Thank you for your interest in this guide, as of today (6/30/2020) I have made the decision to stop supporting this guide and any download links. Ever since this game stopped development some years ago this guide has been stuck at a stand still and with the a rehaul of the game being developed, this guide and all its content will need to be re-evaluated and re-done. Additionally, I have no interest in the game at the current state and I have moved onto other gaming communities to support. Instead of deleting this guide, I will keep it up for research purposes for any of you that wish to use what I have provided for better guides and methods of optimizing and going behind the scenes with the graphical settings. It was an honor serving this community and helping as many people as I could. Thank you.

You're most likely here because of pain and suffering with how Guardians of Orion is running, But don't refund or quit the game just yet! I have found a way to configure the graphic settings in a advanced and personalized way! I hope this guide will help you.

What you'll need:

- A web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
- Basic knowledge of moving files in Windows Explorer

With these launch options, make your game run at full potiential!

Right click "The Orion Project" in your Games Library



Click "Set Launch Options"



Type the following into the field: -high -nod3d11 -nod3d11ex -nod3d12 -nod3d12ex -d3d10 -USEALLAVAILABLECORES -sm4 -lowmemory



All done! You're ready to go!

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=658431249

To make life easier for everyone, I've prepared a download link to easily download the configuration file.

Download[drive.google.com] Verified and working link as of: 10/4/2019


Find the configuration file you've just downloaded. (I highly reccommend having opening another windows explorer window open to do steps 2 and so on)

Find your Guardians of Orion game folder located in the following directory path:

C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Guardians of Orion



Click and open the "Engine" folder



Click and open the "Config" folder



Click and drag the file you just downloaded over to the "Config" folder and simply replace and overwrite the ConsoleVariables.ini file already there if needed



All done! You're ready and set to go.

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=673763267

Q:How do I revert back to default graphic settings?

A:
1.) Delete the "ConsoleVariables" file
2.) Go to your Steam games library
3.) Right click on Guardians of Orions
4.) Click on "Properties"
5.) Click on "Local Files"
6.) Click on "Verify Integrity of Game Cache"
- Afterwards, Steam should have downloaded the original "ConsoleVariables" file with no edits

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Q:With each game update, will I have to reconfigure these settings?

A:Most likely yes you will have to reconfigure the settings, but I have a solution.

Part 1:
1.) Locate the "ConsoleVariables" file
2.) Right click the file and click "Copy"
3.) Go to your Desktop and click somewhere on it
4.) Press Ctrl
5.) While holding Ctrl, press V
6.) The file should now be copied to your Desktop and you can now move this copy of your configured "ConsoleVariables" file somewhere handy or just leave it on your Desktop.

Part 2:
1.) When a update for Guardians of Orion comes out, make sure you have your copy of the "ConsoleVariables" file ready
2.) Access the "ConsoleVariables" file in your local game files for Guardians of Orion and check to see if your settings were reset (Have both your original and copied version of the "ConsoleVariables" file open and next to each other for easy scanning and checking)
3.) If you find the settings are the same, close the file(s) and get back to playing Guardians of Orion
4.) If the settings are not the same, drag and drop your copied version for the "ConsoleVariables" file into the folder containing the original "ConsoleVariables" and overwrite the original with your copied version.
5.) Now that everything is set to your custom configurations, make sure you still have that copy of your config safe and settled somewhere where you won't lose it

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Q:Can I also use this method to max out graphic settings?

A:Yes! The "ConsoleVariables" file can be edited to your liking. Though I must warn that I have not yet tested maxed out graphic settings nor will I in this guide. I'm just here to improve game performance so you won't have <60 FPS.

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Q:This method does not work! You LIAR!

A:Woah! No need to get hasty. If you find little difference with this method, the problem is with your computer specs. In this case, review your computer specifications and use the "My Rig" section as a guidance to what is "decent" in the world of PC gaming. With my current rig + this method of optimization, I can easily tackle the game at 60 FPS.

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NOTE: Playing on a "Night" version of any map will cause you to see pure blackness. I'd stick with playing "Day" version of maps for now until it is fixed.

To help others out for any reason, I have my basic rig provided below.

GPU: GeForce RTX 2060
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9600K CPU @ 3.70 GHz
Memory: 32.00 GB RAM (31.9 GB usable)
Current Resolution: 1920 x 1080, 60Hz
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Education

Good luck!

12/12/2015
- Publication of guide
- Added multiple questions in the "Things To Test" section

12/13/2015
- Updated "Things To Test" with a new answer
- Updated "Final Notes" with a new question and answer

12/16/2015
- Updated "Things To Test" with a new question regarding the christmas map :)
- Updated "Final Notes" with a update note and 2 questions plus answers
- Added "My Rig" to the guide

1/16/2016
- Updated "Things To Test" with a new question regarding TPS
- Updated "Final Notes" with some new answers to previous questions listed

4/22/2016
NOTICE: I've noticed that 1.4 optimization has increased efficiency with this guide! Try it out for yourself!
- Updated "Things To Test" with a new question regarding 1.4 optimization

4/24/2016
- MASSIVE overhaul to the guide! Getting optimized has never been any easier!

- Updated: Removed most questions and updated answers in the "Things To Test" section to be up-to-date with the recent 1.4 update
- Updated: The original section "What They Don't Tell You" has been overhauled and renamed to "Download + Installation"
- Updated: The original section "My Settings For A Smoother Game" has been overhauled and renamed to "The Specifics"
- Updated: Slight update of information in the "My Rig" section

4/26/2016
- Added "Launch Options" to the guide!
- Updated: Minor fixes in the guide
- Updated: Changed "Things To Test" to "Community Beta Testing"

5/6/2016
- Another MASSIVE rehaul! Thanks Fooksie!

- Updated: Removed sections regarding "DefaultScalability". See ya later!
- Updated: Overall guide to acustom our new "ConsoleVariables" config file

6/7/2016
- Updated: Added new launch options to the "Launch Options" section

6/15/2016
- Updated: Guide branding image to better suit the overall guide and purpose for it

6/18/2016
- Updated: Added a new Note to the "Final Notes" section of the guide

6/12/2017
- Updated: Changed the name "The Orion Project" to "Guardians of Orion" in the section "Introduction"
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

8/8/2017
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

1/19/2018
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

2/4/2018
- Updated: Moved download link host to another reliable location
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

12/14/2018
- Updated: Moved download link host to another reliable location
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

3/18/2019
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

6/18/2019
- Updated: Moved download link host to another reliable location
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

10/4/2019
- Updated: My Rig with my new computer specs
- Updated: The download link for the config file has been tested and verified as of todays date

6/30/2020
- Official discontinuation of this guide