The DarkMod Wiki - User contributions [en]

DarkRadiant - Compiling in Windows

2021-09-26T05:50:17Z

Duzenko:

To compile the sources in Windows you will need '''Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition''' or higher. The Community Edition can be acquired for free and is able to produce both 32 Bit and 64 Bit builds.

You will need a Git client to clone the sources to your machine and install the Windows dependencies package. Then you're set up to compile DarkRadiant in Visual Studio.

= Install a Git Client =
The main codebase is stored and maintained on github, therefore you'll need a Git client like
* [http://windows.github.com/ '''Github Desktop''']
* [http://code.google.com/p/msysgit/downloads/list?q=full+installer+official+git '''TortoiseGit''']
* [https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/ '''Sourcetree''']

Download and install the git client into any folder of your preference. After installation it might ask to reboot your machine, as Tortoise integrates into the Explorer shell.

= Download Sources and Dependencies =

== Using Github Desktop ==
Create your github-login, configure github desktop as desired, especially the default clone path in the options dialog. Browse to the [https://github.com/codereader/DarkRadiant github page of DarkRadiant] and click on '''Clone in Windows'''. That's it!

== Using TortoiseGit ==
To prepare the source download, open Windows Explorer and create the folder you want to clone (i.e. download) the sources into. Make sure the folder does not contain spaces. Use your Git client to clone the DarkRadiant repository from github:

Make sure the '''recursive''' flag is checked in the dialog.

[[Image:dr git clone.png|200px]]

Cloning takes a minute or two - after the process is finished your folder should be looking like this:

[[Image:Dr_bare_repo.png|200px]]

= Compile =
Start Visual Studio and open the DarkRadiant solution file (.sln) which is ready for you in the <tt>tools/msvc</tt> folder.

To build a package for the x64 target, make sure to select the ''x64'' platform from the configuration manager's dropdown box (located in Visual Studio's toolbar). If you prefer a 32 bit build, select the Win32 target.

Select ''release'' build (unless you want to debug a problem) and hit Ctrl-Shift-B in VC++ to start building the sources or select "Build > Build Solution" from the menus.

{{important|headline=Note|text=If you cloned the sources to <tt>C:\Games\DarkRadiant</tt>, the application binary will be placed in <tt>C:\Games\DarkRadiant\install\DarkRadiant.exe</tt>}}

The project output files are set up in a way to automatically install the binaries in the <tt>install/</tt>, <tt>install/modules/</tt> and <tt>install/plugins/</tt> folders. Also, all dependencies from the w32deps/ folder (see previous section) are automatically copied to the install/ folder during the post-build event. If anything goes wrong during compilation, please seek help in the [http://forums.thedarkmod.com/forum/51-darkradiant-feedback-and-development/ forums].

The build expects the w32deps folder to be located alongside the sources, especially x64 builds expect the w64deps folder to be sitting next to it. This should happen automatically the first time a build is started. See below for how to set up the folders in case that step went wrong.

== Manual Download of the Dependencies Package ==
For Windows builds additional dependencies are automatically downloaded and copied into the source tree by the build steps in Visual Studio. If this fails for any reason, you'll have to download and extract the package yourself, either by executing the script in

tools/scripts/download_windeps.ps1

or by downloading the 7-zipped packages from the following URL (you can [http://www.7-zip.org get 7-zip here]):

https://github.com/codereader/DarkRadiant_WinDeps/releases/latest

Download and extract it directly to the directory you cloned the sources to. The resulting folder structure should look like this.

[[Image:Dr_windeps_repo.png|200px]]

'''Important:''' The w32deps/ and w64deps/ folder must be in the same folder as the radiant/ or include/ folder.

= (Optional) Compiling the Windows Dependencies =
This step is optional and more advanced. You won't need to do this if you just want to compile and run DarkRadiant using the currently maintained version of Visual Studio.

Note: in the past DarkRadiant was linking against a few boost libraries requiring static libraries, this is no longer the case since August 2017.

== Compile the support libraries ==
DarkRadiant is using a lot of third-party libraries like libxml2, libiconv, vorbis, etc.

For Windows I set up custom VC++ solutions to compile most of the libraries directly from the source (as many of those third-party projects don't offer Windows x64 binaries), these projects can be found in the <tt>winbuild</tt> folder in Git. The winbuild folder contains all the sources needed to build the Win32/Win64 dependency binaries. Note that the headers are stored in w32deps, as the main DarkRadiant project needs them there, so w32deps is the place to look for most of the shared headers.

The VC++ project files can be found in the winbuild/msvc folder. To check out the repo, go ahead like this:

# Right-click your C:\Games folder >> Git Clone...
# Select https://github.com/codereader/DarkRadiant_WinDeps.git to C:\Games\DarkRadiant_WinDeps

or by using the git command line

# git clone https://github.com/codereader/DarkRadiant_WinDeps.git C:\Games\DarkRadiant_WinDeps

== Program Database Files (.pdb) ==
When debugging a DarkRadiant crashdump, you'll need the program database files to get substantial information out of it, so it's vital to save the .pdb files right after compilation, otherwise they won't match against the signatures in the crashdump.

As far as the windeps dependencies are concerned, I've zipped up all the .pdb files and stored them on the GitHub release page:

* VC++ 2019: https://github.com/codereader/DarkRadiant_WinDeps/releases/latest (look for windeps.pdbs.7z)

== See also / Links ==
* [[DarkRadiant - Compilation Guide]]
* [https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/ Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition]
* [[Save a Memory Dump for debugging Crashes|Information about recording crash dumps]]

{{coding}}
{{darkradiant|sort=Compilation}}

LOD

2021-08-07T08:47:34Z

Duzenko:

A '''Level of Detail''' (LOD) system can be used to bring more details to the screen while still speeding up rendering. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail Wikipedia] for an introduction.

== The new LOD System - Overview ==

[[Image:TheDarkMod LOD System Overview.png]]

SVG version of the above graphic [http://bloodgate.com/mirrors/tdm/TheDarkMod_LOD_System.svg here].

{{infobox|Note: Fade in and fade out '''only''' work via ''[[alpha-fading]]'', so on materials that use an alpha blend and don't respond to lighting.|bg=#f09090|fg=yellow}}

== How to use LOD in your TDM map ==

To enable the LOD system, use either one of the pre-made LOD-enabled entities in your map (most of these are defined in '''def/tdm_lod.def''') or set '''dist_check_period''' to a number greater than 0.

Note: The '''dist_check_period''' spawnarg needs to be combined with one of "hide_distance" or "lod_X_distance" and "model_lod_X", "skin_lod_X" or "noshadows_lod_X" to have any effect!

2.10: Requirement have been relaxed. E.g. for shadow LOD you will now only need two spawnarg's: lod_1_distance and noshadows_lod_1.

See also '''[[LOD Bias]]''' for how to hide individual entities depending on the menu setting.

== GUI Setting ==

There is a new GUI setting, called [[Object detail| '''Object detail''' ]]. You'll find it under <tt>'''Settings - Video - Advanced'''</tt>. It consist of multiple levels, where '''Normal''' is the default. Lower settings cause the LOD distances to shrink, meaning entities switch sooner to the low-quality version and vanish sooner. Higher settings are the opposite, increasing the quality, but may be decreasing the FPS.

Mappers should design and test their map with the '''Normal''' setting on a typical modern PC (e.g. not too old and not high-end gaming rig either), and preferable also test on some slower and faster machines.

== Entities ==

Supported entity types:
* Models that don't move (i.e. func static models)

''From TDM version 2.03:''
* Animated models like waving flags and laundry (i.e. anything with spawnclass idAnimated)
* AI
* Animated attachments to AI

=== Example entities ===

* atdm:nature_pine_skeleton (just the tree trunk)
* atdm:nature_pine (Pine + particle leaves slowly swaying)
* atdm:nature_tree_stump

More can be found in the "Nature" folder with the DarkRadiant "Create entity" command.

== Spawnargs ==

=== min_lod_bias/max_lod_bias ===

See [[LOD Bias]] for how to hide individual entities depending on the menu setting.

=== hide_distance ===

In D3 units. When set to a value > 0, then the entity will be hidden if it is further away than this distance from the player.

Note: This might cause "popping", e.g. the entity will suddenly vanish or appear. See '''lod_fadeout_range''' for how to avoid this.

The actual value used from this spawnarg is modified by the menu setting "Object detail", so make to sure to test with this setting at "Normal".

=== lod_normal_distance ===

From TDM v1.05 onwards: This spawnarg defines a '''minimum''' distance from the player where the entity will ignore settings lower than '''Normal'''. This can be used to enforce a certain minimum distance so that players who set the detail level to '''Low''' or '''Lowest''' still do not experience entities popping in and out when being very close.

If this spawnarg is not set, it defaults to '''500 units'''. Avoid setting this spawnarg too high or even equal or higher than "hide_distance". This would only result in the menu setting "Object detail" being fixed at "Normal", e.g. players could never lower the quality settings to achive better frame rates. Do so only in rare cases where important entities would otherwise vanish in front of the eyes of the player.

=== lod_hide_probability ===

If '''lod_hide_distance''' is true, this spawnarg controls what the probabiliy of this entity vanishing is. Values range from 0.0 (will never vanish) to 1.0 (will certainly vanish). Whether a particular entity vanishes is computed at map start, so an entity either stays or vanishes, but does not change during the map play time.

Example:

"lod_hide_probability" "0.2"

If you place X identical entities, about 20% of them will vanish at the '''hide_distance''' and 80% will stay.

This can be used to "thin out" forests at a distance without having them vanish completely.

=== lod_X_distance ===

In D3 units. Sets the distance from where on LOD X is used. Will be valid until the next defined lod_(X+1)_distance, or infinty if there is no further LOD distance set.

To change the appearance of the entity inside this LOD, use the following spawnargs with a matching X:

==== model_lod_X ====

Set the model the entity displays inside this LOD. If not set, uses the model from LOD 0 e.g. the one from the "model" spawnarg.

''From TDM version 2.03:''

A special value "be_still" is supported for animated models. Setting model_lod_X to "be_still" for a LOD level means: stop the animation but don't switch model.

==== skin_lod_X ====

Set the skin the entity displays uses this LOD. If not set, uses the skin from LOD 0 e.g. the one from the "skin" spawnarg.

==== noshadows_lod_X ====

Boolean. If set, the entity casts no shadows while in this LOD zone.

==== offset_lod_X ====
Vector. Origin offset that can be applied to the replacement model if it doesn't naturally line up with the original.

==== lod_fadein_range ====

{{infobox|Note: Fade in and fade out only work via ''[[alpha-fading]]'', so on materials that use an alpha blend and don't respond to lighting.|bg=#f09090|fg=yellow}}

In D3 units. If set to non-zero, then the object will start hidden and begin to fade in at '''lod_1_distance''' - '''lod_fadein_range''' and be completely (100% opacity) visible at '''lod_1_distance'''. This can be used to create entities that only appear in some distance but not close up.

==== lod_fadeout_range ====

{{infobox|Note: Fade in and fade out only work via ''[[alpha-fading]]'', so on materials that use an alpha blend and don't respond to lighting.|bg=#f09090|fg=yellow}}

In D3 units. If set to non-zero, then the object will not vanish suddenly at '''hide_distance''', but start to fade out and be completely invisible at '''hide_distance''' + '''lod_fadeoutrange'''. Defaults to 0.

=== no_lod ===
:''This spawnarg will be available in TDM version 2.03''
Set "no_lod" "1" to disable LOD completely on an entity. Useful if you want to make use of a LOD entity but use a custom setup.

== Increasing the LOD steps ==

The number of possible LOD steps is fixed in code and defined in '''game/misc.h''' as a constant. The current
value is 7, meaning that there are 5 different rendering possibilities beside level 0 (the original) and level 6 (the object is hidden). That should be enough even for huge outdoor maps.

== Performance ==

Profiling showed that 3000 thinking entities consume about 7% CPU time. So if you use only a few hundred or thousand LOD entities, the performance of the extra thinking time is very small compared to the benefits of having only a few entities actually visible around the player.

== Example ==

At it's simplest, model, dist_check_period, hide_distance, lod_1_distance and model_lod_1 are used:
[[File:Lod_test2.png|thumb|right|click for full size]]
* '''model ''RegularModelName''''' -- point this to the fully detailed model
* '''dist_check_period 0.5''' -- time in seconds between distance checks
* '''hide_distance 400'''
* '''lod_1_distance 100'''
* '''model_lod_1 ''LessDetailedModelName''''' -- lower detail model
* '''lod_2_distance 200''' -- (optional further step)
* '''model_lod_2 ''LowerDetailModelName''''' -- even lower detail model (optional further step)

== Customizing AI models ==
From TDM 2.03, many of the common AI models use LOD. This is automatic. They are much more detailed than in 2.02 when seen close up, and are lower-poly when seen in the distance.

If you want to switch an AI's model, for example to make a Builder archer from a citywatch archer by changing the model def and the vocal set and team, then you have a choice: you can change all the different model_lod_* stages to match the ones used by your target Builder; or you can change only the "model" spawnarg, which will work ok but note that LOD will be switched off for that AI. That's because you won't your Builder archer to revert to a citywatch model when distant.

This rule was applied so that existing maps with custom models on AI woudn't get broken by the new AI LOD feature. The rules are: if the mapper overrides the "model" spawnarg but doesn't override any "model_lod" spawnargs, LOD is disabled on the entity. If the mapper overrides at least one "model_lod" spawnarg too, that shows they have it in hand so LOD remains enabled on the entity.

== History ==

Doom3 did not have any LOD system at all. The first steps of such a system were added in TDM by supporting a '''hide_distance''' spawnarg, which made entities hide or portals close once they were further away than this distance. The LOD system in TDM was totally rewritten for v1.04.

Support for animated models and AI was added in TDM version 2.03. More details are available on the [http://bugs.thedarkmod.com/view.php?id=3770 bugtracker].

=== Comparison ===

Here we compare the new (v1.04) to the old system (until v1.02):

* The old system had only two levels: 0 (original model), and 1 (entity is hidden)
* Due to a typo, all thinking for the LOD entities happened in the first half of the interval. That means if you set the intervall to 1 s, all entities did their distance check between 0 and 0.5 seconds, and none between 0.5 and 1 second and so on. This lead to fluctuating frame rates.

The new system:

* Supports up to 7 levels (last is ''hide''), more can easily be done with a recompile
* You can use less levels if you want
* Thinking is distributed over the entire interval
* makes scenes with thousands of entities possible
* Can not only switch the model, but also change the skin (f.i. use less expensive glass shaders) and turn shadows off
* Can hide only a fraction of all entities of the same class (''thinning out'')
* Allows the player (via the settings menu) to control the quality vs. speed

== See also ==

* [[LOD Bias]]
* [[Creating LOD Models]] with only Gimp/Photoshop and DarkRadiant
* [[List of LOD Models]]
* [[SEED]] - Random entity placement and distant culling

{{editing}} {{scripting}}

Texture Guidelines

2020-04-09T09:35:13Z

Duzenko: /* 2.08 update (2020) */

This should be a rough guideline for choosing the correct dimensions and format for your custom TDM texture.

== 2.08 update (2020) ==
The guidance is for standard tiling textures. A single large texture with a unique pattern shouldn't cause too much harm, especially if it is

used sparingly. The other consideration is whether this "beautiful" texture matches the pixel density of other textures at natural scale.

You may be admiring your great new texture but players will be looking at TDM textures next to it and thinking "why is everything except the wall

so blurry"? To which the answer will not be "OK, we are going to increase all the texture resolutions and make the game unplayable except for

high-end hardware from 2016+". Doom 3 \ TDM is more texture heavy than many other engines since it relies on normal maps for most detail

so you have to budget textures differently than an engine where half of the detail is baked into the diffuse because of baked lighting. The limit

is there to act as a sane guideline.

Forum discussion link: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/9082-newbie-darkradiant-questions/&do=findComment&comment=445922

== Dimensions ==
* Diffusemap: '''max. 1024 pixels''' (when used for smaller areas: 512)
* Normalmap: '''max. 1024 pixels'''
* Specular: '''max. 512 pixels'''
* Editor image: '''max. 256 pixels'''

== Compression Standards ==
* Diffusemaps: DDS (DXT1/DXT3)
* Normalmap: TGA (uncompressed, no RLE)
* Specularmap: DDS
* Editor Image: JPG (medium quality (e.g. 85 in Photoshop), not over-compressed)

* If the texture is to be included in TDM : A high res copy of the diffusemap (can be RLE)

== Naming Conventions ==
Assuming your texture is named '''rough_grey_dirty''', the names are
* Diffusemap: '''rough_grey_dirty.dds'''
* Normalmap: '''rough_grey_dirty_local.tga'''
* Specularmap: '''rough_grey_dirty_s.dds'''
* Editor Image: '''rough_grey_dirty_ed.jpg'''

* Nontiling textures have the '''_nontiling_''' part in their name: '''rough_grey_dirty_nontiling_local.tga'''
* Textures tiling into one dimension only get the '''_tiling1d_''' part added: '''rough_grey_dirty_tiling1d_local.tga'''

* Heightmaps: '''rough_grey_dirty_h.tga'''
* Alphamaps: '''rough_grey_dirty_a.tga'''
* Occlusion maps: '''rough_grey_dirty_occ.tga'''

== Exceptions ==
* Skyboxes: Doom can't handle DDS for Skyboxes, so uncompressed TGA should be used here. If the dimensions of your skybox textures exceed 1024 Pixels, JPEG compression on maximum quality should be applied. (Uncompressed TGA on six 2048 x 2048 textures would result in 72 MB altogether, which is definitely too much and the high resolution will compensate the anyway negligible JPEG artifacts.)

== Material File Conventions ==
See here: [[Material File Naming Convention]]

Remember: Do keep a backup of the ultra hi-res versions of your work as well as your working files (photoshop, gimp files). These should be added to the '''texture_src''' repository, which keeps all the "working" or "source files".

== See also ==
* [[DDS creation]]
* [[How to add Textures to The Dark Mod]]

{{tutorial-textures}}

2019-05-27T07:06:27Z

Duzenko:

Talk:The Dark Mod - Compilation Guide

2018-05-10T11:58:08Z

Duzenko:

Memo to myself, once the GPL-based TDM sources have been released:

== Ubuntu 11.10 x64 ==

sudo apt-get install g++ scons ia32-libs subversion m4 g++-multilib libglew1.6-dev
libjpeg62-dev libpng12-dev libxxf86vm-dev libalut-dev libasound2-dev

Then just run the scons command to start compiling:

scons BUILD="release" BUILD_GAMEPAK="1"

== Ubuntu 11.10 32 Bit ==

sudo apt-get install g++ scons m4 libglew1.6-dev libjpeg62-dev libpng12-dev libxxf86vm-dev libalut-dev libasound2-dev

Then just run the scons command to start compiling:

scons BUILD="release" BUILD_GAMEPAK="1"

--[[User:Greebo|greebo]] 09:45, 4 January 2012 (EST)

== Parallel Compiling ==

To enable parallel building, use the JOBS="N" option:

scons BUILD="release" BUILD_GAMEPAK="1" JOBS="8"

== 2.06 on Windows ==
* DirectX SDK no longer used/needed
* gamex86.dll no longer produced. ExtLibs.dll was added on the other hand.

2016-12-20T20:50:23Z

Duzenko:

This article relates to performance issues ''for players''. For performance information ''for mappers'', see [[Performance: Essential Must-Knows]]

== Show FPS ==

First, you can check how many {{abbr|FPS|frames per second}} are achieved by opening the console with {{key|Ctrl}}+{{key|Alt}}+{{key|~}} (tilde, {{key|^}} on German keyboards) and type:

com_showFPS 1

== Optimizing the OS performance ==

=== Stop running programs in the background ===

Programs running in the background might either eat up memory that is needed for Doom3, and thus cause swapping to the hard disk, or they might consume CPU time or other resources.

This can cause either general slowdowns or ''hickups'' during game play.

{{clear}}

=== Ensure that Programs are the main priority in the OS ===

To begin the process, type sysdm.cpl in Run box ({{key|Windows}} + {{key|R}}) and hit {{key|Enter}} to open the System Properties.

Select the Advanced tab and under Performance, {{LMB}} click on Settings.

In the Performance Options box, select the Advanced Tab again.

You will see a section Processor Scheduling

Choose "Programs" then {{LMB}} click Apply.

{{clear}}

=== White-list TheDarkMod.exe in Security Software ===

Make sure that Windows Defender or Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, etc aren't constantly scanning or interacting

with TheDarkMod.exe. Add it to your security white-list.

=== Priority and Affinity ===

==== Set TheDarkMod to High Priority ====

* Launch TheDarkMod

''(Note: Do not start a mission or test map yet. If the 3D render is initialized it will take a long time to exit fullscreen and return to it.)''

* {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Enter}} to exit fullscreen
* {{key|Ctrl}} + {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Del}} to open your Task Manager
* {{RMB}} Right-click on TheDarkMod.exe the choose "Go to Details"
* (On the details\processes pane) {{RMB}} Right-click on TheDarkMod.exe and mouse-over Set Priority and choose High
* {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Enter}} to return to fullscreen

You can also edit your Desktop shortcut to start in High priority:

* {{RMB}} Right-click your Desktop shortcut to TheDarkMod and select Properties
* On the Shortcut Tab enter the following into the "Target:" field

<pre>

cmd.exe /c start "TheDarkMod" /High "C:\darkmod\TheDarkMod.exe"

</pre>

(Assuming you installed into C:\darkmod)

* Then {{LMB}} click the Change Icon button and browse for the Darkmod.ico icon in your darkmod install path
* {{LMB}} Click Apply

==== Set TheDarkMod Affinity ====

If you have a limited number of cores or heavy background tasks are always consuming the
default cores, you can set The Dark Mod to run on a specific core via "affinity"

* Launch TheDarkMod
* {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Enter}} to exit fullscreen

''(Note: Do not start a mission or test map yet. If the 3D render is initialized it will take a long time to exit fullscreen and return to it.)''

* {{key|Ctrl}} + {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Del}} to open your Task Manager
* Click the Performance Tab and look at the CPU display to see which cores are the least busy
* (On Windows 10, click the "Open Resource Monitor" link and then click the CPU tab and expand the right pane)
* Close the Resource Monitor and click the Processes Tab in Task Manager
* {{RMB}} Right-click on TheDarkMod.exe the choose "Go to Details"
* (On the details\processes pane) {{RMB}} Right-click on TheDarkMod.exe
* Mouse-over then click "Set Affinity" and uncheck cores you want to prevent TDM from using
* {{key|Alt}} + {{key|Enter}} to return to fullscreen

As with Priority you can set Affinity in your shortcut.

Example Target:

<pre>

cmd.exe /c start "TheDarkMod" /affinity 1 "C:\darkmod\TheDarkMod.exe"

</pre>

The affinity number is not matched to the number in your performance screen.
For example "Core 0" in Task Manager is affinity 1. The values are in Octal so
the numbers go up:

* Core 0 is 1
* Core 1 is 2
* Core 2 is 4
* Core 3 is 8
* Core 4 is 10
* Core 5 is 20

To select multiple cores you need to use odd numbers.

For example /affintiy 5 will enable Core 0 and Core 2.

For a typical dual core CPU with Hyperthreading these will be your real cores

whilst 1 and 3 will be virtual cores.

==== Combined Example ====

You can include both priority and affinity switches in your shortcut

<pre>

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "TheDarkMod" /High /affinity 5 "C:\darkmod\TheDarkMod.exe" +cm_backFaceCull 1 +r_useEntityCulling 1

</pre>

Start TheDarkMod with high priority on Cores 0 and 2 (real cores) and add two '''launch cvars''' ( See [[#Conventions|Conventions]]).

As you can see, you can make a huge launch string but once you go past 2 or 3 cvars it's best to

use Darkmod.cfg unless you wish to make multiple launchers for testing (etc).

==== Process Management Note ====

''You can also either "End Task" on processes that you know you don't need or set them to "below normal" or "low" priority.''

''Moving these low priority processes to a different core via affinity is also an option.''

''Some processes, such as OneDrive.exe (which is integrated into the OS) will keep restarting so it's best to set these to "low priority"''

''If you are unsure what a process does, do not change it until you've researched the process.''

{{clear}}

=== Disable Desktop Effects ===

(If you are willing to sacrifice you desktop visual behavior and effects for better TDM performance. Note: This can be reverted.)

To begin the process, type sysdm.cpl in Run box ({{key|Windows}} + {{key|R}}) and hit {{key|Enter}} to open the System Properties.

Select the Advanced tab and under Performance, {{LMB}} click on Settings.

In the Performance Options box, select the Visual Effects tab.

Check "Adjust for Best Performance" then click Apply.

{{clear}}

=== Driver Considerations ===

''(IdTech4) The Dark Mod is based on OpenGL 2.0. GPU manufacturers have largely ignored''

''issues with this older specification so a number of workarounds have been compiled''

''by the community to attend to erroneous behaviors or poor performance.''

{{clear}}

==== (AMD\ATI) Disable Catalyst AI ====

(This is probably deprecated.)

[[FAQ#Disable_Catalyst_AI_in_recent_AMD_ATI_drivers|Disable Catalyst AI in recent AMD Drivers]]

==== (AMD\ATI) Rename the executable ====

Most modern drivers have built-in profiles for the executable names of commercial games.

Renaming TheDarkMod.exe to the name of a commercial OpenGL game may gain you some optimizations

or even a Crossfire profile (I believe DarkAthena.exe had one.)

Known working renames:

DarkAthena.exe (thus far the most consistent improvement)

Wolf2MP.exe

Amnesia.exe

Brink.exe

Prey.exe

==== (Nvidia) Disable Index Buffers ====

<pre>

seta r_useIndexBuffers "0"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

(Note: This tweak may not work with upcoming changes to The Dark Mod so revert it before upgrading)

{{clear}}

==== (Nvidia) Disable the Streamer Service ====

Open your run dialog ({{key|Windows}} + {{key|R}}) or command prompt and type services.msc

On the Extended Tab locate "Nvidia Streamer Network Service"

{{RMB} Right-click it and choose "Stop"

Once the service is stopped, {{RMB}} right click it again and choose Properties

On the General Tab set Startup Type = Disabled then {{LMB}} click Apply.

Do the same for "Nvidia Streamer Service"

{{clear}}

''You can also perform these steps for any services that you know can be manually started

''or are not needed for your daily usage. (Obviously) Do not disable any service that you don't

''recognize or know is safe to disable.''

{{clear}}

==== (Nvidia) Disable Threaded Optimizations ====

Open Nvidia Control Panel ->

Manage 3D Settings ->

Bottom half of list locate "Threaded Optimization" <-- Set to NO / Off

Also set "Multi-display/Mixed GPU acceleration" to "Single display performance mode"

This can also reduce or eliminate driver crashes or rendering anomalies.

==== Lower in-driver quality settings ====

AMD, Nvidia, and Intel all give users the option to lower texture quality and

also have various quality "optimization" levels for texture LOD Bias and Anisotropy (Filtering).

==== Try different driver versions ====

Sometimes updating to the latest driver version or reverting to an older version

will improve performance. Try a few revisions or ask about known good driver versions.

This applies to both GPU drivers and "Motherboard Chipset Drivers".

See also [[#Upgrade_your_BIOS|Upgrade your BIOS]]

{{clear}}

== Optimizing Dark Mod settings ==

''The settings changes below generally can be changed independently of one another.''

''This means that if your want better settings in one aspect (such as AA) you can''

''try reducing quality or disabling another aspect (such as post-processing, image_downsize, v-sync, etc)''

=== Conventions ===

Most of the changes demonstrated in this article are via "Console variables" [[Cvars_in_The_Dark_Mod|CVARS]].

The "seta" prefix is intended to save these settings permanently so that they are retained on restart and that
is what is used by Darkmod.cfg.

<pre>

seta cm_backFaceCull "1"

</pre>

==== Temporary Testing ====

To temporarily test any settings, you can drop the "seta" and simply invoke the cvar and it's value (without double quotes) in
the console.

Example:

Open the console with {{key|Ctrl}}+{{key|Alt}}+{{key|~}} (tilde, {{key|^}} on German keyboards) and type:

<pre>

cm_backFaceCull 1

</pre>

''Note: Some CVAR changes in the console, such as vid_mode (resolution), r_multisamples (AA), r_swapInterval (V-Synch), image_anisotropy (AF)
cannot be changed without also invoking vid_restart.''

See also: [[#Toggle_settings_in_realtime|Toggle settings in realtime]]

{{clear}}

==== Launch Options ====

You can also add the value as part of your of your target in your shortcut:

Example with two cvars:

* {{RMB}} Right click your Desktop shortcut to TheDarkMod and select Properties
* On the Shortcut Tab enter the following into the "Target:" field

<pre>

"C:\darkmod\TheDarkMod.exe" +cm_backFaceCull 1 +r_useEntityCulling 1

</pre>

(Assuming you installed into C:\darkmod)

* Then {{LMB}} click the Change Icon button and browse for the Darkmod.ico icon in your darkmod install path
* {{LMB}} Click Apply

See also [[#Set_TheDarkMod_to_High_Priority|Set TheDarkMod to High Priority]]

=== Run The Dark Mod in fullscreen ===

Running Darkmod in windowed mode might be quite a bit slower than fullscreen mode.

One reason for this is that windowed mode is forced to V-sync. ( See [[#Disable V-sync | Disable V-sync]] )

<pre>
seta r_fullscreen "1"
</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

{{clear}}

=== Disable Post-Processing ===

In the advanced video settings menu make sure post-processing is disabled

<pre>

seta r_postprocess "0"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

=== Set Object Detail to Low ===

In the advanced video settings menu lower the Object detail slider below normal

<pre>
seta tdm_lod_bias "0.5"
</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg (see also [[Object_detail]] )

=== Set the ambient shading to "Faster" ===

Inside the settings, change the ambient rendering method to "Faster".

<pre>
seta tdm_ambient_method "1"
</pre>
in Darkmod.cfg

=== Set the interaction.vfp to 'Standard' ===

In the video settings menu, change the interaction shader to Standard. Lighting will not look as good, but you may gain a few frames per second.

<pre>

seta tdm_interaction_vfp_type "0"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

=== Lower Anti-aliasing ===

In the standard video settings, set AA to a lower value or 0

<pre>

seta r_multiSamples "0"

</pre>
in Darkmod.cfg

=== Disable V-sync ===

In the standard video settings, disable vsync

<pre>
seta r_swapInterval "0"
</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

The Dark Mod has extremely variable FPS compared to modern titles due to it's substantial
CPU heavy renderer.

We strongly recommend disabling V-Sync altogether or forcing variable
V-sync tech such as G-Sync or Freesync in your driver settings while disabling it in-game.

===Field of View Decrease===

'''Note''' that this setting might occasionally produce odd effects such as a grabbed object seems to move a little on release.

You can get a performance improvement if you decrease the field of view. By default this is 90 degrees but you might try entering in the console:

g_fov 85

or

<pre>
seta g_fov "85"
</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

In addition, if you are playing a mission that is too good to miss and reach a very low performance area which is almost unplayable on your machine, you might consider setting the field of view extremely low temporarily to get you through then restore to 90 later...

g_fov 50

or bind a toggle

<pre>
bind "z" "toggle g_fov 50 90";
</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg so you can tap a key to go between FOV ranges.

See [[#Toggle_settings_in_realtime|Toggle Settings in Realtime]]

Note from Fidcal: I have played comfortably on g_fov 75 and even think perhaps it makes nearby objects more realistically close so you can get right up to a table, etc. Not noticed any problem with restricted view.

=== Reduce your resolution! ===

On older cards, Doom3's render engine is very expensive for every per pixel drawn, and reducing the resolution will help the most. For instance, at 1600x1200 the game needs to draw '''four times''' as many pixels as when running 800x600. The result with 800x600 will not look as bad as one might think – but the frame rate improvements might make it much more playable.

If you cannot set the resolution you want in the settings menu then enter it in Darkmod.cfg.

To edit Darkmod.cfg:

* Uninstall any current mission in the New Mission menu.
* Close Dark Mod
* Edit Darkmod.cfg in the darkmod folder
* Re-install the mission.
* Whenever you UNinstall and install another mission, these changes will migrate to those FMs as well.

(Alternatively, edit both the Darkmod.cfg in the darkmod folder AND the one in the current FM game folder, eg, fms\chalice.)

Search down for these cvars first and replace them with the values shown:

<pre>

seta r_mode "-1"
seta r_customHeight "640"
seta r_customWidth "480"

</pre>

alternate for wide screen monitors:

16:9 ratio

<pre>
seta r_mode "-1"
seta r_customwidth "1280"
seta r_customheight "720"
seta r_aspectratio "1"
</pre>

'''See also: [[Resolutions]]'''

=== Lower Anisotropic Filtering ===

In the standard video settings, lower or disable AF

<pre>

seta image_anisotropy "0"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

{{clear}}

== Slow loading times ==

''Loading times for The Dark Mod are known to be on the long side. The main culprit is that the engine encodes mip-maps''

''when loading textures. In the future, we may be able to address this by compressing the normal maps or encoding them''

''in a format that includes mip-maps.''

''Some users have reported modest benefits to loading time when upgrading to an SSD but given the bottle-neck above CPU''

''and RAM upgrades would likely be more beneficial.''

''Sometimes, beyond the normal expectation of slow loading, the load times are egregiously slow. In those cases it's''

''best to review the tuning options and workarounds below.''

If you find an FM is very slow to load it may be an ATI graphics card problem.
One report says this was cured by turning off Catalyst AI. Also cures [[#HDR-Lite Post-Processing problems|HDR-Lite Post-Processing Problems]].

Changing the following settings to 0 will also reduce loading time, but be warned:
if you have a lower-end system, poor graphics card, or low ram, you will likely notice a performance hit ingame since you will now be using uncompressed textures.

<pre style="max-width:35em">
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useCompression "0"
</pre>

NEW INFO: The Dark Mod has never really used Normal Map compression because it is incompatible with heightmap images
<br> and it produces nasty artifacts for the texture scales we use.
<br> The current builds have had the RXGB swizzle disabled as of at least 2.0 standalone. (Probably as of v1.08 when the GPL executable sources were released.)
<br> There is no benefit to enabling normal map compression currently so feel free to set this to 0.

Note: Disabling compression may lead to Malloc errors due to memory consumption.

You may be able to compensate by setting image_downsize options or use image_downsize instead of disabling compression. [[#Image downsizing|Image Downsizing]]

See [[#Getting "Malloc Failure for #######" crash-to-desktop|Malloc Failure Errors]]

== The game is '''very''' slow! ==

If you get less than 10 FPS, or the game even stutters, please try this:

Look into your '''Darkmod.cfg''' inside your darkmod folder and check that the following settings are like shown below:

<pre style="max-width:35em">
seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "1"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useAllFormats "1"
seta image_useCompression "1"
seta image_preload "1"
seta r_useCachedDynamicModels "1"
seta r_useShadowVertexProgram "1"
seta r_useEntityCulling "1"
seta cm_backFaceCull "1"
</pre>

NEW INFO: The Dark Mod has never really used Normal Map compression because it is incompatible with heightmap images
<br> and it produces nasty artifacts for the texture scales we use.
<br>The current builds have had the RXGB swizzle disabled as of at least 2.0 standalone. (Probably as of v1.08 when the GPL executable sources were released.)
<br> There is no benefit to enabling normal map compression currently so feel free to set this to 0 as shown above.

Note: image_preload can increase the memory usage at load time, some lowend users have disabled this ( 0 ) to
get past [[FAQ#Getting_.22Malloc_Failure_for_.23.23.23.23.23.23.23.22_crash-to-desktop | malloc errors]] for going over your memory limits.

=== Configure Video RAM ===

Change:

<pre>

seta com_videoRam "128"

</pre>

to the appropriate value (in MB) for your GPU in Darkmod.cfg

Eg. A 2GB video card would have 2048 there.

<pre>

seta com_videoRam "2048"

</pre>

{{clear}}

===Lightgem interleaved calculation===

By default lightgem calculation occurs every frame. You can set lightgem calculation to happen only once per several frames by setting tdm_lg_interleave console parameter to values higher than 1. For example, typing:

tdm_lg_interleave 3

in console tells TDM to recalculate lightgem value every third frame.

This tweak can increase average FPS, but it often produces noticeable stuttering, especially on slow machines
when your FPS is below 25 to 30FPS.

You can also split the calculation across frames so that part is done in one frame and part is done in the next:

tdm_lg_split 1

Some folks have reported that this causes flicker but that was in older builds.

I haven't seen any problems with this in recent builds.

This will give a modest boost compared to interleave and both can be used together or independently.

Eg:

Keep tdm_lg_interleave 1 for to prevent stutter at low FPS but set tdm_lg_split to gain a little boost.

or

Set tdm_lg_split to 1 to get you from 26 FPS to 28 FPS as a baseline, then set tdm_lg_interleave to 2 to
gain a substantial boost (up to double FPS) but since the baseline is close to 30FPS the risk of stutter is
substantially reduced.

'''See also [[#Weak_Lightgem | Weak Lightgem]]'''

=== Image downsizing ===

As a last resort, you may enable image downsizing: in Darkmod.cfg, set '''image_downSize''' to '''1''' and then set a limit with '''image_downSizeLimit''', e.g., '''"image_downSizeLimit" "256"'''.

<pre>

seta image_downSize "1"
seta image_downSizeLimit "256"

</pre>

This reduces texture memory requirements and may completely alleviate hard drive thrashing.
There are similar cvars for bump and specular maps as well.

Example: Downsize Normal Maps

<pre>

seta image_downSizeBump "1"
seta image_downSizeBumpLimit "256"

</pre>

Example: Downsize Specular maps

<pre>

seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecularLimit "64"

</pre>

'''Note: This may result in very blurry briefing and menu screens.'''

'''This patch will prevent that until the fix is included in a TDM release:'''

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/11058-things-that-could-be-improved/page-73#entry392752

'''Note: We recommend that you disable post-processing before using image_downsize.'''

''' If you set image_downsizeLimit below 512, part or all of the screen wont render when post-processing enabled.'''

'''If any image_downSizeLimit is set below your screen resolution, you will see visual errors when post-processing is enabled.'''

===Drop in Frame Rates when Viewing Water===

Some players have reported a drastic drop in performance when an agitated water surface is in view. This on a Radeon card. Try entering this in the console. It disables the water visible surface effects but at least it might let you play normally...

<pre>

seta r_skipPostProcess "1"

</pre>

or

<pre>

seta r_postprocess "0"

</pre>

You can also set a key-bind to toggle this instead:

<pre>

bind "z" "toggle r_postprocess 0 1"

</pre>

See [[#Toggle_settings_in_realtime|Toggle Settings in Realtime]]

See also [[FAQ#Underwater_performance_poor|Underwater performance poor]]

=== Disabling standard graphics features ===

At the cost of some pretty severe scene quality, you can disable a number of independent graphic features

that are non-essential to play.

==== Disable Soft Particles ====

The new Soft Particle effects in v2.03 and newer use a little more GPU than the previous particles.

This is offset by the fact that v2.03 and higher don't render particles during the lightgem calculation.

Still, if you want an extra boost then set:

<pre>

seta r_useSoftParticles "0"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable Fog ====
<pre>

seta r_skipFogLights "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable BlendLights ====

<pre>

seta r_skipBlendLights "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable Player Shadow====

The player shadow slightly reduces performance. It has no game effect at all (not seen by AI for instance) apart from atmospheric effect so if you want to disable it enter in the console:

g_showplayershadow 0

Or, in Darkmod.cfg (see above) change the following line from "1" to "0":

seta g_showplayershadow "0"

==== Disable Player Lantern Shadow====

You may notice a drop in performance while using the player lantern.

Add "noshadows" "1" to entitydef light_lantern_moving in tdm_playertools_lantern.def and this stops the player lantern casting shadows. This helps improve performance slightly when using the lantern.

==== Disable Particles ====

This will seriously mar your image quality. Flames, glares, and smoke will all be gone.

<pre>

seta r_skipParticles "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable Specular Maps ====

Specular gives materials their shine. This option will make all surfaces shine-free.

Note: This may not work with the Enhanced Ambient

<pre>

seta r_skipSpecular "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable Normal Maps ====

The main detail attribute for textures in Doom 3 \ Darkmod is the Normal Map.

If you disable this your game will become really ugly.

<pre>

seta r_skipBump "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==== Disable FPS Lock ====

Run one game tick per graphics frame, rather than fixed 60 ticks per second.
<pre>

seta com_fixedTic "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

== Lower Sound Quality ==

You can force 22khz audio processing to reduce the CPU overhead of audio processing.

Obviously, EAX effects will increase CPU load for audio so you should consider disabling

those before lowering audio quality. If normal audio plays fine but EAX causes performace,

this change might give you a boost while EAX is enabled.

<pre>

seta s_force22kHz "1"

</pre>

== Weak Lightgem ==

Setting:

<pre>

seta tdm_lg_weak "1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg will disable the renderer based lightgem and use a simpler math-based solution.
It's a far less accurate lightgem but may allow weaker systems to play the game as a second to last resort.

==Gameplay Performance Tips==

If you have done everything else you can and performance is still poor then one or two things you might do in game to help:

* Close all doors after you have passed through. Generally the game has to process both areas until you close the door if the doorway is still in sight.
* Kill or KO every AI you can. You might not like to play that way but generally, AI still hog resources even out of sight (depending on how set up in the game.)
* Avoid alerts. A dozen guards searching for you will really slow things down on a low-end machine.
* Try to look down at the ground when moving along. Gazing up at a grand vista will slow you down. Best to do your gazing while standing still.

== Hardware Considerations ==

The Dark Mod 1.0 was released in 2009. The average mission designer and player of that time had a Geforce 6600GT and AMD Athlon 64 X2 2GHZ.

While some missions were playable all the way down to a P4 2.8GHZ with an FX5200, this is well below the expected audience for this project.

Current Intel integrated GPU's have better performance than the Geforce 8800 that was a high-end card in 2009.
Low-power mobile chips are known to throttle under heavy load, especially when using integrated graphics.

=== Upgrade your BIOS ===

Sometimes bugs or unintended specification limits in the BIOS on an older motherboard will prevent it from
allowing the CPU or GPU to meet their potential.

If your manufacturer has an updated motherboard BIOS available, consider applying it.

=== Last resort: Upgrade your hardware ===

Modern games need a lot of computing power, and while you don't need the absolutely newest hardware to play them, upgrading single components of your machine can help tremendously:

* If you got '''less than 2 GByte''' main memory, consider upgrading your memory. This really helps to reduce swapping, which introduces quite noticeable slowdowns.
* If you got a graphic card from NVidia older than the GF 7x00 series, consider upgrading it.

Upgrading your CPU is possible in most cases but can be quite complicated

and the cost might be so high that upgrading your whole PC might be a better value.

Upgrading the hard disk will usually not help much with gaming, unless you are running out of free space.

Some users have reported that SSD has improved loading times but the bigger problem with load times

is Mip-Map generation which is CPU \ Memory bandwidth limited.

== Toggle settings in realtime ==

With the exception of Resolution, AA, and AF settings; most of the above settings can be changed in realtime
in the console or via a bind in Darkmod.cfg.

For example, you could bind both post-processing and enhanced interaction to the Z key to enable and disable them both by pressing that key

<pre>

bind "z" "toggle r_postprocess 0 1; toggle tdm_interaction_vfp_type 0 1"

</pre>

in Darkmod.cfg

==Blurry Briefing and Menu Screens==

If you get blurry briefing and menu screens then in Darkmod.cfg make sure you do NOT have image_downSize 0.

Instead set it to 1. But see also [[#Image downsizing|Image Downsizing]] as there is a patch available to allow

image_downsize without making menus blurry.

== See also ==

[http://www.tweakguides.com/Doom3_8.html | Tweakguides Doom 3]

See also the [[FAQ]].

{{installation}}