Video Settings controlled in game?

[DCypher]

So, lets say I right click on the desktop and head to my Nvidia video properties, and it gives me choices to raise anisotropic filtering, antialiasing, etc, up to it's highest properties. Now lets say, I go into BF2 and turn of those settings in game. Which one does it run? Will it only run the in-game settings if I have the windows nvidia options on application controlled?

Thanks again Anandtech.

 

[drifter106]

good question...lets hear from those that KNOW and not speculation....

If I was to speculate, how can a game provide you the settings that your card can dish out if it isn't capable of handling those settings...but lets hope that someone can tell us for sure...

 

[DCypher]

bump

 

[Cygnus X1]

Yes, is it better to power your game from driver settings or in game settings?

 

[bamacre]

Unless I am mistaken, some games will over-ride what you have the driver settings set at. So, to answer your question, it depends on the game.

 

[DCypher]

Bump for "Is he correct?"

 

[Jeff7181]

Most of the time driver settings take priority over in game settings. There are some exceptions though, like Half Life 2.

 

[Auric]

Dunno aboot teh Nvidia but ATI's AF setting will thankfully o'erride BF2's (since what Dice dares to call "High" is a craptastic 4x). AA must remain on Application Default and be set within game (otherwise there will be none). However, Adaptive AA can be enabled, and I believe Temporal AA can also (provided Kitty Catalyst AI is disabled).

The Adaptive option smooths the edges of textures with transparencies used for trees, fences and railings &c. so they no longer look out of place while regular AA is applied to everyfing else. Meanwhile, the Temporal multiplier option can produce a higher edge schmooving effect with negligible performance penalty but requires Vsync which is where Triple Buffering comes in to save the day like Mighty Mouse to minimize punishing framerate dips when they cannot be maintained above the refresh rate which is especially important with demanding BF2 settings.

The ah heck is that for too long developers have failed to offer basic in-game settings and even now that they are beginning too it is still a bit half-assed and as alluded a bit at conflict with the CP so comprehensive driver profiles enabled by proggies like ATI Tray Tools really make it more manageable so perhaps there is some equivalent wot can make is similarly EZ for you?

 

[Gstanfor]

Originally posted by: DCypher
So, lets say I right click on the desktop and head to my Nvidia video properties, and it gives me choices to raise anisotropic filtering, antialiasing, etc, up to it's highest properties. Now lets say, I go into BF2 and turn of those settings in game. Which one does it run? Will it only run the in-game settings if I have the windows nvidia options on application controlled?

Thanks again Anandtech.

If you set AA/AF etc in the driver properties to application controlled, then yes, the application WILL control those features according to how it or you set it in game, even if you turn off AA in game for example.

Unless I am mistaken, some games will over-ride what you have the driver settings set at. So, to answer your question, it depends on the game.

That is correct. famously Halo and Splinter Cell will disable AA no matter what you set in the control panel (because of the way their engines work AA can't work for them).

It all works like this:

When an application runs the driver will check to see if a specific profile exists for that game.

If a profile exists the settings in the profile will over-ride the global profile (see below) and application settings (unless the profile specifies certain features are under aaplication control, which can be done).

If a profile does not exist for the application, the driver will use the global profile (this is what you adjust in the driver properties if you don't first select a specfic profile to modify). The global profile can allow application control or force features just like specific profiles.

For more information on all this, check out nhancer and its help/tutorial pages at nHancer (this only scratches the surface of what nHancer is capable of on an application by application level).