Optimize Performance While Keeping Visual Quality

Identify Performance Bottlenecks

Check your frame rate in different environments. Open the shader menu and look for performance-related options. Shadow quality, ambient occlusion, and lighting calculation distance are common sources of frame drops.

Reduce Shadow Quality Selectively

Shadows are visually impactful but computationally expensive. Lower shadow resolution or distance to improve performance. Nocturne's soft shadows remain pleasant even at reduced quality, so this is often the best first optimization step.

Disable or Lower Ambient Occlusion

Ambient occlusion darkens crevices and corners realistically but costs performance. Try disabling it entirely or reducing its intensity. The shader will still look good—you'll simply lose some corner shadowing detail.

Adjust Lighting Calculation Distance

Some shaders calculate complex lighting only within a certain distance. Reducing this range keeps nearby areas detailed while simplifying distant terrain, improving frame rates without affecting your immediate surroundings.

Test in Demanding Scenes

Fly to a dense forest or complex build and monitor frame rate. Adjust settings incrementally until you reach your target performance while maintaining the visual improvements you value most.