AA3 Ultimate - FPS – No Lag – No Freeze – No Crash - Tweak Guide

AA3 Ultimate - FPS – No Lag – No Freeze – No Crash - Tweak Guide
**AA v3.0.8 – Deploy and STEAM Client Certified**

First of all I want to acknowledge my sources and their authors for the information contained within this guide. Cheers guys for you hard work.
YES this information has been around for a while, i just thought ild compile it into a single post because im stoked AA3 is playable again

Acknowledgements/Sources:
SgtSVJones (and TiagoCORE for repost):
Americas Army 3 Freeze/Crash/Lag/Framerates FIX
http://forum.americasarmy.com/...=300051

Derjyn:
Quick Tweaks Guide
http://forum.americasarmy.com/...=299658

[BEL]RadicalAtHeart:
AA 3.0.7 When?
http://forum.americasarmy.com/...=306230

Koroush Ghazi
TweakGuides.com – Unreal Tournament 3 Tweak Guide (p.7-9)
http://www.tweakguides.com/UT3_7.html


Ok. It's been a while now since AA3 has been released with no patch that is the means-to-end all of our fps/lag/freezing/crashing woes. I don’t doubt it’ll come, but till then, we have to make do. This guide works for both the Deploy and STEAM clients. No shortcut run-line commands are needed, just *.ini config file modifications.

All *.ini config file modifications are LEGAL, PunkBuster certified so you will not get kicked for hacking.

The tweaks are to disable options which consume a lot of CPU/GPU resources to render, so expect slightly impaired visual quality. However, I swear by the 10-30fps (+10%) gain they will provide.

Directories will be given using STEAM, however, finding the same directories in the Deploy version is the same...
X:\Program Files\USArmy\America’s Army\Engine\Config

I recommend, of course, you create backups of all the original files we’re about to modify for safely purposes (though unnecessary). Personally, I just make a copy of the file and then change the original files name so the program doesn’t recognize it, while naming the new/modified file the same as the original so the program uses it
i.e. Copy-Paste ‘AA3Engine.ini’ to make a copy. Rename the original to ‘AA3Engine ORIGINAL.ini’ and rename the ‘AA3Engine – Copy.ini’ to the original ‘AA3Engine.ini’. To restore the original file, delete the modified, remove the ‘ORIGINAL’ off the back of the original file and you’re done.

The AA3 *.ini config files can be opened using Notepad or Wordpad.
Using the Ctrl+F (Find) is the easiest way to find these commands in the config files.
So here we go…

Steam/steamapps/common/america’s army 3/AA3Game/Config
AA3Engine.ini

[Engine.GameEngine]
bSmoothFrameRate=False
This removes the minimum and maximum frame rate caps, as well as disables the game engine dynamicly trying to change settings to increase fps when you drop below the set minimum.

MinSmoothedFrameRate=35
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=60
These are the lower and upper SmoothFrameRate limits. Since you’ve disabled bSmoothFrameRate above with the False boolean, they’re no longer effective… but if your erring on the safe side, set these to your preference.


[Engine.Client] and [WinDrv.WindowsClient]
MinDesiredFrameRate=35.000000
To set your minimum desired frame rate, disabled as above, but modify if you want.

[SystemSettings]
DynamicLights=False
Disabling dynamic lights will eliminate the creation of dynamic light sources (i.e. Shadows cast from muzzle-flash, explosions, flashbangs) used to draw shadows from… a GPU resource intensive process.

DynamicShadows=False
Disabling dynamic shadows will eliminate the rendering of shadows from dynamic light sources as above.

LightEnvironmentShadows=False
Disables the creation of dynamic shadows from environmental light sources (i.e. Sun). However, static/fixed shadows (i.e. Those cast by buildings and shadows on terrain).

CompositeDynamicLights=True
Enables a less-accurate, less GPU intensive, rendering of dynamic lighting and shadows. It’s been disabled above, but why not change it?

MotionBlur=False
Disable for FPS increase. Have you ever been walking along, turned your head and everything has just blurred. No... unless your drunk or on drugs. Best disabled and it helps reduce lag and give a more fluid and responsive gameplay. But, you can leave it on with minor FPS sacrifice if you want a more cinematic gaming experience.

AmbientOcclusion=False
Disabling AmbientOcculusion is a big FPS increase. Ambient occlusion is used by the engine to calculate more accurate shadow casting and shadow clipping. MASSIVE GPU resource hog – in any game. Disable for good FPS increase.

UseHighQualityBloom=False
Disable for FPS increase, though minimal. Don’t worry, the engine will still render blooms and flares – i can’t even tell the difference in quality between ‘True’ and ‘False’ when I tested it.

FogVolumes=False
Disables, or should (kinda uncertain), the use of Volumetric fog in environmental effects and flashbangs for an FPS increase. Volumetric fog rending is quite GPU intensive as its able to be affected by and cast changes in dynamic lighting and shadows. The engine will still render fog, itll just use a different, less GPU intensive method and it still looks sweet.
**CAUTION** Its come to my attention that some servers and PB consider this modification cheeting even though in my experience fog is still rendered and your still been able to play.
Yes, ive changed my config file back... perhaps best to skip this modification, but ill keep it here because I havent experienced any issues from it. But be wary, just in case...


UseVsync=False
People enable it to reduce visual tearing due to FPS and monitor refresh rate differences, but, what it can do is slightly ‘pause’ your graphics card so the frame can be displayed at the next monitor refresh interval instead of spitting it out the nanosecond it’s been rendered for you to see. Ive always found Vsync is best disabled.

AllowD3D10=False
DirectX 10 is more resource intensive to use rendering then DirectX 9. Disable with False to keep it at DX9 for FPS increase and negligible (seriously) reduction in visual quality.

MinShadowResolution=32
MaxShadowResolution=512
These settings affect the shadow resolution at specified min and max distances. Shadows above have been disabled, but you want them but want more FPS feel free to reduce these figures by a half progression each time (i.e. 512-256-128-64-32-16).

ShadowTexelsPerPixel=0.000000
Effect shadow smoothness. Higher settings for better shadows, lower for reduced quality – at 0.000000 shadows are disabled (as they have also been above). Use for FPS increase.


Steam/steamapps/common/america’s army 3/AA3Game/Config
AA3Game.ini

[Engine.PlayerController]
bDynamicNetSpeed=False
Disabling dynamic net speed reduces communication from server to client to modify your net speed bandwidth settings on the fly ingame. Reduces LAG.


Now change directory to:
Steam/steamapps/common/america’s army 3/Engine/Config
BaseInput.ini

bEnableMouseSmoothing=false
ZOMG THIS TOTALLY CHANGES THE FEEL OF THE GAME. Disabling mouse smoothing totally KILL lag as mouse smoothing requires the engine to take multiple sets of mouse movement data and average them out to give a ‘smoother’ movement. However, in practice, it almost ALWAYS does the OPPOSITE, especially in AA3.
It seems that it’s the CAUSE OF ALL OUR LAG because its taking our mouse data, averaging it to smooth it but all the while doin so while sending it server side and back again… arg! It’s a nightmare!
Disabling mouse smoothing restores the accuracy, responsiveness and fluidity of the game.
If you don’t change any of the above… CHANGE THIS ONE!


Almighty thanks again to all the forum posters whos info ive used for this, and an immense thanks for making AA3 playable!!!
Cheers also to anyone I may have left out!
And thanks to TweakGuides.com for your constantly epic tweak guides on AA v2.X and Unreal Tournament (as UT and AA3 both use the Unreal3 engine – as we know).

HAPPY GAMING!
HOOAH!!

Those tweaks are known a long time.
"Some" can provide some performance, but you will playing the game without any visual quality.

FogVolumes=False ---> cheat
bEnableMouseSmoothing=false ---> Yes, this one reduce the mouse lag

However there are a few more who can provide even more performance. Keep trying.