BetterVR 0.9.21: Better FPS, clearer menus and swings that land
Hey everyone,
Two weeks ago I put out a new trailer showing the progress of the past 20 versions. It was really cool to have people try the mod (again), and also provide me with a bunch of new feedback.
One particular FPS issue that was mentioned often is that the FPS would get stuck to 20FPS after using the magnesis rune, bow or some other action. But only in some locations...
This ~7ms slowdown turned out be the game's camera checking whether its inside the terrain in far-away, unloaded parts of the map whenever the camera had a slight roll applied to it from those actions I mentioned.
The big features and bugfixes
- Fixed the major FPS drop that was caused by bad camera collisions checks
- Swings and stabs will register a lot more reliably, using data provided by my supporters
- An entirely new menu, organized by where you'd look for a setting with improved descriptions and icons
- New seated option that automatically calibrates your height when you load in
- Fix the camera rune and the map marker scope completely
- Hide helmets, caps and capes in first-person so headwear stops blocking your view
- Prevent crashes or softlocks when drowning or being ragdolled from indirect hits. These things tried to get into a "get-up" state, which caused a loop.
Other improvements:
- Remove the sun lens flare and the depth of field effect.
- Fix installation issue where Cemu or the game would never start.
- Improve frame pacing considerably, and stop Cemu's VSync and FPS++ from capping the mod.
- Lock the UI in place when you pause
- Fix the grip force needed on Index controllers
Also revealed: BetterVR for MK8 Deluxe
The new trailer also teased the other thing I've been working on, which started out as a fork of this mod. Steering wheel, pedal and multiplayer support are the goal. But more news to come!
A new stereo rendering method
I also got the first version working of a completely new stereo rendering method. It's anywhere from 10 to 30% faster and likely fixes issues like the double audio and black screen. It's a big rewrite however, so supporters got its first build today to provide feedback and testing data (but assume that it'll have some bugs at first). It ships to everyone in a normal release once it's stable.
It also gets rid of D3D12 and only uses Vulkan now, which should be exciting for the patient Linux fans. But its got some ways to go still before it can be ran without proton.
If you want to donate
This mod has taken thousands of hours to develop. So, if you are able to, consider supporting it on Patreon or via GitHub sponsorships.
Supporters get early testing builds, can request potential features, be listed inside the mod's credits, and see what I'm working on in the BetterVR++ Discord. But above all, I hope as many people as possible enjoy each version I put out, which will now be more stable thanks to this early feedback. The monthly-ish releases will continue and stay free and open-source.
Mod Installation
Please follow the installation instructions here:
https://github.com/Crementif/BotW-BetterVR?tab=readme-ov-file#mod-installation
Make sure to read the Known Issues and Requirements section to work around any existing bugs.
To recap these instructions: You just place the BetterVR_Launcher.exe you can download below (not the Source Code .zip one) next to an already working Cemu.exe, and you're done.
Windows Defender might flag the .exe as malware due to the mod injecting itself into Cemu. It usually takes a few downloads for it to be whitelisted by Microsoft. If you're concerned, scan it using a different anti-virus software or build the source code yourself. To restore
BetterVR_Launcher.exe, follow instructions from microsoft.
Improved performance with test versions of Cemu 2.7
This is a tip I shared on the flat2vr Discord already, but recent optimizations by Exzap (that'll be part of the upcoming Cemu 2.7 release) are improving FPS up to 35% in games like BotW. This greatly benefits this mod too.
You can download it early at https://cemu.info/ActionBuilds.php. Before installing it, consider making a backup of your Cemu.exe and Cemu folder (%appdata%/Cemu or the files next to your Cemu.exe), since it is experimental. Download the cemu-bin-windows-x64 version, extract it, and replace your existing Cemu.exe with the one from this .zip file. It has to be called Cemu.exe.
How To Update
You just have to download the BetterVR_Launcher.exe below and place it next to Cemu.exe. Overwrite whenever asked.