The 1.2 update has many performance fixes and improvements in OpenGL mode. But if you still need more frames, there are some settings that can be tweaked for an additional increase in frame rates.
Note: Some of these options can suddenly change in later updates! This page may become out of date if I forget to update it.
How to access the console
Many of these settings require using the console. You can access the console during gameplay (not in time attack or menus) and also from the title screen. The title screen is the screen that appears before the main menu is opened, press Esc in the main menu to go back to the title screen.
To open/close the console, press the key directly above the Tab key. (the name of the key depends on your country)
Disable screen textures
Type gr_screentextures 0 in console to disable screen textures. This can in some situations increase the frame rate dramatically! However, the following Kart features will stop working:
- Fullscreen scaling. Use windowed mode or use the desktop resolution in fullscreen to avoid issues.
- The intermission score screen background will turn gray.
- The heat wave and underwater screen waving effects won't work.
This setting is not currently saved into the config file, so you will need to use kartexec.cfg or type the command every time the game is started.
Use mip mapping
Change the setting in Options -> Video options -> OpenGL options -> Texture filter to NEAREST_MIPMAP. This will reduce texture resolution on far away surfaces and reduce GPU load.
Disable 3d models
3d models can be disabled in Options -> Video options -> 3d models. The sprites are faster to render than 3d models.
Disable Hitfeed (does this still apply to the newest Hitfeed version? I don't know.)
NOTE: This only applies to playing on servers that have the Hitfeed mod!
Hitfeed is an addon that shows recent Kart item hits on the screen. Hitfeed can however drastically decrease frame rates on lower end computers. While playing on a server that uses Hitfeed, it can be disabled by typing hitfeed 0 on the console.
Disable shaders
Shaders can be disabled in Options -> Video options -> OpenGL options -> Shaders. Fog and lighting effects will be disabled and colours will be less accurate. Some old GPUs may perform better.
Disable weather
Setting Options -> Video options -> Weather draw distance to None can improve performance somewhat on maps with rain.
Disable skyboxes
Skyboxes can be disabled in Options -> Video options -> Skyboxes.
Disable infinite draw distance
Options -> Video options -> Draw distance controls the draw distance of sprites. (and 3d models) Reducing it to something less than Infinite can help on maps with large open areas and on maps that use fog/mist sprites.
Disable solvetjoin
Typing gr_solvetjoin 0 can improve overall performance. However there will be many ugly pixel artifacts on certain polygon edges! This command will take effect when the map is changed. gr_solvetjoin 1 returns to normal.