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[Grief.exe]

The multiplayer is still screwed, still looking for possible fixes.

I found the UserMP ini and added in the FOV, Mouse acceleration fixes, etc but nothing has worked so far.

Bumping the stuff I added to the OP for the next page.

Optimizing The Game

FOV

• Windows Key + R, type %appdata%, navigate to Bioshock2Steam folder
• Open User.ini
• Find [Default] Section
• Find a key binding you wish to set for your FOV, type SetFOV # (# being your desired FOV, 90-100 for 16:9)
• Example: PageUp=SetFOV 95
• Need to press the key every time you load the game

AF

• Navigate to your installation folder, Steam/steamapps/common/Bioshock 2
• /SP/Builds/Binaries
• Open Default.ini
• Find Levelofanisotropy=#, change #to 16

Disable Auto-Aim

• Windows Key + R, type %appdata%, navigate to Bioshock2Steam folder
• Open Bioshock2SP.ini
• AutoAim=False

Disable Mouse Acceleration

Here's a fix for you guys. If you remember the old mouse acceleration fix from the first Bioshock, it's exactly the same trick. I know there's toggle for Mouse Acceleration in the options menu, but it still feels janky, this will eliminate that feeling.

Navigate to C:\Users\YourNameHere\AppData\Roaming\Bioshock2Steam\User.ini
Grief.exe note: Windows Key + R Type %appdata%

Add this to the end of the file:

[Engine.PlayerInput]
MouseSmoothingMode=0
MouseAccelThreshold=0.0
Go to your bindings under the [Default] section and choose a key to bind this command:
set Engine.PlayerInput MouseAccelThreshold 0.0 | set Engine.PlayerInput MouseSmoothingMode 0

Now you'll have to press that key every time you load a save so the easiest thing to do is bind it to the same key as MoveForward. If you use WASD, that should look like this:

W=MoveForward | set Engine.PlayerInput MouseAccelThreshold 0.0 | set Engine.PlayerInput MouseSmoothingMode 0

Search for every instance of

Speed=2000.0

and change that number to something much lower. 750 feels good to me. You'll still be able tweak the mouse sensitivity with the slider in game. If you did that all correctly, then mouse controls should feel pretty good.

Now if you want bind Walk and Eve Reloading, just pick a key and add "Walking" and "InjectBioAmmo" without the quotation marks. For me, it looks like this:

Q=InjectBioAmmo
Ctrl=Walking

Check PC Gaming Wiki for more information: http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock_2

 

[scitek]

The games feel very similar right now.

Enemies become bullet sponges on increased difficulties and you search for loot and voice recordings.

Rapture is far more atmospheric than Columbia and the boss fights are more interesting.



2K certainly set the bar high with this release, I hope Warner follows suit.

If you have Batman:AA/AC on Steam or activate a retail copy, you get the GOTY upgrade for free.
The line of thinking is similar, theoretically someone could have purchased the DLC through the GFWL store. Microsoft does not assign keys to DLC, making the purchases essentially untraceable.

Headshots!

 

[Grief.exe]

Headshots!

It is harder in this game to get headshots than Bioshock Infinite since the reticule is so much larger!

 

[jaundicejuice]

Why you would try to shoot anyone when you've got that drill I dunno. Especially when it's full upgraded.

 

[epmode]

Some advice:

Do NOT rebind the primary attack and primary plasmid functions. I always get a little confused because I want to press the left mouse button to use my left hand and the right button for the right hand. This works fine in Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored but it breaks Bioshock 2. The big problem is that the hacking binds get screwed up and it's no longer possible to complete a hacking minigame.

It looks like some minor binding functionality is hardcoded and trying to change it makes the game have a heart attack.

 

[Grief.exe]

Shoot has always been LMB and special attack is always RMB, so I don't run into any confusion.

I do see how it can by confusing because you are firing out of your right hand by hitting the left button, and I believe I did switch the controls in Dishonored.

 

[MadSexual]

I just finished Minerva's Den as planned. Seven hours (for me) of free content and it's one of the best expansions I've played. It really was more fun than the main game. I can't believe 2K was so awesome about this.

 

[JaseC]

It is harder in this game to get headshots than Bioshock Infinite since the reticule is so much larger!

Aim down the sights.

 

[Grief.exe]

I just finished Minerva's Den as planned. Seven hours (for me) of free content and it's one of the best expansions I've played. It really was more fun than the main game. I can't believe 2K was so awesome about this.

7 hours? That is a long DLC!

Aim down the sights.

You know I will never approve of ADS, but in Bioshock 2 it literally does nothing

 

[Izcarielo]

I just finished Bioshock 2 for the second time.
I didnt remember that this game was THAT good! The level design is fantastic (is it just me or are they WAY less linear than Infinite?), better than Bioshock 1 in every sense (weapong + plasmid combo)
I dont know why people think 2 is worse than the others just because Levine didnt work on it.
Btw Minerva's Den is an AWESOME Dlc, maybe one of the best ive had the pleasure of playing this generation.
Eagerly waiting for "Burial at Sea"

 

[Grief.exe]

Another fix for the DX10 crashes, apparently it's caused by a windows update.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/8850/discussions/0/846966336225340804/

That update has been causing issues for a lot of games.

 

[Barrow Roll]

Question about the AF fix: I set up my global profile in Nvidia Inspector to 16x AF, so I shouldn't need to the tweak the settings here, right?

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Some advice:

Do NOT rebind the primary attack and primary plasmid functions. I always get a little confused because I want to press the left mouse button to use my left hand and the right button for the right hand. This works fine in Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored but it breaks Bioshock 2. The big problem is that the hacking binds get screwed up and it's no longer possible to complete a hacking minigame.

It looks like some minor binding functionality is hardcoded and trying to change it makes the game have a heart attack.

I rebound my primary attack and plasmid buttons and everything worked fine, including the hacking tools/minigames.

 

[phantomspiker]

That update has been causing issues for a lot of games.

It's really surprising that such a widespread issue hasn't been fixed by now.

 

[epmode]

I rebound my primary attack and plasmid buttons and everything worked fine, including the hacking tools/minigames.

I tried to rebind them a few times now and the hacking breaks each time. Maybe it's conflicting with another bind but I don't see any side effects until I switch the attack buttons.

I looked around for a bit and found that the hacking bind bug is actually pretty common. It's a lousy port.

 

[Grief.exe]

Question about the AF fix: I set up my global profile in Nvidia Inspector to 16x AF, so I shouldn't need to the tweak the settings here, right?

You should be fine. Though I don't force AF through inspector too much, only if a game doesn't have the option.

It's really surprising that such a widespread issue hasn't been fixed by now.

Microsoft has proven again and again that it couldn't care less for PC gaming.

 

[Barrow Roll]

You should be fine. Though I don't force AF through inspector too much, only if a game doesn't have the option.

Good to know. I force 16x AF through inspector on my global profile simply because it's a setting I'll always want on every game, and the performance hit is negligible. Still, whenever a game has AF settings, I also set it in game, never sure if the two will conflict.

 

[inm8num2]

Darn, I should have kept one of those Bioshock 2 keys I got from a couple of Amazon bundles awhile back.

 

[Grief.exe]

Good to know. I force 16x AF through inspector on my global profile simply because it's a setting I'll always want on every game, and the performance hit is negligible. Still, whenever a game has AF settings, I also set it in game, never sure if the two will conflict.

Depends on how you have it set up. If you have it set as 'Override application setting' then it will disable the game settings.

 

[ChoklitReign]

how do I disable or skip the intro movies?

 

[Barrow Roll]

Depends on how you have it set up. If you have it set as 'Override application setting' then it will disable the game settings.

I have it set to "User Defined/Off" and 16x in the Global profile, so I should be good.

how do I disable or skip the intro movies?

After the first time booting up the game you should be able to skip the intro movies by pressing any key or the mouse.

 

[Timeless]

how do I disable or skip the intro movies?

This might work (Bioshock 1 instructions)

http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Bioshock#Skip_Introduction_Logos_in_Steam

I also find making "dummy" files works 99% of the time. Check out the install directory and look for movie files. (Watch out for spoilers in the filenames though! Sort by smallest file size first and don't look around too much.) Rename the intro movies to something like intromovie2.bik and make a new text document under the title intromovie.bik.

With luck the game will skip the movie if it can't figure out how to play it. NFS Most Wanted (2012) notably does not do this.

 

[Grief.exe]

That is the classic way to remove intro movies. As Barrow said, they only play once then you can skip them.

 

[Timeless]

That is the classic way to remove intro movies. As Barrow said, they only play once then you can skip them.

If I have to press a button to skip them, I'm not truly skipping them. I'm fast-forwarding or something.

I absolutely detest having any forced intro in a game, or requiring interaction to skip a movie. Publisher logos and AMD/Nvidia advertisements don't belong in a game I paid for.

Super Smash Bros. Melee and Awesomenauts are the only exceptions for me.

 

[Afrocious]

Didn't see this thread and ended up making another. My bad!

Just finished Minerva's Den. The ending was lovely.

 

[Grief.exe]

If I have to press a button to skip them, I'm not truly skipping them. I'm fast-forwarding or something.

I absolutely detest having any forced intro in a game, or requiring interaction to skip a movie. Publisher logos and AMD/Nvidia advertisements don't belong in a game I paid for.

Super Smash Bros. Melee and Awesomenauts are the only exceptions for me.

Just rename the movie file names and be done with it then. Why are those games the exceptions?

Didn't see this thread and ended up making another. My bad!

Just finished Minerva's Den. The ending was lovely.

Everyone is loving Minverva's Den.

 

[Grief.exe]

Got almost all the way through Pauper's Drop tonight, have some time to play before class tomorrow. I picked up Decoy and Winter Blast, which helps going up against the bullet sponge enemies on Hard.

I find myself exploring the world and drinking in the atmosphere. Enjoying myself thouroghly.

 

[Grief.exe]

Winter Blast and Decoy makes dealing with enemies on hard far easier. I now also have enough ammo to effectively deal with threats.

Winter Blast freezes enemies in place, so they cannot damage me, and I do more damage to them while they are frozen.

More screenshots! I added a remove hud keybind to the user ini.

downsampled from 1440p

 

[ashecitism]

How are you liking the ADAM harvest-defense sessions? One of my least fav parts of the Bio2 games. I already had enough of it in the penultimate level of Bio1. Though it isn't as bad in MD.

 

[Grief.exe]

How are you liking the ADAM harvest-defense sessions? One of my least fav parts of the Bio2 games. I already had enough of it in the penultimate level of Bio1. Though it isn't as bad in MD.

Those are getting better. When I first started the game they were frustrating me by draining my ammo, med kit, and eve hypo supply quite heavily.

Now that I have acquired some tools to deal with the situation I am in a much better situation. I have also played the game a bit longer so I understand some intricacies that I didn't at the beginning.

They could have designed them better though. Make the horde mode sections have a shorter duration, and mix it up a bit. It should not trigger a horde section every time, mix the encounters up a bit and interact with the environment.

 

[epmode]

BTW, you can make the intro movies go away for good with a launch option:

-nointro

 

[Grief.exe]

BTW, you can make the intro movies go away for good with a launch option:

-nointro

Good thing to note, this works for many games.

Just about to beat the boss on Pauper's Drop

 

[Grief.exe]

Not that many people seem to know about the Bioshock 2 change, or they are choosing not to play the game.

All of these achievements can be earned in the first level I believe

 

[Stallion Free]

Not that many people seem to know about the Bioshock 2 change, or they are choosing not to play the game.

All of these achievements can be earned in the first level I believe

The second level actually.

 

[ArjanN]

Those are getting better. When I first started the game they were frustrating me by draining my ammo, med kit, and eve hypo supply quite heavily.

Now that I have acquired some tools to deal with the situation I am in a much better situation. I have also played the game a bit longer so I understand some intricacies that I didn't at the beginning.

They could have designed them better though. Make the horde mode sections have a shorter duration, and mix it up a bit. It should not trigger a horde section every time, mix the encounters up a bit and interact with the environment.

I didn't really mind the horde-mode type situations in Bioshock 2 because there are a whole bunch of trap abilities that let you essentially set up a defense perimeter, combined with abilities like decoy and hypnotize there's a lot less straightforward combat.

Not that many people seem to know about the Bioshock 2 change, or they are choosing not to play the game.

All of these achievements can be earned in the first level I believe

Is it also counting everyone who already played the game before the achievements in that percentage?

 

[CosmicQueso]

Not that many people seem to know about the Bioshock 2 change, or they are choosing not to play the game.

The denominator on that percentage calc should be quite large, so the low playing % shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The common Steam owner isn't as zealous about the removal of GFWL as those here are.

 

[Timeless]

Just rename the movie file names and be done with it then. Why are those games the exceptions?

Because those intros are awesome.

Super Smash Bros. Melee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYUUaXPOMw

Awesomenauts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x--DVqnaxtk

There are probably a few other games with fantastic intro cinematics, but usually I'd prefer that they play once and then skip by default after that. They could then be re-played from a menu somewhere.

 

[MadSexual]

The denominator on that percentage calc should be quite large, so the low playing % shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The common Steam owner isn't as zealous about the removal of GFWL as those here are.

That and people who have already completed the game won't necessarily go back right away just for Steam Achievements. I beat the game in January, so my progress is reflected on my Xbox account.

 

[Eusis]

Is it also counting everyone who already played the game before the achievements in that percentage?

No, nor will loading an old save do the trick of auto-unlocking.

 

[Grief.exe]

I didn't really mind the horde-mode type situations in Bioshock 2 because there are a whole bunch of trap abilities that let you essentially set up a defense perimeter, combined with abilities like decoy and hypnotize there's a lot less straightforward combat.

I haven't gotten any of the trap plasmids and haven't played around with hypnotize. I will try them out.

Apparently the bee swarm is the best plasmid.

The denominator on that percentage calc should be quite large, so the low playing % shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The common Steam owner isn't as zealous about the removal of GFWL as those here are.

That and people who have already completed the game won't necessarily go back right away just for Steam Achievements. I beat the game in January, so my progress is reflected on my Xbox account.

I was thinking the same thing as you guys, just surprised the people actually playing is so small.

 

[natsuyasumi]

Damn but I wish they would fix the audio. So bad.

Anyway, here's a small Xpadder profile I'm using to quicksave (F9), quickload (F11), and take screenshots (F12). I had to move quicksave from F12 to F9 in user.ini because Steam uses F12 for screenshots.

Hold d-pad up for 1 second to quicksave, d-pad down for one second to quickload, and d-pad left for half a second for screenshot. I haven't played far yet but I don't think these mappings interfere with later-game control elements.

;--- Xpadder Profile File ---
DataType=Profile
Version=2013.07.18

[Profile Settings]

[Set Settings]

[Assignments]
Set1DPadUpSlots=RELEASE ZONE 0.01s,RELEASE ZONE 0.99s,HOLD ZONE 1.00s,F9,PAUSE 1.00s
Set1DPadDownSlots=RELEASE ZONE 0.01s,RELEASE ZONE 0.99s,HOLD ZONE 1.00s,F11,PAUSE 1.00s
Set1DPadLeftSlots=RELEASE ZONE 0.01s,RELEASE ZONE 0.50s,HOLD ZONE 0.51s,F12,PAUSE 0.51s

Edit: Highly recommend fixing the contrast and popping the colors a bit with SweetFX, too. Here are my settings so far: http://pastebin.com/8CB39mhx

 

[Grief.exe]

If I am going to play multiplayer again, I will probably just hook up a controller and go through that route.

Its not worth the trouble retraining my muscle memory and ruining my aim in other games.

 

[Marjar]

I don't know if this was mentioned yet, but I'm having some awful sound issues with this game. It was like this before, but now it's worse and practically unplayable. I might as well just mute the damn game.

Basically barely any sounds actually want to work. Voices and certain things like explosions and the buzzing of flying turrets work, but you can barely hear anything else like gunshots. It's just really awkward and awful and takes me completely out of the game.

 

[natsuyasumi]

Known, very old issue, never fixed. It sounds like you have it worse than I do, though.

I'm not aware of any useful tricks to work around it; in the GFWL days people used to advise downgrading from v1.5 to v1.0, but then you lose access to the DLC... 2K really ought to fix it. But I'm not holding my breath. :/

 

[Marjar]

Ugh well that sucks. It really is practically unplayable with the sound like this.

 

[ArjanN]

I haven't gotten any of the trap plasmids and haven't played around with hypnotize. I will try them out.

Apparently the bee swarm is the best plasmid.

The traps are mostly special alternate ammo for the guns i.e. proximity mines/trap rivets/the spear wire trap..

 

[Grief.exe]

I will look into those issues and see if I can find a fix for the thread

 

[Ifrit]

Any way to bind the FOV fix button to a button on a 360 controller without sacrificing an action?

 

[Grief.exe]

Went through a thread and found several potential fixes

Try verifying cache within Steam first, make sure all of the sounnd files are downloaded.

Make sure you have the correct configuration in both windows and in game.

If you have on-board audio, then you need to disable reverb in game, select low quality audio in the ini, and set less audio channels in the INI.

Update your audio drivers.

My Solution
Hey guys.. have you solved the problem already? it's quite a bit that you don't bump, yet i've seen no solutions

I've been tinkering with the audio settings and I've modified quite a bit of little things.. however the one which is the most noteworthy in my opinion is a place in the Realtek Audio HD Management (in the control panel) where it pretends synthesizing a Dolby effect out of your two speakers. Disabling that thing has completely worked for my case. Imagine that I couldn't even go past the intro scene where you knock on the hole for the Sister without it getting on my nerves. And now it works perfectly.

Many of the issues listed in this thread appear to be configuration woes either relating to physical speaker setup or driver settings. Please follow these steps, you’ll be listening to the exact same thing we hear.

Step 1: Check Speaker Set-up.

1. In Control Panels/Sound select your output device.

2. Choose ‘Configure’

3. Pick the correct speaker setup (stereo, 5.1, 7.1, etc.) for your system.

4. Use ‘Test’ to make sure the speakers are wired and placed correctly around your room.

5. Click ‘Next.’ Follow the instructions until finished.


*These instructions are for Windows Vista/7. XP has a similar set of controls.

Step 2: (If you have a Creative Labs card) Open the Creative Audio Control Panel.

1. Mode Tab: Choose ‘Audio Creation Mode’

2. Speaker Tab: Make sure the Speaker Configuration matches what you set in the Windows Sound control panel. This *should* set itself automatically. If not, do so yourself. Under ‘SVM’ select the ‘Off’ position.*

3. EAX Effects: Uncheck the ‘Enable EAX Effects’ box to turn EAX Effects off.

4. X-Fi Crystalizer: Uncheck the ‘Enable X-Fi’ Crystalizer’ box to turn the Crystalizer off.


Step 2.5: (If you are using Alchemy).
1. Remove or disable BioShock 2 from Alchemy. (I do not have it and cannot provide specific instructions. I believe you have to add games it yourself, so if you have done so I’ll assume you also know how to remove them.)


Step 3: In-Game settings.

1. Choose Options/Audio Options.

2. Choose ‘Default’ as the speaker mode. This should make Bioshock 2 mimic your Windows settings.

3. If you made changes, hit ‘Apply’ and restart the game.

4. If the in-game sound is still not correct, set the mode by hand. Note that if you chose 5.1 in Windows, you need to choose 5.1 in the game (Not ‘Surround’). Restart the game again.


If you’ve done everything correctly, you now have the same settings we use here at 2K Marin to develop the game. (We each have and listen through a Creative Labs X-Fi Fatality card with 6 discrete lines going to a level controller and then woofer/speakers). Hopefully this will take care of most of the issues we’ve been seeing throughout this thread.

For Dolby ProLogic II users: The game will encode a ProLogic II signal. To use this option you will need a device to decode the signal between your computer and speakers. Most A/V receivers and home theater systems will do this. Here are the proper settings:

1. Windows = Stereo.

2. Creative Console = Stereo.

3. BioShock 2 = ProLogic.

4. Make sure your receiver is set to ProLogic II. Many receivers will detect the signal type but some will not.


One final note. There is a setting in BioShock 2 called ‘Use Reverb.’ We included this so people with lower end systems have the option to disable reverb and get a performance boost. This option has nothing to do with EAX effects and only disables our software reverb. If your system is not able to fully handle BioShock 2 you can try disabling reverb to get a slight edge.

*SVM allows the sound card to decrease the difference between the loudest and softest portions of the game. Enabling this will help you have a better experience in many cases. If you play in a noisy environment and cannot hear the quieter sounds, try enabling this. Also, if your speakers are tinny, tiny, or otherwise of lower quality, this might help you hear more of what’s going on in the world.

Looking through the ini file I found an option for lowquality sound.
Could you set this to True to see if it makes any difference.

users/*username*/appdata/roaming/bioshock2/bioshock2sp.in

Go to C:Users*username*AppDataRoamingBioshock2 open BioShock2SP.ini and edit the lines

[FMODAudio.FMODAudioSubsystem]
MaxChannels=128
MaxStreams=8
StreamBufferSize=64

with values 32, 8, 64 and if this doesn't work with values 32, 4, 32
Grief Note: 24 channels is another possible value

http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread.php?56994-Bioshock-2-sound-cutting-out-with-Reltek

 

[Baron_Calamity]

I just finished Bioshock 2 for the second time.
I didnt remember that this game was THAT good! The level design is fantastic (is it just me or are they WAY less linear than Infinite?), better than Bioshock 1 in every sense (weapong + plasmid combo)
I dont know why people think 2 is worse than the others just because Levine didnt work on it.
Btw Minerva's Den is an AWESOME Dlc, maybe one of the best ive had the pleasure of playing this generation.
Eagerly waiting for "Burial at Sea"

Bioshock 2 is the best Bioshock. I just don't get the hate.