Nicer graphics - feels kinda like WoW Forever - Fog Pushback patch

[Dernn]

Remove the chemtrail smog from the air! (or something like that)

Found this when trying to expand my view distance, from the twow forums:: Fog Pushback (Patch-y.mpq)
https://forum.turtlecraft.gg/viewtopic.php?t=10982

Direct download to google drive (copied from the above post):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14aHvyf ... sp=sharing

I added this to my Data folder, and combined with `/console farclip 2133` it makes the game look really nice! No more atmospheric fog and can see a really long way! (Not quite WoW Forever distance, but I think maybe as good as we'll get on the vanilla client)

Steps:
- download that Patch-y.mpq file, rename to Patch-z.mpq (OPTIONAL, to ensure no naming conflicts - some other common patches may already have taken "y")
- put in Data folder with the other "Patch-[n].mpq" files
- Start game!
- in game, type: /console farclip 2133 (this seems about the max, try less if it causes too much framerate drop)

Added before and after screenshots, both using `/console farclip 2133`

P.S. I know I'll get questions on the black bars top/bottom - CT Viewport addon for 1.12

If you're unsure:
1. first play with farclip in-game:
Try /console farclip 777 (default vanilla distance), /console farclip 1200 (i think that's the default wotlk distance?), then try /console farclip 2133. You should see noticeable differences between the three. If you do not see a jump from 1200 to 2133, ensure your client allows such high farclip numbers. I think the launcher may help, or if not you can use vanilla-tweaks and it should set the max to 10,000 (way higher than the terrain actually renders).

2. If you see that farclip is working as expected in-game, it's just a simple download and moving the file into your Data folder.

3. To remove, just delete the Patch-y.mpq (or Patch-z.mpq if you renamed it) - you can cut it from Data and put in the base folder too if you want to save it for later. You can always throw it back in the Data folder if you want.

NOTE on FPS:
The patch itself should not affect FPS (i think - maybe a little but not much)
Changing your farclip will DEFINITELY affect your FPS. Play around with it if you need. 2133 is just the max


EDIT: changed suggested farclip number from 3200 to 2133:

It appears that the actual terrain max in vanilla is closer to 2133 (ai gave me that number, based on the chunk sizes of the terrain getting rendered - 533yds per chunk * 4 chunk radius from your position =~ 2133) - you can play around with it, but for me, after a second test tweaking the farclip, I saw no change beyond 2133.

Kinda hard to judge this stuff depending on surroundings, but try increasing and see if there's more in view and if not just leave it at 2133. If 2133 is the max terrain distance, then there's no point in setting farclip past that, it will probably be worse for performance and will not provide any benefit.

[Dernn]

Tried using vanilla-tweaks and HxD (hex editor) to expand farclip and horizonfarclip even farther. Looks like it's not possible to go farther in the vanilla client without more extensive code adjustments, rather than a simple patch.

So the screenshots are about as much as we'll get in the vanilla client I think.

We can up the max horizonfarclip and farclip values, but this does not expand the number/size of terrain chunks that get loaded at one time, so I guess currently I'm able to see past the edge of the terrain but it would take some more complex work to actually expand how far the terrain chunks render.

Think of it like Minecraft except we cannot adjust the number of chunks that are loaded at one time, even if we can tweak the fog and clipping. Oh well, still looks much better than it did yesterday xD

Some screenshots showing the limitations of the terrain render distance::
(NOTE: the horizontal lines and blotchiness in the sky is due to compression only!)
1. Flight from Grom'Gol to Balor, Stormwind City and lighthouse loaded, mountains are outside the terrain load range.
2. SWR Back door gate, you can see the jagged zig-zag edge of the water chunks
3. Flight to Thunder Bluff, probably from Crossroads. Only parts of the bluff and city are loaded.
(note: some elevation + lack of surrounding trees/hills = probably see this edge, including during flights)

[Dernn]

srs tho guys, try it out! I won't go back. Maybe I'll add some more screenshots to help convince yall.

Would be cool if this mpq was available from the launcher. Currently I do not think it is, but it makes the world look so much better so it would be AWESOME if the octo devs added it for easy enable/disable!

(NOTE: the horizontal lines in the sky is due to compression only!)

Before: gets pretty foggy even just on the other side of the road, and the fog becomes completely thick just after the wooden gates of the elites town near SFK. A lone dead tree is barely visible in that empty spot on the right third. We can see an outline of the top of the Gilneas gate but if we didn't know what it was we would have no idea what we're looking at.

After: we can see past the wooden gates, we can even see the town hall and tower (behind that lone dead tree that was barely visible in Before photo). We can also see other buildings in the town, and we can even see the stone gate between Silverpine and Gilneas. On my uncompressed version, i can even see the wooden gate that is drawn halfway up in the Gilneas gate opening. We can see texture and designs along the top of the gate. Of course we can also see the hills on the left which are closer than the gate, but they were completely missing in the before photo.

[Dernn]

more comparison photos: (can only attach 3 per post....)

Before: lumber mill in the center is barely visible in the fog. Everything from about halfway in the lumber mill and back is pretty much solid grey.

After: lumber mill is clear, and trees way behind it are also distinguishable in the distance. The back edge mountains have color and texture, although some of them are cut off due to the terrain rendering limit (unadjustable)

[Dernn]

more:

Before: orchard trees on upper right are starting to get greyed out from fog, mountain behind is just a grey blur. Grey fog seems to start at about the stone wall behind the blacksmith. Left mountain is just a grey blob, tree in front of it is not visible (just above the left stonewall corner/turret)

After: orchard trees on upper right are not greyed out, and the mountain behind it even has some color. Grey fog seems to start way past the end of this entire farm complex; roof is not in the fog anymore, and there's a tree way back behind the left stonewall corner/turret that we can actually distinguish against the left mountain in the background.

[Dernn]

One more comparison: from Fenris Isle on Lordaeron Lake, looking west

Before photo: hardly see the shore!
foggy dock on the other side and the start of the shoreline, trees all a grey blur instead of colored/textured, shore edge stops about 1/3 from left screen edge and right 2/3 is just a foggy air/water blur without any distinguishable shoreline.

After photo: you can see FAR back into the trees (idk, 50+ yds)!
all trees on the shore are clearly distinguishable with clear green and brown colors with texture, see the hills on the center shore, highlights on those hills, entire shore across the entire screenshot is clear

All this is is just a patch-z.mpq added to my Data folder, and upping farclip.