MODDING GUIDE
I'll swing by and sign the contracts, alright? Just ignore the bodies! - Trevor Philips
GUIDE FORUM THREAD
UPDATE LOG:
- 24/06/2015
- First draft of the guide. Source code taken from SRB's Fear And Loathing in New Vegas guide.
Introduction
Grand Theft Auto V. Weren't we all excited when it finally came to PC? Weren't we even more excited when the first mods emerged?! Hell we were! GTA were always highly moddable games and there already many great mods for the fifth instalment of the series.
This guide's main aim is to make the game more realistic and more interesting, even make it suitable for role playing. Hang on a sec, role playing GTA? - you ask. Yes, my friend! GTA has a great role playing potential. You have 3 characters you can role play, each one with a different background and different personality. You can freely switch between them and you have this massive modern city and it's outskirts to explore. Just think about it!
Without the support of STEP, this guide would not be possible. If you would like to make a donation, that would be awesome! Do so with Paypal.
Grand Theft Auto V modding
Overview
The modding for GTA V is achieved in 2 ways mainly:
- By modifying records in the files compressed into ***** file format
- By installing scripts into the game's dicretory
A few external tools are required to successfully mod the game, but the process is fairly straight forward and easy to learn.
A few points to note:
- Steam and the game in general should not be installed in the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder.
- Make sure GTA V directory is clean from any other modding previously done.
- Remember to make a backup of every file that you modify. This will save you time reinstalling the game should things go south. I can't stress enough how important this step is, so please DO MAKE BACKUPS, otherwise you may BREAK YOUR GAME!
Configuration files
user.settings
User.settings is the file where The Witcher 3 saves all your settings, including HUD, Audio and Video settings.
Navigate to "Documents\The Witcher 3" folder, right click "user.settings" file and select Open With, then select a text editor of your choice (I recommend Notepad++). Then delete all the text inside the file and copy and paste the below text, up to (and including) "MaxVisibilityDepth=24" line, which should be the last entry in the user.settings file.
[Gameplay/EntityPool] SpawnedLimit=300 [Hidden] HasSeenDLCMessage=true HasSetup=true uiVerticalFrameScale=1.065 uiHorizontalFrameScale=1.0375 [Localization] RequestedSpeechLanguage= SpeechLanguage=PL RequestedTextLanguage= TextLanguage=PL Subtitles=false [Viewport] VSync=true Resolution="1920x1080" FullScreenMode=2 VSyncThreshold=0 OutputMonitor=-1 [Hud] MinimapRotation=false Minimap2Module=false BossFocusModule=false HudSize=0.5 QuestsModule=false HorsePanicBarModule=false EnemyFocusModule=false HorseStaminaBarModule=false MinimapTracksWaypoints=false ControlsFeedbackModule=false BoatHealthModule=false [Budget] cvMaxAllowedLightsShadowTime=3 cvMaxAllowedApexDestroTickedTime=0.2 cvMaxAllowedGrass=50000 cvMaxAllowedDecalsDynamic=50 cvMaxAllowedDynMeshes=104857600 cvMaxAllowedChunksSkinnedTime=3.5 cvMaxAllowedTrianglesSkinned=100000 cvMaxAllowedDecalsSSTime=0.1 cvMaxAllowedLightsShadow=4 TerrainTileMipDataBudget=100 cvMaxAllowedApexTicked=60 cvMaxAllowedActiveEnvProbesTime=0.1 cvMaxAllowedStatTextures=314572800 cvMaxAllowedSpeedTree=6000 cvMaxAllowedLightsNonShadowsTime=0.2 cvMaxAllowedSpeedTreeTime=2.2 cvMaxAllowedChunksStatic=1500 cvMaxAllowedTrianglesStatic=500000 cvMaxAllowedHiresChunks=25 cvMaxAllowedDecalsDynamicTime=0.5 cvMaxAllowedLightsNonShadows=40 cvMaxAllowedChunksStaticTime=1.5 cvMaxAllowedChunksSkinned=400 cvMaxAllowedApexDestroTicked=40 cvMaxAllowedStatMeshes=209715200 TerrainTileMinTimeout=2 cvMaxAllowedHiresChunksTime=0.2 cvMaxAllowedApexTickedTime=0.5 cvMaxAllowedCharTextures=409715200 cvMaxAllowedParticlesCountTime=0.2 cvMaxAllowedParticlesCount=2000 cvMaxAllowedGrassTime=1.5 TerrainTileTimeout=10 OcclusionQueryAdditionalMemory=20 TerrainTileLoadingTimeout=5 cvMaxAllowedDecalsSS=240 [Audio] MusicVolume=75 Subtitles=true [LoadingScreen/TCR] ShowProgress=true [Game] DoNotPauseWhileStopped=false [PostProcess] AllowChromaticAberration=false SharpenAmount=1 MotionBlurPositionTreshold=0.05 AllowVignette=false MotionBlurRotationTreshold=1 AllowAntialias=false SSAOSolution=2 [Input] PadVibrationEnabled=true KeyboardCooldownSpeed=0.1 InvertCameraXOnMouse=false InvertCameraYOnMouse=false CameraAutoRotX=true InvertCameraX=false UIMouseSensitivity=1 CameraAutoRotY=true RightStickCameraSensitivity=1 InvertCameraY=false RightStickAimSensitivity=1 MouseSensitivity=1 [DLC] DlcEnabled_dlc_001_001=1 DlcEnabled_dlc_002_001=1 DlcEnabled_dlc_003_001=1 [Gameplay] Difficulty=3 [LevelOfDetail] SwarmHideDistance=800 DecalsHideDistance=400 DimmerHideDistance=400 DynamicDecalsHideDistance=400 StripeHideDistance=400 [General] ConfigVersion=1 [LoadingScreen/Editor] Disabled=false [LoadingOverlay/TCR] FadeOutCooldownExtraTime=1 FadeInSpinnerTime=1 NoninteractiveSpinnerTime=3 FadeOutSpinnerTime=1 NoninteractiveEndCooldown=1 [Visuals] InventoryBgColorScaleB=0.036 InventoryFixedLuminance=0.25 InventoryBgColorScaleG=0.034 MovieFramerate=60 GammaValue=1 InventoryBgColorScaleR=0.02 [Rendering] GrassDensity=3600 WaterGeometryQuality=10 DecalsSpawnDistanceCutoff=40 TextureStreamingHeadsDistanceLimit=20 GlobalOceanTesselationFactor=128 TextureStreamingCharacterDistanceLimit=100 CascadeShadowFadeTreshold=1 CascadeShadowDistanceScale2=1.2 MaxTextureAnizotropy=8 TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=40000 TextureMemoryBudget=1600 CascadeShadowDistanceScale3=1.2 MeshLODDistanceScale=1 ScaleformTextureUnstreamDelay=2.5 DecalsChance=1 TerrainReadAheadDistance=800 HairWorksLevel=2 MaxTextureAnisotropy=16 TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold=1.6 MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount=4 TextureMipBias=-1 HardwareCursor=true TextureInFlightCountBudget=12 TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier=6 CascadeShadowmapSize=2048 CascadeShadowDistanceScale0=1 MeshRenderingDistanceScale=1 CascadeShadowQuality=1 CascadeShadowDistanceScale1=1 [Input/Gestures] EnableSwipe=true EnablePan=true EnableGestures=true EnablePinch=true [LoadingScreen] FadeInTime=3 SkipShowWithAnyKey=true GameRevealTime=3 SkipHideDelay=3 SkipInputDelay=0.25 FadeOutTime=1.5 SkipAutoshow=false [Engine] LimitFPS=60 [Rendering/SpeedTree] GrassGenerationEfficiency=0.075 GrassDistanceScale=4 FoliageDistanceScale=4 FoliageShadowDistanceScale=16 GrassRingSize=4194304 [Save] ShowCompatWarning=false [Kinect] Kinect=true [Foliage] MaxVisibilityDepth=24
These settings will improve the visuals of the game greatly, including LOD, drawing distances, shadows, water quality etc.
Remember to click [Save] before exiting the program. After exiting, right click the file and set it to Read Only. This will ensure that the game won't change the settings back.
Tools and Utilisties
Debug Console Enabler Updated
- Author: Skomski
- Version: 1.06
- Installation: Download "debug-console-enabler-default" file. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to your game installation folder: \The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\x64 Unzip and copy everything to that folder
This mod adds a developers' console (similar to the one in Skyrim) and also enables the free camera.
Enable free camera ingame with "F1". Enable debug console ingame with "~" or "F2".
Console commands guide Full commands dump
Models and Textures
Naked Ciri is Naked
- Author: HartXIII
- Version: 1.0
- Installation: Download "Naked Ciri is Naked v1.0" file. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to your game installation folder: \The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\content\content0\bundles Make a backup copy of the "blob.bundle" file just in case Unzip and copy everything to the folder "bundles" Run the "Install.bat" file
This mod will ensure that Ciri naked model is used in one of the relevant scenes in game, where Ciri should be naked. The naked model was already in the game, however the developers never used it. This mod fixes that.
Triss DLC appearance for masquerade only
- Author: Sarcen
- Version: v1
- Installation: Download "triss_dlc_dressonly.rar" file. Follow these instructions:
Download and install the "Alternative Look for Triss" DLC from GOG Backup "The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\DLC\DLC6\content\bundles\blob.bundle" in case you want to revert Extract "blob.bundle" to "The Witcher 3\DLC\DLC6\content\bundles\" and overwrite the existing one.
This mod makes Triss wear the dress from Alternate Look For Triss DLC content only during the masquerade ball, which makes perfect sense, rather than her wearing it all the time. She's supposed to be in hiding and this dress ain't very discreet...
Post Processing
There is no ENB for Witcher 3 (and Boris said he wouldn't make one for that game, I have actually asked...), however there are some alternatives in the shape of post processors such as ReShade, SweetFX, GemFX etc. These post processors are a great alternative to ENB and some really good effects can be achieved with them, including sophisticated AA, bloom, sharpening, DoF and many more similar effects.
For The Witcher 3 we'll be using ReShade with Frameworks and also E3FX preset created by Sarcen.
ReShade
- Author: Crosire
- Version: v0.18.7 + Framework
- Installation: Download "ReShade v0.18.7 + Framework" file. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to your game installation folder: \The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\x64 Unzip Reshade + Frameworks to that directory (ignore the setup.exe) Rename Reshade64.dll to d3d11.dll, overwrite if necessary
Crosire's ReShade is an advanced, fully generic post-processing injector for games or alike. Imagine your favorite game with ambient occlusion, real high quality bokeh depth of field, color correction and more ... No more waiting: ReShade provides a generic way to access both color and depth information (latter is automatically disabled during multiplayer to prevent exploitation) and all the tools to make your dreams come true.
The possibilities are endless! Advanced depth-edge-detection-driven SMAA antialiasing, screen space ambient occlusion, depth of field, chromatic aberration, dynamic filmgrain, automatic saturation and color correction, cross processing, multi-pass blurring ... you name it.
ReShade supports all of Direct3D8 (which is converted to Direct3D9 to allow for more advanced effects using later shadermodels), Direct3D9, Direct3D9Ex, Direct3D10.X, Direct3D11.X and OpenGL and requires Windows Vista or higher.
E3FX
- Author: Drogean
- Version: v9.5
- Installation: Download "E3FX V9.5 Gritty Edition" file. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to your game installation folder: \The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\x64 Unzip and copy everything to that folder, overwriting if necessary
This preset aims to recreate the visual style of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Debut Gameplay Trailer presented at E3 2013. It's toned down, more realistic and a bit colder than the one in vanilla game. It also introduces SMAA, texture sharpening, bloom and other effects. Full features list:
- SMAA
- Texture Sharpening
- Plants shimmer in sunlight
- Bloom Effects
- Brighter light sources
- Removes yellow hue for colder more realistic feel
- Better contrast to improve the default crushed blacks
- Less than 10 FPS performance impact
Required in-game settings:
Gamma = 1 Full Screen Mode HBAO AA Disabled Sharpening Low Chromatic Aberration Off Vignette Off Sun Shafts On Bloom On
NOTE: If you have used my user.settings file above you don't have to worry, as these settings are already as they should be. HOWEVER there is a known bug in game that causes it to randomly switch from Full Screen to Borderless mode sometimes. When this happens, you need to go to the options and change the display mode back to Full Screen. Remember to set your user.settings file to read only, otherwise you will lose all the custom settings!
Support and Feedback
Support is provided via a forum thread on STEP Community forums, so if you have any questions, suggestions or any feedback in general please post there and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Credits
rootsrat aka Elenear - Master Witcher
EssArrBee and Neovalen - the guide style sheet.
STEP for being one the best communities on the internet, gaming or not
A.l.e.x. for the configuration files guide
The Nexus for hosting all the mods
The Modders for making their excellent contributions, this one goes without saying, we wouldn't be here if not for them!
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