Any plans for a 1.x update to implement DLSS / FSR support?

BStarG2

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Hi.

So, I'm aware of some unsupported / third-party methods for using DLSS / AMD FSR for the current version of VAM. I've had mostly failed attempts, one worked... but produced such bad image quality that just running the game at 480p might have looked better still. But, beyond the subject of third-party / alternative ways to improve performance in VAM 1.x, I wanted to know if - ultimately - the VAM development team is ever planning for perhaps a 'final' 1.x Update, which (in the idea of this thread, would be the point of it) would finally implement in-game (in-VAM) official support for NVIDIA's DLSS and/or AMD's FSR.

There is a "main" reason for this, and it is in fact because of the inevitable, eventual 'transition' period that will occur whenever VAM 2.0 is released. So, let me explain...

When VAM 2.0 will be released, most (if not all?) VAM 1.x mods will _not_ be compatible. Most authors will have to re-do or 'port' their 1.x works into VAM 2.0. I do assume that some authors will do just that, sure. But... obviously, not all will; for various reasons (personal life things, lack of spare time, lack of willpower, no plans to do so, or plain and simple being content enough with VAM 1.x and will stay there for years to come).

So there will be a period of time during which VAM 2.0, despite being technologically-advanced and having all those neat new features and running faster and all that going for it... will still have to " Catch Up " on years worth of VAM 1.x Community Mods. Be it custom characters, clothing, Unity Assets, and all sorts of Plugins, etc. Doing all of that again, will take time. A long time (my estimation is probably along the lines of two years following VAM 2.0's initial release, until it contains a good chunk of all types of mods and VAM 1.x ports done).

Now, DURING that whole transition period, a lot of people will keep "mainly" using VAM 1.x, and perhaps on the 'side' will try out VAM 2.0 from time to time whenever finally some new mod comes out and will slowly - gradually, build up their VAM 2.0 library of content. But as we keep using VAM 1.x "in the meantime" wouldn't it be a good idea perhaps to bring it up a notch or two with a new update?

If we could at least have official DLSS / FSR support for VAM 1.x, then I'm sure it'd make it much more sustainable to keep using for the next year+ or two. Especially as this neat little simulation / VR game that it is grows and grows in popularity BUT... the computers that people have (or keep, since years) are not exactly the one aspect that grows and grows in power. With the current INSANE prices for decent modern computers I wouldn't be surprised if more and more people jump in the VAM bandwagon only to realize that whatever they do can indeed only do so much after doing what the all possible 'optimizations' guides they came across here and on Google told them to do.

Lest you just basically disable every possible Physics-related features, keep a single character in a Scene, have zero backgrounds, 1 Light source and no animation going (well, ok, might be exaggerating a bit but the point is indeed... there's only so much you CAN do past a certain point it's either you need to cut out features for yourself and pay that price, OR hope that maybe one day version 1.x will actually get better, somehow).

That, or 'brute force' it with tons of money, buy the latest greatest hardware there is and gain your precious extra 20 to 50+ fps at the probable cost of thousands of dollars. So... that's why I'm just wondering (but hoping) that if anything, one last update for VAM 1.x could actually be done, to bring DLSS and FSR support for it. It would help greatly.

Yay? Nay? Not actually possible? Maybe?

Just crossing my fingers.
 
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In case you are still wondering... The VAM 2.x beta has DLSS support included, even though it decreases performance right now. But I am sure this will be fixed by launch
 
FSR 1.0 and DLSS 1.x where really not that good to say it politely.

For FSR 2.0 Direct X 12 source code is public on Github.
VAM 1.x is Direct X 11.
For FSR 2.0 Direct X 11 AMD decided to keep the source code behind closed doors:
AMD no FSR2.0 4 u.png

To even have a chance to properly(!) mod / implement FSR 2.0 into VAM 1.x we'd need access that.
Typical big tech company reasoning - not enough resources? at AMD?! Really? - just release it without support then! *sigh*
But I guess we should be thankful these days that FSR is not another black box like DLSS.

Are there any DX 11 to DX 12 wrappers that could work around this version issue? (highly doubt that, not sure if even possible due to API differences)

Discord VAM 2_x channel:
meshedvr10/29/2022 5:25 PM
The 2.X development build I'm working on has FSR as backup if DLSS is not available. There may be a way for me to have option for it in preferences.

meshedvr09/22/2022 9:57 PM
FSR 1.0 is working in 2.X now. I just tested it a few days back. Unity doesn't have FSR 2.0 integrated yet.
... Currently 2.X will support DLSS2 and FSR1 and will be updated as soon as Unity ups the versions.

With the newer Unity versions DLSS/FSR is already in the engine. I guess it only must added to VAMs code then. MUCH easier.
Only a matter of time until FSR 2.0 is added to Unity too.

For VAM 1.X I guess there will never be good AI upscaling ... and I hope(!) some hackerman proofs me wrong.
 
Vam 1 is using Unity version 2018.1.9. That does not support DLSS.

Updating to a more current Unity version would be a shit-ton of work, and would break every existing Vam scene. Which is why it hasn't happened.

Meshed decided that to bring Vam into the modern age, it would make more sense to start again from scratch , and create Vam2, rather than keep patching a program based on technology that was state-of-the-art in 2014, when work on Vam began.
 
Hey thanks for the replies to this guys, appreciated.

But indeed it confirms my fears - that it basically cannot really happen for all the reasons mentioned (and that work on VAM 2.x instead is the priority, which is understandable). I do find it unfortunate nonetheless that VAM 1.x will remain this generally-speaking highly demanding / very 'taxing' software on pretty much any systems money can buy at the moment. But that's life isn't it, can't have everything.

The only way to really improve performance without losing too much on quality then will indeed be to 'brute force' it via insanely priced high end hardware upgrades. Luckily enough we do have a new generation of GPUs out now from both companies, and AMD's next 3D vCache CPUs are on their way in about 2 months from now (after their upcoming reveal at CES 2023). But, indeed, only a niche user base will be able to actually afford such systems. In the meantime all that can be done is to use some Plugins (such as GiveMeFPS, to name one) and play at 1080p instead of higher resolutions (or reduce the in-VAM renderer quality).

In reality however, with all this said, what I truly hope to see is a FAST transition between VAM 1.x to 2.x, especially coming from the modders themselves. I know some Patreon creators doing work here (as I am a Patron myself for a number of them) and I do know of at least one who is already planning to do VAM 2.x ports of his VAM 1.x works. However, even if he's willing to do it (from the start) it will still take a long time as most of it will be done based only on Commissions (since it's a lot of work anyway, which I guess is the point here; saying that overall the transition period for 1.X to 2.X will take at least a full year if not easily beyond that to be 'worthy' of doing 2.X justice based on the total amount of available mods for it, because it will be pretty dry in the first few months after release).

I only hope all the best for VAM 2.x really. But yeah... in the meantime, until 2.x truly kicks in full speed all we have is 1.x with its - quite frankly - crazy taxing-on-anything status.
 
if you want to see it on desktop:

if you have nVidia, copy your vam.exe to sottr.exe and mklink a softlink to sottr_data to vam_data

mklink /j /d sottr_data v:\vam\vam_data

<< where v:\vam is your vam directory

then use the nvidia tools (ALT-F3) once you launch the game from the sottr.exe executable. You'll get some DLSS capabilities added. Add the SSRTGI filter, and flip the Y axis in the settings.
 
Is this method any different than just renaming VaM.exe to SOTTR.exe, and renaming VaM_Data to SOTTR_Data?

I've done that before, and I did get the RTGI stuff, but unfortunately past certain values of intensity (of the RTGI effects) there's an 'outline' around the characters in scenes that cannot be removed. Using ReShade RTGI, instead, was better (and more adjustable than the GeForce's RTGI implementation). There's no such outline effect with the ReShade version.

However, I've not seen any DLSS options when I tried the SOTTR.exe stuff (the renaming method).
 
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the outline is from the screen size, what you need to do is alt enter the window so it's not full screen, drag it down to so you can pull the top corner to the largest it will go w/o going full screen, then alt enter it again. Then gracefully exit and relaunch. Also the latest NVidia drivers seem to work better with that problem as well. Sorry, i thought that was dlss, so no it's not different then that. But it does look incredible. my bad.. I just relookedup dlss, and now i'm curious if it's possible as well. I was stuck for a while running not full screen to get it to work. If there is a gap between VAM and the borders of your screen, you need to work it so there is no border... was frustrating till figured it out, i have no edges anymore
 
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