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FarCry Patch 1.3 & SM 3.0

Patch version 1.3 for FarCry is here and with it we finally have Shader Model 3.0 support. Does it live up to the hype that we have been hearing about for so long? Does it provide better image quality compared to Shader Model 2.0? Let’s find out.

Introduction:

The main feature that the GeForce 6200, 6600, and 6800 series video cards have that their competition does not is the support of Shader Model 3.0. NVIDIA has made sure to market on this specific feature difference and has heralded it advocating that image quality will be enhanced when using it. This was made specifically clear about six months ago, when NVIDIA released a set of screenshots to the press using FarCry and SM 3.0 specifically stating:

“The following before-and-after images are from the CryEngine. Developer Crytek uses Shader Model 3.0 techniques (vs. 1.x shaders) to add more depth and realism to the scenes. Notice the more realistic look and feel when SM 3.0 is applied to the bricks and stones that make up the staircase. In the scene featuring the Buddha, the full image comes to life with the use of SM 3.0, with the technique applied to multiple objects.”

These are the screenshots they were talking about that were sent out to the press:

In our Shader Model 3.0 article back in April, we went on to prove that Shader Model 2.0 can produce the same kind of quality we were seeing in those Shader Model 3.0 screenshots. We highly suggest you read that article before moving on to this one.

Now that we have the official Patch 1.3 from Crytek that fully supports Shader Model 3.0, we can take another look at what SM3.0 is bringing to the table in terms of performance and image quality.

What’s New in Patch 1.3

Welcome to Patch 1.3 build 1337.

Patch version 1.3 adds a whole slew of bug fixes, which is carried over from the short-lived Patch version 1.2.

If you recall a few months ago Crytek did release a patch 1.2 for FarCry. In that patch it provided beta support for Shader Model 3.0 and Shader Model 2.0x as well as geometry instancing. These features were not enabled by default; you had to enable them via a command variable. However, Patch 1.2 was quickly recalled by Crytek due to a large amount of stability problems with the new patch. Since it was recalled we chose to wait it out until the 1.2 patch officially became available to the public again. Well, that time never came. Instead Crytek pushed forward with Patch 1.3, adding more bug fixes and new graphics features. FarCry patch 1.3 is now a reality and looks likely to stay with us.

Usually we are all used to getting a new patch and having it fix game bugs and perhaps add new content in the way of maps or multiplayer features. With these latest DX9 gaming engines, developers are finding it easier to patch in new graphics features and shaders to improve graphics quality and/or performance. FarCry Patch 1.3 adds in a few new graphics features, but only two of them are enabled by default. The other two are disabled and still in a “beta” stage, but they can be enabled with the proper command line instructions.

The new graphics features are:

Shader Model 3.0 and Shader Model 2.0x

In Patch 1.3, Shader Model 3.0 will be enabled by default when it detects a video card capable of it, in this case the GeForce 6200, GeForce 6600, and GeForce 6800 series video cards. The game will use Pixel and Vertex Shader version 3.0.

For ATI Radeon X700 and X800 series video cards the game will now use Shader Model 2.0x, which means Pixel Shader 2.0b and Vertex Shader 2.0 (there is no “a” or “b” subset version of the vertex shader in DX9.0c).

For these new Shader Model versions to work you must have DirectX 9.0c installed and you must set the in-game quality control panel variables to “Very High”.

Geometry Instancing Support

Patch 1.3 enables Geometry Instancing support automatically when the Shader Model 3.0 path is being used, so GeForce 6 series video cards have this enabled by default.

On ATI Radeon X700/X800 series video cards, which use the Shader Model 2.0x path, this must be enabled via a command variable and through the Catalyst Control Center. First you must load up Catalyst Control Center and look at the “API Specific” menu. In there you will see a check box to enable Geometry Instancing support in the driver. After you do that, load up FarCry, bring down the console and type “\r_geominstancing 1”.

Normal Map Compression

Patch 1.3 adds beta support for normal map compression, but this option is NOT enabled by default. To enable this feature you must first start a level. Once it is loaded you must bring down the console and type “\r_texnormalmapcompressed 1”. As soon as you do this it will start loading the new compressed normal maps. Because it does this on the fly throughout the level it may be choppy in places the first time, but it should even out in the second or third time around the level. When you change levels this option becomes disabled again, which means you have to enable it in every single level you load. This feature only works on GeForceFX series video cards, GeForce 6 series video cards, and ATI Radeon X700/X800 series video cards.

HDR

The other exciting feature that the GeForce 6 series video cards have is a Floating Point 16 framebuffer that supports the OpenEXR method of High Dynamic Range Lighting. There are other ways to do HDR, but this method is one of the more accurate means of obtaining HDR lighting, however, it does cause a large impact in performance as we will see later. To enable the OpenEXR method of HDR being used in FarCry you must have a GeForce 6 series video card and you must disable Anti-Aliasing because this feature is not compatible with AA. Bring down the console and type “\r_hdrrendering x”, (where x represents a number which indicates the type of HDR lighting). There are 11 different types of HDR lighting in FarCry. We have found that the number indicates how the light rays being cast from the HDR lighting are rendered. For example, if you type “\r_hdrrendering 2” we have found this disables the light rays. If you type “\r_hdrrendering 10” or “\r_hdrrendering 11” you will find some very unique ways of rendering light rays. Most people have found, and we agree, that “\r_hdrrendering 7” provides the best quality.

There are also a myriad of bug fixes and the readme is quite long. If you would like to read the complete readme, Fileshack has it online here. Just click on “Click here for additional Information”. You can also download the patch from that link.

In this article we are not going to touch Geometry Instancing or Normal Map Compression. We will look at the effects of each of those in our reviews of retail products. This article's main focus is to look at what the Shader Model upgrade has brought to the game, specifically Shader Model 3.0. We will also briefly touch on HDR and show you some screenshots. This article is broken up to show you an ATI X800XT on page 2 and a GeForce 6800GT on page 3. The intent is not to show any direct comparisons between the two cards, but to instead look at it from the angle of moving from Patch 1.1 to Patch 1.3 on each card.

Test Setup

ABIT AA8 (Intel 925X), Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.4GHz, 2 X 512MB Corsair XMS2 5400C4Pro Dual Channel DDR2, Western Digital 74GB Raptor SATA/150, Windows XP Professional SP2 with DirectX 9.0c.