Further adjustments can be made by adjusting
your config file. In the System directory where the
game is installed open the UT2003.ini file with any
text editor & scroll down to the [D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]
section, some options available being;
UsePrecaching=x.
When x is set to True this enables
loading textures into Video memory during level loading,
which can increase level loading time, though should
provide smoothest gameplay as no textures will need to be
uploaded during gameplay. For Graphics cards with 64MB or
more of video memory I’d recommend True as such,
though False should prove best for Graphics cards
with less video memory as textures need only be loaded when
required to.
UseTrilinear=x.
When x is set to True
trilinear
texture filtering is enabled, which operates by
taking 4 samples (texels) from 2 neighbouring Mipmaps,
applies a bilinear filter to them & then interpolates the
results. This results in improved image quality, with more
seamless transitions between Mipmap levels & enhanced
texture detail compared to bilinear filtering (False).
Basically
every modern Graphics cards that is supported by this game
should be able to use trilinear with no little performance
issues, & as such you shouldn’t need to set this to False
unless using an old or out-dated Graphics card, e.g. 3dfx’s
(Which couldn’t simultaneously perform Multi-texturing &
Trilinear filtering).
AdapterNumber=x.
This option shouldn’t be modified, leave it alone.
ReduceMouseLag=x.
When x is set to True this may eliminate lag
from mouse input, although can lower the frame rate as a result. If you aren’t experiencing such mouse lag
then set this to False to ensure optimal frame rate.
UseTripleBuffering=x.
Setting this to True enables triple buffering,
which allocates a third frame buffer, which can improve
performance by allowing the graphics card to render at the
same time that the 3D application performs other tasks. This
is recommended as a result for optimal performance. That
said if your Graphics card has 32MB or less Video memory
you’d be best selecting False to ensure best
performance (As the game itself requires a lot of Video
memory).
UseHardwareTL=x.
Should your Graphics card feature an onboard T&L unit set
this to True (Basically every Graphics card since the
original NVIDIA GeForce), on other Graphics cards select
False instead, e.g. all 3dfx Graphics cards, NVIDIA TNTs.
UseHardwareVS=x.
Should your Graphics card feature an onboard Vertex Shader
set this to True (Basically every Graphics card since
the NVIDIA GeForce 3), on other Graphics cards select
False instead, e.g. all 3dfx Graphics cards, NVIDIA TNTs.
UseCubemaps=x.
When x is set to True this enables the
use of Cubemaps in levels for simulated reflectivity on
surfaces, e.g. water. Should your Graphics card support this
features set this to True. This with older Graphics
card that do not support this feature should set this to
False. UT 2003 uses Cubemaps a lot & as such it would be
preferred if your Graphics card was capable of supporting
it.
DesiredRefreshRate=x.
With Vsync enabled your monitor refresh rate limits
your maximum frame rate to whatever the refresh rate is,
e.g. With a monitor refresh rate of 60Hz, your maximum
frame rate with Vsync enabled in 60. As a result you
should set x here to whatever the maximum
refresh rate your monitor is capable of at the resolution
you intend to use, this may not improve your frame rate
though more importantly can reduce eyestrain while playing.
For most users maximum would be defined as 85
– 100 so as not to strain your monitor either.
UseCompressedLightmaps=x.
When set to True this enables Lightmaps to be
compressed, which will increase level loading time,
though can improve frame rate by reducing Video memory
requirements for levels. If you have a Graphics card with
128MB or more Video memory you might want to set this to
False to ensure Lightmap quality is at its greatest as
you should have sufficient Video memory to use them
uncompressed & with slightly improved level loading times
as they won’t have to be compressed during loadimh or if
your Graphics card doesn’t support texture compression, e.g.
TNT 2 set this to False also.
MaxPixelShaderVersion=x.
This option shouldn’t be modified, leave it alone.
UseVSync=x.
With this option you can enable/disable Vsync
in the game. Vsync effectively limits the frame rate to your
current refresh rate at any given resolution. Frame rate can
be perceivably increased when set to False (disabled),
as frames are rendered as fast as they can be regardless of
refresh rate, although you may experience image tearing &/or
controller lag as a result. With this set to True (enabled)
you won’t experience either image tearing nor controller
lag, although frame rate will be limited to your refresh
rate. As such I’d recommend enabling Vsync for best
image quality & disabling it when you intend to
benchmark system/game performance.
UseXBoxFSAA=x,
DescFlags=x & Description=x. These 3 options
do not need to be modified & are determined based on the
Graphics card &/or Driver installed & the FSAA option isn’t
useable with the PC. Leave these unchanged.
Be sure to take a look at the
NVIDIA GeForce,
3dfx Voodoo 3,
3dfx Voodoo 4/5 or
PowerVR Kyro 1/2 Tweak guide for information on how to
optimize the performance/visual quality of those cards.
These can help you improve image quality/performance even
further than in-game/Config file tweaks can.
