Update: may 6th 2014 We released a new wiki and all of the below (updated) info is now integrated within it. check out the Performance & Graphics section in the new wiki: http://legends-league.com/wiki/Rfactor2 This thread will not be updated anymore. [HR][/HR] [build 328] [Build494] [Build590] Forget comparisments with other sims, forget what it should be or could be, whatever Build you are currently in, rf2 is what it is and there will always be much to be gained (and lost) in performance or graphics in rF2. From game settings, file tweaks to hardware optimizations, etc. It seems people are going around in circles offering the same tips over and over again and I suspect quite a few people are having issues with rf2 simply because they did not dive into this enough or assumed their system could have it anyways. So maybe its a good idea to get all them tips, tweaks and related discussions into one place. Hardly anything is by me, i'm just using what the smart people out there have been communicating. Due to that all of below will be pretty random. It would be much appreciated if others contribute to this as well. Here go's nothing.... [HR][/HR] With each update on this article I will bump the thread with what was added. [HR][/HR] First things first: Every PC is unique so don't expect any uniformity in performance, it just doesn't work that way and especially with rf2 (writing B328) it is important to find the sweet spots in tweaking that work for you. To exaggerate a bit: One mans epic tweak might be another mans Achilles heel. you need to test and test again. Maybe its a good idea as well to decide on which side of the fence you want to be: performance or graphics. I'm not claiming we can't have both, but allot of users could end up having to go for just one side of the coin. it will save allot of potential frustration if you decide on forehand what its going to be if you are struggling with the sim. If you are looking for help on these forums, make sure your system info is available. People can help you so much better when they can check what you are using and what could be the bottlenecks. do et! (check the icon under my avatar for an example) Adding you system info to your profile (the icon under your avatar/nickame): log in/go to "my profile"/go to "about me"/scroll a bit down and klick the yellow pencil and fill out your specs. [HR][/HR] Below there will also be links to Related Threads. Take the time to go through them as they do include good intel on a subject. Because its great to have tips and tweaks for the sim but its as important to know what's going on and to understand what things are. [HR][/HR] Related tools: Notepad++ [view, edit & search .PLR .ini and other rf2 files][HR][/HR] The Basics Test your tweaks under the same conditions. preferably a heavy track and/or car. In-game press Ctrl+F to get the fps counter up, press again to get the cpu/gpu bars showing. Take notes of changes but also ignore them for a while and just drive, a smoother game might not always be represented in the fps counter. But a smoother game is really what most people would be looking for. Don't get hung up on -/+ frames too much, go for the feel as well. when there is a considerable change you will almost certainly 'feel' it and it might not always be reflected in a massive increase in FPS. Try and minimize the amounts of changes per-session. if you do 10 different tweaks at once you will not find out why something got better or worse. And that is exactly what you need to find out relative to your hardware. Recent content will/might be much heavier then older content. For example the current 60's EVE is much less heavy then the current Honda Civic. Its the same with tracks. Your choice to use them but just be aware. Running 20 civics on Silverstone on a server might be stretching it too much if your pc aint from outer space. [HR][/HR] When struggling with performance the obvious route is to reduce the general settings of the sim. This go's for high-end pc users as well. it can help you to identify one or two items that are obstructing performance. once you found them you could increase everything else again and are likely to have both good gfx and performance. Open rf2, launch single or Multiplayer and go to settings. In Display and Video Res there are numerous items you can fiddle with. Some of them can have serious effects on performance: Display Texture Detail: often a reason the sim slows down when content is using Huge Textures. Going from Max to High can already be a major difference. Shadows and Shadow Blur: same as above, you really need to test and re-test this in order to find an acceptable level. Update build590: Added extended ambient shadows under cars. This means you can/should start to experiment with shadows again. Lower settings increase fps but now at a much lower visual cost. Reflections: Same thing, just more recourse drainage. Wind/rain/motions: if you're struggling, why even bother. Texture Filter: read this post & wiki Visible Vehicles: the number of cars that will show up in both mirrors and in front combined. Auto Detail FPS adjusts many settings automatically to keep the frame rate close to the specified value. The biggest effect is the cars kinda ghosting and disappearing on the track, it's a bit weird but it allows higher settings in general. Download Custom Skins: Not sure how much this effects things (online) but if struggling....turn it off. The rest of them are less heavy but still important of course. reduce as much until you are happy with it. Maybe even reduce everything to lowest and build your way back up. [HR][/HR] Mirrors can be pretty heavy on fps, not that we should drive without, but just so you know. Note: it seems to depend heavily on tracks. ISI tracks (properly optimized) for example have this issue far less where as 3rd party tracks can encounter a great deal of fps decrease. Option: modify in player.plr Rearview_Back_Clip="60.00000" // Back plane distance for mirror (0.0 = use default for scene) [original is "0.00000"] Related thread. [HR][/HR] AI is also increasingly heavy on performance, the more you add the worse.[HR][/HR] Video Res (this is the same tool when using 'configure sim' in the rf2 splash screen. (in rf1 this was the rF Config.exe) Video Driver: Check if your video card is actualy selected. Resolution: Decreasing Resolution can increase performance! Refresh Rate: Should be the same refresh rate as your monitor. Anti Aliasing: Related thread Sync: Read this thread FXAA:[post processing aliasing filter] It usually needs less power than normal Anti-Aliasing but the filter reduces slightly the overall sharpness of the picture. HDR: ON/OFF - Interesting item this is. Most people will turn it off by default when struggling with rf2 but some people would rather reduce general settings so they can activate HDR as it gives much more depth to the sim then the other way around. its a personal choice but at least test it, you might be surprised with the results. Windowed: Some users experience an improvement when using windowed mode. try it. if rf2 has the same resolution as your monitor then you wont even notice the difference. (plus its very easy to get in/out of the sim) Update 25-3-2014: To minimize performance loss disable Windows Aero (vista and upwards) MultiView: Pretty simple this one, the more screens the worse the fps. Related Thread [HR][/HR] rf2/Replay When recording replays it will have an effect. turn it off or decrease fidelity. You can set replays and Hotlaps combined or separately. There are options in the .plr file to influence replays more: Code: Record To Memory="0" // record replays to memory rather than disk (may possibly reduce stuttering, but at your own risk because memory usage will be significant for long races) Should be left like this if system memory is under 4 GB. If there's a lot of RAM, it could be set to 1, but I don't really see the benefit. and: Code: Compress Replay="1" // whether to compress VCR file (uses less disk space but takes more time to write) 0 would be uncompressed, so easier on the CPU, 4 would be the most intensive, I guess, because it would compress the data the most. It seems they manage the way the replays are recorded. If it's just copied to RAM, it's quicker, but it fills up your RAM during the race, which can cause problems over time. Also, if the recorded data is compressed, it uses less space, but it might slow down your CPU as you're racing because of the added step of compressing the data. Weird settting, because replays don't take much space anyway. [HR][/HR] rf2/Race Settings The sim has some pretty dynamic features which also can influence performance. Rain heavy clouds A nice looking Start Time with cool light changes and maybe with x15 Time Scale Its nice to have those but if you are struggling with rf2 you might want to avoid going wild on these things. (don't forget to change all active sessions, changing practise settings wont automatically change Race settings) (this go's for servers as well) A good standard setting would be 2PM, Sunny, Clear. (pretty dull I know) [HR][/HR] Time for some random tips and tweaks![HR][/HR] Refresh your player profile by removing your player.plr file, the game will rebuild a new one to default next launch. [HR][/HR] Uninstall rf2, remove it completely (but keep the .rfactor folder in place in AppData/Roaming) (it wont be removed when uninstalling rf2) reboot and re-install rf2. This can give you some pretty great boosts in performance and whatever else. The first few times reinstalling rf2 is a bit of a pita but soon enough its going to be effortless and fairly quick. !Backup the packages folder and maybe also your UserData folder! The auto-update feature in rf2 when a new build is released is pretty great. and can be used without problems. you can also install rf2Lite over an existing installation to update. Just realise a fresh install will be the safest bet to ensure rf2 performs as it should) [HR][/HR] Frame Capping is pretty nifty and works like a charm for some people, a direct quote: (original setting is Max Framerate="0.00000") [HR][/HR] turn trans AA off in .plr for better performance Transparency AA="0" // Soften edges around alpha test objects [HR][/HR] Press "Alt + M key". This disables "Mip LOD Bias". You will loose some texture detail but it will look much smoother. [HR][/HR] Wireless users: [and some gain for others as well] When on a wireless connection some users report additional issues with performance. This could be the rf2 splash screen. It needs to be closed after launching the sim: If you open the launcher hit the ADVANCED tab on the right and there's a box to check which says "Close this application after successful start of the simulation" right above your data path. [HR][/HR] 3GB Switch When running a 32bit OS you can increase memory available using this trick. Same info in this article but also for XP users and some warnings. Related Post Not sure what you are running? checksum [HR][/HR] As linked before in this article: a solid explanation on different settings and combo's + more. Read further down the thread, there's much to pickup on! [HR][/HR] A pretty good guide for tweaks. It originates from an older build timeframe but still much to learn and all kinds of gain: 4x Better Graphics and way more FPS Guide [HR][/HR] Added 25-3-2014 AMD Catalyst Control Panel (CCC) Settings In depth info on rf2 settings vs AMD graphical card setting. well worth trying. [HR][/HR] Driver Updates I'm not smart enough to advise on this but it is a worthy quest to get drivers that maximize your gains. Go to the Dedicated thread. [HR][/HR] Keep rf2 clean Easy and auto-install as implemented with rf2's mod manager also means we get more lazy then we already are. Before you know it there is a ton of stuff installed you don't even use or completely forgot about. I have no info on whether this will effect rf2's performance in any way but as per electronic computers, it probably does. And it wont hurt keeping it clean either. so remove cars and tracks that you don't use, remove older versions when a new one arrive's, and remove those pesky vmods! You can do it once every 2 months and spends 4 hours on it all, or do it regularly as a routine and safe yourself some time. Note: Installed files are installed. You do not have to keep content inside the packages folder. when removed from packages the content will still work. (but do yourself a favour and back them up somewhere else in case you need to re-install rf2) [HR][/HR] Plugins They are great and fun and bless them creators. But just be aware plugins can have some serious effects on performance. Some can even be rather bad for your sim. so at least read up on them, try and find out what others have to say about it before you go use them. [HR][/HR] Build Notes Take the time to go through Build Notes. If and when items considerably changed it might well mean you need to re-test your sim and see if performance stays the same (or even can improve) , sometimes a complete re-install could be the way forward. Note: It is not always clear what has been changed or altered. Hopefully the important stuff is always mentioned. [HR][/HR] Related links: rFactor 2 Features & System Requirements - Frequently Asked Questions - [HR][/HR] Additionally [HR][/HR] Refresh Shaders If not installing fresh, and noticing any backwards movement in performance or visuals, consider having rFactor2 recreate shaders by deleting all files in \Documents\rFactor2\UserData\Log\CBash. Tracks will load slower first time after doing it, as files are recreated. [HR][/HR] A few threads exchanging settings for low-end users here and here Maybe best to join these threads when wanting to talk, that way it gets centralized a bit more. [HR][/HR] transparent tree's on certain tracks In the .plr file and uncheck transparency anti-aliasing [HR][/HR] CPU usage influencing online performance Read this
Adding your system info to your profile (the icon under your avatar/nickame): log in/go to "my profile"/go to "about me"/scroll a bit down and klick the yellow pencil and fill out your specs.
Added a link to Notepad++ to the wiki. Added entry for Auto Detail FPS Added additional info to the Replay section There are a few unknowns still I would like to clarify with help from others, please checksum: http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/17997-Performance-Wiki
This appears to be a well thought out post. It will take a while to get everything done, but I must say, thank you, especially to Denstjiro.
Thx mate, I've got some updating to do for build 494, no major stuff though. will probably wait until the new build is out.
Buil494/590 Added the extended undercar shadows feature in the Display section. Pretty important imo to check this out again. Added an article by Spinelli on AMD Catalyst Control Panel (CCC) Settings. well worth the read. Added the option to disable Windows Aero in the Video Res section. Now adding links to Build notes on the very top of the page for quick reference on specific changes.
