Far Cry 3 Tweak Guide
Author: Koroush Ghazi
Last Modified: Dec 2012
Please note that this tweak guide was not part of the original Tweakguides website that Koroush shut down in 2019. Instead, this guide was supposed to be published on the GeForce website, which never happened. This tweak guide exists as a result of me constructing it from a text document which Koroush released shortly before he shut down his website. You may find more info at the following links:
- Here for a few news items Koroush wrote at the time in Dec 2012 concerning the completion of the guide, and the delays in it's publication.
- Here is another news item Koroush wrote the month afterwards (Jan 2013) about how this guide's delay likely marked the end of his working relationship with Nvidia.
- Here for one last news item Koroush wrote the next month (Feb 2013) stating that he was now definitely not going to write any more guides for Nvidia due to the delays to his Crysis 3 guide, and additionally said that the Far Cry 3 guide was not going to be published due to the game's devs withholding approval.
- Here for his Nvidia Story article published the month afterwards (Mar 2013), where he elaborates on the above news items.
- Finally, the site's home page has the news item where he provided a link to download the text document containing what was supposed to be the Far Cry 3 tweak guide, which I used to create this one.
General Optimization
The original Far Cry introduced us to a lush tropical environment, one that had never been as beautifully realized in any game that came before it. The second installment dropped us into the middle of an African landscape that varied from desert to thick forest, but was still a joy to behold. For over four long years we've been anticipating Far Cry 3, and it's now arrived, taking us right back to an island setting, again in visual splendor. As Jason Brody, a kidnapped tourist, your goal at first is only to survive. But then, as you begin to explore a truly massive open world, your thoughts quickly turn to rescuing your friends, and eventually, mastering the island. Far Cry 3 delivers on all fronts, giving gamers an immersive experience with plenty of freedom, that's an absolute blast to play. Add in co-op and multiplayer modes, and the fun just keeps on going. The game also packs a large number of high-tech enhancements for the PC, enough to give even the strongest systems a solid workout.
The aim of this guide is to allow you to better understand and best utilize all of the configuration options available in Far Cry 3, as well as giving you a selection of advanced tweaks.
Before proceeding further, make sure you meet the game's minimum requirements as provided below, with the recommended requirements provided in brackets:
- Processor: Intel Core2 Duo E6700 or equivalent CPU (Intel Core i3-530 quad core)
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Hard Drive: At least 15GB of free space
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480)
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible
- OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
- Internet: Requires a UPlay online account and one-time activation
What follows are full descriptions for all of the settings available in the various Far Cry 3 options menus. Screenshot comparisons are provided where relevant to highlight the impact on image quality of changing these settings. Performance information is also provided for every setting, although the precise impact on your particular system depends on your specific hardware combination, and your other game and system-wide settings. The aim here is to give you enough information so that you can make an informed choice as to the settings you enable or disable to obtain a balance of visual quality and performance acceptable to you.
General System Optimization
Almost as important as any in-game setting is the way your Windows installation is configured. A great many problems and performance issues, especially stuttering, crashes and slowdowns, can be traced directly to sub-optimal settings in Windows, and out-of-date or badly configured drivers. Go through our Stable Gaming Guide to get your PC in the best shape. At the very least, make sure to update your Graphics Drivers to the latest available version, as these contain significant performance optimizations for Far Cry 3.
Performance Measurement
To successfully conduct any tweaking, you will need a way of objectively measuring your performance in Frames Per Second (FPS). The easiest way to do this is to use the free FRAPS utility. Download, install and launch FRAPS before starting up the game. You will now see a yellow FPS counter displayed in the corner of your screen. Pay attention to your FPS during the game, particularly during graphically intense scenes, such as combat. If it dips to a very low level at any point, or is constantly spiking, then this is a good indication that you need to adjust various settings, whether to raise your minimum framerate to around 30 FPS, or simply to stabilize it to prevent stuttering and variable responsiveness.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.