
 SHADOWS REDUCED IMPACT (Shadows Cascade Reduced) - v2.11

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 DESCRIPTION AND NOTES
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 - Better performance with hardly any shadow quality loss
 - Works perfect with both screens/monitors and VR
 - No slower loading of missions of any kind
 - Works with newest DCS 2.8 (with MultiThreading) Open Beta or Stable, as well as older 2.7 and 2.5 versions
 - Not IC compliant for Multiplayer (only works with servers which allow mods!)

This is a modification that alters values of shadow cascade(s) for better performance. 
It's heavily based on an older modification made by KEGETYS.

With this mod, and unlike the DCS default, all shadow settings use the same resolution (4096x4096 pixels, most GPUs should be fine with that), and have different values for the cascades for better performance.

In practice, what happens when using this mod is the terrain shadows (outside-cockpit) being drawn as far as before, but with performance improved with quite small visual difference trade-off. The other benefit is that, at the same time, the inside-cockpit shadows maintain high quality in all settings (though even that can be changed if desired, see notes further below).

Please remember that if updating or repairing DCS, the SHADOWS.LUA file will be reset, and you'll need to reinstall this mod again to use it.

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 INSTALLATION AND USAGE IN-GAME
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This mod replaces one file found in the game installation folder (same paths and structure as you see in the mod).

A mod manager (such as OvGME) is recommended, because it's the quickest way to install and uninstall mods in the game.
OvGME download and tutorial: https://wiki.hoggitworld.com/view/OVGME

If instead you prefer to install this mod manually, here's how you can do it:

  1) Go into the main game folder of DCS World (typically C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World), then to "CONFIG" folder, then to "EFFECTS" folder. 

  2) Make a backup of the SHADOWS.LUA file, just in case you wish to revert back. Leave the folder open as you'll comeback to it to put the new file.

  3) Extract the downloaded ZIP file into an empty folder of your preference. Get into the extracted content, and open the folders in same structure as before.

  4) Copy the new SHADOWS.LUA file and then paste over the old original one with same name in the game, overwriting all files if prompted.


After installing this mod, and for the game system options/settings to use for shadows, I suggest to put them just like in the image I attach with this mod. 
It's merely a suggestion, feel free to use those shadow settings as you see fit (and yes, you can still select FLAT shadows if prefered).

Please remember that if updating or repairing DCS, the SHADOWS.LUA file will be reset, and you'll need to reinstall this mod again to use it.

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 EDITING THE MOD FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
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If you need to further improve performance (but at cost of shadowmap quality), you can edit the SHADOWS.LUA file with any text editor (notepad++ recommended) and change the values of shadowmap quality (as to say, the resolution of the shadows).

In the file, those are referenced with the lines "-- size of shadowmap".
 
For example, if changing those from "4096" to "2048" it will reduce the "HIGH" quality setting shadow map to a "MEDIUM" quality shadowmap, and so on.
Feel free to experiment - remember to always backup your files!

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 CREDITS AND THANKS
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- To KEGETYS for the original mod this was based on.
- To the people at E.D., as there are original files modified for the purpose of this mod.

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 DISCLAIMER
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ALL OF THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.
ALL OF THE CONTENT INCLUDED IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE, AND THEREFORE ITS PARTS CAN NOT BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES OR PROFIT BY A THIRD PARTY, UNLESS CONSENTED BY THE AUTHOR(S).
THE AUTHOR(S) WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSSES INCURRED, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY THE USE OF THESE FILES.

