Improved graphics for Risen

Thanks to this article, I was able to tune up the graphics quite radically.

+ General drawing distance +100%
+ Shadows are 2x sharper
+ Shadows draw distance increased significantly
+ Vegetation range is 2x
+ Object (including npcs/monsters) draw distance increased 10x

Download configUser.rar and extract it to c:/users/your_name/AppData/Local/Risen (in Win7/Vista) and you will have a much better graphics in the game.

Thanks for the tip, nice to find other ways to get the most out of my graphics card when playing without AA.

thanks for the heads up, will test it soon!

Edit: Okay, seems when I added that file you added I get a fatal memory allocation error.

I did remove the .biks from logo.ini and Risen does start faster by skipping those videos.

Before I had all my settings on high with 1900x1200 (16:10) resolution, it was a little sluggish up until now when I turned off Depth of Field. It runs MUCH smoother, really don't even need the configuser.ini I don't think. DOF is just the problem.

Where do we extract configUser.rar if we use XP?

In WinXP it's C:\Documents and Settings\your_name\Local Settings\Application Data\Risen

Can anyone confirm if replacing this file on a Windows 7 box will break the game? Someone said he causes a memory error.

I tested this again and it works 100% for me.

Just make a copy of your exisitng configuser.xml file before extracting and give it a shot. And tell us the result.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
I tested this again and it works 100% for me.

Just make a copy of your exisitng configuser.xml file before extracting and give it a shot. And tell us the result.

I'll test it at lunch.

I tried it on XP, and I get a fatal memory allocation error. Some Compatibility issue maybe.

I think the resolution is set in the config file. If the resolution in the config is higher than your graphics card can handle, it's going to fall down and go boom. It should be pretty easy to spot in there, just change it to what you want.

Oh, yes sorry about that. The resolution is 1680x1050 and if your computer doesn't support it, it most likely will crash.

Check through the xml before launching the game.

The even better way really is to copy-paste the stuff from my xml to yours.

Can you just post the tweaks so I can edit my own config file? The idea of using someone else's file is not good. Thanks.

edit: oh duh, I'll just look through your file. I swear that post above mine was invisible or something.

Fixed! My Resolution is:

Bottom="1080"
RefreshRate="60"
Right="1920"

This is running a geforce 8800GTX btw. However, I think that made graphics worse.

Are you saying that the textures and models in Risen are so bad, that it's better to have DoF, HDR and all kinds of effects maximum and visibility as low as possible. LOL

Can you make a screenshot comparison to prove your point?

Notice the skulls on the ground. On one of the images, its 3D while on the other its flat. The better image is the original, while the worse image is the one with the improved graphics.

Probably should have taken screens during the daylight.

Could you take a new screenshots, those are just too dark.

Originally Posted by Ergonpandilus
Are you saying that the textures and models in Risen are so bad, that it's better to have DoF, HDR and all kinds of effects maximum and visibility as low as possible. LOL

Can you make a screenshot comparison to prove your point?

It improves the view distance dramtically, it gets rid of the blurry fog, try it for yourself, it does make a difference.

I've only tested this for about a minute, but so far it works really well. If you have the video card, try it. If you do just copy that config file over wholesale, you'll get all of his settings, but you can just change them back in game.

Nice to know it works fine. There might be some other changes that I missed, so check configdefault.xml from your Risen gamefolder.

But for now, it's time for a drink. Happy weekened.

Worked very well indeed. Transformed the game IMO. Tweaking G3 like this never quite worked - I always got strange gaps in the landscape (not to mention crashes) but here it really does push the sharpness out into the distance - very, very nice.