This is the result of the DLSS 5 FFXI project I spent some time working — forcing a game from 2002 to use DLSS and do it right without changing the entire aesthetic of the game.
I'm getting around 27–29 FPS at 1440p on my RTX 4060, which is pretty close to FFXI's original 30 FPS cap (My card can't handle higher with the settings I want, and I prefer the 30fps anyway). I have helped people with stronger GPUs get it working on a much higher frame rate.
Used dgVoodoo2 to get the game up to DirectX 11 then Reshade and VORT to handle how the program handles motion and depth. Unfortunately FFXI is an ancient originally DirectX 8 game on 32 bits. I integrated DLSS5-Feeder, which passes the game's frames to a separate 64-bit process. My modified version of OptiScaler then applies DLAA and the neural rendering effects before sending the finished frames back. That fixed the problem of FFXI being a 32-bit game, while the modern NVIDIA runtime requires 64-bit.
yes i had heavy AI assistance with writing the code, sue me. I still figured out what I wanted, tested it profusely, found what was breaking, grinded it out until I was satisfied and updated it constantly with new feedback from others who wished to use it
Had to fix some issues with ghosting, camera movement, lighting, and the UI along the way, but it's working pretty well now.
I'd share some actual live gameplay since I saw people asking if it were possible and some people saying no.
Here's another video with more footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ShyY1kVwbM
If you are interested in trying it for yourself:
https://github.com/OpMoonRise2/FFXI-DLSS5-Clarity
Credit to the people behind dgVoodoo2, ReShade, VORT, OptiScaler, DLSS5-Feeder, RenoDX, and Shader Toggler. I built on their work to get this running on FFXI
My game is heavily modified with audio mods that I made. One adds voice acting for enemies. the other is 450+ tracks covering every zone throughout the game up to CoP dynamic music similar to a FFXIV-style soundtrack, so it's going to sound different yet similar as if it were orchestrated today, field theme leitmotifs in dungeons etc. So it's not the stock music; it's mine.
https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy11/mods/32
https://www.nexusmods.com/finalfantasy11/mods/34
EDIT: Just want to make something clear since some of the comments are getting a little heated. Seriously, chill the fuck out.
FFXI is a game for everybody. We all have different tastes, preferences, and ideas about how we want to experience it. Some people love the original graphics and atmosphere, and that's perfectly fine! Others enjoy experimenting with modern technology and seeing how far we can push a game that's over 20 years old.
That's the beauty of modding. It's optional. Criticism is perfectly welcome, and I genuinely appreciate constructive feedback. But some of the outright hostile and insulting comments I've received are completely unnecessary. There's a difference between disagreeing with someone's creative choices and attacking them for making something you personally don't enjoy. That's a pretty basic distinction I would hope we've all learned by now.
I do appreciate the support and the people who are open to seeing someone try something different with a game we all care about. At the end of the day, we’re all here because we love FFXI. There’s room both for preserving the original experience and for trying something new. :)
I also want to thank everyone who's shown support, offered feedback, or simply enjoyed seeing something different. It genuinely means a lot. :)
And I'm not done yet. Expect to see a lot more in the future. I will post a lot more of this for those who enjoy it. Have fun! :)