18 replies to this topic

[MrVaad]

Hi,

** UPDATE 26/11/2018 **
e_ParticlesShadows is locked in multiplayer
it is locked but we can put Shadows on high in the menus (this will set e_ParticlesShadows to 0)

** UPDATE 24/11/2018 **
Just an update, i re-checked PGI settings and the tweak e_ParticlesShadows=0 will only show gains for people using shadows on very high.
If you set shadows lower, e_ParticlesShadows is already set to 0.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started playing MWO two weeks ago (I played mechwarrior 2/3 and earthsiege a looooong time ago !)
I've been playing with the variables in User.cfg and found a few interesting things (I'll make a bigger post later).

For this simple tweak, i recommend creating two files in your MechWarrior Online directory :

tuning.cfg

exec user.cfg

user.cfg

sys_flash_newstencilclear=1
e_ParticlesShadows=0

tuning.cfg will reload user.cfg every time you start a map.This way, you can :
1- start a map with "testing grounds", test your performance (fps/GPU/CPU usage)
2- go back to the lab, modify your user.cfg
3- start a map with "testing ground", test your performance

sys_flash_newstencilclear=1 will make Flash use a faster method for mask rendering. My best test: if i have 50% GPU usage on a map, the fullscreen battlemap would make me go to 60% GPU usage. With this tweak, i stay at 50%. In lab, i gain 5%.

e_ParticlesShadows=0 eliminates *almost* all slowdowns i had when displaying particles (missiles/dropships smoke, some puddles etc). To test this, you can start "caustic valley", go into external camera mode (F5 ?). Turn 90° left, go through the refinery, cross the water, go into the center of the red puddle, the closer you are to the centre, the bigger the FPS impact or GPU usage)

I have not seen those tweaks in other posts (apologies if i missed someone's post !)
Tell me if you see an improvement

Edited by MrVaad, 26 November 2018 - 09:31 AM.

[Rhialto]

Does any of those 2 settings lower quality? Because I'm looking for the opposite. Since 2 weeks I now play in 3D 1440p (previously 3D 1080p) with every settings maxed out and have no FPS issue. I'm always looking for more quality if it's possible but like I said all settings are already at max so I guess there is nothing I can improve. Maybe PGI sould add a mode with higher res textures?

[MrVaad]

Those two settings only improve performance (UI and particle shadows).
Currently, i have not seen particles making shadows in MWO (but i could have missed some)

I'm also going for quality. I have removed most of the visible popups (for textures and terrain/buildings geometry)
I have added some light SSAO (i think it improves the terrain look)
Shadows are still a pain to improve, there are different types, each with their own variables ...

I'll give explanations to use full or low quality settings (because not everyone has a big PC

Edited by MrVaad, 21 November 2018 - 12:08 PM.

[Rhialto]

MrVaad, on 21 November 2018 - 12:03 PM, said:

I'm also going for quality. I have removed most of the visible popups (for textures and terrain/buildings geometry)

Like reported here?

Quote

I have added some light SSAO (i think it improves the terrain look)

How?

[MrVaad]

Those popups are the LOD (level of détail) management. Things like terrain, objects are first created at full détail (Lod0) then you create simplified versions (Lod1, Lod2, Lod3, Lod4). With each Level, you simplify your terrain/object shape and textures.

Then you define distances for those LODs (Lod0 until 1000m, then Lod1 until 2000m).

In cryengine games, we dont have acces to the distances. But we can modify a ratio. (From 0 to X). This ratio is applied to the distances. So if ratio is 10, the first distance in my example becomes 10000m.If ratio is 0.5, first distance become 500m.

[Rhialto]

MrVaad, on 22 November 2018 - 12:27 AM, said:

In cryengine games, we dont have acces to the distances. But we can modify a ratio. (From 0 to X). This ratio is applied to the distances. So if ratio is 10, the first distance in my example becomes 10000m.If ratio is 0.5, first distance become 500m.

Ok but how? I want LOD0 all the time. And your SSAO mod?

[MrVaad]

This is the user.cfg i'm currently using.
It's a work in progress, i have tested a hundred of those damned settings !

I also have generated the Cryengine Variables Documentation using the MWOClient.exe.
That's where i saw that PGI modified the default values of the CryEngine. This is fine to adapt the settings for your game.
But in the process, they left some "very high" settings in the "low" or "medium" settings.

Like "particles shadows" which should be enabled only on very high, and is enabled for everyone
After rechecking, it IS enabled only on very high in shadows ( But i has a very bad FPS impact with particles)

-----------------------------------------------------
-- MrVaad MWO Config v0.1
--
-- Values in brackets are default MWO values (with very high settings selected in MWO)
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-- FLASH UI/HUD
-- Flash UI: Clears stencil buffer for mask rendering by drawing rects (1) as opposed to issuing clear commands (0)
sys_flash_newstencilclear=1  --[0] At 0, add +10% GPU usage with battlemap and +5% GPU in mechlab
sys_flash_curve_tess_error=4 --[1] Controls curve tessellation. Larger values result in coarser, more angular curves.
 
-----------------------------------------------------
-- GENERAL RENDERING & POSTPROCESSING
r_ColorGrading=0	--disable color grading
r_ssdo=0			-- disable ssdo to use ssao	
r_ssao=5			-- enable SSAO. Type 5 is "Volumetric Obscurance variation with multiple radii"
r_SSAOContrast=1.5  -- SSAO contrast coefficient (higher contrast highlights edges)
r_SSAOQuality=1	 -- SSAOQuality: Cost 5% GPU going from 1 to 2, is it worth the cost ?
r_SSAODownscale=1   -- Gains 5% GPU at least when r_SSAODownscale is enabled. is it worth the cost ?
 
r_Batching=1	 -- 0 will crash
r_BatchType=0	--r_BatchType[2] 0-CPU friendly. 1-GPU friendly. 2-Automatic.
 
--r_UseMergedPosts[1] Enables motion blur merged with dof.
--1:fastest mode (half res rendering) 2:full res rendering mode 3:quality mode, hdr + fullres
r_UseMergedPosts=0
--r_DepthOfField[2] 0 disabled. 1 enabled, 2 hdr time of day dof enabled
r_DepthOfField=0
 
-- coverage buffer: work in progress. Those settings are the most optimised for now.
-- Activates usage of software coverage buffer. 1 camera culling only. 2 camera culling and light-to-object check
e_coveragebuffer = 1
e_CoverageBufferVersion=2		  -- 1 Vladimir's, 2MichaelK's. Who knows the difference ??
e_CoverageBufferTerrain=1		  -- Activates usage of coverage buffer for terrain
e_coveragebufferreproj=2		   -- Use re-projection technique on CBuffer (values 2/4/6). Don't use 4 or 6 as MWO levels don't seem to have an OCM file (Level Occlusion Mesh)
e_CoverageBufferAccurateOBBTest=1  -- Checking of OBB boxes instead of AABB or bounding rects
e_CoverageBufferResolution=128	 -- Resolution of software coverage buffer
 
-----------------------------------------------------
-- PARTICLES
e_ParticlesShadows=0  -- disable particles shadow. solve the particles perf problem
e_ParticlesQuality=3  -- Particles detail quality
e_ParticlesLod=0.8	-- Multiplier to particle count
 
-----------------------------------------------------
-- OBJECTS/MESH
--e_Lods[1] (used for objects not terrain)
e_Lods = 1	-- Load and use LOD models for static geometry.
e_LodRatio=60 -- LOD distance ratio for objects
 
--  Controls dynamic LOD system for textures used in materials. [-1, 0 and bigger]
--  Default is -1 (completely off). Value 0 will set full LOD to all textures used in frame.
--  Values bigger than 0 will activate texture LOD selection depending on distance to the objects.
r_TextureLodDistanceRatio=1
 
--e_LodCompMaxSize[6] Affects LOD selection for big objects, small number will switch more objects into lower LOD
e_LodCompMaxSize=12
 
-----------------------------------------------------
-- TERRAIN/WATER
e_TerrainLodRatio = 1
e_TerrainTextureLodRatio= 1
 
-- e_TerrainDetailMaterialsViewDistXY[2048]
e_TerrainDetailMaterialsViewDistZ=1024  -- e_TerrainDetailMaterialsViewDistZ [128]
 
--r_WaterReflectionsQuality [5] 0(terrain only), 1(terrain + particles), 2(terrain+particles+brushes), 3(everything)
r_WaterReflectionsQuality=0
 
-----------------------------------------------------
-- LIGHTS & SHADOWS
e_ShadowsMaxTexRes=2048
e_ShadowsResScale=20
r_UseShadowsPool=0	  -- Enables dynamic allocation for shadows ? (all other pools in cryengine are enabled only for consoles)
r_ShadowsDepthBoundNV=1 -- Enabled for nvidia cards

Edited by MrVaad, 24 November 2018 - 07:48 AM.

[Rhialto]

Ok now that you know I have every settings maxed out, what's in there that could improve visual (quality) more?

For example, sys_flash_curve_tess_error=4 is worst than the default 1, right? Less quality for better perf so I'm better skipping it so it will use default value of 1.

Should I use r_TextureLodDistanceRatio=0 to get full texture whatever the distance?

[MrVaad]

From what i've seen sys_flash_curve_tess_error is only used on loading screens text (the ones without videos)

Just to warn you, disabling Lod management everywhere can get you "shimmering" from geometry or textures

Let's say we have a huge building to draw on 50 pixels of the screen (instead of loading the appropriate shape). When drawing a big shape with many details on a small area, the result will be different each time you move. And so, your nice building will have blinking pixels when you move. Same problem with textures.

I did not have too much problems with object and terrain lod. But i had shimmering with terrain textures.
If you get shimmering or bad performance, try LodRatio values between 0 and 1 (like 0.1, 0.2 etc).

For objects, the next level in tweaking is using e_LodCompMaxSize (Lod for big objects):
- Raise e_LodRatio until you are happy for small objects.
- Then raise e_LodCompMaxSize until you are happy for big objects (it pushes back big object into better Lod Levels).

You can try the following settings :

//No Lod management for objects (e_LodRatio will be ignored). I did not try e_Lods=1 with e_LodRatio=0
e_Lods = 0
 
// No Lod management for textures (not sure about the difference with 0)
r_TextureLodDistanceRatio = -1
 
// No Lod management for terrain geometry (heighmap)
e_TerrainLodRatio = 0
 
//No Lod management for terrain textures
e_TerrainTextureLodRatio= 0

As for me, i'm trying to tweak the LodRatio values, to have power for other nice settings

Edited by MrVaad, 23 November 2018 - 02:39 AM.

[Rhialto]

After much testing (lost two hours testing instead of playing), a single line was needed to stop big objects from changing of shape when moving, it's e_LodCompMaxSize. All others don't do anything.

Now I need to find the one that will make terrain stop changing shape/texture as I'm approaching.

[MrVaad]

Ok, i've checked those variables during multiplayer and some of them are locked in multiplayer.

So we won't be able to improve everything.
I'll try to make a list of those variables locked in multiplayer.

Variables locked so far :
e_ParticlesShadows
it is locked but we can put Shadows on high in the menus (this will set e_ParticlesShadows to 0)

e_TerrainLodRatio is locked to 2
This is so sad i don't know how we'll improve the terrain geometry

Edited by MrVaad, 25 November 2018 - 01:57 PM.

[Nightbird]

sys_flash_newstencilclear

Creates artifacts in the left and right windows of mech cockpits

[Peter2k]

Rhialto, on 24 November 2018 - 01:58 PM, said:

Now I need to find the one that will make terrain stop changing shape/texture as I'm approaching.

Wouldn't that be something

[Rhialto]

Peter2k, on 26 November 2018 - 12:53 PM, said:

Wouldn't that be something

Why they would lock suck a setting is beyond me, I mean if someone have the money for 3 x RTX 2080 Ti and want the ultimate graphics setting, why not?

MWO is 6 years old, many of us have updated their hardware so a new ULTRA setting would be welcome... I'll send this to Russ on Twitter.

[MrVaad]

Nightbird, on 26 November 2018 - 12:52 PM, said:

sys_flash_newstencilclear

Creates artifacts in the left and right windows of mech cockpits

I have not seen artifacts but i don't display the cockpit glass, could you post a screenshot ?

Rhialto, on 26 November 2018 - 03:11 PM, said:

Why they would lock suck a setting is beyond me, I mean if someone have the money for 3 x RTX 2080 Ti and want the ultimate graphics setting, why not?

MWO is 6 years old, many of us have updated their hardware so a new ULTRA setting would be welcome... I'll send this to Russ on Twitter.

Before posting on twitter, do we all see the same locked value in multiplayer, in MWO logs (file omnicron.log) ?

Edited by MrVaad, 27 November 2018 - 06:10 AM.

[Nightbird]

MrVaad, on 27 November 2018 - 06:10 AM, said:

I have not seen artifacts but i don't display the cockpit glass, could you post a screenshot ?

Those lines move and twist. A few mechs are not affected but most are for me and pretty distracting.

I don't display cockpit glass either

[MrVaad]

Can you try r_DrawNearFoV=60 ?

If it does not work, can you tell me the fov you're using, i'll test that later when i'm home.

[Nightbird]

The default, 60 I think, I use an ultrawide monitor so it shows the sides pretty well

[MrVaad]

Ok this is perhaps a bug regarding ultra wide (ie the HUD rectangle redrawn follows a 16:9 ratio).

We can still test if it's a mech geometry problem, tell me when you've tested r_DrawNearFoV=60.

Edited by MrVaad, 28 November 2018 - 02:06 AM.