Being yet another port from a console (what isn’t these days?), PAYDAY The Heist is sorely lacking in graphics options on PC. Here are a few tips that might help you get some more enjoyment out of it.
Renderer Settings
I was excited to find a file called renderer_settings.xml
after I installed the game. I was disappointed, however, when I opened it only to find the basic options the game gives you along with an aspect ratio option and a refresh rate option.
You can reach this folder by typing %userprofile%/AppData/Local
in any Windows address bar if you actually want to change either of those.
<renderer_config> <d3d_device adapter = "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470" adapter_index = "0" resolution = "1920 1080" windowed = "false" refresh_rate = "60" aspect_ratio = "1.77778" /> </renderer_config> |
Vertical Sync
This was an easy fix. By default, PAYDAY has no Vsync, which results in a lot of screen tearing. You can simply go to the Vsync option in your graphics card control panel and set it to ‘Force On’ for Nvidia cards or ‘Always On’ for ATI cards.
If you have never done this before, you open the Nvidia Control Panel/Catalyst Control Center, go to the 3D Settings section, and add the game as a new profile (browse to and select the games .exe file). Then you can force vertical sync under that profile. Simply apply your changes and next time you start the game, you will have vertical sync.
Anti Aliasing – Nvidia Only
Unfortunately, attempting to override the AA settings in the Nvidia Control Panel didn’t work. Luckily, PAYDAY is based on a graphics engine that gamers are already familiar with.
You can enjoy some good anti-aliasing in PAYDAY on your PC by simply using what is known as ‘Antialiasing compatibility’ flags. This is simply some numbers and letters that you enter into Nvidia Inspector- a companion program for the Nvidia Control Panel. In this case, the flag you will want is 0x004012C1.
*Props to the smart folks over at Guru3D for identifying this AA flag.
Solid Tip: Below are step-by-step instructions for Nvidia Inspector. The settings here are a “sweet spot” for this game. If you go attempti different settings on your own, know that you will lock up your PC and be forced to reboot. You’ve been warned!
- Add a profile for PAYDAY under the Nvidia Control Panel
- Download Nvidia Inspector from Major Geeks
- Open
Nvidia Inspector
- Click the wrench icon to open game profiles
- Select Payday from the drop down menu
- Enter
0x004012C1
underAntialiasing compatibility
- Set
Antialiasing - Mode
to override - Select
Antialiasing - Setting
to 2x or 4x Multisampling only - Set
Antialiasing - Mode
to override - Select
Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling
to 2x or 4x Sparse Grid Supersampling only - Hit
Apply changes
in the upper right
Affect on Performance
Notice that the frame rate (in the pic) took a big hit at 4x AA. It dropped from 120 constant to just under half of that. I was able to get 90 fps using 2x AA, but the jagged edges are still noticeable. If you are able, you definitely want to try the 4x.
Additionally, I was able to play the game at what FRAPS said 30 fps under my setup using 8x AA, but moving around felt like I was trying to steer the Titanic, so I dialed that setting back immediately.
I hope this helps you get some more more enjoyment out of this game!
Works, Ty!
why does the game not show up in my nvidia control pannel
Nvidia adds those in driver updates. Newer games sometimes arent in the list by the time they are released.
Simply add the profile yourself by navigating to the .exe file of the game
Dunno if it happens for anyone else but the first thing I did was force v-sync for the game when I saw there was no option for it. This works however it seems that after a while of playing the game say half way through a heist I notice there is now tearing 😐
QUit the game and start again and its fixed but again only for some time then its back to tearing again.
Sounds like you are referring to a common issue with forcing vsync. If you Alt+Tab out of a lot of games after doing it, it breaks the vsync and will start tearing when you return to it.
No alt tabbing just playing along then suddenly notice that its now tearing. Only gave i’ve seen it happen with which I have to force it.
Also is there any way to sto pthe stupid vignetting you have with your FOV 😐 it annoys me so much looking at somethingh or the ground and only seeing an oval shape of what i’m looking at with the rest of the corners blacking out.
Hi can you help me? I have windows xp and i havent got folder Locale in appdata 🙁
Yes, it’s in a different spot in XP. Just type %appdata% in an address bar and the window should take you there.
Um, it doesn’t seem to work for me. I think I’m missing something, but I’ve tried a bunch of settings. And I can’t seem to find the flag ‘0x004012C1’ under any AA-related settings. The closest I’m getting is something like 0x004412C1 for ‘Diablo III’ compatibility…
(Oh duh, you can type it… Didn’t realize that…) By the way, could Ambient Occlusion be activated for this game? Or anything else… I mean, it looks so dull… I really hope ‘Payday 2’ looks better.
Also, I think ‘Payday’ had an update after this article, cause it does have V-Sync in the menu now.
It’s fantastic that you are getting thoughts from this piece of writing as well as from our dialogue made at this place.