Foolproof Video Option Editing & Setup Thread - MISERY mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

While trying to set up a new GPU yesterday I nailed down a couple things to help new GPU owners and first time Misery Stalkers get their rigs set up. If you want to start fresh with the least demanding and arguably most compatible set of video settings do the following: Go to R:\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common\Stalker Call of Pripyat\_appdata_ (substitute your particular install location) and delete tmp.ltx and user.ltx. When you load the game you will have the base low video options set. Each time you want to try a new set of parameters out do the following: Select Medium, High, or Extreme base settings, apply. Before going out of the game and restarting adjust anything else you want changed. Note: Nvidia users need to select HBAO, AMD HDAO. Apply again. Exit game and go to the above directory. Delete the tmp.ltx. Copy the user.ltx to the SAME directory; it will make a copy 2. Click once on the second copy and change the name to tmp. Start game and try your new settings. Yes, you will have to bind all your keys and change your non-video options back after deleting both files, but only once. I don't know why, but if you just change options and don't replace the tmp.ltx with the changed user.ltx, some or all of your changes will display in game, but won't actually be applied.

Quick note, as an nVidia user I have utilised HBAO for some time now. However, after a clean install of CoP and Misery 2.1.1 (full) I experienced weird stringy shadow effects lunging across the screen which I could not fix with shadow, lighting, sun, or sun rays settings. Changing to HDAO seemed to resolve the problem strangely. I don't wan't to treat you like an agony aunt, but do you have any insight into this? I know the shadow effect is one that many have experienced with CoP vanilla.

I just know Nvidia is supposed to use HBAO. My R9 290 didn't crash on HBAO, but I changed it to HDAO. You might try both of them OFF and see if that helps. I'm seeing some slight artifacting in the upper left corner of the screen at the iron forest when deep in the anomaly field and one artifact appears on my Veles but doesn't become visible. That's the only place I've had any video anomalies so far.

After doing a bit more research into HDAO vs HBAO I found the following: HDAO is an AMD ATI product High Definition Ambient Occlusion and Their Products including COP which was ATI branded will use HDAO more efficiently than Nvidia products (with less performance drop). DX11 also has a performance efficiency advantage with HDAO. HBAO is a lower definition process that will work on both brands. Neither is required and may be turned off if your performance is inadequate.