Grahics Settings

TY to Ali Brown for the very detailed breakdown of every graphics setting here!

Video Memory (VRAM)

• The horizontal bar in the bottom right of the Graphics Options menu shows the maximum video memory the game will use with the chosen resolution + settings. It is crucial this is kept below the recommended maximum, but if you are running other software (e.g. recording/streaming) then you may need to leave more headroom. If you run out of VRAM, especially on Vulkan, then you will see huge performance dips (e.g. going from 60fps to 10fps) and this won’t recover until the memory goes back under the limit. Actual usage can vary throughout the game, based on locations and other players.

Setting Descriptions

Basics

Graphics Renderer

• [Desc] Changes the graphics API used for rendering (Vulkan/DX11)

• [Affects] Vulkan is the more modern API, and it supports the latest hardware features such as ray tracing, whereas DX11 is no longer being updated

• Vulkan graphics drivers tend to change more frequently, and so are at more risk of bugs, so we always recommend being on the latest ‘safe’ driver, and avoid experimental drivers. If you hit issues after a driver update then roll back to the most recent working driver. If you have issues running Vulkan on any driver then we strongly recommend you report them so that you are not blocked from running the game in a future patch

• CPU performance should be much better on Vulkan

• GPU performance should be broadly similar between APIs

• Visual quality should be identical on both

• Behavior/support for driver related overrides such as frame-generation/motion smoothing may vary between graphics APIs, and is largely beyond CIG’s control. We recommend not using any such driver overrides or render-overlays if you experience any issues

​Resolution

• [Desc] Sets the final output resolution (after any up-scaling).

• [Affects] Large impact on VRAM usage and GPU performance. Recommend 1080p for low-spec, and 4k only for more recent GPUs

​Window Mode

• [Desc] Full screen vs windowed

• [Affects] GPU performance should be slightly better in full-screen, though using a higher resolution will counteract that

VSync

• [Desc] Enable or disable v-sync. Locks image updates to your monitors refresh rate, which also locks your frame-rate to a divisor of your refresh rate (e.g. 120/60/30/20 fps). When disabled you may see ‘screen tear’ where you see partial image updates. We recommend you set your monitor refresh rate via the OS to the maximum and then enable VSync

• [Affects] Screen tear. Frame-rate clamping.​

Upscaling

​Upscaling

• [Desc] Use a lower resolution for some of the rendering (UI is not affected), and use temporal upscaling to recover that detail over time

• [Affects] Lower resolutions can drastically improve GPU performance, and can save VRAM

​Upscaling Technique

• [Desc] Change the upscaling technique used. If you have an NVidia card then we recommend DLSS, and for all others we recommend CIG-TSR

• [Affects] Each technique has a different cost in VRAM and performance

​Upscaling Model (DLSS only)

• [Desc] Different variants of NVidia’s DLSS upscaling

• [Affects] Can be a large performance difference between modes

HDR

HDR

• [Desc] Enable High Dynamic Range output for improved contrast

• [Affects] Performance should be near identical. This can have an impact on screenshots and your ability to stream content

HDR Brightness (Ref-White) (HDR only)

• [Desc] Desired brightness of a comfortable ‘paper white'. Adjust based on the light levels in your room. Ideally HDR is experienced in a dim room with a low reference white setting to maximize the contrast of bright highlights. Typical values are between 100 and 300, but vary massively depending on your monitor and viewing conditions.

• [Affects] Typical brightness of a white object/screen.

HDR Peak Brightness (HDR only)

• [Desc] Maximum brightness to use. Recommended setting is the maximum, which is automatically detected from your display, and only lower if uncomfortable.

• [Affects] Maximum brightness of lights & reflections

Quality

Overall Quality Preset

• [Desc] Sets all quality controls below to the same setting

• [Affects] VRAM, GPU performance & quality (see below for details)

Object Detail

• [Desc] Adjusts polygon detail on meshes via changing the distances that each ‘level of detail’ is used, and whether to use hardware tessellation (High and above)

• [Affects] GPU performance

Object View Distance

• [Desc] Controls the maximum distance at which objects are drawn (up to 200% difference between Ultra and Low)

• [Affects] GPU performance and minor CPU cost

Textures Quality

• [Desc] Changes the amount of VRAM used for streaming textures, as well as the target resolution of textures

• [Values] Ultra = 5800Mb, Very High = 4300Mb, High = 3300Mb, Medium = 2300Mb with 25% quality reduction, Low = 1400Mb with 50% quality reduction

• [Affects] VRAM, and increased disk access at higher settings

​Detail Textures

• [Desc] Changes the resolution of textures used for details on characters, weapons and items/props.

• [Values] High = 512x512, Medium = 256x256, Low = 128x128

• [Affects] VRAM

Ground Textures

• [Desc] Sets the resolution of ground textures used on planets

• [Values] High = 2048x2048, Low = 1024x1024

• [Affects] VRAM

Texture Filtering

• [Desc] Sets anisotropic texture filtering quality for preserving details at grazing angles

• [Values] High = 16x, Medium = 8x, Low = 4x

• [Affects] GPU performance

Shadow Maps

• [Desc] Changes the resolution of shadow maps as well as their quality.

• [Values] Ultra = 200%, Very High/High = 100%, Medium/Low = 50%

• [Affects] VRAM & GPU performance

Screen Space Shadows

• [Desc] Changes the rendering quality settings of screen space shadows

• [Affects] Visual quality & GPU performance

Planet Volumetric Clouds Quality

• [Desc] Changes the rendering quality settings of planet clouds

• [Affects] Visual quality & GPU performance

Gas Clouds

• [Desc] Changes the rendering quality settings of gas (space) clouds

• [Affects] Visual quality & GPU performance

Fog

• [Desc] Changes the resolution of the local fog (i.e. fog within 500m). Higher settings will preserve more detail in shafts of light, lower values will have a flatter appearance.

• [Affects] Visual quality, VRAM & GPU performance

Water Caustics

• [Desc] Enables water caustics effects (light scattered onto objects beneath the water)

• [Affects] GPU performance

Water Simulation

• [Desc] Controls the number of simultaneous water simulations that can occur at once

• [Affects] VRAM & GPU performance

Shader Quality

• [Desc] Adjusts the quality of some material shader effects, such as parallax occlusion mapping (to add 3D details to otherwise flat surfaces).

• [Affects] Visual quality & GPU performance

Post Effects

• [Desc] Controls the quality of some post effects such as Motion Blur, Bloom, Flares & Refraction

• [Affects] GPU performance

Video Comms

• [Desc] Controls the quality of lighting in video comms calls

• [Affects] GPU performance

General Appearance

Visor and Lens Aspect Modifier

• [Desc] Aspect ratio for the UI displayed on the visor/lens. Useful for ultra wide monitors or multi-monitor setups.

• [Affects] Visual only

Field Of View

• [Desc] Horizontal field of view.

• [Affects] Can affect both CPU and GPU performance

Gamma

• [Desc] Adjusts the midtone brightness curve without changing pure black or white levels. Increase if dark areas appear too dark, decrease if the image looks washed out.

• [Affects] Visual only

Brightness

• [Desc] Controls the overall brightness level of the image. Adjust so that dark scenes are visible but blacks remain true black.

• [Affects] Visual only

Contrast

• [Desc] Adjusts the difference between the darkest and brightest parts of the image. Higher values create more dramatic differences between light and dark areas.

• [Affects] Visual only

Motion Blur

• [Desc] Enables/disables motion blur. Camera rotation does just apply very little blur to mimic saccadic masking and improve clarity, meaning blur should mostly occur with camera translation or object movement. Shutter speed is equivalent to a 60 fps camera with the shutter open half the frame.

• [Affects] GPU performance & image clarity when moving

Sharpening

• [Desc] Applies post-process sharpening to enhance edge definition and perceived detail. Can help counteract softness from upscaling techniques but may introduce artifacts if set too high.

• [Affects] Visuals only

Chromatic Aberration

• [Desc] Simulates lens color fringing effect seen in real cameras. Adds a 'filmic' look but can be disabled for greater clarity.

• [Affects] Visuals only

Film Grain

• [Desc] Adds a subtle grain texture overlay to simulate analog film cameras. Purely aesthetic effect that can be disabled for greater clarity.

• [Affects] Visuals only