[mantaphor]

Configuring The Source Engine: HL2 and CSS

As some of you may know, the configurability and range of options available to a gamer extends far beyond the in-game menu of Half-Life 2 or Counter-Strike: Source. How is this done? You can change options and variables for various video, network, and client settings in either game. This guide will briefly explain how this is done, and how you can improve your game's visual quality or performance with ease.

PART ONE: COMMAND LINE

[COLOR="White"]To start, let's take a look into the Steam application. This is the primary setting location. Run Steam, and open the "Games" window. Next, select "My Games". Right click on Counter-Strike: Source or Half-Life 2, and select "Properties". In this window is a button called "Set Launch Options". Click this. You now have in front of you a quick-access to the hl2.exe command line system. There are a variety of commands available for use here. I will only explain the three (or four, depending on perspective) most important to this guide.

1. '-dxlevel'
This command will set the desired DirectX level of the game. Here is a run-down of the options. Click on a number to see a screenshot of it being used in-game.

-dxlevel 70 - The most basic DirectX level. Provides good performance on older cards (MX440 era), but lacks features such as shadows, specularity, and water translucency.
-dxlevel 80 - This DirectX level provides excellent performance, and still retains shadows and specularity (notice the shiny floors in the image). However, water is still strictly opaque.
-dxlevel 81 - Exactly like DirectX 8.0, but water now has the option of being translucent (See Part 2).
-dxlevel 90 - The most commonly used DirectX level. Performance takes a severe hit for a minimal gain in visual quality. Special effects include enhanced explosions and increased texture depth in smoke grenades. However, several glitches are present. Flash grenades can superimpose your windows desktop icons on the screen, and specularity/bumpmapping errors are common.
-dxlevel 95 - The same as DirectX 9.0, with the option of using High Dynamic Range lighting (HDR).

2. '-heapsize'
This command determines how much memory (RAM) is allocated strictly for hl2.exe. The general agreement is that this number should reflect how much memory is installed in your system. Here is the equation:

Your System Memory (In Megabytes) / 2 * 1024 = Your Heapsize

Examples:
512MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 262144
1024MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 524288
2048MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 1048576

Applying this setting will stabilize your game performance greatly - with no reduction in visual quality. Textures are better handled by the game, and the game has an increased ability to cache resources.

3. '-w' (and '-h')
[SIZE=2]This is your resolution setting. Setting one variable automatically sets the other in most cases, but it is sometimes necessary to set both, such as in the case of 1280x960 vs 1280x1024(LCD). This is useful by applying the resolution BEFORE the game is launched, giving you enhanced control of unexpected problems or performance tweaking.

Examples:
-w 800 -h 600
-w 1024 -h 768

PART TWO: AUTOEXEC

The next part of this guide is about configuration files. These files are text documents containing commands that alter various settings within the game. There are two main files: autoexec.cfg and config.cfg. config.cfg is your default configuration file, it is usually not necessary to edit this. autoexec.cfg is a file that splices a list of commands INTO config.cfg each time the game is started. This is the file we will be working with. First off, where is this file? The file can be found in this directory:

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\YourName\counter-strike source\cstrike\cfg\
-or-
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\YourName\half-life 2\hl2\cfg\

The file 'autoexec.cfg' may not be present in your directory. In this case, it must be created. This can be done using notepad, and saving the file under "All Types" with a '.cfg' extension. Within this file, the coding structure is simple. Here is a quick formula for a command:

command variable \ comment
command "variable variable" \\ comment

Do not worry yet, you will understand what this means to you in a few moments. These commands are the same ones entered into the in-game console (to activate the in-game console, check its box under Options > Keyboard > Advanced in game). There are several hundred commands available for use in the console. I will, again, only cover a few that are most relevant to the game's performance and visual quality.

mat_picmip (0-4) - Texture quality. Lower numbers are higher-quality textures. All images above were done using picmip 0 - the highest quality textures available. Variables 3 and 4 are very low quality, and are not recommended. Variable 2 is a great combination of texture quality and performance. Increase for a framerate gain.
mat_bumpmap (0-1) - Texture depth. Enabling this (1) will increase the detail of textures even further, but it is a bit costly to framerate. Disable for a framerate gain.
mat_specular (0-1) - Texture "coating". This enables the shiny surfaces as seen in the DirectX 8.0 screenshot, but also may cause errors as seen in the DirectX 9.0 screenshot. Disable for a framerate gain.
r_shadows (0-1) - Disable/Enable shadows. Very helpful in gameplay. Disable for a framerate gain.
r_decal_cullsize (0-15) - The distance from which bulletholes are visible. Higher numbers mean a shorter viewing distance. Setting this to '0' allows you to see bulletholes at any distance. Increase for a framerate gain.
r_waterdrawreflection (0-1) - Reflect the environment onto the surface of the water. Disable for a framerate gain.
r_waterdrawrefraction (0-1) - View the floor surface through the water. Disable for a framerate gain.
cl_phys_props_enable (0-1) - Disable/Enable the visibility of bricks, cans, and trash objects (only objects with which you may not interact with). Disable for a framerate gain.
fps_max (10-300) - Limit your framerate. I recommend setting this to your monitor's refresh rate (60Hz on most monitors, although some monitors meet or exceed 100Hz).

Those are the most important commands available. Here is a brief example of a working configuration:

mat_picmip 0
mat_bumpmap 0
mat_specular 0
r_shadows 1
r_decal_cullsize 0
r_waterdrawreflection 0
r_waterdrawrefraction 0
cl_phys_props_enable 0
fps_max 60

Again, this text is contained in a text-file called 'autoexec.cfg', in the directory specified above. You must restart HL2/CSS for any changes to this file to take effect (without using the console, of course).

------

Well, that basically concludes this brief guide. Feel free to try it out or to ask questions. With settings like these I am able to hold far beyond 100FPS on any map during gameplay, although I normally play with 'fps_max 60' (stability is key to games like these). I hope I have enlightened someone with this. Good luck and have fun with Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source!

[chevro1et]

Nice little summary there for sure... Thanks!!

[boris_37]

config #3... buy a decent pc... this game isn't that new!!!! lol

even sempy/x700 runs it fine, with graphics running quite well

[NsOmNiA91130]

You forgot the plethora of AI and sound options available. If you want me to write up a tutorial, let me know. I used to map and optimize for Source.

[Albaholic]

Nice guide. Some people like to tweak everything. I for one wouldnt mind seeing the AI stuff.

[mantaphor]

Originally Posted by NsOmNiA91130

You forgot the plethora of AI and sound options available. If you want me to write up a tutorial, let me know. I used to map and optimize for Source.

Sound tweaks aren't legal in league play.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

[ziggo0]

Footsteps need to be louder...bout it. Good guide.

[mantaphor]

Making footsteps louder is against CAL rules, same rules for other sound commands.

[NsOmNiA91130]

Originally Posted by mantaphor

Sound tweaks aren't legal in league play.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

You said tweaking the Source engine. Sound is a big part of it. The engine can render beautiful 3d soundscapes in EAX.

[Oni]

Thread glue applied

[mantaphor]

Yeah well I play CS:S competitively, so I haven't researched the sndscape features fully. Maybe someone can add to this thread with some more info.

Thanks for the Sticky, Oni. Love you.

[ziggo0]

I play CS:S competitively as well, but I don't tweak anything except a few binds for my weapons & slot4 to mouse3. DX9 as well, I don't need that ****ty DX7 crap to gain an advantage

[mantaphor]

DX7 really doesn't give you much of an advantage, it is just listed for those cards that can't run DX9 well enough -- or even DX8. DirerctX8 is optimal because it offers the same texture quality you can recieve in DX9, enables shadows (unlike DX7), and eliminates some of the pointless features in DX9. The only real advantages from switching to lower versions are increased frame rates with set-ups that can't compare to a high-end Opteron systems. Even then, they might not get the same FPS as a newer build. In the end it's just an attempt to reach around 75fps to enable a basic mat_vysnc .

The biggest advantage of DX8 and DX9 are shadows. They are so helpful in certain situations, that it almost renders DX7 obsolete.

[ziggo0]

Originally Posted by mantaphor

The biggest advantage of DX8 and DX9 are shadows. They are so helpful in certain situations, that it almost renders DX7 obsolete.

Definitly agreed. Like when someone is walking around a map and its all quiet, and you see a shadow waiting for you, PREFIRE!

[mantaphor]

Yeah.

Can't tell you how many times someone's shadow is poking through a crack at the bottom of a door, so I kill them through a wall and they ban me for hacking.

[aintz]

thank you hopefully chaning from 1gb to 2gb will help me get a little more fps

[Precision]

Originally Posted by mantaphor

Making footsteps louder is against CAL rules, same rules for other sound commands.

Yes it would be cheating in CAL. I would never do it because i can hear everything anyways with my medusa 5.1's. But how could CAL possibly know that? They couldn't. Not that i say anyone playing in league SHOULD. Just how would you dispute that in the "My Matches" section? Could you imagine what the admins at CAL would do if you did this.


File dispute

reason cheating

Summary

Well the guy always knew where I was. (which he wouldnt be tracing the walls with something like that) I think he has his sound files for footsteps modified.

I know what would happen with the lazy AC admins at CAL.

DISPUTE CLOSED

Yeah it sucks but who knows how many CAL-I players or even some of the CAL-O players do it...

Not trying to start a conflict just saying what i thought about it in the past

BTW What division and conference are you in?

[tom10167]

How about labeling a section of the commands "illegal for x"

[itachi2k4]

Originally Posted by Precision

Yes it would be cheating in CAL. I would never do it because i can hear everything anyways with my medusa 5.1's. But how could CAL possibly know that? They couldn't. Not that i say anyone playing in league SHOULD. Just how would you dispute that in the "My Matches" section? Could you imagine what the admins at CAL would do if you did this.

zblock wouldn't let u in the server with modified sound files or with sound commands that give u a advantage and cal admins aren't as lazy as u think -_-

[rpoc]

zblock doesnt allow the edit to "fps_max" or "mat_picmap"

=/

Also, I havn't seen any stability or FPS performance from switching from DX9 to DX8.


I run a 7800 GTX Go on my laptop with 1 Gig Ram, and a 2 Gig P4. With lowest settings on in CS:S, I'm still scraping 30-40 frames =/


Any help would be much appreciated, this laptop was 2 grand last year, I just can't keep buying new computers, this should work fine.

[MattsterMH]

I play this game occasionally with friends, I've got a 7900 gt, as well as 2 gigs of ram and dual-core 3.51 ghz OC'ed. Before I OC'ed it was 3.2 ghz, and I got like 70 fps. Basically if you have a system in the range of good to excellent, none of these are really recommended.

P.S. - Now I get 120 fps. (With the OC)

[Twigglish]

How do you make footsteps louder?

[Blazing fire]

Originally Posted by MattsterMH

I play this game occasionally with friends, I've got a 7900 gt, as well as 2 gigs of ram and dual-core 3.51 ghz OC'ed. Before I OC'ed it was 3.2 ghz, and I got like 70 fps. Basically if you have a system in the range of good to excellent, none of these are really recommended.

P.S. - Now I get 120 fps. (With the OC)

How does your monitor manage?

ANyway, is there such a thing as DX100 for direct 10?

[mantaphor]

OP returns.

Originally Posted by rpoc

zblock doesnt allow the edit to "fps_max" or "mat_picmap"

I'm pretty sure that at this point ZBlock has changed, both commands work fine on ZBlock servers for me.

Originally Posted by rpoc

Also, I havn't seen any stability or FPS performance from switching from DX9 to DX8.

The 7800GTX is a native DX9 card. The real benefit of the dxlevel command is for cards that natively support DX8.1 and lower.

Originally Posted by rpoc

I run a 7800 GTX Go on my laptop with 1 Gig Ram, and a 2 Gig P4. With lowest settings on in CS:S, I'm still scraping 30-40 frames =/

The processor could be the culprit, CS:S is a very CPU-hungry game. Make sure that your processor optimization commands are enabled (r_sse, r_sse2, etc).

Originally Posted by Blazing fire

How does your monitor manage? (120fps)

Some monitors run at 120Hz or higher refresh rate. I think it's just CRTs for now, though.

Originally Posted by Blazing fire

ANyway, is there such a thing as DX100 for direct 10?

The source engine currently does not support DirectX 10. The highest settable level is 'dxlevel 95', which is DirectX 9.0c with HDR support.

[ian2000gsxr]

Hey, thanks for this great guide. I have been having some issues with HL so I'll try this out.

[narmada]

Where can I get a PHP/JAVA/CSS script for viewing images on my website in the similar way as PicLens does? I want to present several images on my website.
A PHP/JAVA/CSS script would do.
A user should be able to browse through pictures in a similar way the PicLens add-on of Firefox works.

[jhanby]

Quite a thread resurrection, just wondering, does this stuff work on TF2 ?

John

[waldo69]

Your System Memory (In Megabytes) / 2 * 1024 = Your Heapsize

Examples:
512MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 262144
1024MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 524288
2048MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 1048576

==========
need help..please..

I used 2048MB / 2 * 1024 = -heapsize 1048576 into my computer, how can I bring back my memory to its original size? If someone knows please post your comment. I tried a few things to bring it back but it didn't work - I uninstalled my CS:S and CS
Thanks.
Wlado69

[Malakai]

There are some new settings that help performance on multi cores, for me anyway.

r_threaded_* both to 1