HD Mod optimal graphics settings

[u/Magyarharcos]

What graphics settings are you using? I used to be a staunch bilinear 2x sharper kinda person but after seeing an old thread saying smoothsal2x and linear sharper looked great, i kinda have to agree. It looks like bilinear2xsharper without the blur.

So, im going to say for preserving the game's art style while still playing in a stretchable window, SmoothSal2x with LinearSharper is the best.

I toyed around with the settings with a few hours and i'll copy paste the text i wrote about it and the images i took. I dont know if true in the text means direct draw in the launcher. They changed the name some years ago i havent figured that out yet.For reference, i have a 1440p monitor and i play in full screen

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My txt file about this:

original (16-bit) - original color mode with no changes.

16-bit (auto switch) - HoMM3 HD automatically changes desktop color mode to 16-bit when you launch the game, and switches it back at closing (incl. abnormal) which allows you to play in window mode without switching screen color mode manually.

32-bit GDI - HoMM3 runs in 32-bit color mode using GDI (component of Windows) conversion from 16-bit to 32-bit (that decreases graphics perfomance on very slow computers). So you can play in window without switching screen color mode.

32-bit (stretchable) - HoMM3 runs in 32-bit color mode, using fast MMX conversion from 16-bit to 32-bit. Also 32-bit (stretchable) mode allows to resize game window and allows to play full screen with any non-standard resolutions. To resize game screen HoMM3 HD uses one of selected filters: bilinear, bilinear sharper, bilinear sharper x2, bilinear sharper x3. Without stretching, 32-bit (stretchable) mode works faster than 32-bit GDI; however, if the window is stretched, 32-bit (stretcahble) works slower than 32-bit GDI.

32-bit True - HoMM3 runs in 32-bit color mode directly without any conversions. 32-bit True is the fastest 32-bit color mode, as fast as original 16-bit.

32-bit True (stretchable) GDI – Recommended - The game runs in 32-bit mode directly with no conversions from 16-bit into 32-bit. As in 32-bit (stretchable), you can change the game screen by changing window size, and play in full-screen mode with any non-standard resolution with different scale filtres. The image is also GDI (Windows component) adapted. Combination of all the best components from all the above mentioned modes makes 32-bit True (stretchable) GDI the most stable and comfortable to play.

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16bit opengl and 32bit opengl enable smooth animations for travel in the world. Not in combat, for some reason.

SmoothSal is passable. Still looks filtered and blurry, not sharp. I dont like it

xBRZ is ugly ai filtering. Looks like HD edition. Blech.

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OpenGL None None Pixelated. Probably as close to vanilla as you can get with stretchability and stuff.

OpenGL None Linear is extremely blurry. No.

OpenGL None Hermite is very very comparable to GDIBilinear2xSharper, teensy weensy bit sharper, extremely minor difference, cannot be seen without specifically looking at comparisons. I still prefer bilinear 2x.

OpenGL None Cubic is somewhat blurry. I dont like it

OpenGL None Lanczos is teensy weensy bit sharper than GDIBilinear2xSharper. Difference without looking at a direct comparison is imperceptible. Even with a comparison is very hard to notice.

OpenGL None LinearSharper Oversharpened by a lot. Not a fan

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OpenGL SmoothSalx2 LinearSharper is probably best IMHO. Looks like bilinear 2x sharper withour the blur

My choice of res is 1520x855 because its actually 16:9 meaning there wont be rounding errors in the upscaling algorithm

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Images i took: https://imgur.com/a/OGYCiZx

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[u/Tortoveno]

Yes.

[u/rtx777]

The filter I use is Bilinear Sharpen, which is distinct from Bilinear Sharper. It is, in my opinion, by far the best option available for 32-bit GDI. The resolution I use is 1062x644 on my laptop, which has a 16:10 screen.

I also consider the Hermite filter to be usable with OpenGL without scaling, and Linear Sharper with SmoothSal. xBRZ looks like arse on wheels, in my personal and highly subjective opinion.

Linear Sharper for OpenGL is the strongest sharpener Heroes 3 HD has under its command, but I think it's too sharp for use without scaling, to the point of messing with contrast (this is most visible in the leather-like UI background).

[u/Magyarharcos → u/rtx777]

It is spelled sharper on the launcher though.

Also, i hate to break it to you, but when you're setting the resolution of the game, so 1062x644 in your case, thats the resolution the game's running at. If you dont have a 1062x644 display on your laptop and you're playing in full screen, then there is scaling.

'stretchable' means it will upscale the game for fullscreen. If the game res is lower than your display's res and you're playing in full screen, it is upscaling it for you.

Yeah, i agree that linear sharper without filtering is oversharpened. Not a fan of that myself either, it messes with the contrast. But with SmoothSal it surprisingly doesnt look oversharpened.

[u/rtx777 → u/Magyarharcos]

Bilinear Sharper and Bilinear Sharpen are two different scaling filters in Heroes 3 HD, at least for the 32-bit GDI mode.

You are, of course, right about scaling and resolution; I said "scaling" when I meant "stretch filter" (or, rather, the first of the two drop-downs labelled "stretch filter" for OpenGL modes).

Edit: okay, it's called "Bilinear + Sharpen", not "Bilinear Sharpen"; I misremembered.

[u/Magyarharcos → u/rtx777]

Nope, you're correct. Its Bilinear sharpen
Edit: Wait, what, there's both a bilinear + sharpen and a bilinear sharper?

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Why, what even is the difference

[u/ziom1243]

Just wanted to add that you can change filters on the fly with ctr num+ and num-. Idk if you know it already

[u/Magyarharcos → u/ziom1243]

I actually did find out about this a couple days before i posted this but its rather useless since it doesnt tell you which one you're using right now

[u/kiba33x]

Do anyone know how to change brightness? I want the game to be a little more bright.
There is gamma option in the launcher but I don't know how to use it.
<OpenGL.Colors.RgbGamma>

[u/dogswithhands]

Wanted to add a few thoughts, am also playing on a 1440p monitor.

Source size: i messed around with a bunch of settings, I found for my 27" monitor 1680x945 felt like the best balance between being zoomed out enough that things don't look too blown out while still keeping the interface big enough that it's useable. I also made sure to keep it 16:9 when trying different source resolutions. I think the ideal source resolution is going to be a little different for everyone based off their monitor size and personal preference.

Stretch filter: Absolutely agree smoothsal is the best here, the brz filters really dilute the art style and make it look like shoddy ai upscaling. Even no filtering is better than brz imo. Smoothsal isn't quite as 'smooth' as the BRZ ones but it makes the world map in particular easier to look at while still feeling like the original art.

Sharpening: It seems like the sharpening options are roughly ordered from least to most sharp. For me Lanczos is the best option here no contest. I'm not sure if it's just my eyes or my monitor but this filter compared to others puts my eyes at ease to a level the others don't. Like night and day. I think this is another one that is down to user preference and also might vary by the monitor. i think one of the bottom three options are the most likely to look best (cubic/lanczos/linearsharper).

Wanted to also add that i messed around with 16-bit stretchable openGL as well but ended up sticking with 32. The 16-bit actually feels snappier/more responsive for whatever reason, while still looking identical in screenshots. But I got some weird intermittent freezes in gameplay and audio while using it, so I ended up going back to 32.

[u/Magyarharcos → u/dogswithhands]

This is good information, thank you.

I just would like to add that the latest HD mod version fixed an issue with the graphic options, which makes a portion of this guide outdated, and i dont have the means to re-do the tests with the same settings anymore.

"[-] Fixed: The Linear Sharper filter did not work in OpenGL by Verok graphics modes when the OpenGL 2 renderer was selected"

I gave it a quick look, and lanczos absolutely keeps the art style of the game really well, and while i prefer linear sharper, this is absolutely up for interpretation. The difference between them is very minor, that you'd only notice it when specifically looking for it. Probably because its just a tiny bit less sharp than linear sharper, probably why it eases your eyes.

Interesting. I admittedly havent actually played with the 16 bit stretchable opengl, i just took the photo and ran, really, but good to know that you mentioned it.

[u/dogswithhands → u/Magyarharcos]

Actually just gave 16 bit another go in compatibility mode and it seems to have fixed the stuttering issue. I'm not sure why it feels better, it might be a fps thing or it could just be that it runs smoother in 16 bit mode. It's perfectly fine in 32 but something about 16 makes the responsiveness feel more like playing it back in day to me.

[u/Magyarharcos → u/dogswithhands]

Interesting. It felt the same to me, but i also didnt spent much time trying it

Maybe they silently changed something to make it better?