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About this mod

Guide to configure NieR Automata 2021 build and the various mods available to push the game to it's limits with stability in mind.

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Introduction

This guide is divided in multiple "chapters" which are made to be standalone and technically optional, that being said I recommend following every single of them :)

Before going forward I want to add that this guide is not here to replace The Definitive NieR Automata Experience but to compliment it, so be sure to follow that guide before this. This guide also has a direct approach in mind and without using Nier Automata Mod Helper (NAMH), which is a wonderful tool, but for the sake of this guide I will consider a direct manual installation of the mods, but it's up to you if use NAMH or not.

Requirements


  • A good computer that can run Nier Automata relatively easily
  • Reading and comprehension
  • Patience
  • Glory to Mankind


Guide

A. NieR [A]utomata in-game optimal settings + driver settings 
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Start the game at least one time before proceeding.

Process priorities:

  • Download NierAutomata.exe Priority from the files section.
  • Extract the .bat file.
  • Open the .bat as administrator.
Note: This script changes the values of "CpuPriorityClass" and "IoPriority" to 3(High) for NieRAutomata.exe

In game settings:

  • Screen Brightness: should be set based on your own preference and monitor, general rule is to set one level less bright than what you instinctively think it's good.
  • Resolution: Your native monitor resolution
    Note: Set to an higher resolution than native if you opt for downsampling.
  • Screen Mode: Borderless; Fullscreen if downsampling
  • Select Monitor: duh.
  • V-Sync: Off
  • Graphics Preset: Custom
  • Anti-Aliasing: MSAA 4x if 1440p or lower; SMAA if higher (ex: 2160p)
    Note: MSAA 8x is way too heavy for minimal visual gain.
  • Texture Filter: 16x
  • Blur: On
    Note: Generally speaking, the blur setting in games it's always a nono in games that runs over 30 fps but in NieRAutomata specific case I prefer it enabled since the game must stay locked at 60fps and it's not bad looking like other games, ultimately is up to personal preference.
  • Shadows: High
  • Effects: High
  • FideltyFX CAS: On
  • FideltyFX CAS Level: 1
    Note: Up to personal preference, a good range should be from 0 to 3 (0=Off), going past 3 it's not recommended since it emphasizes the game aliasing problem.

Nvidia Control Panel Settings:

  • Open the Nvidia Control Panel
  • Go on "Manage 3D settings" under the "3D Settings" section on the left list
  • Select "Program Settings" section
  • Under "Select a program to customize" select Nier:Automata (nierautomata.exe), if not present use the "Add" button to manually select the game executable and add it to the list.
  • Set:
    1. "Antialiasing - Mode" to "Enhance the application setting"
    2. "Antialiasing - Setting" to "4x"
    Note: Generally you should match the in game setting value, keep Application-controlled if you set SMAA in game.
    3. "Antialiasing - Transparency" to "4x (supersample)"
  • OPTIONALLY "Low Latency Mode" to "On"
    Note: Nvidia Reflex from SpecialK overwrites this setting anyway, good if your system doesn't support Reflex.
  • OPTIONALLY if your system is CPU bound set: (probably snake oil)
    1. "Power Managment Mode" to "Prefer maximum performance"
    2. "Threaded optimization" to "On"
 
For AMD video card users I am pretty sure you can set the equivalent of these settings within Adrenalin but I don't have enough experience nor an AMD video card system to give detailed instructions, should be very similar though.

The very important thing here is to force enable the transparency antialiasing since it's normally not enabled in this game.

B. Installing SpecialK/FAR + [ B ]ande Desinee (3Dmigoto) + LodMod + ReShade + other plugins
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  • As first you need to download SpecialK from here, this specific version is the latest that allows to load 3Dmigoto early, newer versions will crash on game launch if used alongside 3Dmigoto.
    Update: You should now be able to use newer versions of SpecialK without problems, no practical reason to do so since FAR doesn't get an update from 2021, so it's up to you, i continue to recommend version 24.9.26.
  • Click on SpecialK.7z to download the archive which contains SpecialK64.dll that you have to extract in the NieRAutomata root directory.
  • At this point you must rename it "dinput8.dll" and launch game from steam. This is crucial to make everything compatible together instead of renaming it dxgi.dll (like the SpecialK/FAR wiki/guide says). 
    Note: if you already installed SpecialK as local installation but in a different way you must not only rename the .dll file to dinput8.dll but also the .ini file with the same name.
  • At this point you can open the game and you will see "dinput8.ini" and "FAR.ini" being generated.
  • Before proceeding into configurating the settings, we will install the other main mods.
  • Now we are going to install 3Dmigoto which is used for Bande Desinee.
  • Since this guide is strictly for the 2021 build, you must download the patched 2021 version from either wmg317's comment or from The Definitive NieR Automata Experience download section.
  • Extract all the files from the downloaded zip file (the .txt file is not needed) in the NieRAutomata root directory.
    Note: If you downloaded it from the wmg317 mediafire link you must rename "d3d11.dll" to something else, for consistency we will rename it "3dmigoto.dll", in the zip from The Definitive NieR Automata Experience it already comes named "3dmigoto.dll".
  • Automata-LodMod installation is pretty straight-forward, download the zip and extract it the NieRAutomata root directory.
  • To install ReShade you will need to download the setup from here, scroll to the end and download the full add-on support.
  • Now either:
    - If you want to use my preset (or any other preset that provides the exact needed shaders and textures) you can simply open the .exe with your archive manager (ex: 7zip), extract ReShade64.dll to the NieRAutomata root folder and then rename it "dxgi.dll".

    - Open the .exe setup and follow the instructions as you desire (be sure after the installation that the ReShade .dll is named "dxgi.dll").

    Perfect, now that the main mods are installed correctly, we need to configure SpecialK to make everything compatible in the next chapter below.

C. SpecialK/FAR Mathematically [C]orrect Configuration
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  • For the FAR.ini configuration I recommend downloading mine in the download section of this guide and use it as it is.
  • For the dininput8.ini configuration varies a lot based on your system and it's way better to configure it from the UI, but there are some settings that are pretty much universal and i recommend setting as it follows:
    1. If you have an Nvidia video card Under [Compatibility.General] DisableBloatWare_NVIDIA=true
    2. Under [Render.FrameRate] TargetFPS=60.000000 (Do not uncap the fps, check notes)
    3. Under [Render.DXGI] IsolateD3D11DeferredContexts=true
    4. Under [Scheduler.Boost] AlwaysRaisePriority=true and MinimumRenderThreadPriority=2
    5. If you have an Nvidia Reflex capable video card under [NVIDIA.Reflex] Enable=true, LowLatency=true and LowLatencyBoost=false
    6. Under [Textures.D3D11] Cache=true and Inject=true (needed for textures mods to work)
    7. At the very end of the .ini file now you must add:
    Spoiler:  
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    [Import.3dmigoto]
    Architecture=x64
    Role=d3d11
    When=Early
    Blacklist=
    Filename=3dmigoto.dll
    Mode=Normal

    [Import.ReShade64]
    Architecture=x64
    Role=dxgi
    When=Proxy
    Blacklist=
    Filename=dxgi.dll
    Mode=Compatibility

    [ReShade.System]
    DrawFirst=true

  • OPTIONALLY to install other plugins you can see at the end of the guide, you must add the values on the between 3Dmigoto values and ReShade values.
  • Now you can launch the game you should be able to see on the lower left the notification of .dll being loaded.
  • You may now press SHIFT+CTRL+BACKSPACE to open SpecialK UI and configure things like resolution, VRR, input, audio, etc... based on your preferences and personal system.
  • OPTIONALLY you can enable temporal dithering in the display section of SpecialK settings on the top of the UI which compliments Bande Desinee.

    And that's it. I will provide my personal dinput8.ini as a reference which technically you can use but I strongly recommend to generate and configure your own ini file.

D. 3[D]migoto Mathematically Correct Configuration
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For 3Dmigoto there is not much to configure, I will provide my personal d3dx.ini + the cache folders template as a reference but it comes pretty much already correctly configurated.
The only real thing to do here is to set under [Hunting] hunting=1 in the d3dx.ini and then launch game to test if 3Dmigoto is correctly loading, if so you should be able to see green text on the top and bottom center of the screen, then you can set back hunting=0.

E. LodMod Math[E]matically Correct Configuration
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There are 4 ways of setting LodMod.ini:

1. To leave it as default (not recommended if you want max quality)
2. Using the LodMod.ini I provided as it is (generally recommended)
3. Using the LodMod.ini I provided with DisableManualCulling set to true and add Automata LodMod fix values from line 271 to line 1464 in your LodMod.ini (Best 'quality')
4. The 4th way is to customize the settings as you like following emoose detailed comments in the .ini file, if you intend to keep manual culling disabled, take a look at Automata LodMod fix and/or add this under [SoftFilteredModels]: (already included in the LodMod.ini I provided in the download section)
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; Manually added
; Ammusement Park assets in Flooded City work in progress
;g11616 = 0x
;g11617 = 0x
;g11716 = 0x
;g11717 = 0x
;g11816 = 0x
;g20908 = 0x
;g20808 = 0x
;g20909 = 0x

; g11716.dtt tan central ammusement park building with dome roof
OS12_ParkBridge00 = 0x1716
outside = 0x1716
g11716 = 0x1716
theater_OS12OutsideWall00 = 0x1716
nolowmap_theater_Entrance = 0x1716
theater_ceiling_TOPVIEW = 0x1716
nolowmap_theater_TopRoom = 0x1716
nolowmap_theater = 0x1716
polySurface8881 = 0x1716
polySurface6822 = 0x1716

; g11717.dtt more Ammusement Park, around tank miniboss area
g11717_coaster = 0x1717
nolowmap_enkei_house_01 = 0x1717
nolowmap_enkei_house_03 = 0x1717
nolowmap_enkei_house_04 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_mario_house_01 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_mario_house_02 = 0x1717
nolowmap_gate_02 = 0x1717
ground_g11717_enkei_01 = 0x1717
ground_g11717_enkei_02 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_sea = 0x1717
ground_g11717_01 = 0x1717
ground_g11717_02 = 0x1717
nolowmap_OS11_Depot00 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_01 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_02 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_03 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_04 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_05 = 0x1717
nolowmap_g11717_house_06 = 0x1717
_2016_11_01_20h28m = 0x1717
_2016_11_28_23h14m = 0x1717

nolowmap_OS11_Depot00 = 0x1717

; desert terrain clipping through the ravine waterfalls near Mall entrance
gake_B = 0x1117

T/1. ReShade Ma[T]hematically Correct Preset
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The goal of this preset is to reduce color banding, reduce aliasing and reduce the generally washed-out colors of the game with original visual fidelity in mind. 
Created a nexus page dedicated to it here.

T/2. ReShade Mathema[T]ically Correct Configuration  <---- recommended even if you don't use my preset
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  • Remove every other post-processing anti-aliasing shader and only use CMAA_2.fx with the quality preset set to 3 since it's the best that works with NieRAutomata and for how we configurated it in the first chapter of this guide.
  • Use deband.fx to compliment Bande Desinee.
  • Avoid using RT shaders or/and ambient occlusion shaders since they use the depth buffer and to do so you must disable the game antialiasing which results in jaggies, a lot of them (one way to solve this would be setting the game in fullscreen and the forcing a 1.25x/1.5x resolution to be downscaled to your resolution (but this combined with such shaders would impact heavily the fps) and also from my experience these shaders don't work well in this game generally, maybe for screenshots but not for gameplay.
  • I recommend editing IntermediateCachePath under [GENERAL] in ReShade.ini to a directory in NieRAutomata root folder like ./reshade-cache, so the cache doesn't get deleted.
  • I recommend using Reshade UI Masker if you don't like the ReShade effects over the UI, it needs a bit of tweaking tho.
  • Once finished messing around with shaders and their parameters it's recommended to tick the performance mode in the lower right corner of ReShade UI.

Plugins and Compatibility


  • nier-mod-loader: Compatible, extract in NieRAutomata root folder and add this to your dinput8.ini:
    Spoiler:  
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    [Import.ModLoader]
    Architecture=x64
    Role=ThirdParty
    When=Early
    Blacklist=
    Filename=mod_loader.dll
    Mode=Normal
  • Chip Helper Utility: Compatible, extract in NieRAutomata root folder and add this to your dinput8.ini:
    Spoiler:  
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    [Import.NieRChipHelper]
    Architecture=x64
    Role=Any
    When=Any
    Blacklist=
    Filename=NieRChipHelper.dll
    Mode=Normal
    To use it you have to open SpecialK UI (SHIFT+CTRL+BACKSPACE), open the plugin section where you can see the list of plugins and click on load plugin on the NierChipHelper row. (You don't need to use NieRChipHelperLoader.exe anymore)
  • 2B Hook: Compatible using nier-mod-loader (see above), download it and place the "2BHook" folder in ".\data\mods\plugins"
    Note: Download the modloader folder template if you don't have them from the download section.
  • Nier Automata Tools: Overall compatible using the tool own launcher, looks like it conflicts a bit with 2B Hook, not 100% tested.
  • NieR Automata Online PVP: Overall compatible using the normal method for the installation, but looks like it doesn't like ReShade installed as dxgi.dll, as temporary solution you can add .old to it and play the mod without ReShade. I will look into it.
  • NieR Automata RPC (Steam): Compatible.
  • Automata Gadget: Compatible.
  • ? ? ?


Notes


  • You should not uncap the game above 60 fps since it will break some quests and events eventually breaking the save itself.
  • Use Fast Loading Screen to speed up the loadings since in both FAR and LodMod the options that do that somewhat break the game in the 2021 build and it's recommended to have them disabled. This or you can try Automata LodMod fix modified LodMod version.
  • Initially I wanted to share how to install and use FAR + ReShade + Bande Desinee working together, which I did in the posts sections of some mods here on the nexus but I ended up expanding it a little bit.
  • "Why any of this is even needed??" It's not "needed" but let's say that generally this game technical aspects aren't in its strengths and the fact that the pc version is a port of the console version didn't help.

Notes - To Do


  • Defeat LodMod objects pop-in that are not supposed to be there with manual culling disabled.
  • The ReShade preset is still a work in progress, it will get updates.
  • Find a way to make the multiplayer mod work together with this whole setup without disabling ReShade.
  • Add screenshot for ReShade preset.
  • Create an index chapter for mods and/or plugins not mentioned in The Definitive NieR Automata Experience. 
  • Add AMD Adrenalin specific guide driver settings.
  • ? ? ?

Notes - Guide Changelog


  • 20/11/2024 - Initial release.
  • 23/11/2024 - Fixed typos, adjusted formatting and nerfed silliness.
  • 26/11/2024 - Added basti5555's fantastic work in the LodMod chapter.
  • 01/12/2024 - Added process priorities tweak + adjusted minor things.
  • 06/12/2024 - Created a dedicated page for the updated ReShade preset; added D3D11 Deferred Mode in SpecialK settings.
  • 09/12/2024 - Adjusted formatting; expanded first and second chapter; adjusted 3DMigoto import values; funny chapter names.

Credits