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FAQ relating to improving in-game performance of TK2.Zero build 3-10-12.

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This FAQ is for those having trouble getting good performance on their hardware while running TK. I touch briefly on this in the user manual recommending the minimum following specification;

Dual Core 2.4GHz+ AMD or Intel CPU
2x2GB PC8500
1GB GTX460 (850MHz core + versions) or better
Latest DirectX, Graphics & Sound drivers

If your system does not meet this minimum requirement then there are some things you can do to improve performance without hurting the visual experience in any significant way.

User.ltx

If you are using the included user.ltx file (and why wouldn't you? its a large part of the visuals) here is what you can do to improve FPS;

- Disable Global Illumination
Open user.ltx in notepad and look for r2_gi, change on to off.

- Change r__detail_density
Controls the grass density in TK. Raising this value above 0.12 will thin out the grass. Try settings of 0.15, 0.18 and 0.20.

Misc:

Do not use the xrRender_R2.dll file included in the bin folder. This file has vastly increased grass draw distance and will have a heavy impact on FPS if your system does not at least meet the minimum requirements.

Page File:

Stalker likes a page file, even if you have lots of physical RAM. Set your page file parameters to 512 minimum / 2048 maximum. You should restart your system after making these changes.

HDD Defrag:

Often overlooked, a fragmented HDD will cause a lot of system slowdown. The built in Windows defrag utility is crap so don't bother with that, instead download a HDD defrag utility called Diskeeper and use that.

Last Resort:

If none of the above gains you enough FPS, then its time to consider overclocking your CPU, RAM & GPU. X-Ray is a system intensive engine not just GPU intensive, as such overclocking CPU & RAM can have as big of a impact as overclocking your GPU or bigger (depending how good your GPU is)

Well, thats some very straightforward ways to increase FPS in TK without hurting the visuals too much. As a final note, also remember to check things such as AA & AF settings in your graphics card control panel.

Post comment Comments
rickpnick
rickpnick

Hey Ket

Thanks for the tips

Will have to try these out.

Rick

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ketxxx Author
ketxxx

NP ;) I figured pretty much every PC gamer would have a GPU around the performance level of a GTX460 but it appears some people trying to play TK don't. The FAQ just tries to help those people out a bit as TK simply wouldn't be TK if people can't experience it with its full lighting and graphical enhancements :)

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