• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 08:29
CEST 14:29
KST 21:29
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection2Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview5[ASL21] Finals Preview: Two Legacies21Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO12 Preview2herO wins GSL Code S Season 1 (2026)7
Community News
[BSL22] Non-Korean Championship from 13 to 28 June0Weekly Cups (May 25-31): Clem doubles, 2v2 circuit heads toward finale0StarCraft II 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes may 26th140Weekly Cups (May 18-24): MaxPax wins doubles0Crank Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League5
StarCraft 2
General
StarCraft II 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes may 26th My starcraft 2 changes The Death of Cheese: From a Professional Cheeser Oliveira Would Have Returned If EWC Continued SC2 Parody - "Somebody That I Used to Troll"
Tourneys
Maestros of The Game 2 announcement and schedule ! Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament RSL Revival: Season 5 - Qualifiers and Main Event Crank Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League GSL Code S Season 2 (2026)
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
[D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3 [A] Nemrods 1/4 players
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 528 Infection Detected Welcome to the External Content forum Mutation # 527 Hell Train
Brood War
General
FlaShFTW vs A.Alm Grudge Match Event [BSL22] Non-Korean Championship from 13 to 28 June vespene.gg — BW replays in browser Quality of life changes in BW that you will like ? Data analysis on 70 million replays
Tourneys
[ASL21] Grand Finals [Megathread] Daily Proleagues Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 2 [BSL22] WB Final & LB Semis - Saturday 21:00 CEST
Strategy
Any training maps people recommend? Muta micro map competition [G] Hydra ZvZ: An Introduction Fighting Spirit mining rates
Other Games
General Games
ZeroSpace Megathread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread Five o'clock TL Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread How cold is too cold to be outdoors? Dating: How's your luck? Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Trading/Investing Thread
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread McBoner: A hockey love story TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Facing Challenges in Mobile App Development
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Esportsmanship: How to NOT B…
TrAiDoS
Why RTS gamers make better f…
gosubay
ramps on octagon
StaticNine
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 4586 users

The importance of graphics settings

Forum Index > Closed
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
Gromo
Profile Joined August 2011
Poland49 Posts
September 12 2011 15:47 GMT
#1
Why are the players most of the pro game on minimum graphics settings? Does this help in something? Gives better sensitivity? Colleagues from the Polish forum I posted that it changes the sensitivity of the mouse. That the minimum is closer to that of Broodwar. Is this true? Sorry for poor English.
For the Swarm!
zul
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Germany5427 Posts
September 12 2011 15:49 GMT
#2
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.
keep it deep! @zulison
Bonsaidurr
Profile Joined January 2011
Germany31 Posts
September 12 2011 15:49 GMT
#3
On low details there's less bling bling that could distract.
Strek
Profile Joined June 2010
28 Posts
September 12 2011 15:49 GMT
#4
Less lag in large battles. For these guys, one small spike in a big battle can be huge.
Linwelin
Profile Joined March 2011
Ireland7554 Posts
September 12 2011 15:50 GMT
#5
Less shiny stuff that can distract the eye
Fuck Razor and Death Prophet
lurked
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Canada918 Posts
September 12 2011 15:51 GMT
#6
From what I heard, it's because of :

1st. Everything at low quality, with textures at High : It helps seing stealth units. You'll see the crippling of a passing stealth observer better that way than when everything is at Ultra.

2nd. More fluidity. Whatever machine you'll be playing on, it'll be as fluid as your own machine.

3rd. Less details means you focus more on the important bits, instead of the shiny graphics.

I'm not a pro, but I personally prefer playing with lower graphics too, and I think my computer likes me for this, as it's getting quite old now...
Magic is "just" magic until I get my hands on the source code.
DannyJ
Profile Joined March 2010
United States5110 Posts
September 12 2011 15:52 GMT
#7
Doesnt change sensitivity, unless you are also changing the resolution or something.

When i play Zerg i use low shaders just because it makes it far easier to see my units / base clearly, quickly. As protoss i use everything on all ultra since they have less crap going on.
DarKcS
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Australia1237 Posts
September 12 2011 15:54 GMT
#8
Even on my quad core machine, FPS drops to 10-15 in 200/200 battles (yeah...this game isn't optimized to use more than 2 cores sadly) - for shiny noobs in custom games, it might be acceptable, but it isnt for everyone who can't afford an i7 and quad-SLI.
The mouse speed doesn't change with FPS like most games, you only lose control when frame lag hits in at those mentioned FPS Drops. The smoothness of scrolling around changes drastically between 20/40/80 FPS however.
Die tomorrow - Live today
Dante08
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Singapore4179 Posts
September 12 2011 15:54 GMT
#9
I guess it cause of the lag spikes during big battles. My computer runs fine on medium but when 2 max armies engage there will be lag spikes which kinda screws you over sometimes.
Gromo
Profile Joined August 2011
Poland49 Posts
September 12 2011 15:55 GMT
#10
On the forum I posted that I'd buried in the files of the game. This is 100% legal? Because I heard that Blizzard bans for burial in the files. In practical terms, variables.txt file. Apparently there must change the values ​​corresponding to the cloak and shaders. Apparently when you change settings in this file, you can see invisible units as medium-level shaders.
For the Swarm!
decaf
Profile Joined October 2010
Austria1797 Posts
September 12 2011 15:55 GMT
#11
On September 13 2011 00:49 zul wrote:
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.

Someone should verify this already
It's almost some kind of myth.
stokes17
Profile Joined January 2011
United States1411 Posts
September 12 2011 15:56 GMT
#12
1. It makes it easier for me to see what's going on
2. gives me even more fps so things are smooth
3. And personally I like the minimalist cartoonish look when I'm playing (Obs-ing a major tourni should be on higher settings imho to give it that polished professional look)
isleyofthenorth
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Austria894 Posts
September 12 2011 15:56 GMT
#13
On September 13 2011 00:55 decaf wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 13 2011 00:49 zul wrote:
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.

Someone should verify this already
It's almost some kind of myth.


it isnt. shaders have to be on medium at least beacause otherwise the line in the variables "simplifiedclocking" gets set to 1, which makes cloaked units significantly harder to spot
stokes17
Profile Joined January 2011
United States1411 Posts
September 12 2011 15:59 GMT
#14
On September 13 2011 00:55 decaf wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 13 2011 00:49 zul wrote:
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.

Someone should verify this already
It's almost some kind of myth.

I believe the story behind this is

If textures are on highest and the other main graphical feature is lowest (I can't remember what this option is called but its the one that's not textures lol) It keeps the blue shimmery look of cloaked units while having the really minimalist low quality graphics. I believe it all started in a TLO interview where he said it made things a ton easier for him. I think most LANs say which graphic settings you have to use partially for this reason.
Marou
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Germany1371 Posts
September 12 2011 15:59 GMT
#15
You could have learn everything you needed and more about graphic settings by using the search function of the website, this topic has been largerly disscussed since beta :

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/search.php?q=graphic&t=t&f=19&u=&gb=date&d=
twitter@RickyMarou
zul
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Germany5427 Posts
September 12 2011 16:02 GMT
#16
On September 13 2011 00:55 decaf wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 13 2011 00:49 zul wrote:
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.

Someone should verify this already
It's almost some kind of myth.

well, I guess it is based on personal judgement. I dont play on the lowest settings, cuz I like the game to look good. But I can imagine that less shiny effects equals less distraction and therefore it might be easier to recognize a DT, cloaked banshee or Observer.
keep it deep! @zulison
HaXXspetten
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Sweden15718 Posts
September 12 2011 16:07 GMT
#17
Pretty much what everyone else said.

I personally have a habit of always playing with all graphical options to the max, just doesn't feel right without it. This does sometimes present issues when trying to micro in 200/200 situations, but I don't feel dedicated enough to sacrifice the beauty of the game in order to win just slightly more battles in lategame scenarios. Guess I'm not that much of a pro player then (Well, at least Master but that's it) Still, unless you're aiming for top GM, I don't think you should mind what graphics you're using. Just use whatever you feel like.
BlitzerSC
Profile Joined May 2011
Italy8800 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-09-12 16:11:34
September 12 2011 16:11 GMT
#18
On September 13 2011 00:47 Gromo wrote:
Why are the players most of the pro game on minimum graphics settings? Does this help in something? Gives better sensitivity? Colleagues from the Polish forum I posted that it changes the sensitivity of the mouse. That the minimum is closer to that of Broodwar. Is this true? Sorry for poor English.


Well, minimum graphics settings gives 3 advantages as far as i know. The first one, and the most obvious, is that you have more FPS and we all know that if you have a high frame rate the game is more fluid . Second, it's easier to distinguish things because you have less effects and the colors of the units are more accentuated. Third, it's a little bit easier to see cloacked units but, in my opinion, it's all about habits.

^^
Sporadic44
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States533 Posts
September 12 2011 16:12 GMT
#19
Personally I play on lowest settings for a few reasons. The obvious already mentioned, faster runtime, less lag, less chance of disconnect(not 100% on this but makes sense).

Additionally, I stream so framerate lag is reduced for myself and viewers. Despite playing on a decent machine i'd rather just be sure that the game is running as efficiently as possible. I dont care how pretty the game looks, I just need it to run as best as it can.
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
Skew
Profile Blog Joined October 2006
United States1019 Posts
September 12 2011 16:15 GMT
#20
On September 13 2011 00:56 isleyofthenorth wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 13 2011 00:55 decaf wrote:
On September 13 2011 00:49 zul wrote:
I heard it helps seeing cloaked units.

Someone should verify this already
It's almost some kind of myth.


it isnt. shaders have to be on medium at least beacause otherwise the line in the variables "simplifiedclocking" gets set to 1, which makes cloaked units significantly harder to spot


lol i didnt even know this, used low since day 1 beta. changing it doesnt seem very significant though but w/e.
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Kung Fu Cup
11:00
#10
IntoTheiNu 819
WardiTV705
SteadfastSC127
Rex117
Liquipedia
The PondCast
10:00
Episode 95
CranKy Ducklings SOOP37
CranKy Ducklings32
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Ryung 502
SteadfastSC 127
Rex 117
ProTech78
gerald23 33
trigger 30
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 37932
Rain 18877
Calm 10571
Shuttle 1778
Hyuk 813
Horang2 731
actioN 652
Mini 478
BeSt 258
Rush 216
[ Show more ]
EffOrt 200
ggaemo 177
Last 157
Pusan 146
hero 141
Zeus 107
Sharp 105
ToSsGirL 63
[sc1f]eonzerg 56
PianO 48
Shinee 46
Shine 41
JYJ 41
sorry 39
sSak 28
Sacsri 27
Hm[arnc] 20
IntoTheRainbow 15
Movie 13
zelot 12
Noble 10
ajuk12(nOOB) 9
Icarus 6
Terrorterran 3
Dota 2
Dendi834
XcaliburYe51
League of Legends
Reynor61
Counter-Strike
fl0m1375
olofmeister1315
zeus629
kRYSTAL_30
Other Games
singsing1786
B2W.Neo857
Lowko459
DeMusliM204
hiko185
Hui .139
Livibee76
Organizations
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 13 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Nemesis5796
• Jankos2506
• TFBlade468
Upcoming Events
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
2h 31m
Maestros of the Game
3h 1m
ByuN vs herO
Rogue vs Bunny
Replay Cast
11h 31m
Replay Cast
20h 31m
WardiTV Spring Champion…
22h 31m
OSC
1d
Maestros of the Game
1d 3h
Serral vs Percival
SHIN vs ShoWTimE
Replay Cast
1d 20h
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
2 days
Maestros of the Game
2 days
Clem vs Lambo
Zoun vs SKillous
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
2 days
Solar vs Classic
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
Grudge Match
3 days
FlaShFTW vs A.Alm
GSL
3 days
herO vs Rogue
Maru vs Cure
Patches Events
4 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
4 days
BSL
4 days
Replay Cast
4 days
Monday Night Weeklies
5 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Kung Fu Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

KK 2v2 League Season 1
RSL Revival: Season 5
Heroes Pulsing #1

Ongoing

BSL Season 22
IPSL Spring 2026
KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 2
Acropolis #4
CSCL: Masked Kings S4
YSL S3
SCTL 2026 Spring
WardiTV Spring 2026
Maestros of the Game 2
2026 GSL S2
Murky Cup 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026

Upcoming

BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSLAN 4
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Heroes Pulsing #3
Heroes Pulsing #2
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.