As you all know Mirror’s Edge for the PC was released about a day ago. Although Mirror’s Edge is not without its share of problems, it’s one of the better optimized PC ports we’ve seen in the recent times.This article discusses several problems you may encounter with the game as well as possible solutions and workarounds that may help you in such problematic scenarios. We have also included download links to all patches and software required to properly run Mirror’s Edge on the PC.
Note that we’ll be updating this article as more bugs and fixes are discovered. If you need to know additional information, feel free to drop a comment.
Performance issues and crash to desktop (CTD errors)
Mirror’s Edge runs poorly (slow framerate), freezes, or randomly crashes to desktop (CTD) on nVIDIA graphics cards
If you are using an nVIDIA graphics card with PhysX enabled (Geforce 8,9, 200 series), I would suggest you install Patch 1.0.1 as well as nVIDIA PhysX System Software 9.09.0010 (See ‘Patches, Drivers and Other software’ section below for more info and download links).
If you somehow can’t install the patch (if you are using the crack to bypass DRM), I suggest you disable PhysX acceleration altogether. You can disable this option (disable physics) from the in game menu.
The game crashes after the logo screen (or just before the logo or game menu is displayed)
You can try disabling the intro screen and see if it works. This can easily be done using the Mirror’s Edge No Intro Fix available on game copy world.
- Download the NoIntro fix from here.
- Extract the archive using WinRAR or Winzip 11
- Use the exe file to enable or disable the intro screen.
If the game crashes before the menu is loaded and if you are using Windows Vista, you can also try running the game exe in compatibility mode for Windows XP.
How to edit game settings manually to tweak and improve Mirror’s Edge performance
The in game menu only allows you to tweak several options in the game. But you can tweak it manually by editing the configuration files. Since Mirror’s Edge is built upon the Unreal Engine 3.0, editing config files is relatively easy.
- If you have Windows Vista: Locate the file C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\EA Games\Mirror's Edge\TdGame\Config\tdEngine.ini
If you have Windows XP Locate the file My documents\EA Games\Mirror's Edge\TdGame\Config\tdEngine.ini - Open tdEngine.ini with a text editor such as Notepad.
- You will see some lines such as
StaticDecals=True
DynamicDecals=True
DynamicLights=True
DynamicShadows=True
LightEnvironmentShadows=True
CompositeDynamicLights=False
DirectionalLightmaps=True
MotionBlur=false
DepthOfField=True
AmbientOcclusion=false
Bloom=True
QualityBloom=True
Distortion=True
DropParticleDistortion=False
SpeedTreeLeaves=False
SpeedTreeFronds=False
OnlyStreamInTextures=False
LensFlares=True
FogVolumes=False
FloatingPointRenderTargets=True
Trilinear=True - Each of these lines represent an option in the game. For example, Trilinear = True means “Enable Trilinear filtering’. To disable Trilinear filtering manually, edit the tdengine.ini files replacing the line with Trilinear=False.
You can disable other effects such as Dynamic shadows, Bloom and Depth of Field manually by editing this configuration file. True enables the setting while False disables it.
Note: Editing the file incorrectly will cause the game not to run and may require it to be reinstalled. Proceed with caution and at your own risk.
Random Gameplay slowdowns
Several people have reported running into random gameplay slowdowns. For example in some locations Faith will begin to move very slowly so that jumping, crouching or performing certain other actions become impossible (i.e. - on a rooftop in Chapter 4 and near the fence in Chapter 3). This looks very much like a SecuROM trigger. As you may already know this game is protected by SecuROM DRM. It looks as if RELOADED’s cracked release still contains some SecuROM entries which trigger showstopper glitches in the game (something like ‘drunken camera bug’ in GTA 4). To fully fix this problem, you’ll need to wait for a PROPER release or a CRACKFIX for Mirror’s Edge by RELOADED or some other group. Till then you can try the following workaround (i cannot confirm if this works– I did not play a cracked version of the game).
UPDATE:
Mirrors.Edge.Crackfix-RELOADED has been released. Following is quoted from the NFO:
A trigger causing the gameplay to slow down during the fourth level, resulted in an unplayable game. This crackfix resolves the problem. Enjoy
For more information about RELOADED’s crack and the game’s DRM, refer to this article.
The game runs poorly on a ATI 4870X2 graphics card
It seems Mirror’s Edge and 4870X2 which utilizes ATI crossfire does not go too well. I’d suggest disabling crossfire from your ATI control panel before playing the game at least till a patch or a better driver is available.
UPDATE (17/1/2009):
For those who are still having problems with the game here is a quick recap of what you should do/have done:
- Remove all traces of Mirror's Edge if you have a faulty version installed. Run CCleaner - file and registry cleaners both (You can download CCleaner from here).
- Install NVIDIA 181.22 drivers (You can download ForceWare 181.22 beta from here)
- Install Mirror's Edge
- Patch to v1.0.1
- Run the game.
If you are using a pirated/DRM free copy, use v1.0.1 cracked patch before running the game.
Patches, drivers and other software for Mirror’s Edge
Drivers – Which is the best display driver for Mirror’s Edge?
This is a very difficult questions to answer. The best way to figure out the optimal driver for your hardware configuration is to try several versions out.
If you are an nVIDIA graphics card user, I’d suggest you download ForceWare 181.20 WHQL official drivers from here and try them first. If you feel a little adventurous, you can download ForceWare 185.20 beta drivers and see if there is a performance increase. In general I’ve seen small performance increases with the 185.20 beta drivers. You can find download links and my experience with these drivers on this thread.
UPDATE: NVIDIA ForceWare 181.22 have been released. These contain the latest PhysX system software and is the recommended driver for Mirror’s Edge. Note that v181.22 still in beta. You can read the release notes and download them from here.
If you are an ATI graphics card user, it’s recommended to upgrade to the latest Catalyst version. You can find them on this page. If you are having issues with 4870X2 graphics card, see the solution mentioned above.
Mirror’s Edge Patch 1.0.1
Although the game has only been out for 1 or so days, an official has already been released. The main problem addressed with the patch is a PhysX related issue. If you are experiencing any gameplay slowdowns or random crashes on an nVIDIA PhysX enabled video card, install this patch. Note that if you are using a cracked version of the game, this patch will not work. The razor1911 crack is based on Mirror’s Edge v1.0.0 and you’ll have to wait for cracked patch v1.0.1 from them or some other release group (if it is ever released).
[Click Here] to download Mirror’s Edge Patch 1 (1.0.1) from EA official FTP server (20MB)
nVIDIA PhysX System Software 9.09.0010
nVIDIA have released an updated PhysX system software (v9.09.0010). Interestingly, in release notes for this version it says “Resolves occasional system crashes when PhysX is enabled on some systems when running on EA’s Mirrors Edge.”. If you have an nVIDIA PhysX enabled VGA card, try installing this software too. Download links and instructions to install can be found in this article.
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