Far Cry 3 Tweaks Guide – Graphics and Performance

The following guide helps players in performing some under-handed tweaks to their PC version of Far Cry 3. Some of the tweaks mentioned below also cover optimizations to enhance visual experience.

Before going ahead, make sure you have updated the drivers of your video card from the necessary websites.

How to Disable Depth of Field
Depth of Field will always post a high amount of load on your processing. Disabling Depth of Field will result in a more clearer and crisp visuals, while increasing your FPS by at least 10.

• Run Far Cry 3 and set the video settings to “custom.” Exit the game.
• Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Far Cry 3
• Right click on GamerProfile.xml and select Open With -> Notepad.
• CTRL+F and search for PostFxQuality. Set PostFxQuality=”false” and save the file.

Performance/Stuttering/FPS Issues with ATI Radeon Cards
If you’ve already updated the drivers for your ATI card and you’re still facing the issues mentioned above in the title, then it’s probably because you’re running the game in DirectX 11. Switching to DirectX 9 will solve this. Additionally you can also disable MSAA and VSync in-game to get a more smoother experience.

How to Remove HUD & Sound Indicators
If you’re into a more hard-core approach then you can go ahead and disable the game’s HUD or sound indicators.

Caution: Always make a backup of the file you’re about to edit. In case something goes wrong, you can always use the backed up file.
Start by opening the DLL file with your HEX editor.

• If you are running the game with DirectX 9 or 10, open \bin\FC3.DLL in your game installation folder (eg. Steam\steamapps\common\Far Cry 3\bin)
• If you are running the game with DirectX 11, open \bin\FC3_d3d11.DLL in your game installation folder (eg. Steam\steamapps\common\Far Cry 3\bin)
• Search for “showuielement”.
• In the next few lines, you will see S.h.o.w.U.I.E.l.e.m.e.n.t.
• Replace the S.h.o.w.U.I.E.l.e.m.e.n.t. with H.i.d.e.U.I.E.l.e.m.e.n.t.
• To remove all intrusive sounds, copy and paste each sound item from the list below into your HEX editor and search for TEXT, then replace the HEX value for the text with zeros.
  • sndCancelMission
  • sndArmorTutorial
  • sndObjectiveUpdatePopup
  • sndLogUpdatePopup
  • sndTutorialUnlockPopup
  • sndTutorialPopup
  • sndHintPopup
  • sndDetectionUpdate
  • sndDetected
  • sndMission_EnterZone
  • sndMissionStart
  • sndGainXP
  • sndLevelUpReminder
  • sndLevelUp
  • sndDefaultInteraction
  • sndSwitchGadget
  • sndObjective
  • sndHintBinocular
  • Save this newly fixed DLL and run the game.

Random Crashes with an NVIDIA Card
Update your drivers to solve crashing problems with NVIDIA cards. In case you’re still facing the said issues, then try to install the latest beta drivers.

How to Disable Ambient Occlusion
There is no option of disabling AO from the game itself. There is though different rendering techniques that you can switch between. However, disabling Ambient Occlusion will give you a huge boost in frame rates.

• Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Far Cry 3
• Right click on GamerProfile.xml and select Open With -> Notepad.
• CTRL+F and search for SSAOLevel. Set SSAOLevel=”0″ and save the file.

How to Toggle Iron Sights
Changing the toggle mode will let you escape from having to hold down a key for Iron Sight.

• Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Far Cry 3
• Right click on GamerProfile.xml and select Open With -> Notepad.
• CTRL+F and search for IronsightToggleMode. Set IronsightToggleMode=”1″ and save the file.

How to Change Cross-Hairs
Some modders have released files which change your in-game cross-hairs to allow more visibility. Here’s one posted on Ubisoft’s forums.

How to Get Proper SLI Scaling
If you’re using a SLI setup then it’s possible that one of your GPU is performing at a lower rate.

• Use Nvidia Inspector
• Find Far Cry 3 profile
• Click Add application to current profile
• Add farcry3_d3d11.exe from Far Cry 3/Bin.

How to Fix Decals Frame-Rate Issue In SLI
Some might get horrific drops in FPS upon getting decals in your screen, while using a SLI setup. Here’s a quick fix which will amend that problem.

• Use Inspector to open Far Cry 3
• Change SLI bits for DX11 from 0x000902F5 to 0x0C1902F5