Unused settings in the Config File

[Jonny Sparta]

Lets just get to work and fix this thing. THERE ARE ALSO EASTER EGGS

This config file is a mess! But I think there's ALOT here that can be tinkered with.... but unforuntaly Im a little out of my depth. This is a slightly more technical config file than I'm familiar with.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Aliens Colonial Marines\Engine\Config

Edit <----This seems to be the file to play with
C:\Users\Crank\Documents\My Games\Aliens Colonial Marines\PecanGame\Config

PecanEngine <---

A good place to start is; after u open an ini file in notepad, hit cntrl+f and search "settings' this will take you to the 'System settings" portion of the file that most resembles the normal video options of a PC game. Various effect options are there, alot of them in fact. Tho there are alot of other lines in other places that look like they should do alot.

Make backup copies of any files you change. Or if you cause crashing, and have no backups /can't remember what you changed; then just delete the file you changed and verify local


Ripley: So, if they fire their weapons in the Config file, won't they rupture the cooling system?

Gorman: [turns round to Burke] So what?

[Panther`]

Heads up - this from another thread - http://www.moddb.com/mods/aliensdx10-better-grafik-and-light/downloads/aliensdx10-ver-1. Just about to try it myself but apparently does make a bit of difference

[Kenuty]

Originally posted by Panther`:

Heads up - this from another thread - http://www.moddb.com/mods/aliensdx10-better-grafik-and-light/downloads/aliensdx10-ver-1. Just about to try it myself but apparently does make a bit of difference

mod not found bro

[Panther`]

thats odd, I blame the hyperlinking in this forum, just copy the text and paste it in to a web browser

[KayJay]

Originally posted by Panther`:

Heads up - this from another thread - http://www.moddb.com/mods/aliensdx10-better-grafik-and-light/downloads/aliensdx10-ver-1. Just about to try it myself but apparently does make a bit of difference

I installed this "Mod" but my game's still running in DX9.

[Billcimus]

From what I've observed - admittidly not all that much - it doesn't really seem to do a great deal. I'm also suspicious that the mod has no comments at all, I tend not to use any mod that hasn't any comments to 'validate' it as not dodgy.

[gvamson]

With all due respect to the creator of the mod, and those who're using it, I'm going to have to say that it doesn't really improve things at all. Unless, of course, your machine was being detected as being a 1, or 2 (out of 5), in the "compatibility engine" that scales a few settings automatically. Myself and others have been tweaking configuration files pretty much since release, and haven't posted anything yet because the before, and after screenshots show absolutely no difference.

The are a couple things you can truly change such as the FOV, the time it takes for bodies to dissapear, etc. While there are a few .ini tweaks that sure break the graphics, nothing really improves them aside from forcing AA and AF through Nvidia CP. Ambient occlusion can also be enabled through Nvidia CP, and while it does improve the lighting a bit, it can be seen through fog/smoke, which in my opinion breaks the immersion completely. I'd love to be wrong about this, but I reckon the executable needs to be patched to allow these modifications and DX10/11. For those still working on this, thank you very much for the effort!

[DeadSlash]

Sorry if this has been mentioned (long thread) but:

Is it not likely that given how random and messy this file is, coupled with the fact that the game was "supposed to be 20GB" but is really 6GB that the reason changing the settings is accomplishing nothing is because the data they are controlling does not exist in the final product?

No sure if I'm wording that well? I think the file is like the Winchester House, a lot of promising doors that open to nothing but a wall.

It's like a car company was going to build a car with turbo boost, never finished, but forgot to take the turbo boost button off the dash. You can hit it all you want, it will never fire off the boosters, because they don't exist.

All that being said, I hope I'm wrong. I want to start seeing mind blowing screens so I can reinstall.

[gvamson]

Originally posted by DeadSlash:

Sorry if this has been mentioned (long thread) but:

Is it not likely that given how random and messy this file is, coupled with the fact that the game was "supposed to be 20GB" but is really 6GB that the reason changing the settings is accomplishing nothing is because the data they are controlling does not exist in the final product?

No sure if I'm wording that well? I think the file is like the Winchester House, a lot of promising doors that open to nothing but a wall.

It's like a car company was going to build a car with turbo boost, never finished, but forgot to take the turbo boost button off the dash. You can hit it all you want, it will never fire off the boosters, because they don't exist.

All that being said, I hope I'm wrong. I want to start seeing mind blowing screens so I can reinstall.

You're absolutely right. Changing settings doesn't accomplish much because one, the .exe is ignoring most of those instructions by default, and the assets corresponding to such calls are simply missing.

[Foxrun]

Originally posted by KayJay:

Originally posted by Panther`:

Heads up - this from another thread - http://www.moddb.com/mods/aliensdx10-better-grafik-and-light/downloads/aliensdx10-ver-1. Just about to try it myself but apparently does make a bit of difference

I installed this "Mod" but my game's still running in DX9.

That greatly improved my lighting but thats about it

[Jonny Sparta]

Originally posted by Buburibon:

Changing settings doesn't accomplish much because one, the .exe is ignoring most of those instructions by default, and the assets corresponding to such calls are simply missing.

DeadSlash, you could be right. If it were texture packs, I would completely agree with the missing data theory. But I think effects work differently, where the same effects are simpy being modified to render more particles, or more light shafts, or even setting like "MaxShadows = 4" or AF=4, lines like these ought to scale up or down, as they are simply options for how our hardward renders the program.... in a way that more closely resembles changing a brightness setting, as opposed to something like a texture pack.

That being said.... this INI is a tricky one, I think there might be a line in here somewhere that is nerfing my changes, maybe the GPU detector, not sure. Hense my solisitation of aid.

While I don't know enough to just pwn this ini and run 64 max shadows @1080p and 10billion instances of acid splatter... but dammit the setting are right there, they just don't seem to be sticking.

I've ini modded plenty of other games, and have routinely made vaaast improvements, and when I look at this INI file IT"S HUUGE, i've never seen this many options, if we can get it working, we'll be able to make ACM run some pretty crazy effects...

The big question for me right now is, why is the exe ignoring the INI changes, I saw some lines that looked like the culprits.

[ConfigCoalesceFilter]
FilterOut=%GAME%Engine.ini
FilterOut=%GAME%Lightmass.ini
FilterOut=%GAME%EditorUserSettings.ini

FilterOut ? any ideas what that does or how to disable?

[DeadSlash]

Wish I had an answer for you. I was reading earlier that there was an 8GB patch in the works. I'm not sure if that's been confirmed or denied but if it is I suspect 2 things:

1. I bet that ini file looks a whole lot different.
2. The turbo boosters might just be installed in the car. That's a patch that's bigger than the game! It's got to be more than a few "tweaks"

Here is the article about the "rumored" patch:

http://www.velocitygamer.com/massive-updates-may-be-on-the-way-for-aliens-colonial-marines/

At first I thought they were talking about the day one patch, but if you read it carefully you will see they are talking about rumors of a massive follow up patch.

[Brother Raziel]

That has been confirmed as a twitter hoax, much as I knew it would be confirmed as a hoax. No software company is going to release a patch that is bigger then the initial client. Now over time changes may accumulate to being larger then the original but rarely does that ever happen. Seriously even a large texture pack for Skyrim doesnt even come close to 8 gigs.

[DeadSlash]

I figured as much. To be honest, the game is out the door, it is what it is, like you said they might tweak it but 8GB would be a re-launch.

The games reputation is set at this point, GBX isnt going to pour resources into something they wont see a return on.

[Jonny Sparta]

I've heard that one of the DLCs is graphics content, perhaps they are thinking it would just be a good idea to give that to us now. I would have to agree, really hope they do it.

[Bundy]

In the PecanLightMass.ini all the way at the bottom of the file. There is a DevOptions.StaticLightingProductionQuality with options. Unfortunately I do no know how to enable this option.