Town of Silent HillIn the tenth and final update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project, such as enhanced environmental assets, restored flashlight reflections, improved water visuals, true 60 fps FMVs, a ton of general game improvements, and more.
Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition - THE FINAL UPDATE - Update Video #10Town of Silent Hill2024-08-30 | In the tenth and final update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project, such as enhanced environmental assets, restored flashlight reflections, improved water visuals, true 60 fps FMVs, a ton of general game improvements, and more.
CREDITS: http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/credit.htmSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition - PROJECT COMPLETION ANNOUNCEMENTTown of Silent Hill2024-09-04 | Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey with us!Coming Soon: Master Volume for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced EditionTown of Silent Hill2023-06-10 | A new "Master Volume" options slider will be releasing as part of the next update for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition.
No longer will you be limited to only adjusting the game's background music and sound effect levels, but will now have the ability to adjust the master volume to change the background music, sound effect levels, dialogue levels, and FMV volume unanimously.
This fix was an exhaustive effort created by team member mercury501, with support by Elisha Riedlinger. Learn more about these two wonderful people by visiting the following links:
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: twitter.com/WhereAllBeginsSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #9Town of Silent Hill2023-02-24 | In the ninth update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project, such as a proper 60 FPS mode, full mouse support, improved controller support, better language pack support, and more.
0:00 - Introduction 1:10 - Xidi (Improved Controller Support) 2:05 - Proper 60 FPS Mode 7:30 - Full Mouse Support 9:27 - Input Improvements 10:08 - Toggle Walk/Run 11:07 - Strafe Keys for Menu Navigation 11:21 - Command Window Mouse Fix 11:45 - 0-9 Weapon Bind Fix 12:45 - Restored Japanese Language 13:27 - Improved HD Font Support 13:51 - FMV Subtitle Render Order Fix 14:12 - Debug Overlay 14:48 - Info Overlay 15:45 - CRT Shader 17:00 - Quick Save Cosmetic Tweaks 18:12 - Setup & Config Tool Language Options 19:00 - Translation Pack Support 21:48 - Additional Update Features 23:37 - Closing RemarksComing Soon: Full Mouse Support for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced EditionTown of Silent Hill2022-11-06 | Full mouse support will be releasing with the next update for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition.
Benefits of this feature include: - Mouse movement to turn the character - Left Click to examine/interact - Right Click to ready your weapon - Right Click + Left Click to use your weapon - Mouse Wheel to cycle through weapons
This fix was a months-long, exhaustive effort created by Mercury501, with heavy playtesting support by Balthazor44 and MasterDarkseid. Learn more about Mercury501 by visiting their GitHub and Twitter pages:
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: twitter.com/WhereAllBeginsWe need your help to fix 60 fps issues! - Silent Hill 2: Enhanced EditionTown of Silent Hill2022-08-22 | In this call-to-action video we are asking for help in fixing high framerate (60 fps) bugs with Silent Hill 2 PC. Would you like to join the team as the lead role for this effort? Know someone who might be interested? Please reach out to us in the GitHub project link below! And thank you so much.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: twitter.com/WhereAllBeginsSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #8Town of Silent Hill2022-07-01 | In the eighth update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project, such as the introduction of an installer and launcher, a built-from-scratch custom streaming audio engine, and more.
0:00 - Introduction 0:45 - Setup Tool (Installer) 3:12 - Configuration Tool (Launcher) 4:28 - Custom Streaming Audio Engine 8:11 - FMV Enhancement Pack Update 10:02 - FMV Scaling 10:28 - Contain FMV Noise 10:50 - Game Result Load Fix 11:24 - Correct BGM on Menu Pull-ups 12:25 - Specific Sound Looping Fix 14:16 - Visual Fading Fixes 15:24 - Cutscene Camera Adjustments 16:32 - Upscaled Image Refinements 16:59 - Save Screen Adjustments 17:58 - Restore Alternate Stomp 18:59 - Change Closet Spawn 19:58 - Additional Update Features 20:36 - Closing RemarksSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Project Status UpdateTown of Silent Hill2022-02-01 | In this project update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we discuss a few of the bigger, more exciting things we have planned for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition in the future: .
The videos were obtained by extracting the file system data of a retail Silent Hill 2 PlayStation 2 disc, as this source is the best known quality available for these videos. The PS2 video files are saved in a .pss container. To work with these files, they were losslessly demuxed to their original .m2v containers, deinterlaced (through a "blend" deinterlacer), then losslessy converted to a PNG image sequence for upscale work.
For upscale work, the videos were level corrected from 16-235 ("TV levels") to 0-255 (full range levels) and had their aspect ratios corrected. The PS2 video files are saved at an incorrect aspect ratio of 512x384 (4:3) and, when called by the game, are scaled/stretched to a 64:41 aspect ratio (at what I assume to be 640x410).
Upon level and aspect ratio correction, the files were upscaled ~320% to a resolution of 1920x1230 (64:41). The upscaling software used was Topaz Labs' Video Enhance AI using the Proteus AI model.
You may notice that the overall detail/clarity of the Story FMVs is lower than what is seen in the Opening FMV using the same upscale method (youtube.com/watch?v=8YqHqwI-IyQ). This is due to the Opening FMV being taken from "The Art of Silent Hill" DVD at 720x480 interlaced, whereas the Story FMVs are taken from a PlayStation 2 disc at 512x384 interlaced. There does not exist a complete collection of the Story FMVs from another source that is natively higher in quality or in progressive, unfortunately.
Simply put, the native Story FMVs are small. With less pixel information/density in the Story FMVs, the upscaler has less information to work from, therefor it produces less detailed results.
The intent of this upscale project was to conservatively restore some levels of detail and clarity to the videos without overly sharpening them which would result in edge haloing; a "stereotypical" byproduct of many upscaling efforts. Because of this, even after being upscaled, the videos are still relatively "soft" in appearance, which is okay as the original videos are inherently "soft" by their very nature.
As to be expected, though, some FMVs lend themselves better to upscaling efforts than others. It all depends on how much detail was there to begin with for the upscaler to work from. For example: 'saikai' (Maria and James in the Hospital's basement) produced overall satisfactory upscale results, whereas 'rouya' (Maria behind the prison bars) have some areas that are less desirable.
But I consider this upscaling project an overall success as the Proteus AI model was able to restore varying levels of detail and clarity in areas throughout the videos that weren't readily seen in the native files, without going "overboard" through typical aggressive upscaling efforts.
These video files will be included in a future update to the FMV Enhancement Pack for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, which is a project aimed to improve the experience of Silent Hill 2 PC.
The PlayStation 2 version of Silent Hill 2 disables the in-game noise filter whenever FMVs play. To compensate for this, the FMVs have a baked-in noise effect. (This also means that if you play the PS2 version with the noise filter disabled you'll still see noise in the FMVs.)
The PC version of Silent Hill 2 renders the in-game noise filter on top of FMVs, however. As such, the baked-in noise for the FMVs was removed during the upscale process to allow the in-game noise filter to render on top of the videos without competing against any embedded noise. Another benefit of removing the embedded noise is that the size/speed/pattern of the noise grain will stay consistent between gameplay and FMVs, since the PC version overlays the in-game noise filter on top of FMVs.
The working files for this video were kept in lossless quality up until having to render the video in a WebM codec for upload to YouTube. YouTube then adds its own layer of compression (or "bitcrush"). Over time, if enough people view this video that YouTube deems it "popular," YouTube will change the codec and bitrate this video is using to one that produces slightly better results.Silent Hill 2 - Opening FMV (Upscaled via Proteus AI Model)Town of Silent Hill2021-09-29 | The opening FMV for Silent Hill 2 was obtained by extracting the video data from "The Art of Silent Hill" DVD, as this source is the best known quality available for this video. From this DVD, the video is saved as 480i (720x480 interlaced). Within the canvas of 720x480, the video's aspect ratio is 16:9, centered within letterboxing.
The video was deinterlaced (through a "blend" deinterlacer) then losslessy converted to a PNG image sequence for upscale work. For upscale work, the letterboxing around the video was removed and then upscaled ~267% to a resolution of 1920x1080 (16:9). The upscaling software used was Topaz Labs' Video Enhance AI using the Proteus AI model.
The intent of this upscale project was to conservatively restore some levels of detail and clarity to the video without overly sharpening it which would result in edge haloing; a "stereotypical" byproduct of many upscaling efforts. Because of this, even after being upscaled, the video is still relatively "soft" in appearance, which is suitable as the original video is inherently "soft" by its very nature. As to be expected, though, certain scenes throughout the video lend themselves better to upscaling efforts than others. It all depends on how much detail was there to begin with for the upscaler to work from.
But I consider this upscaling effort an overall success as the Proteus AI model was able to restore varying levels of detail and clarity in areas throughout the video that weren't readily seen in the native file, without going "overboard" through typical aggressive upscaling efforts.
This video will be included in a future update to the FMV Enhancement Pack for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, which is a project aimed to improve the experience of Silent Hill 2 PC.
The PlayStation 2 version of Silent Hill 2 disables the in-game noise filter whenever FMVs play. To compensate for this, the FMVs have a baked-in noise effect. (This also means that if you play the PS2 version with the noise filter disabled you'll still see noise in the FMVs.)
The PC version of Silent Hill 2 renders the in-game noise filter on top of FMVs, however. As such, the baked-in noise for the FMVs was removed during the upscale process to allow the in-game noise filter to render on top of the videos without competing against any embedded noise. Another benefit of removing the embedded noise is that the size/speed/pattern of the noise grain will stay consistent between gameplay and FMVs, since the PC version overlays the in-game noise filter on top of FMVs.
The working files for this video were kept in lossless quality up until having to render the video in a WebM codec for upload to YouTube. YouTube then adds its own layer of compression (or "bitcrush"). Over time, if enough people view this video that YouTube deems it "popular," YouTube will change the codec and bitrate this video is using to one that produces slightly better results.Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #7Town of Silent Hill2021-03-17 | In the seventh update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project such as restored specularity, dynamic resolution support, and more.
ENHANCED EDITION WEBSITE: http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #6Town of Silent Hill2020-10-29 | In the sixth update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over new features for the project such as upscaled images, widescreen map support, and integrated shaders.
- RoomLightingFix http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/config.htm#RoomLightingFixSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #5Town of Silent Hill2020-05-01 | In the fifth update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over quality-of-life improvements for the game, such as better GPU-based anti-aliasing support, high DPI compatibility, improved camera controls, and more natural fog movement.
- SingleCoreAffinity http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/config.htm#SingleCoreAffinitySilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #4Town of Silent Hill2020-02-14 | In the fourth update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over newly added features such as soft shadows, self shadows, restored post-processing effects, continued controller support, and much more.
- WoodsideRoom205Fix http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/config.htm#WoodsideRoom205FixComing Soon: Soft & Self Shadows for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced EditionTown of Silent Hill2019-11-04 | The "EnableSoftShadows" fix, which will be found in the d3d8.ini file and is releasing with the next update (coming soon) for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, brings console-accurate shadows and shadow behavior.
Features of this fix include: - Restored soft shadows - Unique shadow levels for specific rooms - Restored self shadows - Unique self shadow behavior for specific rooms/cutscenes - Shadow fading behavior for flashlight toggles
This fix was a months-long, exhaustive effort created by team member FrozenFish24, with support by Elisha Riedlinger. Learn more about these two wonderful people by visiting the following links:
In a prototype build for Silent Hill 2, James does not continue to silently move his lips at the end of the radio tunnel cutscene. Researching the data within this prototype can allow for better lip movement during this cutscene.
The final (retail) version has James' lips continuing to move after he finishes talking. The prototype doesn't do this, but his lips also do not move as he says, "I might need it."
We are able to compare these differences and make a version where James' lips still move while he says, "I might need it," but stop after this point to create a better presentation of this cutscene.Silent Hill 2 - Konami Video News CompilationTown of Silent Hill2019-09-05 | A compilation of various Konami Video News videos that discuss Silent Hill 2.
The second video shows some behind-the-scenes footage of a production crew filming Team Silent for the eventual creation of the "Making of Silent Hill 2" featurette that would be included with the original European release of the game. More info here: youtube.com/watch?v=ri7mXgNB5ME
The third quickly talks about the public launch of Silent Hill 2 in Japan. Many promotional materials such as banners, posters, and POP displays were arranged around "kiosks" where people could come up and purchase Silent Hill 2 right there on the street.
The fourth and final video discusses how a Japanese restaurant did a promotional tie-in with Silent Hill 2. Scary props and decorations were placed around the restaurant (along with direct Silent Hill 2 marketing material) and certain plates/dishes were horror-themed. More information here: http://archive.igotaletter.com/rare.html?http://www.archive.igotaletter.com/rare_misc.phpSilent Hill 2: Black Ribbon PS2 Video Demo Disc - Trailer #2Town of Silent Hill2019-08-11 | Footage of the second Japanese trailer contained in the "Black Ribbon" PlayStation 2 video demo disc that was used in store kiosks. Stores would place this DVD in their PlayStation 2 kiosk consoles and the disc would play two trailers in succession on loop. This is the first trailer found within the disc.
Nicknamed the "Black Ribbon" demo disc as the PlayStation 2 logo is printed on a large, black band--or "ribbon"--at the bottom of the disc. There is a different, near-identical disc that contains a playable demo of the game. The major physical difference between each disc is that one was printed with black ink on the disc, and the other in red ink.
This trailer contains many instances of pre-release differences, when compared to the final release of the game. Some notable pre-release differences include:
1:50 - The graffiti red "X" on the wall--which was removed for the final release of the game but can also be seen in earlier trailers--is partially blurred out after-the-fact in this trailer. How strange.
1:57 - RPT once roamed the hallways of the Hotel.
1:59 - The balcony for Hotel Room 202/204 was once dark. The final release you can see daylight from outside coming through the patio's windows.
2:02 & 2:16 - Mannequins were once present in the main lobby of Woodside Apartments.
2:07 & 2:23 - Lying Figures once walked within the inside graveyard at the Catacombs.
2:10 - A fully intact handrail used to exist in the boss room where you fight RPT in the apartments.
2:11 - Lying Figures were once present in the main lobby of Woodside Apartments.
3:46 - Nurses once roamed the streets of Silent Hill during the daytime.
4:08 - The pistons did not move in the "Flesh Room."
4:14 - The sound effect of Laura slamming the door behind you in the Hospital was once different.
4:54 - An obscure CG FMV of Maria turning over on Heaven's Night platform is seen.
5:02 - RPT once awkwardly held onto the Great Knife during the infamous apartment cutscene.
You can learn more about pre-release differences by visiting the link below: http://www.igotaletter.com/rarities/prereleaseSilent Hill 2: Black Ribbon PS2 Video Demo Disc - Trailer #1Town of Silent Hill2019-08-11 | Footage of the first Japanese trailer contained in the "Black Ribbon" PlayStation 2 video demo disc that was used in store kiosks. Stores would place this DVD in their PlayStation 2 kiosk consoles and the disc would play two trailers in succession on loop. This is the first trailer found within the disc.
Nicknamed the "Black Ribbon" demo disc as the PlayStation 2 logo is printed on a large, black band--or "ribbon"--at the bottom of the disc. There is a different, near-identical disc that contains a playable demo of the game. The major physical difference between each disc is that one was printed with black ink on the disc, and the other in red ink.
This trailer contains many instances of pre-release differences, when compared to the final release of the game. Some notable pre-release differences include:
2:12 & 2:23 - Different audio used during the cuts to RPT on the streets at night and in Blue Creek's hallways, compared to the TGS 2001 Spring Trailer.
2:57 - The shadows from the animation of RPT & the Mannequins from the Woodside Aptartment cutscene can be seen in Lakeview Hotel.
3:30 - RPT once roamed the hallways of Blue Creek Apartments.
4:06 & 6:28 - No specialized lighting in the Labyrinth's prison cell. James' flashlight was once the only source to light the scene.
4:40 - A graffiti red "X" used to be on the wall near the door Laura comes out from, after she kicks the key away from you in Woodside Apartments.
4:45 & 4:50 - RPT once roamed the streets of Silent Hill at night.
4:57 - The fifth hole jump in the Prison/Labyrinth used to be completely dark, only lit by James' flashlight.
5:45 - A fully intact handrail used to exist in the boss room where you fight RPT in the apartments.
5:59 - The inside of the Hospital's refrigerator did not light up at once.
6:06 - The elevator door after being chased by RPT in the Hospital once used a completely different texture.
6:12 - The Hospital shower drain, where you fish the Elevator Key out from, used to have red blood spilling into the drain, instead of a neon green liquid.
7:01 - Mannequins once roamed the South 1F Hallway (where you first enter) of the Hotel.
7:23 - RPT once awkwardly held onto the Great Knife during the infamous apartment cutscene.
You can learn more about pre-release differences by visiting the link below: http://www.igotaletter.com/rarities/prereleaseSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Hotfix Update: Windows Update Performance FixTown of Silent Hill2019-06-29 | In this quickie update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we address the Windows Update (rundll32.exe/gameux.dll) issue that can cause constant lag/stuttering when trying to play the game and how to fix it.
-----------------------Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #3Town of Silent Hill2019-04-18 | In the third update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over newly added features such as high-resolution fonts, an improved flashlight, vibration support, and much more.
- XInputVibration: http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/config.htm#XInputVibrationComing soon: PS2FlashlightBrightness fix for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced EditionTown of Silent Hill2019-03-26 | The "PS2FlashlightBrightness" fix, which will be found in the d3d8.ini file and is releasing with the next update (coming soon) for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, adjusts the flashlight's brightness to resemble the PS2 version by reducing the flashlight's intensity for environments, but keeping enemies and NPCs bright. It also corrects flashlight levels for Woodside Apartment Room 205 (the flashlight and mannequin room), along with a handful of other specialized rooms.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: twitter.com/WhereAllBeginsSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #2Town of Silent Hill2019-01-13 | In the second update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over what's included in the newly-released version 1.0.3 of the Enhanced Edition Essential Files.
The Enhanced Edition Essential Files contain specific game file fixes to improve visuals and bugs for the game's environments.
CREDITS: http://enhanced.townofsilenthill.com/SH2/credit.htmSilent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (PC) - Update Video #1Town of Silent Hill2018-12-09 | In the first update video for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, we go over important news and fixes for Nvidia GPU users, along with listing other improvements you can download and enjoy right now.
Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition is a collection of enhancement packages that add various visual, audio, and bug improvements for the PC version of the game. Notable examples of what the enhancements improve on is the use of a widescreen camera in the game; higher display resolutions; removal of prominent audio bugs; PlayStation 2 quality audio and fog; better controller support; and much more. The use of these enhancement packages, made by a collaborative team of wonderful modders and programmers, makes for a definitive Silent Hill 2 HD experience.Silent Hill 2 PC Audio Enhancement Pack Demonstration TrailerTown of Silent Hill2018-07-03 | The Audio Enhancement Pack brings the quality of the Silent Hill 2 PC audio files to that of the PlayStation 2's version which are considered the best.
To learn how to use the Audio Enhancement Pack for yourself, go to the following page:
The Audio Enhancement Pack was created by Elisha Riedlinger and Nisto, with support by Ratiocinator. Please consider taking a moment to thank them by sending a message of support or donating.