Asylum Reborn - HD Texture Pack

This guide aims to show fans and newcomers of the game how to get the very best experience with Arkham Asylum.

• Navigate with the sections list on the right. All downloads are kept in the Downloads section.
  
• This guide is focused on the Steam version of the game, but all mods work with the EGS version.
  
• Locate the game's File Explorer location on your system. Steam users can do this by right-clicking the game in the Steam library: Select 'Properties' > 'Local Files' > 'Browse...'
  The game's directory will be revealed in File Explorer.

Upcoming Arkham Knight Gameplay Overhaul

Explosive Wall surface

Recreated clothing materials from scratch

Batman faithfully redrawn from scratch

Improved texture filtering

HBAO+ support for Nvidia GPUs

High definition shadows

Updated skyline textures

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3352062379

If interested in the Joker or Prey In The Darkness DLC, install it before installing anything else. Make sure the DLC runs properly before proceeding with texture pack installation.

Steam users can navigate to the game's install directory by right-clicking the game on Steam, selecting Properties > Local Files > Browse.

• Open TFC Installer and navigate to the game folder.

• Select "Mod Folder" and open "HD Texture Pack 2.0".

• Update Batman Arkham Asylum.

• Install the Advanced Launcher and enable "Texture Pack Support" in the settings. Users selecting the "UltraHD" option should install "AsylumHD by FCH823" or equivalent Texture Pack that covers all Texture Groups before installing Asylum Reborn HD Texture Pack. This will enable support for full 4K environment textures.

• Run the game.

• Optional alternate texture options such as different cape styles for Batman. After installing the HD Texture Pack, select any desired alternate texture options using TFC Installer.

• Open TFC Installer and navigate to the game folder.

• Select Uninstall.

• Set Texture Pack Support in the Advanced Launcher to "Disabled".

Designed by Neato[next.nexusmods.com]. Adds more launch options.
- HD Texture Pack support, improved graphical adjustments, FoV hotkeys, increase FPS cap etc.

Refer to the Downloads section for Batman Arkham Asylum - Advanced Launcher - download BmLauncher.zip in the downloads link of the page.

Tooltips will appear when hovering the cursor over any settings.

Preset options are also available (Optimised, Ultra or Asylum Reborn) which will automatically handle the advanced graphics section.

New Launcher convenience

Many settings in the configuration files are absent in the original Launcher. The "Advanced BmLauncher" created by Neato[next.nexusmods.com] is purposed to be a simple executable which covers every major configuration edit in one interface: shadow adjustments, FoV hotkeys, etc. Additionally, it applies necessary changes for Texture Pack support and skipping intro movies.

Advanced users can choose the "manual mode" option if they want to re-edit configs.

Extract BmLauncher.zip - BmLauncher.exe & NLog.dll should appear.

Go to the game directory: Right click the game on Steam, and select Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files. This will open the game directory in File Explorer. Open the "Binaries" folder.

"BmLauncher.exe" is inside this folder - back it up if preferred. Transfer the downloaded files (BmLauncher.exe and NLog.dll) to this folder. Overwrite if prompted.

NLog.dll is used to help with troubleshooting any issues by creating a log document. - It's required for BmLauncher.exe to run.

The game can now be started directly from Steam, and will prompt the new launcher automatically.

Advanced BmLauncher - Source Code[github.com]
Advanced BmLauncher - Read Me[github.com]
Advanced BmLauncher - Report Issues[github.com]

The Advanced Launcher will automatically enable HUD & FoV toggling.

HUD - Heads Up Display
Disabling the HUD means the healthbar and other UI elements will disappear. Certain areas require HUD for progression - namely forensic scanning segments.

FoV - Field of View
The bigger the FoV value, the wider the in-game view is. Will reduce first person zoom amount as a side effect. Change to default FoV if needed.

The presets and sliders in the configuration section adds control over the colors and brightness of the game without affecting UI elements. This setting can be used for improved input before injecting HDR, and for capturing cinematic screenshots. Six presets are offered with image tooltips to convey how the setting looks in-game.

Extract and copy the contents to the game directory: \Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY\
Overwrite when requested.

Run the Joker DLC Patcher to enable support for the DLC.

Test the DLC is installed correctly before proceeding with Texture Pack installation.

Reshade[reshade.me] is a post-processing injector developed by Crosire for use in almost any game. It allows users to write and add custom post-processing shaders to adjust a game's visuals.

The Reshade presets designed for this game are very carefully tuned to improve visuals. No over the top contrast-y or reflection heavy presets.

Anti-Aliasing and Ambient Occlusion must be disabled in the launcher if using Reshade presets beyond "Light Mode". Different Anti-Aliasing solution is included with Reshade. Disabling Depth Of Field is suggested if using LUTs. HBAO+ can be used in conjunction with Reshade.

Launch the game. Reshade is now installed and ready. Initial load may be slow. Do not update Reshade version or edit Reshade depth settings as it may break the presets or shader support.

All comparisons are with DoF disabled, which removes the vanilla colour tints. Leave DoF enabled if preferred.

MultiLUT for colour grading:
The MultiLUT shader is used to rotate between multiple LUTs (Look Up Tables) - This is a colour reference chart used for professional colour grading. It's the definitive grading method in Reshade because it's light on performance. Adobe Premiere is the main software used when designing these LUTs.

The LUTs (from "Colour Correction" through to "Dark Knight Option 2") are all custom LUTs. More options are available below these LUTs, as they're MultiLUT's default options - they were not designed for Arkham Asylum and should be ignored.

Performance Mode needs to be unchecked at the bottom of the Reshade window when changing LUTs.

MultiLUT.fx Shader by Otis

Vanilla LUT

Colour Correction LUT

Cinematic Option 1 LUT

Cinematic Option 2 LUT

Cinematic Option 3 LUT

Black & White LUT

Dark Knight Option 1 LUT

Dark Knight Option 2 LUT

Vanilla LUT

Dark Knight Option 2 LUT

Scroll through the presets using "Page Up" and "Page Down". MultiLUT/Colour Grading changes will have to be made on a per preset basis.

Advantages:
Rain
More shadows Disadvantages:
Changes to art style
Limited to 1080p rendering (even on PS5 & Series X)
Still uses original 720p cutscenes in some cases to save budget
Some graphical bugs
Inconsistent frame rates

Advantages:
Much higher resolution
HBAO+
4k cutscenes
60fps and beyond
Physx
Updated textures sometimes higher in resolution
Console Commands
Any controller or K+M

Disadvantages:
Low quality distant island objects
No rain

If you've installed the Reshade presets, you can toggle Reshade's AO shaders with the "End" key. If you're using Launcher Anti-Aliasing, then stick to HBAO+, as the game's AA solution can interfere with Reshade's depth based shaders.

Troubleshooting:

Dark Cutscenes with Reshade:

This is a side effect of the MXAO shader. You can reduce the impact by lowering the MXAO ambient occlusion intensity (in the Reshade window) - or you can use Nvidia HBAO+ and disable MXAO.

Advanced Launcher:

"Unhandled Exception: NVAPI_ACCESS_DENIED" when using BmLauncher, how do I fix this?

This may come from a faulty driver install or outdated drivers for Nvidia cards. Update your drivers to the latest version.

Donate to GPUnity's Paypal[www.paypal.com]

DaviDuck - Testing the Texture Pack and sharing screenshots of findings.
FCH823[next.nexusmods.com] - Responsible for UPK Explorer which is used for the current version of Asylum Reborn.

Evergreen[www.nexusmods.com] - General assistance with some textures. Config experimenting and shared Unreal Engine 3 knowledge.
F4lc0[www.nexusmods.com] - General testing and feedback. Handled communications between servers and other modders.
Hecusoldier - Updated some environment textures such as dirt, clouds and skyline textures. Did a long play test of the HD Texture Pack. Check out their Assassins Creed Series Texture Packs!
VeryThickBoy - General testing and feedback. Created the tutorial video.
Wjavascript:ValidateEditSubSectionForm()astelander[www.nexusmods.com] - Engine researching and experimenting. Heavy testing and documenting findings.
Wasteland Ghost[www.nexusmods.com] - Created texture tools and made it possible to install HD textures directly to the game files. Check out their many amazing mods!

Thanks to MrJAG for their many useful findings and community support.

Thanks to the Arkham modding community and thanks to everyone for waiting patiently for this update!