The Players' Guide to the Cities/User Interface/Options Window

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P BuildCommonIA.png Last updated for Issue 19 on 19 March 2011.
General Chat Options

The Options Window may be opened by selecting "Options" from the Menu Window.

In this window you will be able to configure everything from the appearance of your user interface to mapping of keyboard controls and graphics performance options.


General Options

Team Options

Team Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Auto-accept level changes above by: 1 - 50 - Prompts you to accept auto-sidekicking if your combat level would increase by more than the number set by this slider.
Auto-accept level changes below by: 1 - 50 - Prompts you to accept auto-exemplaring if your combat level would decrease by more than the number set by this slider.
Prompt Team Teleport Enabled - user must confirm teleport before being teleported by teammates

Disabled - user is automatically teleported

Collaborative Missions Always Ask - allows the ability to select whether to mark an accepted mission as complete if another teammate had the same mission and you completed theirs

Enabled - always marks an accepted mission as complete if another teammate had the same mission and you completed theirs
Disabled - never marks an accepted mission as complete if another teammate had the same mission and you completed theirs

Reticle Options

Reticle Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Villain Name Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Villain Health Bar Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Villain Reticle Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Player Name Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show always - always displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Player Health Bars Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show always - always displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Player Archetype/Origin Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show always - always displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Player Super Group Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show always - always displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Player Reticle Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Auto-Assist Reticle Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Hidden - never displayed
Show on mouse over - displayed only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displayed only when object is targeted

Personal Player Name Hidden - never displayed

Show always - always displayed

Player Rating Hidden - never displayed

Show always (default)- always displayed
Show on mouse over - displays only when mouse cursor is hovering over object
Show when selected - displays only when object is targeted
Show when selected or on mouse over - displayed only when object is targeted or mouse cursor is hovering over object

Window Options

Window Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Reset Windows Reset Windows - resets all window settings when clicked
Dim Main Chat Window Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Chat Window 1 Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Chat Window 2 Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Chat Window 3 Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Chat Window 4 Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Nav Window Enabled - window will dim when inactive

Disabled - window will not dim

Dim Extra Power Trays Enabled - trays will dim when inactive

Disabled - trays will not dim

Dim All Windows Enabled - windows will dim when inactive (overrides individual window settings)

Disabled - windows will not dim

Chat Options

Chat Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Allow Profanity Enabled - turns profanity filter off

Disabled - turns profanity filter on

Chat Balloons Enabled - displays speech bubbles overhead when chatting

Disabled - hides speech bubbles

Chat Font Size 5 - 20 - adjusts font size in Chat Window
Log Chat Enabled - all chat is recorded in text file inside "\logs\game" folder in the game directory

Disabled - chat is not recorded

Log Private Messages Enabled - private messages are recorded in text files inside "\<username>" folder in the game directory

Disabled - private messages are not recorded

Show Villain Private Chat Enabled - allows you to receive private messages from members of the opposite faction

Disabled - blocks private messages from members of the opposite faction

Show Villain Broadcast Chat Enabled - allows you to read broadcast messages from members of the opposite faction

Disabled - blocks broadcast messages from members of the opposite faction

Show Villain Local Chat Enabled - allows you to read local messages from members of the opposite faction

Disabled - blocks local messages from members of the opposite faction

Individual Name Colors Enabled - assigns a distinct color to each player's name speaking in a given chat channel

Disabled - player names are shown in the same color as the chat channel's default or custom color

Pet Options

Pet Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Show Pet Window Option Enabled - displays "Pets" in outer border of Team Window

Disabled - hides "Pets" in outer border of Team Window

Pet Response Text Only pets you own - only dialog originating from pets you own will be viewable

Owned and teammate pets - dialog originating from pets you or your teammates own will be viewable
Disabled - dialog originating from pets is not displayed

Hide Other Pet Names Displays Mastermind Henchman summons type instead of any names the player has assigned the henchmen.

Email Options

Email Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
In-Game Email Enabled - enables sending and receiving game emails

Disabled - disables sending and receiving game emails (overrides other settings)

Local Mail: Friends and SG Only Enabled - blocks local game emails from anyone not on your friends list or in your supergroup

Disabled - allows receiving local game emails from any player

Global Mail: Global Friends Only Enabled - blocks global game emails from anyone not on your global friends list

Disabled - allows receiving global game emails from any player

Prompts Options

Prompts Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Decline All Supergroup Invites Enabled - automatically declines all super group invites

Disabled - allows super group invitations

Decline All Trade Invites Enabled - automatically declines all trade invites

Disabled - allows trade invitations

Hide Place Enhancement Prompt Enabled - enhancements are placed without confirmation

Disabled - enhancements can only be placed after confirmation

Hide Delete Enhancement Prompt Enabled - enhancements are deleted without confirmation

Disabled - enhancements can only be deleted after confirmation

Hide Delete Salvage Prompt Enabled - salvage is deleted without confirmation

Disabled - salvage can only be deleted after confirmation

Hide Useful Salvage Warning Enabled - salvage can be deleted or placed in the market without confirmation

Disabled - salvage required for recipes currently in your inventory (including memorized recipes) can only be deleted or placed in the market after confirmation

Hide Delete Recipe Prompt Enabled - recipe is deleted without confirmation

Disabled - recipe can only be deleted after confirmation

Hide Inspiration Full Warning Enabled - no on-screen message is displayed when inspiration inventory is filled

Disabled - "Inspirations Full" message is displayed when inspiration inventory is filled

Hide Salvage Full Warning Enabled - no on-screen message is displayed when invention salvage inventory is filled

Disabled - "Salvage Full" message is displayed when invention salvage inventory is filled

Hide Recipe Full Warning Enabled - no on-screen message is displayed when recipe inventory is filled

Disabled - "Recipes Full" message is displayed when recipe inventory is filled

Hide Enhancement Full Warning Enabled - no on-screen message is displayed when enhancement inventory is filled

Disabled - "Enhancements Full" message is displayed when enhancement inventory is filled

Hide Cooperative Zone Dialog Enabled - no dialog displayed when entering a cooperative zone

Disabled - dialog displayed when entering a cooperative zone

Pop Help Enabled - show pop help alerts

Disabled - do not show pop help alerts

Automatic Help Popups Enabled - allow pop help system to show full popup dialog for certain help topics

Disabled - prevent pop help system from showing full popup dialogs

Hide large auction house fee warning Enabled - post items on the market without confirmation

Disabled - post items on the market only after confirmation if the bid price would result in a fee greater than 100,000 inf

Miscellaneous Options

Miscellaneous Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Tooltips Enabled - displays tooltips after hovering the mouse pointer over an icon

Disabled - does not display tooltips

Tooltip Delay 1% - 100% (100% = 3.5 seconds)
Decline Non-Team Gifts Enabled - gifts from non-teammates are declined

Disabled - gifts from non-teammates are accepted

Decline Team Gifts Enabled - gifts from teammates are declined

Disabled - gifts from teammates are accepted

Lock Powers in Tray Enabled - prevents dragging power icons in Tray Window

Disabled - allows dragging power icons in Tray Window

Loading Screen Tips Enabled - show tips and hints during loading screens

Disabled - do not show tips and hints during loading screen
This option is currently nonfunctional. Tips cannot be disabled.

Disable Earning XP Earn XP - Earn experience points as normal

No XP - Disable earning experience points (inf gains are not affected)

XP While Exemplared Earn XP - Earn experience points even while exemplared

Double Inf*, No XP - Earn no experience points but double inf gains while exemplared


Status Window Buff Display Options

Status Window Buff Display Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Hide Auto Powers Enabled - icons for auto power buffs are not displayed

Disabled - icons for auto power buffs are displayed

Disable Blinking Enabled - icons for buffs/debuffs blink just before expiring

Disabled - icons for buffs/debuffs do not blink before expiring

Icon Stacking Default Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will display as overlapping icons

No Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will each display as a separate icon
Numeric - multiple instances of the same buff will be displayed as a single buff icon with a number in the lower corner indicating the number of instances

Group Window Buff Display Options

Group Window Buff Display Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Hide Auto Powers Enabled - icons for auto power buffs are not displayed

Disabled - icons for auto power buffs are displayed

Disable Blinking Enabled - icons for buffs/debuffs blink just before expiring

Disabled - icons for buffs/debuffs do not blink before expiring

Icon Stacking Default Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will display as overlapping icons

No Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will each display as a separate icon
Numeric - multiple instances of the same buff will be displayed as a single buff icon with a number in the lower corner indicating the number of instances

Pet Window Buff Display Options

Pet Window Buff Display Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Hide Auto Powers Enabled - icons for auto power buffs are not displayed

Disabled - icons for auto power buffs are displayed

Disable Blinking Enabled - icons for buffs/debuffs blink just before expiring

Disabled - icons for buffs/debuffs do not blink before expiring

Icon Stacking Default Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will display as overlapping icons

No Stacking - multiple instances of the same buff will each display as a separate icon
Numeric - multiple instances of the same buff will be displayed as a single buff icon with a number in the lower corner indicating the number of instances

Controls Options

Control Sensitivity Options

Control Sensitivity Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Mouse Look 50% - 200% (100% = 240 degrees/second)
Turning 100% - 1000% (100% = 15 degrees/second)

Joystick Options

Joystick Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Joystick Input Enabled - joystick controls are enabled

Disabled - joystick controls are disabled

Mouse Options

Mouse Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Mouse Movement Normal - moving the mouse forward pitches the camera down

Inverted - moving the mouse forward pitches the camera up

Click-To-Move Enabled - clicking the mouse in a location will cause your character to move in the direction of that location

Disabled - clicking the mouse in a location does not cause your character to move in the direction of that location

Look Up and Down Free Look - camera pitch angle does not automatically center

Center When Moving - camera pitch angle automatically centers when character is moving
Always Centered - camera pitch angle is always centered

Mouse Scroll Enabled - use the mouse scroll wheel to move the scroll bar of a window when moused over

Disabled - window scroll bars must be moved by clicking and dragging

Mouse Scroll Speed 1 - 400 - scroll up or down this far per mouse scroll wheel tick
Free Camera Movement Enabled - character centers on camera view before moving

Disabled - character moves based on current facing

Camera Shake Enabled - allow certain effects to "shake" the camera (simulates ground shaking)

Disabled - never "shake" the camera

Keymapping Options

Keybind Profile

Keybind Profile
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Profile Selection Dropdown Default - current default keybind settings

Joystick - default keybind settings with joystick controls
Original - original default keybind settings

Reset KeyBinds Resets all keybind settings to default values for the currently selected profile.

(For a list of all preset keybind settings, refer to Preset Keybinds.)

In each control category, related functions that may be mapped are listed. To the right of each function are two columns. The first column is the primary bind for that function. The second column is the secondary bind for that function.

Keymapping options may be changed by clicking on the control you wish to assign to a key, mouse button, or joystick button. The primary bind for the function you selected will be highlighted. The next key or button you press on the keyboard, mouse, or joystick will be assigned as the primary bind for the highlighted function and will appear listed in the first column to the right of the function. This bind may also be assigned by clicking directly on the primary bind assignment instead of the function itself.

If you wish to change the secondary bind for a function, you will need to do so by clicking on the secondary bind currently assigned to the function. As with setting primary binds, the next key or button you press will be assigned to the function.

If you wish to cancel assigning a function to a key, click on the function or bind again.

The tables below outline the functions which may be assigned to keys, mouse buttons, or joystick buttons through this interface.

Movement

Keymapping Options: Movement
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Forward /+forward
Forward (Mouse Control) /+forward_mouse
Backward /+backward
Strafe Left /+left
Strafe Right /+right
Turn Left /+turnleft
Turn Right /+turnright
Jump /+up
Down (Flight-Only) /+down
Follow /follow
Auto-Run /++autorun
On Demand Click-To-Move /+ctminvert

View

Keymapping Options: View
Function Corresponding Slash Command
On Demand Mouse Look /+mouse_look
Toggle Mouse Look /++mouse_look
Toggle 3rd Person View /++first
Rotate Camera /+camrotate
Reset Camera /camreset
Zoom In /+zoomin
Zoom Out /+zoomout
Look Up /+lookup
Look Down /+lookdown
Match Camera to Player /camturn
Match Player to Camera /playerturn
Face Target /face

Chat

Keymapping Options: Chat
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Start Chat /window show chat $$ startchat
Start Chat (Include Keypress) /window show chat $$ slashchat
Reply /autoreply
Quick Chat /quickchat
Tell /window show chat $$ beginchat /tell $target
Ignore List /ignorelist
Friend List /friendlist
Hide /hide
Unhide /unhide
Toggle Previous Chat Tab /tabtoggle
Cycle Next Chat Tab /tabglobalnext
Cycle Previous Chat Tab /tabglobalprev

Powers

Keymapping Options: Powers
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Cancel Power /powexec_abort
Unqueue Power /powexec_unqueue
Tray Slot 1 /powexec_slot 1
Tray Slot 2 /powexec_slot 2
Tray Slot 3 /powexec_slot 3
Tray Slot 4 /powexec_slot 4
Tray Slot 5 /powexec_slot 5
Tray Slot 6 /powexec_slot 6
Tray Slot 7 /powexec_slot 7
Tray Slot 8 /powexec_slot 8
Tray Slot 9 /powexec_slot 9
Tray Slot 10 /powexec_slot 10
Alt Tray Slot 1 /powexec_altslot 1
Alt Tray Slot 2 /powexec_altslot 2
Alt Tray Slot 3 /powexec_altslot 3
Alt Tray Slot 4 /powexec_altslot 4
Alt Tray Slot 5 /powexec_altslot 5
Alt Tray Slot 6 /powexec_altslot 6
Alt Tray Slot 7 /powexec_altslot 7
Alt Tray Slot 8 /powexec_altslot 8
Alt Tray Slot 9 /powexec_altslot 9
Alt Tray Slot 10 /powexec_altslot 10
Alt2 Tray Slot 1 /powexec_alt2slot 1
Alt2 Tray Slot 2 /powexec_alt2slot 2
Alt2 Tray Slot 3 /powexec_alt2slot 3
Alt2 Tray Slot 4 /powexec_alt2slot 4
Alt2 Tray Slot 5 /powexec_alt2slot 5
Alt2 Tray Slot 6 /powexec_alt2slot 6
Alt2 Tray Slot 7 /powexec_alt2slot 7
Alt2 Tray Slot 8 /powexec_alt2slot 8
Alt2 Tray Slot 9 /powexec_alt2slot 9
Alt2 Tray Slot 10 /powexec_alt2slot 10
Inspiration Slot 1 /inspexec_slot 1
Inspiration Slot 2 /inspexec_slot 2
Inspiration Slot 3 /inspexec_slot 3
Inspiration Slot 4 /inspexec_slot 4
Inspiration Slot 5 /inspexec_slot 5

Tray

Keymapping Options: Tray
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Alt Tray Toggle /+alttray
Alt2 Tray Toggle /+alt2tray
Alt Tray Swap /alttraysticky
Alt2 Tray Swap /tray_sticky_alt2
Next Tray /next_tray
Previous Tray /prev_tray
Next Alt Tray /next_tray_alt
Previous Alt Tray /prev_tray_alt
Goto Tray 1 /goto_tray 1
Goto Tray 2 /goto_tray 2
Goto Tray 3 /goto_tray 3
Goto Tray 4 /goto_tray 4
Goto Tray 5 /goto_tray 5
Goto Tray 6 /goto_tray 6
Goto Tray 7 /goto_tray 7
Goto Tray 8 /goto_tray 8
Goto Tray 9 /goto_tray 9
Goto Tray 10 /goto_tray 10

Team

Keymapping Options: Team
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Leave Team /leaveTeam
Find Member /search
Unsidekick /unsidekick
Select Teammate 1 /team_select 1
Select Teammate 2 /team_select 2
Select Teammate 3 /team_select 3
Select Teammate 4 /team_select 4
Select Teammate 5 /team_select 5
Select Teammate 6 /team_select 6
Select Teammate 7 /team_select 7
Select Teammate 8 /team_select 8

Windows

Keymapping Options: Windows
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Map /map
Navigation /nav
Powers /powers
Menu /menu
Target /target
Chat /chat
Enhancements /manage

Targeting

Keymapping Options: Targeting
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Unselect Target /unselect
Target Next Enemy /target_enemy_next
Target Previous Enemy /target_enemy_prev
Target Nearest Enemy /target_enemy_near
Target Farthest Enemy /target_enemy_far
Target Next Friend /target_friend_next
Target Previous Friend /target_friend_prev
Target Nearest Friend /target_friend_near
Target Farthest Friend /target_friend_far

Emotes

Keymapping Options: Emotes
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Run! /local <color white><bgcolor red>RUN!
Thumbs Up /say <color black><bgcolor #22aa22>Ready! $$ emote thumbsup
Whistle /local <color black><bgcolor #aaaa22>HELP! $$ emote whistle
Looking for Teammate /local <color white><bgcolor #2222aa><scale .75>level $level $archetype $$ local <color white><bgcolor #2222aa>Looking for team
Attack /say $battlecry $$ emote attack

Other

Keymapping Options: Other
Function Corresponding Slash Command
Disable UI /++disable2D
Screenshot (JPEG) /screenshot
Screenshot (TGA) /screenshottga
Toggle Screenshot UI /++screenshotui
Get Position /getpos
Load Keybinds /bind_load
Save Keybinds /bind_save
Change Costume 1 /costume_change 0
Change Costume 2 /costume_change 1
Change Costume 3 /costume_change 2
Change Costume 4 /costume_change 3
NetGraph /++netgraph
Quit Game /quit
Release /release
Show Framerate /++showfps
Super Group Stats /sgstats
Super Group Mode /sgmode
Where Am I /whereami
Game Return /gamereturn

Graphics and Audio Options

Graphics Options

Graphics Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Screen/UI Resolution Windowed - displays game as a separate window in the Windows environment

(desktop) - indicates the current resolution of your desktop in the Windows environment

Specifies what resolution your monitor is set at and what resolution the UI displays at. Higher settings will look better but yield slower performance. Actual resolutions available are hardware dependent.

This option requires restarting the game to take effect.

3D Resolution Scaling Specifies what resolution the 3D world is rendered at. Setting this to 100% will have the best visual look, and is how games are traditionally rendered. Setting this to a lower value will leave your UI at a crisp high resolution but render the 3D world at a lower resolution for increased performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Refresh Rate Specifies the rate to run your monitor at.

This option requires restarting the game to take effect.

Gamma 30% - 300% - Effectively adjusts the brightness to compensate for dark or bright displays.

No effect on performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

FSAA Off / 2x / 4x / 8x / 16x - Chooses the desired amount of Full Screen Anti-Aliasing.

Higher settings look better but may cause greatly decreased performance on some cards.

This option is updated as you change it.

Advanced Graphics Settings Enabled - Displays the Advanced Graphics Settings options to allow fine-tuning of graphics options.

Disabled (Enable to See Ultra Settings) - Hides the Advanced Graphics Settings options.

Graphics Quality Minimum / Performance / Recommended / Quality / Ultra - When Advanced Graphics Settings are disabled, this slider adjusts all of the advanced setting for performance (better framerate, less visual quality) or quality (lower framerate, better visual quality)

Customized - When Advanced Graphics Settings are enabled, this slider does not appear.

This option is fully applied only after selecting Apply Changes.

Ultra Mode Options

Ultra Mode Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Environment Reflections Disabled / Low Quality / Medium Quality / High Quality / Ultra Quality - Changes the quality of environment reflections. Reflections on water are controlled by the Water Effects option.

This option is updated as you change it.

Water Effects None / Low Quality / Medium Quality / High Quality / Ultra Quality - Changes the quality of water effects.
  • None: no refractions and no reflections
  • Low Quality: Low quality refractions
  • Medium Quality: High quality refractions
  • High Quality: High quality refractions and some reflections
  • Ultra Quality: High quality refractions and lots of reflections

This option is updated after selecting Apply Now.

Advanced Shadow Settings Enabled - Shows the Advanced Shadow Settings pane below Ultra Mode Options.

Disabled - Hides the Advanced Shadow Settings pane.
N/A - The Shadow Quality slider is set to Lowest or Disabled.

This option is only available if Shadow Quality is set at Low or better.

Shadow Quality Disabled / Lowest / Low / Medium / High / Highest - Changes the quality of shadow effects.

Customized - Advanced Shadow Settings are Enabled.

The Lowest setting uses legacy shadows; other setings use shadows which can be fine-tuned in the Advanced Shadow Settings.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Now.

Advanced Occlusion Settings Enabled - Shows the Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings pane below Ultra Mode Options.

Disabled - Hides the Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings pane.

Ambient Occlusion Off / High Performance / Performance / Balanced / Quality / High Quality / Super High Quality / Ultra - Changes the quality of the effects used to darken the corners of objects.

Customized - Advanced Occlusion Settings is Enabled.

  • High Performance: Optimized for DirectX 9 video cards.
  • Performance: Fast on DirectX 10 video cards.
  • Balanced: Normal setting for DirectX 10 video cards.
  • Quality: Works well on many DirectX 10 video cards.
  • High Quality: Requires a fast DirectX 10 video card.
  • Super High Quality: Requires an extremely fast DirectX 10 video card.
  • Ultra: Special colored occlusion mode which also requires an extremely fast DirectX 10 video card.

This option is updated as you change it.

Advanced Shadow Settings Options

Advanced Shadow Settings Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Shader Low Quality / Medium Quality / High Quality - Changes the quality of the shaders used for shadows.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Now

Size Small / Medium / Large - Changes the size of the map used for shadows.

This option is updated as you change it.

Distance Close / Middle / Far - Changes the distance over which shadows are rendered.

This option is updated as you change it.

Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings Options

Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Occlusion Strength Off / Slight / Medium / Strong / Strong with color bleeding - Changes the strength of the occlusion used to darken the corners of objects.

This option is updated as you change it.

Ambient Resolution High Performance / Performance / Quality / High Quality / Super High Quality - Changes the resolution of the sampling and occlusion buffers.

N/A - Occlusion Strength is set to Off.

  • High Performance: Recommended with the Fast Blur
  • Performance: Recommended with the Bilateral Blur
  • Quality: Recommended with the Trilateral Blur
  • High Quality: Recommended with the Trilateral Blur

This option is updated as you change it.

Blur No Blur / Fast / Gaussian / Bilateral / Gaussian Depth / Bilateral Depth / Trilateral - Changes the sharpness of the ambient occlusion.

N/A - Occlusion Strength is set to Off.

  • No Blur: Extremely low quality (only useful for older DirectX 9 video cards)
  • Fast: High performance (optimized for DirectX 9 video cards)
  • Gaussian: Performance
  • Bilateral: Performance (edge preservation)
  • Gaussian Depth: Quality (edge detection)
  • Bilateral Depth: Quality (soft edge detection)
  • Trilateral: High quality (edge preservation and soft edge detection)

This option is updated as you change it.

Advanced Graphics Settings Options

Advanced Graphics Settings Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Suppress F/X When Close Enabled - Suppresses all graphical power effects on your character when the camera is very close to your character. Enabling this option may increase your frame rate in circumstances where the camera has automatically moved closer to the character at the cost of not seeing the visual effects of powers which are hitting you.

Disabled - Power effects are not suppressed.

This option is updated as you change it.

AGEIA PhysX support N/A - Unavailable if no PhysX card is present.

Enabled - Uses AGEIA PhysX Accelerator card to dramatically enhanced physics effects, making the gaming experience even more realistic.
Disabled - Does not use AGEIA PhysX card.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

Particle Physics Quality None (No Particle Physics)

Low
Medium
High
Very High (Not Recommended Without PPU)

Changes the physics quality of particle FX. Lower settings will increase performance for slower computers by having less physical particles and lower quality collisions. Very High setting is not recommended unless you have an AGEIA PhysX Accelerator card.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

World Texture Quality Changes the texture quality. Lower settings will increase performance if either your computer has 512 MB of RAM or less, or video card has 128 MB of RAM or less. Recommended settings based on amount of video RAM:

Low - 32 MB
Medium - 62 MB
High - 128 MB
Very High - 256+ MB

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

Character Texture Quality Changes the texture quality for characters. Lower settings will increase performance if either your computer has 512 MB of RAM or less, or video card has 128 MB of RAM or less. Recommended settings based on amount of video RAM:

Medium - 32 MB
High - 64 MB
Very High - 128+ MB

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

World Detail 50% - 200%

Changes the detail level of the world. This affects how far you can see details on things like buildings.

Lower values will yield increased performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Character Detail 30% - 200%

Changes the detail level of characters. This affects how far you can see high resolution versions of characters such as heroes or villains.

Lower values will yield increased performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Max Particle Count 100 - 50000

Caps the number of particles being computed and drawn in special effects.

Lower values will yield better performance.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

Vertical Sync Enable - Enables synchronizing drawing with the monitor's vertical refresh.

Disable - Disables synchronizing drawing with the monitor's vertical refresh.

Disabling this option may increase frame rate, but will cause some tearing of the image while moving.

This option is updated as you change it.

Mouse Cursors Color

Compatibility Mode

Select Compatibility Mode if you are experiencing problems with your mouse cursor. Color will look better but may have issues with certain configurations.

This option is updated as you change it.

Environment Reflections Disabled / Low Quality / Medium Quality / High Quality / Ultra Quality - Changes the quality of environment reflections. Reflections on water are controlled by the Water Effects option.

This option mirrors Environment Reflections in the Ultra Mode Options pane.

Use Geometry Buffers Enable - Enables use of geometry buffers ("Vertex Buffer Objects") on your video card.

Disable - Disables use of geometry buffers ("Vertex Buffer Objects") on your video card.

If your card supports this, this will yield better performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Anisotropic Filtering Off

2x
4x
8x
16x

Changes texture anisotropic filtering. Higher settings yield a crisper image but may result in flickering.

Higher values may decrease performance on some cards.

This option is updated as you change it.

Texture Crispness Smooth

Medium (Not recommended)
Crisp (Not recommended)

Changes how textures are drawn ("Texture LOD Bias"). Any value other than "Smooth" does not look good if your video card supports Anisotropic filtering.

No effect on performance on most cards.

This option is updated as you change it.

Shader Quality Changes the quality of pixel shaders used.

Lower settings will yield significantly improved performance at the cost of visual detail.

Lowest - No bumpmapping on characters or world objects.
Low (No world bumpmaps) - Characters get bumpmaps, world objects do not. (Most closely simulates CoH graphics at launch.)
Low (With world bumpmaps) - Simple materials only, with bumpmaps on both characters and world objects.
Medium - Slightly reduced detail.
High - Full detail level.

This option is updated after selecting Apply Changes.

Water Effects None / Low Quality / Medium Quality / High Quality / Ultra Quality

Changes the quality of effects used in rendering water.

This option mirrors Water Effects in the Ultra Mode Options pane.

Depth of Field Effects Enabled - Enables Depth of Field.

Disabled - Disables Depth of Field.

Turning this off will yield increased performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Bloom Effects None

Regular
Heavy

Enables or disables full-screen postprocessing effects, including Bloom and Light Adaptation.

Turning this off will yield increased performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Bloom Amount 10% - 200%

The amount of bloom to apply. Higher values will make bright objects appear to glow more intensely.

No effect on performance.

This option is updated as you change it.

Desaturation Effects Enabled - Enables the desaturation effect caused by certain events like flashback missions.

Disabled - Disables the desaturation effect caused by certain events like flashback missions.

This option is updated as you change it.

Advanced Shadow Settings Enabled - Shows the Advanced Shadow Settings pane below Ultra Mode Options.

Disabled - Hides the Advanced Shadow Settings pane.
N/A - The Shadow Quality slider is set to Lowest or Disabled.

This option mirrors Advanced Shadow Settings in the Ultra Mode Options pane.

Shadow Quality Disabled / Lowest / Low / Medium / High / Highest - Changes the quality of shadow effects.

Customized - Advanced Shadow Settings are Enabled.

The Lowest setting uses legacy shadows; other settings use shadows which can be fine-tuned in the Advanced Shadow Settings.

This option mirrors Shadow Quality in the Ultra Mode Options pane.

Advanced Occlusion Settings Enabled - Shows the Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings pane below Ultra Mode Options.

Disabled - Hides the Advanced Ambient Occlusion Settings pane.

This option mirrors Advanced Occlusion Settings in the Ultra Mode Options pane

Ambient Occlusion Off / High Performance / Performance / Balanced / Quality / High Quality / Super High Quality / Ultra - Changes the quality of the effects used to darken the corners of objects.

Customized - Advanced Occlusion Settings is Enabled.

  • High Performance: Optimized for DirectX 9 video cards.
  • Performance: Fast on DirectX 10 video cards.
  • Balanced: Normal setting for DirectX 10 video cards.
  • Quality: Works well on many DirectX 10 video cards.
  • High Quality: Requires a fast DirectX 10 video card.
  • Super High Quality: Requires an extremely fast DirectX 10 video card.
  • Ultra: Special colored occlusion mode which also requires an extremely fast DirectX 10 video card.

This option mirrors Ambient Occlusion in the Ultra Mode Options pane.

User Interface Options

User Interface Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Window Scale 64% - 154%
Border Red 0% - 100%
Border Green 0% - 100%
Border Blue 0% - 100%
Window Opacity 0% - 100%

Audio Options

Audio Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Sound FX Volume 0% - 100%

Changes the volume sound effects are played at.

This option is updated as you change it.

Music Volume 0% - 100%

Changes the volume music is played at.

This option is updated as you change it.

Sound Playback Mode Performance -

Compatibility -

Changes between hardware accelerated and software audio modes. I'm not sure which is which, though.

3D Sound Enable - Enables 3D sound effects, including Surround Sound and Doppler.

Disable - Disables 3D sound effects.

AlienFX Options

AlienFX Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Light Control Allows the game to set the colors of Alienware AlienFX® lights (unavailable on non-Alienware computers)

Chat Bubble Color Options

Chat Bubble Color Options
OPTION DESCRIPTION
Text Red 0% - 100%
Text Green 0% - 100%
Text Blue 0% - 100%
Background Red 0% - 100%
Background Green 0% - 100%
Background Blue 0% - 100%


See Also

< The Players' Guide to the Cities | User Interface