Deus Ex Mod Removes "Gold" Filter, Game Suddenly Looks Even Better

13 years ago

September 23, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s “gold” filter may be a visual trademark, but it also affects the way you see the game world. A new mod for the PC version removes this (and makes a few other changes), and boy, do things look different.

The ENBSeries mod for the game, made by the same community responsible for Grand Theft Auto IV’s stunning visual overhaul, is only for Nvidia cards, but if that’s you, you’re in for a treat.

Not only is the gold filter removed, letting you see everything in its own, natural colour, but the lighting has been improved, smoke effects have been tweaked and the game just generally looks better.

Be warned, though, the improvements come at a cost in performance, so only those with powerful PCs should apply. In the gallery above you’ll see some comparison shots; for more, head to PC Gamer.

Deus Ex / ENBSeries [ENBSeries, via PC Gamer]

Comments

65 responses to “Deus Ex Mod Removes "Gold" Filter, Game Suddenly Looks Even Better”

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Neo-Kaiser

September 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm

So artistic themes and colouring identity are now bad?

Reply
1. Chazz
  
  September 23, 2011 at 5:51 pm
  
  Only when it’s done to try and cover up the use of a crappy graphics engine and low-res texturing.
  
  Reply
  1. Velnica
    
    September 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm
    
    You’re speaking as if that’s the thing every game should aspire to :/ What’s wrong with adding a filter if in the end it masks these ‘low-res’ness and improves the look of the end product?
    
    Better a hazy filter that doesn’t detract experience than half-baked try hards.
    
    Reply
    1. Chazz
      
      September 23, 2011 at 7:10 pm
      
      Well they could’ve just gone for higher res textures and used a better engine.
      
      Reply
      1. Blaghmang
        
        September 23, 2011 at 7:47 pm
        
        And while we’re running around with infinite money, why don’t we cure all forms of cancer, and end the food crisis?
      2. Jamie
        
        September 23, 2011 at 7:55 pm
        
        In my opinion, it was really nice that my “old” core 2 duo and 8800GT graphics card could run the game smoothly and nicely. If they had gone the ‘ohhh shiny’ route, beyond how long the game was in development, it would be just another overly pretty game only people with expensive rigs can play. 😛
      3. stue
        
        September 24, 2011 at 7:17 am
        
        the nvidia 8800 is almost 6 years old, you cant just buy a budget card, then half a dozen years later call anything made after it expensive, computer parts are dropping, and it costs roughly 500 to buy a pc that will run MODERN games at around 40-50fps. still, it would be nice if developers gave that extra level of detail in graphics, so if you have a good rig,you can flog it, if you dont you can run it in poverty mode. doom 3 when it came out was crazy because nearly every home pc could run it
      4. Chazz
        
        September 23, 2011 at 8:07 pm
        
        Eidos and Square Enix aren’t exactly indie companies…
      5. kkagari
        
        September 23, 2011 at 8:22 pm
        
        no, but props to them for using a gimped engine and low res textures and STILL making a aesthetically pleasing experience. even if its smoke and mirrors.
      6. Chazz
        
        September 23, 2011 at 11:15 pm
        
        For those of us who aren’t okay with being bent over the barrel with console ports it’s far from aesthetically pleasing.
      7. Velnica
        
        September 23, 2011 at 9:17 pm
        
        You are forgetting that they are supporting a large portfolio. Deus Ex is certainly NOT the only game those two companies are investing in.
        
        Once multiple medium is involved as well (Console AND PC) you may as well find a bar that works across all 3 to maximise output and minimise downtime.
      8. Chazz
        
        September 23, 2011 at 11:16 pm
        
        What happened to the days when gamers didn’t make excuses for shoddy work?
      9. Wolvieboy
        
        September 24, 2011 at 12:50 am
        
        What happened to the days when gamers and fanboys didn’t have a platform for petty gripes other than the people physically in the same room as them?
      10. 706
        
        September 24, 2011 at 2:12 am
        
        This isn’t shoddy work, no one is making excuses.
        
        You can complain that it is disappointing that the game will be a multi-platform release and therefore the graphics on the PC will not be as great as they could be. It is a sad fact but you cannot expect a game company to recreate all assets for the different platforms they create their game for. Unless you want to see one released (probably the console version) years before the other. No one will blame you for making such a complaint.
        
        However there is no point complaining that the PC version doesn’t look as good as it should, when you already know the reason why. It makes as much sense as complaining that you can’t use your keyboard and mouse to play the console versions.
      11. Bigtones
        
        September 24, 2011 at 9:17 am
        
        Oh my god people, just get over it an enjoy what is an awesome game!
      12. Velnica
        
        September 24, 2011 at 9:40 am
        
        If that’s shoddy work Chazz, I’m not sure anything is high enough for you to see form your horse ;/
        
        I rest my case.
      13. Chazz
        
        September 25, 2011 at 4:52 pm
        
        How about games that actually excel in something? What does DXHR actually excel at?
        
        Graphics? Without a doubt, NO.
        Story? Maybe.
        Gameplay? It’s standard, average at best.
        Art style? Nope.
        Sound design? No.
        Voice acting? It was ok.
      14. Dmoli
        
        September 26, 2011 at 10:12 am
        
        Just because you don’t like it Chazz doesn’t mean the art style isn’t actually impressive. I think the texture style on some of the clothing is very cool indeed.
        
        Pretty sure it all comes down to opinion in the end.
2. Arata
  
  September 26, 2011 at 2:55 pm
  
  Yea, but the general opinion seems to be that it looks pretty bad. The general opinion also seems to be that the Batman voice acting is good. So, what do I know?
  
  Still, if this mod makes people happy, great!! No complaints there.
  
  Reply
3. Pinkerton
  
  May 17, 2012 at 3:03 am
  
  Oh man, a game full of yellow filter ? SO FREAKING ARTISTIC!
  
  Reply
kkagari

September 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm

well, whilst the detail and fog etc might look better, the gold theme > filtered anyday. it gives the game individuality and atmosphere. such a tasteless mod.

Reply
Rob

September 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm

Yeh, i like the gold better

Reply
Richard James

September 23, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Just imagine how good silent hill would look if you removed all the fog?

Reply
1. Average
  
  September 23, 2011 at 9:20 pm
  
  Liking the gold better. It gives the game more character; a better atmosphere. This mod makes it look sterile.
  
  Reply
Sam

September 23, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Yeah prefer the original thanks, without the gold it looks that little bit closer to every other first person game out there. Even if the change was made to “cover up the use of a crappy graphics engine and low-res texturing” it certainly worked in my book and was a good choice. Personally I thought HR was one of the best looking games this gen, but admittedly I’ve always favoured art direction over horsepower.

Reply
1. 4len
  
  September 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm
  
  I agree entirely! Just had that conversation with a collegue. It looks good, but it just looks like every other game then. The gold is at least, very recognisable as a HR thing 🙂
  
  Reply
Scott

September 23, 2011 at 6:15 pm

Sun glasses…no sun glasses.

Reply
1. Milton
  
  September 23, 2011 at 8:48 pm
  
  Now here’s a thinker.
  
  Reply
2. sumlolz
  
  September 24, 2011 at 3:08 pm
  
  Sir, you need an award for your brain.
  
  Reply
Code47

September 23, 2011 at 6:29 pm

Looks worse. the original gold theme is far better, it suits the game and feel of the high-tech world.

Reply
Chrissomerry

September 23, 2011 at 7:24 pm

Meh, I like the gold filter off. Looks more relatable, which always helps for me when it comes to sci-fi. It does feel like something’s missing though. Alas I don’t have the game, but if I did I’d probably try this mod out due to my own tastes in sci-fi.

Reply
1. Sam
  
  September 23, 2011 at 7:28 pm
  
  Cyberpunk =/= sci-fi. So I do see your point, I just think the original is much more suited to the actual theme 😀
  
  Reply
  1. Chazz
    
    September 23, 2011 at 7:44 pm
    
    Cyberpunk, sci-fi…doesn’t really matter when their colour scheme doesn’t match 😛
    
    Reply
  2. Drunkin Punkin
    
    September 23, 2011 at 11:14 pm
    
    Sorry mate but what is =/=?
    
    I’m aware of =, ==, !=, +=, *=, /=, -= etc.
    
    Unless you are attempting to say that you are assigning the value of sci-fi divided by itself to cyberpunk. But then you used one too many =!
    
    Reply
    1. Chazz
      
      September 23, 2011 at 11:17 pm
      
      Come now, let’s not be obtuse. We all know he meant /=.
      
      Reply
      1. Drunkin Punkin
        
        September 24, 2011 at 12:19 am
        
        Fair enough but what is the value of sci-fi? Is it a int, float, double, char, string…..? What algorithm does this relate to? Does this solve any np-complete problems?
        
        Intrepeting this a literal sense, cyberpunk is less than sci-fi. I think not!
        
        That is all.
      2. Chazz
        
        September 25, 2011 at 8:42 pm
        
        How on earth did you get the impression that he meant cyberpunk was a lesser genre than sci-fi?
      3. caska
        
        September 24, 2011 at 5:40 pm
        
        I’m pretty sure he meant ‘does not equal’ or in your case ‘!=’ It’s maths not programming, simple maths…
Edward

September 23, 2011 at 8:40 pm

Really really really prefer the gold filter!

And so what if its to hide the bad engine? More PCs can run it! Still looks amazing.

Reply
tsengan

September 23, 2011 at 9:40 pm

How silly. The gold theme matched the high Renaissance inspirations of the artistic styling. It would be like relighting Bladerunner so it wasn’t so dark.

Reply
1. Velnica
  
  September 23, 2011 at 9:42 pm
  
  Funnily enough that’s my first thought when I saw this mod. Kept trying to imagine Blade Runner where there’s no large expanses of shadow, it’s ruining my memories!
  
  Reply
Supreme

September 23, 2011 at 9:48 pm

I thought it looked better WITH gold filtering on….

Reply
Kyron

September 23, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Whatever the colour is, this games great story and gameplay surpasses any minor argument against its aesthetic.

Reply
RavidGamer

September 23, 2011 at 10:05 pm

I’m surprised there hasn’t been a mod to make Invisible War look more like the original. What would the graphic card requirements be for that?

Reply
oggob

September 23, 2011 at 10:22 pm

So the general consensus is that the game looks better with it’s Gold filter intact.

Certainly agree with that, removing it simply makes it look like any other game out there.

Reply
Jolly Rancher

September 23, 2011 at 10:31 pm

I have to agree with the vast majority here; I liked the gold theme. It looks generic without it. It may as well have been any old shooter without the filter.

Reply
Darth Guybrush

September 23, 2011 at 10:43 pm

NVidia only.

Only wusses have NVidia cards.

Reply
1. Chazz
  
  September 23, 2011 at 11:18 pm
  
  Yes, how silly of us to prefer the brand that isn’t renowned for shitty drivers.
  
  Reply
2. mattroe
  
  September 24, 2011 at 1:37 am
  
  Wusses and people who like to have products that are actually reliable.
  
  Reply
  1. weresmurf
    
    September 24, 2011 at 6:40 am
    
    wusses who prefer their cards to consistently benchmark higher and perform better for less money… dawwww did I go there???
    
    Reply
    1. coolguy
      
      September 24, 2011 at 7:26 am
      
      Yes we all know ati cards are faster and cheaper than nvidia, more bang for buck.
      
      Both cards suffer from shitty drivers sometimes but it is always fixed.
      
      Reply
    2. Chazz
      
      September 25, 2011 at 6:29 pm
      
      You clearly haven’t been looking at benchmarks lately. On top of that, unless something has changed in the lowest of low budget cards, nvidia has owned both price/performance and best card on the market title for a while now.
      
      Reply
Leigh

September 23, 2011 at 10:49 pm

What about the floaty mouse, huh modders, huh?

Reply
Cameron

September 23, 2011 at 11:02 pm

That gold filter really annoyed me. It went far beyond “artistic styling” or anything like that, it just made everything look the same. What’s wrong with having different areas of the game look different? Yeah have a gold filter, but only use it in Jensen’s apartment and maybe Shanghai, everywhere else could really use it’s own personality.

Reply
1. James T
  
  September 25, 2011 at 8:07 pm
  
  Yeah, the yellow filter was direly overused. (Almost) every location in the game was poured full of choking yellow smog, no matter where it was, no matter what it was, no matter who owned it… Giving the game an overarching colour scheme isn’t so bad an idea, but letting it penetrate into everything, from Tae-Yong to the Sarif building to the sewers of Detroit to the Hengsha docks to Singapore to Picus to Panchaea just looked silly. Did everyone hire the same interior designer?
  
  Reply
Femto

September 23, 2011 at 11:36 pm

I like the gold! I just finished it then… anybody else end up with a hug stockpile of weapons and ammo at the end?

Reply
Sparkles

September 23, 2011 at 11:48 pm

What happened to the days when gamers cared about more than a games graphics?

Reply
1. Sparkles
  
  September 23, 2011 at 11:49 pm
  
  Woops wrong article.
  
  Reply
Lobo

September 24, 2011 at 12:27 am

Did your goldfish die Chazz? You seem agitated.

I guess changing the smoke effects is ok, but changing the aesthetic style of a game doesnt fly in my book. Why not remove cell shading from games next?

Reply
1. Chazz
  
  September 25, 2011 at 6:42 pm
  
  Oh no, I enjoyed DXHR. I’m on my third playthrough after a bug or something cost me my pacifist second playthrough. But the praise it’s getting is what annoys me. See, I never played the first Deus Ex so I’m one of the very few with the gift of not wearing the rose-tinted glasses and DXHR on it’s own is a thoroughly mediocre game that doesn’t have anything that it particularly excels at. It just reaches the average mark in everything and coasts along using the Deus Ex title. That’s all.
  
  Reply
AerintheADEQUATE

September 24, 2011 at 1:37 am

I prefer directed art and design over ‘pure-graphical realism’ any day. I’d see using this on a second play through or something, but playing the game through vanilla is usually what I’d go with for at least the first time.

I’ve seen people mod Borderlands to turn off the dark-edge shaders and replace textures with ‘realistic’ ones… I feel like they just don’t get it. But hey, to each his own. Can’t dictate the preferances of others.

Kind of reminds me of a ‘Rotoscope’ mod I used for the first PREY game several years back… totally absurd looking but completely awesome at the same time ;-P haha
But still, it took away from the originally intended atmosphere, I just thought it was kinda fun to see it that way.

Reply
Otacon

September 24, 2011 at 2:30 am

I’ll stick with playing the game how it was orignally intended.

Reply
Scott

September 24, 2011 at 9:55 am

It makes it look less generic, but still fairly generic overall.

Reply
Matthew K

September 24, 2011 at 11:58 pm

While I think the game looks cleaner and ‘better’ without the filter, I also think it kind of looks like every other game out there.

I approve of the gold filtering.

Reply
Steve

September 25, 2011 at 9:28 pm

Nothing wrong with the gold filter. Use of filtered lens is a great tool in cinematography, just look at how overused blue filter is for Winter/Sci-Fi films. The gold tinge gave Deus Ex its own feel. I’d just have appreciated it, if it wasn’t so goddamn pervasive. Detroit’s a run-down shithole, it should feel different from upper Hengsha. Use a murky blue colour scheme or something.

Reply

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Deus Ex Mod Removes "Gold" Filter, Game Suddenly Looks Even Better

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65 responses to “Deus Ex Mod Removes "Gold" Filter, Game Suddenly Looks Even Better”

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