Check out a new mod from an enthusiast.
Jamal, the creator of NaturalVision, is now developing a visual overhaul mod that is currently in the early access stage. The developer applied numerous changes to weather, lighting system, ambient colors, tonemapping, world textures, building models, and other parts of the game to get a more realistic look. Check out the mod's awesome trailer. Someone should definitely hire this guy as a video editor.
"I initially started off as an ENB / ReShade preset author and then began experimenting with more complex mods that involve tweaking game files directly," wrote the developer on Patreon. "I've spent multiple years crafting the latest version of one of my mods. It required me to modify hundreds of files/variables, several 3D models and numerous textures to achieve a result that would bring the game to the next-generation of graphics."
The developer had to modify a large number of game files without official developer tools which obviously requires a great deal of time and research. You can learn more and support the project on Patreon.