SHADOWS FOR DAYS - a visual mod: version 1.0.1

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.

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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! Instructions are in the download.

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IMPORTANT:

I recommend using the GraphicsRules.sgr overhaul by Simp4Sims (Alt Clipping version) 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. Please choose the Alt Clipping version, as it has been made specifically to work alongside Shadows For Days.

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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I've included full instructions in the download for installation, uninstallation, and for editing the files yourself. PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY!

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With thanks to everyone on my discord server who jumped in with both feet to check out these settings, and for everybody who came forward to test the GraphicsRules.sgr file for me <3

Pictures above taken with a bare-bones version of my Thatched ReShade preset, with no MXAO so all the shadows you see are in-game.

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Update 2021-08-22 - version 1.0.1: Updated with an optional GraphicsRules.sgr file to eliminate a problem with Sims disappearing when the camera is close. If you already use the GraphicsRules.sgr file by Simp4Sims you don't need my version.