In 2005, Resident Evil 4 debuted as one of the most graphically impressive games of that console generation. Now, nearly a decade later, the visuals certainly show their age. The latest PC version of the game brought the gameplay into the land of 60 FPS, but the attempt to update the texture quality fell rather short. By and large most textures in the game have simply been up-scaled with a particular filter applied.
At this point it seems safe to say that an official across-the-board HD revamp of the game isn't coming anytime soon. As a result, this project was born: a complete HD texture overhaul that remains true to the original artistic intent and tone of the game.
Goals
* Be true to the original textures, intent, and tone of the game
* By default, increase the texture resolution by 800%, unless a greater increase is necessary
* Wherever possible, leverage the original real-life sources for a given texture
FAQ
(based on questions asked in this thread)
What version of the game is this project for?
The Ultimate HD version released this year for PC.
Who are you?
We're two guys who love Resident Evil 4 and want to help create the definitive version of the game from a graphical perspective. :) Cris is from the midwest in the US, while Albert lives in Spain. Albert's experience goes all the way back to the 2007 PC release of the game, for which he created one of the most definitive and well-received texture packs, while this is Cris' first attempt.
How much of an upgrade will this be?
We are essentially taking each texture, scaling it up to 8 times the original resolution (in most cases) and redrawing / remaking from there. Additionally, there are many instances where Albert has been able to find the original source materials used, which allows us to faithfully replicate the original intent at a much higher resolution.
Do you want feedback?
Definitely! Please comment on any post on our site (http://www.re4hd.com) to give us feedback on our progress. In some cases it will help shape the end product!
How can I keep up with your progress?
There are several ways to stay connected:
* Our site: http://www.re4hd.com
* Twitter: @re4hdproject
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/re4hd
* This thread
How can we support the project?
There are a few ways to help support: 1) Let others know about it! 2) Comment if you have feedback / kind words. 3) Donate (offsets the costs of tablet / software / textures purchased for this project, travel for acquiring real-life texture sources, etc).
Where are you finding the real-life texture sources?
Capcom did a lot of photography work in various areas of Spain and Wales for this game (and others), and they also leveraged existing texture libraries. So for us, it's a combination of the following:
* Going to and photographing those same locations
* Finding hi-res images online of those locations
* Simply finding the original texture images used (generally speaking, some Chinese stock photo websites, and some random blogs where people uploaded their trip's photos)
Have you released any of your work?
Yes. Demo's of the Village area and Castle area of the game can be found on our site (re4hd.com)
How long will this project take?
Originally I estimated 1-2 years. Based on our progress, it seems 1 year is a reasonable estimate. However it's difficult to really gauge.
Can I join the project?
While anyone is welcome to let us know about any resources that may be helpful, we're not looking to add any official collaborators at this time.
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June 2018' UPDATE:
A new release is due for July 13th with everything you see listed below.
Note: This does not mean the project is complete – there are several things that remain, like enemies, NPCs, playable characters, etc.
- Village Pack– UPDATED
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- Castle Pack– UPDATED
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- Island Pack– NEW
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- Separate Ways Pack– NEW
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- Assignement Ada Pack– NEW
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- The Mercenaries Pack– NEW
- All textures, 3D edits, lighting and effects improvements to date
- Subscreen and Menus and Weapons Pack– NEW
- Re-created menus and subscreen background images
- Improved inventory item models and textures
- Weapons Pack– NEW
- In-game weapon 3D models and textures based on the higher quality "examine view" version
NOTE: Weapon textures will receive a complete makeover in the final release
- In-game weapon 3D models and textures based on the higher quality "examine view" version
- Items Pack– NEW
- In-game item 3D models and textures based on the higher quality "examine view" version
NOTE: Some item textures will receive a complete makeover in the final release
- In-game item 3D models and textures based on the higher quality "examine view" version
- Cut-scene Pack– NEW
- Fixed and restored effects from the Gamecube/Wii version that got lost during the HD porting process
- Improved cutscene-exclusive textures and 3D models
- Low-polygon Ganados have been replaced with the higher-polygon version
- Some lighting adjustments here and there
- Some effect adjustments here and there
- Miscellaneous
- Enemy torches and crossbow arrows cast real time light
- Improved barrel and tank explosions
- Fixed some minor sound bugs
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