Hi guys!
As anticipated, release 22.0.0 of the R.E.A.L. mod extends VR support to The Last of Us Part II Remastered, so... get ready to be bitten again! In the dark!! On your FACE!!!
If you're on the fence about this game, my advice is: give it a chance. Ellie is in no way obnoxious as she might seem in the TV series. The relationship/sex themes are dealt with in a tasteful manner and the gameplay is very good, with many open areas that are both a sight to behold and a pleasure to explore. It's like the first installment but with a larger budget, so to speak. I'm actually having a lot of fun with it []-D
But before we dive into the setup instructions for TLOU2, a few additional release notes for v22.0.0.
Cyberpunk 2077: The latest official update made unexpected changes to the way the game deals with mouse input, so with my previous release v21.5.0 it was basically impossible to play using KB/M. That should be fixed now, although the gamepad remains the best choice for my mods.
Far Cry 5 and Far Cry Primal: A regression I introduced in v21.5.0 prevented those two games from even starting when the mod was installed. Both are fixed in v22.0.0.
Games list
As usual there is only one package to download, which enables all 37 VR conversions you can find on this Patreon. All titles support AER v2, which is my own version of frame interpolation tailored for Alternate Eye Rendering (see this post for a detailed description). Most of the games also support DL(S)SS, meaning that I fixed the DLSS implementation for them so that it will work correctly in stereoscopic 3D. And 5 titles even allow for Ray Reconstruction!!! Here's the complete list:
Atomic Heart [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Cyberpunk 2077 [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]
Dark Souls: Remastered [AER v2]
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin [AER v2]
Dark Souls III [AER v2]
Death Stranding Director's Cut [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
DOOM Eternal [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
DOOM: The Dark Ages [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]
Elden Ring (with its massive Shadow of the Erdtree DLC) [AER v2 + DL(S)SS when NVIDIA DLSS is enabled with a third-party mod]
Far Cry 4 [AER v2]
Far Cry 5 [AER v2]
Far Cry 6 [AER v2]
Far Cry New Dawn [AER v2]
Far Cry Primal [AER v2]
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade [AER v2]
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Ghost of Tsushima [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Ghostrunner [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Ghostwire: Tokyo [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Grounded [AER v2]
High On Life [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Hogwarts Legacy [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]
Horizon: Zero Dawn [AER v2]
Horizon Forbidden West [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Star Wars Outlaws [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Stray [AER v2]
The Last of Us Part I [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
The Last of Us Part II Remastered (new) [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]
Watch Dogs [AER v2]
Watch Dogs 2 [AER v2]
Please note that all trademarks belong to the respective owners, and that no copyright infringement is intended or condoned. And of course, you'll need to have a legit copy of the original games that you want to play in VR.
Setup
I developed and tested the mod for The Last of Us Part II Remastered using the Steam version of the game. It should work if you get it from other stores as well, but if you encounter issues please upload your RealVR.log file somewhere so we can try to sort them out.
Generally speaking, if you own a game in a different version than the one I modded, or the game just had an official update, it's always a good idea to take a quick look at the log. It's conveniently accessible from the mod overlay itself, with a search function. The usual symptom if a version diverges too much from the one I modded is that some patches will fail to apply (you can search for keywords like "patch", "error", "fail" etc.). If you give me that information, I might be able to fix it quickly.
Also, always make sure that your video drivers are updated to the latest version. That's especially important for NVIDIA due to a flurry of regressions in driver releases since the 50xx series came out; we have now gotten to the point where new games refuse to launch if they detect that the driver version is not the specific one they were tested against :-(
Run TLOU2 flat (not in VR) at least once, so that it can generate its config files and you can check that it works correctly. Then quit out of it and extract the mod archive into the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Last of Us Part II" folder. Note that you might need to customize the path if you moved your library or own the game from a different store, but it will always be the folder that contains the "tlou-ii" executable file.
Finally run RealConfig.bat. It will perform a few required operations (including the v-sync fix for NVIDIA drivers) and preselect graphics settings that are known to work well in VR. Remember that running RealConfig is mandatory; if you omit this step the mod will not work.
At this point, the next time you launch TLOU2 it should automatically display in your VR headset. Read on to find out how to get the scariest experience in VR!
Game options
Configuration for The Last of Us Part II Remastered is very simple. RealConfig will choose suitable defaults for the OPTIONS> DISPLAY and OPTIONS> GRAPHICS submenus, as follows:
in the DISPLAY submenu:
Window Mode = WINDOWED
Aspect Ratio = AUTO
VSync = OFF
Framerate Cap = 360
Frame Generation = OFF
Upscale Method = DLSS. Make sure upscaling is set to DLSS so that you can use my DL(S)SS fix to eliminate the shimmering around nearby objects and characters. DL(S)SS should also work with this game if you are running on an AMD GPU thanks to the voodoo magic of OptiScaler (see my previous post for details on how to install and configure it for VR).
Upscale Preset = TRANSFORMER, Upscale Quality = QUALITY (you can adjust these according to your GPU performance)
Dynamic Resolution Scaling = OFF
Cinematic Pillarboxes = OFF
in the GRAPHICS submenu:
Depth of Field = OFF
Motion Blur Quality = OFF (make sure this is never turned on in my mods, otherwise everything will look smeared horizontally)
Chromatic Aberration Intensity= 0 and Film Grain Intensity = 0. These are not mandatory and you can experiment with them if you want, but I personally prefer to have no simulated film grain in VR, and the headset itself introduces more than enough chromatic aberration ;-)
In the ACCESSIBILITY> MAGNIFICATION AND VISUAL AIDS submenu:
HUD Scale = LARGE (I find this is needed for TLOU2 because on-screen prompts tend to be on the smallish side)
Additionally, in the CONTROLS> ASSISTANCE submenu, you'll want to set:
Camera Assist = OFF
Aim Assist = 0
Lock-On Aim = OFF
so that you won't get any unexpected camera pulls during gaze-based aiming. Finally, I recommend toggling CONTROLS> INPUT> Remember Shoulder Swap to the ON position because it makes the camera more predictable when you enter/exit aiming mode repeatedly.
Cutscenes
Cutscenes are fully 3D and allow you to look anywhere without restrictions. As usual there will be some elements missing in areas you weren't supposed to see with a fixed camera, but mostly the environment is complete and the emotional impact of the cutscenes is preserved.
No pre-baked 2D movies in this title, yay!
Resolution and frame rate
The high resolution needed for VR can be set very easily by bringing up the mod overlay and looking for a slider in the main "R.E.A.L. VR" tab named "Target pixels per degree". Set it to a value approximately in the range 15-30 depending on your GPU, then press the "Adapt resolution" button to set the game resolution to your preferred value. You can do that at any moment, even during actual gameplay. The target PPD you choose will be remembered and re-applied automatically across sessions, and the aspect ratio will be optimized by the mod to adapt to the FOV of your headset.
The game runs pretty well on modern hardware, and the reflections are ray-tracing quality without having to pay the huge tax on frame rate that actual RT incurs. However, big open areas can still bring your fps down, so in order to have a smooth experience the Render mode will default to 1/3 rate. You can also try 1/2 rate to get more fluidity and less artifacting, but you will probably have to leave something behind in terms of graphics options and resolution.
Input and cameras
I recommend using a gamepad to play TLOU2 in VR; XInput-compatible controllers like the ones from Microsoft are usually the best for my mods.
Don't worry about console-player syndrome: in my mods aiming is gaze-driven and extremely fast, intuitive and accurate, so even if you're used to playing FPS with your mouse, give your gamepad a chance ;-) The crosshair in this title can be quite shaky though; that adds to the challenge and is actually quite realistic in a scared-all-the-time situation like the ones the game depicts, but in case that bothers you, try moving the "Reduce shaking" slider further to the right. Scopes are already automatically stabilized through the "Minimize shaking when zoomed" checkbox.
The game is played in third person, but if you look at the Camera section in the "TLOU2" tab of the mod overlay you will find sliders to control the camera distance and left-right offset, so you can position it freely!! Note that the game is not really designed to support extreme adjustments to those parameters, and your character's body will pop in and out of view if you put the camera too close. You might want to experiment a little in order to find the arrangement that you like best.
HUD and gameplay
The HUD rescaling can be finely customized, so you won't miss any of the important information that appears at the sides like health, hints, ammo count and so on. If the default size I suggest doesn't work for you, you can tweak it from the R.E.A.L. VR mod overlay, using the "HUD scale X/Y" and "HUD offset X/Y" sliders in the "TLOU2" tab (NOTE: I'm not referring to the sliders found in the "R.E.A.L. VR" main tab, which in this title will only control the mod overlay size). The HUD sliders take effect immediately while playing, without any need to bump the resolution.
I also recommend ticking the "Higher quality AER v2" checkbox in the main page of the mod overlay because it will reduce movement-related artifacts sensibly, especially on the HUD. Actually, even though it's still marked as "experimental", I haven't received any negative feedback on this improved accuracy mode, so I'm thinking of making it the default in upcoming versions of the framework. I'm still waiting for your comments, let me know how well it works for you!
The VR mod supports 6 DoF tracking, i.e, the camera will follow your head rotation and movement. You can steer your character in a different direction from where you're looking (except when you're aiming), but when you walk the natural tendency will be for your character to gradually align itself to your gaze unless you compensate with the thumbstick.
In the "TLOU2" tab you can also change the world scale, from small adjustments to playing with dolls or giants, and even force the game to render to a 2D virtual screen in case you should find a section too hard to play in full VR.
Updates and known issues
The moths animation that appears when you load a level at the start of a gaming session is headlocked. You can switch to the 2D virtual screen if it bothers you, but it only lasts for a few seconds and won't appear again when you reload a checkpoint, so it's probably not worth fixing.
[I'll post new information here as it becomes available.]