Make SoF2 Run Faster on an Old PC or Laptop

To make Soldier of Fortune II run faster on an old PC or laptop, first make sure it’s using your proper graphics card, then turn off the expensive effects: dynamic lights (r_dynamiclight 0), shadows (cg_shadows 0), sky (r_fastsky 1) and particles (fx_countScale 0.5). If that isn’t enough, lower texture quality with r_picmip 1 or 2 and play at a lower resolution. Most changes need /vid_restart.

Check these first

Use the right graphics card. Many laptops have two: a weak built-in one and a stronger one. In Windows, open Settings → System → Display → Graphics, add your SoF2 multiplayer program (for example SoF2MP.exe, or the 1fx. patch’s SoF2MP.1fxmaster.exe), choose Options and select High performance.
Plug the laptop in and set Windows’ power mode to Best performance. On battery, laptops slow everything down.
Update your graphics driver. SoF2 uses OpenGL, and old or generic Windows drivers handle it badly.
Check your frame rate. Type /cg_drawFPS 1. If you’re already at your cap, the problem isn’t your PC: see the lag guide instead.

The biggest gains

These settings cost the most and change the least about how the game plays:

SoF2 performance settings, biggest gains first
Setting	Fast value	What you lose
`r_dynamiclight`	0	Light flashes from gunfire and explosions
`cg_shadows`	0	Player shadows
`fx_countScale`	0.5	Half the particles in smoke, sparks and explosions
`r_fastsky`	1	The sky becomes a flat colour
`r_flares`	0	Lens flares
`r_drawSun`	0	The sun’s glare
`r_markcount`	50	Bullet holes and scorch marks disappear sooner
`cg_shellEjection`	0	Spent shell casings

Textures and detail

On a graphics card with little memory, smaller textures help a lot:

Texture and detail settings
CVAR	What it does	Default	Recommended
`r_picmip`	Texture mipmap reduction level. Higher values lower texture quality and reduce VRAM usage.	`1`	`0`
`r_textureMode`	OpenGL texture filtering mode.	`GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST`	`GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR`
`r_detailtextures`	Enables detail texture overlays on surfaces for added visual detail at close range.	`1`	—
`details`	Overall visual detail level. Range 1 (low) to 5 (high).	`5`	—
`r_lodbias`	Level of detail bias for model rendering. Lower values increase detail.	`0`	`0`
`r_subdivisions`	Controls the tessellation quality of curved surfaces. Lower = smoother.	`4`	—

r_picmip 1 halves texture size, 2 quarters it. Above 2, everything looks very blurry.
r_textureMode GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST is a little faster than trilinear filtering.
r_lodbias 1 or 2 uses simpler models at a distance.
r_subdivisions 12 or higher draws curved surfaces with fewer polygons.

Resolution

Rendering fewer pixels is the biggest single gain on weak built-in graphics. Use r_mode -1 with a smaller custom size, for example r_customwidth 1280 and r_customheight 720, then /vid_restart. Full steps are in widescreen and resolution.

Last resort settings

These make the game look noticeably plainer, but can rescue very old hardware:

r_vertexLight 1: simple lighting instead of the map’s detailed lightmaps.
cg_simpleItems 1: flat icons instead of 3D models for items on the ground.
cg_goreDetail 0: no blood or gore effects. See gore settings.
r_texturebits 16: less colour depth in textures.

Keep the frame rate steady

A frame rate that swings between 150 and 60 feels worse than a steady 100. Cap it at something your PC can hold during big fights with com_maxfps, for example 100 or 125. See com_maxfps.

A ready-made low-end config

// Performance: old PC or laptop
seta r_dynamiclight "0"
seta cg_shadows "0"
seta fx_countScale "0.5"
seta r_fastsky "1"
seta r_flares "0"
seta r_drawSun "0"
seta r_markcount "50"
seta cg_shellEjection "0"
seta r_picmip "1"
seta r_textureMode "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"
seta r_detailtextures "0"
seta r_lodbias "1"
seta r_subdivisions "12"
seta com_maxfps "100"

Save it as autoexec.cfg in your base folder and restart the game. To go back to full quality later, see graphics and brightness settings.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get more FPS in SoF2?

Make sure it’s running on your best graphics card, then turn off dynamic lights, shadows and the sky, and halve the particle effects. If you still need more, lower r_picmip and the resolution.

Why does SoF2 lag on a good PC?

If your frame rate is high but players jump around, it’s network lag, not performance. See the SoF2 lag fix.

Can SoF2 run on integrated graphics?

Yes. It’s a 2002 game, so even basic built-in graphics run it well, especially with the settings above and an up-to-date driver.

Do I need to restart after changing these?

Settings starting with r_ need /vid_restart. Settings starting with cg_ and fx_ work straight away.