# Player-facing settings: the iOS launcher (dm/ios/Sources/Launcher.swift) and the Mac app's settings window (dm/mac/Launcher.swift) show them before the game starts; Mac front ends read the same list. # dm/games/settings.py writes one game's list into its app (dm/launcher.json; build_ipa.sh, and dm/mac/pack_app.py through the NSP script): the rows whose condition holds for that game, with its defaults. Each sets an environment variable the host reads when the game starts; one an env file sets # (Documents/env.txt, the bundle's dm/env.txt) is shown but kept. Diagnostic switches stay environment-only, so they are not listed here. The player's page is docs/settings.md. # Columns, separated by tabs: # variable the environment variable the setting sets # kind choice: values value=label,..., an option only some games have with ?& after its label (languages: the game's own, from its control data; every language when it has none, with a note); range: values low:high:step, shown as a percentage; # toggle: values - (on sets 1, off 0) or /, the two values the variable takes (on/off) # default a value (a toggle's: 1 on, 0 off); DM_GAME_: the host's own default from the game profile (game_profile.h, game.py); build:: the IPA build's setting (build_ipa.sh) # | selects the platform's default before resolving a profile macro or build variable # shown always; DM_GAME_!= or ==; fixups:: main's rewriter table has that key (a stub in the game's build, patch_nso.py); languages>1 (more than one to pick, so also when the control data lists none); gfxapi:: the packer's GFXAPI; # platform:: the app's platform (SETTINGS_PLATFORM, ios when unset), for a switch only that platform's front end reads # section Game, Controls or Performance: a heading on the single settings screen. Rows appear in table order within each section # Reset to tested defaults clears all launcher choices; values fixed by an env file stay # label, note the setting's name and the line under it (may be empty): its cost (latency, memory, heat), then the setting recommended, as "Recommended: ..." # meta optional, key=value pairs separated by ; (settings.py META lists the keys; docs/frontends.md, The settings list, describes them): # level=basic a setting a front end shows first; needs== a sub-setting, drawn only while the row that sets has that value DM_FPS_TARGET choice 30=30 fps,60=60 fps,120=120 fps?DM_GAME_FPS_MAX==120&platform:mac DM_GAME_FPS_TARGET DM_GAME_FPS_TARGET!=0 Game Frame rate Recommended: 30 fps with Frame generation on. 60 fps heats an iPhone within a few minutes, and iOS then slows it down. level=basic DM_FRAMEGEN toggle - 0 gfxapi:nvn Game Frame generation Shows 60 frames a second while the game draws 30: MetalFX makes a frame between each two. Less work and heat than 60 fps, with more input delay than real 60; fast motion can smear. Recommended: on, with Deadline boost, Real-time presenting and Encode thread on. needs=DM_FPS_TARGET=30 DM_FRAMEGEN_SCALE choice 1=Full,0.75=Lighter 1 gfxapi:nvn Game Frame generation size Lighter makes the in-between frames at 0.75 of the picture's size, and MetalFX scales the picture back up: about half of frame generation's GPU time, for a slightly softer picture, the HUD too. Recommended: Full; Lighter if frames drop in busy areas. needs=DM_FRAMEGEN=1 DM_DYNAMIC_RESOLUTION toggle - 0 fixups:DYNAMIC_RESOLUTION Game Dynamic resolution Adjusts resolution between 70% and 100% under load. Turn off to keep full resolution for the selected console mode. Recommended: off when you set a Render scale. DM_RENDER_SCALE range 0.5:1.0:0.05 1.0 fixups:RENDER_SCALE Game Render scale Recommended: 0.60 on an iPhone. Lower it if frames drop in busy areas: it is the setting that frees the most GPU time. level=basic DM_PRESET toggle potato/standard 0 DM_GAME_POTATO_N!=0 Game Potato mode For iPhones with less memory (8 GB, such as the iPhone 15 Pro): the A builds' memory savers. Off, none of them runs. Recommended: off, unless the game closes on an 8 GB iPhone. level=basic DM_OPMODE choice 1=Docked,0=Handheld DM_GAME_OPMODE always Game Console mode Recommended: Handheld on an iPhone. Docked renders at the TV resolution: heavier, warmer, and little sharper on a phone screen. level=basic DM_RES_PRESET choice 0=Normal,1=Potato 0 DM_GAME_RES_PRESETS!=0 Game Resolution Normal renders 1280×720 handheld (1951×1098 docked), steady at 30 fps. Potato is the game's lighter mode: 960×540 shown at 720p, for 60 fps on a warm phone. Recommended: Normal. level=basic DM_PRESENT_UPSCALE choice off=Standard,metalfx=MetalFX off always Game Upscaling Uses more GPU time and can increase heat. Recommended: Standard. DM_UPSCALER choice game=Game's own,metalfx=MetalFX game DM_GAME_UPSCALER_N!=0 Game Game's upscaler Recommended: MetalFX. It takes about 1 ms where the game's own upscaler takes several. DM_LANG choice languages build:DM_LANG languages>1 Game Game language level=basic DM_FULLSCREEN choice 0=Window,1=Fullscreen 0 platform:mac Game Display mode level=basic DM_PICTURE_FIT choice fit=Fit,fill=Fill fit platform:ios Game Picture Fill crops the game's 16:9 picture to cover the screen. Health bars, subtitles or maps near the edges can be cut off. A full-screen picture without cropping needs a patch for each game. Recommended: Fit. DM_SHOW_FPS toggle - build:DM_SHOW_FPS always Game Frame-rate counter Recommended: off; turn it on to check the frame rate. DM_TOUCH_HAPTICS toggle - 1 platform:ios Controls Touch feedback DM_PAD_THEME choice 0=Classic,1=Forest DM_GAME_PAD_THEME platform:ios Controls Touch controls style The colours of the on-screen controls. DM_RUMBLE toggle - 1 always Controls Game rumble level=basic DM_RUMBLE_GAIN range 0:3:0.1 1.0 always Controls Rumble strength needs=DM_RUMBLE=1 DM_RUMBLE_MIN range 0:0.9:0.05 0 always Controls Rumble cutoff DM_WIDE_VIEW toggle - 0 fixups:WIDE_VIEW Game Wide view Fills the whole iPhone screen with a wider view and no black bars. Renders about a fifth more pixels and uses more memory: a little slower and warmer. Takes effect the next time the game starts. Recommended: off with Frame generation, on for 30 fps without it. DM_SCREEN_ASPECT choice 1.43=iPhone Duo screen (1.43:1),0=16:9 (Switch) 1.43|0 DM_GAME_SCREEN_ASPECT!=0 Game Picture shape Renders about a quarter more pixels: a little slower and warmer. DM_FRAME_WG toggle - DM_GAME_FRAME_WG gfxapi:nvn Performance Deadline boost Tells iOS each frame's deadline, so it keeps the game on the fast cores at a higher clock. Uses more power and heat. Recommended: on. Off, a warm phone moves the game to the slow cores and frames drop. DM_RT toggle 1/0 1 gfxapi:nvn Performance Real-time presenting On tells iOS how much of each frame the presenting thread needs, which keeps it fast. Off may use less power, with a risk of more stutter. Recommended: on. DM_PRESENT_SNAP toggle - DM_GAME_PRESENT_SNAP gfxapi:nvn Performance Frame buffering Up to one frame more display latency. Recommended: on. Frame generation turns it on anyway. DM_PSO_MTL4 toggle - DM_GAME_PSO_MTL4|1 gfxapi:nvn Performance Metal 4 pipelines Keeps a pipeline archive; uses more memory. Recommended: on: fewer stutters the first time an area is drawn. DM_PSO_PREBUILD toggle - 1 gfxapi:nvn Performance Pipeline prebuild The first start waits a few minutes for it, once. Recommended: on. needs=DM_PSO_MTL4=1 DM_NVN_ENC_THREAD toggle - 1|DM_GAME_ENC_THREAD gfxapi:nvn Performance Encode thread Prepares each frame's GPU work on a thread of its own. Recommended: on. Off, the game's own thread does it every frame and frames come late, with stutter. DM_NVN_RC_STALE toggle - 0 DM_GAME_RENDER_COND!=0 Performance Skip hidden objects (experimental) Skips objects the game's visibility checks found hidden a frame earlier, instead of drawing them while this frame's answer is still on its way. Saves GPU time; an object coming into view can appear a frame late. Recommended: off; try it if frames drop in busy areas. DM_FPS_HOLD toggle on/off DM_GAME_FPS_HOLD DM_GAME_FPS_TARGET!=0 Performance Hold frames when late Recommended: off at a fixed 30 fps. DM_METAL_HUD toggle - 0 always Performance Performance HUD Apple's performance overlay. Costs a little GPU time. Recommended: off; on only to measure.