Sure enough, I had the command line wrong. I had the refresh rate set to 59.94, when the game showed it as 60. So I got the command line changed to 59.99 were appropriate and it stopped the screen tearing. Since I sent my options to default to double check my integers, vsync got re-enabled, so I had a tiny bit of stuttering. Now that vsync is disabled along with the rest of the things I've shut off, the game looks better than ever and running smoothly.
I cannot stress to folks enough to not only make sure your graphic drivers are up to date, but to do a clean reinstall if you're uncertain. I had installed the AMD 14.12 beta drivers the first time, and I could immediately tell that something was up. So, I went through the whole routine of uninstalling my graphic drivers, going into Safe Mode, using Guru3D and reinstalling in normal mode. Between that, the patch with the hotfix and now your tips, my game looks 100% better and smoother.
Damn, that is tweaking done right! Excellent job, Natashina, well done! Have a blast playing with such a better experience than before!
Damn, that is tweaking done right! Excellent job, Natashina, well done! Have a blast playing with such a better experience than before!
Thank you! I cut my teeth on PC tweaking earlier this year for ME2 and ME3.
Oh, might as well post specs, for those that have similar computers. I'm putting this into spoiler tags to save space. I didn't realize how big this had gotten:
Spoiler
General
Win 7 x64
AMD Radeon R9 2XX series
16gig
AMD A10-7850k APU processor, 4.0GHz
In game settings:
Command line for 60 FPS Unlock, refresh rate set to 59.99
Mesh and Textures-Ultra
Shadows-Medium
Tessellation-Medium (thanks for that tip!)
Water-Medium
The rest-High
Mantle instead of DirectX, now that it's patched
Vsync-Off (and stay off, you bloody thing!)
MSAA-Off
Ambient Lighting-Off
If I'm having any graphic issues, water and shadows are the first to get dropped. I'd recommend to anyone that's having FPS issues to drop those settings before any other. This is including AA and ambient lighting, since I've had less problems with those settings in other games than water and shadow details. Maybe it's just me.
User.cfg
Edit: I took out the lines that are using strike-threw.
WorldRender.MotionBlurEnable 0
WorldRender.MotionBlurQuality 0
WorldRender.MotionBlurMaxSampleCount 0
RenderDevice.TripleBufferingEnable 0
WorldRender.TransparencyShadowmapsEnable 0
WorldRender.LightTileCsPathEnable 0
And with all of that, I'm averaging a smooth 50-60fps in cutscenes, with about 50 everywhere else. It's not nearly as killer as some of the FPS boosts that some of the other posters have had, but my box isn't quite as good as some others. I was averaging about 28-32 before the patch. without the graphic tweaks, hotfix, driver install, with Mesh and Textures on High instead of Ultra.
So if you want a pretty looking game and you don't necessarily have the top video cards, that's what worked for me.
omg, finding this thread was a lifesaver!! if origin somehow manages to outsmart me and install the patch anyway, i know where to turn. OP, you are the first person on this forum that i've seen that's not ready to jump down anyone's throat + willing to offer help and this thread actually feels friendly as opposed to "gtfo you apologist/elitist RRGHHH"
bless you. i'll be sure to return if there are any problems (and lbr, there will be, bc this is PC gaming and Bioware, lmao)
Thank you! I cut my teeth on PC tweaking earlier this year for ME2 and ME3.
Oh, might as well post specs, for those that have similar computers. I'm putting this into spoiler tags to save space. I didn't realize how big this had gotten:
Spoiler
General
Win 7 x64
AMD Radeon R9 2XX series
16gig
AMD A10-7850k APU processor, 4.0GHz
In game settings:
Command line for 60 FPS Unlock, refresh rate set to 59.99
Mesh and Textures-Ultra
Shadows-Medium
Tessellation-Medium (thanks for that tip!)
Water-Medium
The rest-High
Mantle instead of DirectX, now that it's patched
Vsync-Off (and stay off, you bloody thing!)
MSAA-Off
Ambient Lighting-Off
If I'm having any graphic issues, water and shadows are the first to get dropped. I'd recommend to anyone that's having FPS issues to drop those settings before any other. This is including AA and ambient lighting, since I've had less problems with those settings in other games than water and shadow details. Maybe it's just me.
User.cfg
WorldRender.MotionBlurEnable 0
WorldRender.MotionBlurQuality 0
WorldRender.MotionBlurMaxSampleCount 0
RenderDevice.TripleBufferingEnable 0
WorldRender.TransparencyShadowmapsEnable 0
WorldRender.LightTileCsPathEnable 0
And with all of that, I'm averaging a smooth 50-60fps in cutscenes, with about 50 everywhere else. It's not nearly as killer as some of the FPS boosts that some of the other posters have had, but my box isn't quite as good as some others. I was averaging about 28-32 before the patch. without the graphic tweaks, hotfix, driver install, with Mesh and Textures on High instead of Ultra.
So if you want a pretty looking game and you don't necessarily have the top video cards, that's what worked for me.
Hehe, then I guess having to tweak another BioWare game is nothing new for you!
Thank you very much for posting your specs, your settings and the contents of your "user.cfg" file, I'm sure they will come in handy to someone at some point! As for the "user.cfg" tweaks, I would suggest removing the following lines to make it leaner:
WorldRender.MotionBlurQuality 0 (made redundant by having WorldRender.MotionBlurEnable 0)
WorldRender.MotionBlurMaxSampleCount 0 (same reason as above)
I am still not sure if WorldRender.TransparencyShadowmapsEnable 0 and WorldRender.LightTileCsPathEnable 0 actually make a difference performance-wise, since I have tried enabling and disabling them repeatedly in different locations using the in-game console and they do not appear to make a difference to the visuals, at least in DA:I. For the same tweaks and more in Battlefield 4, here's what one of the developers of the Frostbite 3 engine from DICE had to say:
"We are starting to call this "cargo-cult configuring" at the office :-) But seriously, I think you should now what you are turning off before copy-pasting this cfg:
MotionBlurEnable and DynamicAOEnable: This would turn of motion blur and ambient occlusion post processes respectively. The other motion blur related settings is not affecting performance when motion blur is disabled and not needed. This is probably the settings that are making a difference for you.
SpotlightShadowmapEnable: This disables shadows from spotligts, like street lights and indoor lighting (but not the sun). SpotlightShadowmapResolution doesn't affect performance if they are turned off.
RenderAheadLimit and TripleBufferingEnable both affect how many frames we render ahead. Should not reduce performance, but will increase input latency slightly and give you smoother mean framerate.
LightTileCsPathEnable: For certain GPUs this might affect performance. Test for yourself, you can toggle it yourself in the in-game console (~). Hint: Use PerfOverlay.DrawGraph.
Dx11 related settings: We automatically detect GPU capabilities. If you have a Dx11 capable card you should have it enabled, especially 11.1 on Win8, since we use some of the features there to increase performance.
Hope that helps. For most users we hope that the video options menu would suffice, but finding the optimal settings for all possible systems is unfortunately impossible. That is why we are exposing these "tweaks". But you should always make sure each override actually gives you better performance, not just copy from someone else."
I will now include these comments in the OP as well!
omg, finding this thread was a lifesaver!! if origin somehow manages to outsmart me and install the patch anyway, i know where to turn. OP, you are the first person on this forum that i've seen that's not ready to jump down anyone's throat + willing to offer help and this thread actually feels friendly as opposed to "gtfo you apologist/elitist RRGHHH"
bless you. i'll be sure to return if there are any problems (and lbr, there will be, bc this is PC gaming and Bioware, lmao)
No problem, bluewaters, I'm just really glad you find the thread helpful!
Yes, it seems there's a trend lately of really poorly coded PC ports, but that's where we dedicated PC gamers come in. Should you encounter any problem with the game, please report back and we'll sort it out somehow, no worries!
omg, finding this thread was a lifesaver!! if origin somehow manages to outsmart me and install the patch anyway, i know where to turn. OP, you are the first person on this forum that i've seen that's not ready to jump down anyone's throat + willing to offer help and this thread actually feels friendly as opposed to "gtfo you apologist/elitist RRGHHH"
bless you. i'll be sure to return if there are any problems (and lbr, there will be, bc this is PC gaming and Bioware, lmao)
I've been recommending this thread to any PC user, with the caveat that they are polite to the awesome OP. It made all the difference in my gaming. Plus, the positive attitude is very refreshing. I've been loving this game despite some of the issues, so it's nice talking to folks that have been enjoying the game as well.
@Verr I got rid of those other lines. Yeah, I probably didn't need them considering I had the whole thing disabled in the first place. <facepalm>
I'll play with some of those other settings later. The big reason why I'm not playing is because my house needs some cleaning, and I'm actually on the day shift for the rest of the week. It's also really pretty outside, in the 60s (until Sunday when it'll remember that it's actually December,) so I've got classic rock cranked and the house airing out.
A question about the refresh rate thingy command line. You recommend to set it at 59.94 whereas in game for me it is set to 59.95. Should I leave the command line at 59.94? or should it be matched with the ingame 59.95 setting. Just trying to figure out why its .01 less in the command line is all!
Not exactly a fix for anything, but you could always try turning some of the game's settings down and see if SweetFX can achieve similar looks with a better performance.
I've been recommending this thread to any PC user, with the caveat that they are polite to the awesome OP. It made all the difference in my gaming. Plus, the positive attitude is very refreshing. I've been loving this game despite some of the issues, so it's nice talking to folks that have been enjoying the game as well.
@Verr I got rid of those other lines. Yeah, I probably didn't need them considering I had the whole thing disabled in the first place. <facepalm>
I'll play with some of those other settings later. The big reason why I'm not playing is because my house needs some cleaning, and I'm actually on the day shift for the rest of the week. It's also really pretty outside, in the 60s (until Sunday when it'll remember that it's actually December,) so I've got classic rock cranked and the house airing out.
I guess I have you to thank for the nice people visiting this thread!
Jokes aside, I've always thought that one should treat others the way they themselves would want to be treated. Good luck with the cleaning then and enjoy the last bit of good weather of this year!
A question about the refresh rate thingy command line. You recommend to set it at 59.94 whereas in game for me it is set to 59.95. Should I leave the command line at 59.94? or should it be matched with the ingame 59.95 setting. Just trying to figure out why its .01 less in the command line is all!
A very good question, Crabby!
It would seem that only setting "GameTime.MaxVariableFps" to 1 frame less than your monitor's actual refresh rate (as shown in the "Display" in-game menu) helps eliminate stuttering! While certainly appearing more logical, do not try to match this value to your refresh rate, since that does not seem to bring any benefits! I'm unsure as to why this is happening exactly, but it's probably related to how Frostbite 3 is coded.
I, for one, do not mind not knowing the exact technical background behind every tweak listed in the OP, but I would certainly like being able to provide them to you guys and I will try to provide adequate sources and explanations whenever I can!
Not exactly a fix for anything, but you could always try turning some of the game's settings down and see if SweetFX can achieve similar looks with a better performance.
That is a very good point, Maverick, and I will update the OP with a SweetFX section now!
Updated the OP with a section dedicated to SweetFX!
Does anyone know how one can resize embedded screenshots, so that they might look like Scoobydooby's ones with the comparison between Windows 7 and 8.1? I would very much like to have the linked SweetFX comparison screenshots side by side in the OP for quick referencing!
As a side note I am using "K-putt'e Config" settings and its a subtle change to the image but it also looks like someone just wiped a layer of gray off the screen and the game looks very crisp and sharp.
There is also multiple ways to install SweetFX, I know Windows 8.1 and 7 can require vastly different ways to install it properly. Someone in K-putte section actually posted a link to a working Windows 8.1 1.5 sweetFX files and it works with NO issues for me.
As a side note I am using "K-putt'e Config" settings and its a subtle change to the image but it also looks like someone just wiped a layer of gray off the screen and the game looks very crisp and sharp.
There is also multiple ways to install SweetFX, I know Windows 8.1 and 7 can require vastly different ways to install it properly. Someone in K-putte section actually posted a link to a working Windows 8.1 1.5 sweetFX files and it works with NO issues for me.
Yup, I linked the SweetFX preset database in the OP!
I've been using K-putt's config up until now as well, but based on the comparison screenshots from the OP I switched to Cookie's preset and am enjoying it even more, because it also comes with some lighting colour fixes that I really like. At the end of the day, it's a question of personal taste so anything goes.
Updated the OP with the observation that using floating numbers for GameTime.MaxSimFps, GameTime.ForceSimRate and GameTime.MaxVariableFps instead of integers can result in reduced stuttering during gameplay and cutscenes! For instance:
Example of a 30 FPS cap with matching cutscene framerate (60 Hz actual refresh rate):
Try it out and see for yourselves if it reduces overall stuttering for you too! My game is almost stutter-free now and, as a consequence, that much more enjoyable!
Yup, I linked the SweetFX preset database in the OP!
I've been using K-putt's config up until now as well, but based on the comparison screenshots from the OP I switched to Cookie's preset and am enjoying it even more, because it also comes with some lighting colour fixes that I really like. At the end of the day, it's a question of personal taste so anything goes.
I was gonna try out cookies. You like it? I thought it changed the lighting a little more than normal so I was a bit hesitant to try it out. Maybe made things a bit to dark or a bit to bright outside?
I was gonna try out cookies. You like it? I thought it changed the lighting a little more than normal so I was a bit hesitant to try it out. Maybe made things a bit to dark or a bit to bright outside?
I really, really like Cookie's preset! I removes the gray sheen, just like K-putt's preset, but also includes some nice texture sharpening and bloom. I think the game looks so much better using it.
You don't even need to use a different version of SweetFX than you already have, just download Cookie's preset, paste it into your DA:I root folder (i.e. where you already have K-putt's preset), rename K-putt's preset to "SweetFX_settings_K-putt", then Cookie's preset to "SweetFX_settings" and you're good to go! It's so easy to then switch back between the two by just renaming them, even while the game is running - just Alt-Tab!
It might make outside areas a bit brighter, but to adjust it to your liking you can then tweak the bloom setting a little! Just give it a try, you might find you also like it more.
Yes, it seems there's a trend lately of really poorly coded PC ports, but that's where we dedicated PC gamers come in. Should you encounter any problem with the game, please report back and we'll sort it out somehow, no worries!
I really wish the people in the patch topic would take a page out of your book Verrenus. Instead of being all internet rage and pitchforks, you're just taking it one step at a time. Like others in here, I appreciate you're willingness to help everyone out.
I really wish the people in the patch topic would take a page out of your book Verrenus. Instead of being all internet rage and pitchforks, you're just taking it one step at a time. Like others in here, I appreciate you're willingness to help everyone out.
I actually feel like I can relax a little bit in this thread. I feel encouraged to enjoy the game by other posters in here and a few other threads. It's a nice change over having folks try to tell me I'm an idiot/sheeple/drone because I'm having fun. Threads like this just add to my enjoyment of the game in the long term. I also love seeing enthusiastic and helpful fans. I know when things mellow a bit around here, a lot of the random spewing hatred is going to calm down some. In the meantime, I look for fun and helpful threads with fans that are enjoying the game.
I really, really like Cookie's preset! I removes the gray sheen, just like K-putt's preset, but also includes some nice texture sharpening and bloom. I think the game looks so much better using it.
You don't even need to use a different version of SweetFX than you already have, just download Cookie's preset, paste it into your DA:I root folder (i.e. where you already have K-putt's preset), rename K-putt's preset to "SweetFX_settings_K-putt", then Cookie's preset to "SweetFX_settings" and you're good to go! It's so easy to then switch back between the two by just renaming them, even while the game is running - just Alt-Tab!
It might make outside areas a bit brighter, but to adjust it to your liking you can then tweak the bloom setting a little! Just give it a try, you might find you also like it more.
Do you have Windows 8.1 I could have sworn you said you didn't before maybe? I only mention it because Win 8.1 has some issues with SweetFX running properly as opposed to Win 7 where it just works. But ya as soon I stop spending 20 hours (literally) into character creator I am totally gonna give cookie's preset a try!
It crashes the game if you try to set it above 1. No downsampling I'm afraid.
I tried it earlier, and it's working. You have to set it on multiplier.
For example:
render.resolutionscale 2.0
2.0 will make the resolution 2x of the original. If you set the multiplier with 2 without the .0 it'll lag like hell or crash. You can also set the multiplier at 1.5 or any number.
Check off completed (and possibly also new) quests in your journal: this can lead to both party banter being more frequent, as well as prevent performance degradation over long periods of play (2-3 hours, especially on the bigger maps such as the Hinterlands)!
Thanks for this info. This basically fixed the freezing problem I started having after a couple days of otherwise problem-free playing. The game started stalling after playing for one to two hours, with greater frequency and for longer periods, no matter what I did with lowered settings or turning off things like my virus scanner or aero (doing the latter delayed things a bit, but eventually it would still start freezing up on me). I gave this a try, checked off all the completed quests in my journal (must have been a couple hundred, these add up fast), ongoing collections and quests and all codex entries. Then the game spent a couple minutes telling me tons of old quests had been completed and I was able to play the game for over five hours without issue. Each time I now complete a quest, I'll go into my journal, highlight the completed quest, leave the journal, and get another quest completed pop-up. This definitely isn't working right.
While on the one hand I'm glad this problem can be circumvented, on the other this is pretty shonky programming that all this info is being kept in memory and just accumulates until your ram and cpu-threads are filled to bursting, bringing your entire system to a screeching halt. I've seen this type of behavior before in Bethesda games or the first Witcher game with more and more info and active scripts being kept in memory to eventually destabilize the game; you'd think they'd have paid attention to this kind of thing by looking at where earlier open-world games had issues.
So I just did a bunch of stuff to try to fix the cutscene stuttering but to no avail. I tried running cc cleaner, followed by removing all of Origin's registry data and then clean booting my pc. Then I did what Natashina did by removing my video drivers, using Guru3d in safe mode, and doing a clean reinstall. Seems like nothing is working. I even changed the FPS limit to integers instead of whole numbers, setting it to 59.99, as I am running at 144hz. Still nothing. At this point I think I'm going to admit defeat and wait until another patch to see if they fix it. It's a shame really, but at least I have a ton of other games to keep me busy until then!
I also want to try out that SweetFx once I actually start playing. Looking at the pictures I think I prefer KPutt's over Cookie's. The colors look a bit warmer and more vibrant from what I can tell. It also seems like it's a less drastic visual change, and I think I'd prefer it to look closer to the original.
Hey Verrenus, have you considered that errors can/could occur from lacking hardware? Depending on your resolution there could be all kinds of bottlenecks that can cause problems with how smooth the game plays. For example, If you are playing on Ultra or higher Graphical settings, chances are you might be running into GPU RAM issues. I have a little over 3.5GB worth of dedicated GPU RAM and often times I see it spiking into well over 2GB worth. Also, This game takes up a ton of DDR RAM. I have noticed I have gotten very close to 6GB worth being used up without having some crazy RAM hungry applications being used except for DA:I. Just trying to give everybody a heads up that it very well could be the hardware you are using and settings you are on that are causing problem with how smooth the game plays.
according to this http://www.guru3d.co...k-review,9.htmlhardware review of DA:I vram usage never gets higher than 3064MB at 4k resolution (2160MB@1440 and 1872MB@1080p) on ultra settings.
Maker's...parts. I think now I know what 'white fog' people were talking about...
Unless that was an intentional design to make inner parts of the Temple of Mythal to look all dark&milky, annoying and hard to navigate. That was it, right?
I've seen some bits in caves and in dungeons (close to the floor mostly), but I thought that's the way it should be.
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