How to correct file sizes in rehashed loose files torrent

This article is written for Cyberpunk 2077 update using loose file torrent rehash method but may be applied to any torrent.

If you rehash game files using updated torrent, download missing chunks and successfully recheck files in torrent client you may still get the error Cyberpunk 2077 encountered an error caused by corrupted or missing archives

This happens if some files were updated and their size became smaller in newer version of the game but torrent client did not truncate the file to reflect new smaller size. Even if the game data file contains all needed data and torrent rechecks OK Cyberpunk exe will check the size and will exit with the above error! 

You must use torrentcheck utility to find such files and manually delete and redownload them OR correct their sizes (semi)automatically using batch file TRUNCATE_REHASHED_TORRENT.BAT below. 

Create multiple GTA IV instances for downgrade or modding

This article is for modding enthusiasts who want to save disk space while maintaining several copies of GTA IV. It can also be useful to create a single separate copy of game folder for downgrade.

Reducing space taken by GTA IV copy folder 1

General barebone_iv.bat usage. 1

Example usage scenarios. 1

How to make copy for 1.0.0.0 rollback. 1

How to make copy for 1.0.4.0 downgrade with old radio downgrader 1

How to make copy for classic 1.0.7.0 downgrade with official Rockstar Patch 7. 1

How to make copy for simplified 1.0.7.0 express downgrade with ZolikaPatch. 1

Overall space savings. 1

Remembering market wizard William J. O'Neil

Bill O'Neil died on Sunday, May 28, 2023 at the age of 90. RIP Billy'O (nickname given to him by NYSE specialists), humble man wearing a blue shirt and Mickey Mouse watch. He was an extraordinary investor. Here's what Gil Morales (his former portfolio manager) said about him: 

Well, the bottom line is that I would be nowhere in this business if not for the guy who taught me pretty much everything I know about trading stocks, Bill O’Neil. Bill is in my view the true “greatest investor who ever lived,” given that his CAGR over a very long period of time extending back into the late 1950’s is over 40%, and he has dealt with some very large asset sizes. O’Neil is a very humble man and a truly outstanding teacher, and the opportunity to work side-by-side with him for 8 years was a rare privilege for which I will always be grateful. 

Watch William O'Neil's full interview which was probably done in 2013 on IBD 30th anniversary.

August 2023 update: in the folder linked above added interview with Gil Morales talking about working with Bill O'Neil.

Portable GTA IV on PC

This method works for any older GFWL-based GTA IV  1.0.0.0 - 1.0.8.0. If you have later game version you should downgrade it first.

Portable GTA IV became possible due to XLivelessAddon settings and savegame folders redirection.

Red Dead Redemption 1 on PC using keyboard+mouse (Xenia, Ryujinx, Yuzu)

 

As of April 2021 Red Dead Redemption for Xbox 360 is playable on PC thanks to recent developments in Xenia emulator. Default Xenia controls are far from perfect so this guide helps to configure X360 gamepad emulation for PC RDR2-compatible keyboard and mouse controls. Physical gamepad is not required for playing!

As of August 2023 Red Dead Redemption for Nintendo Switch is available and is playable on PC using Switch emulators. This guide can be used to play that version too.

ENB with DXVK for GTA IV

What GTA IV version to use for ENB

Version 1.0.4.0

·        Better performance, better look

·        CONS: on some GPUs/drivers may initialize graphics and load game very slowly, no FusionFix

Version 1.0.6.0+ or EFLC

·        Has more robust video initialization routine. May work better than 1.0.4.0 for some GPUs/drivers.

·        New shadows implementation, better look but GPU-demanding.

·        FusionFix v1.10 works

In general you may use any GTA IV version. The guide was successfully tested on:

·        GTA IV 2020 Complete Edition properly downgraded* to 1.0.4.0 and 1.0.7.0. *Vanilla 2020CE 1.2.0.X without downgrade may also be used but for AMD GPU make sure that enbseries.ini has ForceNVidiaCard=false or else ENB won't be able to initialize display.

·        GTA IV Razor1911 original release upgraded to 1.0.4.0 and 1.0.7.0

Antialiasing with DXVK and GTA IV

This antialiasing method is very simple and uses older Sweetfx that is based on injectSMAA. 

• SweetFX antialiasing works for fairly modern GPUs e.g. very good at rx580, OK at gt730. 
• It is not CPU hungry and works without significant fps degradation even on 2-core Athlon X2. 

Latest Reshade may also be used for Vulkan antialiasing but it is harder to install/configure and at the moment it works only in global mode e.g. it will affect all games that output through Vulkan.