Feature request: Optimal graphics settings

[Maximum Gamer]

This Request discribes a fully optional feature you should be able to activate under Steam Os.
This feature is a really necessary one and it should be implemented before release.
Just think of all the people who really don't know a lot about setting up a game to get the best image quality and performance out of their hardware. It would be just a shame, turning people into thinking that the game looks worser on their Steam Machine than on a PS4 just because they started the game without even looking in the menu with the (advanced) graphics settings or simply don't know what to choose.
The argument for a console, that everything is set up and does perform as it should with the limitations of the hardware, shouldn't be one over a steam Machine.

Function: Valve should implement a feature like NVIDIA is doing it with geforce experience to automatically detect and set the optimal graphics options for their steam machine. It should be placed beside the Play Button or somewhere where everyone can see it to activate it.

Details: It would'nt need to have the whole functionality like NVIDIA GE that's telling you all about what all the single graphics options do. (It would be nice to get people used to it for their own personal experience. It could be the next step but it's not necassery at the moment.) It should be really just that one button. (That changes for example the color when it's activated.)

Even if you wouldn't use that (like me) show your support with a comment for that feature. For myself it's nothing I would use, but as I do care about the success of Steam OS to have more people using it to have more developers caring about it, this feature would be a really important one to help a bit to get there where we want to get: A better PC gaming experience.

[Shark]

I'd be surprised if Valve isn't working on this yet. Gabe Newell even talked about them wanting to do this.

[Deus Maximus]

+1 on this.

Maybe work with nVIDIA, to automatically download profiles for games for their cards, in return for some kind of "Powered by GeForce Experience" logo in the bottom whilst doing it.

Forgive my ignorance of AMD cards, but if AMD supply a similar sort of service, you could do the same, and credit them in the same way.

Or do some kind of community based thing, ala the controller settings for each app.

[8BitCerberus]

Yeah both AMD and Nvidia have this built into their driver suite now. If they work with Valve it should be able to be easily integrated into Steam and SteamOS and invisibly applied upon first launch of a game. Users could still tweak settings themselves, maybe they don't care so much about texture resolution if they can get 1080p@60fps, or maybe they don't care so much about 60fps if they can get the game to look fantastic at 30fps. And a button on the launch screen to reset to optimal settings, if they mess something up.

[halifax]

Many higher end games are starting to auto detect your hardware and auto config your graphics options before launch. that's by far the best solution. I love it when I see an "Auto Detect" button in a graphics options panel - it's generally a sign that good graphics programmers that know exactly what they are doing made the game.

Originally posted by Deus Maximus:

Or do some kind of community based thing, ala the controller settings for each app.

Controller mappings are an obvious fantastic thing for this. One hardware device, one API, Valve is in direct control of it. Auto-configing graphics options based on what the game offers you the ability to change vs. your specific PC build, that does not particularly sound like a good crowd-sourcing candidate.

[Deus Maximus]

Originally posted by halstof:

I love it when I see an "Auto Detect" button in a graphics options panel - it's generally a sign that good graphics programmers that know exactly what they are doing made the game.

Yes, but for every developer who has an autodetect, and knows exactly what settings should be on your specific graphics hardware, there's a developer who'll release something like Arkham Knight.

I can certainly see the issues for having crowd source based graphic settings, when people can't even agree whether 30fps vs 60fps is a valid thing (as opposed to the controller), but I think reaching out to AMD and nVIDIA, and getting access to their library of game tweaks for SteamOS is definitely worth looking into. Even if it requires branding, and homage to the great GPU brand gods or whatever. I think the improved user experience is worth the small price of having an ad for hardware you already own in the corner of the screen while it's optimising.

[Maximum Gamer]

Originally posted by Shark:

I'd be surprised if Valve isn't working on this yet. Gabe Newell even talked about them wanting to do this.

Thank all of you for your replies. Where did you get this information, and when it's otherwise not correct or a maybe, how do we get Valve to do this. (I even sent an e-mail twice but got no reply.)
Yeah I wanted to write what you guys said in my post, reaching out to AMD (they have third party software doing this: it's called raptor.) or NVIDA would be the easier thing. I don't know how they are creating their database or how they are instantly detecting the correct g setup, but you don't have to forget it's not windows, it's debian, so that said: not the same performance. But they could definitly coping some of their software.
The most superior thing would be that every developer would implement a benchmark in their game with the most demanding scene that will detect wether or not the framerate drops below 60 (v-sync on) or not and then optimize the setting in the right order one up or down.

[halifax]

Originally posted by Deus Maximus:

Yes, but for every developer who has an autodetect, and knows exactly what settings should be on your specific graphics hardware, there's a developer who'll release something like Arkham Knight.

That wasn't the developer man, take a look at the rest of the game, that was the publisher basically saying f**k you, ship it now, we don't care if it's done or not - our PowerPoint slides from last year said this is the ship date - end discussion. They'll patch it.