HQ Vanilla Textures City Revitalization

The mod replaces the city's textures with AI-enhanced textures. No generic textures were used, only vanilla textures with improved resolution and definition. To achieve the highest possible level of quality for each texture without having to increase the resolution too much, I adopted different AI enhancement methods for each different texture type. Conventional texture upscaling takes about 10 seconds per texture. The new method I used can take up to 15 minutes for a single texture, making the process time-consuming and requiring many hours of GPU processing power per day. This additional investment allows us to achieve higher-quality textures while maintaining the same resolution. The new AI method used is better for most textures, but not all. The high level of definition leaves natural structures (soil, rocks, stones) with an artificial tone. Therefore, I adopted the conventional method for some textures. In this study, I discovered that other methods could also produce better results for certain textures. In short, each algorithm works best on certain materials, and learning this takes time.

The game's level design didn't pay much attention to choosing texture resolutions according to the scale of the associated asset. For example, most doors in the game have 512px-high textures; however, some two-story buildings also had 512px-high textures. The result is a blurry building with a good-quality door. This example applies to almost everything in the game.

With all this in mind, I had to handpick texture by texture. It was a painstaking process to determine the ideal resolution and AI method for each texture replacement. Other mods available in the community multiply all textures equally, without considering the size of the linked asset or the need for it. They even double the resolution of normal and specular maps, causing an overload on the game's limits without achieving any in-game visual improvement.

The game engine's limitations were and still are considered my biggest limitation. Replacing so many textures with high-definition models can cause glitches. Most glitches can be countered simply by respecting the size limit of each package within the .img files.

I made improvements based on the needs of each texture type in the game. Some textures were upscaled to 4x, 2x, and several to 1x. Bringing better textures at the same resolution is the kind of improvement that amazes me most about my own work.

With all the care I took in developing this mod, I can assure you that I was able to greatly reduce the occurrence of rendering bugs. To avoid this type of issue, I recommend using FusionFix and running the game on an SSD. Additionally, modify the pc/stream.ini file parameters to

virtual        409600

physical    409600

virtual_optimised    409600

physical_optimised    409600

This mod is full compatible with Fusion Fix and DXVK.

Installation:

Copy the content from "HQ Vanilla City Textures Revitalization" folder to the game folder, replacing the originals.

For FusionFix users, I recommend that you also replace the original game

files. I don't recommend copying the files to the "update" folder. This

will work, but will cause visual rendering delay (streaming texture) and

LOD bugs (mainly in DLCs).

Highly recommended:

https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/716" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">FusionFix

https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/385" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">DXVK GPLAsync 2. 6. 2 and Shader Cache

https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/417" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">

Optional, but i love:

https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/417" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Solitude 3. 0

https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/503" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">HQ Metallic Car Paint Tires and Details

Menu settings (good to avoid streaming, but just a suggestion):

View Distance = 40 - 50

Detail Distance = 40 - 50

The .wdr files for the Manhat region are not yet ready. For now, for that region, use the file from the mod https://www.nexusmods.com/gta4/mods/923?tab=files" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">HQVT CR LITE