A compendium of tweaks and fixes for the PC version

[Verrenus]

Has there been any fix towards NPC's magically appearing from another dimension? It's pretty annoying to see NPC's appear out of nowhere to populate areas, and especially when hostile NPC's spawn 3 feet from you.

We have been searching high and low for months trying to find a fix for these incredibly annoying and immersion-breaking mesh/object spawning bugs, but sadly these parameters have been hard-locked on the engine side by CDPR themselves. Their reasoning was probably tied to increasing performance on the console versions, but it baffles me to no end that we as PC gamers are not allowed to edit these values for ourselves! :thumbdown:

Until CDPR release either a patch enabling us to do so, or the next generation REDKIT, we will have to keep suffering through these issues! :dry:

 

[Verrenus]

After a little over 4 months and 200 gameplay hours since launch, I managed to beat the main story and (seemingly) all of the secondary quests, witcher contracts and treasure hunts. I've never felt this sad after finishing a game in my life and it's a sincere testament to how much I loved The Witcher 3 and Geralt's saga as a whole (books included, of course!).

What else can be said now? I simply cannot wait for the two expansions to be released and, at some point in the future, after reading through all of the books again, I will also replay the entire game saga. Presently, however, The Witcher 3 is most probably my favourite game of all time, bar none. Kudos, CDPR, you are unequaled in this craft!

:hatsoff:



P.S. This does not mean that I am abandoning this thread, I just wanted to speak my mind about how much I loved The Witcher 3 and how much it hurts now that it's over. :X

 

[GMSBS_Ghost]

Very, well voiced @Verrenus. It's almost as if you're speaking out of my heart
I'm not quite as far progressed through the game as you are, but I know already, that I will feel the same as you do now.
I actually have the same plans you do: I'm reading through the last one or two books right now and after finishing The Witcher 3, I will start with 1 and 2 again and after that play the third again including the expansions and probably starting with New Game+.
So, thanks again for this and all of your posts and fear not, as the first expansion is already close

 

[Verrenus]

Very, well voiced @Verrenus. It's almost as if you're speaking out of my heart
I'm not quite as far progressed through the game as you are, but I know already, that I will feel the same as you do now.
I actually have the same plans you do: I'm reading through the last one or two books right now and after finishing The Witcher 3, I will start with 1 and 2 again and after that play the third again including the expansions and probably starting with New Game+.
So, thanks again for this and all of your posts and fear not, as the first expansion is already close

Thank you very much for the kind words, my friend!

I always get these "ending blues" whenever I finish a book or a game that I really like and become attached to, but these feelings have never been as deep for any other book or game series that I ever had the chance of engaging in and I don't think there ever will be a fantasy saga as dear and close to my heart as that of the witcher Geralt of Rivia. Andrzej Sapkowski has truly blessed us with a story for the ages, even though, sadly, he doesn't share our excitement and passion for CDPR's video games, especially given that they are some of the best ever made. :thumbsup:

It also didn't help that I didn't quite get the ending Geralt deserved (which I won't elaborate on because everyone deserves to see for themselves how beautiful this game and, indeed, this entire saga ends), but that only motivates me to wrong my mistakes and make other choices in a future New Game+ playthrough. You will know what I mean when you reach the ending yourself, GMSBS_Ghost, and I will be curious to see what you make of it! Until then, have a blast playing through this magnificent adventure - words are not enough to describe how much I love this story and its protagonists! :wub:

In the end, I am deeply honored to have been able to boost everyone's enjoyment of this game through the tweaks and fixes detailed in this thread. It feels like I did my small part in helping provide a satisfying conclusion to Geralt's tale and, at least for that, I couldn't be happier!

 

[Olddddd]

Hi!

It is possible to have an user.config file for a GTX 970 @50/60 fps?

 

[FreeFall24]

We have been searching high and low for months trying to find a fix for these incredibly annoying and immersion-breaking mesh/object spawning bugs, but sadly these parameters have been hard-locked on the engine side by CDPR themselves. Their reasoning was probably tied to increasing performance on the console versions, but it baffles me to no end that we as PC gamers are not allowed to edit these values for ourselves! :thumbdown:

Until CDPR release either a patch enabling us to do so, or the next generation REDKIT, we will have to keep suffering through these issues! :dry:

I came from trying to deal with the absolute terrible performance from the PS4 Ver. thinking my 2500k and 270x would crash and burn against Witcher 3 (Which I was dead wrong) so much good any of these optimization patches and changes did, consoles, especially PS4, is still trash.

When it comes to fixing the console versions of any multiplatform title, the idea should be to have PC as it's own thing, and have no ties with consoles whatsoever. CDPR should above all else understand this.

I take it the REDKIT is extremely underwhelming, huh...

And since my CPU and GPU have proved me wrong into thinking they are old and need to go, I can finally enjoy this game to It's fullest potential, and I love it. Few things still irk me, such as Geralt gaining too much experience and becoming over-leveled with the main quest, or the iconsistency to LORE of Geralt being a professional monster slayer, and yet has trouble with drowners and nekkers (Or level jumps of reasonable monster level drowners, and out of nowhere, in a generally low level area, here comes a level 24 Ghoul?)

 

[Olddddd]

Sometimes, I have some NPC pop-in in Novigard, how I can fix it?

---------- Updated at 04:19 PM ----------
And I would like also to know what those lines :

MeshLODDistanceScale=8
TerrainReadAheadDistance=1200
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold=1.6
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThresholdFar=3.5
MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount=4

What values to it (for a GTX 970)?

 

[FreeFall24]

With these tweaks, and even further tweaking of values to push the game a bit further (and to fix things) I'm still shocked how well the game performs on my setup. Even in the Bog, Novigrad, my frames are so consistent that it leaves me smiling every time I enter these areas. I can't believe that I ever doubted my PC and opt for the PS4 Ver. in fear that I'd be forced to run on Low settings, when in reality I'm pushing High with HairWorks and HBAO.

And to think I was going to upgrade my 2500k and 270x. I know a lot of it has to do with optimization, which thankfully CDPR haven't completely abandoned PC as so many have. Still, lot of issues I hope we'll be able to fix, such as NPC's appearing, going HUZZAH! HERE I AM! Literally a foot from you.

Great compendium. Hope it gets updated constantly.

 

[shishimaru1000]

I don't know why I don't have this NPC pop-in. On the other hand, seems that people with dual core CPUs can run the game while I can't with a quad core.

 

[Dex_LV]

Hi!

It is possible to have an user.config file for a GTX 970 @50/60 fps?

Hi!
i5 4670K @ 4.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 970GTX (small overclock: core +160, memory +400)

Nvidia control panel:
AF x16
Max rendered frames ahead: 1
Vsync: Adaptive (Half refresh rate, because I have 144Hz monitor)

Rarely see FPS below 65, most of the time locked to 72fps.

user.config file:

Spoiler

[Gameplay/EntityPool]
SpawnedLimit=130
[Hidden]
HasSetup=true
uiVerticalFrameScale=1
uiHorizontalFrameScale=1
[Localization]
RequestedSpeechLanguage=
SpeechLanguage=EN
RequestedTextLanguage=
TextLanguage=EN
[Viewport]
VSync=false
Resolution="1920x1080"
FullScreenMode=2
VSyncThreshold=0
OutputMonitor=0
[Budget]
TerrainTileMipDataBudget=100
TerrainTileMinTimeout=2
TerrainTileTimeout=10
OcclusionQueryAdditionalMemory=5
TerrainTileLoadingTimeout=5
[ContentManager/Mods]
MaxNameLength=64
Enabled=true
[Audio]
Subtitles=true
[LoadingScreen/TCR]
ShowProgress=true
[Game]
DoNotPauseWhileStopped=false
[Scripts]
DebugScriptsForceFlush=true
DebugScriptsLogDir=
[PostProcess]
AllowChromaticAberration=false
SharpenAmount=0
MotionBlurPositionTreshold=0.05
AllowMSAA=true
MotionBlurRotationTreshold=1
AllowMotionBlur=false
SSAOSolution=2
[Input]
PadVibrationEnabled=false
KeyboardCooldownSpeed=0.1
InvertCameraXOnMouse=false
InvertCameraYOnMouse=false
CameraAutoRotX=true
InvertCameraX=false
UIMouseSensitivity=0.7
CameraAutoRotY=true
RightStickCameraSensitivity=0.7
InvertCameraY=false
RightStickAimSensitivity=0.7
MouseSensitivity=0.7
[DLC]
DlcEnabled_dlc_010_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_015_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_005_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_007_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_013_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_004_001=0
DlcEnabled_dlc_001_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_008_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_011_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_002_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_014_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_009_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_012_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_003_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_016_001=1
DlcEnabled_dlc_011_002=0
[Gameplay]
Difficulty=1
EnableUberMovement=1
[LevelOfDetail]
SwarmHideDistance=200
DecalsHideDistance=80
DimmerHideDistance=60
DynamicDecalsHideDistance=20
StripeHideDistance=60
[General]
ConfigVersion=2
[LoadingScreen/Editor]
Disabled=false
[LoadingOverlay/TCR]
FadeOutCooldownExtraTime=1
FadeInSpinnerTime=1
NoninteractiveSpinnerTime=3
FadeOutSpinnerTime=1
NoninteractiveEndCooldown=1
[Visuals]
AllowClothSimulationOnGpu=true
InventoryBgColorScaleB=0.036
InventoryFixedLuminance=0.25
InventoryBgColorScaleG=0.034
MovieFramerate=60
GammaValue=0.60
InventoryBgColorScaleR=0.02
[Rendering]
GrassDensity=2000
DecalsSpawnDistanceCutoff=10
TextureStreamingHeadsDistanceLimit=160
GlobalOceanTesselationFactor=64
TextureStreamingCharacterDistanceLimit=320
HairWorksGlobalWidthLimit=2.25
CascadeShadowDistanceScale2=2
MaxTextureAnizotropy=0
TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=40000
HairWorksGlobalStrandSmoothness=2
HairWorksGlobalDensityQuality=0.75
TextureMemoryBudget=2048
CascadeShadowDistanceScale3=2
HairWorkstGlobalDensityLimit=0.35
MeshLODDistanceScale=1
ScaleformTextureUnstreamDelay=2.5
DecalsChance=1
TerrainReadAheadDistance=200
HairWorksLevel=0
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThreshold=2
TerrainScreenSpaceErrorThresholdFar=5
HairWorksGlobalDetailLODFactor=0.65
TextureStreamingReduceGameplayLOD=false
TextureInFlightCountBudget=12
TerrainErrorMetricMultiplier=6
CascadeShadowmapSize=2048
CascadeShadowDistanceScale0=3
MeshRenderingDistanceScale=10
CascadeShadowDistanceScale1=2.5
MaxTerrainShadowAtlasCount=5
CascadeShadowQuality=4
[Input/Gestures]
EnableSwipe=false
EnablePan=false
EnableGestures=false
EnablePinch=false
[LoadingScreen]
FadeInTime=3
SkipShowWithAnyKey=true
GameRevealTime=3
SkipHideDelay=3
SkipInputDelay=0.25
FadeOutTime=1.5
SkipAutoshow=false
[Engine]
LimitFPS=0
[Rendering/SpeedTree]
GrassGenerationEfficiency=0.075
GrassDistanceScale=1
FoliageDistanceScale=1
FoliageShadowDistanceScale=16
GrassRingSize=4194304
[Save]
ShowCompatWarning=true
[Streaming/Textures]
UseMipRefiner=true
[Kinect]
Kinect=false
[Foliage]
MaxVisibilityDepth=12

 

[Olddddd]

Thanks!

What do these two lines:

[Behavior]
AnimatedComponentUpdateFrameSkip=false
SuppressAnimatedComponent=false
[Physics]
MimicsQuality=10

?

 

[Dex_LV]

Thanks!

What do these two lines:

[Behavior]
AnimatedComponentUpdateFrameSkip=false
SuppressAnimatedComponent=false
[Physics]
MimicsQuality=10

?

There was rumor these commands makes animations smoother, but I think they have zero effect. Just forgot to delete those.

 

[Olddddd]

OK, thanks.

 

[Verrenus]

Hi! It is possible to have an user.config file for a GTX 970 @50/60 fps?

Hi there!

Please check section #20 of the OP ("Personal working configuration") to see what settings I'm using for 60 FPS+/1080p on a GTX 980 Ti and we'll take it from there!

Make sure to apply all of those tweaks, including in GOG Galaxy, your GPU Control Panel, etc. You can skip the mods and SweetFX sections if you're not interested in them, though!

With these tweaks, and even further tweaking of values to push the game a bit further (and to fix things) I'm still shocked how well the game performs on my setup. Even in the Bog, Novigrad, my frames are so consistent that it leaves me smiling every time I enter these areas. I can't believe that I ever doubted my PC and opt for the PS4 Ver. in fear that I'd be forced to run on Low settings, when in reality I'm pushing High with HairWorks and HBAO.

Great compendium. Hope it gets updated constantly.

Thank you very much for the kind words, my friend, and welcome back to the wonderful world of PC gaming!

Don't worry, I monitor this thread daily to read all of the new posts and I always keep the Compendium updated with the latest tweaks and fixes, so that you only need to visit the OP to find out how you can get the most out of your game!

Should you have any questions or encounter any problems at all, just let us know in this thread and we'll sort them out together! Until then, have a blast playing!

There was rumor these commands makes animations smoother, but I think they have zero effect. Just forgot to delete those.

Those [Behavior] and [Physics] tweaks you mentioned have actually been previously confirmed by others to be placebo, so you can safely delete them without any worries. Also, you might want to use spoiler tags when posting your "user.config" settings, since they take up a lot of space in the post otherwise!

 

[Dex_LV]

I enjoy very smooth Witcher 3 experience without Hairworks enabled at almost constant 72FPS, but I kinda miss those effects. While hairworks is enabled at low preset and hairworks AA at 4, FPS stays about 60-65, but it doesnt look smooth at all. It feels like 40fps to me. I guess frame times are spiking.

Is there any way to optimize hairworks performance without changing AA level?
Has anyone experimented with these commands?

HairWorksGlobalWidthLimit=2.25
HairWorksGlobalStrandSmoothness=2
HairWorksGlobalDensityQuality=0.75
HairWorkstGlobalDensityLimit=0.35
HairWorksGlobalDetailLODFactor=0.65

 

[Monosukoi]

Hey, I was hoping to get some help. I got TW3 recently and I'm dying to play it but I want to have the best visual experience possible. I tried making the ini tweaks as listed in the OP as well as a few listed in the GeForce guide. For some reason, these don't seem to be saving and if anything, seem detrimental to the visual quality of the game, somehow.

Here are two pictures that show what I mean. Keep in mind the .ini tweaks are present in both images.

The first is me launched straight into a save after making .ini tweaks. You can see in the distance on the right that there is almost no shadowing/HBAO on the trees/foliage.

The second is straight after with all the settings on up to Ultra. I know the OP says not to change sliders, but I was curious why the .ini tweaks didn't appear to be working as intended.

Am I doing something really wrong? I saved the .ini's and made them read-only, of course. I feel very stupid because I want to push the game past Ultra when it comes to LOD stuff and it's not having the kind of effect you see in the GeForce guide.

Would greatly appreciate some advice because I feel really stupid.

 

[marvelmaster]

Hey, I was hoping to get some help. I got TW3 recently and I'm dying to play it but I want to have the best visual experience possible. I tried making the ini tweaks as listed in the OP as well as a few listed in the GeForce guide. For some reason, these don't seem to be saving and if anything, seem detrimental to the visual quality of the game, somehow.

Here are two pictures that show what I mean. Keep in mind the .ini tweaks are present in both images.

The first is me launched straight into a save after making .ini tweaks. You can see in the distance on the right that there is almost no shadowing/HBAO on the trees/foliage.

The second is straight after with all the settings on up to Ultra. I know the OP says not to change sliders, but I was curious why the .ini tweaks didn't appear to be working as intended.

Am I doing something really wrong? I saved the .ini's and made them read-only, of course. I feel very stupid because I want to push the game past Ultra when it comes to LOD stuff and it's not having the kind of effect you see in the GeForce guide.

Would greatly appreciate some advice because I feel really stupid.

Use this mod when its finished
http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/58091-Announce-HARDCORE-Graphics-Options-Menu-MOD

---------- Updated at 06:41 PM ----------

Sometimes, I have some NPC pop-in in Novigard, how I can fix it?

---------- Updated at 04:19 PM ----------
And I would like also to know what those lines :


What values to it (for a GTX 970)?

i guess you rly need to tweak some components here...

1. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\config\r4game\legacy\base\community.ini mentioned by skacikPl
---increase
VISIBILITY_SPAWN_RADIUS
and
VISIBILITY_DESPAWN_RADIUS
and change
VISIBILITY_RADIUS_CHANGE_ENABLED

 

[FreeFall24]

Really hope LOD or whatever can be fixed ASAP. Conversations and cutscenes are so painful with so much popping in and such low level of detail.

Went into a bandit camp, then suddenly a dozen appear out of fucking nowhere and 3 - 4 hit, poof, dead. YAY!

Even the distance of foliage has been murdered...

 

[Olddddd]

Use this mod when its finished
http://forums.cdprojektred.com/threads/58091-Announce-HARDCORE-Graphics-Options-Menu-MOD

---------- Updated at 06:41 PM ----------




i guess you rly need to tweak some components here...

1. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt\bin\config\r4game\legacy\base\community.ini mentioned by skacikPl
---increase
VISIBILITY_SPAWN_RADIUS
and
VISIBILITY_DESPAWN_RADIUS
and change
VISIBILITY_RADIUS_CHANGE_ENABLED

What should I put as the value?

 

[FreeFall24]

Glorious, just absolute gloriousness. This marks the 4th time I've died from suddenly appearing NPC's in full attack mode.