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Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront >  Workshop > FNSOIDATHQ's Workshop > Shader Modding Support Launcher > Discussions
Shader Modding Support Launcher
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FNSOIDATHQ  [developer] 14 Aug @ 3:19am
User Guide
This Discussion is a complete guide to shader modding support launcher.
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FNSOIDATHQ  [developer] 14 Aug @ 7:44pm 
The mod folder contains an exe file, which is the launcher itself. Other files (under normal circumstances) have no effect.
Note: You will need the .Net 9 runtime to use this program. If you do not have it installed, the launcher will automatically prompt you to install it.

The program can be run from any location on your PC and does not require administrator privileges.
If your antivirus software flags the program, it is usually because of the following reasons:
  • The program reads and writes the game’s settings folder
  • The program reads the Steam directory location from the system registry
  • The program self-extracts the shader.pak file with or without shader cache included
These behaviors may cause antivirus software to mistakenly treat the program as malicious.
If you still have doubts, you can refer to the “Open Source” section to check the source code yourself.

2.1 Launcher Tab
This tab is the main page of the program and provides the following 5 options:
Option
Meaning
Main Game
Launch the main game
Editor
Launch the editor
Auto Repair (Files Only)
Automatically repair potential shader corruption, affecting only shader-related files
Auto Repair (Safe Mode)
Automatically repair potential shader corruption, with additional game safe mode

An additional optional feature is to display extra mod information: this makes the in-game mod manager show each mod’s path and category (Workshop or local).

2.2 Launch Methods
Method
Meaning
Advantages
Disadvantages
File Replacement (DX11)
The program will automatically replace the shader.pak file and shader folder in the game root directory
Game runs in DX11 mode, supporting almost all rendering features
Changes file structure. If unexpected issues occur during gameplay (black screen, power outage, etc.), you may need to run Safe Mode to repair the game
DirectX 10.1 Mode
The program will launch the game in DX10.1 mode using GOH’s built-in startup parameter
Does not modify anything; everything remains native to the game
Some rendering features are unsupported. DX10.1 mode has shown poor compatibility with GOH on certain PCs

Whenever possible, it is generally recommended to use the File Replacement method. All of my shader mods were developed under this mode.

2.3 Mod Manager Tab
This tab is used for mod management and provides the following enhanced functions:
Function
Description
Auto-detect Shader Mods
The launcher automatically detects whether a mod contains shaders
Auto-refresh Mod List
The launcher automatically refreshes the mod list after each game session. However, Workshop subscription changes and local mod folder edits will not be detected
Drag to Reorder Active Mods
You can drag to reorder the loading order of active mods, and changes are written to file in real-time
Multi-select for Batch Load/Unload
You can select multiple mods (via box selection or Ctrl-click) and load or unload all selected mods at once
Collect Shader Cache and Store to Specific Mod
Collect compiled shader cache from the game, store it into a specific mod folder, and calculate its hash. The hash determines whether the current shader’s cache is already loaded. Collecting cache with this function is required for auto-loading shader cache
Load Shader Cache from Selected Mod
Load precompiled shader cache from a selected mod. If correct, this improves FPS during the game’s early hours
Open Selected Mod Folder
Quickly open the folder of a specified mod

2.4 Texture & Material Converter Tab
This tab is for batch processing of textures and materials, but currently only includes experimental features:
Function
Meaning
Batch Convert Materials (mtl)
--------------------
Enable Environment Map Support for All Non-PBR Materials (Experimental)
This function adds environment map sampling to all non-PBR materials under the specified path

2.5 Utilities Tab
This tab provides various quick actions:
Function
Meaning
Clear All Shader Cache and Records
Delete all compiled shader cache and remove shader file records and cached hashes stored by the launcher
Restore Default Shader Files
Restore the shader.pak in the game root directory to default. Used to manually recover files affected by the File Replacement method
Open Launcher Config File
Open the launcher configuration file
Open Shader Cache Folder
Open the shader cache folder

2.6 Settings Tab
This tab is used to modify some behaviors when launching and closing the game:
Behavior
Meaning
Default State
General Settings
--------------------
-
Game Path
By default, this should point to Call to Arms - Gates of Hell\binaries\x64. You can change it to redirect to any valid path
-
Game Config Path
By default, this points to the user’s Documents or AppData folder (depending on your system). You can change it to redirect to any valid path
-
Always Ask to Confirm Game Path
The program will always check and ask for confirmation of the game path at startup. If unchecked, the launcher will cache the location. You do not need to enable this manually after moving the game. If the cached location no longer contains the game exe, the program will automatically search again
X
Before Game Launch
--------------------
-
Auto-load Shader Cache (Experimental)
Automatically tries to load shader cache from the last active shader mod before launching the game. Designed to work with auto-refresh shader cache for intelligent loading. This option is experimental, so it is disabled by default
X
Refresh Shader Cache if Loaded Mods’ Shader Files Change
Automatically checks the hash of all currently loaded shader files. If any changes are found, the launcher deletes old cache files. This is necessary in all situations, especially when switching between shader mods or developing shaders
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After Game Ends
--------------------
-
Restore Default Shader Files
Tries to restore replaced files after closing a game launched via the File Replacement method. Not required, only provided to ensure game integrity. Should be disabled if you always use this launch method
X
Clear Shader Cache
Tries to delete shader cache generated during the game after it ends. Kept only for legacy purposes due to new features
X
Redisplay Launcher
Reopens the launcher after the game ends for convenient relaunching
√
Notify Shader Compilation Errors in Logs
Checks the log file of the last game session. If shader compilation errors are found, a popup notification is shown
√
Last edited by FNSOIDATHQ; 14 Aug @ 7:45pm
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