Nova City 2.0: Redefining Weather and Lighting

Step into a world of unparalleled realism with Nova City 2.0, the ultimate weather and lighting overhaul. Building on the foundation of Nova City 1, this version introduces groundbreaking features that elevate your experience to new heights. Nova City is a unique weather and lighting mod that features brand new custom weather states and probability balances, particle effects, time-specific weather features, and a reimagining of the vanilla weather states.


TL;DR (for those that can't make it to the bottom section):

This mod is not compatible with other lighting, weather, ENVs, vignette-removal mods, etc. It is also not compatible with Nova City 1.0...

The perfected exposure system ensures balanced lighting across all weather states. Shadows retain detail, emissive lights interact naturally, and transitions between lighting conditions are smooth and realistic.

Exposure System Done Right: Every weather state has been meticulously redesigned around an exposure system perfected through months of adjustments and fine-tuning. Say goodbye to blinding overexposure in first-person driving and drastic exposure swings. The new system stabilizes the overall image, offering a seamless and realistic visual experience.

• Autoexposure remains intact but is now fine-tuned with realistic and less extreme exposure ranges.
• Even the darkest shadows retain visibility, ensuring no detail is lost in low-light environments. Subtle textures and objects in shadowed areas are now more discernible, adding depth and realism to every scene.
• Emissive and other light sources have been enhanced to work harmoniously with the exposure system. Signs now cast light over nearby surfaces, headlights illuminate the pavement with clarity, and areas previously reduced to black are now properly lit, creating a more immersive and dynamic world.
• Experience a more accurate simulation of real-life lighting with gradual responses to changes in light levels, ensuring smooth transitions between different lighting conditions.
  


While the exposure system has been perfected to ensure a balanced visual experience in a variety of conditions, "perfect" does not equate to superhuman vision. Darkness, by its very nature, presents challenges that no exposure system can entirely overcome without the presence of adequate light sources. In environments devoid of illumination—such as unlit interiors or moonless nights—visibility will naturally be limited. In such instances, a flashlight or night vision tool becomes essential to navigate and discern your surroundings effectively. This ensures a realistic portrayal of light and shadow, embracing the limits of the human eye while maintaining an immersive sense of authenticity! The Simple Flashlight mod provides an immersive experience with full customization!


Shadow Boost Options now available in the files tab:






Nova City 2.0 includes support for a new project, ReLUX (lighting redux), an addon mod that redefines level design lighting with a focus on realism and immersion. ReLUX removes fake lights and baked global illumination, replacing them with carefully placed light sources that enhance the natural feel of the environment. Emissive lights have been added to all fast travel points in the game, ensuring they are properly illuminated and visually distinct. This addon will continue to evolve, with future updates planned to expand emissive lighting to additional locations. ReLUX complements Nova City 2.0 by elevating the visual experience through thoughtful and handcrafted lighting design.





Nova City 2.0 introduces over 50 meticulously crafted weather states, combining familiar favorites from Nova City 1 with brand-new additions. Each state is designed to bring your environment to life with unparalleled realism (and a few whacky creative states for your pleasure).





Experience dynamic weather particles that enhance immersion. From gentle drizzles to intense storms, every weather condition is accompanied by unique particle effects that add depth and authenticity.





Enjoy smoother and more natural transitions between weather states. Rebalanced probabilities ensure a dynamic yet cohesive weather system that feels lifelike.





Nova City 2.0 integrates effortlessly with 'Weather Switcher,' offering additional toggles, material fixes, and debugging tools for a polished and customizable experience.

Exclusive Features with Weather Switcher:
- Gain precise control over weather with per-state cloud customization and randomization, allowing you to craft unique atmospheric conditions.
- Persistent feature toggles enable fine-tuning of visual elements such as blur, shadows, and reflections, ensuring a tailored experience that matches your preferences.
- Material fixes enhance compatibility and visual fidelity, addressing common issues and improving overall polish.
- Debugging tools and a streamlined bug reporting system make it easier to identify and resolve issues, ensuring a smooth and refined experience.





Using Weather Switcher, you can take control of the skies with per-state cloud customization. Adjust and randomize cloud patterns to create the perfect atmosphere for any weather condition. Future versions will include transition durations and randomization presets for each state.





Path Tracing Accessibility: This mod was designed specifically with path tracing in mind, harnessing its capabilities to create visuals that are immersive and true to life. I understand that not everyone has access to the hardware required to fully experience path tracing, and that's perfectly okay. While Nova City may still function in RT or raster modes, these are not its primary focus, and any issues arising in those modes won’t be addressed simply due to time restrictions. It is what it is—but I hope that regardless of your setup, you’ll still find enjoyment in the creativity and enhancements this mod offers.





Achieve cinematic visuals with Nova City 2.0's finely tuned exposure system. Say goodbye to overexposure and harsh transitions, and enjoy a seamless, movie-like experience in every scene. Subtle film grain and carefully balanced chromatic aberration add a layer of authenticity, evoking the feel of professional cinematography. Combined with the perfected exposure system, these enhancements create a cohesive visual style that transforms your game into a work of art.


Why Choose Nova City 2.0?

Nova City 2.0 is more than just a mod—it's a complete reimagining of weather and lighting in your game. Whether you're driving through sunlit streets or navigating stormy nights, every moment feels immersive and true to life. With its finely tuned exposure system, even the smallest details in shadows and highlights are brought to life. The enhanced emissive lighting ensures that signs, headlights, and other light sources interact naturally with their surroundings, creating a world that feels alive and vibrant.

With seamless integration with Weather Switcher, Nova City 2.0 sets a new standard for visual fidelity. Upgrade to Nova City 2.0 today and transform your world!


Testimonials from my beta testers (totally not biased):

Nova City 2 is, in short, what weather in Cyberpunk 2077 should have been from the beginning. More variety, more believability. From scorching days, stunning fog, sleek precipitation, and a completely reworked auto-exposure system, Night City’s weather truly comes to life. Coupled with the exquisite Nova 3 LUT, Nova City 3 provides a complete vision that is unmatched. Going further, NC2 when paired with Ultra+’s PTNext and ReLux, Cyberpunk becomes an experience that is truly immersive and transformative.   -Kronir

Nova City 2 is the ultimate env for Cyberpunk. After nullifying auto-exposure, the now flat exposure profile coupled with the lighting and color grading from Nova 3 offers a photorealistic, immersive experience no other env has ever came close to achieving. But, Nova City is so much more. When also paired with Ultra Plus’s PTNext, Robber804’s Nulls, and Sosuine’s fixes, you have thee ultimate visuals you need to experience once before you die. This is before we get to all of the custom weathers that breathe life and variation into Night City that you can completely control to tailor your own experience with Cyanide’s weather apps that are as carefully crafted as Nova City 2 itself.    -twmatt

Issues and Bugs:

Some state transitions may appear overly bright. Please report these issues using the debugging tools in 'Weather Switcher' for further refinement.

Coming Soon:

Weather Manager: Take your weather customization to the next level with the upcoming Weather Manager. This powerful tool will allow you to gain full control over weather patterns, transitions, probabilities, and durations. Want to eliminate certain weather states from rotation? Done. Prefer specific weather conditions for certain times of day? Easily configured. Save your own presets and switch between them effortlessly to match your desired atmosphere. The Weather Manager will empower you to create a truly personalized and immersive experience, putting the weather system entirely in your hands.

Installation:

If updating from Nova City 1.0, it is important to delete: 📁 NovaCityTools folder from plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\mods

Also delete the NovaOverrides.ini config file!

Use Vortex (recommended) or manually install by just dragging and dropping the contents of the zip to the Cyberpunk 2077 root folder.

• For GOG it should be something like "C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\[it goes here]
• For Steam it should be something like "C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\Cyberpunk 2077\[it goes here]
  

Compatibility:

- Nova City 2.0 is a standalone experience and is **not compatible** with Nova City 1.0 or other weather/lighting mods, vignette, or exposure mods.
- Fully compatible with any LUT, allowing you to customize your visuals further.
- Nova City is not compatible with Ultra Fog which overrides the main 006.env file controlling weather states and transitions. Use the Ultra Fog Lite version instead!

I know you won't read this but here it is anyway:



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Thank you for all of your support.

❤️ CyanideX