My Massive config Shootout *Long Thread is Long* [Archive]

View Full Version : My Massive config Shootout *Long Thread is Long*

FastRedPonyCar

07-13-09, 02:59 PM

After pouring through about 12 different custom configs for Crysis, all of them disappointed me... some less than others.

I was pleased to see that my old config, Gaco's and kotlar's all stacked up favorably to the internet favorites such as HP's configs and the CCC config.However... I found that none were perfect and surprisingly enough, some were just downright hideous compared to what my own eyes perceive as a good looking config.

most of the problems I saw were (AGAIN!!!) related to poor SSAO settings, overblown HDR and after some fairly rigorous testing, the very seldom modified human eye settings. I can't stress how big an effect this had overall on the HDR and SSAO settings. It's like if the eye adaptation settings aren't JUST right, the HDR and SSAO, no matter how perfectly set they were before, do not look right.

So at this point in my tweaking and testing, you'll notice compared to other configs that mine has much more subdued SSAO and shadowing, much less HDR bloom and brighter areas that aren't exposed to direct sun.

The eye adaptation tweaking came into effect right after the first encounter at the dig site when the alien wakes up and freezes teh doctor, cut scene ends and you go outside and it's dark. It was PITCH BLACK... zero light.

Thinking that maybe the HDR just needed time to adjust, I sat and waited... and waited and 10 minutes later, still zero light.

Was it my config? I loaded config file after config file and discovered that every single one of them suffered from this total absence of ambient light.

Now, here's where my real life common sense kicks in and says "ok.. if it's a full moon outside and you're far away from artificial light... it's usually bright enough that you can see without a flashlight."

The only config I found that showed a little promise (though still very very dark) was HP's ultra high 1.3 config. I opened it up to see what it had that could be helping it and surprise, it was the only one that specifically addressed the eye adaptation settings.

So I printed those off and loaded back into crysis and started tweaking them until I could walk from inside the little excavation building that was lit up and go outside and have the eye adjust fairly quickly to the dramatic loss of light and still be able to play the game without the need for nightvision.

It worked amazingly well but my primary concern was now that this has been changed, how would bright daylight or dusk look? Would it be blown out and over contrasted? Would the light bloom be unbearable?

the answer was absolutely not. It looked even better than previous daylight testing. This was when I discovered that (to me at least) these tweaked eye adaptation settings made bright daylight look even better. Specicfically when you're under tree canopies that aren't receiving direct light.

The HDR bloom, SSAO shading, Vegetation shadows with the Terrain AO settings, etc.. they all just look "right" to me.

So with that being said, here come the comparison screenshots.

Please keep in mind that up until the harbor level, my config was constantly being altered at the various points of screenshot taking. Most notably, the Eye adaptation didn't get touched until that part I mentioned when it went to night time and the vegetation draw distance didn't get touched until the 3rd set of shots.

***NOTE, the Ultima Rage TOD mods are installed for this testing*** They can be installed with the CCC mod

All of the screenshots were taken with no AA and DX9 rendering And for bandwith sake, I didn't post actual screens. It's easiest to simply download them and flip back and fourth using a photo viewer (I like picasa myself).

FastRedPonyCar

07-13-09, 03:01 PM

SCENE 1

The first scene is standing on top of the radar jammer at the first bay after sunrise.

Key points of interest are the vegetation on the top left ledge, shadows on the side of the building where the bench is against the wall and shadows in the shaded area of the cliff face on the left.

Key config notes

- With the HP Reallifesys config, You can see that despite noticably more vegetation begin drawn up on the cliff, the shaded areas are far too dark. I found in the lower light scenes of the game, this config was practically unplayable.

- CCC's has noticably more shadow detail and about the same amount of vegetation as the Reallifesys config but WOW at the low framerate. This proved to be a common issue with the CCC config. Marginal image quality improvement at a huge FPS cost.

- Wingsformarie config is a textbook example of how NOT to do HDR but it may have intentionally been done this way. The SpeakR config wasn't far behind

- Despite a wider point of view, the Rexor Omega config had a shorter draw distance (but higher frame rate). While it wasn't noticable in this particular set, it made a fairly big impact on visual quality later on (though at that point in testing I had dumped it)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/MSTR.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/frpc.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/Wingsformarie.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/Boredgunner.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/SpeakR.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/HPUltrahigh.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/Extreme134.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/REXOR_Omega.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/HP_REallifesys.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set1/ccc_6.jpg

SCENE 2

The second set was taken across the bay standing on the roof of the boat house looking at the small village. Key points of interest are the objects on the ground in the village (barrels), vegetation behind the village against the cliff wall, vegetation on the cliff just above the village

There was somewhat of an oddity that happend in this set. The RealLifesys shot had over the top HDR bloom but drawaing WAY more vegetation and higher FPS than any other config. I didn't notice it until I was comparing all the screenshots and thought it was wierd so I loaded that config up again and the

vegetation was gone and the HDR was back to semi normal. It was after seeing that extra vegetation that I started to play with vegetation drawing distance.

Key Config Notes

- Once again, reallifesys draws the most vegetation but suffers from entirely too dark shaded areas such as the cliff wall

- The MSTR config seems to draw a bit more objects in the distance but not as much vegetation.

- CCC's config seems to have much less shading of the vegetation on the cliff

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/mstr.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/extreme134.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/rexor_omega.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/hp_ultra.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/ccc6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/reallifesys.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/frpc.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set2/boredgunner.jpg

SCENE 3

The 3rd scene was short and I didn't get shots of all the configs. I just grabbed shots from a few key configs as at this point, I had begun whittling down which configs I knew I didn't want to work with any more.

Key points of interest are the rocks on the ground in direct sunlight, the blue sky on the left between the tree branches and the canopy shadows on the rocks

Key Config Notes

- CCC's config for the first time didn't win the lowest FPS award and looked quite good
- The Extreme config has noticably over done HDR and bloom going on.. apparent on the rocks and the blue glowing sky
- MSTR's config, despite having low res mountain side textures and no POM has lower FPS than the CCC config
- MSTR config also exhibits overly done HDR/Bloom
- X config, despite the highest FPS, shows something funky going on with the SSAO shading on the rock wall on the left side of the screen.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set3/xconfig.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set3/MSTR.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set3/gaco.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set3/extreme.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set3/ccc6.jpg

SCENE 4

The fourth set was when I finally started to see what vegetation draw distance changes would do... draw not only vegetation but OBJECTS as well such as rocks and what not. This set was taken standing on a shed facing the gas station in the small town where the girl was rescued.

Key points of interest are the waterfall, rock wall face on the left, vegetation on and above the rock wall on the left and the distant objects just to the left of the excavation machine's arm.

Key Config notes

- The waterfall isn't visible in all of the shots. This one puzzled me for the longest time and (from what I've gathered) it has to deal with (again)

vegetation draw distance. The waterfall is visible up until a certain draw distance and then it mysteriously vanishes once you exceed a certain point. I don't beleive that ONLY veg draw distance is the culprit. I think it's a combination of a few different LOD settings becuase at one point in LOD

tweaking, I managed to get the spray of the water to totally disappear (at a high LOD setting which would typically yield better image quality).

- The object draw distance by the excavator arm is key here becuase despite the 2nd highest frame rate, my config at this point is the only one drawing all of these distant rocks. Veg draw distance is the key.

- Once again, HP's real lifesys config has too much shading and despite being one of the few drawing the waterfall, SOMETHING is taking a huge tax on the FPS.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/lifesys5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/gaco5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/hpultra5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/frpc2_5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/extreme5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set4/ccc6_5.jpg

Scene 5

The fifth scene was at the river basin just before going up the waterfall to meet Prophet.

Key points of interest are the rocks surrounding the waterfall, the shading of the left side of the hill where it splits one way to go to the waterfall and left to go another way. It's the shaded area on the left side of that small slope. Last point of interest is the distant tree line PAST the trees that are above the waterfall.

key config notes

- At this point, I introduced Kotlar's config. Comparing it to CCC6 which was noted that he based his config off this config is that they really look nothign alike... in fact, CCC's is different than the rest in that much more light is hitting surfaces such as rocks on the left of the small hill in the center of the screen and around the waterfall and less light penetrating the tree canopy to the ground below. I would naturally assuming this is due to

more foliage being drawn until noticing that several other configs are drawing about the same amount but with more light penetrating through the canopy.

- Yet again, Reallifesys takes the lowest FPS award as well as too much shading.

- Extreme config shows equal amounts of vegetation as CCC but with noticably darker shaded areas. FPS penalty is evident for this extra foliage.

- mine is the only one drawing the trees up over teh waterfall trees... though in this scene, it's not really a big deal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/lifesys7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/kotlar7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/hpultra7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/gaco7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/frpc7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/extreme7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/ccc6_7.jpg

Scene 6

The 6th scene was taken overlooking the river by the helicopter base in late afternoon sunlight. I chose this area becuase the player is facing direct sun and there is heavily shaded terrain all around and I wanted to see how the various configs handled this.

Key points of interest are the shaded areas of the cliffs, the trees to the top of the cliff on the right and the vegetation at the waters edge at the base of the cliff on the right.

Key Config Notes

- Both HP configs and teh Extreme config have the mountain immediately in front of the player and in the distance to the right totally blacked out

- For once CCC's config is missing a great deal of vegetation.. most noticably lacking at the base of the cliff on the right.

- Gaco and CCC render the scene virtually identically.

- Mine has the highest FPS and maintains near top image quality showing light details on the shaded cliff surfaces and vegetation at the waters edge below the cliff to the right.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/extreme8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/lifesys8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/hpultra8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/gaco8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/frpc8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set7/ccc6_8.jpg

Scene 7

The final scene so far in the testing is overlooking the harbor in the early morning just after sunrise.

Key points of interest are the surfaces of the rocks that are recieving direct sunlight, the distant face of the mountain and the shadows the trees and rocks on the island on the far right of the screen are casting.

key config notes

- Mine is the only config showing some trees and color on the distant mountain face

- Extreme config has the most light hitting the rocks and aside from mine is the ONLY one with any light hitting the rocks in the island in the center of the screenshot.

- Extreme and FRPC config are the only ones showing light and shading from sunlight on the bunker area to the far left and the only 2 showing light hitting the grassy area on the far right island.

- Shadows are too pronounced with Extreme config for the shadows on the island to the far right

- CCC config is most washed out of all the configs

- Mine has highest FPS again

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/lifesys9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/hpultra9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/gaco9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/frpc9_2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/etreme9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set8/ccc6_9.jpg

FastRedPonyCar

07-13-09, 03:02 PM

So far, that is the extent of my testing. Though I'm still making small tweaks every now and then, I'm still not totally satisfied with it as it seems that as the lighting conditions change, I want to change a couple of things here or there and it looks like there are a lot of things with the lighting that all depend on each other as far as what changes will affect what type of visuals. It's obviously a bit of a balancing act but I think I've gotten the config worked out in such a way that it offers the best visuals possible while maintaining the highest FPS possible.

Now I also realize that beauty is obviously in the eye of the beholder. Some dig the big blown out of proportion HDR glow, some obviously like the higher contrasted shaded areas. I happen to want my config to look as REAL as possible and this meant scaling back the HDR effects and bloom, making the shaded areas a bit brighter and finding a happy medium when it comes to wide open sunlight and shaded area light quantity and contrast amount.

Here are some standard and panoramic shots (some of which are that awesome harbor sunrise) that I've taken as I've progressed through these areas and as my config has progressed.

Below that is the code to my config. You guys try it out, test it in the various levels with various lighting and come back with feedback and any proposed tweaks. also, try it in warhead. I've yet to try it out but my last config worked really well in warhead.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/pano7.jpg

Teh code (and do me a favor and check to see if the R_eyeadaptationbase = .55 reverts back to .25. Mine is and I can't figure out why and it makes a fairly significant impact on overall shadow amount.

+------------------------------+
|FastRedPonyCar's Crysis Config|
+------------------------------+

con_restricted=0

+=======================+
| Primary Game settings |
+=======================+

sys_spec_GameEffects = 4
sys_spec_ObjectDetail = 4
sys_spec_Particles = 4
sys_spec_Physics = 4
sys_spec_PostProcessing = 4
sys_spec_Quality = 4
sys_spec_Shading = 4
sys_spec_Shadows = 4
sys_spec_Sound = 4
sys_spec_Texture = 4
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects = 4
sys_spec_Water = 4

+==================+
| Objects settings |
+==================+

ca_AttachmentCullingRation = 200
ca_DrawFaceAttachments = 1
ca_UseDecals = 1
e_cbuffer_resolution = 256
e_decals_allow_game_decals = 1
e_decals_life_time_scale = 2
e_decals = 1
e_dissolve = 1
e_lod_min = 0
e_lod_ratio = 8
e_obj_quality = 3
e_view_dist_ratio = 60
e_view_dist_ratio_detail = 33
es_DebrisLifetimeScale = 1
i_rejecteffects = 1
sys_flash_curve_tess_error = 2
e_terrain_occlusion_culling = 1
e_terrain_occlusion_culling_max_dist = 200
e_terrain_occlusion_culling_version = 0
e_terrain_lod_ratio = 0.8
e_lods = 1

+==================+
| Texture Settings |
+==================+

r_usepom = 1
r_DynTexMaxSize = 80
r_EnvTexResolution = 3
r_EnvCMResolution = 2
r_ImposterRatio = 1
r_TexAtlasSize = 1024
r_TexSkyResolution = 0
r_TexBumpResolution = 0
r_TexResolution = 0
r_TexturesFilteringQuality = 0
r_DynTexAtlasSpritesMaxSize = 24
sys_LowSpecPak = 0
r_VegetationSpritesTexRes = 128
r_DynTexAtlasCloudsMaxSize = 32

+=================+
| Shader settings |
+=================+

r_DetailDistance = 8
r_DetailNumLayers = 2
r_DetailTextures = 1
r_EnvTexUpdateInterval = 0.75
r_FillLights = 7
r_HairSortingQuality = 0
r_LightsSinglePass = 0
e_max_entity_lights = 11
e_particles_lights = 1
e_ram_maps = 1
e_sky_type = 1
e_sky_update_rate = 1
e_terrain_ao = 1
e_terrain_normal_map = 0
e_vegetation_use_terrain_color = 1
q_Renderer = 2
q_ShaderFX = 3
q_ShaderGeneral = 2
q_ShaderGlass = 3
q_ShaderHDR = 3
q_ShaderMetal = 3
q_ShaderPostProcess = 2
q_ShaderIce = 3
q_ShaderShadow = 2
q_ShaderSky = 3
q_ShaderTerrain = 3
q_ShaderVegetation = 3
sys_flash_edgeaa = 1

+====================+
| Particles settings |
+====================+

e_particles_lod = 1
e_particles_max_emitter_draw_screen = 20
e_particles_quality = 3
e_particles_object_collisions = 0
r_UseSoftParticles = 1
e_particles_thread=1
e_particles_receive_shadows = 1

+==========================================+
| HDR, SSAO and Vision Adaptation settings |
+==========================================+

r_SSAO = 1
r_SSAO_darkening = 0.3
r_ssao_quality = 1
r_ssao_radius = 1
r_ssao_amount 0.2
r_HDRRendering = 2
r_HDRlevel = .6
r_SSAO_blur = 1
r_SSAO_blurrines .8
r_GlowScreenMultiplier = 0.2
r_TerrainAO = 7
r_TerrainAO_FadeDist=0.1
r_eyeadaptationbase = .55
r_hdrbrightoffset = 25
r_eyeadaptationspeed = .1
r_eyeadaptationfactor = .75

+=================+
| Shadow settings |
+=================+

e_shadows = 1
e_shadows_cast_view_dist_ratio = 0.8
e_shadows_max_texture_size = 1024
e_shadows_from_terrain_in_all_lods = 0
e_shadows_on_alpha_blended = 1
e_gsm_lods_num = 5
e_gsm_range = 3
r_ShadowJittering = 1.5
r_ShadowBlur = 0
r_ShadowsMaskResolution = 0

+================+
| Water settings |
+================+

r_WaterCaustics = 1
r_WaterReflections = 1
r_WaterReflectionsQuality = 2
r_WaterRefractions = 1
r_WaterUpdateDistance = 0.2
r_WaterUpdateFactor = 0.05
r_WaterGodRays = 1
r_WaterReflectionsMinVisiblePixelsUpdate = 0.001
q_ShaderWater = 2
e_water_ocean_fft = 1
e_water_ocean_soft_particles = 1
e_water_tesselation_amount = 8
e_water_tesselation_swath_width = 10

+=====================+
| Vegetation settings |
+=====================+

e_vegetation_static_instancing=0
e_vegetation_sprites_distance_ratio = 1
e_cull_veg_activation = 50
e_view_dist_ratio_vegetation = 65
e_proc_vegetation = 1
e_vegetation_bending = 2
e_vegetation_min_size = 0
e_vegetation_sprites_distance_custom_ratio_min = 1
e_vegetation_wind = 1

+=======================+
| Viewdistance settings |
+=======================+

e_detail_materials_view_dist_xy = 4096
e_detail_materials_view_dist_z = 256
e_max_view_dst_spec_lerp = 1

+=========+
| Physics |
+=========+

e_foliage_wind_activation_dist = 25
e_phys_foliage = 2
e_phys_ocean_cell = 0.5
es_MaxPhysDist = 190
es_MaxPhysDistInvisible = 25
g_breakage_particles_limit = 220
g_joint_breaking = 1
g_tree_cut_reuse_dist = 0
p_max_MC_iters = 6000
p_max_substeps_large_group = 5
p_num_bodies_large_group = 6w0

+================+
| Sound settings |
+================+

s_CacheSize = 80
s_FormatSampleRate = 48000
s_MPEGDecoders = 32
s_Obstruction = 1
s_ObstructionAccuracy = 1
s_ObstructionUpdate = 0.1
s_ReverbType = 1
s_SoundMoodsDSP = 1
s_VariationLimiter = 1

+================================+
| Lighting & Volumetric settings |
+================================+

-- Sunshafts --
r_sunshafts = 1
r_Beams = 3
r_BeamsDistFactor = 0.03
r_BeamsMaxSlices = 250
e_clouds = 1
r_CloudsUpdateAlways = 1
r_Coronas = 1
r_Flares = 1

+==========================+
| Post Processing settings |
+==========================+

r_ColorGrading = 1
r_DepthOfField = 2
r_MotionBlur = 1
cl_hitblur = 1
cl_hitShake = 1
g_Dof_Ironsight = 1

+===================+
| Other Misc tweaks |
+===================+

r_GeomInstancing=1
e_cbuffer = 1
r_CullGeometryForLights = 1
g_battleDust_enable = 1
e_recursion_occlusion_culling = 1
e_particles_preload = 1
g_ragdollDistance = 30
g_ragdollMinTime = 15
v_vehicle_quality = 4
i_lighteffects = 1
r_TexturesStreaming = 0
r_useEdgeAA = 1

grey_1

07-13-09, 04:37 PM

Reinstalling Crysis because of you. :p

Will report back in a while. thanks for all your hard work!

EDIT: Name the text file 'sysconfig' and place in root of Crysis folder? Been a while, thanks

grey_1

07-13-09, 05:39 PM

Ok, HD 4870 512 with Cat 6.7s.

Vanilla run

7/13/2009 4:26:15 PM - Vista 64
Beginning Run #1 on Map-island, Demo-benchmark_gpu
DX10 1680x1050, AA=No AA, Vsync=Disabled, 32 bit test, FullScreen
Demo Loops=3, Time Of Day= 9
Global Game Quality: High
================================================== ============
TimeDemo Play Started , (Total Frames: 2000, Recorded Time: 111.86s)
!TimeDemo Run 0 Finished.
Play Time: 48.38s, Average FPS: 41.34
Min FPS: 32.49 at frame 1976, Max FPS: 51.52 at frame 867
Average Tri/Sec: -40279020, Tri/Frame: -974348
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -0.94
!TimeDemo Run 1 Finished.
Play Time: 45.06s, Average FPS: 44.38
Min FPS: 32.49 at frame 1976, Max FPS: 54.89 at frame 76
Average Tri/Sec: -42718480, Tri/Frame: -962520
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -0.95
!TimeDemo Run 2 Finished.
Play Time: 44.95s, Average FPS: 44.49
Min FPS: 32.49 at frame 1976, Max FPS: 54.89 at frame 76
Average Tri/Sec: -42797452, Tri/Frame: -961944
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -0.95
TimeDemo Play Ended, (3 Runs Performed)
================================================== ============

Completed All Tests

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>>--SUMMARY--<<><><><><><><><><><><><><>

7/13/2009 4:26:15 PM - Vista 64

Run #1- DX10 1680x1050 AA=No AA, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 44.435

Your config all settings exactly the same -

TimeDemo Play Started , (Total Frames: 2000, Recorded Time: 111.86s)
!TimeDemo Run 0 Finished.
Play Time: 71.05s, Average FPS: 28.15
Min FPS: 21.96 at frame 1349, Max FPS: 36.89 at frame 75
Average Tri/Sec: -11026297, Tri/Frame: -391706
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -2.34
!TimeDemo Run 1 Finished.
Play Time: 61.54s, Average FPS: 32.50
Min FPS: 21.96 at frame 1349, Max FPS: 38.69 at frame 895
Average Tri/Sec: -12069955, Tri/Frame: -371383
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -2.47
!TimeDemo Run 2 Finished.
Play Time: 60.93s, Average FPS: 32.82
Min FPS: 21.96 at frame 1349, Max FPS: 39.45 at frame 65
Average Tri/Sec: -12164313, Tri/Frame: -370601
Recorded/Played Tris ratio: -2.47
TimeDemo Play Ended, (3 Runs Performed)

Will do more testing in a bit.

Late Edit: My R_eyeadaptationbase stayed at .55

m3dude

07-15-09, 03:31 AM

none of your screens work

shteve

07-15-09, 07:38 AM

They work fine for me :thumbsup:

FastRedPonyCar

07-15-09, 09:26 AM

yeah try refreshing the page or something. they work. they're hosted at photobucket which has gone down maybe twice in the 4 or 5 years I've been using it.

grey_1

07-15-09, 09:58 AM

They worked fine for me as well.

Roliath

07-15-09, 12:50 PM

Worked great here!
Thanks!
I need to double check the r_eye setting, to see if it reverted back to .25

I'll run benches when I get home later today.

m3dude

07-15-09, 03:30 PM

they work now but werent working at the time of my posting. u should have included vanilla very high as a comparison point

Roliath

07-15-09, 09:23 PM

Here are my benches using your config, pretty good fps.

r_eyeadaptation stayed at .55 too

Snake101st

07-15-09, 11:58 PM

Great config, Im going to be using it now!

FastRedPonyCar

07-16-09, 09:28 AM

Here are my benches using your config, pretty good fps.

r_eyeadaptation stayed at .55 too

looks good man yeah that's about 2 fps lower than mine... so good to know it's consistent.

I have no idea hy the eye adaptation is reverting back to .55 :(

I may try and copy/paste it in again at the bottom of the config to see if that makes any difference. I didn't see it in any of the other CVAR config files.

Roliath

07-20-09, 02:42 PM

looks good man yeah that's about 2 fps lower than mine... so good to know it's consistent.

I have no idea hy the eye adaptation is reverting back to .55 :(

I may try and copy/paste it in again at the bottom of the config to see if that makes any difference. I didn't see it in any of the other CVAR config files.

Whoa my benches are 2 fps lower than yours on a single gtx 275? Did I read that correctly? (1920x1200 4xAA all very high, loaded up crysis to set the settings in-game "than" applied your config on top of it).

Also I removed your config to try out lifesis and I hated it, I had to uninstall and re-apply your config immediately! Will this config work in Warhead as well? I need to give it a try later this afternoon.
Great job on the config, i'm loving it.

FastRedPonyCar

07-20-09, 03:03 PM

Roliath

07-20-09, 03:11 PM

that's what I'm wondering if it will work in warhead as well. i'm betting it will work just fine.

regarding my own bechmarks, yeah I ran them 1900X1200 W/no AA and it averages high 30's. I use the standard GPU benchmark crytek provides.

I'll test with Warhead tonight. I just downloaded some of the levels other users suggested in the Crysis Mods/Maps thread so i'll be doing some more testing. I wonder how well your config will scale at lower settings.

I'm building an SFF box for my dad to game on (his x2/7800gtx rig is a bit outdated). So i'm getting him a Sugo SG05, C2D 8400 (or C2D 7400 and overclocked), 4gb, zotac 9300 and not sure what gpu yet. I was thinking either a 9800GT or GTS 250 (looking to keep this "cheap").

pakotlar

07-24-09, 02:29 AM

Kotlar cfg; Based off Lvl-6 CCC cfg (used as base)

;File Release Version = 2.21
;Config Version = LVL-6 [" VERY HIGH "] Config
;Operating System = DX9 Windows XP/Vista 32/64
;File Name = Autoexec.cfg

;[~]SETS IN-GAME GRAPHICS SETTINGS TO LOW AUTOMATICALLY[~]

sys_spec_Full = 1
sys_spec_ObjectDetail = 1
sys_spec_Shading = 1
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects = 1
sys_spec_Texture = 4
sys_spec_Physics = 1
sys_spec_PostProcessing = 1
sys_spec_Particles = 1
sys_spec_Sound = 4
sys_spec_Shadows = 4
sys_spec_Water = 4
sys_spec_GameEffects = 1

;[~]CUSTOMIZE THESE SETTINGS TO YOUR OWN COMPUTER[~]

con_restricted = 0
r_width =
r_height =
r_VSync = 0
d3d9_TripleBuffering = 1
r_displayinfo = 0
sys_physics_CPU = 0

;[~]BASE PERFORMANCE BOOSTERS[~]

e_cbuffer = 2
cl_hitBlur = 0
cl_hitShake = 1
r_GeomInstancing = 1
e_particles_thread = 1
es_ondemandphysics = 1
gpu_particle_physics = 1
r_CullGeometryForLights = 1
e_vegetation_static_instancing = 0
e_terrain_occlusion_culling = 1
e_terrain_occlusion_culling_version = 0
e_terrain_occlusion_culling_max_dist = 400
r_rain = 1
r_RainMaxViewDist = 32
e_occlusion_culling_view_dist_ratio = 1

;[~]CUSTOMIZE FOR YOUR CUSTOM SCREENSHOT SETTINGS[~]; ONLY WORK in the EDITOR (Sandbox 2)

e_screenshot_width = 2048
e_screenshot_height = 1536
e_screenshot_quality = 100
e_screenshot_file_format = jpg

;[~]SPEAKER CONFIGURATION SETTINGS[~]

s_SpeakerConfig = 5

;[~]CUSTOM HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE SETTINGS[~]

r_HDRRendering = 2
r_HDRLevel = 1.2
r_HDRBrightOffset = 35.3
r_HDRBrightThreshold = 7
r_Glow = 1
r_GlowScreenMultiplier = 0.4

;[~]CUSTOM AMBIENT OCCLUSION SETTINGS[~]

e_terrain_ao = 1
r_TerrainAO = 7
r_TerrainAO_FadeDist = 12

;[~]CUSTOM SCREEN-SPACE AMBIENT OCCLUSION SETTINGS[~]

r_SSAO = 1
r_SSAO_amount = 1
r_SSAO_blur = 4
r_SSAO_blurriness = 1
r_SSAO_darkening = 0.35
r_SSAO_quality = 2
r_SSAO_radius = 1.6

;[~]OBJECT-QUALITY SETTINGS[~]

e_view_dist_custom_ratio = 150
r_distant_rain =1
e_obj_quality = 4
e_proc_vegetation = 1
ca_useDecals = 1
e_decals = 1
e_decals_allow_game_decals = 1
e_decals_life_time_scale = 2
e_lod_ratio = 6
e_lod_min = 0
e_lods=1
e_view_dist_ratio_detail = 80
e_view_dist_ratio_vegetation = 50
e_vegetation_min_size = 0
i_rejecteffects = 1
e_vegetation_bending = 2
sys_flash_curve_tess_error = 2
e_view_dist_ratio = 65
e_max_view_dst_spec_lerp = 1
e_vegetation_sprites_distance_custom_ratio_min = 1.1
e_vegetation_sprites_distance_ratio = 1.6
e_detail_materials_view_dist_z = 256
es_DebrisLifetimeScale = 1
e_cbuffer_resolution = 256
e_dissolve = 1
ca_DrawFaceAttachments = 1
ca_AttachmentCullingRation = 200

;[~]GAME EFFECTS SETTINGS[~]

i_lighteffects = 1
i_lighteffectShadows=3
g_ragdollMinTime = 15.0
g_ragdollUnseenTime = 2
g_ragdollDistance = 35.0
g_battleDust_enable = 1

;[~]PARTICLE SETTINGS[~]

e_particles_quality = 4
e_particles_lod = 1
e_particles_lights = 1
e_particles_receive_shadows = 0
r_UseSoftParticles = 1
e_water_ocean_soft_particles = 1
e_particles_object_collisions = 1
e_particles_max_emitter_draw_screen = 32
r_UseParticlesRefraction = 1

;[~]PHYSICS SETTINGS[~]

e_cull_veg_activation = 50
g_joint_breaking = 1
g_tree_cut_reuse_dist = 0
p_max_MC_iters = 5000
e_phys_foliage = 2
e_vegetation_wind = 1
es_MaxPhysDist = 150
es_MaxPhysDistInvisible = 15
e_phys_ocean_cell = .5
e_foliage_wind_activation_dist = 25
g_breakage_particles_limit = 150
v_vehicle_quality = 4
p_max_substeps_large_group = 5
p_num_bodies_large_group = 100
p_max_object_splashes=3
p_splash_dist0=7
p_splash_dist1=30
p_splash_force0=10
p_splash_force1=100
p_splash_vel0=4.5
p_splash_vel1=10

;[~]POST PROCESSING EFFECTS SETTINGS[~]

r_PostProcessEffects = 1
r_MotionBlur = 1
r_Flares = 1
r_Coronas = 1
r_UseEdgeAA = 2
r_sunshafts = 1
r_colorgrading = 1
r_WaterGodRays = 1
r_DepthOfField = 1
g_Dof_Ironsight = 1

;[~]SHADER QUALITY SETTINGS[~]

q_ShaderGeneral = 3
q_ShaderMetal = 3
q_ShaderGlass = 3
q_ShaderVegetation = 3
q_ShaderIce = 3
q_ShaderTerrain = 3
q_ShaderShadow = 2
q_ShaderFX = 3
q_ShaderPostProcess = 3
q_ShaderHDR = 3
q_ShaderSky = 3
q_Renderer = 3
r_LightsSinglePass = 0

;[~]SPECIFIC SHADER SETTINGS[~]

e_sky_type = 1
e_sky_update_rate = 1
r_DetailTextures = 1
r_DetailNumLayers = 2
r_DetailDistance = 10
e_ram_maps = 1
e_vegetation_use_terrain_color = 1
e_max_entity_lights = 11
r_UsePom = 0
r_EnvTexUpdateInterval = 0.01
r_TexturesFilteringQuality = 0
r_HairSortingQuality = 1
r_FillLights = 14
e_particles_lights = 1

;[~]SHADOW SETTINGS[~]

e_gsm_cache = 1
e_shadows = 1
r_ShadowJittering = 1.5
e_shadows_max_texture_size = 1024
e_shadows_cast_view_dist_ratio = .8
e_shadows_on_alpha_blended = 1
e_shadows_from_terrain_in_all_lods = 0
e_gsm_lods_num = 6
e_gsm_range = 4
e_gsm_range_step = 2
r_ShadowBlur = 0
e_shadows_clouds = 1
e_gsm_cache_lod_offset=2 (<--- change this to speed up global shadow refresh...at this rate it is not noticeable except in rare instances (such as helicopter casting shadow)...fps hit is about 10% per level in maxed out and shadow heavy scenes... 3 is pretty much perfect, but 2 gives noticeable fps boost)

;[~]SOUND SETTINGS[~]

s_FormatSampleRate=48000
s_CacheSize=80
s_MPEGDecoders=32
s_Obstruction=1
s_ObstructionAccuracy=1
s_ObstructionUpdate=0.1
s_SoundMoodsDSP=1
s_VariationLimiter=1.0
s_ReverbType=2

;[~]TEXTURE SETTINGS[~]

sys_LowSpecPak=0
r_TexSkyResolution=0
r_ImposterRatio=1
r_EnvCMResolution=2
r_EnvTexResolution=3
r_DynTexMaxSize=80
r_TexAtlasSize=2048
r_DynTexAtlasCloudsMaxSize=32
r_DynTexAtlasSpritesMaxSize=32
r_VegetationSpritesTexRes=64
sys_flash_edgeaa=1

;[~]VOLUMETRIC EFFECTS SETTINGS[~]

r_Beams = 3
r_BeamsDistFactor = 0.05
r_BeamsMaxSlices = 160
e_Clouds = 1
r_CloudsUpdateAlways = 0

;[~]OCEAN/WATER SETTINGS[~]

r_WaterRefractions=1
r_WaterReflections=1
r_WaterUpdateFactor=0.01
e_water_tesselation_amount=10
e_water_tesselation_swath_width=10
r_WaterUpdateDistance=0.2
r_WaterCaustics=1
r_WaterReflectionsQuality=3
e_water_ocean_fft=1
q_ShaderWater=3
r_WaterReflectionsMinVisiblePixelsUpdate = 0.05

;[~]FOR HIGH-DETAIL ON MOUNTAINS[~]*KEY*=Important

e_terrain_normal_map = 1
e_terrain_lod_ratio = 1
e_terrain_texture_lod_ratio = 1
e_detail_materials_view_dist_xy = 4096
r_TexturesStreaming = 0

my config is the best. gtx 285/i7 + only

FastRedPonyCar

07-24-09, 09:15 AM

my config is the best. gtx 285/i7 + only

yours is pretty good but still lacking in some areas, notably the vegetation. note the two screenshots. One of yours, one of mine about half way through the optimization process. mine draws more vegetation and objects like rocks and stuff and has higher fps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/kotlar7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/frpc7.jpg

It also doesn't address any of the HDR eye adaptation settings so in low light or darkness, the world is near pitch black.

pakotlar

07-24-09, 10:47 AM

yours is pretty good but still lacking in some areas, notably the vegetation. note the two screenshots. One of yours, one of mine about half way through the optimization process. mine draws more vegetation and objects like rocks and stuff and has higher fps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/kotlar7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Crysis/CVAR%20testing/set6/frpc7.jpg

It also doesn't address any of the HDR eye adaptation settings so in low light or darkness, the world is near pitch black.

PS, the reason my eye adaptation settings dont work is because you have a custom TOD cfg. So of course it'll screw with those values.
Your TerrainAO fade dist is .1! That must look GREAT haha. Hows the shadow popup working for you (check the rocks, as you move closer, their self shadowing will pop in).

So I see that you increased LOD_ratio. I haven't messed with that very much. My goal was to make object and vegetation pop not noticeable, so I extended draw distance of main objects out a bit further. You have a 65 vegetation draw distance, which drops performance ~ 10% - 15%. That's not worth seeing those little shrubs at the top of the mountain to me. Other things I noticed: Your physics settings are totally unoptimized, and you will see a really nice FPS drop with those settings during explosions. I get nearly none. Your edge AA setting is at 1, which offers almost no real edge AA (1 is awful looking). 2 gives little drop and much nicer quality. Your particle settings are simpler, and you are missing some of the effects that mine includes (like shadows cast from weapon fire) which can really add to immersion IMO. Lol @ physics: p_num_bodies_large_group = 6w0 that isn't a returnable value.

My config actually draws MORE objects than yours does, as my draw distance is further out both for LOD objects (at 65 vs 60 for you) and object details (80 vs your 33), and my DetailDistance is 20% further. My cfg gives literally no pop-in (some v. minor fade in) and has enough vegetation draw distance that it beats out v.high cfg (which has almost no pop in). I'd wager I'll be getting something like 35fps on avg while you'd get ~ 30. I'd be interesting to bench a few scenes. The reason you are seeing fewer objects in my SS is because I for some reason have a 1 setting for vegetation min size. Check the remark in the EDIT: below.

Your AO is also using low quality settings, while mine uses the v.high quality settings. I turned AO radius down to 1.6 because beyond that it looks weird, introduces some artifacts. Your AO settings are basically what Crysis High cfg uses. So really, the only thing I see about your cfg is that you draw vegetation at a value of 65, which offers very little in draw improvements beyond the background which you don't notice at all during gameplay, increasing overhead, and you sacrifice quality in every other area.

I made a tradeoff for DOF level (1 in mine vs 2 in yours and v.high) because, 1. DOF 2 looks like crap and 2. it costs a bunch of frames (like 10%). For anyone that doesnt know, that's what blurs out the mountains in crysis. I was just in Vail, CO, and the mountains don't look blurry in real life. So yeah, your cfg draws more trees in the background, but mine does more of literally everything else.

I also draw more grass. BAM! In fact, 60% further out. You have e_vegetation_sprites_distance_ratio = 1 vs my e_vegetation_sprites_distance_ratio = 1.6 . V.high is 1.5.

EDIT: Change vegetation min size to 0. That's why you see more vegetation in yours. That'll fix it. Dunno why it came out like that, I use a 0 setting.

btw your shadow settings are lower quality than mine. You have more pop in. I have both a further out GSM draw disance, and more LOD steps so the LOD transitions aren't very noticeable. Took me a lot of work to get rid of any shadow draw distance issues without a noticeable hit.

I get a steady 35 - 45 fps, with average being ~ 38-40, so very playable. The lowest I've seen it drop was in the rice fields at night, when it'd go down to ~ 28, no other scene has gone nearly that low. With a single 285.

FastRedPonyCar

07-24-09, 11:13 AM

pakotlar

07-24-09, 11:47 AM

I'll have to go back and look at the terrain ao fade. I borrowed that from I think one of the early MSTR configs

edge aa is set at 2. I changed that a day or two after the topic was started here.

physics: p_num_bodies_large_group = 6w0 (No idea where that one came from ahahah.. probably from X cofig)

for vegetation draw distance, it draws objects as well and I didn't see much (if any) of a noticable drop in FPS.

Ah, I should check out the veg draw distance value out then. Hey, one other thing... I think the biggest problem with LOD settings is that character draw distance is somewhat tied to them. That and other "critical objects", like cars and a few other things (houses, etc). Those critical objects actually have their own seperate value. Check this out: e_view_dist_custom_ratio = 150

This is something on the order of 50% further out than V.high config, so when you "zoom in" with binoculars or scope, NOTHING pops in. It's pretty cool. you can see characters across the entire map on Onslaught & other large vistas.

r_TerrainAO_FadeDist = 12 helps as does

e_gsm_lods_num = 6
e_gsm_range = 4
e_gsm_range_step = 2

in order to kill any shadow pop in before the .8 shadow draw distance. the gsm OFFSET (this was previously incorrectly stated as range_stepvalue @ 2 makes global shadow casts @ a distance (like airplane casting shadow from sky) run at a lower than game refresh. To see an extreme example of this see the CryEngine 3 demos. This is a less noticeable version of that. It updates those global shadows slower, but it is very rarely noticeable, and does not bother me. It also saves about 4 fps @ ~38-42, so about 10-15%. It offsets some of the extra LOD tweaks. I changed my grass min size back to 0 and a lot more shrubbery (MONTY!) is being drawn.

Change all of your quality options to 4 (obj quality and particle quality). This will make a difference with explosions (some nicer effects; with regards to particle quality). I haven't seen a direct difference with obj quality = 4, but not drop either, and I'm sure it adds detail in some cases.

Finally,

i_lighteffects = 1
i_lighteffectShadows=3

give you dynamic muzzle flash, and the muzzle flash casts shadows now. looks really nice indoors.

I'd def recommend AO quality @ 2, and radius at at least 1.2-1.4. It gives a bit of a difference. To see it enter the console commands in a poorly lit room.