoy result. Should i mention all that many
 uncomfortable steps you need to do to install UGT and make it works for you? Nah i dont want even waste
 time on this ;-)

 4) Not so many unrealistic blur and no bullsh*t at all:

 Blur blur blur, its everywhere in UGT, if someone shoot you - boom blur, someone hit your car - boom blur
 again, you just driving at 20 km\h and see that motion blur... this isnt looks good if you have taste.
 Well actually that unrealistic extra motion blur is all what bartecxyz realy did, just a 6 lines inside
 visualsettings.dat... all the rest was done by Klanly and Belinda who wasnt even properly credited and was
 left withour reward, when bartekxyz recieved one (Read more about this in "EXTRA NOTES" bellow) for what
 klanly and belinda did.
 Smooth Shadows, motion blur, depth of field, and all that bartekxyz present as results of "his" tweak,
 are all actually was in game, and Klanly + Belinda just found the way how to separate them in shader and
 disable one by one, and they produced that shader, that did all what you can find in description of
 "Ultimate graphic tweak"... and just look at credid description for Klanly in credits:

 "For a solution on how to separate static blur from DOF and MB."

 and compare it to description of tweak

 "Ultimate Graphics Tweak is a little modification which allow you to enable improved post processing effects
 like Motion Blur and Depth Of Field.
 It also smoothens dotted shadows and jaggy edges while keeping whole game sharp and clean. As a result game
 feels like a movie, and is visibly smoother even at low frame rates (15-25FPS)."

 Oh, wow, Belinda didnt took his credit? Actualy he did that 3 versions of shader and finished what knaly
 started, so why the heck he have no credit at all?

 Aint this is bullsh*t?

 I think that fair description that bartekxyz should type should be like this:

 "Klanly - for discovery of methid which allow you to enable improved post processing effects
 like Motion Blur and Depth Of Field with smooth shadows and edges while keeping whole game sharp and clean.
 As a result game feels like a movie, and is visibly smoother even at low frame rates (15-25FPS).

 "Belinda - for extra research, and for 3 shaders he created that makes all tweaks possible"

 "Ultimate Graphics Tweak is a tinny 6 lines in config which gives you just more intensive motion blur when
 you use real graphics tweak created by klanly and belinda".

 Thats looks justly and aint bullsh*ting anyone;-)

 Use real product, not advertised dummy.

 5) You can combine both:

 If you didnt understood a word or you just weirdo, you can use patched rage_postfx.fxc with visualsettings.dat
 from UGT, but in this case you will lose multiplayer, and most of advantages of Alternative Graphics Tweak.
 Anyway, UGT never have had updated shader, so you should use this AGT, just to update shader for UGT usage.


Usage:


 Look at file content_tree.png to understand idea of folder hierarchy first.
 There are 12 versions of patch total, they are separated 1st by type of implementation:

 1) Brute - these versions would patch any required bytes without checking if those bytes already patched
 or mismatch

 2) Smart - these versions would patch required bytes only in case if bytes wasnt patched and match
 to default patern (original raga_postfx.fxc produced by rockstar)

 2nd they are separated by type of detection of bytes that needs to be patched:

 1) offset - these versions would patch bytes only located at fixed offset

 2) heuristic - these versions would perform autosearch of location of required bytes

 3rd they are separate by type of blur (it could be enabled by pressing P button or by setting
 Definition off at graphics settings) that this patch would remove[*]:

 1) Near - only near aka full screen blur would be removed, this makes picture sharp at close distance
 just as Blur never was turned on, but in same time medium blur (that makes shadows and trees smoother
 and adds some minor pseudo-antialiasing effect on medium distance objects) and far blur (that makes
 Depth of Field [DOF] effect on far distance objects) will remain.
 This is recommended version.

 2) Near+Medium - both near and medium blurs would be removed, but far blur aka DOF will stay.

 3) Near+Medium+Far - all static blur would be removede, only motion blur remain.


 In normal case i recommend you to use Smart offset, if it fails then Smart heuristic version.
 If both of these fails or will give no visible result (this could happen in theory), than try brute heuristic
 version.
 If you already patched Shader and want to re-patch it to implement different tweak, than i recommend you
 to use Brute offset one, it will override any current values, but keep in mind that this will work right
 only if Smart Offset patch didn failed before, if it failed before and you was only able to patch with
 Smart heuristic version, this mean that offset was changed, and use of brute offset version could damage file.

 But dont worry too much, patch creates backup, if backup already present, than it will not override old backup
 with new one.



Extra notes:


 Patch created by Voodooman (v00d00m4n).
 Thx to Klanly for his discovery that made this patch possible, also thx to Belinda for his additional
 reasearch that cleaned out Klanly's discovery. All credits should go to them.

 Shame on bartekxyz who used klanly's discovery (that did almost whole trick) and used it in cheap
 "Ultimate Graphics Tweak" to rise his fame and catch thx that realy was deserved by Klanly and Belinda.
 UGT is really just a minor tweak of intensivity of blur (too much motion blur to be honest), its not
 even work without shader modded by Belinda (who wasnt even credited by bartekxyz), and shader inside UGT
 is pretty outdated, still that old modded shader that belinda did in Jan 2009
 (prove link).

 However if you will use just patched rage_postfx.fxc instead of not so Ultimate Graphics Tweak you would
 be able to play MP with no problems, if you will use modded visualSettings.dat from UGT, than game will
 probably not let you play online.

 Bartekxyz coundt even mod rage_postfx.fxc
 (prove link)
 and still uses outdated file that belinda did and belives that there is no difference. So why do he have
 GTAF Award and Knanly and Belinda not? It not fair!

 I did this patch and these notes not for fame, but for justice!
 Nothing personal against bartekxyz (he is a nice guy, if you could forget for a second that "all fame
 should go to me" behavior, and his ignorance about my old recomendation to update shader with help of
 belinda, since he couldnt do it himself) just a justice business.

 Its really unfair when someone use someone else as parasite and get all the fame instead of original
 author.

 Vote for klanly an belinda to get reward for that discovery!


History:


v0.9b
-initial public release


Thanks:


To you for reading this text.
To Klanly and Belinda for everything mentioned above.
To bartekxyz for his behavior that forced me to do this patch ;-)