Frequently Asked Questions

[ajcoll5]

L.A. Noire PC Frequently Asked Questions & Problems

Q: Can I activate my retail copy on Steam?
A: At this time, you cannot activate a retail copy of L.A. Noire on Steam.

Q: Do I get Steam achievements?
A: If you bought the game on Steam, you will get Steam achievements. If you have the retail version, achievements will be limited to Social Club.

Q: Why won't my game launch and gives me UAC prompts?!
A: Steam currently has a problem launching game as administrator. You'll need to run Steam with admin privileges on Windows Vista and Windows 7. To do so: go to your steam folder, right click on Steam.exe, click the Compatibility tab, check the "Run this program as an administrator" box and then hit "OK".

Q: Why does my game lag?
A: This could be any number of reasons. Your video drivers might be out of date, your computer may not be up-to-scratch or you might be choosing the wrong settings for your hardware. The most intensive part of the game seems to be the detailed shadows; try bumping the shadows down to balanced. If you have an Nvidia card, using the 290.36 beta drivers is recommended for the best performance.

Q: What are some tips to improve performance?
A:Here is what I have done personally to improve my performance. After following these steps, my game runs without a hitch. You're mileage may very depending on your own setup.

1.If you have an Nvidia card, using the 290.36 beta drivers is recommended for the best performance.

2. Run CCleaner. This tool is completely free and cleans up a lot of files programs leave behind. You'd be surprised how much space is used by useless files. Be sure to uncheck the clear browser cookies and histories option. Running the registry options is not needed.
3. Run Defraggler. This program was created by the same folks behind CCleaner. It will unfragment any files on your drive, decreasing the number of cycles it takes for the game to read it's files. Doing this will also speed up your computer overall.

4. Run Game Booster. This neat little program will end any unnecessary Windows services and any other processes you define. You can even have it stop Windows Explorer and then run the game. Doing this will free up your processor to focus on L.A. Noire, which is a very CPU intensive game partly thanks to the shadows.

5. Set L.A. Noire to Realtime priority. Doing this will force your computer to give L.A. Noire it's undivided attention. Once you launch L.A. Noire, press Alt+Ctrl+Delete. This will either bring up a lock screen or the task manager. If it brings up a lock screen, hit Start Task Manager. Once in Task Manager go to the Processes tab and then find L.A. Noire.exe. Right click on it, go to the Set Priority menu and then select Realtime. If you get a permissions error, click the Show Processes from All Users button in the lower left corner and try again.

6. If you're still having performance problems, try setting your Shadows and LODs to Balanced in-game. You can also try the -str command line function.

Q: Why is my game stuck syncing?
A: You need to run LANoire.exe, LANLauncher.exe and Steam.exe as Administrator. To do this: right click each executable, click "Properties", click the "Compatibility" tab and then check "Run as Administrator". [Thanks to AtomicGaryBusey for pointing this out!] If this still doesn't fix it, here is a list of other possible suspects and fixes:

1) If you have .NET Framework 4 installed, uninstall it.
2) Make sure you have .NET Framework 3 installed.
3) If you have amBX enabled, disable it.
4) Make sure your firewall is permitting L.A. Noire and Social Club to communicate.

Q: Steam says the game is still unreleased!
A: This is currently being looked into by Rockstar. You could try [exiting Steam, deleting the clientregistry.blob file from the Steam folder and then relaunching Steam. This will force Steam to re-download Steam updates and game lists. If the problem still persists, you can download L.A. Noire by typing "steam://install/110800" (without the quotes) in the address bar of your browser. Playing may also work if you try typing "steam://play/110800" (without the quotes). [Thanks to seigen for the temp workaround!]

Q: My DLC is missing!
A: To release on Steam, Rockstar had three different "apps" for the game: LANExecutables, LANMainContent and LANDLC. An error caused LANDLC to be excluded from the "subscription" that controls what content you get. I notified Rockstar of this problem and it has been fixed. You may need to verify your game files, to do so right click on L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition in Steam, click Properties, click the Local Files tab and then click Verify Integrity of Game Cache. If it still doesn't work, try restarting Steam.

Q: The menu is missing!
A: Some are finding that Steam has corrupted their Cases file and it won't detect that it's broken. You'll need go to your L.A. Noire folder and delete the file labeled "Cases". Once deleted, you will need to verify your game files; to do so right click on L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition in Steam, click Properties, click the Local Files tab and then click Verify Integrity of Game Cache. If it's still not appearing, try launching the game directly from the LANoire.exe. If these don't fix the problem, please see the Rockstar Support article on this issue.

Q: What command line options does L.A. Noire have?
A:

-windowed Run game in a window.
-ignorefocus Don't pause the game if you alt-tab or click out of its window.
-mousefree Allow mouse outside the game window. (Requires windowed mode).
-str Enable single threaded renderer, which may improve performance or compatibility on some systems.
-npd Disable the 'D3D_PUREDEVICE' flag from device creation. May help if you have graphics compatibility issues.
-nosound Disable all sound.
-L Change the language - use English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. E.g -L french
-joysticktype Force a specific directinput controller type. Can be used to try different controller button layouts if your controller isn't specifically supported.

Q: Mouse cursor appears when using the -str launch command
A: This issue is currently being looked into by Rockstar. For now, you can use a small utility called nomousy to hide your cursor. [Seems to be fixed in a silent update that was released on 11/14/11.]


Q: Why can I walk but when I go to drive the car doesn't move?
A: Try disconnecting any controllers you are not using, especially steering wheels.
[Credit to TheMonkeyPaw]

Q: Where can I RTFM?
A: The manual is available as a PDF download here.

Q: Is the Social Club program just like the original one for GTAIV?
A: The Social Club included with L.A. Noire is similar to that of the Games for Windows Live service. It is not an actual program nor does it run when you start Windows. It is a set of executables and DLL libraries that the game loads when started to provide an in-game interface for Social Club which will keep track of community stats, your stats/progress and achievements. The reason it is installed separately from L.A. Noire is because it will be used for Max Payne 3 and future Rockstar PC games.

Q: Where can I find my L.A. Noire directory?
A: It depends on where you have Steam installed. Usually it would be C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\l.a.noire

Q: Where are my saved games?
A: My Documents -> Rockstar Games -> L.A. Noire

Q: How do I bypass cut scenes?
A: Press the backspace button. Certain scenes, like the start of a case and key conversations, cannot be bypassed.

Q: I am getting D3DX9_XX.dll errors, how can I fix it?
A: Try downloading the latest DirectX from Microsoft's website.

Q: I am crashing due to msvcr90.dll being missing
A: Make sure Visual C++ 2008 SP1 and .NET framework 3.5 are both up to date.

Q: What was fixed in the silent update on 11/14/2011?
A: The executable was compiled on 11/11/2011 and brings L.A. Noire to version 1.0.0.1. This update fixes an issue where the menu may not appear and the mouse cursor appearing when using the -str command. The game still reports as version 1.0. Files updated are LANoire.exe, LANLauncher.exe and ErrorHandler.dll.

Q: Nothing listed is my problem, please help me!
A: There are a number of ways to get support. You could post here and have the community help you, view Rockstar's Support website, ask Rockstar's support on Twitter or file a support ticket on Rockstar's Support website.

[Traviskolber]

And how about the game not unlocking 20 hours after it was supposed to?

[Nuator]

Thanks for this thread! +rep

[ReanimationXP]

Good post, although that's total bullsh*t about the frames being capped at 30fps. Turning off Vsync manually to see what I can achieve. F*cking Rockstar.

[ajcoll5]

Originally Posted by ReanimationXP

Good post, although that's total bullsh*t about the frames being capped at 30fps. Turning off Vsync manually to see what I can achieve. F*cking Rockstar.

It's not really their fault. The technology was developed by another company with consoles in mind. Having it capped at 30FPS is better than no L.A. Noire on PC at all.

[ashais]

Originally Posted by ajcoll5

It's not really their fault. The technology was developed by another company with consoles in mind. Having it capped at 30FPS is better than no L.A. Noire on PC at all.

This completely perplexes me. What the hell Rockstar were thinking?

Rather than port Red Dead Redemption, which a lot of people have been asking for quite a long time, they port a singleplayer open world adventure game that has, for some, game-breaking technical flaw.

I haven't gotten the game but does the mouse control at least feel good? I know that some games are unplayable/uncontrollable under 40FPS but there are some that runs fine even on 25FPS (Crysis)

[Pratt]

Originally Posted by ajcoll5

Q: I am crashing due to msvcr90.dll being missing
A: Make sure Visual C++ 2008 SP1 and .NET framework 3.5 are both up to date.

Fixed me, thanks. +rep

[hilltop67]

wow..nice copy and paste from www.rockstargames.com

[ajcoll5]

Originally Posted by hilltop67

wow..nice copy and paste from www.rockstargames.com

Well firstly, it's not a "copy and paste" job from Rockstar. I have added my own solutions and questions. Are a number of these similar to Rockstar's support site, sure but there's nothing wrong with that. Secondly, this is maintained independently from Rockstar so it will contain problems and solutions Rockstar doesn't have on their website. Lastly, judging by the number of similar topics here, no one bothers to read the Rockstar support website anyway and just comes here straightaway to post how "horrible" Rockstar is without looking.

[ReanimationXP]

Originally Posted by ashais

This completely perplexes me. What the hell Rockstar were thinking?

Rather than port Red Dead Redemption, which a lot of people have been asking for quite a long time, they port a singleplayer open world adventure game that has, for some, game-breaking technical flaw.

I haven't gotten the game but does the mouse control at least feel good? I know that some games are unplayable/uncontrollable under 40FPS but there are some that runs fine even on 25FPS (Crysis)

Mouse control feels great compared to something like Fallout where it's manually accelerated and all kinds of other sh*t.. the 30fps does not make it look playable, just makes things super chunky for those of us with a keen eye, which is almost all PC players which is why we want 1080p+ play to begin with.

I'd actually have very few complaints with the game at all except horrendous intro/syncing times and this stupid 30fps cap.

[Megumeru]

they should add this question:

Why is my game's download stuck at 90%?

[Newbez944]

this game is just awful to play with mouse and keyboard, not even worth it. get a controller. the default key bindings is some of the worst i have ever seen in all my gaming years.

[ajcoll5]

Originally Posted by Newbez944

this game is just awful to play with mouse and keyboard, not even worth it. get a controller. the default key bindings is some of the worst i have ever seen in all my gaming years.

If you want to complain about something you can already change (the controls), then go somewhere else.

I have updated the FAQ with some performance tips that have worked for me. The game is now buttery smooth for me with these tips.

btw, Can a mod pin this? Everyone is asking the same questions.

[Borscht]

If you have an Nvidia card, using the 285.79 beta drivers is recommended for the best performance.

And what about AMD Radeon video cards? -_-

[Amy]

Originally Posted by Borscht

And what about AMD Radeon video cards? -_-

Switching to a Nvidia card, using the 285.79 beta drivers is recommended for the best performance.


AMD card has such poor performance lately :S.