Settings Menu
I swear: this page of the tutorial doesn't take you more than 2 minute.
Settings is divided into different category.
1 on the image above
ℹ️ V's will try to auto-detect you monitor resolution.
You can change monitor Width and Height resolution manually. Be aware to insert valid ones, cause fix doesn't check if entered resolution is supported by monitor (this is intended).
2 on the image above
ℹ️ Widescreen Fix provided by nemesis2000
If you play on a widescreen monitor/resolution the game (that didn't know what even 'widescreen' mean) will stretch game image resulting with character and general image stretched. This will restore a widescreen image like you should see on a modern game (In graphics, I mean. Nothings is modern more than MGS2 plot).
👍 Greatly improve image good looking
3 on the image above
They can be enabled only if 'Maintain Aspect Ration' is enabled.
Fullscreen Cutscene
This remove the black border on top and bottom of the screen when looking an ingame cutscene. Can be activated only with "Maintain Aspect Ratio" turned ON
Optimized 16:9 FOV
🆕 Inserted in 1.04
MGS2 isn't intended to be viewed in widescreen, so without this it may happen (on certain areas) to view outside the map. See this image for reference.
Enabling this option will fix this issues, restricting FOV on these areas. Can be arbitrarily disabled.
V's advice: Put it to 'on'.
4 on the image above
Display the game not fullscreen but inside a window.
You will play the game inside a window, on Windows. Fantastic.
5) Laptop Mode
🆕 From the 1.05 this option is no longer necessary. I keep it here only as a memorial 😄
Game has a LOT of problem with coexisting Intel Integrated Graphics and dedicated VGA adapter.
If you play on a LAPTOP that has an Intel VGA EVEN if you run the game using a dedicated VGA enable this.
This should be enabled always when you play from a laptop (that why is called "Laptop Mode"). This should be auto-detected by V's Fix.
6 on the image above
❗ Pay attention
If more graphical adapter are installed on the machine, more than one VGA will be displayed on this list.
If you have more than one VGA on this list, you have to choose the one that will run the game and be sure that your VGA drivers run the game coherently on your selected VGA. This (especially on laptop) should require some kind of operation inside your installed VGA driver control panel, because some 'power saving' settings from your VGAs driver could interfere with that decision, based on how the driver has decided to run the game.
Unfortunately this can't be done automatically by the fix.
🆕 If you are on a Windows 10 at least above 18xx, you can set your VGA preference directly from windows, regardless of what VGA Brand you have. If you have a very old version on Win10 (UPDATE IT!) or you are on Win7, you have to do manually from your manufacter VGA driver.
- Right mouse on your desktop -> "Display Settings"
- Scroll down to bottom -> "Graphical settings"
- "Classic App", then press the botton below and select "mgs2_sse.exe" from the bin game folder
- Press "Option". Instead of "default settings", select an option, then press "Save"
- "High performance", for your dedicated VGA
- "Power saving", for your integrated CPU graphic adapter
- Right mouse on your desktop -> "Nvidia panel"
- Go to the section where you can do a "per executable" settings
- Select "Add". Then select "mgs2_sse.exe" from the "\bin" game folder.
- Choose the graphic adapter you want, then press "Save"
- "NVidia High performance", for your dedicated VGA
- "Power saving", for your integrated CPU graphic adapter
Here you can enable or disable support for gamepads and, at the same time, choose your preferred button layout.
💣 Same argument in detail: Controllers and actions - Answer to ALL questions regarding every input related questions.
1) Internal resolution
🆕 You can select the internal resolution used by the game. This mean that you could run the game at a certain resolution (the one you set in the "Resolution tab") but render the game with an higher (or lower) resolution to improve (or degrade) your image quality. Consequently, your hardware will be more (or less) taxed based on the rendering resolution you select.
The fix your automatically set it, but you could always change them as you like.
Beware that 2K and 8K options are not so taxing on the hardware like it would seem, and remember that is a 2001 game.
You can select only 4 options:
- 512 - The game will run slightly better as it would on an original PS2.
- 720 - Render the game slightly better than a 720p. Useful if you are playing on an handheld machine like GPD Win, or a non gaming laptop.
- 2K - Render the game at 2K. Select this if you have a 2K monitor or a 1080 one and you don't want to use your hardware (why did you buy it???)
- 8K - Render the game at 8K. Suggested options if you have a >2010 gaming PC
2) Various Graphics Option
These option are pretty straight to understand. If you have a Desktop PC set all to the max. If you have a laptop and don't want to let it catch fire set it with parsimony. 🔥 🚒
3) Anti-Aliasing
ℹ️ External Anti-Aliasing provided by CeeJayDK using SweetFX project.
Anti-Aliasing will help to reduce....aliasing on the screen. Can be demanding, but it will improve greatly the image quality. 🔥 🚒
You can disable AA, or select one of the following AA technologies:
- FXAA - Is lighter than SMAA but less effective. Recommanded for laptops.
- SMAA - Is heavier but it does a better work. Is not 100% compatible with Steam due a bug with in Steam Overlay, so in that case please select FXAA.
Anti-Aliasing require that game exe (mgs2_sse.exe, not the fix executable) must work under "Windows XP (Service Pack 3) Compatibility. Fix will try to apply automatically this fix into registry but can be blocked by Windows. If it didn't succeed, do it manually through exe property menu. Starting the game with Anti-Aliasing option without compatibility applied will result in a black screen on game startup 🆕 Not required anymore.
4) Extra Effects
They were present inside the original configurator in 4 different checkbox (FOCUS, STEALTH Effects, Codec Focus, VR Mission Effects). I've included them under fewer and clearer options:
-
Extra Cool Effects - Named 'STEALTH Effects' and 'VR Mission Effects' in the original game setupper. I swear: If someone email me saying what's the difference between ON or OFF he/she will forever have my gratitude 🐸
-
Depth Of Field - Named 'Focus' in the original game setupper - The good old depth of field. CAN CAUSE GLITCHES ON SOME CONFIGS. In that case, please read the troubleshooting page
-
Motion Blur - It's motion blur, baby
❗️ You can trigger any action pressing on the related image on the left!
- Open V's Fix after playing
After you finished playing with mgs2, the game (when closing) by default will automatically try to re-open V's Fix. You can override this behaviour putting it to OFF.
ℹ️ Very useful if you want to play MGS2 from a Front-End without having to touch a keyboard/mouse in the process: just set this option to 'OFF', configure your game from the fix, add mgs2_sse.exe to any frontend you have (or even let the V's Fix automatically add it to Steam using the function below!) and have fun 😄
- Check for V's Fix updates
Pretty self explanatory, in my opinion! If you are connected to internet, it will check if there is a new version of the fix.
If yes, it will prompt you if you want to go to the related download page on the Fix Wiki. Useful, uh?
- Add the game on Steam
This will automatically add MGS2 to your 'Non-Steam Games' list. If you have more than one Steam profile on the machine, it will add it to every profile it can find.
If the game is already added (under the name METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SUBSTANCE) it does nothing.
❗️ It will automatically disable "Open V's Fix after playing" to let you close the game directly from Steam without any extra complication.
- Steam library artworks
This is a pointer to the 'Steam library artworks' V's wiki page, where you could personalize your MGS2 Steam game page with custom artworks and cover.
If you have read all of that I think you will understand my work even better than me (maybe).
You have concluded your training mission, now play!
Press SAVE and let V's do it's magic!
The PLAY and have fun!
🎮 Question about gamepads or in-game actions? Look here!