Posts from [МОД] NVS 3.0 для Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East

It was available for free download somewhere. I don't remember where. I downloaded it a long time ago.

Replaced the old wheel with an updated version for the mill. However, I made its colors slightly less saturated than in the original.

Download via this link:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/Hr24WQlI6WjI5A
Unpack the contents of the file and place them into the "NVS_RestylingObjects.pak" module, replacing the files suggested by the system.

Updated textures for archer towers and barracks on the adventure map:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/g00Tt0lE0IWj6w
Extract the contents of the archive into the "NVS_RestylingObjects.pak" module.

The original stone (brick) texture was used as a basis, increased in size from 512x512 to 1024x1024 pixels. Sharpness has been improved, noise and volume have been added, windows and loopholes have been replaced, the shade of wooden floors at the tops of buildings has been changed, and volume has been added to hatches. Color correction of the stone masonry has been performed in accordance with the main design solutions in NVS 3.0.

If it's not too much trouble, could you provide a step-by-step guide on how you managed to upscale models using Topaz Gigapixel?

Does the program read DDS files? Or do you use some other approach? How do you prevent losing the alpha channel? Or does adding transparency manually become necessary when performing the reverse operation?

Nargaron, I will write to you this Saturday or Sunday. I am on vacation and don't want to get involved in modding right now. As for “in detail,” I’m not sure how detailed it will actually be.

If it’s not too much trouble, could you provide a step-by-step guide on how you used Topaz Gigapixel to upscale the models?

Does the program read DDS format? Or is there another approach? How do you prevent the alpha channel from being lost? Or does adding transparency manually become necessary when reversing the process?

I worked specifically with model textures, not the models themselves. The textures of units and heroes that didn't have color changes (or changes in patterns and other elements) were taken from the GriffinEternal mod and adapted in size. For example, I scaled them down from 2048x2048 pixels to 1024x1024 pixels – these are more appropriate values for Heroes of Might & Magic V.

However, I recommend using LAA afterward and patching the game executable. To convert from DDS to PNG (and back), I use the free graphics editor "PAINT.NET", but I only work with PNG files in Adobe Photoshop. And it was the PNG files that I processed through Topaz Gigapixel.

However, in early NVS 2.0, I accumulated a lot of my works that I didn't want to rebuild from scratch, so I applied Topaz Gigapixel. In most cases, I used the "HQ" setting and the settings (Suppress Noise; Remove Blur, Fix Compression) suggested by the program itself. But sometimes I adjusted these settings manually if I wasn’t satisfied with the initial result. For example, Suppress Noise - 50; Remove Blur - 50; Fix Compression - 40. I also ran textures of buildings and other objects on the adventure map through Topaz Gigapixel.

Nevertheless, to remove so-called artifacts after Topaz Gigapixel (through retouching, for example), as well as to perform work on volume (shadows, light on texture elements), I used Adobe Photoshop. Alpha channels can be lost if new layers are added in Adobe Photoshop. And to correct them, I already used PAINT.NET. That is, I finished working on the PNG, saved the file in Adobe Photoshop, then opened this saved file in PAINT.NET, selected the "Magic Wand" tool, and held down Shift while clicking on empty areas – they get highlighted. Then I press Delete, and the alpha channel disappears. I save the file in DDS format and integrate it into the mod.

In Heroes of Might & Magic V, different textures of elements, effects, icon textures, units, or other objects are saved with different DDS format settings.
For unit and building textures (except for effect textures; there are different settings everywhere), I choose the parameters "BC3 (Linear, DXT5)" with MIP texture generation. The maximum resolution in pixels was set to 1024x1024, 96 dpi (but it's always like that in the game). That is, I could create textures of 1024x512, 512x1024, 512x512; 512x256, etc. But not larger than 1024x1024, otherwise the game may suddenly turn black without LAA. And if you use LAA, then in some cases it’s better to make textures 2048x2048, 2048x1024, etc.

For icons, I used the parameters "B8G8R8A8 (Linear, A8R8G8B8)" without MIP texture generation. And to be absolutely sure that the alpha channel has been removed from the icon (there is nothing at all in the empty area), when saving the icon in DDS format, I switched to "B8G8R8X8 (Linear, X8R8G8B8)". If the entire empty area on the preview screen is displayed in black, then everything was done correctly. Otherwise, white or other colors will be visible. But I save specifically in "B8G8R8A8 (Linear, A8R8G8B8)" without MIP texture generation.

In some cases, the problems were not with the textures but with the xdb files (for example, for the Kilt of the Warriors of Arkath), and I already contacted Zobr regarding these fixes.

This is a complex approach that I used.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
And once again, thank you for your interest in my work.

Fix for "NVS_Landscapes.pak".
Our colleague, Grigory Izenhorn (author of the "Samurai's Persistence" campaign), discovered a texture issue with the abyss in my mod while working in the map editor (see screenshot No. 1).
I have fixed the problem (see screenshot No. 2).

The problem was that when applying a new texture over an old one, it overlapped with a completely black texture. It turned out that this blackness did not hide the updated texture. And under certain lighting conditions in the Dungeon, this flaw was visible. The screenshots were specially brightened by me so you can see what the problem was.

In general, the problem has been resolved with this fix.

I played with this mod, and the gameplay feels much fresher now. At first, I was surprised by the changed models of objects on the map (what is that?), but then I explored them with interest.
I liked almost all the changes that the mod introduces.
I would like to know a couple of technical details. After patching the game using "LAA.exe," the game starts consuming as much RAM as it needs (according to the instructions). Does this mean that huge and incredible maps will no longer crash after loading?
Can this mod affect the balance of custom scenarios? The fact is that the mod was installed on a clean version of the game, and in one of the scenarios, there were custom creatures (dark elementals) that were somehow replaced with pearl priests (probably from the "Samurai's Persistence" campaign). I uninstalled the game and the mod, reinstalled a clean game, and then the map had dark elementals again.

I played with this mod; the gameplay feels much fresher now. At first, I was surprised by the changed models of objects on the map (what is that?) and explored them with interest.
I liked almost all the changes that the mod introduces.
I would like to know a couple of technical details. After patching the game using "LAA.exe," the game starts consuming as much RAM as it needs (according to the instructions). Does this mean that huge and incredible maps will no longer crash after loading?
Can this mod affect the balance of custom scenarios? The fact is that the mod was installed on a clean version of the game, and in one of the scenarios, there were custom creatures (dark elementals), which for some reason were replaced by pearl priestesses (probably from the "Samurai Persistence" campaign). I deleted the game and the mod, reinstalled a clean game, and then the map again had dark elementals.

Thank you for the high rating, NVS! It's very nice to read. Regarding the replacements in NVS: Pearl Priestesses replace disabled Yetis, and Kensei replaces disabled Black Knights (not to be confused with Death Knights). Obviously, Dark Elementals in the custom scenario are also being replaced by Yetis; however, the files in NVS are newer than the files in the scenario you mentioned, so NVS overrides (partially) that scenario. You need to change the date of the files related to dark elementals in this scenario; then, when playing this scenario, they will remain there. But here’s the catch: in the NVS campaigns and in the official campaigns that I edited, dark elementals will appear instead of pearl priestesses. In general, I would advise inserting this scenario into the game only when you want to play it. I don't use NCF in my mod.

Regarding crashes on large maps after using LAA, I cannot provide any comments. I haven't tested it.

I'm not ready to comment on crashes with huge maps after using LAA. I haven't tested it.

That’s too bad. I have been looking forward to and dreaming about the release of your mod for a long time, and I was incredibly happy when I saw the announcement. As a fan of huge maps and long adventures, I would definitely like to enjoy your visuals without crashes :c

I'm very sorry. I have been looking forward to and dreaming about the release of your mod for a long time, and I was incredibly happy when I saw the notification. As a fan of huge maps and long adventures, I would definitely like to enjoy your visuals as much as possible without crashes.

Thank you for waiting, though. But I didn't really plan on adapting it for huge maps or fixing problems with large maps. In other words, my mod was designed for official in-game Campaigns, official scenarios, and the standard set of maps for both single-player and multiplayer games.

Hello! I'm having trouble with the LAA Hack. The checkbox won't apply to the game executable. Sorry if this problem has already been discussed. I can't wait to play the game. I don't know how to attach a screenshot here

Hello! I'm having trouble with the LAA Hack. The checkbox won't appear on the game executable. Sorry if this problem has already been discussed. I can't wait to play the game. I don't know how to attach a screenshot here.

Good evening! Do you have the Steam version of the game?

Good evening! Do you have the Steam version of the game?

yes. I run LAA with administrator privileges, as indicated in the instructions