GParams are general purpose graphics configuration files that many Fromsoft games use. The majority of this tutorial will be about GParams in Elden Ring, but many of the themes may apply to the other games. GParams can control many things such as fog, outdoor/ambient lighting, colors, anti-aliasing, and more. Not everything is known about what the groups/parameters do, so if you find anything out, don't hesitate to message me on ServerName (@?Rainer?).

Firstly, to edit a GParam you will need either Yabber, WitchyBND, or Smithbox. The main difference between these tools is that Yabber and WitchyBND will serialize the GParam into an xml of text that you can edit, and Smithbox is a desktop application with a UI. Which one you use is a matter of personal preference.

• Smithbox
• WitchyBND

Smithbox will allow you to easily select a GParam file within its Gparam Editor. WitchyBND/Yabber works by dragging the file onto the exe (or using the right click context menu if you have that enabled), and it will proceed to output an XML with the GParam's data. Now that you know how to open a GParam file, we will move on to discuss the data that you will work with.

GParams have 4 layers of categories.

1. Groups - groups are sets of parameters to edit. Most of the names are self-explanatory, but I will go into detail regarding each group.

2. IDs - these are subgroup IDs that are intended to be used in map objects like collisions, assets, and enemies. They have GParam configs but I am uncertain how these can be used.

3. Time of Day - the in-game time of day. This is fairly self-explanatory.

4. Parameters - the controls/features for the group specified. Each group has different parameters.

##red|(This group has a lot of parameters. Some that are unknown/obvious will be skipped. Hopefully I'll figure out some unks later.)##

GParams can be invoked in three ways (that I know of).

The least used method is through events. Events call for GParam overrides to force a gparam in a certain area upon certain conditions (such as a GParam changing during a boss fight).

More commonly, GParams can be invoked by weather changes. The GParam is assigned to weathers through the Weather parameter in the regulation. This method works well but can be tricky to utilize because there are so many weathers and the weather changes quite frequently.

Lastly, you can use collisions on the map to invoke a GParam. Open Map Studio and load a map that you want to edit (underworld maps and legacy dungeons are the easiest to start with due to rarely using weathers). You will be editing a collision that activates the GParam. In order to find the correct collision, the workflow is as follows:

• click on an entity such as an asset or enemy that is in the area you're changing
• in the properties tab on the right-hand side, scroll down until you see “Objects referencing this object:”
• click the collision name (sometimes there aren't any…in which case just find another entity) and you will be redirected to the correct collision

Click on the collision you want to edit and scroll down on the properties to find “Gparam”. You'll see parameter fields such as LightSetID, transition time, and 4 fields for SubIDs. Let's use Leyndell, Ashen Capital as an example (map ID m11_05_00_00). If you take a look at the GParams for this area, they're named “m11_05_0000” and have a sub id that go as high as 900 (m11_05_0900). These SubIDs are how the GParam is assigned to a collision. If we wanted to use GParam m11_05_0800 for a certain collision, we would put the value “8” in the GparamSubID_Base field.

The numbers at the beginning of the GParam name (m11_05 in this example) are how the GParam is “assigned” to a certain map. Feel free to look at various vanilla collisions to see how the GParams are assigned. Keep in mind that overworld areas are much trickier to tune to your liking because there are dozens of weather events changing GParams constantly.