Crysis Tweak Guide

[Page 4] Patches & Mods



Official Patch


Crytek has released the 1.2 Patch for Crysis, with changes including both singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay tweaks, important fixes for a large number of issues, and a potential increase in performance in both DX9 and DX10 modes. The patch also contains all the fixes from the 1.1 patch. Note that the patch adds a 'Mods' section to the main settings screen (see further below), as well as the g_useHitSoundFeedback variable to control the new additional sound effect when enemies are hit - see page 12 for details. Also note that to get full object motion blurring in DX9 mode you now need to set r_motionblur 5 (instead of 4) - see page 10 for full details.


After installing the latest patch you may need to reload and readjust your Profile, but your custom config files and tweaks are unaffected. If you're having problems installing the patch, make sure to check the Troubleshooting Tips section.


Update: A 1.2.1 Hotfix patch has been released for Crysis. You must first install the full 1.2 patch above, then apply the hotfix to fix a security hole which can cause crashes when playing online.


Update 2: Crytek has announced that there will not be a future 1.3 Patch for Crysis, as they focused all efforts on Crysis Warhead.


Update 3: For those using Crysis Warhead and/or Crysis Wars, please check the Crysis Warhead Tweak Guide for details specific to those games.



Click to enlarge

Copy Protection


Crysis is protected by SecuROM copy protection, which requires a serial number during installation, and for online gameplay. It also contains a disk check component, which means you need to keep the DVD in the drive during play. It does not contain any activation or other online verification systems.



Mods


Given just how customizable CryEngine 2 is, and more importantly since Crytek have released the free SandBox 2 game editor, I have no doubt there will be plenty of amazing mods for Crysis. If you're interested in creating mods yourself, you can get the Sandbox 2 Editor for free by downloading the Crysis Demo, or if you already have the full version of the game, look under the Sandbox2 directory on the install DVD. If you want to get even more involved in modding Crysis, you can download the Mod SDK (Software Development Kit). Crytek has also released detailed Documentation for both the Sandbox Editor and the SDK.


To kick things off, Crytek has released an official free Crysis Tournament Map Pack which contains five new multiplayer maps for competitive or public gameplay.


If you're interested in trying out different user-made mods for Crysis, keep an eye on Crytek's official CryMod Portal which not only has tutorials and resources for modders, but also holds a mod database listing new and upcoming mods, some of which are extremely ambitious. As of the 1.2 Patch, installing mods in Crysis has become easier as there is now a built-in mod loader - the Mods section in the main settings screen - which when opened allows you to load or unload mods as necessary.


Some great user-made mods I recommend checking out:


Natural Mod - Changes the lighting and atmosphere of Crysis to make things more realistic, and can also improve performance.


Reality Enhancement Mod - Changes a wide range of features in the game, from weapons to vehicles to AI, to be more realistic.


As always, I will list more prominent/recommended mods above as I hear of them.



The next section starts our look at the Crysis In-Game settings in detail.