TERA Online PC ".ini" Optimization Guide - Increasing FPS & Visuals for 64-Bit (Engine.ini/Systemsettings.ini tweaks) - Year 3 Version











Authors Note:

 

Hi everyone! 

 

Welcome to the Ultimate & Only Tera Online PC ini Guide you will ever need.

 

Private servers exist to keep the game alive! Hooray! Now where were we? Oh yes, the guide!

 

So, as you may know, we had a 64-bit patch in 2020, which helped the game in many ways. Although, it does need some tweaking, by what I mean is making this game into the next Crysis benchmark tool.

 

Tera with ReShade addons and Screen-Space Ray Traced Global Illumination shader (also known as “RTGI”). Will make your RTX Card look like a Crysis Benchmark.

Link it blog post about RTGI addons: https://maketeraonlinegreatagain.blogspot.com/2023/08/test.html

 

Now let’s get started, shall we?

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Year 3 Update/Changes log:

 

- removed useless lines.

 

- Added Bing ChatGPT responses to help clarify what some of the lines do, it's really accurate. 

- Added new lines like TAA, it can be enabled.

 

- RTGI has been moved to another page.

- Small fixes 

 

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Fun facts:

Game uses Unreal Engine 3.5 (Very outdated by today standards)

If you're on Windows 11, AutoHDR will work for Tera!

 

Also, few notes and bugs I've seen in 64-bit (For anyone that wants attempt to fix):

  • MSAA broken in 64-bit. (Unfixable)
  • Sun Lighting casts on models, NPC's and certain objects, regardless of if their hiding in caves or not. (Except certain DG's and one small spot in Velk.)

Note: This is due to Character Rimlighting being enabled or Sun Light going though textures. 


  • Broken shadows in some areas in the game. I'm unsure if this is fixable.

 

  • Known areas in outer HW that split exposing the void in geometry.

 

  • Some models use lower poly skins on some outfits (Could be fixable if those get their textures updated from newer models. 

 

  • Weird Simmering

 

  • Pegasus would "rubber band" for no reason (Net code issues?)

 

  • Most Dungeons have their shadows broken resulting in unusual bugs.






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The MEGA Epic FAQ Section: 


1. FAQ: Why did you make this guide? ini tweaks are useless after 64bit; my game runs fine!

They actually aren’t useless. (Look up other games that use UE3 (Unreal Engine 3) like Bioshock, Mass Effect 1-3, and Batman Franchises. All of them use unreal engine 3. A lot of them have tweaks and guides on how to improve visuals, etc. They do have credibility with real results, although every game design is different. (Depending on if the developers add certain features or not into their games, some tweaks may or may not work.)


A lot of them have to do with under the hood tweaks in-game. Some might be noticeable (Loading times, texture popping), others you can see clearly, like shadows and LOD (Level of detail) while forcing the engine to work harder with your graphics card/CPU by removing some weird bottlenecks UE3 has by default.


By default, the game runs nicely (Although not the best at times), but they left some bottlenecks when they ported to 64-bit, like aggressive textures and low shadow resolutions, etc.


Some tweaks may seem like snake oil, but I’ll recommend researching why each line does; the more it makes sense, the easier it is to understand how a game engine works! I used the UE3 Documentation to help understand what each line does.



2. Why were we using the Base Version instead of the normal one like other Tera FPS Guides were always told to change?

I'll try my best to explain this but let's say if you delete the s1engine, systemsettings, etc., where do you think it gets its defaults from? 

The Base version

Anything that is changed on the base version will affect everything else permanently until you repair the game. Make sure you keep a backup of the default baseengine/systemsettings somewhere else that isn't in the game directory like your desktop for example.



In Simple Terms based on priority:

1. The game picks anything that is written on DefaultEngine.ini first.


Any lines here will override anything that is in BaseEngine.ini 
Then its Second Priority will be: BaseEngine.ini

 Any lines that are not in DefaultEngine.ini. will work as it should. 

This also affects  DefaultSystemSettings, BaseSystemSettings, etc.

After all this, it will create the S1Engine.ini and S1SystemSettings.ini files, hopefully to clear things up why were where changing those instead of just your normal S1Engine.ini and S1SystemSettings.ini files. 

 

2. Is this game CPU or GPU Bottlenecked still?


 A bit of both. Its like a coin toss. I'm able to max out my RTX 3080 with no issues, and a friend of mine with a 3060 with everything maxed, including RTGI Shaders, 90-120 fps at 1440p! 

Personally, I feel like it's more GPU than CPU after the 64bit patch IMO, 100% of the time than my CPU (Ryzen 5800x), but results will vary. 


3. WAIT! That Line of Code is missing! Are your sus?


If you see a line of code that doesn't exist, most likely it was ported from another s1engine or systemsettings from another game like Bioshock or Mass Effect or any game that uses UE3 (Ver 3.5). Most likely, it wont have any effect, although it's worth a shot to experment.


Anything with "+" 

Is added lines from other games, and they or many not work or are just placebo. It may work for other games but not for Tera, due how devs work on their games. 


4. Tera is gone, this guide is useless!


Not really, there are private servers like:

And MT Dream (Formally "Menma's TERA") (EU servers)

mtdream.net

(Your files won't get overwritten in MT Dream, unless if their updates, update system sometimes overwrites, keep in mind) 

Note: If your game launcher is overwriting your ini from other servers (except Menma) 

 

If your private server is having this issue, mention this to them. IF they won't fix it... Just switch, if modding the game is important to you, there is nothing much you can do on your end. But to manually copy the files per each patch, keep a backup somewhere preventing it from getting overwritten. 



5. FAQ: My game still lags in HW with a bunch of players, even with the best PCs! Why?

UE3 Engine Limitations. This engine isn’t made to handle that number of players (Actors/Models) at once; why real-time shadows disappear regardless of your PC Specs? Once there are fewer models (Actors) on screen, Real-Time Shadows and FPS will recover.


Note: if you have less than 16GB of ram and with a high number of players, the chances of seeing your textures lowering to low poly will be high. If it has a way for the game, it saves itself from crashing.

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Every PC/Laptop is built differently, results will vary.  Recommend making on your own for best compatibility! Every System is different! 

My PC Specs are a follow for these ini files here: Nvidia RTX 3080 10GB, Ryzen 5800x, 32GB 3200mhz RAM and an 2TB M.2 SSD, but again, I'll recommend making one from scratch for your PC specs! Trial and error are key!


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If you want to compare files, use DiffNowhttps://www.diffnow.com/ or download the notepad++ plugin that allows you to compare.

Note: This will mod the game files, and I'm not liable if you break your client; if that does happen, repair the client should restore everything back to defaults. For the fastest downloads and complete repairs, Use Steam Client!

You WILL need to High-End PC to run this game at max settings (Beyond 90 fps) and 32GB of RAM (To prevent Graphics lowering to low poly versions and major hitches if you set everything too high) 

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(Credit to Original Blog Post by MigMac: (https://teraconfig.blogspot.com/)



From Bigmac:

 “What should you know about this? Have no fear, TERA use UNREAL ENGINE 3 (UE3) to work, S1Engine.ini, Systemsettings.ini, and others is a common file of Unreal Engine 3 games, these files tell the game how to run the game, it's a game config file, no more, it can be quite scary on first sight, but it's a kind monster, if you treat her correctly you will get a huge performance gain.”


      That’s what she said. (Yeah, I know, a joke)


Note: This game is limited by Unreal Engine 3 limitations since this engine is made for FPS, not MMOs in mind, explaining why will lags in HW (Highwatch) with lots of players due to the engine being unable to handle the number of "actors" (Players) on screen. Hence why Players/NPC shadows disappear after a certain number of players.


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We will be modifying multiple files, including:

(TERA\S1Game\Config) - Where Defaults and standard config files were all used to editing are located. 



DefaultS1engine.ini

DefaultSystemsettings.ini

BaseSystemsettings.ini

BaseS1engine.ini

(Tera\Client\Engine\Config) Where standard UE3 files are stored, this is what overwrites the main engine.

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What if something fails? 

Repair the client. Resets everything to typical values. Use the launcher that is included and do a file check and it should restore the files.


FEEL FREE TO EXPERIMENT AS SOON AS YOU UNDERSTAND THE GUIDE 👱👍

Note: Anything on DefaultSystemsettings or DefaultS1Engine (like AllowImageReflections=True on there) that line or any command lines will be chosen over the same lines in BaseS1engine, DefaultSystemsettings, etc. 

BEWARE not to repeat command lines with different settings.


I will recommend using Notepad++ for this before proceeding: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/.


Use the Find tool to look for command lines.

// How to compare two files in Notepad++? //

In Notepad++ add plugin "Compare" : main panel > plugins > plugin manager > show plugin manager > find plugin Compare > Install > (if program asks if you would like to update manager? - Yes, only once) >

> Open two (Your ini file you want to compare, etc)-s > main panel > plugins > Compare > select one of two files > Set as first to compare > switch to second file > main panel > plugins > Compare > Compare 

Differences between the two files - will be highlighted.


 Added lines (-------------) to help with separating things! Hope it makes it easier to read!


Any Lines that I don't show in this guide but are on older Tera FPS guides...Don't tweak those! They have been removed from this guide for a reason. The last thing you don't want is a game that won't boot (Black screen, freezes upon loading in the lobby). The best advice is to skip those lines altogether! 




Requirements:

1. Notepad ++

2. Back up your base engine files before tweaking!

3. After every few line changes, save and test! I know it's tedious, but it helps keep your time if you get into an issue without starting from scratch!

4. Your In-Game Settings.

Turn off "Automatically Apply" IF you are aware that your PC can handle Tera.


Max for Med-High End PC's
Everything Maxed Out. (Med/High-end PC's)

For Lighting enrichment, Set it to 1. (Setting it to "2" would add a "Blur" effect, not real FXAA.)

The following setting, "Real Optimization," is set to 3; any lower causes shadows to not recover after an intense area or even in usual areas in some cases. 

Brightness is a personal preference. ^^


Turn off System Setting Optimization! Auto Lowers Graphics (Red text notification) in certain areas like the harbor. If you're on a low-end PC, Keep this on.

Note: If you are doing VG (Vanguard Missions), System Setting Optimization will take effect regardless of how you set it (On or Off); it might be a bug. But once VG is over, it will restore it back to normal.

OH, AND TURN OFF AUTO-Optimization



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Note: Anything that has Example: UNREAL ENGINE with an underline, is crossed out due to it doesn't apply to TERA or broken! 

 

Now let's begin!

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1. BaseS1Engine.ini (Located in TERA\Engine\Config\BaseEngine.ini) 

Now let's get started with BaseS1engine: 


Color Tweaks:

Unreal Engine 3 has the built-in option to change the image just like you can set it on a TV, gamma, brightness, contrast, saturation. Changing this has NO performance cost and can help you make the game look as you like, be creative! You can make Tera get a fantasy look by raising saturation and mid-tones. Values of this is for personal taste, so I will not recommend any specific value!


[Engine.Player]

PP_DesaturationMultiplier=0.9

PP_HighlightsMultiplier=0.9

PP_MidTonesMultiplier=1.1

PP_ShadowsMultiplier=1.0


(Defualts) 

[Engine.Player]

PP_DesaturationMultiplier=1.0

PP_HighlightsMultiplier=1.0

PP_MidTonesMultiplier=1.1

PP_ShadowsMultiplier=1.0

These lines are personal preference, I highly recommend using RESHADE with addon instead for filters.

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Color Tweaks (2nd Alt) - Use Nvidia GeForce Experience "Game Filter" or "Reshade addons" to adjust colors.

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ProcBuildingLODColorTexelsPerWorldUnit=0.075 

Roughly how many texels per world unit when generating a building LOD color texture.

More for quality, less for performance 

(Max setting=0.095, Min setting=0.055)

(Default: 0.075)

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ProcBuildingLODLightingTexelsPerWorldUnit=0.015

Roughly how many texels per world unit when generating a building LOD lighting texture. 

More for quality, less for performance 

(Max setting=0.025 Min setting=0.010) 

(Default:0.015)

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MaxProcBuildingLODColorTextureSize=1024

Maximum size of a building LOD color texture

IMPORTANT: If you change this, you should also consider changing TEXTUREGROUP_ProcBuilding_Face!

(Default 1024)

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MaxProcBuildingLODLightingTextureSize=2048

 Maximum size of a building LOD lighting texture

IMPORTANT: If you change this, you should also consider changing TEXTUREGROUP_ProcBuilding_LightMap!

Source: UDK | TextureSupportAndSettings (unrealengine.com)

(Default:256) 



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bCombineSimilarMappings=True

If set to "True," we should combine light/shadow maps together if they're very similar to one another. 

Adds the option to combine hard or soft texture meshes into a single stream, thus smoothing vertexes. Set "True" Lightmap shadows and textures will be streamed together, reducing jitter but declining performance. A setting that affects the texture quality of the game and suggests changing it to False for lower settings and True for higher settings.

(Default: False) 

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MaxRMSDForCombiningMappings=6.0

A setting that controls the maximum root mean square deviation (RMSD) for combining similar texture mappings in Unreal Engine 3 games. Texture mapping is the process of applying a 2D image (texture) to a 3D surface (mesh) to create realistic and detailed graphics. However, texture mapping can also consume a lot of memory and performance resources, especially for high-resolution textures.


One way to optimize texture mapping is to combine similar mappings that have small differences in their coordinates or orientations. This can reduce the number of texture lookups and improve the rendering speed. However, combining mappings can also introduce errors or distortions in the texture appearance, especially if the mappings are very different from each other.


The value of this setting is a float that represents the maximum RMSD for combining similar mappings. RMSD is a measure of how much the combined mapping deviates from the original mappings. A lower RMSD means a more accurate and faithful combination, but also a less aggressive optimization. A higher RMSD means a more approximate and distorted combination, but also a more efficient optimization.

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ImageReflectionTextureSize=4096 

Size of the texture generated by ImageReflectionSceneCapture actors. More for quality, less for performance.

A parameter that controls the texture size of the reflection on objects in some applications or games. For example, in the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, you can use this parameter to adjust the quality of the reflection on water, metal, glass, etc. 

The higher the value, the more detailed the reflection will be, but it may also affect the performance of the game. 

The default value is 1024, but you can change it to other values like 2048 or 4096 if you want to improve the graphics.

(Min - 64, Max - 4096) 

(Default:1024)

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TerrainMaterialMaxTextureCount=32 

Terrain Texture quality. More for quality, less for performance.


(TerrainMaterialMaxTextureCount=)

is a setting that controls the number of textures that can be used for terrain materials in Unreal Engine 3 games. Terrain materials are materials that are applied to the landscape to create realistic and varied surfaces, such as grass, dirt, rock, snow, etc. Each terrain material can have multiple layers of textures, such as base color, normal map, detail map, etc.


The value of this setting is the maximum number of textures that can be used for all terrain materials in the game. A higher value means more variety and detail in the terrain, but also more memory and performance cost. A lower value means less variety and detail in the terrain, but also less memory and performance cost.


The default value of this setting is 16, which means that the game can use up to 16 textures for terrain materials. However, this value can be changed in the *BaseEngine.ini* file, which is a configuration file that stores various settings for Unreal Engine 3 games. You can find this file in the *Config* folder of your game directory.


To change the value of this setting, open the *BaseEngine.ini* file with a text editor and look for the line that says `TerrainMaterialMaxTextureCount=` under `[Engine.Engine]`. You can modify the value after the equal sign to suit your preference. For example, if you want to increase the number of textures to 32, you can change the line to `TerrainMaterialMaxTextureCount=32`.


(1) UDK | TerrainAdvancedTextures - Unreal Engine. https://docs.unrealengine.com/udk/Three/TerrainAdvancedTextures.html.

(2) UDK | TextureSupportAndSettings - Unreal Engine. https://docs.unrealengine.com/udk/Three/TextureSupportAndSettings.html.

(3) Landscape Material Layer Blending - Unreal Engine. https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Landscape/Materials/index.html.


(Max Value 32) 

(Default:16)

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TerrainTessellationCheckCount=24 

This is the number of frames that are used between terrain—more for performance.  

(Min 6, Max 99) 

(Default:6)

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TerrainTessellationCheckBorder=2.0 

Tessellation settings: More for quality, less for performance.

TerrainTessellationCheckBorder=` is a setting that controls the border size of the terrain tessellation in Unreal Engine 3 games. Tessellation is a technique that adds more detail and realism to the landscape by subdividing the polygons and displacing them based on a height map. The border size is the distance from the edge of the terrain component that the tessellation will be applied. A higher value means more tessellation near the edge, but also more performance cost. A lower value means less tessellation near the edge, but also less performance cost.


The default value of this setting is 2.0, which means that the tessellation will be applied to the area within 2 meters from the edge of the terrain component. However, this value can be changed in the *BaseEngine.ini* file, which is a configuration file that stores various settings for Unreal Engine 3 games. You can find this file in the *Config* folder of your game directory.


To change the value of this setting, open the *BaseEngine.ini* file with a text editor and look for the line that says `TerrainTessellationCheckBorder=` under `[Engine.Terrain]`. You can modify the value after the equal sign to suit your preference. For example, if you want to increase the border size to 4 meters, you can change the line to `TerrainTessellationCheckBorder=4`.


You can find more information about this setting and how to tweak it in some of the web search results I found for you:


(1) UDK | UsingTerrain - Unreal Engine. https://docs.unrealengine.com/udk/Three/UsingTerrain.html.

(2) How to control Landscape Tessellation with distance?. https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/how-to-control-landscape-tessellation-with-distance/314884.

(3) Unreal Engine landscape terrain material - Part 3 - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N71tsMPDr-A.

(4) undefined. http://s1.anyimg.com/img/1bo6qic/DaveTheFreak_DistanceBasedTesselation.jpg.


(Min 0.0, Max 4.0) 

(Default: 2.0)

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TerrainTessellationCheckDistance=4096.0

The radius from the view origin that terrain tessellation checks should be performed. If 0.0 = infinity = every component will be checked for: tessellation changes each frame = quality, 1.0 or more for performance. 

(Min 8192, Max 0.0) 

(Default:4096.0)

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bStaticDecalsEnabled=True

"Static decals are markings or posters in the game world placed on surfaces as decoration by the map designer and are not created by players. Setting this option to False removes these, and depending on the map, the visual and performance difference may or may not be noticeable."

Example: Static sprites on the map that don't move: EX: Decorations on walls, proper for quality, false for performance

 (Default: True)

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bDynamicDecalsEnabled=True

"Dynamic decals are the marks left by players when using weapons on the surroundings. If this option is set to False, while weapons will initially show impact marks, some weapons will not leave dark scorch marks and the like on scenery. Disabling this option may improve performance, particularly in heavy combat."

Dynamic sprites on the maps that people made.

Example: Archers, Arrows, etc. 

Valid for quality, false for performance 

(Default: True)

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bForceStaticTerrain=True  

This setting tells the game whether to make all ground polygons stay the same size, shape, and angle no matter how far you are from it. 🌄

If you set this to false, the game will turn a very round hill of many polygons into a jagged hill of fewer polygons further away you get.

(Default: False)

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MaxPixelShaderAdditiveComplexityCount=900

Complexity limits for the various complexity view mode combinations.

Setting that controls the maximum number of shader instructions that can be used to calculate each pixel of your scene in Unreal Engine 3 games. Shader instructions are the basic operations that the graphics card performs to render the scene, such as texture lookups, math operations, lighting calculations, etc. The more shader instructions you use, the more complex and realistic your scene can look, but also the more performance cost you incur.


More for quality, less for performance 

(Min 256, Max 900)  

(Default:900)

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TimeBetweenPurgingPendingKillObjects=60 


TLDR:

OPTIONAL - Time in seconds (game time) to wait between purging object references to objects that are pending kill. This is how often the game "flushes" the used memory. Set this to -1 (off); this will lead to a VERY long pause when the memory reaches the ceiling allowed but may help dramatically reduce fps drops and stop the 10-second stutter.

Recommendation? Experiment with this; I'll keep it at 60 if you're having issues. 


Long tech Version: 


The text `TimeBetweenPurgingPendingKillObjects=` is a setting that controls how often the game engine performs garbage collection, which is the process of freeing up memory by deleting unused or unwanted objects. Garbage collection can improve performance and prevent memory leaks, but it can also cause stuttering or pauses if it happens too frequently or takes too long.


The value of this setting is the time in seconds (game time) to wait between purging object references to objects that are pending kill. This means that objects that are marked for deletion will not be immediately removed from memory but will be stored in a queue until the next garbage collection cycle. This can help reduce the workload of garbage collection and make it more efficient.


The default value of this setting is 60, which means that garbage collection will happen every 60 seconds of game time. However, this value can be changed in the *Engine.ini* file, which is a configuration file that stores various settings for Unreal Engine 3 games. Some sources suggest changing this value to -1, which means that garbage collection will never happen automatically, but only when explicitly requested by the game code. This can prevent stuttering and pauses caused by garbage collection, but it can also increase the risk of running out of memory or having memory fragmentation.


Therefore, the optimal value for this setting depends on your system specifications, your game settings, and your personal preference. 

You may want to experiment with different values and see how they affect your game performance and stability. 


Source: Conversation with Bing AI

(1) UDK | MemoryDebugging - Unreal Engine. https://docs.unrealengine.com/udk/Three/MemoryDebugging.html.

(2) Unreal Object Handling | Unreal Engine Documentation. https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/ProgrammingAndScripting/ProgrammingWithCPP/UnrealArchitecture/Objects/Optimizations/.

(3) A Call For Dx12 - Engine.ini Optimizations For Ue V4.26. https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/a-call-for-dx12-engine-ini-optimizations-for-ue-v4-26.50311/.


(Default 60, Max -1) 

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bUseBackgroundLevelStreaming=False  

 A setting that controls how the game engine loads textures and other assets in the background. It is a common option for games that use Unreal Engine 3, which is the engine that powers Tera Online and many other games.


If this setting is set to True, the game will load textures and assets gradually as you move around the game world, which may reduce loading times but also cause stuttering, pop-in, and lower quality graphics. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will load all the textures and assets at once when you enter a new area, which may increase loading times but also improve performance, smoothness, and graphics quality.


The optimal value for this setting depends on your system specifications, especially your video card memory (VRAM) and hard drive speed. If you have a high-end PC with a lot of VRAM and an SSD, you may benefit from setting this to False to enjoy the best graphics and smoothness.

 If you have a low-end PC with limited VRAM and a HDD, you may want to keep this at True to avoid long loading times and crashes.


(False - for High-End PC's and Users with SSD's

(True - if using HDD/ Hard Drive or low VRAM/RAM or low-end PC/ Intel/AMD intergrated graphics)

(Default: True)


(If you have a RTX 3080 or a high-end PC, set this to False.

 

If your PC is a hamster 🐭, keep it "True")

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MinTextureDensity, IdealTextureDensity, MaxTextureDensity, MinLightMapDensity, IdealLightMapDensity, MaxLightMapDensity settings. 

Note about these settings: The range for the texture and lightning density view modes. More for quality, less for performance. 

For Lower End PC's =

MinTextureDensity=0.0

IdealTextureDensity=6.5

MaxTextureDensity=25.0

MinLightMapDensity=0.0

IdealLightMapDensity=0.02

MaxLightMapDensity=0.05


Normal UE3.5 Defaults

MinTextureDensity=0.0

IdealTextureDensity=13.0

MaxTextureDensity=55.0

MinLightMapDensity=0.0

IdealLightMapDensity=0.05

MaxLightMapDensity=0.2


Note: If you have a higher end PC. leave this alone.


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RenderLightMapDensityColorScale=1.0

The scale factor when rendering color density. More for quality, less for performance, Default 1.0

(Min 0.1, Max 1.0) 

(Default: 1.0)

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MaxParticleResize=0

The maximum allowed size to a ParticleEmitterInstance Resize call. If the value is larger, the function will return without resizing. 0 = infinite. Adjust the value between 532 and up. 532-10,000 is a good range for limiting the particles.

The higher the value, the more particles. This works for any PhysX particles, i.e., rocks, sparks, fluids, etc. This DOES NOT work for cloth.

(Default:0)


(Note: On 64-bit version, this is set to "0", leave it as is)

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MaxParticleResizeWarn=0

"0" is equal to infinite. 533 Min needs to be at least 1 greater than MaxParticleResize.

(Default: 0)

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To stop textures fading in as blurry low quality when first seen, and instead "pop in" as full quality straight away:

MipFadeInSpeed0=0.00 (these even out mipmap loads and draw time)

MipFadeOutSpeed0=0.00

MipFadeInSpeed1=0.0

MipFadeOutSpeed1=0.0


Turn off streaming system delay (stuttering)

Defaults are as follows:

MipFadeInSpeed0=0.03

MipFadeOutSpeed0=0.1

MipFadeInSpeed1=2.0

MipFadeOutSpeed1=1.0


September 2021 update: This one I highly recommend experimenting with, leave this to Defaults if there isn't any difference.


Just set this to default. Making the textures load fast a sonic isn't a good idea. UE3.5 doesn't love that. Or else you will see... this.

 


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bShouldGenerateSimpleLightmaps=TRUE

(Default: TRUE)


bUseNormalMapsForSimpleLightMaps=TRUE

Enables normal map sampling 

Both settings relate to enabling typical map sampling when Lightmass is generating 'simple' lightmaps.  This increases lighting build time but may improve quality when normal maps represent curvature over a large surface area.  When this setting is disabled, 'simple' lightmaps will not take normal maps into account. True for quality, false for performance 

(Default: TRUE)

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bSmoothFrameRate=False

The game engine is capped to a maximum framerate, as determined by the value of the MaxSmoothedFrameRate variable (see below), which is (Depends on the game) FPS by default. This is done by the developers to prevent FPS spikes and thus provide smoother performance. 

However, by setting this option to =False, you can altogether remove this FPS cap. Keep in mind that if you find your framerate varying a great deal and causing jerkiness, this option is best set back to True. 

Uncapping your FPS doesn't increase overall performance as such, i.e., if you got 35 FPS in certain areas with the cap, you'll still do so without the cap. These settings control the framerate range between which the game engine attempts to smooth frames. As covered under the smooth framerate setting above, if that setting is set to True, the framerate limit specified by the value of MaxSmoothedFrameRate will be enforced. 

Although you can disable this FPS cap, ideally, if you want smooth FPS but don't want the default 62FPS cap, one thing you can do is to set the MaxSmoothedFrameRate to a higher value, e.g., =70 or =85. It's usually best to set your FPS cap to match your Refresh Rate since even with VSync disabled, any framerate above your monitor's refresh rate will simply be partial frames anyway. 

There's no reason uncapping your FPS will necessarily provide you with a better gameplay advantage. In fact, it may do the opposite due to greater FPS variability, so experiment to see if simply using a higher framerate cap is a compromise of smoothness and performance. 

(Default: TRUE)


Note: Smooth Framerate is known issue in 32-bit and other UE3 Games, it's been recommended it turn it off by Mutiple articles and sources. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MinSmoothedFrameRate=999

Minimum framerate smoothing will kick in. More for quality, less for performance.

(Default:22)


(Only affects if bSmoothFrameRate is enabled)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MaxSmoothedFrameRate=999

Maximum framerate to smooth. The code will try to not go over via waiting. Less for quality, more for performance

(Default:62)

(Only affects if bSmoothFrameRate is enabled)

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MaxChannels=32

This option controls the maximum number of individual audio channels used for sounds in Tera. Almost all modern sound cards support at least 32 channels; Audigy series cards can support 64; X-Fi cards support 128. If you have audio problems, set this value to the maximum channels supported by your audio device, improve performance, or reduce audio glitches. Try a slightly lower value, or just 32 if all else fails. 

Note that if set too low (Under 32), you will get missing or glitching sounds.

(Min 32, Max 128)  

(Default: 32)

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PoolSize= (The amount of VRAM your GPU has!)

PoolSize the max VRAM of your GPU in MB. Sets the size in MB of the texture pool, which all textures except render targets use.

This setting controls the amount of GPU memory allocated for texture streaming. The default value is 140, which means 140 MBs. You can increase this value to match your GPU memory size, but be careful not to exceed it or you may encounter crashes or errors. For example, if you have a GPU with 6 GBs of VRAM, you can set this value to 6000.

(Default: 160)

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MemoryMargin=30

(Min 20 Max 30) 

Controls the amount of GPU memory reserved for other purposes, such as post-processing effects or UI elements. The default value is 20, which means 20 MBs. You can decrease this value to free up more GPU memory for texture streaming but be careful not to set it too low or you may encounter graphical glitches or artifacts. For example, you can set this value to 10 or 5.

(Note: I've seen people change these settings on guides like Killing Floor, Batman: AK, etc.)

 So, experiment with caution. Or leave this at Default.

(Default: 20)

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HysteresisLimit=20

(Min 20 - Max 30) 

Sets a limit on textures rendered when transitioning from one LOD to another, limiting spurious load/unload requests. Set >20 (2.0 sec) increases visuals & reduces fudge factor if pool RAM is available.

A setting that controls how quickly the texture streaming system reacts to changes in the level of detail (LOD) of textures in Unreal Engine 3 games. Texture streaming is a feature that allows the game to load and unload textures dynamically based on the available memory and the distance from the camera. This can help reduce memory usage and improve the performance of the game, but it can also cause some visual artifacts such as blurry or popping textures.


The HysteresisLimit setting defines the minimum difference between the current LOD and the desired LOD of a texture before the texture streaming system starts to load or unload mipmaps. Mipmaps are smaller versions of a texture that are used for distant objects to save memory and improve filtering. The higher the HysteresisLimit value, the more stable the texture streaming system will be, but also the more likely it will be to display lower quality textures. The lower the HysteresisLimit value, the more responsive the texture streaming system will be, but also the more likely it will be to cause texture popping or stuttering.


(Default: 20)

(Leave as is)

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DropMipLevelsLimit=20

(Min 4 Max 20) 

Sets the number of MIP levels to drop (increase fudge) before uploading a texture LOD.

A setting that controls how many mipmaps are dropped from the texture streaming system in Unreal Engine 3 games. Texture streaming is a feature that allows the game to load and unload textures dynamically based on the available memory and the distance from the camera. Mipmaps are smaller versions of a texture that are used for distant objects to save memory and improve filtering.


The higher the DropMipLevelsLimit value, the more mipmaps are dropped from the texture streaming system, which means that the game will use lower resolution textures for distant objects. This can help reduce memory usage and improve the performance of the game, but it can also cause some visual artifacts such as blurry or popping textures. The lower the DropMipLevelsLimit value, the fewer mipmaps are dropped from the texture streaming system, which means that the game will use higher resolution textures for distant objects. This can help increase the visual quality and realism of the game, but it can also cause some performance issues such as stuttering or lagging.

Set >16 increases GPU memory & file caching.

(Default: 16)

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StopIncreasingLimit=20

Sets a memory limit for texture pop-ins (MIPS) in MB. Setting this higher with an increased pool size will help pop-in issues.

(Min 5 Max 20)

(Default: 12)

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StopStreamingLimit=12

Sets a memory limit for texture streaming in MB. Setting this higher with an increased pool size will help smooth streaming.

(Min 6 Max 12)

(Default: 8)

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MinEvictSize=12

Sets a memory limit for texture tiles mapped/pinned as necessary and then evicted as per cache rules. Set >10 to retain.

(Min 10 Max 12)

(Default:10)

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MinFudgeFactor=1

Sets a min margin of error for texture streaming. Anything higher than 1.0f means that textures don't fit & will be blurry. 

(Min 5 , Max 0.5)

(Default:1)

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FudgeFactorIncreaseRateOfChange=0.5

Tells when to throttle the rate of texture stream. Anything higher than 1.0f is terrible. Set between 0.5 and 1.0 only.

(Min 1 Max 0.5) 

(Default: 0.5)

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FudgeFactorDecreaseRateOfChange=-0.4

Tells when to increase the margin of the error rate for texture streaming. Anything lower than -1.0f is terrible. Set between -0.5 and -1.0 only. 

(Min -1 Max -0.1)

(Default= -0.4)

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MinRequestedMipsToConsider=11

 Sets the minimum # of MIPS requests in the texture update phase. Set >11 may increase down ratios but can cause stuttering. Set to 11.

(Min 0, Max 15)

(Default:11)

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MinTimeToGuaranteeMinMipCount=0

Sets a min time to eliminate the loading buffer and shows texture density at its max right away instead of loading it. Set to 0. 

(Min 5 Max 0)

(Default: 2)

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MaxTimeToGuaranteeMinMipCount=0

Sets a max time to eliminate the loading buffer and shows texture density at its max right away instead of loading it. Set to 0 

(Min 12 Max 0) 

(Default:12)

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UseTextureFileCache=TRUE

Texture caching has some advantages over memory mapping. For scenes with many large textures, not all of them would fit into the virtual memory simultaneously.

In such a case, the game engine will unmap and re-map textures from memory on demand. However, memory mapping is relatively slow operation.

Contrary to memory-mapped textures, cached ones do not occupy a large part of the virtual memory space. Texture tiles or pages are read from the image file on demand.

(Default: TRUE)

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LoadMapTimeLimit=20.0

Sets a time limit for the pre-streaming texture blocking operation, making streaming smoother. Lower # assumes more bandwidth. 

So, if you have a powerful card you can experiment with lower this more, I'll recommend leaving this at 4.0 at most, anymore and risk of seeing low LoD due to engine limitations?) 

(Min 10 Max 2)

(Default: 20.0)


If you have potato PC, leave this as default. Unless you want this to happen.


                                        Your potato PC:


 Don't be the toilet.

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LightmapStreamingFactor=0.04

Sets how aggressively lightmaps are streamed out. Smaller values <0.04 (default) are more aggressive

(Min 0.09 Max 0.02) 

(Default: 0.04)

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ShadowmapStreamingFactor=0.04

 Sets how aggressively shadow maps are streamed out. Smaller values <0.04 (default) are more aggressive.

(Min 0.09 Max 0.02)

(Default: 0.04)

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MaxLightmapRadius=4250.0

Sets how wide an indirect sunlight/illumination lighting source spans, like the focus width of a flashlight. Higher numbers result in illumination, not brightness, and reduce shadow effects.

(Min 500 Max 9000)

(Default: 2000.0)

(Just leave this to 2000.0)

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AllowStreamingLightmaps=True

Sets whether to allow lightmaps to stream in and out based on player distance.

Can affect the visual appearance and performance of your game, as well as the compatibility with different platforms and devices. 

A value of True means that the game will use texture streaming for lightmaps, which may result in a lower memory usage and a faster loading time, but also a more likely occurrence of blurry or popping lightmaps. 

A value of False means that the game will not use texture streaming for lightmaps, which may result in a higher memory usage and a slower loading time, but also a more consistent and realistic lighting and shadow quality. 


(Default: True)

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UsePriorityStreaming=True

Sets the quality of service & priority to texture streams being drawn and compensates for stuttering lag spikes but reduces framerate priority and only loads basic texture sets if set TRUE. 

Value of True means that the game will use priority-based texture streaming, which may result in a more efficient and adaptive use of memory and bandwidth, but also a more complex and CPU-intensive calculation of texture priorities. 

A value of False means that the game will not use priority-based texture streaming, which may result in a simpler and faster calculation of texture resolutions, but also a more wasteful and rigid use of memory and bandwidth.


(Default: True)

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bAllowSwitchingStreamingSystem=True

Sets allow the game to switch stream rates to compensate for stuttering/lag spikes but reduce framerate priority and cause more stuttering under certain conditions if set true.

Value of True means that the game will use the best texture streaming system for each situation, which may result in a more adaptive and optimal gameplay, but also a more complex and unpredictable behavior. 

A value of False means that the game will use a fixed texture streaming system, which may result in a more stable and consistent gameplay, but also a more rigid and suboptimal behavior.

(Default: False)

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UseDynamicStreaming=True  

 Replaces streaming "triggers" with dynamic streaming volumes so the map can be loaded while playing (reduces map load times), rather than having to wait for it all out at once.

A setting that controls whether to use dynamic texture streaming in Unreal Engine 3 games. Dynamic texture streaming is a technique that adjusts the resolution of textures based on their screen size and distance from the camera. 

This can help improve the visual quality and performance of the game by using higher resolution textures for close-up objects and lower resolution textures for far-away objects. 

If you set FALSE, you better have a lot of RAM/VRAM.

(Full visuals set to False, if your GPU has enough VRAM to handle it,

 if not, True.)

(Min TRUE Max False)

(Default: True)

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BoostPlayerTextures=3

This one is beneficial in servers with large player counts as it reduces player textures, 

If you want max details on all players, including your friends, set this to 3.

(Min 0, Max 3)

(Default: 3.0)

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bSmoothFrameRate=False

This is set twice. The UE & T: A Engine is capped to a max framerate value set by the MaxSmoothedFrameRate variable. 

This is designed to prevent FPS spikes and smooth gameplay. Setting to false removes the FPS cap altogether but may cause jerkiness. 

Uncapping your FPS doesn't necessarily increase overall performance.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FLightPrimitiveInteractionInitialBlockSize=1024

A setting that controls the initial size of the memory block allocated for storing light primitive interactions in Unreal Engine 3 games. Light primitive interactions are data structures that store information about how dynamic lights affect static meshes in the scene. The more light primitive interactions there are, the more memory is needed to store them.

This setting can affect the performance and memory usage of your game, as well as the compatibility with different platforms and devices. 

A higher value of this setting means more memory is allocated for light primitive interactions at the start of the game, which may result in a faster and smoother gameplay, but also a higher memory consumption and a lower compatibility with low-end devices. 

A lower value of this setting means less memory is allocated for light primitive interactions at the start of the game, which may result in a lower memory consumption and a higher compatibility with low-end devices, but also a slower and choppier gameplay.

In testing with 8 GIG system RAM, 4 GIG and less total system RAM use this calculation:

RAM MB/8=FLightPrimitiveInteractionInitialBlockSize

4096/8=512

2048/8=256

(Default:512)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FModShadowPrimitiveInteractionInitialBlockSize=1024

A setting that controls the initial size of the memory block allocated for storing FMod shadow primitive interactions in Unreal Engine 3 games. 

FMod shadow primitive interactions are data structures that store information about how FMod lights affect static meshes in the scene. FMod lights are a type of dynamic light that use distance field shadow maps to create soft and realistic shadows.

(Default:512)

You can use higher values than that, but it will make the loading screens longer but will reduce textures and static shadow popping.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(IMPORTANT: Please read)

[Engine.SeqAct_Interp] 

; These control the default rendering overrides for matinees with director tracks

; By default, some features are disabled to make room for cinematic lighting and shadowing

RenderingOverrides=(bAllowAmbientOcclusion=True,bAllowDominantWholeSceneDynamicShadows=True,bAllowMotionBlurSkinning=True,bAllowTemporalAA=True,bAllowLightShafts=True)


Defaults: 

RenderingOverrides=(bAllowAmbientOcclusion=False,bAllowDominantWholeSceneDynamicShadows=False,bAllowMotionBlurSkinning=True,bAllowTemporalAA=True,bAllowLightShafts=True)

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PackageSizeSoftLimit=2048 

A setting that controls the soft limit of the package size in Unreal Engine 3 games. Package size is the amount of disk space that a game package occupies. 

A game package is a file that contains various assets and data for the game, such as textures, meshes, sounds, scripts, etc.

 Unreal Engine 3 uses a system called Content Streaming to load and unload game packages dynamically based on the player’s location and view. This can improve performance and reduce memory usage, but it can also increase the package size.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bForceNoMovies=TRUE 

(Search in Notepad ++ for this one on the same file we were working on!)

Anything that involves video cutscenes (mp4, Bik files, etc.) will be forced off, great if you want to load in faster and not deal with seeing the same cutscenes over and over. 

Note This does not affect in-game cutscenes though, use a Tera Toolbox plugin called Auto-Cutscene.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MemBudgetMb=2048

A setting that controls the memory budget allocated to the Substance Engine in Unreal Engine 3 games. The Substance Engine is a feature that allows the use of dynamic and parametric textures, called Substances, that can change their appearance and resolution depending on various parameters and inputs. The memory budget is the amount of RAM that the Substance Engine can use to store and process Substances. 

The value of this setting is the memory budget in megabytes (MB). For example, if you set MemBudgetMb=256, the Substance Engine can use up to 256 MB of RAM for Substances. 

The default value of this setting is 256 MB, but you can change it in the BaseEngine.ini file, which is a configuration file that stores various settings for Unreal Engine 3 games.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UseMinimalNVIDIADriverShaderOptimization=False


A setting that controls whether to use a minimal shader optimization for Nvidia graphics cards in Unreal Engine 3 games. 

Shader optimization is the process of reducing the number of instructions and calculations that the graphics card has to perform to render the scene. 

This can improve performance and reduce stuttering, but it can also lower the graphics quality and introduce visual artifacts.


The value of this setting is either True or False, where True means that minimal shader optimization is enabled and False means that it is disabled.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember to test the game before moving on to the next section!

^-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------^







2. (BaseSystemSettings.ini)



 

Now let's get started with BaseSystemSettings: Located in TERA\Engine\Config\BaseSystemSettings.ini 

DynamicDecals=True

Enables dynamic decals, blood emitting out of an enemy, and a small round shadow under our character and NPCs. Change it to False to disable these effects and improve performance.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


UnbatchedDecals=True

Adds static decals to skeletal meshes or terrain. This is a low impact on performance setting with a high reward in clarity.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DecalCullDistanceScale=1.000000

Sets the Level of Detail of a decal when you move far away from it. The lower the value, the amount of detail will be reduced when you go near said decal. Set lower to make them disappear sooner to improve performance. Determines the distance in which Decals start disappearing from your view. 

(Min 0.1 Max 1)

(Default: 1.000000)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DynamicLights=True

******DO NOT CHANGE THIS, OR YOUR GAME WILL LOOK HORRIBLE******

This game was built using Unreal Engine 3, which is built using Dynamic Lighting. It's confusing because you can disable many different types of dynamic stuff like shadows, decals, blood, and whatnot, but everything turns black if you turn off dynamic lighting. 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DynamicShadows=True

Dynamic shadowing is a system where shadows react to the world, unlike static shadows, which always look the same no matter what. Set it to False to improve performance by a great deal since shadows take up many CPUs. 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CompositeDynamicLights=False

A setting that controls whether to use composite dynamic lights in Unreal Engine 3 games. Composite dynamic lights are a type of dynamic lights that use a combination of stencil shadows and light environments to create soft and realistic shadows. Dynamic lights are lights that can move and change their properties during the game, such as spotlights, flashlights, or fire.

A value of True means that the game will use composite dynamic lights, which may result in a more realistic and immersive gameplay, but also a higher performance cost and memory usage. 

A value of False means that the game will not use composite dynamic lights, which may result in a faster and smoother gameplay, but also a lower visual quality and immersion.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MotionBlur=False 

Personal preference Motion blur is unwanted beer goggles. Default False normally adds additional blurring seen when turning around rapidly, moving rapidly, or being hit. It can cause a mouse delay. Disable!

(Default: True)


If you suffer from motion sickness, keep this disabled. 

 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MotionBlurPause=True

Determine the pause between frames of motion blur. 

Since MotionBlur=False, this option is unused and can be safely ignored.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MotionBlurSkinning=1

Allows a blurring effect on high-speed moving objects.

 Since MotionBlur=False, this option is unused and can be ignored. 

(Off 0, On 1)

(Default: 1)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DepthOfField=True

"The effect used to simulate how objects within focus are sharper than objects outside our direct field of focus. It's primarily noticeable when zooming in on objects with a sniper rifle - objects in focus will appear crisp while surrounding objects will be blurred." (From ME3 Guide, it still applies to Tera since both use UE3.)

The background of the world in your character's line of vision adds the effect used to simulate how objects within your focus are sharper than objects outside our direct field of view/focus. It is blurred to improve realism/cinematic quality. Set it to False to improve performance, though this may improve performance when enabled on some systems. I don't know why just experiment.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AmbientOcclusion=True

Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) is an effect that approximates the attenuation of light due to occlusion. This is generally best used as a subtle effect, in addition to standard global illumination, that darkens corners, crevices, or other features to create a more natural, realistic look.

Note: With Tera 64-bit patch, AO is now in the game by default) 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bloom=True 

(Disable) Personal preference. This setting controls the use of Bloom Lighting, which exaggerates the brightness and glow of lights, creating a slightly hazy, more atmospheric look. Turning it off less stress on the CPU if set to False. 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


UseHighQualityBloom=True    

As with Bloom above, this setting controls Bloom's lighting effects, and if set to True, uses a more accurate form of Bloom. 

Disabling this may gain additional performance without a noticeable change in image quality. It might or might not work. Experiment! 

Add this line underneath Bloom=True.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bAllowLightShafts=True

This enables/disables light shafts or "god rays" from the sun, especially in Cultist's Refugee. False a minimal performance gain.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Distortion=True (Depends on Personal Preference)

Distortion is a shader put in front of the screen or an object to emphasize the effects used in the game, like the swinging of axes and swords. Disabling this option will remove such effects, improving performance, particularly during heavy combat.

These can improve game performance when set to False for Eye Candy, True.

(Default: True)

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FilteredDistortion=True

Whether to allow distortion to use bilinear filtering when sampling the scene color during its apply pass. 

It allows distortion on particles based on World Information to use bilinear filtering when sampling the scene color, like when hit by a weapon. It will show distortions in the air surrounding them. 

Set Setting "TRUE" reduces effects for performance 

Set it to False to improve performance.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DropParticleDistortion=False

Effects where a sprite-like spark would make a distortion effect when animating. Distortion affects complexity. 

A value of True means that the game will drop distortion on particles based on the world detail level, which may result in a faster and smoother gameplay, but also a lower visual quality and realism. A value of False means that the game will not drop distortion on particles based on the world detail level, which may result in a slower and choppier gameplay, but also a higher visual quality and realism.

(Default: False)

Setting it to True may improve performance at the cost of the visual quality of particle effects.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowDistortionAndColorInSameMaterial=True

A setting that controls whether to allow distortion and color in the same material in Unreal Engine 3 games. Distortion is a technique that simulates the refraction of light through transparent or translucent surfaces, such as glass, water, or fire. Color is the property that determines the hue, saturation, and brightness of a surface.


The value of this setting is either True or False, where True means that distortion and color are allowed in the same material and False means that they are not. The default value of this setting is False, which means that distortion and color are not allowed in the same material by default in Unreal Engine 3 games.

(Default:False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SpeedTreeLeaves=True

Adds or removes the leaves from trees. Enabled gives trees with leaves, whereas disabled shows trees with branches only. 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SpeedTreeFronds=True

Adds or removes minor branches from trees. Enables give trees more branches, whereas disabled shows the trunks only basically. 

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OnlyStreamInTextures=True 

This will force the textures to always fully load in, even when viewed from a distance. This also takes care of most micro loading pauses/hitches/stutters in many levels (caused by textures constantly reloading and switching quality in certain areas).

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


LensFlares=True

Lens Flare is an effect seen when staring at a bright light source, such as a Sun, or gun muzzle flashes. There are halo effects or changes in light intensity when this happens.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FogVolumes=True (I personally set it to true, but personal preference.)

Enables/Disables volumetric fog from Strikes and large explosions. Set False to remove/disable big smoke clouds and "Fog" in the game, such as distance fog or smoke effects. TERA fogs are rendered as static objects, so this makes no actual difference.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OneFrameThreadLag= False

A setting that affects the synchronization between the CPU and GPU in some games. It determines whether the game thread waits for the rendering thread to finish before starting a new frame. 

When it is enabled (set to True or 1), the game thread can run one frame ahead of the rendering thread, which may improve performance but also increase input latency. 

When it is disabled (set to False or 0), the game thread syncs with the rendering thread, which may reduce input latency but also lower the frame rate.

The optimal value for this setting depends on your hardware and personal preference. Some players may prefer a smoother gameplay experience with higher frame rates, while others may prioritize lower input latency for more responsive controls. You can experiment with different values and see what works best for you.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OneFrameGPULag=True

Opposite of OneFrameThreadLag, for people who are GPU Bottlenecked. 

A setting that controls whether to use one frame GPU lag in Unreal Engine 3 games. One frame GPU lag is a technique that delays the rendering of the current frame by one frame, which means that the game will display the previous frame instead of the current one. This can help improve the performance and stability of the game, but also introduce some input lag and visual artifacts.

Set to True; if not, Set this to False. 

(Line must be added underneath OneFrameThreadLag for easier organization)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UpscaleScreenPercentage=False


UpscaleScreenPercentage is a setting that controls whether the game will scale the image to fit the screen resolution when using a lower or higher screen percentage1. Screen percentage is a resolution scaling technique that renders the game at a different resolution than the actual screen resolution1. For example, if your screen resolution is 1920x1080 and your screen percentage is 50%, the game will render at 960x540 and then scale it to 1920x1080.


When UpscaleScreenPercentage is set to True or 1, the game will scale the image to fill the entire screen, but this may result in reduced image quality and blurry textures12. When UpscaleScreenPercentage is set to False or 0, the game will not scale the image, but this may result in black borders around the screen or a smaller window size2.


The optimal value for this setting depends on your hardware and personal preference. Some players may prefer a higher screen percentage and upscale quality for better visuals, while others may prefer a lower screen percentage and no upscaling for better performance. You can experiment with different values and see what works best for you

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowRadialBlur=False (Visual preference) 

Adds the effect of blur on Pegasus fly and rush skills. Radial blur is a particular kind of blurring effect that originates at a single point within an image and blurs outwards (or inwards) from (or to) the point.

The word 'radial' actually means "Arranged like rays that radiate from or converge to a common center." Disable for better performance.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


UseVsync=False

Reduces screen tearing, although when enabled, it looks although the game is running slower. This is because the fps is capped.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Fullscreen=True

Defines whether the client loads Fullscreen or windowed. Running Fullscreen will give better performance than Window/Borderless.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bAllowPostprocessMLAA= True 

Is a setting that controls whether to use Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA) in Unreal Engine 3 games. MLAA is a technique that reduces the stair-step appearance of edges in computer-generated images by applying a post-processing filter that detects and smooths out sharp transitions between pixels1. MLAA can improve the visual quality of the game, but it can also introduce some blurring and performance overhead.

A value of True means that the game will use MLAA, which may result in a smoother and more realistic gameplay, but also a higher performance cost and memory usage. A value of False means that the game will not use MLAA, which may result in a faster and sharper gameplay, but also a lower visual quality and realism.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


EnableHighPolyChars=True 

If set to False, this option reduces the polygon complexity of characters, which can improve performance. In general, the image quality difference is not significant, so set this to False if you need the extra FPS, particularly on servers with lots of players.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SkeletalMeshLODBias=-1

Sets the in-game character & animation quality where -1 is the highest quality and 10 is the lowest "8-bit Mario" style quality. Set it to 2 or 4 for better performance. 

On potato PCs, it can be set up to 10 to give extra fps.

(Default: -1)

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ParticleLODBias=-1

Sets the particle effects/detail and compensates stutters caused by LOD rendering of minor objects like trails. Set -1 for max.

(Min 10, Max -1)

(Default: -1)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DetailMode=3

Additional details on various maps, such as fog, ice, and dripping water. Lowering this value to 1 or 0 removes such additional effects, reducing atmosphere, increasing FPS, and providing a gameplay advantage. (Blood, ice, water, etc.). 

Set "0" for none.

"3" for max quality.

(Default: 2)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MaxDrawDistanceScale=1

Game draw distance. I'll leave it at 1

(Default: 1.000000)


Note: This actually can be scaled more (up to 10), only affects world objects like mountains and buildings.
(Example: up to 10 is equal to 10.000000)  
This won't affect mobs. NPCs, & most foliage/rocks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MaxAnisotropy=32

If you have Anisotropic selected under the Filtering Mode in-game setting, the setting here controls the actual level of Anisotropic Filtering (AF) used to make distant textures clearer. You can set a sample rate value ranging from 0 (0xAF, or no AF) to 4 (4x AF), which is the default. When Anisotropic is used, to 16 (16xAF), which is the maximum possible. The higher the sample rate, the lower your performance in return for crisper, more detailed textures. Note that you can also enable Trilinear at the same time for even higher quality.

Set 0 for no Anisotropic Filtering or 16 for max. 

You could put it up to 32 if you have the GPU/CPU power.

(Min 0, Max 32)

(Default: 4)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Please read: Shadows

I wanted to add this note for anyone who is tweaking shadows. 

Finding the best setting is difficult, if you find the best settings for this, please let me know in the comments! Im not a lighting expert or a game dev to help you with the shadow's settings.


The only thing I recommend changing is: MaxShadowResolution & ShadowTexelsPerPixel


Unless you have experience with this setting, I wouldn't change it. I'm just advising for the person who isn't experienced with tweaking ini's.


 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MinShadowResolution=256

Setting that controls the minimum resolution of shadow maps in Unreal Engine 3 games. Shadow maps are textures that store the depth information of objects from the perspective of a light source, which are used to create realistic shadows in the scene. The higher the resolution of shadow maps, the more detailed and sharper the shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur.

Adds minimum shadow texel size. The higher the min value, the darker and richer shadows appear.

(Default: 64)

(Min 0, Max 512)

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MinPreShadowResolution=512

A setting that controls the minimum resolution of precomputed shadow maps in Unreal Engine 3 games. Precomputed shadow maps are textures that store precomputed lighting and shadow information for static objects in the scene. The higher the resolution of precomputed shadow maps, the more detailed and sharper the shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur.

Sets min Texel allowed for rendering shadow depths and fading. Must be less than ShadowFadeRes.

(Min 8, Max 512)

(Default: 8)

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MaxShadowResolution=4096

A setting that controls the maximum resolution of shadow maps in Unreal Engine 3 games. Shadow maps are textures that store the depth information of objects from the perspective of a light source, which are used to create realistic shadows in the scene. The higher the resolution of shadow maps, the more detailed and sharp the shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur.

A higher value of this setting means more maximum resolution for shadow maps, which may result in a higher visual quality and realism for shadows, but also a higher performance cost and memory usage. A lower value of this setting means less maximum resolution for shadow maps, which may result in a lower visual quality and realism for shadows, but also a lower performance cost and memory usage.

Adds maximum shadow Texel size. The higher the max value, the richer shadow edges appear.  

(Min 0, Max 4096)

(Default: 1120)

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MaxWholeSceneDominantShadowResolution=4096

A setting that controls the maximum resolution of shadow maps for dominant lights in Unreal Engine 3 games. Dominant lights are a type of static lights that use distance field shadow maps to create soft and realistic shadows for static meshes in the scene. Shadow maps are textures that store the depth information of objects from the perspective of a light source, which are used to create realistic shadows in the scene. The higher the resolution of shadow maps, the more detailed and sharp the shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur.

A higher value of this setting means more maximum resolution for shadow maps for dominant lights, which may result in a higher visual quality and realism for shadows, but also a higher performance cost and memory usage. A lower value of this setting means less maximum resolution for shadow maps for dominant lights, which may result in a lower visual quality and realism for shadows, but also a lower performance cost and memory usage.

Sets a fixed number of shadow depth buffers. Lower for better performance but cannot be less than ShadowFadeResolution. 

(Min 0, Max 4096)

(Default: 1344)

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ShadowFadeResolution=128 

A setting that controls how big the light has to be on the screen before it starts to fade out in Unreal Engine 3 games. This setting affects the shadow quality and performance of the game, as well as the compatibility with different platforms and devices. The higher the value of this setting, the more stable and consistent the shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur. The lower the value of this setting, the more responsive and adaptive the shadows are, but also the more likely they are to fade out at further distances.

Sets the max Texel's allowed for rendering shadows. 0 will force shadows to never fade; higher to have them fade faster.

Note: if set to "0," Shadows will never fade

(Min 0, Max 512)

(Default: 128)

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PreShadowFadeResolution=16

A setting that controls how big the light must be on the screen before it starts to fade out the precomputed shadows in Unreal Engine 3 games. Precomputed shadows are textures that store precomputed lighting and shadow information for static objects in the scene. The higher the value of this setting, the more stable and consistent the precomputed shadows are, but also the more performance cost and memory usage they incur.

(Min 8, Max 512)

Sets a fixed number of shadow depth buffers to pre-draw. Lower for better performance but cannot be less than MinPreShadowRes. 

(Default: 16)

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ShadowFadeExponent=0.25

This setting controls the rate at which shadows are faded out in some video games that use Unreal Engine. It is a floating-point value that ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 means no fading and 1 means instant fading. The higher the value, the faster the shadows will disappear as the distance from the camera increases. This setting can affect the performance and appearance of the game, depending on the hardware and preferences of the user. 

For example, at 0.5, most shadows will be almost invisible, while at 0.0, all shadows will be shown, even at long distances, improving image quality at the cost of some performance.


(Default: .25)

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ShadowTexelsPerPixel=2.000000

Adds overall smoothness to shadows. A value of 0 disables shadows altogether, where anything above 2 is only seen at 1920 or higher res.

(Min 0.1000000, Max 5.000000)

(Default: 1.27324)

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ScreenPercentage=100.000000 (For Low-end PCs)

Lowers the in-game resolution of everything 3D without lowering the UI/2D resolution of things like menus, HUD, etc. So you don't need to set a lower resolution for performance and suffer stretched 2D images; just set the Screen percentage from a minimum of 50 to a maximum of 100 to increase performance drastically. 

However, it WILL make the game blurrier and more pixelated, so beware. Also, if you set the previous command "UpScaleScreenPercentage" to False, lowering this value will cause black borders around the game screen. I'd say set it to 90 for best compensation of quality and performance gain.

(Default: 100)


Use this as a last resort! or else ignore this line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PreShadowResolutionFactor=1.000000 

is a setting that controls the distance at which the shadow quality will decrease in some video games that use Unreal Engine. It is a floating-point value that ranges from 0.1 to 5, where 0.1 means the lowest quality and 5 means the highest quality. The higher the value, the more detailed the shadows will be at further distances, but also the more performance cost. The lower the value, the less detailed the shadows will be at further distances, but also the less performance cost. The default value is 0.5

 Lower for better performance. 

Min 0.1 Max 5

(Default: 0.5)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Updating the rest. 

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bAllowWholeSceneDominantShadows=True 


bAllowWholeSceneDominantShadows= 

Is a setting that controls whether the game engine uses whole-scene dominant shadows in Unreal Engine 3 games. Whole-scene dominant shadows are a type of dynamic shadows that are cast by a single dominant light source, such as the sun or the moon, over the entire scene. They can create realistic and dramatic lighting effects, but they also have a high performance cost. The value of this setting is either True or False. 

If it is set to True, the game will use whole-scene dominant shadows for the dominant light source. 

If it is set to False, the game will not use whole-scene dominant shadows, but instead use other types of shadows, such as per-object dynamic shadows or precomputed shadows. 

The default value of this setting depends on the game and the light class, but it is usually True for movable lights and False for static or toggleable lights.

(Default: True)

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bEnableBranchingPCFShadows=True

 A setting that controls a form of soft shadow rendering called Branching PCF. 

PCF stands for Percentage Closer Filtering, which is a technique that smooths the edges of shadows by sampling the depth of nearby pixels and blending them together. 

Branching PCF is an optimized version of PCF that uses conditional statements to reduce the number of samples and improve performance. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will use Branching PCF for shadows, which may improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost.

 If this setting is set to False, the game will not use Branching PCF for shadows, which may reduce the performance cost but also make the shadows look blockier and more pixelated.

(Default: True)

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bEnableVSMShadows=True 

is a setting that controls whether the game engine uses a form of soft shadow rendering called VSM. VSM stands for Variance Shadow Maps, which is a technique that stores the mean and variance of the depth values in a shadow map and uses them to calculate the shadow occlusion at each pixel. 

VSM shadows can create smooth and realistic shadows, but they also have some drawbacks, such as light bleeding and high memory usage. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will use VSM shadows for some lights, which may improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost and memory usage. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will not use VSM shadows, but instead use other types of shadows, such as PCF or CSM.


This setting is commonly found in games that use Unreal Engine 3, such as Dishonored, Bioshock Infinite, and Batman: Arkham City. You can find this setting in the Engine.ini file, which is a configuration file that stores various settings for Unreal Engine 3 games.

(Default: True) 

(Line must be added to work.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TessellationAdaptivePixelsPerTriangle=900.000000

DX11 Lowest Tessellation setting. 

A setting that controls the level of tessellation in Unreal Engine 3 games. Tessellation is a technique that adds more detail and realism to the landscape by subdividing the polygons and displacing them based on a height map. The value of this setting is the number of pixels per triangle that the tessellation algorithm will try to achieve. 

A higher value means more tessellation and more detail, but also more performance cost.

 A lower value means less tessellation and less detail, but also less performance cost.

More info: Tessellation for Landscape for details.

(Default: 900)

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bEnableForegroundShadowsOnWorld=True

A setting that controls whether the game engine allows foreground objects to cast shadows on the world. 

Foreground objects are objects that are rendered in a higher priority than the rest of the scene, such as characters, weapons, and vehicles. World objects are objects that are rendered in a lower priority, such as terrain, buildings, and foliage. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will render shadows from foreground objects onto the world objects, which may improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost.

 If this setting is set to False, the game will not render shadows from foreground objects onto the world objects, which may reduce the performance cost but also make the scene look less realistic.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bEnableForegroundSelfShadowing=True

Default False, Adds foreground Depth Priority Group self-shadowing from cast shadows. Set disabled removes some shadows, but not player shadows.

A setting that controls whether the game engine allows foreground objects to cast shadows on themselves. Foreground objects are objects that are rendered in a higher priority than the rest of the scene, such as characters, weapons, and vehicles. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will render self-shadows from foreground objects, which may improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will not render self-shadows from foreground objects, which may reduce the performance cost but also make the scene look less realistic.


This setting is commonly found in games that use Unreal Engine 3, such as Tera Online, Gears of War, and Mass Effect.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



bForceCPUAccessToGPUSkinVerts=True


A setting that controls whether the game engine forces CPU access to GPU skinned vertex data in Unreal Engine 3 games. 

Skinned vertex data is the data that determines the shape and deformation of animated meshes, such as characters, weapons, and vehicles. GPU skinning is a technique that performs the skinning calculations on the graphics card, which can improve performance and reduce CPU load. 
However, some features or platforms may require CPU access to the skinned vertex data, such as cloth simulation, collision detection, or mobile devices. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will force CPU access to GPU skinned vertex data, which may enable some features or platforms, but also increase CPU load and memory usage. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will not force CPU access to GPU skinned vertex data, which may improve performance and reduce memory usage, but also disable some features or platforms.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HighPrecisionGBuffers=True

(Default: False)

HighPrecisionGBuffers= is a setting that controls the precision of the G-buffer in Unreal Engine 3 games. 
The G-buffer is a collection of textures that store various information about the scene, such as depth, normal, specular, etc. The G-buffer is used for deferred rendering, which is a technique that performs lighting and shading calculations after the geometry pass, which can improve performance and enable more complex effects. 

The precision of the G-buffer determines how much detail and accuracy can be stored in each texture. A higher precision means more bits per pixel, which can reduce artifacts and improve quality, but also increase memory and bandwidth usage. A lower precision means less bits per pixel, which can save memory and bandwidth, but also introduces artifacts and reduces quality.

The value of this setting is either True or False.

 If it is set to True, the game will use 64-bit floating point textures for the G-buffer, which is the highest precision possible. 

If it is set to False, the game will use 32-bit floating point textures for the G-buffer, which is the default precision. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


bAllowTemporalAA=True

A setting that controls whether to enable or disable temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) in Unreal Engine 3 games. TAA is a technique that reduces the jagged edges of moving objects by blending multiple frames together. TAA can improve the visual quality and smoothness of the game, but it can also introduce some blur or ghosting artifacts. The value of this setting is either True or False, where True means that TAA is enabled and False means that TAA is disabled. 

(Defualt: False)


Note: Replaces FXAA as a better solution. 



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember to test the game before moving on to the next section!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 

3. LODBias (System Settings)


 The highest texture quality for Highest End PC's:


Note: My Personal settings are set to 4096 and (NumStreamedMips=0).  





For everyone else, try 1024 or 512 (Lower End PC's), or 4096 (Medium PC's - High-End PC's)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Credit to u/Oxezz for making this simpler and easier to read:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeraOnline/comments/le9f3j/finally_found_solution_to_this_aggressive/

Notes from the post:

Seems the engine constantly changes the LODs very aggressive, forward many Google searches, I started modifying S1Engine.ini, and S1SystemSettings.ini changed a lot of variables at first, suggested from older topics, be it Reddit or Tera forums but still had no luck then I remember that cyberpunk 2077 has a problem with the LOD setting and started searching for any word related to lod in .ini files, finally found it in S1SystemSettings.ini




TLDR: MAKE A BACKUP OF THE FOLLOWING IN CASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG (BaseS1SystemSettings.ini & BaseS1Engine.ini)

Go to your Tera installation folder and find Client\S1Game\Config\S1SystemSettings.ini open it and find these variables: https://i.imgur.com/mn9o6Pf.jpeg.

MinLODSize= > Means how far the texture can be downscaled; the default for everything is 1, making the game look like a potato changing this to 512 or 1024. Improves the visuals drastically with little impact in your fps; you can try other values like 2048,4096 ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE GPU HORSEPOWER! I left mine 1024 to compensate for high crowded areas like Highwatch.

Here how my settings look like with 1024 MinLODSize: https://i.imgur.com/yWaDcuF.jpg.

Other notable changes I have made, but I think they're snake oil:

Open file BaseS1Engine.ini again and find:

PoolSize=2048 " Sets the size in MB of the texture pool which all textures except render targets use"

ThreadedShaderCompileThreshold= X (Your CPU Cores)

 

Equals your number of CPU cores; for example, I have Ryzen 2600 so X=6 (honestly, this is bs, but if you want, try it and report back :>)

bAllowDistributedShaderCompile=True

 

This Allows your GPU to do more work to improve the game (same as above).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Small note: Under TEXTUREGROUP_Bokeh:

Add this line underneath TEXTUREGROUP_ColorLookupTable=(MinLODSize=4096,MaxLODSize=4096,LODBias=-1,MinMagFilter=Aniso,MipFilter=Point,MipGenSettings=TMGS_SimpleAverage), it auto adds itself once the same starts.

Remember to test the game and save! Before moving on to the next section!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. DefaultSystemSettings.ini

(Located in TERA\S1Game\Config)



Remember how I mention that any lines that are in these files will be a priority first: before it's written in the DefaultEngine.ini, DefaultSystemSettings. Let's get started with DefaultSystemSettings first.

 

My Settings. 
 
Notes about what each line does!

MaxTextureMipCount = 7

is a setting that controls the maximum number of mipmaps that can be used for textures in Unreal Engine 3 games. Mipmaps are smaller versions of textures that are used for rendering objects that are far away from the camera, which can improve performance and reduce aliasing. The value of this setting is the number of mipmaps that can be generated for each texture, starting from the largest resolution (mip0) to the smallest resolution (mipN). 

A higher value means more mipmaps and more detail, but also more memory and bandwidth usage. 

A lower value means less mipmaps and less detail, but also less memory and bandwidth usage.


The default value of this setting is 14, which means that the game can use up to 14 mipmaps for textures, which can support textures up to 8192x8192 resolution. 

(Tera uses 4096 Max.)

(Default: 7)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowSubsurfaceScattering=True

Mechanism of light transport in which light penetrates the surface of a translucent object is scattered by interacting with the material and exits the surface at a different point.

The light will generally penetrate the surface and be reflected several times at irregular angles inside the material before passing back out of the material at an angle other than the angle it would have if it had been reflected directly off the surface.

In simple words: its Subsurface scattering (SSS) for short. Shows Shine in our characters and mobs; it's a really cool effect. 


(Default: 6)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowRadialBlur=False

A setting that controls whether the game engine uses radial blur in Unreal Engine 3 games. Radial blur is a type of motion blur that simulates the effect of spinning or zooming in the scene. It can create a sense of speed, depth, and focus, but it can also reduce performance and clarity. The value of this setting is either True or False. 

If it is set to True, the game will use radial blur for some effects, such as camera shakes, explosions, or projectiles. 

If it is set to False, the game will not use radial blur, but instead use other types of motion blur or no blur at all. 

The default value of this setting depends on the game and the platform, but it is usually False for PC and True for consoles.

(Default: True)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowImageReflections=True

A setting that controls whether the game engine uses image-based reflections in Unreal Engine 3 games. Image-based reflections are a technique that creates realistic and dynamic reflections by using textured quads, lights, and shadows to approximate the scene.


 Image-based reflections can improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost and memory usage.

See note here: UDK | ImageBasedReflections (unrealengine.com)

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AllowImageReflectionShadowing=True

Is a setting that controls whether image-based reflections use shadows or not in Unreal Engine 3 games. Image-based reflections are a technique that creates realistic and dynamic reflections by using textured quads, lights, and shadows to approximate the scene. Shadows can add more depth and realism to the reflections, but also increase the performance cost and memory usage.

If this setting is set to True, the game will use static and dynamic shadows for image-based reflections. Static shadows are precomputed from opaque surfaces and stored in shadow maps. Dynamic shadows are calculated at runtime from dynamic objects and reflected about a plane. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will not use any shadows for image-based reflections, which may reduce the performance cost and memory usage, but also make the reflections look less realistic.

See note here: UDK | ImageBasedReflections (unrealengine.com)

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bAllowSeparateTranslucency=True

A setting that controls whether translucent objects are rendered separately from the rest of the scene. Translucent objects are those that allow some light to pass through them, such as glass, water, or smoke. Rendering them separately can have some advantages and disadvantages, depending on the situation.


The main advantage of separate translucency is that it allows translucent objects to be unaffected by depth of field and motion blur effects, which can make them look more realistic and consistent. For example, if you have a glass window in front of a blurred background, you would want the window to remain clear and sharp, not blurry like the background. Separate translucency also allows translucent objects to have different resolution scaling than the rest of the scene, which can improve performance by reducing the pixel count of fill-rate intensive effects.


The main disadvantage of separate translucency is that it can introduce some visual artifacts and inconsistencies, such as incorrect lighting and shadowing, or overlapping issues with other translucent objects. For example, if you have two overlapping smoke particles with separate translucency, they may not blend correctly and look like they are on different layers. Separate translucency also has an additional cost in terms of memory and bandwidth since it requires an extra render target to store the translucent objects.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHSecondaryLighting=True 

(Spherical Harmonic lighting - characters only)

A setting that controls the secondary lighting in Unreal Engine 3 games. Secondary lighting is a technique that simulates the indirect illumination from the environment, such as bounced light, ambient occlusion, and sky light. Secondary lighting can improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost and memory usage.


The value of this setting is either True or False. 

If it is set to True, the game will use secondary lighting for some materials, such as character skin, hair, and cloth.

 If it is set to False, the game will not use secondary lighting, but instead use a simpler lighting model. 

The default value of this setting depends on the game and the platform, but it is usually False for PC and True for consoles.

(Default: False)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CompositeDynamicLights=False 

Cheaper Dynamic Lighting basically saves on resources.

A setting that controls whether the game engine uses composite dynamic lights in Unreal Engine 3 games. Composite dynamic lights are a type of dynamic lights that can affect both static and movable objects in the scene, such as characters, weapons, and vehicles. 

Dynamic lights are lights that can change their position, color, brightness, or direction at runtime, which can create realistic and dynamic lighting effects, but also have a high performance cost.

 Composite dynamic lights can improve the visual quality and realism of the scene, but also increase the performance cost and memory usage.


The value of this setting is either True or False. 

If it is set to True, the game will use composite dynamic lights for some effects, such as explosions, fire, or flashlights. 

If it is set to False, the game will not use composite dynamic lights, but instead use other types of dynamic lights or no dynamic lights at all. 

The default value of this setting depends on the game and the platform, but it is usually True for PC and False for consoles.

(Default: False)


Remember to test the game and save before moving on to the next section! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. DefaultS1engine

 

The only thing we need the change here is one line. Which is AllowShadowVolumes.

    AllowShadowVolumes=True

A setting that controls whether the game engine uses shadow volumes in Unreal Engine 3 games. Shadow volumes are a technique that creates realistic and dynamic shadows by extruding the silhouette of an object along the direction of the light source. 

Shadow volumes can create sharp and accurate shadows, but they also have some drawbacks, such as high performance cost, stencil buffer artifacts, and self-shadowing issues. 

If this setting is set to True, the game will use shadow volumes for some objects, such as characters, weapons, and vehicles. 

If this setting is set to False, the game will not use shadow volumes, but instead use other types of shadows, such as shadow maps or precomputed shadows.

(Default: False)

Then Save.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

6. Field of View and Disable Mouse Smoothing UPDATED! (Credit: Discord)

This is way better than KennyG's Method!
 


File Location: Tera\Client\Engine\Config\BaseInput.ini

bEnableMouseSmoothing=False

Bindings=(Name="PageDown",Command="FoV103",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
Bindings=(Name="FoV103",Command="fov 103 | SetBind PageDown FoV120",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
Bindings=(Name="FoV120",Command="fov 120 | SetBind PageDown FoV60",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)
Bindings=(Name="FoV60",Command="fov 60 | SetBind PageDown FoV103",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False)

BaseInput.ini (Located in: \Tera\Client\Engine\Config)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fix for mouse vertical movement not being the same as horizontal AND Fix FOV and Ultrawide Fix - Allows zooming out further too:

LookRightScale=300

LookUpScale=-300 

(Default is -250)

Note this is a great find; it might help!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's head back to BaseEngine.ini really quickly.

1. Search up: AspectRatioAxisConstraint=AspectRatio_MaintainXFOV
2. Replace with: AspectRatioAxisConstraint=AspectRatio_MaintainYFOV
3. Save and close.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Tera Toolbox (For Private Servers)

Personally, I will recommend everyone to use Tera Toolbox for many reasons like QoL/Helpful changes and Cosplay mods like Unicast. If you live far away from the servers, this is mandatory.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Enable RESIZE BAR (Nvidia only)

1. Open Nvidia inspector
2. Search up Tera.
3. Follow the image below.




Conclusion: 
Well, that's about it! Note: My personal ini files have new lines added for an experiment, but these will not affect the game in any way! Also, ALWAYS make your own!  Every ini/ PC Config is different

Happy Gaming!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Sources and credit: 

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/SystemSettings.html

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TextureProperties.html

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ImportingTextureTutorial.html

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ContentBlogArchive.html#Light%20Shafts

ME3 Graphics tweaks at Mass Effect 3 Nexus - Mods and community

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ShadowingReference.html

http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/UE3:ParticleModuleRequired_%28UDK%29

http://www.tweakguides.com/UT3_1.html

https://teraconfig.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e1T-iH2ntXDPPAgUULbRwrx-HCEBeI2HIrrU3wiCf7E/edit#gid=0

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=440503910

https://michaelfahelartprocessblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/tessellation-for-landscape.html#:~:text=To%20make%20less%20triangles%20explode%2C%20under%20Project%20Settings,to%20get%20away%20with%20200-600%20pixels%20per%20triangle.

https://community.amd.com/thread/238751

https://docs.unrealengine.com/udk/Three/APEXOverview.html

UDK | APEXDestruction (unrealengine.com)

KennyG's FPS Guide

Austin Lasater FPS Guide: https://youtu.be/4jJd9dw_ZpI

http://www.essentialmana.com/forums/#/discussion/7269/bernkastels-tera-optimization-guide

https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/342391/tera-unreal-3-engine-ini-tweaks-and-performance-guide

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1465356159

https://www.patreon.com/mcflypg

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeraOnline/comments/le9f3j/finally_found_solution_to_this_aggressive/

Steam Community:: Guide:: **UPDATED** KILLING FLOOR 2 ULTIMATE GRAPHICS TWEAKS EXPLAINED!

UDK 8192x8192,8K Texture - Unreal Engine Forums

Noob question about BaseLightmass.ini - Unreal Engine Forums

And BING AI (Also known as ChatGPT4)


Note: that's a lot of sources!

On a final note: If anyone who is experienced with UE engine or game dev, and sees something wrong here, or has more tips feedback is appreciated!

 

Want to get rid of any Snake oil settings if there's any.

 


Enjoy! Have Fun tweaking! Best Regards.


For the Federation! (Player Loses their mind if hearing that so many times) 


 











Comments

  1. Amazing job
    thanks for the work you put into this

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, Tera drastically increased performance after reading the guide, I would like to know what is the preset you use for GShade

    ReplyDelete

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