/// --- SHADOWS FOR DAYS --- ///

Version 1.0.1

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Find me here:

pictureamoebae @ tumblr https://pictureamoebae.tumblr.com/

amoebae @ twitter https://twitter.com/pictureamoebae
amoebae @ patreon https://www.patreon.com/amoebae
amoebae's TS4 screenshots @ flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amoebae/albums/72157646049662709
amoebae's amoebas discord server https://discord.gg/dANKBRauYu

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The Sims 4 has an annoying 'feature' (read: glitch) where when using the tab mode
camera and tilting it up distant shadows disappear quite abruptly. This makes the
world look flat and lifeless, and has ruined countless otherwise beautiful
screenshots for us all!

After lots of head-scratching, a frustrated (and unanswered) post on EA Answers HQ,

and lots of theorising, I gave up ever finding a solution.

Until I stopped giving up and suddenly found a solution! And not only does it stop
the shadows from disappearing, it also pushes them back into the distance so almost
every tree and building and object that can have a shadow does have a shadow!

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If it sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Unfortunately, fixing the
shadows in this way introduces another glitch, but it's one that I think is far
more acceptable than not having shadows.

The glitch: every so often, when you tilt the tab mode camera at just the right
angle, for a degree or two, some bits of terrain bug out. They turn low-poly and
revert to the lowest texture, becoming pixelated and flat and smooth, and sometimes
a black square appears. But this is momentary, and only happens at exactly that
precise angle. As soon as you nudge the camera up or down it goes back to normal
again.

I know that might concern some people, so it's entirely understandable if for that
reason you want to avoid this. The good news is you can test it out for yourself,
and change the settings right back again to their default if you don't like it. No
harm done.

If you don't like what the edited settings do, just put your old VideoCamera.ini
file back in, or edit the settings yourself back to default (see below).

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Included in this download is a replacement for the VideoCamera.ini file that you
can find in your res folder inside your TS4 Bin folder.

All I've changed are the settings that push the in-game shadows further back, and
stop them from disappearing when tilting the tab mode camera up.

Some of you might use camera mods that already edit this file. If so, you can edit
the file yourself so you don't lose any of the other settings you've changed. There
are only 2 settings you need to change. It's very simple, and you can do it while
the game is running and see the change instantly!

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IMPORTANT:

I recommend using the GraphicsRules.sgr overhaul by Simp4Sims

(https://www.patreon.com/posts/simp4sims-01-51380490) alongside this mod. Not only
will it make your game look beautiful and run more smoothly, but it eliminates a
problem with Sims disappearing when the camera is close to them that Shadows for
Days introduces.

If you don't want to use Simp4Sims' file, I've included my own version of the
GraphicsRules.sgr file that is identical to the one you already have in your game,
but with the clipping distances edited to fix this problem.

You place the GraphicsRules.sgr file inside your ConfigOverride folder, which is in
the same place as your Mods folder. Placing it here means the default file isn't
edited or changed, so if you don't want to use the edits anymore you can simply
remove it from the ConfigOverride folder and the Maxis version will kick in again.

If you already edit your GraphicsRules.sgr file yourself and don't want to lose
those edits, below are the changes you need to make yourself to eliminate the
issue:

Under 'option ViewDistance' edit the following line:

prop $ConfigGroup ClipPlaneDistances "0.1, 5, 1000, 1500"

so it instead reads:

prop $ConfigGroup ClipPlaneDistances "0.1, 0.42, 99999, 99999"

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INSTALLATION:

1) Go to your TS4 Bin folder (The Sims 4 > Game > Bin) and find the res folder

2) Inside the res folder, make a backup of your VideoCamera.ini file. If you want
to remove my file, you'll be glad of this backup.

3) Paste the VideoCamera.ini file from my download into your res folder, saying yes
when it asks to replace your current one (making sure you've made a backup
elsewhere first, as in step 2)

Optional:

4) If not using Simp4Sims' GraphicsRules.sgr file, take the GraphicsRules.sgr file

from my download and paste it into your ConfigOverride folder, which is in the same
place as your Mods folder.

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UNINSTALLATION:

1) Get the backup of your default VideoCamera.ini file that you made in step 2
above and paste it into your res folder, saying yes when it asks to replace your
current one

Optional:

2) If using my GraphicsRules.sgr file, remove it from the ConfigOverride folder.

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NOTE:

When the game updates with a new patch, the VideoCamera.ini is refreshed and you
will lose any changes made. So always keep a backup and remember to go through the
installation process again after each patch. Unfortunately you can't place the
camera ini files in the ConfigOverride folder.

The GraphicsRules.sgr file will also be updated with a game patch, but because
you've placed it in your ConfigOverride folder the edits will be preseved and still
work. Sometimes, however, there are updates to the GraphicsRules.sgr file in a game
patch: if that happens I'll update my file so it's always up to date.

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To edit the shadows file yourself:

1) Open VideoCamera.ini in a text editor (I use Notepad++)

2) Find the section that looks like this:

[View]
FOV = 45.0
TargetPointDist = 2.0
TargetPointLimit = 150.0

3) Edit that section so it looks like this:

[View]
FOV = 45.0
TargetPointDist = -20.0
TargetPointLimit = 99999.0

4) Save

That's it!

So, what do these settings do?

TargetPointLimit = 99999.0 does most of the work. This pushes the shadows right
back, and stops them from disappearing when you tilt the tab mode camera up most of
the time.

TargetPointDist = -20.0 stops those very few instances where the camera is
down low near the ground when shadows would still disappear when tilting the camera
up.

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Find me here:

pictureamoebae @ tumblr https://pictureamoebae.tumblr.com/

amoebae @ twitter https://twitter.com/pictureamoebae
amoebae @ patreon https://www.patreon.com/amoebae
amoebae's TS4 screenshots @ flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amoebae/albums/72157646049662709
amoebae's amoebas discord server https://discord.gg/dANKBRauYu

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/// --- SHADOWS FOR DAYS --- ///