GTA Steam Command Lines

[BusDriverUk]

Just had a thought about this and in theory it should work

Step 1) Open Steam Games List
Step 2) Right Click GTA IV and select 'Properties'
Step 3) Select 'Launch Options'

from there you can use the command lines to tweak the game

Ive got the retail version myself, and i use the following command lines

-width 1280 -height 1024 -shadowdensity 0 -viewdistance 10 -texturequality 0 -renderquality 0 -detailquality 10 -nomemrestrict

the full list of command lines are listen below

Tools:
-benchmark: Runs the benchmark tool and immediately exits game.
-help: Display list of all command line options

Graphics:
-renderquality: Set the render quality of the game. (0-4)
-shadowdensity: Set the shadow density of the game. (0-16)
-texturequality: Set the texture quality of the game. (0-2)
-viewdistance: Set the view distance of the game (0-99)
-detailquality: Set the detail quality of the game. (0-99)
-novblank: Disable wait for vblank (No Vsync)
-norestrictions: Do not limit graphics settings
-width: Set width of main render window (default is 800)
-height: Set height of main render window (default is 600)
-safemode: Run the graphics in the lowest setting possible
-frameLimit: Limit frame to interval of refresh rate
(ex If refreshrate is 60HZ –frameLimit 1 = Locks down to 60HZ)
-refreshrate: Set the refresh rate of main render window
– Warning - Monitor must support (ex. –refreshrate 60)
-fullscreen: Force fullscreen mode
-windowed: Force windowed mode
-availablevidmem: Set amount of physical Video Memory(ex. –availablevidmem 0.9)
-percentvidmem: Percentage of video memory to make available to GTA

Audio:
-fullspecaudio: Force high-end CPU audio footprint
-minspecaudio: Force low-end CPU audio footprint

System:
-noprecache: Disable precache of resources
-nomemrestrict: Disable memory restrictions

I hope this works for steam users

Video link: Thanks to Ram

ey,

I made this video explaining how to use command lines with the Steam version of GTAIV. I mentioned your thread in it to give you some credit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTonXbE-hU

Maybe you coul throw it at the top of your thread, since there are a lot of people asking how to use the command lines with the Steam version.

Hope it helps.

[Berzerkula]

Doesn't work with the steam version. This is reproducible:

If you set the launch options for GTA IV using steam, this is the result:

LaunchGTAIV.exe does not run with the option set in the launch options.

Furthermore, if a person runs LaunchGTAIV.exe from the installation folder then the option is passed at the command line. Then LaunchGTAIV.exe gets ran again without the options, so GTAIV.exe will never run with the options given in the readme.

Something is wrong with the launch process with the steam version. The options are not being used no matter how a person does it.

-William

[iCy^]

I hope that works, i can test it over 3 a 4 hours.

[Z{}{}M]

When i try this with the steam version it doesn't work.
Like for example when i add -windowed the game starts fullscreen.

Also added options to LaunchGTAIV same result...nada
Anyone knows why this doesn't work or how to force options ?

[BusDriverUk]

well thats shame i know the retail version launches from 'LaunchGTAIV.exe' and ive added that to my non steam games and it works guess its just trail and error

1 handy hint is that between each command line there has to be a space fir example
-norestrict -novblock -likethis -andthis

[Mavi222]

When I tried it... that "-windowed" command.. it ranned in fullscreen, but when I went to graphics settings, and hitted SPACE, it worked and I had a windowed GTA 4.... sorry for my bad english :-X

[Mastgrr]

Originally Posted by Mavi222

When I tried it... that "-windowed" command.. it ranned in fullscreen, but when I went to graphics settings, and hitted SPACE, it worked and I had a windowed GTA 4.... sorry for my bad english :-X

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Will keep this in mind.

[Berzerkula]

Further update:

I think the problem is with RGSC.exe. The Rockstar Games Social Club that launches LaunchGTAIV.exe after ya click play. It doesn't pass the options LaunchGTAIV was given in the first place.

It won't run without the executable. Bleh.

-William

[BusDriverUk]

well the same shortcut i used to run the game that has my command lines in has just stopped working so now my game is defaulting to 1680x1050 and i cant get it to save anymore

[Thranx]

Originally Posted by Berzerkula

Further update:

I think the problem is with RGSC.exe. The Rockstar Games Social Club that launches LaunchGTAIV.exe after ya click play. It doesn't pass the options LaunchGTAIV was given in the first place.

It won't run without the executable. Bleh.

-William

Actually it's LaunchGTAIV.exe not passing it to GTAIV.exe I've executed Launch directly an no love. LaunchGTAIV is a secure rom checker that then calls GTAIV.exe

Apparently people with the retail copy don't have this problem... I don't know why it's different with steam. Very annoying.

[BusDriverUk]

er... ive got retails and ive bene unable to use my command lines for the past few hours, not sure if its connected or not, but they seem to stopped working when i got logged out of R* social

[Psycho Dad]

This is so forked up. Why not just lock in the default graphic options and give us nothing to adjust, like consoles? After all, the ghost in the machine knows better than we do.

I want to adjust my forking settings the way I want to, and I want to do it right forking now. What--in addition to buying GTA4 through Steam, I now have to go out and buy the retail version as well to do that?

And let's not get me started on the horrible forking jaggies and no AA and the apparent inability to force AA.

Forked up.

Okay, enough forks. I'll just keep watching this space and hopefully someone will resolve this.

[avatar_58]

You have to be kidding me, STILL no solution for steam users?

[CosmicD]

hmm yes i also use 2 options -norestrictions + - nomemrestrict and it didn't turn out anytyhing.

I'l also a bit baffled as to why i can't even set my game to 800x480 , high resolution and a little bit more viewing distance. After all i have a Q6660 2gb ram and a gf gt 8800gts 320. It always seems to complain about 320 mb memory, but that has never been any problem up untill now.

[Berzerkula]

Ok got it to work finally. I had to log into the social club, then exited the game.

Later I ran LaunchGTAIV.exe -norestrictions

I didn't get the social club window that lets ya login or logout or hit play to start the game.

It went directly into the game and all graphics options were free to move around.

If you are having problems logging into the Rockstar Games Social Club get that going first.

I logged in via the website. Then I logged in when it asked me to with the game.
Then I restarted the game from the command line. Works fine now. Like I said before, if you can't login to RGSC, LaunchGTAIV gets ran again (for offline mode) but with no options. That's the problem.

Use this link to get to the login page and login.
http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/help/GFWL/

-William