Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 PC Performance thread

[Lukar]

We are close to a fix for the MGS2 4K problems!

Doesn't work · Issue #1 · Lyall/MGSHDFix

Unlike the other MGS2 and 3 mod which also had this dll and a copy paste of files which worked, this one doesn't. With these files in the folder with the exe the game simply doesn't start.

github.com

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Aaaa that's great to hear. I've put MGS2 aside for now while I play Alan Wake II, hopefully it's fixed by the time I'm done with it.

I absolutely love it's you and Lukar helping the guy making it lol

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I just wanna play it without it looking blurry and jagged lol

 

[Schopenhauerian]

...Like other folks, I immediately (...in the menus, shortly after booting up) noticed sound problems in the Master Collection version MGS1...

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...I am hearing audio crackling starting from the Policenauts/Konami Logo intro jingle, then during the main menu music, then again at the start of the music in the first cutscene...

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Some people have reported a fix for this: "...the audio crackles to the point that it's stabbing my ears, the input delay is tolerable but still a glaring problem... If you've been having the audio crackling whilst playing the game, make sure to download the English (US) language, instead of the English (UK) language. Whilst being a stupid solution, this fixed the issue for me..."

https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//44277708/dc403a2fcf22691a1b00a78f9c54d6ad24c3c334.png

METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

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I'm in the U.S., so naturally I only have the option to download the Japanese and European Language Packs.

And oddly enough, on my system the UK pack is significantly better (though it still has some crackling), while the Japanese pack is just as bad as the default North American one.

Support's response to my email: "Thank you for contacting Konami Customer Support with your report. Your report will be forwarded to the development team. Please note that they are aware of the issues and are currently looking into them. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you again for sharing your opinions!"

 

[Lukar]

Haven't gotten to try it yet, but there's an update for MGSHDFix:

Release v0.6 - Borderless/Windowed Mode + Fixes · Lyall/MGSHDFix

Changes Thanks to emoose for several of these contributions! MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added framebuffer fix to stop the game from setting the framebuffer size to the maximum supported resolution by your dis...

github.com

• MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added framebuffer fix to stop the game from setting the framebuffer size to the maximum supported resolution by your display. (#2)(#6)
• MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added a windowed mode option. (#4)
• MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added an option to disable the mouse cursor from rendering. (#4)
• MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added option to enable borderless mode. (#4)
• MGS 2 | MGS 3: Removed FMV fix temporarily until I can get a working formula for scaling them correctly.
• MGS 2: Adjusted fade scaler hook to address a significant portion of incorrectly scaled assets (text, overlays, fades, effects etc). (#1)

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EDIT: Just tried it out and yup, MGS2 is a lot better now.

 

[Polyh3dron]

I'm glad I let this collection come out first before jumping in. I'll wait until it's fixed and/or dirt cheap before buying. Until then, MGS1 on MiSTer and 2 + 3 on RPCS3 seems to be vastly superior to... this.

 

[LAA]

Haven't gotten to try it yet, but there's an update for MGSHDFix:

Release v0.6 - Borderless/Windowed Mode + Fixes · Lyall/MGSHDFix

Changes Thanks to emoose for several of these contributions! MGS 2 | MGS 3: Added framebuffer fix to stop the game from setting the framebuffer size to the maximum supported resolution by your dis...

github.com

EDIT: Just tried it out and yup, MGS2 is a lot better now.

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Awesome to see the progress on this, as well as the modding community jumping around it as well, (as much as Konami should have been the one to do it)
Seen some mods for high res texture packs, as well as audio fixes for MGS2/3 on NexusMods, but last I saw, it was causing crashes, so hopefully on the way for that too, seeing Konami doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the audio issues yet.
Hoping issues with MGS1 can be sorted too, mainly input lag delay and custom resolution for that too.

 

[Cronen]

So just to confirm, on the Deck (unloaded) MGS2 and MGS3 now run ok but there's no audio in cutscenes?

Does the addition of the xaudio2_9.dll and the required launch commands for it fix the audio issues?

 

[Huey]

So just to confirm, on the Deck (unloaded) MGS2 and MGS3 now run ok but there's no audio in cutscenes?

Does the addition of the xaudio2_9.dll and the required launch commands for it fix the audio issues?

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Looks like that's the case via protondb:

https://www.protondb.com/app/2131640

The crashing issues seem to have been fixed, and seems like they're working on the audio issues so hopefully you won't need the dll file fix soon:

View: https://x.com/Plagman2/status/1717569353691037909?s=20

 

[sdornan]

So just to confirm, on the Deck (unloaded) MGS2 and MGS3 now run ok but there's no audio in cutscenes?

Does the addition of the xaudio2_9.dll and the required launch commands for it fix the audio issues?

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Correct. Although, I didn't even need to set a launch command, just put the DLL in place.

 

[Toybasher]

I downloaded the US version of MGS1 as I had always played the PAL version.
I thought I was sucking because of the increased speed of the game, but it's not (entirely) that...

Yeah, the input delay is noticable. I'm not someone who normally picks up on something like this, but if you have Snake walk in a direction and then let go of your analog stick Snake continues to walk for a fraction of a second.

EDIT: Recorded a video of this.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BpGfTlAWUo

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I have the same problem, I'm also on the NTSC version. Playing on PC. Makes the VR missions much harder then it should be. A few people have claimed MGS1 always had input delay, even if you were playing on a PS1 hooked up to a CRT monitor, but it never seemed as bad as it is in the master collection. Granted, there's seemingly very little delay in menus, (only in gameplay?) and it's been almost a decade and a half since I last played the PS1 version of MGS1 so my memory is a bit hazy, but I still don't remember the input delay being so severe.

 

[Lukar]

hlhbk Could you threadmark this post please?

---

Here are some guides / mods for PC players to check out that may improve their experience:

• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to to render the games above 720p
• MGS1
  • MGSM2Fix - adds analog support on controllers and allows you to enable pixel-perfect scaling, disable the bilinear filter, and more
• MGS2
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to to render the game above 720p (also includes ultrawide support)
    • Same file as for MG1/MG2 listed above
    • Rendering the game above 720p may diminish the strength of some post-processing effects
  • Alternate Title Screen Logos - allows you to change the low-quality HD Collection and HD Edition logos on the title and loading screens to one of the following:
    • The original Sons of Liberty logo
    • The original Substance logo
    • A custom Master Collection logo
  • Audio Fix - aims to fix audio quality in cutscenes and Codec calls
    • "Not fully tested, so expect bugs and crashes."
  • MGSAltTabPatch - allows you to Alt+Tab without the game minimizing itself
• MGS3
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to render the game above 720p (also includes ultrawide support)
    • Rendering the game above 720p may diminish the strength of some post-processing effects
    • Same file as for MGS2 listed above
  • MGS3 Crouch Walk - adds the ability to walk while crouching, similar to the 3DS version of Snake Eater
  • Alternate Title Screen Logos - allows you to change the low-quality HD Collection and HD Edition logos on the title and loading screens to one of the following:
    • The original Snake Eater logo
    • The original Subsistence logo
    • A custom Master Collection logo
    • No logo (for viewing the title screen background animation without any obstruction)
  • High Resolution UI Textures - AI-upscaled textures for text and equipment icons
    • I believe this also replaces the title screen logo, so install this before the Alternate Title Screen Logos mod if you're using it
  • Audio Fix - aims to fix audio quality in cutscenes, videos, and Codec calls
    • "Not fully tested, so expect bugs, crashes, etc."
    • Comparison with vanilla game
  • MGSAltTabPatch - allows you to Alt+Tab without the game minimizing itself
    • Same file as for MG1/MG2 and MGS2 listed above

 

[Huey]

Jesus.. was having a great experience on Steam Deck (with the audio fix) up until finding Emma Emmerich, and now getting regular intermittent freezes which sometimes spontaneously resolve and sometimes hard crash the deck. It's basically rendered it unplayable. I've had TDP limited to 5W cuz the game seems to chew battery at default TDP for no reason, but changing it back to default doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm on Proton GE8-21. No other mods or configuration changes. Anybody else experience something similar?

 

['3y Kingdom]

Jesus.. was having a great experience on Steam Deck (with the audio fix) up until finding Emma Emmerich, and now getting regular intermittent freezes which sometimes spontaneously resolve and sometimes hard crash the deck. It's basically rendered it unplayable. I've had TDP limited to 5W cuz the game seems to chew battery at default TDP for no reason, but changing it back to default doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm on Proton GE8-21. No other mods or configuration changes. Anybody else experience something similar?

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You could try Proton Hotfix, since it was targeted at these games.

 

[hlhbk]

hlhbk Could you threadmark this post please?

---

Here are some guides / mods for PC players to check out that may improve their experience:

• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to to render the games above 720p
• MGS1 (credit to Sangral for this)
  • Resize the game window to force the smoothing filter off, then use Magpie to make it borderless fullscreen with integer scaling (link goes to Steam guide with more details)
• MGS2
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to to render the game above 720p (also includes ultrawide support)
    • Same file as for MG1/MG2 listed above
    • Rendering the game above 720p may diminish the strength of some post-processing effects
  • Alternate Title Screen Logos - allows you to change the low-quality HD Collection and HD Edition logos on the title and loading screens to one of the following:
    • The original Sons of Liberty logo
    • The original Substance logo
    • A custom Master Collection logo
  • Audio Fix - aims to fix audio quality in cutscenes and Codec calls
    • "Not fully tested, so expect bugs and crashes."
  • MGSAltTabPatch - allows you to Alt+Tab without the game minimizing itself
• MGS3
  • MGSHDFix - allows you to render the game above 720p (also includes ultrawide support)
    • Rendering the game above 720p may diminish the strength of some post-processing effects
    • Same file as for MGS2 listed above
  • Alternate Title Screen Logos - allows you to change the low-quality HD Collection and HD Edition logos on the title and loading screens to one of the following:
    • The original Snake Eater logo
    • The original Subsistence logo
    • A custom Master Collection logo
    • No logo (for viewing the title screen background animation without any obstruction)
  • High Resolution UI Textures - AI-upscaled textures for text and equipment icons
    • I believe this also replaces the title screen logo, so install this before the Alternate Title Screen Logos mod if you're using it
  • Audio Fix - aims to fix audio quality in cutscenes, videos, and Codec calls
    • "Not fully tested, so expect bugs, crashes, etc."
    • Comparison with vanilla game
  • MGSAltTabPatch - allows you to Alt+Tab without the game minimizing itself
    • Same file as for MG1/MG2 and MGS2 listed above

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Lukar Done.

 

[BrunOz]

MGS1 bilinear filter remover patch:

GitHub - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch: Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection

Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch

github.com

*needs to install first: https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/main/release-notes/2.2/2.2.0/2.2.0-download.md

before:

after:

 

[TheMadTitan]

MGS1 bilinear filter remover patch:

GitHub - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch: Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection

Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch

github.com

*needs to install first: https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/main/release-notes/2.2/2.2.0/2.2.0-download.md

before:

after:

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Sweet; just need someone to make a 16:9 mod and a CRT Royale filter mod.

 

[Wesker]

MGS1 bilinear filter remover patch:

GitHub - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch: Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection

Removes the bilinear filtering in MGS1: Master Collection - Santikun/MGS1-Master-Collection-Bilinear-Patch

github.com

*needs to install first: https://github.com/dotnet/core/blob/main/release-notes/2.2/2.2.0/2.2.0-download.md

before:

after:

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Lukar Maybe worth adding this to your mods post?

 

[KainXVIII]

Removing bilinear filtering completely is not always a good thing, especially if game will have uneven pixel scaling.

 

[CosmiKu]

With the resolution mod, I've been having a great time with MGS2 on PC.

Tried it on my Steam Deck and with the .dll and command line fixes the game is 95% there. However, it keeps crashing when an FMV is shown during a codec, which is blocking my progress on that device. Will need to carry on mostly on PC.

Hopefully we get a proton or community fix for that soon. Other than that, I'm quite happy with this release. I know Konami should've done more, but the games work and I can finally play MGS 1-3 on PC.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

With the resolution mod, I've been having a great time with MGS2 on PC.

Tried it on my Steam Deck and with the .dll and command line fixes the game is 95% there. However, it keeps crashing when an FMV is shown during a codec, which is blocking my progress on that device. Will need to carry on mostly on PC.

Hopefully we get a proton or community fix for that soon. Other than that, I'm quite happy with this release. I know Konami should've done more, but the games work and I can finally play MGS 1-3 on PC.

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Try the latest GE-proton

 

[CosmiKu]

Try the latest GE-proton

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Thought I had the latest one, but looks like one released yesterday. I'll give that a try after work.

 

[TheMadTitan]

Are the texture upscale mods for 2 & 3 good to go now or do they still have issues that need to be ironed out?

 

[Alvis]

edit: wrong thread

 

[mntorankusu]

I finally got my Steam Deck back from RMA and I've been playing a bit of MGS3. It's interesting. I used to have RPCS3 with the HD Collection on there, and though the CPU performance was bad in a lot of areas, it could run at 4K without a noticeable drop in performance, even in areas that were running 60fps. On this new PC version, the game runs flawlessly at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the performance is worse than RPCS3. No part of the game is able to hit 60 at 4k. It's a bit disappointing because I use my Steam Deck connected to my TV a lot.

Edit: Force disabling MSAA in dxvk.conf (d3d11.disableMsaa = true) makes it run much better in 4K. Very few frame drops now. People trying to run the game on a low-end PC might wanna try this too.

 

[Alvis]

So MGS2 and MGS3 get forcibly upscaled to 1080p right? Is this the case on the Steam Deck too?

So like, if I load up MGS3 on the Deck, is it running at 720p, being scaled up to 1080p, and then scaled back down to 720p? Has anyone checked this?

Should I install MGSHDfix to enable proper 720p? lol

 

[TheMadTitan]

So MGS2 and MGS3 get forcibly upscaled to 1080p right? Is this the case on the Steam Deck too?

So like, if I load up MGS3 on the Deck, is it running at 720p, being scaled up to 1080p, and then scaled back down to 720p? Has anyone checked this?

Should I install MGSHDfix to enable proper 720p? lol

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The game is running at 720p. If you're playing at a higher resolution, the game is still rendering at 720p, they just blow up the image.

 

[Alvis]

The game is running at 720p. If you're playing at a higher resolution, the game is still rendering at 720p, they just blow up the image.

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That's not my question, my question is whether it's forcibly upscaled to 1080p even on a 720p screen like the Deck's

 

[TechnoSyndrome]

The game is running at 720p. If you're playing at a higher resolution, the game is still rendering at 720p, they just blow up the image.

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The game itself is then scaling it to 1080p though, which then gets scaled a second time by your display/GPU/console to whatever resolution you're actually running at. He's asking if this scaling process still happens if you're actually running at 720p.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

is there no way pause cutscenes on MGS2 and 3?

also, how do you even exit the game on PC? Do you have to alt/tab and close the window?

 

[Wrexis]

Digital Foundry commented on the collection. Konami didn't give them review code which is why their video is taking longer. They had to spend £150 on buying all 3 versions for comparison. Like the rest of us they're very disappointed in the collection.

Intense Disappointment: The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection V1

► Watch the FULL video here: https://youtu.be/fsBw1galvPY► Support us on Patreon! https://bit.ly/3jEGjvx► Digital Foundry YouTube: https://youtube.com/digita...

www.youtube.com

 

[Atom]

is there no way pause cutscenes on MGS2 and 3?

also, how do you even exit the game on PC? Do you have to alt/tab and close the window?

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start -> options -> title screen -> return to main menu -> exit. At least for MGS3, or just alt f4/steam deck exit etc.

 

[mntorankusu]

That's not my question, my question is whether it's forcibly upscaled to 1080p even on a 720p screen like the Deck's

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Yes, it does scale up and then back down on the Steam Deck. You can prevent this with MGSHDFix. You can even use 1280x800 to make the game fullscreen without letterboxing.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

start -> options -> title screen -> return to main menu -> exit. At least for MGS3, or just alt f4/steam deck exit etc.

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ok. annoying they didn't add a way to pause cutscenes in MGS2 and 3. especially 2 with those long ass cutscenes. may have to play on steam deck only in that case

 

[BrunOz]

Someone already developed a simple to install / drag and drop mod that enables pixel perfect scaling, bilinear filter toggle and scanlines (optional) for MGS1:

GitHub - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix: A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection.

A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection. - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix

github.com

 

[TheMadTitan]

Someone already developed a simple to install / drag and drop mod that enables pixel perfect scaling, bilinear filter toggle and scanlines (optional) for MGS1:

GitHub - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix: A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection.

A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection. - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix

github.com

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Just need the perspective correcting stuff Duckstation does and a 16:9 mod.

And you know, the input lag too. But that's a given.

 

[Slackerchan]

Just a heads up: MGSHDFix hit 1.0 over the weekend:

https://github.com/Lyall/MGSHDFix/releases/tag/v1.0

 

[Alvis]

Someone already developed a simple to install / drag and drop mod that enables pixel perfect scaling, bilinear filter toggle and scanlines (optional) for MGS1:

GitHub - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix: A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection.

A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection. - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix

github.com

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All I need now is analog controls. 8-way movement and aiming hurts the game so much. Aiming guns becomes unnecessarily annoying.

 

[Wesker]

Just a heads up: MGSHDFix hit 1.0 over the weekend:

https://github.com/Lyall/MGSHDFix/releases/tag/v1.0

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So awesome. Being able to skip the launcher is a nice QoL I think.

 

[Wrexis]

Someone already developed a simple to install / drag and drop mod that enables pixel perfect scaling, bilinear filter toggle and scanlines (optional) for MGS1:

GitHub - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix: A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection.

A fix that adds custom resolutions, analog input, pixel perfect scaling and more to the original Metal Gear Solid within the Master Collection. - nuggslet/MGSM2Fix

github.com

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This is the GOAT for MGS1. Just copy and paste, no patching of stuff.

Before:

After:

Bonus, scanline support:

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

That looks lovely with the scanlines

 

[Alvis]

This is the GOAT for MGS1. Just copy and paste, no patching of stuff.

Before:

After:

Bonus, scanline support:

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But analog support when :(

 

[Wrexis]

But analog support when :(

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There was an official patch this morning, maybe they added it!

 

[LAA]

Getting close with MGS1!
Just would like analog support added and being able to set rendering resolution higher (Hopefully this can be done without a performance drop, seeing the game already seems to drop below 30fps as it is)

How is MGS2/3 atm? It seems resolution stuff is all sorted, (Maybe DoF effects lessened)
Is sound fixed? I noticed immediately MGS2/3 seemed to have really loud audio and drowned out other audio as a result.

 

[Toybasher]

There was an official patch this morning, maybe they added it!

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Doesn't seem like it. Good news, they did update interrogation in MGS3.

Was clicking in the left stick originally, like on the PS2, but since left stick click was also bound to raise lower weapon (like on the 360.) it lead to a conflict where left stick click was bound to two different functions. This lead to weirdness like Snake sometimes raising his weapon after interrogating when you didn't mean to, (which locked you in place) or would raise his gun instead of interrogating. etc. With semiautos, you ONLY need that bind to lower your weapon without firing.

MGS3 also now has keyboard controls listed in the online manual.

Hoping we get the ability to rebind the keys in the future, since if you plan to play with a mouse you have to constantly take your hand off of it.

(AND they need to add proper rawinput mouse support. Currently it emulates the right stick and it's very janky to use, you must turn your sensitivity and DPI up to max for the mouse to not feel like it's moving through molasses)

 

[Polyh3dron]

By the time this collection is in anything approaching an acceptable state it'll probably be significantly cheaper than it is now, just as I expected.

Konami incentivizes waiting for the deep discount.

 

[hlhbk]

What is the state of things with mods?

 

[striderno9]

I just want to play MGS1 at least 720p on PC so this is only possible through a mod?

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

I just want to play MGS1 at least 720p on PC so this is only possible through a mod?

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Nope. Still at the OG 240p render resolution. The only thing mods have done thus far is remove the bilinear filter

 

[TechnoSyndrome]

I wonder if no one is ever going to bother figuring out increasing the resolution in MGS1 since emulating the game in DuckStation is so trivial

 

[Lukar]

Don't think it was shared in this thread, but there's a mod for MGS3 that implements the ability to walk while crouching like in the 3DS version:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkeLCbq7ycE

MGS3 Crouch Walk

Enjoy the crouch walking from the 3DS, but on the Master Collection. This mod is currently in it's early stages.

www.nexusmods.com

Currently it's missing CQC animations while crouching, but they're working on that, as well as apparently working on the option to use the crouching animations from MGS4 and Peace Walker.

 

[TheMadTitan]

Don't think it was shared in this thread, but there's a mod for MGS3 that implements the ability to walk while crouching like in the 3DS version:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkeLCbq7ycE

MGS3 Crouch Walk

Enjoy the crouch walking from the 3DS, but on the Master Collection. This mod is currently in it's early stages.

www.nexusmods.com

Currently it's missing CQC animations while crouching, but they're working on that, as well as apparently working on the option to use the crouching animations from MGS4 and Peace Walker.

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Based on the revolver walking animation, they should probably have an option to prevent moving with some weapons in crouch because that was silly.