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Settings files (DatabaseFile)

ForzaTechData modelApplies toFH6

The render settings of Forza Horizon 6 (media\Rendering.zip: Megatexture.xml, Livery.xml, DecalManager.xml, Shadows.xml and 63 more) and the data-manager files of media\GameTunableSettings.zip are XML documents whose root element is DatabaseFile. They are method-22 zip entries, so they are readable only decrypted. Proven

This page describes Steam build 25588841. Every XML entry of every zip under media (17,498 entries, the encrypted ones decrypted) was checked for its root element: 72 are DatabaseFile (all in those two archives), and 7,992 are binary (BXML), none of which holds the text <DatabaseFile. Proven Of the 72, 71 read with a reader that refuses any element, attribute or content this page does not describe; the 72nd is not well-formed XML (below). The layout is Proven on those 71.

Layout

Section titled “Layout”
DatabaseFile path=""
  Data path="<object path>" type="<type name>"        the defaults of one settings object
  Settings path="<object path>" [tags="<expression>"]  values that replace the defaults when the tags hold
    property id="<name>" [type=] [value=] [tags=]
      property ...                                     a nested object's fields
      element [type=] [value=]                         a list item; may hold properties and elements
        property ...
      map_element                                      a map entry: exactly one key, then one value
        key [id=] [type=] [value=]
        value [id=] [type=] [value=]                   may hold properties and map elements
  • The root has a path attribute, empty in every file. Its children are only Data and Settings blocks. Proven
  • A Data block always has path and type; a Settings block always has path, and tags on 331 of the 335. Proven
  • Every property has an id. A property gives its value in a value attribute, or holds nested properties, list elements or map elements. A type attribute names a value’s type where the file states one: float, bool, vec3, string, int, uint, Color, float4 and a settings type (RenderBufferFormatDescriptor, ShadowMaskPCSSParams, …). Proven
  • There is no text between elements, no CDATA, no entity reference, no XML declaration and no byte order mark, and the files are UTF-8 with CRLF line ends. Comments occur throughout. Proven
  • Values are stored as text: numbers in decimal (0.75, 240), booleans as true and false, vectors as comma-separated components (0.35,0.36,0.15). Observed

A Settings block’s path may name a nested object (MegaTexture.Params.MegaTextureGPU). Its tags attribute, and the tags attribute of a single property, is an expression over names such as Config.Scarlett60Hz, Platform.PC AND Config.EnvStreamingTex.High, Seasons.Winter and Scenario.PhotoMode, with AND, OR and a - prefix for negation. Observed That a block applies over the Data defaults when its expression holds is inferred from the names and the files’ comments. Inferred

Cubemap.xml

Section titled “Cubemap.xml”

Rendering.zip’s Cubemap.xml closes its last block, <Settings path="Cubemap.Params.EnvLookupSettings">, with </property>, so it is not well-formed XML. Proven What the game’s own reader makes of that block is not known. Unknown

Values the old guesses stood for

Section titled “Values the old guesses stood for”
File Object What it holds Confidence
Megatexture.xml MegaTexture.Params HeightfieldBlendSharpnessPerMip 240, 235, 230, 225, 220, 220, 220; MinMip 0; DirectionBias 0.75 (1 in photo mode); MipBlendBias 0.22 Proven
Megatexture.xml MegaTexture.Params.MegaTextureGPU ApplyModulatePerPixelLevel 5, ApplyModulateCornersPerPixelLevel 3, CheckDiffuseDiagonalsLevel 5, NumParallaxMips 6, SplatMapAtlasSizeX 1024, SplatMapAtlasSizeY 256 (1024 on PC), GrassColourTargetFallbackColour 0.35, 0.36, 0.15 (0.24, 0.27, 0.11 in spring, summer and autumn; 0.47, 0.40, 0.27 in winter) Proven
Livery.xml LiveryRendering.Params PlayerCarLiveryResolution 2048 (1024 at Config.CarLOD.Low, 4096 at Extreme), OpponentCarLiveryResolution 1024, PlayerCarLiveryIntermediateSSAA 2 and ...MSAA 1 by default (MSAA 2 at Medium, 4 at High), LiveryHighResolutionDecals true Proven
DecalManager.xml DecalManagerParams.Params only Enabled true Proven
MaterialSystemUtil.xml PixelDepthSettings ZBiasGlancingAngleScale 5.6 for terrain and 3.5 for RCSMSettings, ZBiasNearPlaneDistance 1 Proven

LOD and draw distance

Section titled “LOD and draw distance”

Rendering.zip’s Presentation.xml holds the global LOD distance scales, in the Data block RenderProceduralQuality.Settings (type RenderProceduralQualitySettings). Its defaults are DrawDistanceType High, DefaultDensityScale 1.0, DefaultLODDistanceScale 1.0, TreesLODDistanceScale, GrassLODDistanceScale and BushLODDistanceScale 0.0, CubeMinArea and ShadowMinArea 0.0, CrowdCull 0.0, TreeLODReduction 0 and CubemapExtraTerrainHeight 0.5. Proven Its Settings blocks change only DrawDistanceType, DefaultDensityScale, CrowdCull, TreeLODReduction and CubemapExtraTerrainHeight, never a LOD distance scale. Proven By tag:

Tags DrawDistanceType DefaultDensityScale CrowdCull TreeLODReduction
Config.GeometryQuality.VeryLow Low 0.1 0.5 2
Config.GeometryQuality.Low Low 0.3 0.5 2
Config.GeometryQuality.Medium High 0.5 0.5 1
Config.GeometryQuality.High High 0.7 0.25 (default)
Config.Lockhart60Hz High 0.7 0.5 (default)
Config.Anaconda60Hz VeryHigh 0.8 0.25 (default)
Config.Lockhart30Hz OR Config.GeometryQuality.Ultra Ultra (default) (default) (default)
Config.Anaconda30Hz OR Config.GeometryQuality.Extreme Extreme (default) (default) (default)
Config.Scarlett60Hz AND Track.Name_HENDRIX VeryHigh (default) (default) (default)
Config.Scarlett30Hz AND Track.Name_HENDRIX Ultra (default) (default) (default)

Proven The Ultra and Extreme blocks also set CubemapExtraTerrainHeight 0. Proven So on PC the LOD distance scale is 1.0 at every geometry quality, and what a quality changes is the DrawDistanceType and the densities. Inferred Which draw-behaviour slot or LOD-profile tier a DrawDistanceType selects is not in the file. Unknown

The same file’s VisibilityCulling.Params holds screen-area tests: ScreenAreaTests.MainScene 200 by default, 100, 140 and 180 at Config.GeometryQuality.VeryLow, Low and Medium, and -1 at Config.Scarlett30Hz OR Config.GeometryQuality.Extreme; Mirror and Cubemap 20 (5, 10, 15 by reflection quality), Shadow 100 (20, 40, 60 by shadow quality) and ShadowOffscreen 7. Proven

GeneralScene.xml’s GeneralScene.DefaultLODs lists LOD bands per object kind (animated, static, checkpoint, animal, vehicle, …) and scene (Main, ShadowPSSM, Cube, GlobalCube), each band a StartDistance and EndDistance (for example 0 to 40, 40 to 80, 80 to 160 and 160 to 320 metres). Proven SmoothLOD.xml’s SmoothLOD.Params holds the LOD transition: ProceduralFadeMethod FadeInThenOut (CrossFade with ProceduralCrossFadeOverlap 0.65 under Config.Scarlett30Hz OR Config.Scarlett60Hz OR Config.ShaderQuality.Extreme OR Config.ShaderQuality.Ultra, 1.0 otherwise), and fade ranges MaxFadeInRange and MaxFadeOutRange 500. Proven

The values are what the files store. What each name controls in the renderer is read from the name and the file’s comments, not traced. Inferred