Bioshock 2 (Fixed crash)

[Boblekobold]

I just configured Bioshock 2 for the first time.

It’s stunning in VR ! Thanks Ralf !

I had some crash with very high resolution (2880p).
So i changed that in Bioshock2SP.ini :
TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=0.000000 (and it doesn’t crash anymore)
TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=800000.000000
DynamicShadowDetail=High (just to improve graphics).

I would like to know what TextureStreamingMemoryLimit and TextureStreamingDistanceLimit does.

TextureStreamingMemoryLimit to 0 means no limit ? Or I should put another value to upgrade graphics ?

I would also like to know if there is another setting I could change (it’s really beautiful, but if I can do even better…)

———-

I use on Reverb G2 / RTX4090 :
3840×2880 resolution
105-120 FOV
+0.1 or 0.2 camera high (depending on full VR zoom)
G3D shadow : no S3D (is it the best parameter ?)
Clarity FX to full (sharpness and texture on max and gamma on 0.8 for now)

Performances : 90fps (G2 max) in G3D

[Boblekobold]

To answer one of my questions :
“TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=256.000000” is better. And it doesn’t crash.

[Boblekobold]

Is it normal I can’t change HUD scale and position in Bioshock 2 ?
It works in Bioshock 1 and Infinite.

[Laser]

Are you playing the original version or remastered one? I played the original version with vorpx years ago and never finished the game, it seemed to be very crash happy with vorpx back then. In the back of my mind I all ways wanted to make a new playthrough.

[Boblekobold]

I’m playing the original one (lightings are better and I use mods to increase difficulty).

I had no crash at all with Bioshock 1 (with Silvermod).

With Bioshock 2, the game crash 1 time per 5 hours I would say. I would recommand swithing between too savegames because it can get corrupted and you may need to remove it from directory (it’s very rare).

Finally, I use :
TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=128.000000

It’s impossible to reach max graphics using game menu. You must edit Bioshock2SP.ini :
DynamicShadowDetail=High
It seems to improve graphics significantly.

I also replaced texture details options by UltraHigh in .ini files :
TextureDetailInterface=UltraHigh
TextureDetailTerrain=UltraHigh
TextureDetailWeaponSkin=UltraHigh
TextureDetailPlayerSkin=UltraHigh
TextureDetailWorld=UltraHigh
TextureDetailRenderMap=UltraHigh
TextureDetailLightmap=UltraHigh

I don’t know if it does anything.

To answer my own question, the best VorpX shadow parameter is :
G3D shadow : auto (it’s perfect this way)

110 FOV with +0.1 camera high seems great to me on Reverb G2.
To change FOV, use something like that in User.ini :
Up=MoveForward|setFov 110
Down=MoveBackward|setFov 110

This way you change FOV when you move. It can be useful because FOV change each time you aim. You can do a sniper mod by doing something like this :
MouseWheelDown=setFov 90
MouseWheelUp=setFov 50

The same solution works for Bioshock 1.

It’s not necessary in infinite (but with this game you should raise font size with .ini).

I use “HT positional tracking : on” to have 6dof in Bioshock 2 (even if I play with keyboard&mouse). Beware Delta’s helmet (you may need to recenter sometimes).

I didn’t find the way to move HUD in Bioshock 2 (but it doesn’t bother me too much because I can see most important informations without edgepeek).

[Boblekobold]

I would recommand to play :
1) Bioshock infinite
2) Then Burial at Sea Ep1&2
3) Then Bioshock
4) Then Bioshock 2
5) (Then Minerva’s Den)

This way you :
– respect the story chronology
– graphics gets better over time (because Bioshock 2 is the best, and Infinite the worse, except Burial at Sea Ep2 wich is really stunning).
– gameplay gets better and more complex (Bioshock 2 > Bioshock 1 > Bioshock Infinite)
– it gets harder to configure ‘^^

These 3 games are some of the best VR games you can do, in my opinion. It worth it even if you already know them (you can use Silvermod for Bioshock 1 original, custom ini mods for Bioshock 2 to raise or change difficulty). I can explain how to edit Bioshock 2 ini files if you need to.

Don’t forget to use a very high 4:3 resolution like 3840×2880, to unzoom to the border of your view and to raise FOV until you get a perfect native-like experience.

[Boblekobold]

(If you don’t know Bioshock at all, you should start by Bioshock 1, then 2, then Infinite, then Burial at Sea Ep1&2 to avoid spoilers…but if you know them, it’s better in the order I indicated).

[Boblekobold]

Because not everyone seems to know : you can use 3840×2880 resolution even if your monitor doesn’t allow it.

Only once :
– Install VorpX Beta.
– Add Predefined resolutions above 4k in VorpX config (“Virtual Monitor” tab)

Every time :
1) Launch VorpX Desktop Viewer
If you play Bioshock 1 or infinite, unzip/replace your edited ini files before or after ( no need with Bioshock 2 )
2) launch the game (make sure you hook, you can create a direct VorpX Desktop Shortcut, you can exclude Launchers, etc.)
3) If needed (each time you load a new level in Bioshock 1 for example), change the resolution to 3840×2880

[Boblekobold]

Erratum : ClarityFX to Low seems to be enough for me with last VorpX Beta version.

[rogerty]

Hello,

Using TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=0.000000 and TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=800000.000000 is perfect for me. I don’t seem to have crashes anymore ! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU XD

I am curious about how did you get to test that specific change ? Had you some documentation about Bioshock 2 or was it just trial and error ?

I want to point at some remarkable aspects too:

– It works only in Windows 10, not in Windows 11 where I still get crashes (Dual boot saves the day)…

– I have just played the whole Bioshock 1 suffering lots of crashes on the way but I have finished it; It also happened that in Windows 10 I almost had no crashes at all (a few), but in Windows 11 it was almost non playable because of the amount of crashes… One significant point in BS1 was that after loading a saved game I had to press ctrl alt supr and after that, esc, to be able to view the game back, while in Windows 10 it never happened…

Regards,

Roger

[Boblekobold]

rogerty wrote:

Using TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=0.000000 and TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=800000.000000 is perfect for me. I don’t seem to have crashes anymore ! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU XD

TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=0.000000 seems to prevents some textures from loading, like detailed version of pink coral (or make it extremely slow), so I recommand to use a >0 value (128.000000 works well for me).

rogerty wrote:

I am curious about how did you get to test that specific change ? Had you some documentation about Bioshock 2 or was it just trial and error ?

I’ve found some intel on the internet (Helixmod comment about G3D, Steam forum about Bioshock 2 even without 3D), and I tried several values/combinations. I asked myself the same question about the original intel ;)

I’ve found the DynamicShadowDetail upgrade alone (it was obvious in the ini file).

I think you can raise tesselation too (I tried 2.0 by myself and it seemed to me it was different but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea so I reverted, but I just read it can reach 15.0, so I’ll try).

rogerty wrote:

– It works only in Windows 10, not in Windows 11 where I still get crashes (Dual boot saves the day)…

I play on Windows 11 without much problems so there must be a combination of factors. I have an RTX4090 with 31.0.15.5168 pilot. I use a Reverb G2 with OpenXR runtime.

Did you try the virtual monitor tip ? You should if you have a good headset (displayport). High resolution is very important in every Bioshock (important textures can be very detailed, and a very high resolution is a way to negate aliasing in these games).

[Laser]

Thanks for all the info Boble! I have only played the original one, I have to think about the play order then, maybe I´ll start with Infinite and skip 1.

[Boblekobold]

Tesselation up to 15 in .ini files (two separate lines) is great. I hesitated a lot with Low, but for now, I play with ClarityFX to full and sharpness/texture enhancement to 2.0. Walls with corals are very detailed and sharp in Dyonisus Park. It gives volume to rust/coral.
This game is very impressive in VR. You don’t need to play recent games to get stunning graphics with VorpX. Even with an RTX4090, it’s better overall than Cyberpunk 2077 in VR.

[rogerty]

Thank you for all your help @Boblekobold,

I have changed the TextureStreamingMemoryLimit to 128.000000 but sadly, I still get crashes every 15 minutes or so, specially when I access machines (upgrades, ammo, health packs, etc.) and also when manually saving; from Windows 10 and 11 too.

I am using a Quest 2 with a 12 GB AMD Radeon RX 6700 XST

You said “Did you try the virtual monitor tip”; Can you please tell me how to do it in a more detailed way and which resolutions should I try ? I don’t know what is it or where to find it and nor how to set it…

I also was unable to find where that Tesselation setting is set.

Thank you again !

[Boblekobold]

rogerty wrote:

I have changed the TextureStreamingMemoryLimit to 128.000000 but sadly, I still get crashes every 15 minutes or so, specially when I access machines (upgrades, ammo, health packs, etc.) and also when manually saving; from Windows 10 and 11 too.

I use both :
TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=128.000000
TextureStreamingDistanceLimit=30000.000000

You can try other values. Maybe 64 or 32, or 1. If 0 worked for you, you can still use it. It doesn’t seems to lower the graphics too much and too often (and you play on Quest 2, so do you really notice the difference ?)

rogerty wrote:

You said “Did you try the virtual monitor tip”; Can you please tell me how to do it in a more detailed way and which resolutions should I try ? I don’t know what is it or where to find it and nor how to set it…

Check my post above : May 26, 2024 at 2:52am
There should be a shortcut on your desktop to launch VorpX Desktop Viewer.
I would try 3840×2880 or if it’s too much 2880×2160 (but it shouldn’t be too much on this game). Once again, maybe it doesn’t change too much on a Quest 2, I don’t know. On a Reverb G2 I can tell the difference.

rogerty wrote:

I also was unable to find where that Tesselation setting is set.

In Bioshock2SP.ini, there is two lines named TesselationFactor.
There are a lot of other things you can change here, but it’s not always better. It depends.

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