UT Engine Tweaking

**Unlike Quake3, UT is a "CPU dependent" game. Which means that ur fps will greatly depend on how fast ur processor is. And in turn makes the game 'quite' harder to tweak! So always remember this when tweaking UT: Every little thing (or tweak?) counts!

*Be reminded that the following avg. fps written above is based from my personal timedemo that is available for d/l inside my "top d/l" section!45fps = This is the amount of fps that u should target if u "don't" play online and only plays with bots. You will still experience some skips during heavy and close-quarter firefights but it's very tolerable IMO.

+/- 55fps = Good for folks who wants to have smoother gameplay even on heavy and close-quarter firefights and plays online once in a while.

60fps and above = For people who bought UT for the reason that they only wanna play online.

Before adjusting anything, run a timedemo to see ur avg fps before applying the tweaks here. To do so, access ur console by hitting the tilde key "~" then type "demoplay xxx" (w/o quotation marks <where xx is the filename of ur demo). Be reminded though that UT didn't come out with its own demo, so you either u have to create ur own timedemo or u can just head on to my "top d/l section" and download my personal demo there.

To create record ur own demo, start a game and when ur ready to record, access the console and type "demorec xx" (w/o the quotation marks <where xx is the demo's filename>). When you want to end the demo recording, type this in the console "stopdemo" (still w/o the quotation marks).

Open ur "unrealtournament.ini" file w/c is located by default inside ur /unrealtournament/system directory.

OR

Enter the game and access the console and type "preferences" (w/o the quotation marks). This will open up a small window that will let u alter the game's settings.

Commands used to enable or disable:
**Enable/Turn on = True
Disable/Turn off = False
(most of the time that is)

**Be reminded that 'most' of the settings that is available inside this file can also be located/adjusted inside the game 'preferences' menu.

*Search for the following headings, they are enclosed with a bracket "[ ]" and edit the following settings/cvars beneath them.

LocalMap:
Change the value to "UT-Logo-Map.unr" (w/o the quotation marks). This will disable UT's intro movie and make UT load faster.

CacheSizeMegs:
Set this to 8-12mb if u have 128mb or more RAM. If you have less than 128mb RAM I recommend leaving this to its default value of "4". Although some say that setting this to 1/4 or 1/2 ur RAM will make the game run faster, I dunno ... I don't buy it.

UseDirectSound:
Set this to "true" for better sound performance.

UseFilter, UseSurround, UseReverb:
Set this to "false" for better performance, enabling this will make the game sound better but will take away some considerable amount of fps!

UseStereo:
I suggest that you leave this at its default value of "true" cause the sound quality will be really bad if u disable this.

UseCDMusic:
"false" if u don't listen to audio cd's while playing the game. Enable ("true") if u want to play audio cd's instead of UT's digital music.

UseDigitalMusic:
Set to "false" to disable the music playing on background. Disabling the music 'might' help ur game run smoother through the entire course of the game.

Use3dHardware:
Enable ("true") if u have a 3d sound card (eg. sound blaster live!). Set to "false" for better performance.

LowSoundQuality:
I don't think u want to enable ("true") this unless ur desperate for extra performance.

OutputRate:
I highly recommend that you leave this option at this default setting of 22050hz for better performance. Sound quality is still very good with this setting.

EffectsChannels:
Set this lower if u want to have better performance. I'd recommend setting this to 12. I have mine at "16" though.

FullscreenViewportX=?
FullscreenViewportY=?
FullscreenColorBits=?
Enter the game and set ur "video" preferences there for this values. Try each resolution that is available and see whether there is going to be a big drop in fps on higher resoulutions. The good thing about UT being a CPU dependent game is that if u have a 'quite' slow system, ur fps isn't hardly affected swithing from low to high resolution. Same goes with color depth.

UseDirectDraw:
Set to "true" for better performance.

CurvedSurfaces:
Leave this at its default setting of "false" for better performance.

LowDetailTextures, NoLighting:
I recommend leaving this setting at its default setting of "false" for better graphics quality unless ur quite desperate for additional performance.

MinDesiredFrameRate:
I recommend giving this line a value of 30, although mine is set at 45.

Decals:
I suggest that u disable this unless ur not having frame skips during heavy firefights. <shot and blood marks on walls>

NoDynamicLights:
Set to true if u want to enable extra lighting effects on explosions etc. I recommend turning this off for better performance especially on heavy firefights.

NoFractalAnim:
To enable/disable animations for water, flame etc etc. This could help increase ur fps but will make the game props look like 2d.

SkinDetail, TextureDetail:
Set to "High" if ur system can handle it for better looking skins/world.
"Medium" or "Low" for better performance.

LODBias:
Values range from -2 to 2. The lower the value, the better ur textures will look at the cost of performance. This is the line that fixes the lameness of UT's graphics when using the opengl raster.

MaxAnisotropy:
I recommend disabling this unless ur system can handle the frame drop ur goin to have by enabling this. "1" enables anisotropy for TNT and older cards. "2" for GeForce and later cards.

RefreshRate:
Set the highest refresh rate that ur monitor will be able to handle depending on ur given resolution.

DisableSpecialDT:
Not sure what this setting does, but my fps didn't change even if this setting is enabled or disabled. I recommend setting this at its default "false"

UseFilterSGIS:
This will help improve the multitexturing quality (if multitexturing is enabled). Enable for a slight graphics quality improvement with no noticeable slowdown on performance.

Use4444Textures:
This is for those folks who are playing at 16bit. This could increase ur fps a bit if enabled ("true"). Set this to "false" if ur playing at 32bit.

UseTNT:
If ur using a TNT card or want to force your GeForce card to use only TNT features, set this to "true"

UseS3TC:
If ur using an S3 card or is using the textures on the 2nd UT CD, set this to "true". Otherwise set this to "false"

UseVertexSpecular:
Not sure about this one, but my guess is that enabling this will help increase ur fps.

AlwaysMipmap:
Set this to "true" if u want to enable mipmapping method for a slight increase in graphics quality. Disable ("false") for better performance.

UseAlphaPalette, UsePalette:
Set to "true" for better performance with no noticeable loss in graphics quality.

UseTrilinear:
I recommend disabling this ("false") unless u are not having any fps problems enabling this. Graphics increase isn't worth the fps drop IMO.

UseMultiTexture:
Set to "true" for better performance.

UsePrecache:
Set to "true" for faster loading. "False" if ur experiencing lock-ups or crashes during the caching state.

DetailTextures:
I recommend setting this to "false" if u have set ur "lodbias" at -2 (it's maximum setting). The graphics quality increase isn't going to be noticeable if "lodbias" is already at that setting. I recommend setting this to "false" unless ur system can handle 'both' "lodbias" and this setting enabled/at max setting.

HighDetailActors:
Set to "true" for better looking transparency effect for players with power-ups. Disable ("false") for better performance but ugly looking players with power-ups.

Coronas:
This is for extra lighting or glare effect on light sources. Fps isn't much affected when this setting is enabled but at the same time it isn't noticeable even if it is disabled. Check it out urself and take ur pick.

ShinySurfaces:
For levels with shiny surfaces or reflective surfaces. Few maps support this effect, so I recommend enabling this ("true") unless ur having problems on maps with shiny surfaces.

VolumetricLighting:
This will enable or disable the fog effects on some maps. Few maps support this effect, so I recommend enabling this ("true") unless ur having problems on maps with fog effects.

Note: only those settings that will have an effect on performance and where not tweaked inside the .ini file will be discussed here.

Instructions: Enter the game and head into the options menu>preferences. Then search for the following tabs:

Weapon hand:
Setting this to "hidden" will give u quite a nice fps boost.

Gore:
Setting this to "reduced" will also give u better fps on places where there's a lot of bodies exploding and stuff. Setting to "ultra low" will give u even better performance.

I myself don't think tweaking the HUD will do ur game any good but since I told u guys every little thing counts? I recommend that u disable the following:

Show Weapon Display
Show Ammo Count
Show Chat Area

Hud Transparency:
Setting this all the way to the left might help ur game's performance a bit.


				*UT Engine Tweaking*



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		*This tweaking guide is based using UT's 4.36 patch. So I recommend downloading the 4.36 patch before proceeding with my guide. This guide will ONLY talk about UT in OPENGL MODE! Download the latest opengl raster inside my "top d/l section". Although often times some of their "lines/commands" are the same, the effect might be different. I haven't tested UT in D3D mode cause it won't work with my system, and glide or metal isn't also available since I have a NVIDIA card. *Those settings that doesn't have anything to do with UT's performance are not available in this guide! Note: there are still a couple of newer (and not so new) games that uses UT engine. U can use the tweaks available here (if the game permits it or if available) but the performance gain/decrease and stability may differ when compared to UT.



		=Avg. fps and Things to Consider= *Unlike Quake3, UT is a "CPU dependent" game. Which means that ur fps will greatly depend on how fast ur processor is. And in turn makes the game 'quite' harder to tweak! So always remember this when tweaking UT: Every little thing (or tweak?) counts! Be reminded that the following avg. fps written above is based from my personal timedemo that is available for d/l inside my "top d/l" section!45fps = This is the amount of fps that u should target if u "don't" play online and only plays with bots. You will still experience some skips during heavy and close-quarter firefights but it's very tolerable IMO. +/- 55fps = Good for folks who wants to have smoother gameplay even on heavy and close-quarter firefights and plays online once in a while. 60fps and above = For people who bought UT for the reason that they only wanna play online. =Playing & Recording Demo's= Before adjusting anything, run a timedemo to see ur avg fps before applying the tweaks here. To do so, access ur console by hitting the tilde key "~" then type "demoplay xxx" (w/o quotation marks <where xx is the filename of ur demo). Be reminded though that UT didn't come out with its own demo, so you either u have to create ur own timedemo or u can just head on to my "top d/l section" and download my personal demo there. To create record ur own demo, start a game and when ur ready to record, access the console and type "demorec xx" (w/o the quotation marks <where xx is the demo's filename>). When you want to end the demo recording, type this in the console "stopdemo" (still w/o the quotation marks). =Intructions= Open ur "unrealtournament.ini" file w/c is located by default inside ur /unrealtournament/system directory. OR Enter the game and access the console and type "preferences" (w/o the quotation marks). This will open up a small window that will let u alter the game's settings. Commands used to enable or disable: Enable/Turn on = True Disable/Turn off = False (most of the time that is) Be reminded that 'most' of the settings that is available inside this file can also be located/adjusted inside the game 'preferences' menu. Search for the following headings, they are enclosed with a bracket "[ ]" and edit the following settings/cvars beneath them. =Tweaking UnrealTournament.ini File=* [URL] LocalMap: Change the value to "UT-Logo-Map.unr" (w/o the quotation marks). This will disable UT's intro movie and make UT load faster. [Engine.GameEngine] CacheSizeMegs: Set this to 8-12mb if u have 128mb or more RAM. If you have less than 128mb RAM I recommend leaving this to its default value of "4". Although some say that setting this to 1/4 or 1/2 ur RAM will make the game run faster, I dunno ... I don't buy it. [Galaxy.GalaxyAudioSubsystem] UseDirectSound: Set this to "true" for better sound performance. UseFilter, UseSurround, UseReverb: Set this to "false" for better performance, enabling this will make the game sound better but will take away some considerable amount of fps! UseStereo: I suggest that you leave this at its default value of "true" cause the sound quality will be really bad if u disable this. UseCDMusic: "false" if u don't listen to audio cd's while playing the game. Enable ("true") if u want to play audio cd's instead of UT's digital music. UseDigitalMusic: Set to "false" to disable the music playing on background. Disabling the music 'might' help ur game run smoother through the entire course of the game. Use3dHardware: Enable ("true") if u have a 3d sound card (eg. sound blaster live!). Set to "false" for better performance. LowSoundQuality: I don't think u want to enable ("true") this unless ur desperate for extra performance. OutputRate: I highly recommend that you leave this option at this default setting of 22050hz for better performance. Sound quality is still very good with this setting. EffectsChannels: Set this lower if u want to have better performance. I'd recommend setting this to 12. I have mine at "16" though. [WinDrv.WindowsClient] FullscreenViewportX=? FullscreenViewportY=? FullscreenColorBits=? Enter the game and set ur "video" preferences there for this values. Try each resolution that is available and see whether there is going to be a big drop in fps on higher resoulutions. The good thing about UT being a CPU dependent game is that if u have a 'quite' slow system, ur fps isn't hardly affected swithing from low to high resolution. Same goes with color depth. UseDirectDraw: Set to "true" for better performance. CurvedSurfaces: Leave this at its default setting of "false" for better performance. LowDetailTextures, NoLighting: I recommend leaving this setting at its default setting of "false" for better graphics quality unless ur quite desperate for additional performance. MinDesiredFrameRate: I recommend giving this line a value of 30, although mine is set at 45. Decals: I suggest that u disable this unless ur not having frame skips during heavy firefights. <shot and blood marks on walls> NoDynamicLights: Set to true if u want to enable extra lighting effects on explosions etc. I recommend turning this off for better performance especially on heavy firefights. Left=Enabled - Right=Disabled NoFractalAnim: To enable/disable animations for water, flame etc etc. This could help increase ur fps but will make the game props look like 2d. SkinDetail, TextureDetail: Set to "High" if ur system can handle it for better looking skins/world. "Medium" or "Low" for better performance. =Skin Detail= Left=High - Center=Medium - Right=Low =World Detail= Left=High - Center=Medium - Right=Low [OpenGLDrv.OpenGLRenderDevice] LODBias: Values range from -2 to 2. The lower the value, the better ur textures will look at the cost of performance. This is the line that fixes the lameness of UT's graphics when using the opengl raster. MaxAnisotropy: I recommend disabling this unless ur system can handle the frame drop ur goin to have by enabling this. "1" enables anisotropy for TNT and older cards. "2" for GeForce and later cards. RefreshRate: Set the highest refresh rate that ur monitor will be able to handle depending on ur given resolution. DisableSpecialDT: Not sure what this setting does, but my fps didn't change even if this setting is enabled or disabled. I recommend setting this at its default "false" UseFilterSGIS: This will help improve the multitexturing quality (if multitexturing is enabled). Enable for a slight graphics quality improvement with no noticeable slowdown on performance. Use4444Textures: This is for those folks who are playing at 16bit. This could increase ur fps a bit if enabled ("true"). Set this to "false" if ur playing at 32bit. UseTNT: If ur using a TNT card or want to force your GeForce card to use only TNT features, set this to "true" UseS3TC: If ur using an S3 card or is using the textures on the 2nd UT CD, set this to "true". Otherwise set this to "false" UseVertexSpecular: Not sure about this one, but my guess is that enabling this will help increase ur fps. AlwaysMipmap: Set this to "true" if u want to enable mipmapping method for a slight increase in graphics quality. Disable ("false") for better performance. UseAlphaPalette, UsePalette: Set to "true" for better performance with no noticeable loss in graphics quality. UseTrilinear: I recommend disabling this ("false") unless u are not having any fps problems enabling this. Graphics increase isn't worth the fps drop IMO. UseMultiTexture: Set to "true" for better performance. UsePrecache: Set to "true" for faster loading. "False" if ur experiencing lock-ups or crashes during the caching state. DetailTextures: I recommend setting this to "false" if u have set ur "lodbias" at -2 (it's maximum setting). The graphics quality increase isn't going to be noticeable if "lodbias" is already at that setting. I recommend setting this to "false" unless ur system can handle 'both' "lodbias" and this setting enabled/at max setting. HighDetailActors: Set to "true" for better looking transparency effect for players with power-ups. Disable ("false") for better performance but ugly looking players with power-ups. Coronas: This is for extra lighting or glare effect on light sources. Fps isn't much affected when this setting is enabled but at the same time it isn't noticeable even if it is disabled. Check it out urself and take ur pick. ShinySurfaces: For levels with shiny surfaces or reflective surfaces. Few maps support this effect, so I recommend enabling this ("true") unless ur having problems on maps with shiny surfaces. VolumetricLighting: This will enable or disable the fog effects on some maps. Few maps support this effect, so I recommend enabling this ("true") unless ur having problems on maps with fog effects. =In Game Tweaking= Note: only those settings that will have an effect on performance and where not tweaked inside the .ini file will be discussed here. Instructions: Enter the game and head into the options menu>preferences. Then search for the following tabs: Game: Weapon hand: Setting this to "hidden" will give u quite a nice fps boost. Gore: Setting this to "reduced" will also give u better fps on places where there's a lot of bodies exploding and stuff. Setting to "ultra low" will give u even better performance. HUD: I myself don't think tweaking the HUD will do ur game any good but since I told u guys every little thing counts? I recommend that u disable the following: Show Weapon Display Show Ammo Count Show Chat Area Hud Transparency: Setting this all the way to the left might help ur game's performance a bit. Exit and save changes Last Updated: 072301 =Closed to future updates= Minor Update on: 011304*



		IMPORTANT: *Always remember that I will not be held responsible in any way if this tweaking guide will cause your game any problems. TWEAK AT YOUR OWN RISK! What do you think about my Unreal Tournament tweak guide? Please sign my guestbook before leaving, it's the least you can do to thank me, and the only way for me to know that someone did visit my site! *Any comments, suggestion, corrections, and/or ADDITIONS will be accepted and greatly appreciated (don't worry, you will get all the credit for any additional tweaks that you're going to give me). Email me if u have any other comments, questions, and/or suggestions. Tnx!