Guide Improve Team Fortress 2 Gameplay (Increasing FPS)

Discussion in 'Guides' started by The Slow Scout, Jul 25, 2016.

  1. The Slow Scout

    The Slow Scout Violent Crime Analyst
    Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2015
    Messages:
    1,969
    Ratings:
    +238 / 7
    Hey all, I wanted to make a quick and easy guide for all of you to read. This guide will hopefully help those who are struggling to play Team Fortress 2 smoothly by increasing your FPS (Frames Per Second) and by doing other helpful tips. Now, i'm not the best when it comes to creating guides, so I do apologize if some parts are confusing but i'll try my best! This guide is specifically for people who don't have great computers or people who just want to have a higher FPS count. Now let's get started.

    In-Game Options
    So before we get into any advanced steps, the first thing anyone should do is to head over to their in-game options and turn everything to the low option setting under the video section. This is how my video settings look, you don't have to completely copy everything here, but you should change model, texture, shader, and shadow detail to low with water detail being simple reflections. You should also run Tf2 in full screen mode. 20160725161121_1.jpg
    FPS Configs
    Now with that out of the way, you will know doing this won't increase your FPS by a whole lot. Don't expect any magic FPS boosts by just changing your settings. However, if you want to see and use something that will do the trick, download an FPS config. FPS configs will help increase FPS by making your game look ugly. (Trust me, really ugly). There are many out there to use, though I do recommend using one of the following:
    1. Chris Max Frames - http://pastebin.com/v1mwVju0
    2. m0rehighfps - http://pastebin.com/fCZqv67D
    3. Rhapsody's Performance Config - http://rhapsodysl.github.io/perfconfig/
    4. Comanglia's Config - http://www.teamfortress.tv/25328/comanglia-s-config-fps-guide (I use this myself)
    I really do recommend using Comanglia's config out of the 4 listed here as Chris and m0re's configs are outdated (they are still fine to use however). Interested in using it? Here's a video on how to install Comanglia's config if you don't know how to.

    Mods

    There are a few mods out there for you to download. These mods will also help increase FPS (duh, that's why i'm mentioning them :p).

    First is the No Hats Mod - http://www.teamfortress.tv/16179/no-hats-mod
    What this does is it removes all hats and cosmetics from the game so you won't be able to see players with their hats on. I don't recommend this for traders, however, if you're someone who wants to maximize their fps then get this. Notice how I have the coldsnap cap, the merc's pride scarf, and the pocket pyro equipped but nothing on my engineer? Yep. You may see a few cosmetics especially those that just got added into the game, make sure to update if so. 20160725164112_1.jpg


    Important note: When using the No Hats Mod, you may notice that the pyro is missing their head or the demoman is missing their feet, don't panic! In that thread I linked above, there is a version that fixes that. I recommend sniper mains getting that, quite weird shooting invisible heads eh?

    Second is the No Hat Effects Mod - http://www.mediafire.com/download/cbfyg5757ggqg83/Nohat-effects.vpk
    This removes all unusual effects. You may notice that you will see some unusual effects, you can restart Tf2 and that will most likely fix it. These 2 mods are easy to install. Once downloaded, install here -> Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom\

    Tips & Programs
    A good game booster program is Razor Cortex: Boost. "Razer Cortex: Boost improves your PC’s performance by managing and killing processes and apps you don’t need while gaming (like business apps and background helpers). This frees up valuable resources and RAM that’s needed by intense games, and can fix some problems like stuttering graphics and laggy gameplay." You can download it here - http://www.razerzone.com/cortex/boost Yes it's free, however, don't expect a huge amount of FPS gain from this. In fact, you may not even notice a thing. Doesn't hurt to try it out though as it is completely safe.

    In your launch options, you can put "-novid" without quotation marks to remove the Valve and Source intros when you start Team Fortress 2.


    Adding any of these values will change the DirectX version when launching the game -

    • -dxlevel 80 (Max FPS)
    • -dxlevel 81 (Known to be better than 80 as it's more stable)
    • -dxlevel 90
    • -dxlevel 95
    • -dxlevel 98
    Keep in mind that DirectX 7 is no longer supported.


    For more information on what you can put in your Team Fortress launch options, head over to https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1040-JWMT-2947 When installing an FPS config, there are some things that are needed to put in your launch options. Don't forget to do that.

    On your computer, set your power options to High Performance. In windows, you can do this by heading over to your control panel, then to power options, and then setting your plan to High Performance.

    For those wondering about my screenshots and hud, i'm currently using Rayshud. Check out Rayshud here - http://steamcommunity.com/groups/rayshud

    Make sure to defragment your computer if you don't already do so. If you don't know how to, here is a quick video showing you on what to do.

    The end! (Will Update if I Find More Useful Information)
    There are still many ways to improve your Team Fortress 2 gameplay and FPS. I wanted to share the main things that you can do. If you're still interested in finding out more ways, you can always search on google (There are so many helpful things). Thank you for reading and I do hope this helps! Remember, your game might not look fancy anymore, however, your FPS will surely increase. :) If you need help or have any questions, you can let me know down below.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    • Super Approved Super Approved x 3
    • Winner Winner x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
  2. Musical

    Musical Eoj Charlie is my Hero
    Donator

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2014
    Messages:
    596
    Ratings:
    +66 / 3
    Thanks! Hopefully my FPS on TF2 will improve by using this guide because I lag a lot.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  3. Jin&Tonic

    Jin&Tonic Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
    Staff Member Owner Universal Staff Discord Staff

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2013
    Messages:
    6,367
    Ratings:
    +2,352 / 75
    I run TF2 on max settings with an i7 and a 970, it's certainly possible.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  4. nycir10

    nycir10 Unwavering

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    98
    Ratings:
    +9 / 2
    Yes this information will be more helpful thank you!!
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  5. nycir10

    nycir10 Unwavering

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    98
    Ratings:
    +9 / 2
    Thank you for all the information you provide for the community. Thanks The Slow Scout
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  6. Clorox

    Clorox Forum Annihilator
    Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2016
    Messages:
    545
    Ratings:
    +64 / 9
    well it can be a bad i7, some i3 cpus (i have an i3 4160 @ 3.6 GHz) are alot better than some i5 Cpus!
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  7. Just Navlis

    Just Navlis Face-Meltingly Active
    Retired Staff Donator

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2017
    Messages:
    666
    Ratings:
    +50 / 3
    @The Slow Scout i have a command config that removes player ragdolls instantly after the player has been killed. it reduces my fps drops alot i have been using it for a loong time now

    just put the following into your autoexec.

    cl_ragdoll_fade_time 0
    cl_ragdoll_forcefade 1
    cl_ragdoll_physics_enable 0
    g_ragdoll_fadespeed 0
    g_ragdoll_lvfadespeed 0
    ragdoll_sleepaftertime 0
    cl_new_impact_effects 0
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    • Like Like x 1
  8. Pbyte

    Pbyte Scarcely Active

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    Messages:
    17
    Ratings:
    +3 / 0
    Thanks navlis, just added those and it helps more then i expected
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    • Agree Agree x 1
  • About Harpoon

    Harpoon Gaming is a gaming community, with servers in Team Fortress 2, Minecraft, and more. We were founded on the idea that no matter who you are, you have a home here. Too often we see communities rife with bullies and trolls, and Harpoon was created because we think we can do better than that.
  • Like us on Facebook

  • Donate to Harpoon!

    Donator is 1 key per month and 16 keys for lifetime. You will have donator access on all of our servers. If you wish to donate to Harpoon Gaming, contact a Full Admin or above. To learn more, head over to the donator page.

    Donate to us!
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice