If your like me, and your computer sucks because it’s old or whatever, then you can use this configuration script created by “Casey”. Apparently it is CAL / CSP compliant, so your cool when playing matches etc.
The config file below is modified slightly by me to suit my PC setup, so you’ll might want to enable/disable/change a few other settings to suit your setup.
// Casey’s Source Config
// Updated 9/21/06
// _Set netcode settings_
// _adjusts hitboxes and netcode settings for optimal registration_
cl_cmdbackup 2
cl_cmdrate 66
cl_interp 0.01
cl_interpolate 1
cl_lagcomp_errorcheck 1
cl_lagcompensation 1
cl_updaterate 66
cl_smooth 1
rate 20000
// _Set graphics settings_
// _adjusts graphics settings to boost framerate_
cl_forcepreload 1 // _forces preload to help increase performance_
cl_phys_props_enable 0 // _disables trash and cans etc_
cl_phys_props_max 0 // _disables trash and cans etc_
cl_ragdoll_physics_enable 1 // _disables dead animations and bodies_
cl_show_splashes 0 // _disables splashes when in water_
fps_max 101 // _caps FPS_
mat_forceaniso 0 // _disables anisotropic filtering_
mat_antialias 0 // _disables antialiasing_
mat_bloomscale 0
mat_bumpmap 0 // _disables bumpmapping_
mat_clipz 1 // _disabled non visible object rendering_
mat_fastnobump 1 // _faster bump mapping_
mat_fastspecular 1 // _fast specular lighting_
mat_mipmaptextures 1 // _texture quality decreases with distance_
mat_hdr_enabled 0 // _disables high dynamic range lighting_
mat_picmip 1 // _lower texture quality–set between 0 and 4_
mat_reducefillrate 1 // _reduces shader fill rate_
mat_specular 0 // _disables specular lighting_
mat_trilinear 0 // _disables trilinear filtering_
mat_wateroverlaysize 16 // _lowers water quality_
mat_vsync 1 // _disables vertical synchronization_
mp_decals 50 // _how many bullets etc will be shown_
muzzleflash_light 0 // _disables muzzleflash_
r_3dsky 0 // _disables 3D skybox_
r_avglight 0 // _disables average lighting_
r_cheapwaterend 1 // _worse water rendering_
r_cheapwaterstart 1 // _worse water rendering_
r_decal_cullsize 2 // _lower texture quality at distance_
r_decals 0 // _disables player sprays_
r_drawdetailprops 0 // _disables detail props_
r_drawflecks 0 // _disables bullet impacts_
r_drawmodeldecals 0 // _disables decals on models_
r_dynamic 0 // _disables dynamic lighting_
r_eyes 0 // _removes eyes from player models_
r_lightaverage 0 // _disables average lighting_
r_lightinterp 0 // _disables light interpolation_
r_lod 0 // _adjusts model quality–set between -5 and 5_
r_occlusion 0 // _disables occlusion–lowers image quality but gains FPS_
r_propsmaxdist 100 // _lower object fading distance_
r_renderoverlayfragment 0
r_rootlod 2 // _lower overall game detail level_
r_shadows 1 // _set to 0 to disable shadows (not recommended)_
r_teeth 0 // _removes teeth from player models_
r_waterforceexpensive 0 // _disables high-quality water_
rope_averagelight 0 // _disables average lighting on ropes_
rope_smooth 0 // _disables antialiasing on ropes_
rope_subdiv 0
rope_wind_dist 0 // _disables wind effects on ropes_
// _Set instruction sets_
// _note: verify processor support before enabling_
r_3dnow 1 // _enables 3DNow! instruction set_
r_mmx 1 // _enables MMX instruction set_
r_sse 1 // _enables SSE instruction set_
r_sse2 1 // _enables SSE2 instruction set_
// _Set violence settings_
// _increases blood to help you see hits better_
violence_ablood 1
violence_agibs 1
violence_hblood 1
violence_hgibs 1
// _Set HUD and xhair settings_
// _adjusts HUD and xhair for easy viewing_
cl_crosshaircolor 0 // _green crosshair_
cl_crosshairalpha 999 // _bright crosshair_
cl_crosshairusealpha 0 // _enables adjustable crosshair brightness_
cl_c4progressbar 1 // _enables C4 progress bar_
hud_centerid 1 // _centers player IDs_
net_graph 3 // _enables net_graph 3–CAL required!_
net_graphpos 1 // _adjusts netgraph position-set between 1 and 3_
cl_showfps 2
// _Set various settings_
budget_show_history 0 // _disables history graph_
jpeg_quality 100 // _high quality screenshots_
mat_monitorgamma 1.6 // _maximum ingame brightness_
sv_forcepreload 1 // _forces preload to help increase performance_
cl_downloadfilter all
clear
echo “_casey’s config loaded_”
The important ones which you’ll might want to edit are cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate, set cl_cmdrate to your average FPs and cl_updaterate to either as high or as low as possible until it causes no choke or loss.
How to install
Copy and paste what’s in the above box to Notepad and then save it as autoexec.cfg. Then simply place that into your folder.
C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\username\counter-strike source\cstrike\cfg
Just make sure you remove username and insert your username/email address.
Then run CSS and everything should be set! Good luck!
P.S. You might also want to set a portion of your RAM especially for CSS when playing to furthermore improve performance by adding -heapsize and then followed by HALF the amount of RAM you have. So for example:
512MB System Memory: -heapsize 262144
1GB System Memory: -heapsize 524288
2GB System Memory: -heapsize 1048576
And also set what DirectX level you want your graphics card to use, so if you have a graphics card that uses DirectX 8.1, then you can try and see if it improves performance by running CSS at DirectX level 8.
-dxlevel 90 for DirectX 9
-dxlevel 81 for DirectX 8.1
-dxlevel 80 for DirectX 8
-dxlevel 70 for DirectX 7
Just set your launch options accordingly to the above settings. My CSS shortcut Target options looks as follows:
“C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\Steam.exe” -applaunch 240 -dxlevel 80 -heapsize 524288
To edit your shortcut target just right-click on the shortcut on the desktop and then add appropriate tags after the quotes.
References:
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/showthread.php?t=16
http://www.pureoverclock.com/download.php?det=3
http://ucguides.savagehelp.com/ConnectionFAQ/Halflife.htm
http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~abcgi/action/articles/csrates.html
