The user.cfg file doesn’t appear in your BF3 folder by default and must be created manually in the following location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Battlefield 3\

The file loads each time BF3 is launched and gives you the ability to configure some advanced options. Here are the contents of my current user.cfg file:

GameTime.MaxVariableFPS 100
RenderDevice.Dx11Enable 1
RenderDevice.TripleBufferingEnable 0
RenderDevice.ForceRenderAheadLimit 2
PostProcess.DynamicAOEnable 0
WorldRender.SpotLightShadowmapEnable 0
WorldRender.TransparencyShadowmapsEnable 0
WorldRender.SpotLightShadowmapResolution 256


Here’s some good info posted by csathdfw at deltaops.eu:

PostProcess.DynamicAOEnabl​e 0/1
-Enables automaticly when SSAO or HBAO is used (HBAO does not cost much fps!!!)

RenderDevice.ForceRenderAh​eadLimit 0-?
-Amount of prepared frames by the cpu. 0/1 only when having inputlag on a higher value, 2-3 on balanced systems, 4 or more on big quad with highend CF/SLI, too low value equals in significant fps-loss. Set acording to the balance between cpu and graphics, a perfect value can be “unbottlenecking”.

RenderDevice.TripleBufferi​ngEnable 0/1
-Enable only when using Vsync. This value is set to enabled by default, even without Vsync.

WorldRender.FxaaEnable 0/1
-This is the ingame option “antialiasing post”. In difference to MSAA, FXAA takes almost no fps even on high value.

WorldRender.SpotLightShado​wmapEnable 0/1
- Enabling/Disabling shadows produced by some artifical lightsources (helpful indoors!!!)

WorldRender.SpotLightShado​wmapResolution 64-1024
-Higher value = higher quality = lower performance (when SpotLightShado​wmapEnable set to 0 this commands renders obsolete)

WorldRender.TransparencySh​adowmapsEnable 0 /1
- Produces shadows drawn by particles (i.e. smoke). Enables automaticly on shadowquality medium or higher. (Disabling can lead to pitchblack terrain under all trees and especially at the C-Flag on caspian border CQ)

WorldRender.DxDeferredCsPa​thEnable 0
-unknown. Some people report more fps, others fps-loss, and/or increasing/decreasing maploading times.

RenderDevice.Dx11Enable 0/1
-Use according to the capabilities of your graphics.

Gametime.MaxVariableFps 100
-Limit fps to a specific top value. Can help to save resources and energy.

Razer Game Booster is supposed to automatically enter boost mode when a game is launched and then return to normal mode when the game is closed. This process works fine for most games but not for Battlefield 3. To fix the first part of the issue of entering into boost mode head over to my post Capture Window Events with AutoHotkey.

This next part is where things got a bit tricky. It would’ve been nice if I could have just used my WatchWindows.ahk script to also trigger an event when the BF3 window was closed but AutoHotkey is on Punkbuster’s disallowed programs list. So if you’re running an AHK script while playing BF3 in a PunkBuster enabled server then you’ll eventually get kicked with a disallowed program error. At this point I had to find a new way to trigger an event when BF3 was closed. My first idea was to find a file that got changed only when the BF3 window was closed so I setup TheFolderSpy to monitor the following directories:

C:\ProgramData\Origin
C:\ProgramData\EA Core
C:\ProgramData\EA Logs
C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts
C:\Users\Peter\AppData\Roaming\Origin
C:\Users\Peter\AppData\Local\Origin
C:\Users\Peter\AppData\Local\Temp
C:\Users\Peter\Documents\Battlefield 3
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin

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