What Is Matts Ini Settings ?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by trainsimcz, Dec 26, 2020.

  1. trainsimcz

    trainsimcz Well-Known Member

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    Last BKL stream showed some interesting stuff... you were able to watch 4 different graphics settings on the same time. From potatoes settings till very nice looking graphics. Problem is that this nice looking graphics you are not able to set even if you add all of you settings into the maximum (with default ini file). So even Matt dont like their game settings and he is using some extra ini tweaks to have nicer game. So why dont you just change the ini settings for us too so we are able to have that graphics when we turn all on the maximum from the game ? Why are we forced to use that low default settings if even dev dont like it and he need to use some ini tweaks ? (even if we tweak it, than some updates just change the ini anyway and we need to do it over and over, will be much better to have that default).
     
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  2. Oliver

    Oliver New Member

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    Hey there. I watched the stream the other day, and the moment Matt made the comment about his ini file, I did a search which lead me to this thread...
    https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/a-guide-to-engine-ini-settings.4672/
    Gotta say, increasing the 'r.ViewDistanceScale' has transformed the game.
    But anyway, take a read of the thread, if you've not seen it before. It goes in to a lot of detail, including how to prevent the file being overwritten during updates.
     
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  3. trainsimcz

    trainsimcz Well-Known Member

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    I know the tweaks ... just wonder why they release for us that low quality version which even one of the dev dont like it so he is using tweaks to make it looks better for him. I would like to have that ini like a default so i dont have to made it over and over if the ini will be overwritten . So he is showing the game that it looks really nice and than you buy it and you cant even got the same results like him if you use just that basic ini and all maximum settings - that was my point... as basic user will not go look over the internet and tweaks the ini files.
     
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  4. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    I would also question whether it’s okay for Matt to stream using ini tweaks on DTG’s channel. Not a huge deal but still a bit naughty.
     
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  5. Oliver

    Oliver New Member

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    Ah, sorry, I was more focused on the thread title. But yes you make a very good point. There were quite a few differences between Matt's Bakerloo video, versus the other three. Most notably was the way the light was reflecting of the rails, which just wasn't happening on the other 3. They discussed this in the video, but couldn't come up with a reason why that was occurring. That was just prior to Matt's ini file comment.
    Certainly questionable if this is how the game is being showcased on the official YouTube channel. One might think that if you go out and buy the best video card you too could have a game that looks this good, only to discover that even ultra settings don't reproduce how you saw it on YouTube.
     
  6. BinaryRun

    BinaryRun Active Member

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    Actually, they explained that one. I've tested it and it works as he described. You go into settings and change the anti-aliasing from the standard option to FXAA. This adds the extra light reflection, but also gives a bit of extra flicker. However setting your screen resolution to 200% (if your GPU can handle that) will fix that FXAA problem, which works very well for me.
     
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  7. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    I can think of two reasons:

    1. They do not know the average user settings.
    2.They want to make sure everyone can play right out of the box. If you turn up the settings to the max, a number of new users may get stuck, experience low frame rates and other trouble. These users may not be able to correct this. Then you loose customers. I think this is a valid approach, but some more guidance might be helpful.
     
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  8. Yerolo

    Yerolo Well-Known Member

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    I cannot see any reason why this is 'naughty'. UE ini file tweaks have been out in the wild since the original unreal engine....it takes a couple of seconds to google them and you can easily apply them yourself.

    AFAIK using ini tweaks are not against UE's EULA so why can DTG not play around with them as well ?
     
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  9. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    But that is why there is an "Advanced Options" menu. In terms of Unreal Engine, it is actually very trivial to change what each of the settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) correspond to. In the case of draw distance, for example, the value could be changed from 1 to 5. Users who can't handle this option on their PC can turn it down. That's why graphics options exist at all. At the moment, the "Ultra" settings don't even make use of the full shadow draw distance (1 instead of 2)!

    I don't know what graphics settings TSW2 defaults to out-of-the-box, but it doesn't need to be Ultra. The game can default to Medium or High (I would probably consider the current default "Ultra" settings to be more like "Medium") and enterprising users with more capable hardware can explore the higher graphics options if they so desire.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
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  10. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    A simple setup trick would fix this. Do a graphics test and gauge the GPU speed, then set the settings accordingly. Seen games do this in the past (ie years ago) but seems to have fallen out of favour but DTG could use this trick to assess hardware speed and adjust settings accordingly. And a menu option to rerun the test would account for hardware changes down the line
     
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  11. DTG Matt

    DTG Matt Executive Producer Staff Member

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    Correction on my statement about custom settings - I do in fact NOT have custom settings on Train Sim World 2, they were only on Train Sim World 2020 and I have never ported the changes over to TSW2, so what you were seeing here was stock standard, with the exception of Anti Aliasing.

    The most likely change is that I simply cannot stand TAA (Temporal Anti Aliasing), while it can look much better in some cases I find in general it looks inferior (to my tastes anyway), particularly if there's any overhead wires visible as it makes them flicker. Plus, TAA suffers from a ghosting effect that I dislike intensely. FXAA is by no means "better" - it's technically inferior, however, it doesnt suffer from any of the downsides that TAA has got and I find that if I bump the screen percentage up I can make up very well for the other deficiencies in FXAA, leaving me with a crisp clear picture that doesn't have the problems TAA has got.

    This is very much a "your mileage may vary" and I am not about to try and convince people i'm right - i'm only right *for me* and you should choose whatever looks good to you. I'm almost certainly in the minority though, most people seem to dislike FXAA more than the side effects of TAA :)

    Matt.
     
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  12. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    Here's a couple of tips that might help you with AA personally (as opposed to an official DTG streamer :) ). First, TAA ghosting can be minimised somewhat with Engine.ini tweaks:
    Code:
    r.TemporalAASharpness=2.0
    r.TemporalAASamples=64
    r.TemporalAACurrentFrameWeight=0.2
    And if that still doesn't suit your fancy, I would hook ReShade to TSW2 and enable the SMAA filter as it shares all of the benefits of TXAA that you listed while also being less blurry (they are closely related, after all).

    Not sure what resolution you play at (1080p with upscaling set to 200%?) but the above TAA settings look very nice on my 1440p monitor at 115% upscale.

    Cheers
     
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  13. GuitarMan

    GuitarMan Well-Known Member

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    Must admit I had settled on a very similar setting to what you describe above, and always wondered why the streams to my eyes looked inferior (biggest change was the console screens). The example in the stream with the 4 of you on bakerloo with the light on the rails being one of the many things I spotted missing in streams.

    I run a 1080p monitor setting with 200% screen percentage and use the FXAA and am generally happy with the results

    I would love to see a better shadow draw distance though? please? :D
     
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  14. hightower

    hightower Guest

    Is this issue anything DTG can do something about, or is it something we’re collectively stuck with until EPIC address it in the engine itself? The FXAA option doesn’t work for me on a 4K monitor sadly, even if I change the Windows resolution to 1080p and run the game at 200% (I just tried) it’s just too blurry.

    I can’t think of another game using TAA that suffers from this ghosting & flickering, although admittedly I don’t own any other UE4 titles.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 27, 2020
  15. londonmidland

    londonmidland Well-Known Member

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    The other day I was playing GWE, with TAA enabled as per usual, however I did not suffer from any overhead wire flickering whilst in motion or stationary. I don’t even have my screen percentage over 120% and only play at 1080p.

    I do, however, have several ini tweaks enabled.
     
  16. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    Try SMAA (ReShade) at 4K and see how it looks. I'm actually quite curious myself.
     
  17. hightower

    hightower Guest

    Turn in game AA off and enable SMAA, is that what you mean?
     
  18. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    Yes, precisely. Theoretically it should look better than FXAA in all aspects, and ReShade allows you to tweak the settings as well.
     
  19. hightower

    hightower Guest

    Just had a go with it, using all the different combinations of SMAA and in game aliasing. Truth is it doesn’t look great.

    IMHO TAA is the best option but it needs work, and I’m guessing on the EPIC side of things. Your tweaks have definitely improved the ghosting though.

    TAA in MSFS2020 does not suffer from these problems and just looks beautiful. I can only hope we see the same in TSW one day soon.
     
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  20. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    I play at 1440p on g-sync monitor and I don't have any version of AA switched on. If there are any visual imperfections, I don't really notice them. Gameplay is usually very smooth.
     
  21. hightower

    hightower Guest

    The briefest of Google’s shows a tonne of posts with people all asking the same question. It's clearly an engine issue, and/or the developer's use of resolution & lighting. This is a short but interesting thread...

    https://forums.unrealengine.com/dev...stop-flickering-jittering-moving-gif-included
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 27, 2020
  22. hightower

    hightower Guest

    I’ve followed the advice in that thread and it has seemingly got rid of all of the flickering with TAA enabled.

    I’m going to have a play with it and see if I can find a decent balance between the recommended 1 and making it look a bit more smooth.

    *Edited to add*

    1) Even setting the r.TemporalAASamples to 2 introduces flickering again, although very very little. It definitely looks better than one. If it won’t take decimal points then setting it to 2 might be the right balance between quality and no flickering.

    2) It doesn’t seem to accept decimal points. If you add this to the .ini file you should see a significant reduction in TAA flickering and ghosting.

    r.TemporalAASharpness=2.0
    r.TemporalAASamples=2
    r.TemporalAACurrentFrameWeight=0.2
     
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  23. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    Interesting, I've just tried it out and I've found the opposite. Zero flickering with it set to 2 but a little bit at 1. I would attribute this mostly to the difference in our game resolutions. In fact, I've turned it up to 4 and I get no flickering! Hooray!

    ...except that's only in freecam. When in the cabview, there is still a decent amount of flickering (though it's not as bad, it's still just as noticeable and bothersome). I think this is because the train is slightly rocking even while sitting idle. Regardless, it does look better. Thanks for sharing

    By the way, you may be interested in this tweak:
    Code:
    r.Shadow.FilterMethod=1
    This enables Nvidia PCSS in-game so that shadows get softer as you get further away from the shadow source. It's not transformative or anything, but it has helped the overall feel of the world lighting and especially shadows cast into the cab.

    Cheers
     
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  24. hightower

    hightower Guest

    I’ll definitely give that one a go, thanks.

    I found that in-cab with it set to 1 there’s zero flicker but too much in the way of jaggies, not just the OHLE but the instruments in cab too. At 2 there’s some flickering of the OHLE (although virtually none to be honest) and the jagged edges are all but gone. I’ve only tried it on a couple of routes though. Either way, it seems to be much much better than the stock setting.
     
  25. TerryBalldriver

    TerryBalldriver Member

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    Jamie may be playing on a 'potatoe' but it must be a powerful one because it's full of microchips! . Sorry I've had a Christmas drink or two.
     
  26. Rob39

    Rob39 Well-Known Member

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    Ive seen this before with one of Matts streams. The sunlight beaming off the rails looks really nice, Im thinking that would involve more bloom? Ive turned my bloom down to have a less washed out landscape and less glare on signals.
     
  27. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    No, it's related to TAA. Enabling TAA reduces the rail reflections because they are temporal artefacts as far as the TAA algorithm is concerned, and thus they get removed.
     
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  28. Rob39

    Rob39 Well-Known Member

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    My experience using fxaa left my catenery flickering like crazy
     
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  29. londonmidland

    londonmidland Well-Known Member

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    FXXA as a majority is a worser option to choose over TAA. It just makes everything look far too jagged and over-sharpens things. Particularly stuff in the distance making it look off and unnatural. I much prefer the softer look of TAA despite its flaws.
     
  30. Rob39

    Rob39 Well-Known Member

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    Probably a silly question londonmidland Callum B. on the Steam launcher I set it as DX12 but didnt see a difference in game. I noticed on the dx12 post it was in itallics. Does this matter?
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
  31. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    The setting will probably only help you if you are more CPU bound by the game or in very dense areas like yards or terminals. If your GPU is already pegged at 99% usage you probably won't see a visual difference and in fact the performance may be lower. Best way to check if it's working is to use Rivatuner Statistics Server which comes bundled in MSI Afterburner.
     
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  32. geloxo

    geloxo Well-Known Member

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    There´s an important one I recently discovered:

    r.LandscapeLOD0DistributionScale=4

    This draws terrain most detailed LOD (the LOD0) 4 times further than regular. You can use also the value 3 or 2 that will use only 3 or 2 times factors for better performance. There´s no aparent impact on performance as terrain mesh is normally not extremely detailed here as in other games that require higher details at close distances, but it has two main benefits:

    1) Prevents the horrible effect of terrain covering distant tunnels entries, bridges and embankments

    2) Allows better drawing of distant track basement, which is extremely important at LGV line to be able to spot the gradient changes in time for braking

    Cheers
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
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  33. hyperlord

    hyperlord Well-Known Member

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    I remember a "Colonel Failure" with a YouTube video showing off how awesome Train Simulator looks like, when you buy the RW Enhancer. Before I found that video I always asked myself why the game looks like crap on my machine but like TSW when Sam plays it.

    I hope TSWEnhancer for 25 Bucks will end this year-old discussion one day for us. We will never understand DTG ;-)
     
  34. martschuffing

    martschuffing Well-Known Member

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  35. hightower

    hightower Guest

    Which neatly sums up just how broken TAA is in UE4 and this game. There is no flickering in your case because you’re rendering the game (I assume) at twice your monitors resolution. At that setting there really should be no need for AA at all.

    Depressingly, in native 4K with TAA on the flickering is no different to any other resolution. It’s really very poor indeed, which is a ridiculous thing to say of a game in 2021.
     
  36. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    YMMV indeed. My rig, for whatever reason, renders TAA smoothly with few artifacts and no tearing, while FXAA is a veritable snowstorm of random edge-pixels and flickering catenaries.
     
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