Shaders Settings

force shaders

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	user settings.cfg

Force rendering with shaders for all objects, even those that do not strictly need them. Required if enhancements like shadows or reverse z are enabled. May have a significant performance impact.

force per pixel lighting

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Force per-pixel lighting on all shader objects. Changes lighting behavior from the original MW engine. Groundcover shaders and particles ignore this setting.

clamp lighting

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	true	user settings.cfg

Restrict lighting to a maximum of (1,1,1) on shader objects. Prevents overly bright or shifted colors but can dull lighting. Terrain is always drawn with shaders to prevent seams.

auto use object normal maps

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Automatically detect and use object normal maps named with pattern defined by normal map pattern. Otherwise normal maps must be explicitly listed in mesh files.

auto use object specular maps

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Automatically detect and use object specular maps named with pattern defined by specular map pattern. Only supported in .osg files.

auto use terrain normal maps

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Same as auto use object normal maps, but applies to terrain.

auto use terrain specular maps

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Use terrain specular maps if matching terrain specular map pattern texture exists. Texture RGB is layer color, alpha is specular multiplier.

normal map pattern

Type	Range	Default	Location
string		_n	user settings.cfg

Filename pattern used to detect normal maps automatically.

normal height map pattern

Type	Range	Default	Location
string		_nh	user settings.cfg

Alternative pattern for normal maps containing height in alpha channel for parallax effects.

specular map pattern

Type	Range	Default	Location
string		_spec	user settings.cfg

Filename pattern to detect object specular maps.

terrain specular map pattern

Type	Range	Default	Location
string		_diffusespec	user settings.cfg

Filename pattern to detect terrain specular maps.

apply lighting to environment maps

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Enable lighting effects on environment map reflections to prevent glowing in dark areas.

lighting method

Type	Range	Default	Location
string	legacy | shaders compatibility | shaders	shaders compatibility	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Lighting

Controls internal light source handling: - legacy: fixed-function pipeline, max 8 lights per object. - shaders compatibility: removes light limit, better attenuation, recommended for older hardware. - shaders: modern lighting approach, higher light counts, better for modern GPUs.

light bounds multiplier

Type	Range	Default	Location
float32	0.0-5.0	1.65	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Multiplier for point light bounding sphere radius, affecting light transition smoothness and performance.

classic falloff

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Use traditional point light attenuation without early fade out. Reduces lighting seams but may darken the scene.

match sunlight to sun

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Aligns the sun light source direction with the visible sun position for realism.

maximum light distance

Type	Range	Default	Location
float32	full float range	8192	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Maximum distance at which lights illuminate objects. Set to ≤ 0 to disable fading for lights.

light fade start

Type	Range	Default	Location
float32	0.0-1.0	0.85	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Fraction of max distance where light fading begins.

max lights

Type	Range	Default	Location
int	2-64	8	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Maximum lights affecting each object. Too high values may reduce performance unless using ‘shaders’ method.

minimum interior brightness

Type	Range	Default	Location
float32	0.0-1.0	0.08	In Game > Settings > Options > Video > Lights

Minimum ambient brightness inside interiors. Should be small to avoid unwanted visual changes.

antialias alpha test

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Converts alpha testing to alpha-to-coverage for smoother edges with MSAA enabled.

adjust coverage for alpha test

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	true	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Mitigates shrinking artifacts on alpha-tested textures without coverage-preserving mipmaps.

soft particles

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Enables soft particles effect for smoother particle intersections.

weather particle occlusion

Type	Range	Default	Location
boolean	true, false	false	Launcher > Settings > Visuals > Shaders

Prevents rain and snow clipping through ceilings by using an extra render pass.

Warning

Experimental and may cause visual oddities.