Xcom 2 graphics settings for weak PCs. Game not saving
The main release of the beginning of 2016 could not pass without technical overlays. In this article, we have collected solutions to the most common problems that players face:
Make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements for the game
Minimum system requirements:
OS: Windows® 7, 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6 GHz or AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core 2.6 GHz
RAM: 4 GB RAM
Video card: 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770, 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or better
DirectX 11
Recommended system requirements:
OS: Windows® 7, 64-bit
Processor: 3GHz Quad Core
RAM: 8 GB RAM
Video Card: 2GB ATI Radeon HD 7970, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 or better
Hard disk space: 45 GB
Make sure you have the latest drivers for your graphics card
Close all background applications, especially browsers and torrent clients. Some applications can only be closed through the "task manager" panel -\u003e "processes" -\u003e select a running program -\u003e "end process".
Be sure to restart your computer after installation.
Infinite black screen problem
- Run XCOM 2 in the window. If the game starts, put it in full screen mode by pressing "ctrl + enter" (or "Alt + Esc"). Windowed mode can also be enabled in the game's settings files or by setting the -w option in the launch options.
- Run the game as an administrator.
- Disable the second video card if it is connected.
Game crash to desktop problem
- Set graphics settings to minimum.
- Raise the priority of the game process in the task manager to "High".
- Enable "Vertical Sync" in the game settings (Vsync) and if the situation does not improve, then turn it off. This option can both increase the number of frames and reduce.
Nothing happens after launch
- Run the game as administrator in the root folder.
- Verify the integrity of the cache on Steam. Download the missing files if you are missing something.
The problem of the absence of the necessary dll file on the computer
- You need to manually find the desired file on the Internet and download it to your computer.
- You can also install DLL Fixer(or similar program) and install automatically.
Both methods are dangerous because along with the desired file you will also pick up virus programs, so be sure to check everything that you download with an antivirus.
Save problem
- Make sure that the path to the save folder is specified without Cyrillic content.
- Check the free space on the disk where the game is saved (allocate a few gigabytes).
Infinite install problem
Before installation:
- (!) Be sure to turn off the antivirus (Perhaps the program mistook one of the files for a virus and deleted it. This may cause an endless installation or an error).
- Turn off all additional programs that you do not need while playing.
The problem of the absence of the Russian language
- If you have the official Russian version of the game, you need to go to the game settings in steam, where you can switch the language.
No sound in game
- Make sure you have audio playback devices connected.
- If there is sound in other applications, but is absent only in XCOM 2, set the volume level to maximum.
- If you have an external audio card, download the latest drivers.
- Verify the integrity of the cache, the sound file may have been deleted somehow.
Tactical sci-fi shooter released XCOM 2 , with an overview of which you can . The project is exclusive to the PC and was tested, but the release was very unstable.
Naturally, the developers from Firaxis Games could not predict all the problems that PC users encountered, so while they are preparing patches for the problems found, we offer you a detailed analysis of all technical problems. XCOM 2 that players are facing.
Generally speaking, then XCOM 2 turned out to be quite stable in terms of crashes, that is, if the game starts, then everything will be fine, but the FPS of the game is very low, which owners of even top-end configurations complain about. In addition, due to the peculiarities of the implementation game mechanics, difficulty and balance issues, some quests can be difficult to complete.
In this article you will find a solution if XCOM 2 crashes to desktop, won't start, slows down, low FPS, red screen, crashes with an error, there are long delays between moves. In addition, we will analyze how to run a project on 32 bits.
However, before jumping directly to the tips, you need to check if your computer meets the minimum system requirements for the project:
- OS (x64 only);
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 @ 2.6GHz | AMD Phenom 9950 @ 2.6 GHz;
- RAM: 4 GB;
- video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 1 GB | AMD Radeon HD 5770 1 GB.
- DirectX Version: 11;
- HDD: 37 GB.
- OS: Windows 7 SP 1/ 8 / 8.1 / 10 (x64 only);
- CPU: Intel Core i7-860 @ 3.0 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 960 @ 3.0 GHz;
- RAM: 8 GB;
- video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2 GB | AMD Radeon HD 6970 2GB.
- DirectX Version: 11;
- HDD: 37 GB.
Files, drivers and libraries
Before you start looking for your problem, you need to update to latest version video card driver:
A prerequisite for the successful functioning of any game is the availability of the latest drivers for all devices in the system. Download the utility Driver Updater to easily and quickly download the latest drivers and install them with one click:
- download Driver Updater and run the program;
- scan the system (usually it takes no more than five minutes);
- update outdated drivers with one click.
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XCOM 2 won't start, black screen
First of all, you need to make sure that all Microsoft Visual C ++ 2013 libraries are installed on your computer, which can be downloaded from the links above. This problem is the main reason why XCOM 2 won't start or shows a black screen. If necessary, reinstall the software package. The developers are currently fixing this issue and it should be gone after 1-2 patches.
If you have Windows 10, then try running the game in compatibility mode for Windows 7 (main platform), or as an administrator. Check if the antivirus added the executable ".exe" file of the game to quarantine - different antiviruses and firewalls sin this, even if the version XCOM 2 is licensed.
You also need to check that there are no Russian letters or symbols on the path to the game files. If they are, then it is better to reinstall the game in another category, with English characters, and this requirement applies to both the installation directory and folders with user data.
In cases where the game crashes with a DirectX error, such as "Minimum of DirectX 10.1 required", this means that your video card does not support the version of DirectX required by the game. For example, the graphics card only works with DirectX 10, although DirectX 11 is required.
XCOM 2 shows red screen after launch
This problem occurs only for owners pirated version games, so we can advise you to buy a license.
XCOM 2 slow or low FPS
We note right away that if you have a computer that meets or slightly overlaps the minimum system requirements XCOM 2, you won't be able to play comfortably at low settings. The game is quite demanding on the CPU and for comfortable game Minimum graphics settings require a quad-core processor.
Despite the low maximum system requirements, many players note that XCOM 2 stutters in a number of missions - especially when using a lot of effects. In addition, players with old computers or those who play on a laptop usually experience low FPS and brakes. In this case, we recommend that you lower your graphics settings to the lowest.
The developers are aware of the optimization problems and are preparing a patch that improves performance XCOM 2, so we recommend waiting for a while until it comes out.
You should also see how XCOM 2 was determined in the driver settings. Check if it is there at all, add it to the list if necessary, drop all graphics settings to the minimum, turn on the “vertical sync”, “vertical sync”, vsync, etc. setting. We recommend that owners of NVIDIA video cards check if Physx is enabled.
Also try running the game in a window - to do this, use the Alt + Esc key combinations (switch to windowed mode) or Alt+Enter (switch to full screen mode).
If you are using a pirated version of the game, we want to warn you right away - its so-called “tablet” contains various programs for mining cryptocurrency that load the computer. So if you notice that the game is running slowly and the FPS does not depend on the graphics settings, then you will not only have to uninstall the game, but also check the system for viruses and spyware.
How to increase FPS?
Because the XCOM 2 turned out to be a project without high-quality optimization, many owners of high-performance configurations complain about low FPS. Now we will talk about how to increase it. The tips are relevant for owners of a licensed copy of the game, since the pirated version XCOM 2 is not only filled with viruses and spyware, but also riddled with bugs and performance drops.
So, here's what you need to do - turn off MSAA 8X anti-aliasing, this is the most costly setting in terms of performance. So far, players do not recommend setting anti-aliasing above FXAA. You can also disable shadows and dynamic lighting. Another option XCOM 2 that can have a negative impact is "FPS Leveling", it can "eat" about 10 fps if there are more than the average per game.
The developers are currently busy with optimization work, so FPS increase in XCOM 2 at maximum graphics settings should happen very soon.
How to run XCOM 2 on a 32-bit system
In fact, this is impossible, but this is not a problem, since it is provided by the developers. That's just cunning pests immediately released a "fix", supposedly allowing you to run XCOM 2 on a 32-bit system. Alas, instead of an effective solution, you will receive a full set of viruses and Trojans, so remember once and for all - XCOM 2 cannot be run on a 32-bit system, the game only works with a 64-bit OS.
XCOM 2 crashes to desktop
This problem occurs in different cases, but most often it is your system that is to blame. The first option that causes this failure is that you have a non-64-bit version of Windows installed on your PC. Let us remind once again that XCOM 2 only works on 64-bit systems.
The second option that causes a crash XCOM 2 on desktop - lack of RAM, since the game requires at least 4 GB and if you have that much, you will need to unload all unnecessary software. The third case - the game loads, but crashes when loading a save. It also indicates a lack or overload of RAM - try checking the memory for health.
The fourth option is to use multiple video cards in one system. If you are the owner of a tandem, we recommend that you disable the secondary video card, because XCOM 2 does not yet support SLI/CrossFire profiles. If you are playing on a laptop, then try switching from the integrated video card to a dedicated one, at least you should find out which video card the game is running on.
In case of crashes, running the game as an administrator with all rights, in compatibility mode for Windows 7, as well as a combination of these two options, can also help. Try these methods, no matter what graphics card you have.
And, of course, this error occurs if you are using a pirated version of the game. We strongly recommend that you buy a license that will not have this error, and the game itself will work much more stable.
XCOM 2 crashes with "Faulting application name: XCom2.exe" error
A common error, in the description of the failed module you can see the files MSVCR120.dll, KERNELBASE.dll and others. To begin with, in this situation, it is better to reinstall the game and check if Steam has installed the necessary additional software. In addition, if the error repeats, you can replace one or another failed file (by doing backup available).
For example, if the game crashes with information about the failed module MSVCR120.dll, you can download it from the link above.
And, of course, this error occurs if you are using a pirated version of the game. We strongly recommend that you buy a license that will not have this error, and the game itself will work much more stable.
Missing MSVCR110.dll
This error is mainly due to installation problems. Usually, Steam automatically installs all the required distribution package for each game at the time of auto-installation, including for XCOM 2, however, there are situations where this does not happen.
Therefore, if you see an MSVCR110.dll error, you need to download it separately and then install it on the system. If that doesn't help, try reinstalling the game.
Did not help? Then you need to try to update the DirectX version, play with the graphics settings (set the maximum first, and then the minimum), reinstall Visual C ++. If and after that XCOM 2 is still crashing, and nothing helps, then you need to wait for a patch from the developers.
No Russian language in XCOM 2
A fairly rare mistake that occurs with buyers XCOM 2. And while developers will be busy with more pressing issues in the coming days, there is an opportunity to fix this problem yourself. First, check the integrity of the game cache through Steam, if necessary, download the files. Then right-click on the name of the game in Steam, select "Properties" and go to the "Language" column. There should be Russian, if not, then set the "Russian language".
As for localization XCOM 2, then we immediately tell you - you should not wait for it. The localizer of the game, the 1C company, conducted a survey among users who refused Russian voice acting, arguing that it would be bad. That is why the dialogues XCOM 2 in English, and in Russian only the translated menu and subtitles.
Aliens don't move, game is buggy, quests don't work
If you're a seasoned PC gamer, then you know that one of the traditional tips right after the release of any game is to save often. XCOM 2 is no exception and if you followed this simple rule, then easily find a suitable save before the bug occurs. It is quite possible that on the second or third attempt, the quest or task will work for you, and the bug will disappear.
If not, or if you rarely save and roll back, this is a painful loss. game walkthrough, you will have to wait for an update from Firaxis Games. There is a chance that they will be able to fix the missions and quests, despite the errors in the game and in the saves that you have. Therefore, we recommend that after discovering a bug, do not rush forward, but wait a few weeks until the situation stabilizes.
If you encounter any problem, refer to our section, where our users will help you quickly and efficiently!
Thank you for your attention!
Absolutely any game at the time of release and in the first few months (before patches, although even after them) has a number of technical problems. But most importantly, technical problems can be different: the game is buggy, lags, slows down, simply does not start, crashes to the desktop, gives an error, just crashes and there are no saves. So the same goes for games. also has technical problems.
That is why this technical article was created, which helps to understand all the errors and thereby solve all the problems. After all, if this is not done, the passage of the game will not only not be normal - it simply will not be. Since the errors are different and moreover - there are a lot of them. On the major gaming portal "" you may not find the answer. Therefore, in order to still find him, write in our official group in contact, where we are always ready to answer all your questions and even solve them! Well, below you can view all known issues and their solution!
Minimum system requirements
. OS:
. CPU:
. RAM:
. Video card:
. HDD:
. DirectX:
. OS:
. CPU:
. RAM:
. Video card:
. HDD:
. DirectX:
Software Update (Software)
Before we begin to analyze more serious problems, I recommend that you carefully study the system requirements of the game and update the software (if you have not already done so). Quite often, we all look for what the problem is, but in fact the problem is as simple as day. So, for starters, update your "firewood" for the video card:
→ Download either the drivers for the video card from AMD Radeon;
→ Or download drivers for Nvidia GeForce graphics card.;
→ It still makes sense to install the Razer Game Booster program, which will help optimize your PeKa for the games you need;
→ Of course, do not forget that it may be worth updating software such as DirectX?
→ The most in a simple way update your software is a utility called "Driver Scanner". It will help you quickly and with just one click to update all your drivers without any problems. How and where to download? You can download it anywhere, and after the download, just run it. Once installed and launched, about five minutes will be spent scanning the system. Once the scan is over, you can update your drivers (if required) with just one click;
→ Never forget that there is a possibility that you also need to update or even install other supporting software. This includes: DirectX, Microsoft Visual C++ and Microsoft .NET Framework. You can download it from the official website of Microsoft.
Game crashes and crashes to desktop
→ The most common problem at the moment. And most often this happens due to the fact that a non-64-bit version of Windows is installed on your hardware. I remind you: it only works on 64 systems. Therefore, carefully check what you have;
→ There is a possibility that the crashes are also due to the fact that you have several video cards on one system. So, if you are the owner of a "tandem", then it is best to disable the secondary card, because the game does not support the "SLI" and "CrossFire" profiles;
→ If you own a laptop and therefore play on it, then you should switch from the “built-in” video card to the “dedicated” one. In any case, you need to find out on which of the video cards you will have, and the game will not work;
→ Do flights continue? It's time to try the most common launch of the game as an administrator with all the surrounding rights and in the "seven" compatibility mode (Windows 7). As a rule, it is in the combination of these two parts that the problem of departures lies;
→ If this really happens, we are going to study the RAM of your PC, because if you do not have enough of it for at least the minimum requirements (4 GB of RAM), then this means that you simply do not have enough memory, so you will continue to be thrown out and there will be no comfortable game;
→ But if everything is more or less normal with memory, then I recommend closing all unnecessary programs that take up a lot of RAM. For example, this list of programs includes the same Skype (Skype), some browser (Opera, Google, etc.), or even an antivirus, so it is also advisable to disable it at the time of the game;
→ And never forget that crashes may occur due to the fact that you are the owner of a pirated version of the game. If this is true, then either wait for corrective patches, or change the game to a licensed version.
The game shows a red screen
→ If you really have this problem, that is, a red screen appears at startup, then you are probably the owner of a pirated version of the game, so you will either have to switch to a licensed version or wait for a patch from some pirated studio.
Game won't start
→ First of all, you need to make sure that no important files related to the game have been deleted on your computer. For example, before installing it, it is best to disable the antivirus again, or put the folder where you install the game into exceptions for the antivirus;
→ There are also more “subtle” problems. So, for example, if there are Russian letters in the installation path (and there should be only Latin letters), then the game may not start precisely because of this. Especially if the game was purchased from the popular Steam service. In addition, at the same time it is better to check the integrity of the cache in Steam Library;
→ The last option is to run the games as an administrator in "Windows" compatibility mode. If this did not help to run the game correctly, then expect corrective patches from the developers.
The game slows down, buggy, lags or how to increase FPS in XCOM 2
→ It is also possible that the integrity of the cache in the Steam service was corrupted, as a result of which one of the files was deleted.
The game does not work or there is no Russian language
→ Since the game is officially localized, most likely the problem lies in the fact that you need to switch the language in the properties to Russian in the library with steam games.
I get an error about a missing DII file
→ In this case, you need to download an application called "DLL Fixer" or another similar program to your computer. Have downloaded, then run it and scan your PC. You need to enter the missing file that appears during the error in the "DII" field. Then it remains to install this file and only after that start the game again.
Crashes with an error or error "Faulting application name: XCom2.exe"
→ If nothing helped you, then you are probably the owner of a pirated version of the game, so again you will either have to change the game to a licensed version, or wait for a patch.
There is no sound in the game, or the sound is gone
→ To begin with, we check what is correct and most important - whether the sound playback device (for example, speakers or headphones) is well connected to your computer. A fairly simple and common problem, and not a significant one, so even if you don’t want to, check it anyway;
→ If the problem is that there is sound in other games, namely it doesn’t, then go to the settings and set all the values to the highest level;
→ If you are a happy owner of an external audio card, then it's time to check and download the latest drivers;
→ The last option is to check the integrity of the cache, because quite often it happens that a file is deleted. It is possible that the sound file has been deleted.
Game not saving
→ A non-working save is not a rare problem. The first thing to do is check the save path. Because it should not contain Cyrillic;
→ There is also a possibility that the availability of free space where the game saves are stored may have ended. Because of this, the game does not save. At least a few gigabytes should be free, please note.
An error occurred during the installation of the game, or an endless installation is in progress
→ As a rule, errors during the installation of XCOM 2 occur because the game files conflict with the included antivirus (in other words, it swears and deletes them). Usually, the antivirus takes some files as suspicious and acts with them as with a virus - it deletes them. That is why either an endless installation occurs, or an error occurs during installation.
Characters do not move, saves do not work, the game is buggy
→ The first thing you need to keep in mind is to save often. In case there is any bug with the task, characters and other things. You can always reboot. As a rule, after a reboot, the errors disappear. There is a chance that you will have to reboot more than once, so be patient and wait for patches that will fix bugs.
- Release date: February 5, 2016
- Genre: turn-based tactics
- Publisher: 2K Games
- Developer: Firaxis Games
XCom 2 is a turn-based tactical game with role-playing elements, which is a continuation of the XCom game: Enemy unknown, released in 2012. Both games are part of the well-known X-Com series, many of whose projects were very popular at one time - starting from the 90s of the last century. The gameplay in XCom 2 is similar to the gameplay of the previous parts, and story events in it take place several years after what was told in the previous part.
Over the years, aliens from other planets have defeated earthlings, and the XCom organization has been forgotten. Aliens colonized our planet and established their own order, with total surveillance and control over people - probably counting on the fact that the latter will have to play some unpleasant role in the future. But the inhabitants of the planet, living outside major cities, disagreed with this state of affairs and revived the XCom organization.
In the game, the user controls the Avenger mobile base, rebuilt from an alien supply ship, and to conduct combat operations on the surface, he is given a squad of soldiers - each with his own set of skills and opportunities for development.
The first information about the release of the game in question appeared at the end of May 2015, when a promo site was launched, the elements of which indicated that the game project belonged to X-com series. The game was officially presented on June 1, 2015 on the IGN website, and more detailed information issued already at the E3 2015 exhibition. The release date of the game has not changed much since that time - it was on February 5, 2016 that it was released.
XCom 2 is developed using the most popular Unreal Engine version 3.5, on which many famous game projects, but the engine was further modified by the game's developers. During its development, the Unreal Engine of this version received many features, including graphic ones, such as advanced global illumination and shading techniques, and one of the interesting innovations was support for destructible objects using PhysX and Apex technologies.
Although Unreal Engine 3.5 is already slightly outdated, the game features very good graphics for its genre, it uses modern algorithms and effects such as real-time global shading calculation (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion - SSAO), advanced post-processing effects such as depth of field simulation ( Depth of Field - DOF) and bokeh (Bokeh), realistic reflections on surfaces (Screen Space Reflections), physically correct particle systems, the effect of subsurface scattering (Subsurface Scattering) for realistic rendering of the skin of characters and others.
In general, the impression of the graphic part of the game is not bad, if you make allowances for the genre that does not require ultra-modern graphics and the highest possible frame rate. The level of technology is at a more or less modern level, the picture in the game is pleasant, although the optimization could be better - there are unpleasant and incomprehensible drawdowns that violate the smoothness of the game series. We will talk about this later, but now we will consider the system requirements of the game.
System requirements
Minimum system requirements:
- cpu level Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz;
- RAM of at least 4 GB;
- graphics card model GeForce GTX 460 1 GB or Radeon HD 5770 1 GB;
- free space on the drive 45 GB;
- level processor Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz or AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core 2.6 GHz;
- RAM from 8 GB;
- graphics card model GeForce GTX 770 2 GB or Radeon HD 7970 2 GB and higher;
- free space on the drive 45 GB;
- 64-bit operating system Microsoft Windows 7/8/10 with DirectX 11 or 12.
The hardware requirements seem to be quite sane, and with these video cards, with the appropriate (not maximum) settings, the game starts and works well. However, to use high and maximum settings at resolutions like 2560 × 1440 and 3840 × 2160, much more powerful GPUs will be required: at maximum settings at 4K, even top solutions like the GeForce GTX 980 Ti may not be enough to achieve a frame rate of 50-60 FPS. And soon you will know the main reason for this state of affairs.
Test configuration and testing methodology
Since the release of the last article, we have solved one of the problems that we noted in previous gaming tests. We used to only have a GeForce GTX 960 with 2 GB of VRAM, which was lacking in difficult conditions like high resolutions and maximum quality settings, which resulted in jerky FPS and low performance. We changed the test board to exactly the same version, but with 4 gigabytes of memory, and now both video cards perform in absolutely equal conditions.
Since XCom 2 is not included in any of AMD's and Nvidia's marketing and technical support programs, neither company has released special driver versions by the time it was released. Although Nvidia had an update to version 361.75 quite recently, and AMD recently released a specially optimized driver for Rise of the tomb raider- Radeon Software Crimson 16.1.1 Hotfix (already the second - from February 4). It is likely that both companies are working on improving the performance of their GPUs in new game, and optimized driver versions are just around the corner.
As a test scene from XCom 2, we chose the first non-tutorial level. The GPU load in this scene is quite high and reflects the overall 3D performance of the game. Our short but capacious game snippet included both game videos on the engine, and a typical gameplay with a top-side view. Although at other levels and in other conditions the load may be higher, but in general the selected fragment is quite representative.
Let's move on to the section with determining the impact that changing the main graphics settings has on the final performance and rendering quality, and finally, the most important thing will be the study of the performance of a pair of test GeForce and Radeon video cards in the XCom 2 game.
Impact of settings on performance and quality
Graphic settings in the game XCom 2 are changed in the game menu - both on the initial screen and directly during the gameplay. It is very convenient that changing any graphic settings takes effect immediately, without the need to reload the level or even the game. In addition to screen resolution and inclusion vertical sync, in a set advanced settings includes a large number of quality parameters.
Here you can immediately apply one of the preset settings profiles: Minimum, Low, Medium, High and Maximum, which affect all other quality parameters. But it is not necessary to be limited to fixed profiles, you can adjust the quality to your needs. Here are all the profiles preinstalled in the game:
Settings
Low settings
Medium Settings
High Settings
Maximum settings
As you can see, the difference in the parameters being changed is quite large, but how does this affect the picture? Let's pay attention to the quality of rendering at different settings in the game and in the menu - first, let's look at one of the most GPU-demanding modes, which displays a huge 3D Avenger scene with a lot of objects:
Minimal settings profile
Low settings profile
Medium settings profile
High settings profile
Maximum settings profile
The rendering quality is quite consistent with the settings - it changes from the minimum to the maximum possible. Also pay attention to the FPS counter in the upper right corner of the screen - it shows what frame rate is provided at different quality settings on a system with a GeForce GTX 960 video card. can be considered optimal. Let's see what happens in the videos on the game engine:
Minimum settings profile
Low settings profile
Medium settings profile
High settings profile
Maximum settings profile
Unfortunately, it is not possible to show an identical scene with different settings, but we tried to get as close as possible to this. You can see different rendering quality and disabled effects corresponding to the graphics settings. The FPS counter shows that the frame rate provided by the GeForce GTX 960 at maximum settings with MSAA is too low, and the high settings profile can again be called optimal for Full HD resolution. It remains to be seen what FPS is provided at the very gameplay:
Minimum settings profile
Low settings profile
Medium settings profile
High settings profile
Maximum settings profile
In our opinion, when viewed from a height, which is typical for similar games, the difference in picture quality is no longer as noticeable as in the previous scenes. Yes, the draw distance is slightly different, at low quality profiles there are no some effects and so on, but in general this does not interfere with the game itself. For example, the level of full-screen anti-aliasing does not have to be set to the maximum value (MSAA 8x), its effect is not so noticeable. As a last resort, you can turn on FXAA, although it blurs the image slightly.
The main thing is that at maximum settings the frame rate is too low, because 18 FPS even for turn-based tactical game- too little. Here are 37 FPS at high settings - more than playable for this game genre, and this mode can be tentatively called optimal for video cards of the GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon R9 380 level. But let's look at some of the graphics settings in more detail - perhaps there are other reserves for performance improvement.
In the XCom 2 graphics settings menu, you can change the full screen anti-aliasing method: Disabled, FXAA and all available MSAA methods: 2x, 4x and 8x. All of them differ markedly in performance and quality:
Anti-aliasing disabled
FXAA
Anti-aliasing MSAA 2x
Anti-aliasing MSAA 4x
Anti-aliasing MSAA 8x
With quality, everything is clear: the FXAA method gives a slightly worse quality of anti-aliasing for the edges of polygons, but it also smoothes textures, unlike MSAA, and multisampling perfectly eliminates “ladders”, but does not touch translucent textures, which are quite a lot in the game. But the main thing is that all MSAA methods seriously lower the rendering speed: if enabling FXAA causes a drop in FPS from 40 to 37 frames per second, then even MSAA 2x reduces the speed immediately to 28 FPS! Not to mention MSAA 4x and 8x which give 24 and 18 FPS respectively.
Our conclusion: FXAA is the best anti-aliasing method.- a very fast post-processing filter that smoothes the edges of polygons and textures, although not perfectly, but with a certain quality. As side effects of the method, there is some blurring of textures and the appearance of temporal aliasing artifacts in the form of "jumping" pixels, which are clearly visible in dynamics. But in terms of speed and quality, it is the best in this case.
The next setting we will look at is the choice of global shading method. ambient occlusion: Disabled, Tile AO and SSAO. The Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) effect allows you to render a scene with more realistic shadows around objects. This algorithm works differently compared to typical dynamic shadow rendering schemes, it creates additional very soft shadows on all objects in the scene using post-processing.
AO disabled
TileAO Method
SSAO Method
To be honest, we did not really understand what exactly Tile AO includes - we did not see any performance drop or any special visual effect. But SSAO works by adding realism to the scene, shading scene objects where it should, although not as efficiently as similar algorithms in other games. And the drop in performance from 47 FPS to 37 FPS with this effect is quite noticeable, so on weak systems, we would advise turning off Ambient Occlusion altogether- as inconspicuous, but demanding.
The next setting we will look at is - Shadows, which is responsible for rendering static and dynamic shadows. You can enable dynamic shadows for characters or leave only static (Static only) or directional (Directional Only). In our opinion, the difference in performance of 2 frames per second (39 and 37 FPS) is not worth losing more realism of the picture. We recommend leaving the Shadows parameter in All Shadows mode., since shadows are the most important component of the picture, directly affecting realism. The same goes for shadow quality settings. shadow quality- on modern systems, it can be left in maximum or high quality.
Texture quality in XCom 2 is controlled by the parameter Texture Detail, and it all depends solely on the amount of video memory. Texture quality is very important for quality rendering, but in typical top-down gameplay, it's not easy to find a significant difference between different values. In videos on the engine with objects close to the camera and with characters at close-ups, it will be much more noticeable - see the comparison of images with different quality profiles at the beginning of the section.
As for rendering performance at different texture quality settings, everything is the same as always. If textures, buffers and other resources are included in the local memory of the video card, then the impact of the setting on performance will be negligible - up to a drop of 1 FPS. But at a resolution of 2560×1440 at maximum settings, the two-gigabyte version of the GeForce GTX 960 no longer has enough video memory for textures and resources, and the rendering speed drops significantly. However, if you do not set anti-aliasing by the multisampling method, then 2 GB of memory is enough for the game even in high resolutions. Our advice: on modern video cards, feel free to set the maximum texture quality.
Parameter texture filtering allows you to change the texture filtering method and level for all textures in the game. This affects the clarity of textures seen at a distance from the camera, and especially on surfaces that are at sharp angles to the camera. Without anisotropic filtering turned on, many of the surfaces will be pretty blurry, which will significantly reduce image quality. On all modern systems, there is no point in choosing bilinear or trilinear filtering, since enabling anisotropic filtering even at the maximum possible level of 16x will reduce the speed by a maximum of 1 FPS, and texture quality without it will be noticeably lower. Bottom line: on all modern GPUs, we strongly recommend using the Aniso value of 16x.
Next setting - Depth of Field, which can be set to Disabled, Simple and Bokeh. We have repeatedly considered this effect in our materials, it blurs the background in videos on the engine, giving these fragments a cinematic look. Such effects usually do not take too much performance, and it is recommended to leave them enabled, but in the case of XCom 2, Depth of Field somehow affects even when playing from above, reducing the speed from 41 FPS without this effect to 37 FPS in Bokeh. So that if you lack performance, then it is better to disable the effect of Depth of Field, in the game it will definitely not be useful to you.
And a few more frames per second can be added to you by setting draw distance, which is responsible for the distance of drawing objects at medium and far distances. This setting allows you to find a compromise between scene detail and rendering performance, which is especially important on weak systems.
Draw Distance Low
Draw Distance High
You can see that the amount of vegetation and other small objects, such as rocks and debris, in the middle and background is reduced when set to Low. On the GeForce GTX 960, this gives an additional 3-4 frames per second, but at the same time worsens the detail of the scene in game conditions, so its lowering cannot be called justified. Verdict: Keep Draw Distance High.
Setting Screen Space Reflections is responsible for enabling realistic reflections on some surfaces in the game. And this applies not only to water, but also to metal and other surfaces that reflect light well. Although some positive effect there is a perception, but it cannot be said that this significantly improves the picture with a typical game in XCom 2:
Screen Space Reflections Off
Screen Space Reflections On
If you look closely, you can see the reflection of the crates on the shiny trailers. Vehicle used to transport alien artifacts. But at what cost is it given! The performance difference between enabling and disabling the effect in this game is a whopping six frames per second: 37 with reflections enabled and 43 FPS with them disabled. We advise you to disable Screen Space Reflections if you lack performance.
Other parameters like Bloom and Dirty Lens are mainly responsible for enabling post-processing filters used in some scenes of the game. Most often, their inclusion has a very weak effect on overall performance with modern GPUs of at least an average level, so we can recommend leaving them enabled, as they bring a certain amount of realism to the picture, which is especially noticeable in videos on the game engine. The same applies to Subsurface Scattering- the effect of subsurface scattering, which serves for a more realistic rendering of the skin of the characters.
Universal advice for setting up the game for most modern systems: set high or maximum settings depending on the system power, be sure to turn off VSync, when choosing a full screen anti-aliasing method, discard all types of MSAA by choosing FXAA or no anti-aliasing. If you don't have enough performance after that, then set the Ambient Occlusion to Tile AO or Disabled, turn off the Depth of Field effect completely, and turn off Screen Space Reflections. All other settings can be left at maximum level, they affect the frame rate slightly.
Performance Testing
As part of our study, we tested the performance of two mid-range graphics cards based on Nvidia and AMD GPUs at the two most common screen resolutions (1920x1080 and 2560x1440), as well as at three different levels of settings that the game itself sets. when choosing the appropriate preset profiles: Medium, High and Maximum, the difference between which you can see from the screenshots.
It is possible to set the Low level and even the minimum Minimal settings in the menu, but they simply do not make sense, since mid-range video cards should provide normal speed at least with average image quality. We also review the highest quality profile as it is the most requested option among PC gaming enthusiasts. Consider the most popular Full HD resolution.
Resolution 1920×1080 (Full HD)
At medium quality settings, video cards show a fairly high level of performance, close to the average 60 FPS, which is not necessary for a game of this genre. The Radeon R9 380 shows slightly higher average and maximum frame rates, but the minimum FPS with this video card turned out to be lower compared to the GeForce GTX 960. But in both options, the frame rate did not drop below 30. Let's see what will change with high quality.
There are not many changes: the average frame rate has dropped to just over 40 FPS for both cards, and they are almost equal in this indicator. Radeon still provides a higher maximum and lower minimum frame rate, which this time already reached the minimum comfortable level of 27 FPS. Although GeForce, with its minimum of 29 FPS, did not go far either. However, for tactical turn based game such a frame rate is quite comfortable, for many, even less is enough, because the genre simply does not require a lightning-fast reaction and quick actions.
Let's look at the speed with the Maximum settings profile, which turns on anti-aliasing with multisampling and the number of samples of 8 samples (MSAA 8x). Let's say right away that two gigabytes of video memory is no longer enough for this mode, but both of our video cards have 4 GB of memory. However, this does not help them much: in this mode, both the GeForce GTX 960 and the Radeon R9 380 cannot provide acceptable comfort. Calling 20 FPS on average with a minimum frame rate of 14-15 FPS is not playable even for turn-based tactics.
Both video cards in this mode do not provide comfortable performance, but what happens if you disable MSAA 8x and replace this type of anti-aliasing with an FXAA post-filter? At the same time, all other settings remain at the highest possible level, and anti-aliasing by the multisampling method always requires too many resources, and it is better to enable it only on top solutions, which the tested video cards obviously do not belong to.
With MSAA 8x disabled, performance even at maximum settings on both the Radeon R9 380 and GeForce GTX 960 is close to High mode. It turns out that the optimal mode for Full HD resolution is exactly this option - the maximum settings profile, but with the replacement of MSAA by FXAA. The average frame rate in this case exceeds 40 FPS, and the minimum is 26-29 FPS, and GeForce is again slightly ahead here.
To see why we get similar average performance with differences in minimum and maximum FPS, let's look at the graph of the average frame rate per second in the optimal mode - with Maximum presets, but with FXAA anti-aliasing:
The FPS graph turned out to be quite visual: although on average, Radeon and GeForce are almost on par, providing similar performance throughout the entire scene, it is clearly visible that the frame rate on the Radeon R9 380 jumps back and forth more often, providing lower minimum and higher maximum values. FPS, which in theory should lead to slightly worse gaming comfort
In order to understand the difference in the behavior of Radeon and GeForce even better, we decided to look at the rendering time of individual frames (frametime) under the same conditions. The rendering time of frames shows how stable the frequency of their calculation and change is maintained, a large difference in the rendering time of neighboring frames will cause more jerks and brakes, which means more discomfort when playing.
This graph even more clearly shows the difference between the smoothness of frame rates on systems with the Radeon R9 380 and with the GeForce GTX 960. On average, the Radeon is even slightly faster than the GeForce, the frame rendering time of this solution is closer to 20 milliseconds (in this case, than the values below - all the better).
But it is on the graphics of the video card based on the AMD GPU that there is less stability in the rendering time and somewhat larger peaks where the GeForce has either less or none at all. That is, the opinion expressed earlier is confirmed: the video card based on the Nvidia chip provides a slightly higher smoothness of frame changes with a similar average FPS, at least in Full HD resolution.
Resolution 2560×1440 (WQHD)
We consider the mode of medium rendering quality settings at a rendering resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels. It turned out about the same as it was at high settings in Full HD. Both test cards provide quite comfortable 41-42 FPS on average at medium graphics settings in WQHD resolution, and Radeon is just a little bit faster this time not only in average and maximum frame rates, but also in minimum FPS.
But at high quality settings at 2560×1440 it turned out worse. Both the GeForce GTX 960 and the Radeon R9 380 sank even lower and delivered only about 26 FPS on average, which can hardly be called comfortable performance even for a turn-based tactical game XCom 2. conditionally. With a big discount, this performance can be called the minimum acceptable for a game of this genre, but in scenes with a large number of characters and effects, performance can drop below the minimum comfortable level.
Given the performance obtained at a lower resolution, the highest settings in WQHD could not be tested. Unsurprisingly, we got a very low average frame rate of about 13 FPS on both video cards - such a rendering speed is not able to provide comfortable gaming. Let's see if the Radeon R9 380 and GeForce GTX 960 will be able to "pull" the maximum settings mode with multisampling disabled.
And again, in the maximum settings mode with FXAA anti-aliasing, we get a speed almost like at high settings. So, we can only repeat what was said earlier: if an average 25-26 FPS is enough for you for a tactical turn-based game that does not require active actions and quick reactions, then the tested video cards can provide it at the maximum quality of 2560x1440, taking into account the rejection of MSAA. And yet, drawdowns of up to 17-18 FPS in videos on the engine or in the gameplay can hardly be called comfortable, and we believe that such a frame rate is insufficient, at least 25 FPS minimum and 35-40 FPS on average are needed. On the other hand, this game is unhurried, and the choice is up to the players.
Finally, we note that the release of the XCom 2 game from 2K Games and Firaxis Games certainly did not turn out smoothly. Players immediately started complaining about numerous performance and stability issues with the game. For example, some criticize the low frame rate (many of these problems are solved by turning off vertical sync and choosing the FXAA anti-aliasing method instead of MSAA multisampling), there are also difficulties with game crashes, choosing 4K resolution in the game menu, and others.
We are confident that Firaxis Games is already working on fixing these issues and will release patches soon. It is possible that optimized video drivers from Nvidia and AMD will help improve the state of the game's performance, but the solution to all these difficulties will take at least a few days. And if such a need arises after the release of patches or drivers, we will definitely update our research.
If XCOM 2 crashes, XCOM 2 won't start, XCOM 2 not installing, there are no controls in XCOM 2, no sound in game, errors happen in XCOM 2 – we offer you the most common ways to solve data problems.
First, check if your PC meets the minimum system requirements:
- OS: Windows7, 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6 GHz / AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core 2.6 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB
- Video: 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770 / 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
- HDD: 45 GB free space
- DirectX: Version 11
Be sure to update your video card drivers and other software
Before you remember the worst words and express them towards the developers, do not forget to go to the official website of the manufacturer of your video card and download the latest drivers. Often, specially optimized drivers are prepared for the release of games. You can also try installing a later version of the drivers if the problem is not solved by installing the current version.
It is important to remember that you should only download the final versions of video cards - try not to use beta versions, as they may have a large number of bugs not found and not fixed.
Do not forget that games often require the latest version of DirectX to be installed, which can always be downloaded from the official Microsoft website.
XCOM 2 won't launch
Many problems with launching games happen due to incorrect installation. Check if there were any errors during the installation, try to uninstall the game and run the installer again, after disabling the antivirus - often the files necessary for the game to work are deleted by mistake. It is also important to remember that in the path to the folder with installed game there should be no Cyrillic characters - use only Latin letters and numbers for directory names.
It still does not hurt to check if there is enough space on the HDD for installation. You can try to run the game as Administrator in compatibility mode with different versions of Windows.
XCOM 2 is slow. Low FPS. Logs. Friezes. hangs up
First - install the latest drivers for the video card, from this FPS in the game can rise significantly. Also check the computer's load in the task manager (opened by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE). If, before starting the game, you see that some process is consuming too many resources, turn off its program or simply end this process from the task manager.
Next, go to the graphics settings in the game. First of all, turn off anti-aliasing and try lowering the settings responsible for post-processing. Many of them consume a lot of resources and disabling them will significantly increase performance without greatly affecting the quality of the picture.
XCOM 2 crashes to desktop
If XCOM 2 often crashes to your desktop, try lowering the graphics quality to start solving the problem. It is possible that your computer simply does not have enough performance and the game cannot work correctly. Also worth checking out for updates - most modern games have a system for automatically installing new patches. Check if this option is disabled in the settings.
Black screen in XCOM 2
More often than not, the problem with the black screen is an issue with the GPU. Check if your graphics card meets the minimum requirements and install the latest drivers. Sometimes a black screen is the result of insufficient CPU performance.
If everything is fine with the hardware, and it meets the minimum requirements, try switching to another window (ALT + TAB), and then return to the game window.
XCOM 2 won't install. Installation stuck
First of all, check if you have enough HDD space for installation. Remember that the setup program requires the advertised amount of space plus 1-2 gigabytes of free space on the system drive to run properly. In general, remember the rule - the system drive should always have at least 2 gigabytes of free space for temporary files. Otherwise, both games and programs may not work correctly or refuse to start at all.
Installation problems can also occur due to lack of Internet connection or its unstable operation. Also, do not forget to suspend the antivirus while installing the game - sometimes it interferes with the correct copying of files or deletes them by mistake, considering them viruses.
Saves not working in XCOM 2
By analogy with the previous solution, check the availability of free space on the HDD - both on the one where the game is installed and on the system drive. Often save files are stored in a folder of documents, which is located separately from the game itself.
Controls not working in XCOM 2
Sometimes the controls in the game do not work due to the simultaneous connection of several input devices. Try disabling the gamepad, or if for some reason you have two keyboards or mice connected, leave only one pair of devices. If the gamepad does not work for you, then remember that only controllers that are defined as Xbox joysticks officially support games. If your controller is defined differently, try using programs that emulate Xbox joysticks (for example, x360ce).
Sound not working in XCOM 2
Check if the sound works in other programs. After that, check if the sound is turned off in the settings of the game itself and if the sound playback device is selected there, to which your speakers or headset are connected. Next, while the game is running, open the mixer and check if the sound is muted there.
If you are using an external sound card- check for new drivers on the manufacturer's website.
