Support NeoGAF

[crisdecuba]

In 2005, Resident Evil 4 debuted as one of the most graphically impressive games of that console generation. Now, nearly a decade later, the visuals certainly show their age. The latest PC version of the game brought the gameplay into the land of 60 FPS, but the attempt to update the texture quality fell rather short. By and large most textures in the game have simply been up-scaled with a particular filter applied.

At this point it seems safe to say that an official across-the-board HD revamp of the game isn't coming anytime soon. As a result, this project was born: a complete HD texture overhaul that remains true to the original artistic intent and tone of the game.

* Be true to the original textures, intent, and tone of the game
* By default, increase the texture resolution by 800%, unless a greater increase is necessary
* Wherever possible, leverage the original real-life sources for a given texture

(based on questions asked in this thread)

What version of the game is this project for?
The Ultimate HD version released this year for PC.

Who are you?
We’re two guys who love Resident Evil 4 and want to help create the definitive version of the game from a graphical perspective. Cris is from the midwest in the US, while Albert lives in Spain. Albert’s experience goes all the way back to the 2007 PC release of the game, for which he created one of the most definitive and well-received texture packs, while this is Cris’ first attempt.

How much of an upgrade will this be?
We are essentially taking each texture, scaling it up to 8 times the original resolution (in most cases) and redrawing / remaking from there. Additionally, there are many instances where Albert has been able to find the original source materials used, which allows us to faithfully replicate the original intent at a much higher resolution.

Do you want feedback?
Definitely! Please comment on any post on our site (http://www.re4hd.com) to give us feedback on our progress. In some cases it will help shape the end product!

How can I keep up with your progress?
There are several ways to stay connected:
* Our site: http://www.re4hd.com
* Twitter: @re4hdproject
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/re4hd
* This thread

How can we support the project?
There are a few ways to help support: 1) Let others know about it! 2) Comment if you have feedback / kind words. 3) Donate (offsets the costs of tablet / software / textures purchased for this project, travel for acquiring real-life texture sources, etc).

Where are you finding the real-life texture sources?
Capcom did a lot of photography work in various areas of Spain and Wales for this game (and others), and they also leveraged existing texture libraries. So for us, it's a combination of the following:
* Going to and photographing those same locations
* Finding hi-res images online of those locations
* Simply finding the original texture images used (generally speaking, some Chinese stock photo websites, and some random blogs where people uploaded their trip's photos)

Have you released any of your work?
Yes. A demo of the prologue of the game can be found on our site (re4hd.com) -- click on the link at the top that says, "Download the first release"

How long will this project take?
Originally I estimated 1-2 years. Based on our progress, it seems 1 year is a reasonable estimate. However it's difficult to really gauge.

Can I join the project?
While anyone is welcome to let us know about any resources that may be helpful, we're not looking to add any official collaborators at this time.

And of course, if you read through this thread you'll see progress shots throughout.

Thanks to Alo81 for the concept for the thread header at the top, and for the encouragement to revise the OP.

 

[Ratrat]

I used to think this game looked amazing but that first screen is rough. Nice work.

 

[Burger]

1-2 years of your free time? I don't want to sound mean, but you could teach yourself a new language and a new career in that amount of time.

 

[Rich!]

No offence, but there is an extremely high probability you will not finish this, considering the insane estimate of a timeframe of 2 years.

Get a team.

 

[Jabba]

That's some really good looking work.

 

[kazebyaka]

1-2 years of your free time? I don't want to sound mean, but you could teach yourself a new language and a new career in that amount of time.

yeah, you can pretty much learn how to texture stuff at the pro level in this amount of time. This project seems like an unnecessary waste of time and resources to me.

 

[7DollarHagane]

1-2 years of your free time? I don't want to sound mean, but you could teach yourself a new language and a new career in that amount of time.

Perhaps this kind of texturing work could be used in a portfolio for an artists position at a game studio as well. Mod projects are often a good sign of experience and motivation, because you are working independently.

 

[crisdecuba]

yeah, you can pretty much learn how to texture stuff at the pro level in this amount of time. This project seems like an unnecessary waste of time and resources to me.

Haha but it's FUN for me.

 

[Mechazawa]

* The inner lining of Leon's coat is one area where I wish there were a few more polygons

Yeah, that's also the area where having better textures works against you. It looks more jarring with your retexture relative to the old one.

You did a great job with it, though. One reason I rarely ever bother with mods for older games that are meant to "update" the graphics is that there's often a lack of respect for the original art and atmosphere the creators intended to convey. You nailed his jacket pretty well.

(although, in your comparison, I never noticed how "grimy" Leon's jacket looks. It's hard to tell if that was from limitations of trying to create the texture of the jacket or because his jacket was supposed to straight up look dirty)

 

[hoserx]

Such hate. Wow. Make it happen, OP! Good luck and have fun

 

[esterk]

I would recommend getting a tablet, even if it's just a really basic cheap one. It doesn't even have to be Wacom. That will make your progress much faster so that hopefully this thing doesn't take you so long.

 

[Zoc]

That looks really good. You hit the nail on the head with the comment that most texture modders have pretty bad taste. They all seem to want their work to really stick out, and don't seem to understand that sticking out is a bad thing in this context. This is much better.

 

[crisdecuba]

Some progress shots. I have a new appreciation for the folks out there that have modded entire games. And I understand why in some cases folks cut corners... I'm starting to question (as some in this thread said I would) whether this is worth continuing...

Also, Phil0sophy - thanks for reaching out. I tried to reply, but it said you have PMs turned off. :-(

Redid the Wii menu screens

Replaced Leon's eyeball for closeup shots

Redid a single one of the ground textures (pile of leaves) for outside

And finally my work in progress on Leon's default gun

 

[crisdecuba]

Does anyone have any workflow tips on how to work more efficiently here? I think my biggest time drain is from checking the texture work by loading up the game and queueing up the right scene... but if I don't do that, I can't be really sure if I'm going in the right direction with my work... :-( Any advice from any texture modders out there?

 

[mitch1971]

good luck with it, Cris.

 

[Jackpot]

Does anyone have any workflow tips on how to work more efficiently here? I think my biggest time drain is from checking the texture work by loading up the game and queueing up the right scene... but if I don't do that, I can't be really sure if I'm going in the right direction with my work... :-( Any advice from any texture modders out there?

This is the most active RE4 modding website.

http://residentevilmodding.boards.net/

And this is their old site which will have a bunch of threads on texturing.

http://z6.invisionfree.com/Resident_Evil_4_PC/index.php?showforum=10

 

[News Bot]

A lot better than that abysmal PC texture mod.

 

[SystemBug]

Does anyone have any workflow tips on how to work more efficiently here? I think my biggest time drain is from checking the texture work by loading up the game and queueing up the right scene... but if I don't do that, I can't be really sure if I'm going in the right direction with my work... :-( Any advice from any texture modders out there?

usually what I did during my texturing days was to bring the model I was working on into a 3D modeling program and apply the .PSD file on to it. That way, I could see changes happen on the model everytime I hit the save button without needing to open the game.

 

[yogloo]

Does anyone have any workflow tips on how to work more efficiently here? I think my biggest time drain is from checking the texture work by loading up the game and queueing up the right scene... but if I don't do that, I can't be really sure if I'm going in the right direction with my work... :-( Any advice from any texture modders out there?

Great job op. Can you use savestates for quick load and check?

 

[Dictator93]

No offence, but there is an extremely high probability you will not finish this, considering the insane estimate of a timeframe of 2 years.

Get a team.

Maldo did like all of Crysis 2 in good time.

Hooray to the OP. I wish you the best success.

 

[Mechanized]

Some seriously good work, keep it up dude. Can't believe the negativity in the first few posts. Jeez.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Came in here expecting the worst, but your work is really nice and subtle. The existing texture mod for Leon's jacket and hair is awful.

Good luck with the project!

 

[zma1013]

Please re-texture his hideous gloves. They were always bad.

 

[puzl]

Thanks OP, but shouldn't you wait for the Ultimate HD version to be released before you try to do any more? I imagine a lot of the original assets will be at a much better resolution in this version anyway, so if you're trying to bring them over to the Dolphin version, you could probably get more accurate results (and save a lot of time in the process)

Anyway, nice work. Subtlety is always key in these kinds of projects.

 

[zma1013]

WTF double post.

 

[Jocchan]

Some great work in here, OP.
What I usually can't stand about texture mods is the overall lack of cohesion, they often look like a mish mash of different styles clashing with each other.

I like that you tried to stay subtle and true to the overall art direction. Best wishes for your endeavor

 

[charsace]

This is a waste of time OP. Work on game projects that way your work will mean something and can lead to something. This type of thing won't lead to anything. Go to tigsource or a similar site and look to contribute to projects. You have some ability, don't waste it on this because it won't mean anything. Anyone that tries to encourage him to waste time on this can fuck off and go waste their time doing this.

 

[BumblebeeCody]

Looking awesome. Keep at it.

 

[Josh7289]

Yeah, I like this. It looks good.

 

[SystemBug]

This is a waste of time OP. Work on game projects that way your work will mean something and can lead to something. This type of thing won't lead to anything. Go to tigsource or a similar site and look to contribute to projects. You have some ability, don't waste it on this because it won't mean anything. Anyone that tries to encourage him to waste time on this can fuck off and go waste their time doing this.

nah this stuff is great for practice and having a result at the end. most projects fail hardcore - with this atleast he will have something to show for it.

 

[Skittles]

This is a waste of time OP. Work on game projects that way your work will mean something and can lead to something. This type of thing won't lead to anything. Go to tigsource or a similar site and look to contribute to projects. You have some ability, don't waste it on this because it won't mean anything. Anyone that tries to encourage him to waste time on this can fuck off and go waste their time doing this.

? He can use this on resumes when applying for a job.

 

[charsace]

nah this stuff is great for practice and having a result at the end. most projects fail hardcore - with this atleast he will have something to show for it.

He could collaborate with other artists if he wants practice and in doing that build a portfolio that can lead to paying work. 2 years on something like this would be a waste of time imo and he would be limited in the type of texturing he is doing.

 

[Nyoro SF]

This is a waste of time OP. Work on game projects that way your work will mean something and can lead to something. This type of thing won't lead to anything. Go to tigsource or a similar site and look to contribute to projects. You have some ability, don't waste it on this because it won't mean anything. Anyone that tries to encourage him to waste time on this can fuck off and go waste their time doing this.

Damn son speaking from experience?

 

[blitzcloud]

tip:: focus on the character models. Background is always background. Once you have the characters done everything will be smooth sailing, you will get people interested aswell.

 

[Polioliolio]

Ew.. .So the Ultimate HD version doesn't look all that good.

 

[phosphor112]

Keep it up man. It's pretty great so far.

 

[SystemBug]

He could collaborate with other artists if he wants practice and in doing that build a portfolio that can lead to paying work. 2 years on something like this would be a waste of time imo and he would be limited in the type of texturing he is doing.

He will get better practice this way. Working on multiple small scale assets which are all different materials is a great way to improve material understanding. He also doesn't have to start these textures from scratch, he has a base and can learn from capcom's own professionals. He also said he doesn't have a lot of time, I'm guessing this more of a labour of love than anything else - he can work on this on his own time.

 

[RooMHM]

Good job. Just my advice : considering the relative lo amount of polygons, you should try to keep the textures as detailed, and not simple as possible. The sleeves of the jacket almost look better in the original, especially around the wrists. The more complex the textures, the more it covers the geometry.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

This is a waste of time OP. Work on game projects that way your work will mean something and can lead to something. This type of thing won't lead to anything. Go to tigsource or a similar site and look to contribute to projects. You have some ability, don't waste it on this because it won't mean anything. Anyone that tries to encourage him to waste time on this can fuck off and go waste their time doing this.

He could collaborate with other artists if he wants practice and in doing that build a portfolio that can lead to paying work. 2 years on something like this would be a waste of time imo and he would be limited in the type of texturing he is doing.

Quit being awful.

 

[Rich!]

Maldo did like all of Crysis 2 in good time.

Hooray to the OP. I wish you the best success.

I understand, I'm just talking from my experience in the romhacking and translations scene.

 

[crisdecuba]

Finished Leon's default gun. Thank you guys for all the encouragement and feedback - it's spurred me on!

Observations:
* Parts of a texture can be mapped to the model in weird ways that you wouldn't expect. Makes certain parts hard to retexture when you find that same texture rotated and warped strangely in another part of the model.
* It's helpful to start by painting the major components of a texture in loud solid colors to see how everything maps out on the model.
* The original RE artists really tried to pack as much as they could in such limited space / resolution...

 

[Alienous]

Have you tried collaborating with other texture artists who have modded RE4 to share assets?

What you've shown indicates you're doing a good job, but if the end result is your goal then maybe you should contact previous texture modders to see if you can share what they've created. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit” and all that.

Regardless good luck.

 

[Bucket-o-roadkill]

Cool little project. I thought the redid texture with the leaf piles on the ground looked awesome. Really good job. You have an eye for this.

 

[crisdecuba]

Have you tried collaborating with other texture artists who have modded RE4 to share assets?

What you've shown indicates you're doing a good job, but if the end result is your goal then maybe you should contact previous texture modders to see if you can share what they've created. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit” and all that.

Regardless good luck.

That's a good point. So far I've been looking at other HD packs for reference and to see if there are ways in which I think I can improve upon the work, but I will try to reach out and see what I can get.

 

[Ragnarok]

that ground texture replacement is SUCH an improvement.


This is looking great. Hope you finish!

 

[Two Pikachus]

I think you're doing excellent work. But definitely invest in a drawing tablet, of any kind.

I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Note II phone and have been using VirtualTablet with it. It isn't perfect, but being able to draw freehand in Photoshop has not only increased the quality of my texture work, but also the speed at which I work (since there's less going back and trying to correct Mouse screwups).

If you have an iPad or an Android Tablet or large phone, there are a number of wifi solutions for you to use them as a drawing tablet on your PC.

EDIT: I don't know how RE4 models are packed, but does anyone know if it's possible to change them? If so, just throwing a turbosmooth on Leon can go an awful long way to making these retextures look even better. As it is now, even if your work is fantastic, it's limited by the low poly count and in some caes looks worse because it highlights how low-resolution the models are.

 

[Slermy]

Nice work! Don't let the naysayers in this thread get you down. Keep at it!

 

[soultron]

Great work so far! One thing I'd suggest to keep your scope down and make this something you can eventually tie a bow on and walk away from: focus only on character models and weapon models. Forget the environments. Either that or collaborate with someone to make things manageable. RE4 is a massive game.

I don't know you, but I think setting your sights on retexturing an entire game -- by yourself -- when you don't have lots of free time is setting yourself up for failure. Remember that most modern games often have handfuls of texture artists working 40+ hours a week.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Finished Leon's default gun. Thank you guys for all the encouragement and feedback - it's spurred me on!



Observations:
* Parts of a texture can be mapped to the model in weird ways that you wouldn't expect. Makes certain parts hard to retexture when you find that same texture rotated and warped strangely in another part of the model.
* It's helpful to start by painting the major components of a texture in loud solid colors to see how everything maps out on the model.
* The original RE artists really tried to pack as much as they could in such limited space / resolution...

Did you model the new textures on the RE4 airsoft gun?

 

[catapult37]

What I'm getting from this thread is that the Ultimate HD Version will be anything but. :-(