diff --git a/renderdoc/common/common.cpp b/renderdoc/common/common.cpp
index 75f22a3e7..390bfc4fa 100644
--- a/renderdoc/common/common.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/common/common.cpp
@@ -82,9 +82,9 @@ float SRGB8_lookuptable[256] = {
 	0.938686f, 0.947307f, 0.955974f, 0.964686f, 0.973445f, 0.982251f, 0.991102f, 1.000000f,
 };
 
-void rdcassert(const char *condition, const char *file, unsigned int line, const char *func)
+void rdcassert(const char *msg, const char *file, unsigned int line, const char *func)
 {
-	rdclog_int(RDCLog_Error, file, line, "Assertion failed: '%s'", condition, file, line);
+	rdclog_int(RDCLog_Error, file, line, "Assertion failed: %s", msg);
 }
 
 #if 0
diff --git a/renderdoc/common/common.h b/renderdoc/common/common.h
index 17b922690..d5ed44298 100644
--- a/renderdoc/common/common.h
+++ b/renderdoc/common/common.h
@@ -175,13 +175,21 @@ void rdclog_filename(const char *filename);
 //
 
 #if !defined(RELEASE) || defined(FORCE_ASSERTS)
-void rdcassert(const char *condition, const char *file, unsigned int line, const char *func);
+void rdcassert(const char *msg, const char *file, unsigned int line, const char *func);
+
+// this defines the root macro, RDCASSERTMSG(msg, cond, ...)
+// where it will check cond, then print msg (if it's not "") and the values of all values passed via varargs.
+// the other asserts are defined in terms of that
+#include "custom_assert.h"
 
-#define RDCASSERT(cond) do { if(!(cond)) { rdcassert(#cond, __FILE__, __LINE__, __PRETTY_FUNCTION_SIGNATURE__); rdclog_flush(); RDCBREAK(); } } while(0)
 #else
-#define RDCASSERT(cond) do { } while(0)
+#define RDCASSERTMSG(cond) do { } while(0)
 #endif
 
+#define RDCASSERT(...) RDCASSERTMSG("", __VA_ARGS__)
+#define RDCASSERTEQUAL(a,b) RDCASSERTMSG("", a == b, a, b)
+#define RDCASSERTNOTEQUAL(a,b) RDCASSERTMSG("", a != b, a, b)
+
 //
 // Compile asserts
 //
diff --git a/renderdoc/common/custom_assert.h b/renderdoc/common/custom_assert.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9cb7c0c60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderdoc/common/custom_assert.h
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+/******************************************************************************
+ * The MIT License (MIT)
+ * 
+ * Copyright (c) 2016 Baldur Karlsson
+ * 
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ * 
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ * 
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ ******************************************************************************/
+
+
+#pragma once
+
+#ifdef RDCASSERTMSG
+#error RDCASSERTMSG already defined when including custom_assert.h
+#endif
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// excellent set of macros to wrap individual parameters in a varargs macro expansion.
+// See: http://stackoverflow.com/a/1872506/4070143
+//      http://groups.google.com/group/comp.std.c/browse_thread/thread/77ee8c8f92e4a3fb/346fc464319b1ee5
+//
+// Some modification needed on VC++.
+// See: http://compgroups.net/comp.lang.c++/visual-c++-too-few-many-args-warnings-for-apply/2075805
+//
+// A few more twiddles by hand to get everything playing nicely
+
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_1(value) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", ";
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_2(value, _1) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_1(_1)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_3(value, _1, _2) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_2(_1, _2)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_4(value, _1, _2, _3) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_3(_1, _2, _3)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_5(value, _1, _2, _3, _4) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_4(_1, _2, _3, _4)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_6(value, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_5(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_7(value, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_6(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_8(value, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7) \
+	failmsg += (STRINGIZE(value) "=") + ToStr::Get(value) + ", "; \
+	RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_7(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7)
+
+// this is the terminating clause
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_1(cond)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_2(cond, _1) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_1(_1)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_3(cond, _1, _2) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_2(_1, _2)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_4(cond, _1, _2, _3) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_3(_1, _2, _3)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_5(cond, _1, _2, _3, _4) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_4(_1, _2, _3, _4)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_6(cond, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_5(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_7(cond, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_6(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_8(cond, _1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_7(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7)
+
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_NARG(...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_NARG_(__VA_ARGS__, RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_RSEQ_N())
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_ARG_N(_1, _2, _3, _4, _5, _6, _7, _8, N, ...) N 
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_RSEQ_N() 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0
+
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG(...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_(RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_NARG(__VA_ARGS__), __VA_ARGS__)
+
+#define RDCASSERT_GETCOND(cond, ...) cond
+
+#ifdef _MSC_VER
+
+// only needed on VC++, but unfortunately breaks on g++/clang++
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_INVOKE(macro, args) macro args
+
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_NARG_(...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_INVOKE(RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_ARG_N,(__VA_ARGS__))
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_(N, ...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_INVOKE(CONCAT(RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_, N),(__VA_ARGS__))
+
+#define RDCASSERT_IFCOND(cond, ...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_INVOKE(RDCASSERT_GETCOND, (cond))
+
+#else
+
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_NARG_(...) RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_ARG_N(__VA_ARGS__)
+#define RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_(N, ...) CONCAT(RDCASSERT_FAILMSG_DISCARD_, N)(__VA_ARGS__)
+
+#define RDCASSERT_IFCOND(cond, ...) (cond)
+
+#endif
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+#define RDCASSERTMSG(msg, ...) \
+	do { \
+		if(!(RDCASSERT_IFCOND(__VA_ARGS__))) { \
+			const char custommsg[] = msg; \
+			std::string assertmsg = "'" STRINGIZE(RDCASSERT_GETCOND(__VA_ARGS__)) "' "; \
+			if(sizeof(custommsg) > 1) assertmsg += msg " "; \
+			std::string failmsg; \
+			RDCASSERT_FAILMSG(__VA_ARGS__); \
+			if(!failmsg.empty()) { failmsg.pop_back(); failmsg.pop_back(); } \
+			std::string combinedmsg = assertmsg + (failmsg.empty() ? "" : "(" + failmsg + ")"); \
+			rdcassert(combinedmsg.c_str(), __FILE__, __LINE__, __PRETTY_FUNCTION_SIGNATURE__); \
+			rdclog_flush(); \
+			RDCBREAK(); \
+		}\
+	} while(0)