GTA 5 PC Will Get iCEnhancer Mod

If you're the kind of gamer that really loves the high-end visual effects from the latest and greatest games and you proudly proclaim your graphics whore addictions to the world, you're going to love this bit of news: Hayssam Keilany is back to work on the iCEnhancer mod for GTA V.

Gaming Bolt spotted a Facebook post by Keilany who explains that the iCEnhancer mod will make a return to a GTA... specifically, GTA V.

According to Keilany...

“We gotta see what the PC will offer, It might not require much editing in terms of shaders and stuff but mostly artistic changes to fit everyone's taste. Expect to see dark, unsaturated, shiny cars preset and oversaturated, matte cars presets, etc.“It's how things work, everyone have their own tastes. V is already pretty, soon we can make it prettier for our own vision. That's the magic of modding, make the game your own.”

Keilany also mentions that the original modder for overhauling GTA's graphics is already looking into modding the newest game. Boris Vorontsov revolutionized the alternative graphics scene by releasing the ENB mod for various games. While Vorontsov's mods were popular with games like Half-Life and Fallout, it wasn't until GTA did it skyrocket in popularity.

Following Vorontsov's ENB Series was various other mods based on the ENB mods. One of the more popular modifications of Vorontsov's work was Hayssam Keilany's iCEnhancer mod, which featured precursor elements for his eventual work on the Brigade Engine. The iCEnhancer brought more realistic light and color saturation to the table, as well as enhanced reflections, more dynamic shadows and a few other post-processing enhancements to create a more immersive visual experience.

It actually amazes me that Rockstar hasn't hired Keilany yet; but he is working on a rival game engine called the Brigade Engine, which focuses on real-time path tracing. In simple terms, the Brigade Engine allows developers to make photo-realistic games that are actually playable.

What's interesting is how the new iCEnhancer mod will work for Grand Theft Auto V. Rockstar actually aimed to improve the game quite a bit for the Xbox One and PS4 – as far as the visuals go – compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3 release. In one of the promo trailers for the eighth-gen iteration of GTA V, they showcased better lighting, improved reflections, a more accurate depth of field effect, HD textures, and more light sources.

Could it be possible that when GTA V drops for PC the iCEnhancer mod could easily and instantly push the game into the realm of photo-realism? That's anyone's guess. GTA IV with the iCEnhancer is one of the best looking games on the market. That's not even a joke.

The only thing Keilany worries about are the Skyrim modders. Funnily enough, he jokes in the Facebook post that once the Skyrim graphics modders join the GTA V scene they'll start combining the iCEnhancer with super-advanced grass and “plastic” women mods that will bring the game's frame-rate down to 10fps.

I don't really care who joins the GTA V mod scene; I just can't wait to see what artists, modders, designers and creators come up with when the game finally launches on PC this year.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.