A Guide to Vanguard ini
Optimization
(Page 2)
By Ralsu
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The full intent of this guide is
to give you a quick rundown of how to configure Vanguard to suit the
capabilities of your computer and your desires for the quality of the
graphics on your screen. I'll start by defining a few terms (Overview)
before explaining the settings options and giving my recommendations
for both low end and high end machines (Manual Tweaks). Finally, I'll
provide a fast way for you to just import the settings I recommend (ini
Templates).
To help convey the myriad settings options, this guide makes use of
over 30 screen shots taken from Beta 5. The images will appear small on
this page, but you can click them to view the larger version. Keep in
mind that images taken from Beta 5 may not reflect what the final
product looks like.
To help you navigate this guide, use the links in the box below:
style="vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(192, 192, 192);">
ini Optimization
- href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=499#I">Overview
- WTF is an ini?
- Performance vs. Quality
- High End vs. Low End
Tweaks
Templates
- High
End - Low
End
II. Manual Tweaks (cont.)
cellspacing="2">style="vertical-align: top; width: 67%; background-color: rgb(192, 192, 192);">
Environment Settings
style="font-weight: bold;">Far Clipping Planeini name: FarClippingPlane=
What it does: This setting adjusts how far the game tries to draw
objects into your world, displaying objects up to the distance
specified in centimeters. The in-game option has a slider that adjusts
the measurement. The ini file uses an integer with up to 6 decimal
places.
Honestly, I did not record the maximum setting this option will allow.
I could not notice any difference in my view of distant areas once I
passed about 250,000cm (2.5km)
High End: Crank up this
setting to the maximum at which you can notice a difference. I couldn't
tell the difference between 250K and 300K, so overkill might not gain
you anything visually.
Low End: Crank up this
setting to the maximum at which you can get smooth performance. There's
a big difference between 150K and 200K, but that difference comes at a
cost of performance. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C01Far_Clip_Plane&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C01Far_Clip_Plane.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 260px;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Simple Terrain
ini names: GlobalSimpleTerrain=
What it does: When turned on, this option provides less details about
your terrain in order to give you a better overall picture.
Checking the bubble turns on the option, which displays as True in the
ini file. When the bubble is not checked, the option is turned off and
the line in the ini file reads as False.
High End: Keep this
option turned off to enjoy all of the details of the vast world of Telon.
Low End: Keep this option
turned on. You don't have to see every contour of every rock to enjoy
Vanguard.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C02Simple_Terrain_Shaders&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C02Simple_Terrain_Shaders.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 260px;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Grass Density
ini name: GrassDensity=
What it does: This option determines how much grass to draw. The higher
the setting, the fuller the world looks--but at the cost of FPS.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the measurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Grass Density reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Set this to
whatever level is visually appealing to you. 50% or so looks pretty
good in most areas.
Low End: Keep this to 25%
or less. It may make the wilderness ares of Telon look a little sparse,
but it will keep your system running smoothly.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C03Grass_Density&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C03Grass_Density.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 255px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Grass Blending
ini name: GrassBlending=
What it does: This option changes the method your machine uses to
detect transparency and blending with elements affected by the Grass
Density option. Grass Blending has 3 or 4 settings, but I recommend
Alpha Blend because it is the least taxing on your computer.
Use the drop-down menu to adjust this option in-game. The ini setting
uses numbers 0-2 or 0-3 to determine which setting you have selected.
Alpha Blend is represented by the number 0.
High End: If you have a
robust graphics card, you can take a crack at the setting that mixes
the blending methods. All the same, it will be hard to detect a
difference for most players.
Low End: Just leave this
at the default value of Alpha Blend.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C04Grass_Blending&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C04Grass_Blending.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 259px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Tree Detail Range
ini name: GlobalTreeLODs=
What it does: This option determines how soon to draw trees as you move
through the landscape. The higher the setting, the greater the distance
when you first see a tree--but at the cost of FPS.
The
in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a percent
scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and 1. Thus,
50% Tree Detail Range reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Crank this up
to 100% to avoid those annoying trees that magically pop into the world
when you get near them.
Low End: Set this as high
as you can without losing too many FPS if popping trees bother you. A
setting of 40% is much better visually than a setting of 25%.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C05Tree_Detail_Range&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C05Tree_Detail_Range.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 257px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
Tree
LOD Blend
ini name: GlobalTreeLODBlend=
What it does: This option adjusts how well trees blend into the
background. The lower the setting, the more the trees look as if they
are objects dropped on top of the background. The higher the setting,
the more the trees look as if they are a natural part of the background.
The
in-game option is a check bubble. When checked, the feature is on (True
in the ini file). When not checked, the feature is off (False in the
ini file).
High End: Keep this
turned on to make your world more immersive.
Low End: Turn this off to
save some FPS. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C06Tree_LOD_blend&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C06Tree_LOD_blend.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 259px;">
Volumetric
Clouds
ini name: bShowClouds=
What it does: This option turns on the most gorgeous clouds I have ever
seen in any game, making the sky look brilliant and beautiful. In my
testing, Volumetric
Clouds had the greatest influence of FPS of all options. This
option would often cost me as much as 20-25 FPS when turned on!
The
in-game option is a check bubble. When checked, the feature is on (True
in the ini file). When not checked, the feature is off (False in the
ini file).
High End: Turn off the
clouds unless you are showing off the game or taking a screen shot
involving the sky.
Low End: Turn off the
clouds unless you are showing off the game or taking a screen shot
involving the sky. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C07Volumetric_Clouds&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C07Volumetric_Clouds.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 256px;">
Normal
Mapping
ini name: GlobalNormalMap=
What it does: This option adjusts the quality of bumped surfaces. This
will affect the surface of the land, hills and mountains, and the
textures you see in dungeons. Higher settings require your graphics
card to draw more details but make the game look better.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Normal Mapping reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Keep this set
to 100% for best quality.
Low End: Keep this set to
50% or less to save work for your graphics card.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C08Normal_Mapping&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C08Normal_Mapping.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 259px;">
Environmental
Detail
ini name: GlobalEnvironment=
What it does: This option adjusts the quality of objects in the
environment. This
will affect the detail on walls of buildings and surfaces of objects
like crates and logs. Higher settings require your graphics
card to draw more details but make the game look better.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Environmental Detail reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Keep this set
to100% for best quality.
Low End: Keep this set to
50% or less to save work for your graphics card. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C09Environmental_level_of_detail&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C09Environmental_level_of_detail.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 258px;">
Environmental
Shaders
ini name: unkown
What it does: This option the appearance of shades and tones in your
environment. It makes water look better, for one thing. Higher settings
are more demanding on your graphics card. Its affects are less
perceptible than Environmental Detail, so it is a good way to adjust
for performance for low end users.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%.
High End: Keep this set
to100% for best quality.
Low End: Keep this set to
25% or less to save work for your graphics card. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album27&id=C10Environmental_Shaders&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album27/C10Environmental_Shaders.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 257px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%; text-align: center;">
Lighting
Settings
style="font-weight: bold;">Max Static Lightsini name: MaxStaticLights=
What it does: This determines the number of lights shining from
different angles to illuminate the world of Telon. The in-game setting
uses a slider to choose between 0 and 16 in increments of 4 (0, 4, 8,
12, 16). You can just type in the number you want in the ini file.
Setting this option to 0 can make things very dark. I presonally don't
see a huge benefit to any number above 8.
High End: Set this to 8
or more to see the world the best.
Low End: Set this to 4 if
you try 8 and lose too many FPS.
style="font-weight: bold;">Light Complexity
ini name: LightComplexity=
What it does: Light Complexity adjusts the quality of the lighting used
in the game.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Light Complexity reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Set this and
100% and forget about it.
Low End: Tweak this to
give yourself the best quality you can get without sacrficing
performance. 25-50% should do well for you.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D02Light_Complexity&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D02Light_Complexity.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 258px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Bloom Effect
ini name: ShowBloom=
What it does: When this is on (the bubble is checked), Vangaurd will
use bloom lighting, which spreads out the light in a scene to increase
quality. The effect is most notable when looking at an object half in
the shadows and half in the light. With Bloom Effect on, the sunny side
will appear brighter and almost hazy, like in real life.
The setting for on reads as True in the ini file. The setting for off
reads as False in the ini file.
High End: The game looks
better with this option enabled.
Low End: Bloom effects
can be very taxing on a a low end system, so keep this option disabled. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D03Bloom_Effect&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D03Bloom_Effect.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 259px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
style="font-weight: bold;">High Dynamic Range
ini name: bUseHDR=
What it does: When this option is on, the contrast between light and
dark areas will be more pronounced and the world will appear more
lifelike. Your
graphics card must support floating-point blending to use High Dynamic
Range (HDR).
The ini setting for HDR True for on and False for off. I hear of people
with top of the line systems disabling this feature to improve
performance because the differences are not tremendous--especially with
Bloom Effects enabled for a high end system.
High End: Turn it on if
you like the way it looks and it doesn't bog down your system.
Low End: Turn off this
setting. style="vertical-align: top; width: 20%; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"> href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D04High_Dynamic_Range&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D04High_Dynamic_Range.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 258px;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Tone Mapping
ini name: bUseToneMapping=
What it does: This option helps blend light tones in the world to more
realistically simulate how our eyes adjust to light. With it turned
off, you may notice stark contrasts between an area that is well-lit
versus an area that is in the shadows. Turning on Tone Mapping makes
your graphics card work harder to render the environment.
The ini setting is True for on and False for off.
High End: Turn it on if
you like the way it looks and it doesn't bog down your system.
Low End: Turn off this
setting. style="vertical-align: top; width: 20%; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"> href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D05Tone_Mapping&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D05Tone_Mapping.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 254px;">
style="vertical-align: top; width: 80%;">
Atmospheric
Distortion
ini name: GlobalAtmosphere=
What it does: This option adjusts how much distance blur you see when
HDR draws light and dark areas. style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">This setting only
works if HDR is on.
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Atmospheric Distortion reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: If HDR is on,
adjust this to a level that makes you happy. I was pleased with 85%.
Low End: Set this option
to 0 and keep HDR off.
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D06Atmospheric_Distortion&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D06Atmospheric_Distortion.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 257px;">
Shadow
Detail
ini name: GlobalShadows=
What it does: This option adjusts the quality of shadows. Things look
more washed out when this option is turned down too low. style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Shadow Detail reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Set this to a
level that makes you happy. I was pleased with 85%.
Low End: Set this option
to 25% or lower. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D07Shadow_Level_of_detail&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D07Shadow_Level_of_detail.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 257px;">
Specular
ini name: GlobalSpecular=
What it does: This option affects the reflective surfaces in the game
to include water and armor. The higher the setting, the better
reflective surfaces look--at the expense of performance. Set Specular
too low and the light on the sruface of water can seem flat, making the
surface of the water look like a white film. style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">
The in-game option has a slider that adjusts the mesurement on a
percent scale from 0-100%. The ini file uses an integer between 0 and
1. Thus, 50% Specular reads as .5 in the ini file.
High End: Set this to
100%.
Low End: Set this option
to 25% to 50%. href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album28&id=D08Specular&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php">
src="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album28/D08Specular.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px; height: 255px;">
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