[Neb]

Release date: Out now worldwide.

Platforms: PC, 360 and PS3.

Game Info: The world has been ravaged by a series of climatic disasters and society is on the verge of total breakdown. Now the aliens have returned, with a full invasion force bent on nothing less than the total annihilation of mankind, starting by trying to rip the heart out of Earth's most iconic city.

In New York, terrifying alien invaders stalk the streets and a nightmare plague strikes down the city's myriad inhabitants with brutal epidemic speed. The city's systems are in chaos, its streets and skyline are smashed and in flaming ruin. This is New York City like you've never seen it before.

Neither paramilitary law enforcement nor the might of the US military machine can stand against the invaders, and all who choose not to flee are dead men walking. Just to survive in this maelstrom of death will require technology beyond anything any modern soldier has ever seen.

One man will inherit that means to survive. One supersoldier, wielding the combat enhancement technology of the future with Nanosuit 2, will make the last stand to save humanity from destruction in the urban jungle that is New York City.


BE STRONG – Take on multiple enemies with Armor mode, mince them with heavy weapons or squash them by kicking cars.

BE FAST – Get to the action quickly, then powerjump, ledgegrab and slide round the environment with amazing agility.

BE INVISIBLE – Use Stealth mode to set traps or hit and run your enemies, or snipe from a concealed position.

BE THE WEAPON – With the Nanosuit, you choose how you want to play.

Key Features:
New York New York: Crysis set the visual benchmark for PC games that still stands today. Crysis 2 will redefine the benchmark on console and PC platforms, shifting their attention to the rich urban jungle of New York City.
Amazing Aliens and AI: Challenging best-in-class AI with unique group coordination and group behaviour systems which give realistic responses to your actions.
Nanosuit 2: Adapt your combat tactics by customising your Nanosuit and weapons in real time with revised modes, unlocking a variety of supersoldier abilities.
Multiplayer: World-renowned multi-player shooter studio Crytek UK is going to reinvent multiplayer with the dynamic intensity of Nanosuit 2.By using Nanosuit technology the player has nearly unlimited ways to approach the dynamic combat environment.

System Requirements:OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, with the latest Service Pack
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo at 2Ghz, or AMD Athlon 64 x2 2Ghz , or better
Memory: 2GB
Hard Disk Space: 9Gb
Video Card: NVidia 8800GT with 512Mb RAM or better, ATI 3850HD with 512Mb RAM or better
Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
DirectX®: 9.0c
Controller support: Microsoft Xbox360 Controller for Windows

Official promotion videos:
"Be the weapon"
"Be strong"
"Be invisible"
"Be fast"
"Multiplayer progression part 1"
"Multiplayer progression part 2"
"Multiplayer progression part 3"

[Neb]

Reserved for new info/links and material (patches etc).

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by Neb

Out now worldwide

So its true, EU has faced extinction !!

[Dresden]

This has probably been asked numerous times, but are you able to tweak individual video options in the final build? I broke down and bought the damn thing and you weren't able to in the MP demo. I haven't installed it yet, though. It's sitting in my bag.

[Farid]

Did Crytek said anything about a SP demo?

[AlStrong]

Originally Posted by Farid

Did Crytek said anything about a SP demo?

They have more important things to do, like finishing DX11 and exposing advanced settings in the options.

[Neb]

Originally Posted by Dresden

This has probably been asked numerous times, but are you able to tweak individual video options in the final build? I broke down and bought the damn thing and you weren't able to in the MP demo. I haven't installed it yet, though. It's sitting in my bag.

You could manually try it out by console prompt and then put your final settings mix into config file.

sys_spec_ObjectDetail=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Shading=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Shadows=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Texture=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Physics=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_PostProcessing=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Particles=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Sound=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_Water=1/2/3/4
sys_spec_GameEffects=1/2/3/4

[Neb]

Some info and interesting bits regarding PC version with comparision pictures to illustrate effects/differences. Shows rendering tech in Crysis 2 with perfomance nunmbers and more.

http://crytek.com/sites/default/file...es_final_2.pdf

This quote below shows what I was suspecting considering how jaggy free whole scenery is and blur quite low.

Such a technique is quite a novelty in the video game industry and it’s very likely Crytek will release improved versions as it has potential to also be merged with different techniques - for example, it’s currently also combined with Nvidia’s FXAA in “Extreme” spec, in order to improve quality further with sub-pixel accuracy results from post MSAA.

Such an approach works by accumulating sub-samples over frames and reprojecting them to the current frame. It should not be confused with “temporal antialiasing” commonly used on 60 fps games that simply do a linear blending and hence have ghosting for every pixel. The Post MSAA approach is very general and allows for a sub-pixel accuracy solution on all platforms at a cost of just 1ms on consoles, and less than 0.2 ms on PCs at 1080p resolutions.

FXAA information.
http://timothylottes.blogspot.com/20...idia-fxaa.html

This effort made our lowest specification equal in many aspects and even superior to CryENGINE 2 High specs. The biggest differences from Crysis 1 to Crysis 2 are the vastly improved dynamic lighting and shadowing and highly improved image quality. For this reason, the lowest available spec on PC in Crysis 2 is “High Spec” and the highest spec is “Extreme”.

With higher system specs, more samples or high resolutions are used on certain effects like shadows/post processes/MSAA. Certain features get enabled such as rigid body water simulation or vertex displacement for water. On higher PC specs, we naturally find much more lights casting shadows, more particles and higher view distances for all geometries, lights and shadows.

The lowest PC spec, “High”, is almost the same as the spec used on consoles, besides per-platform differences, such as different texture formats for render targets and different normal map formats on PS3 due to lack of 3Dc support. PC specs also feature improved texture quality, since we do not use streaming for PC due to the vast memory resources available. Anisotropic filtering is enabled for all specs, while on PS3 it is dynamically adjusted and goes up to 16x anisotropic, and on Xbox 360 it is limited to 4x anisotropic in order to reduce the performance cost.

Additionally, the engine supports real dual stereo (also anaglyph mode for debugging), which is likely to be exposed for Crysis 2 in later patches for PC specs.

Besides resolution differences and a couple of custom view distances variations across platforms, we achieved an exact platform image color output on all platforms in the final shipped version of Crysis 2.
Multiplatform games usually look “darker” on Xbox 360. This is due to the console hardware performing an additional TV gamma correction step, besides other details, when using gamma correction. Unfortunately this is not a standard; no other hardware does this, so we decided on matching X360 output to PC and PS3 platforms instead.

[Dresden]

Thanks, Neb!

Seeing as Crysis 2 is going to push my video card to the limit, it's been a while since I've had to monitor fan speeds. What's a good fan speed adjusting application?

[KKRT]

Neb, are You going to make another topic for configs and cvar benchmarks/screens comparison and discussion?
I think it would be better to have one combine topic with only tweaks than merge it with gameplay impressions, walkthroughs, multiplayer talks and screens - they'll just disappear too fast, and there will be too many concurrent topics going on.

[Skinner]

Is was hoping you will post something intresting and there it is
I'am doing some tweaks myself and wonder if SSAA is posible?

I will digging into the www for more info as I like to change quite a fw things too.

It looks like the ingame AA does a great job indoors, but it covers to everything.
BTW, pc sys 4? I thought 3 is the max?

[Farid]

Originally Posted by KKRT

Neb, are You going to make another topic for configs and cvar benchmarks/screens comparison and discussion?
I think it would be better to have one combine topic with only tweaks than merge it with gameplay impressions, walkthroughs, multiplayer talks and screens - they'll just disappear to fast, and there will be too many concurrent topics going on.

It would be practical to have the tweaks and/or links to posts about tweaks in the opening posts of this thread.

[digitalwanderer]

Wow, just a thanks for all the info Neb! Much appreciated.

[Neb]

Originally Posted by KKRT

Neb, are You going to make another topic for configs and cvar benchmarks/screens comparison and discussion?
I think it would be better to have one combine topic with only tweaks than merge it with gameplay impressions, walkthroughs, multiplayer talks and screens - they'll just disappear to fast, and there will be too many concurrent topics going on.

Maybe this thread is enough, dunno.

I'll post config I did which should be named "ultra extreme" or such. Ups GI quality, shadowres, 'very high' spec and more for better IQ at expense of perfomance but in a reasonable and apreciable way.

//Custom config "ultra extreme" for Crysis 2. High-end PC config.


//cl_fov=65 //set your FOV and remove "//" ahead of "cl_fov"

con_restricted=0 //No console prompt cvar limitations.

sys_MaxFPS=60 //Limit your framerate

/We force 'very high' spec mode which allows for potentially more rendering detail/IQ if present in config.
sys_spec_ObjectDetail=4
sys_spec_Shading=4
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects=4
sys_spec_Shadows=4
sys_spec_Texture=4
sys_spec_Physics=4
sys_spec_PostProcessing=4
sys_spec_Particles=4
sys_spec_Sound=4
sys_spec_Water=4
sys_spec_GameEffects=4

//We force highest shader rendering method/path incase above doesn't change it.
q_ShaderGeneral=3
q_ShaderMetal=3
q_ShaderGlass=3
q_ShaderVegetation=3
q_ShaderIce=3
q_ShaderTerrain=3
q_ShaderShadow=3
q_ShaderFX=3
q_ShaderPostProcess=3
q_ShaderHDR=3
q_ShaderSky=3
q_ShaderWater=2 //a value of 3 doesn't exist and is for future water shading improvements
q_Renderer=3


//pl_movement.power_sprint_targetFov=65 //Fov while sprinting in power mode. Match it to your "cl_fov" setting to have no //camera zooming effect when sprinting. Remove "//" infront of "pl_movement.power_sprint_targetFov" to activate. 


//ai_DynamicHidespotsEnabled=1 //If enabled, dynamic hidespots are considered when evaluating. Not tested so disabled. 


ca_FacialAnimationFramerate=30 //Update facial system at a maximum framerate of n.
ca_FacialAnimationRadius=60 //Maximum distance at which facial animations are updated - handles zooming correctly. 

ca_cloth_air_resistance=1 //"advanced" (more correct) version of damping.

es_DebrisLifetimeScale=8 //Debris lifetime multiplier factor.


g_ec_enable=0 //If enabled (1) small debris pieces are removed from explosions if their size is small enough. 

g_muzzleFlashCullDistance=50000 //Culls distant muzzle flashes, distance factor.

 
g_rejectEffectCullDistance=800 //Culls distant shell casing effects, distance factor. 
 

g_corpseUnseenTime=300 //Time in seconds that the player has to look away from the corpse before it disappears.
g_corpseManager_maxNum=20 // Limit for number of corpses active at any time.
g_corpseMinDistance=200 //Distance in meters that the player has to be away from the ragdoll before it can disappear.
g_corpseMinTime=300 //Minimum time in seconds that a corpse will be visible.

g_breakage_particles_limit=250 //Imposes a limit on particles generated during 2d surfaces breaking.


r_DynTexMaxSize=155 //To avoid running out of texture cache.

r_DepthOfFieldBokehQuality=1 //64 tap/sample Bokeh DOF for best Bokeh quality.

r_DetailDistance=40 //mapping layer draw distance for surfaces with mapping layer.

r_Fur=1 //Allows fur rendering.

r_MotionBlurMaxViewDist=32 //Object motionblur max apply distance. Objects outside of this range dont get OBM. 

r_pointslightshafts=1 //Pointlights get shaft effect.

r_VegetationSpritesTexRes=128 //Ensures best billboard vegetation rendering detail.
 
r_TexAtlasSize=4096 //Allow for best texture LOD/IQ.

//r_UseEdgeAA=3 //Different methods, method 3 might be best and might be used originally.

r_TexMaxAnisotropy=16 //Allows for 16xAF wihtout clamping it to 8xAF for selective surfaces.

r_UseParticlesHalfRes=0 //Fullres particle rendering

r_UseMergedPosts=3 //Fullres OBM/screen effects.


//r_WaterReflectionsQuality=3 //Might fix missing reflections on ocean water (def for v.h is 4 which seems semi broken).
r_WaterReflectionsMinVisiblePixelsUpdate=0 //Everything is reflected no mather size of reflection.

//r_ColorGradingChartsCache=0 //Per frame colorgrading chart sampling, higher perfomance impact vs IQ.

r_RainMaxViewDist_Deferred=200 //Wet layer effect on terrain and objects. Draw distance in meteres.

r_HDRTexFormat=1 //Highestquality HDR format.
//r_HDRLevel=8 //Increases HDR strength for more HDR contrast.
//r_HDREyeAdaptionCache=0 //Per frame eye-adaption changes. Higher perfomance impact vs IQ.


e_CoarseShadowMask=1 //Coarse shadow rendering to give more depth.

e_GIGlossyReflections=1 //Enable/disable reflective mode for global illumination. Default: 0 - disabled.
//e_GsmCastFromTerrain=1 //Cast shadows from terrain.
e_GIIterations=32 //Max amount of GI iterations for best GI quality. 
e_GISecondaryOcclusion=1 //Secondary GI ray bounce for better GI quality/precision.
//e_GICache=0 //Per frame GI. Higher perfomance impact vs IQ.


e_ParticlesMinDrawPixels=0 //No culling of particles no mather size near or at distance.
e_ParticlesCoarseShadowMask=1 //Coarse shadow rendering for particles to give the more depth.
e_ParticlesLightsViewDistRatio=512 //particle lights view distance ratio.

//e_ShadowsSlopeBias=1 //Shadows slope bias for shadowgen. Fixes clipping shadows at certain angles.
//e_SkyUpdateRate=100 //Percentage of a full dynamic sky update calculated per frame (0..100).

e_ShadowsCastViewDistRatioLights=2 //View distance ratio for shadow casting lights.
e_ShadowsMaxTexRes=1536 //Shadow resolution for more defined shadows.

e_ViewDistRatioPortals=100 //View distance ratio for portals.
e_ViewDistRatioLights=100 //View distance ratio for lights.

e_DecalsLifeTimeScale=8 //Decal lifetime multiplier.

e_LodRatio=40 //Object LOD ratio for no pop-ups/visible LOD changes.
e_LodCompMaxSize=20 //Object LOD ratio for large objects like houses and big trees. 

e_DynamicLightsMaxCount=1024 //Max amount of dynamic lightsources allowed per frame.

e_TerrainLodRatio=0.2 //Improves terrain smoothness.
e_TerrainDetailMaterialsViewDistXY=4096 //Allow for best texture LOD/IQ.
e_TerrainDetailMaterialsViewDistZ=256 /Allow for best texture LOD/IQ.

e_RecursionViewDistRatio=2 //Water reflections view distance ratio.

[Neb]

Originally Posted by Skinner

Is was hoping you will post something intresting and there it is
I'am doing some tweaks myself and wonder if SSAA is posible?

I will digging into the www for more info as I like to change quite a fw things too.

It looks like the ingame AA does a great job indoors, but it covers to everything.

You can check out some of the tweaks I posted and use those you like. Regarding SSAA it dont know.

BTW, pc sys 4? I thought 3 is the max?

Some category goes to lvl 4 (atleast shading). If lvl 4 is not present then game falls back onto lvl 3 and so on.

[pjbliverpool]

Originally Posted by Neb

Some info and interesting bits regarding PC version with comparision pictures to illustrate effects/differences. Shows rendering tech in Crysis 2 with perfomance nunmbers and more.

http://crytek.com/sites/default/file...es_final_2.pdf

Some great info in there Neb, might have re-awakened my interest in the game actually.

Points to note are the water quality in Extreme mode using displacement mapping on the PC. Looks waaay better than the console version.

Later on they also show some pics of POM aswell, presumably confirming that will be in place for Extreme mode.

This was pretty interesting:

13 PC vs. Consoles
The lowest PC spec, "High", is almost the same as the spec used on consoles, besides per-platform differences, such as different texture formats for render targets and different normal map formats on PS3 due to lack of 3Dc support. PC specs also feature improved texture quality, since we do not use streaming for PC due to the vast memory resources available. Anisotropic filtering is enabled for all specs, while on PS3 it is dynamically adjusted and goes up to 16x anisotropic, and on Xbox 360 it is limited to 4x anisotropic in order to reduce the performance cost.

[Skinner]

Ripped from a german forum;

aus=off an=on

r_HDRGrainAmount (0/1) = Imagegrain-Effekt aus/an
cl_fov = Field of View (default = 55)
r_motionblur (0/1) = Bewegungsunschärfe
g_skipIntro = Keine Intro-Videos beim Start
hide_hud = HUD komplett ausblenden (Overlays vom Fernglas und Waffen-Konfig-Menü geht weiterhin)
r_PostMSAA = Post-MSAA (0=aus)
r_hdrvignetting (0/1) = Vignette aus/an
r_vsync (0/1) = Vsync aus/an
cl_bobHud 0 = HUD wackelt nicht

Neb, do I need to make an autoexec to make (all of) your settings to work?

[Aeoniss]

Do we just put it in the Config file present in the Crysis 2 folder?

[swaaye]

One interesting thing with it being DX9 is that ATI SSAA might work.

[Neb]

Create a file named autoexec.cfg (extension has to be cfg). Put all the commands in there.

Also config tool released. Allows for easy custom settings modification, use of MSAA, disable/enable edge AA and more.

http://www.incrysis.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=33008

[pjbliverpool]

Nice to see someone make the effort even if Crytek can't be bothered!

[AlStrong]

Originally Posted by pjbliverpool

Nice to see someone make the effort even if Crytek can't be bothered!

why pay someone to do advanced game options, when the community will do it for you?



......just like High Res textures!

[KKRT]

What's with that MSAA? Its their MSAA or what? Because normal MSAA should work on deffered.

BTW Dennis turned off everything except 4x MSAA and got astonishing results.

http://www.abload.de/img/crysis22011-03-2423-02q72k.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/crysis22011-03-2423-34o70v.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/crysis22011-03-2423-36i7nr.jpg

[DieH@rd]

Neb, add "launch trailer" to the OP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm3mYGcSM4E

[KKRT]

PC settings comparison. AA on Extreme is great.

http://www.insayne.net/Crysis2/