Gatehouse at 19:36, 16 May 2026

2026-05-16T19:36:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 16 May 2026
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	{{Tutorial}}		{{Tutorial}}
	{{Build\|0.277.0.8}}		{{Build\|0.277.0.8}}
	This tutorial explains how to use the '''Game Settings''' menu in ''[[Starship Simulator]]'' to adjust the ~~games verious~~ settings~~. As~~ well as some details on what different settings change or mean.		This tutorial explains how to use the '''Game Settings''' menu in ''[[Starship Simulator]]'' to adjust the game's various settings, as well as some details on what different settings change, or mean.

	== Accessing the Menu ==		== Accessing the Menu ==
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	== Main Interface ==		== Main Interface ==
	The menu presents several tabs allowing customization of different aspects of the game. Across the bottom are three standard buttons:		The menu presents several tabs allowing customization of different aspects of the game. Across the bottom are three standard buttons:
	*'''CANCEL:''' ~~Closes~~ the menu without applying any pending changes.		*'''CANCEL:''' closes the menu without applying any pending changes
	*'''RESTORE SAVED:''' ~~Resets~~ all options on the currently viewed tab to the the last saved settings.		*'''RESTORE SAVED:''' resets all options on the currently viewed tab to the the last saved settings
	*'''SAVE:''' ~~Applies~~ any changes made across all tabs and closes the menu.		*'''SAVE:''' applies any changes made across all tabs and closes the menu

	==Sections (Tabs)==		==Sections (Tabs)==
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	===PREFERENCES===		===PREFERENCES===

	The Preferences Screen lists the options to change basic settings for the gameplay experience.		The Preferences Screen lists the options to change basic settings for the overall gameplay experience.

	{\| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"		{\| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"

Ayjayaredii: Updated

2026-03-29T13:40:05Z

Updated

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:40, 29 March 2026
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	{{WIP}}		{{WIP}}
	{{Tutorial}}		{{Tutorial}}
			{{Build\|0.277.0.8}}
	This tutorial explains how to use the '''Game Settings''' menu in ''[[Starship Simulator]]'' to adjust the games verious settings. As well as some details on what different settings change or mean.		This tutorial explains how to use the '''Game Settings''' menu in ''[[Starship Simulator]]'' to adjust the games verious settings. As well as some details on what different settings change or mean.

Ayjayaredii: Create page

2025-10-19T15:42:38Z

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{{WIP}}
{{Tutorial}}

This tutorial explains how to use the '''Game Settings''' menu in ''[[Starship Simulator]]'' to adjust the games verious settings. As well as some details on what different settings change or mean.

== Accessing the Menu ==
The Games Setting menu can typically be accessed at any time while in-game by pressing the <code>Esc</code> key and selecting ''Settings'' on the Main Menu.

== Main Interface ==
The menu presents several tabs allowing customization of different aspects of the game. Across the bottom are three standard buttons:
*'''CANCEL:''' Closes the menu without applying any pending changes.
*'''RESTORE SAVED:''' Resets all options on the currently viewed tab to the the last saved settings.
*'''SAVE:''' Applies any changes made across all tabs and closes the menu.

==Sections (Tabs)==

===PREFERENCES===

The Preferences Screen lists the options to change basic settings for the gameplay experience.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''PREFERENCES Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! Options
|-
| '''Language'''
| Allows you to adjust the game's language.
| '''English''' (Currently the only option; others will be added later in development).
|-
| '''Headbob'''
| Toggles the bouncy movement for the camera when in ''First Person Camera Mode'' to simulate natural movements.
|
* '''On''': Movement simulation is activated.
* '''Off''': Movement simulation is not activated.
|-
| '''Name Tag (players)'''
| Sets a visible on-screen label above non-bot players' avatars, displaying their rank and name.
|
* '''On''': Player's tag labels are visible.
* '''Off''': Player's tag labels are not visible.
|-
| '''Name Tag (NPC)'''
| Sets a visible on-screen label above bot NPC avatars, displaying their rank and name.
|
* '''On''': NPC's tag labels are visible.
* '''Off''': NPC's tag labels are not visible.
|-
| '''Show Static Background Stars'''
| Toggles a ''Skybox'' of "Fake" stars used as a filler to fill the sky. This is a temporary option until the star draw distance is increased.
|
* '''On''': Skybox is visible.
* '''Off''': Skybox is not visible.
|-
| '''On-Screen Hints and Tips'''
| Toggles on-screen display text to help the player with in-game interactions (e.g., 'Press <code>F</code> to Sit').
|
* '''On''': Hints and Tips are visible.
* '''Off''': Hints and Tips are not visible.
|}

===DISPLAY===
The Display Screen lists the options to change display settings for the game.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''DISPLAY Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! Options
|-
| '''Resolution'''
| Sets the displayed '''pixel resolution''' for the game's output, which should match your monitor's optimal settings for the sharpest image.
| Multiple resolutions will be displayed depending on your monitor's capabilities.
|-
| '''Screen Mode'''
| Sets how the game window is displayed on your system.
|
* '''Window''' - Plays the game in a standard, adjustable window on your desktop.
* '''Fullscreen Window''' - Plays the game in a borderless window that covers the entire screen (maximised). This allows faster switching to other applications.
* '''Fullscreen''' - Plays the game in true full-screen mode, which may slightly prioritise game performance over quick access to the desktop.
|-
| '''Vertical Sync (VSync)'''
| Synchronises the game's '''frame rate (FPS)''' with the monitor's '''refresh rate (Hz)'''. Its primary goal is to '''eliminate screen tearing'''.
|
* '''On''' - Eliminates screen tearing by capping the frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate. *Use this if screen tearing is very distracting.* The downside is a potential increase in '''input lag''' and possible frame stuttering.
* '''Off''' - Allows the frame rate to run uncapped. *Use this for the lowest possible input lag and maximum FPS* (critical in competitive games). The downside is that screen tearing may occur.
|-
| '''Field of View (FOV)'''
| Sets the angle of the visible game world, determining how much of the environment you see on screen at one time.
| Adjustable by degrees (e.g., '''90°'''). A higher FOV shows more, but objects in the centre may appear distorted. A lower FOV feels more zoomed-in.
|-
| '''FPS Limit'''
| Caps the maximum number of frames the graphics card can render per second. Limiting FPS can reduce GPU heat and power consumption, or provide a consistent experience.
|
* '''24 FPS'''
* '''30 FPS'''
* '''60 FPS'''
* '''90 FPS'''
* '''120 FPS'''
* '''144 FPS'''
* '''Uncapped'''
|-
| '''Show FPS'''
| Toggles an on-screen counter displaying the game's current frame rate.
|
* '''ON''' - Displays the current FPS on screen.
* '''OFF''' - Hides the FPS counter.
|-
| '''Show Unit Times'''
| Toggles the display of time-related performance metrics (beyond simple FPS) on screen.
|
* '''ON''' - Displays advanced performance timings.
* '''OFF''' - Hides advanced performance timings.
|-
! colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | '''Performance Metrics Explained (Unit Times)'''
|-
! Metric
! Unit
! What it Measures & What to Look For
|-
| '''FPS''' (Frames Per Second)
| Frames/sec
| The number of complete frames rendered by the system per second. '''Goal:''' A higher, stable number (e.g., 60 or above) is best. A low number indicates low performance.
|-
| '''Frame Time'''
| ms (milliseconds)
| The total time it takes the system to process and display a single frame. This is the inverse of FPS (e.g., 60 FPS $\approx 16.6$ ms). '''Goal:''' A low, consistent number is ideal. '''Issue:''' Spikes in this number indicate stuttering, even if FPS remains high.
|-
| '''Game'''
| ms (milliseconds)
| The time the '''CPU''' spends processing '''game logic''' (AI, physics, updates, etc.) for a frame. '''CPU Bottleneck:''' If this value is close to or higher than '''Frame Time''', your CPU is the main performance limit.
|-
| '''Draw'''
| ms (milliseconds)
| The time the '''CPU''' spends instructing the GPU on what to render (the *rendering thread*). '''CPU Bottleneck:''' If this value is close to or higher than '''Frame Time''', your CPU is limiting the GPU.
|-
| '''RHIT''' (Rendering Hardware Interface Thread)
| ms (milliseconds)
| The time spent translating rendering commands to the specific graphics API (e.g., DirectX, Vulkan). This is part of the CPU's preparation work. '''Issue:''' A high value here suggests an inefficiency in how the CPU is communicating with the graphics driver.
|-
| '''GPU Time'''
| ms (milliseconds)
| The time the '''Graphics Card (GPU)''' spends on the actual rendering (shading, textures, post-processing). '''GPU Bottleneck:''' If this value is significantly higher than the '''Game''' and '''Draw''' times, your GPU is the main limit. Reduce graphics quality or resolution.
|-
| '''Mem'''
| GB (Gigabytes)
| The total amount of '''Video RAM (VRAM)''' being used by the game on your graphics card. '''Issue:''' If this value approaches or exceeds the VRAM capacity of your GPU, performance can drop dramatically.
|-
| '''RenderRes''' (Render Resolution)
| % & Pixels
| The current internal resolution the game is rendering at, often shown as a percentage of the display resolution. '''Note:''' This is usually tied to a Graphics Quality or Upscaling setting. Lowering this percentage improves GPU performance but reduces image quality.
|-
| '''Draws''' (Draw Calls)
| Count
| The number of times the '''CPU''' instructs the '''GPU''' to draw an object. '''Issue:''' A very high number can indicate a CPU bottleneck, as draw calls require CPU preparation time.
|-
| '''Prims''' (Primitives)
| Count (e.g., K for thousands)
| The total number of graphical primitives (usually triangles) being rendered in the scene. '''Issue:''' A very high number contributes to high '''GPU Time'''. Reducing complex geometry (e.g., using lower '''LODs''' or simpler meshes) reduces this count.
|}

===GRAPHICS===
The Graphics Screen lists the options to change Graphical settings for the user hardware. This also INcludeds some preset options for quick adjustments.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''GRAPHICS Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! colspan="3" | Options
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | '''RENDERING'''
|-
| '''Render Scale'''
| Governs the internal resolution the game is rendered at, affecting image clarity and performance.
| colspan="3" | Slider that adjusts from '''50%''' to '''200%''' in 5% steps. '''Note:''' Setting above 100% (supersampling) improves visual quality but heavily impacts FPS; setting below 100% improves FPS but reduces clarity.
|-
| '''Anti-aliasing'''
| A technique used to smooth out jagged edges on objects (jaggies) caused by low-resolution screens.
| colspan="3" |
* '''None''' - Disables anti-aliasing entirely. Provides the highest performance but results in noticeable, sharp, stair-step edges (aliasing).
* '''FXAA''' (Fast Approximate Anti-aliasing) - A fast, low-cost post-process filter that blurs high-contrast edges to smooth them. Very low performance impact, but can cause general image blurriness.
* '''TAA''' (Temporal Anti-aliasing) - Uses data from previous frames to create a smoother, high-quality final image. Excellent quality for static images, but can suffer from ghosting and blurriness during fast camera movement.
* '''TSR''' (Temporal Super Resolution) - An advanced, modern temporal upscaler (often built into Unreal Engine) that renders the game at a lower internal resolution and uses frame data to reconstruct a sharp, high-resolution image. Provides superior quality to TAA with better performance, especially when combined with a lower '''Render Scale'''.
|-
| '''Volumetric Fog'''
| Controls the quality and density of fog effects that react to light sources, giving a sense of depth and atmosphere.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Low''' - Simple, less detailed fog rendering with minimal performance impact.
* '''Medium''' - Increased fog density and visibility, with moderate performance cost.
* '''High''' - Dense, higher-quality fog that interacts realistically with light sources (e.g., God Rays). High performance cost.
* '''Max''' - Maximum density and quality; the most demanding setting, offering the highest visual fidelity.
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | '''LIGHTING & SHADOWS'''
|-
| '''Lighting Quality'''
| Controls the fidelity and complexity of the game's lighting model, including light scattering, reflections, and ambient shading.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Low''' - Simplistic light models and less accurate rendering; best for performance.
* '''Medium''' - Balanced lighting complexity and detail.
* '''High''' - Detailed and accurate light calculations with smoother transitions and richer colours.
* '''Max''' - Highest visual fidelity for light interactions; can be very demanding on the GPU.
|-
| '''Global Illumination'''
| Simulates how light bounces off surfaces (indirect light), making scenes look physically realistic with soft ambient light and colour bleeding.
| colspan="3" |
* '''None''' - Disables indirect light bouncing. Best performance, but objects may look flat and less integrated into the environment.
* '''Screen Space''' (SSGI) - Calculates light bouncing based only on what is currently visible on your screen. Offers good performance but can produce flickering or inaccurate lighting on off-screen objects.
* '''Lumen''' - Unreal Engine's advanced, fully dynamic GI system. It uses ray tracing (both software and hardware-accelerated) to calculate infinite light bounces and indirect reflections in real-time. This provides the highest quality and realism but is the most demanding setting.
|-
| '''Star Shadow Quality'''
| Determines the sharpness, detail, and render distance of shadows cast by celestial bodies.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Low''' - Minimal shadow complexity and shortest render distance; best for performance.
* '''Medium''' - Balanced shadow quality and render distance.
* '''High''' - Sharp, detailed shadows with a greater draw distance.
* '''Max''' - Highest resolution shadows rendered at the furthest distance; high GPU cost.
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | '''REFLECTIONS'''
|-
| '''Reflections Quality'''
| Controls the quality of dynamic reflections on shiny and wet surfaces (Screen Space Reflections).
| colspan="3" |
* '''Off''' - Disables dynamic reflections. Uses static reflection probes (cubemaps) only. Provides the greatest performance gain but leads to flat or inaccurate reflections.
* '''Low''' - Lowest resolution and sample count for dynamic reflections. Reflections appear grainy and fade out quickly. Moderate performance cost.
* '''High''' - Higher resolution, clearer reflections with better temporal stability and reduced graininess. Most expensive setting, should be disabled if FPS is a concern.
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | '''POST PROCESSING'''
|-
| '''Ambient Occlusion Method'''
| Controls the intensity and quality of contact shadows where objects or surfaces meet, adding depth.
| colspan="3" |
* '''SSAO''' (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) - A fast, legacy method that calculates soft shadows using only depth information visible on screen. Cheapest option but can cause visible noise and dark "halos" around objects.
* '''GTAO''' (Ground Truth Ambient Occlusion) - A modern, higher-quality, physically based method that provides more accurate and stable contact shadows than SSAO at a slightly higher cost. Recommended balance of quality and performance.
|-
| '''Bloom Quality'''
| Governs the intensity and quality of the visual glow effect surrounding bright light sources.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Off''' - Disables the glow effect entirely. Best performance.
* '''Standard''' - Uses a fast, traditional blurring algorithm to create a soft glow. Good balance of performance and effect.
* '''Convolution''' - Uses a high-quality Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method to create physically realistic starbursts or lens diffraction effects. Very high GPU cost; best for cinematics or high-end systems.
|-
| '''Motion Blur'''
| Simulates the blur effect seen in fast movement, often used to smooth out low frame rates.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Off''' - Provides the sharpest, clearest image possible during fast movement. Recommended for competitive play or if you experience motion sickness.
* '''On''' - Applies a blur to objects and the camera during rapid motion. Can make low frame rates appear smoother and enhances the cinematic feel, but reduces visual clarity and can cause motion sickness.
|-
| '''Chromatic Aberration'''
| A camera lens effect that causes colour fringing near the edges of the screen.
| colspan="3" |
* '''Off''' - Disables the effect completely. Recommended for visual clarity and competitive play.
* '''Mild''' - Applies a subtle colour fringing, usually at the periphery, to suggest a cinematic or camera-lens view.
* '''Heavy''' - Applies a strong, noticeable colour separation that can be used for stylistic effect (e.g., to represent intoxication or damaged vision).
* '''Extreme''' - Maximum intensity fringing, which is highly distracting and can cause significant eye strain.
|-
| '''Image Sharpening'''
| Applies a post-process filter to increase the perceived sharpness and clarity of the final image. This is often used to counter the blurring introduced by Anti-aliasing or Resolution Scaling.
| colspan="3" |
* '''None''' - Disables the sharpening filter. Provides the cleanest image but may appear soft if TAA is enabled.
* '''Mild''' - Applies a subtle sharpening filter. Ideal for reducing TAA blur without introducing artifacts.
* '''Heavy''' - Applies a strong sharpening effect. Provides crisp details but may cause shimmering, noise, or harsh halos around edges.
* '''Extreme''' - Maximum sharpening. Will produce the sharpest edges but comes with a high risk of visual artifacts and noise.
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | '''Graphical Presets'''
|-
! Setting !! Low !! Medium !! High !! Ultra
|-
| Render Scale || 60% || 75% || 100% || 100%
|-
| Anti-aliasing || TAA || TAA || TSR || TSR
|-
| Volumetric Fog || LOW || Medium || High || Max
|-
| Lighting Quality || LOW || Medium || High || High
|-
| Global Illumination || None || None || Screen Space || Lumen
|-
| Star Shadow Quality || LOW || Medium || High || Max
|}

===AUDIO===
The Audio Screen lists the options to change sound settings.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''AUDIO Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! Options
|-
| '''Master Volume'''
| Controls the overall loudness of all sound elements in the game. Used to adjust the entire game's volume relative to your operating system volume.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Music'''
| Controls the volume level of the background music, soundtrack, and score.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Ambiance'''
| Controls the volume level of background environmental sounds, such as spaceship hum, wind, distant effects, and general atmosphere.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Interface'''
| Controls the volume level of user interface sounds, such as menu clicks, button presses, and notifications.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Effects'''
| Controls the volume level of critical in-game sound effects, such as weapon fire, explosions, machine noise, and movement sounds.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Voice Chat'''
| Controls the volume level of incoming player voice communications.
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (Muted) to '''100%''' (Maximum) in 1% steps.
|}

===CONTROLS===
The Controls Screen lists the options to change basic input settings for the users input controllers.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''CONTROLS Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! Options
|-
| '''Mouse Sensitivity'''
| Controls the responsiveness and speed of the camera movement relative to physical mouse movement.
| Slider that adjusts from '''1%''' (Very slow) to '''300%''' (Very fast) in 1% steps.
|-
| '''Invert Mouse Y'''
| Reverses the vertical (Y-axis) camera movement. Moving the mouse up will look down, and moving the mouse down will look up.
| Toggle with options: '''ON''' (Inverted) or '''OFF''' (Standard).
|-
| '''Crosshair'''
| Selects the style or visibility of the on-screen targeting reticle (crosshair).
| Integer selection representing different styles, 23 options from vaules 1 to 23
|}

===ACCESSIBILITY===
The Accessibility Screen lists the options to change accessability settings for users with visual.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;"
|+ '''ACCESSIBILITY Settings Table'''
! Setting
! Description
! Options
|-
| '''Camera Zoom Amount'''
| Sets the level of magnification when the camera is zoomed (Right Mouse Button by default).
| Slider that adjusts from '''0%''' (No zoom) to '''100%''' (Maximum zoom) in 10% steps.
|-
| '''Visual Deficiency Type'''
| Selects the type of colour vision deficiency filter applied to the game world.
|
'''None''' - Disables the colour filter.
'''Deuteranope''' (Green Weak/Blind) - Applies a filter to aid those with green-colour deficiency.
'''Protanope''' (Red Weak/Blind) - Applies a filter to aid those with red-colour deficiency.
'''Tritanope''' (Blue Weak/Blind) - Applies a filter to aid those with blue-colour deficiency.
|-
| '''Correction Strength'''
| Controls the intensity of the selected colour correction filter.
| Slider that adjusts from '''10%''' (Minimal correction) to '''100%''' (Full correction) in 10% steps.
|}

== Saving Changes ==
After making adjustments across any of the tabs, click the '''SAVE''' button at the bottom to apply them to your game.

[[Category:Tutorials]]

Tutorial:Game Settings - Revision history

Gatehouse at 19:36, 16 May 2026

Ayjayaredii: Updated

Ayjayaredii: Create page