SO2RTweaks

SO2RTweaks is a BepInEx plugin for Star Ocean: The Second Story R that adds a framerate unlocker, intro skip, force specific button symbols, extended shadow distance, reduce pop-in and more.

Features

• Pause Render In Background.
• Force Controller Button Prompts (PS4, PS5, Switch, XBOX).
• Skip Intro.
• Framerate Unlocker.
• Anisotropic Filtering.
• Post-Process Anti-Aliasing (FXAA, SMAA).
• Shadow Distance Multiplier.
• Field Pop-in Reduction.
• Disable Vignette.

Installation

• Download the latest release.
• Extract the contents of the zip file into the game folder (e.g. ..\steamapps\common\STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R).
• The first boot of the game after the installation may take a while as BepInEx will be generating its things.

Steam Deck / Linux Instructions

• Open up the game properties in Steam and add WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winhttp=n,b" %command% to the launch options.

Configuration

• See <GAME_FOLDER>\BepInEx\config\SO2RTweaks.cfg after the first launch to adjust the settings.

Thanks

BepInEx

Visual Comparisons

General

Framerate Unlocker To infinity and beyond!	Nintendo Switch Buttons With an XInput controller

Anisotropic Filtering

• Look at the roof on the left and the textures further in the background.

Not Forced 4x (Game Default)	Forced 16x

Post-Process Anti-Aliasing

• FXAA removes more jagged edges, but it is slightly more blurry.
• SMAA produces a sharper image.

MSAA 4x + FXAA	MSAA 4x + SMAA

Field Grass Culling

• The FieldGrassCulling setting controls the distance that bushes and plants will continue to be rendered on screen. It is a separate system from the Cull Distance in the game options.

Note

The game uses a very low value, around 15 to 50 meters. This causes vegetation objects such as bushes and plants to disappear very close to the camera.

I recommend leaving the value at 300. In my tests, this was more than enough to stop objects from popping in.

Don't forget to set the Cull Distance option in the game to Farthest for the best experience.

Important

This setting does not affect the terrain grass, which fade away smoothly as you walk away.

Using a high value may impact performance depending on your configuration.

15~50m (Game Default)	300m

Shadow Distance Multiplier

• The ShadowDistanceMultiplier setting controls the general shadow draw distance and enables 4 shadow cascades.

Note

The rendering distance for shadows in the game is quite low, around 35 to 50 meters. This causes an effect similar to mesh swap pop-in, as objects stop to render shadows depending on distance.

I recommend leaving the multiplier at 4x.

Don't forget to set the Shadow Quality option in the game to Ultra and tweak the FieldGrassCullingDistance setting for the best experience.

Important

At 2x, shadows will be sharper up close, but it doesn't cover a large area.

At 4x, you get a smoother result, but it covers a large area. I think it's worth the tradeoff.

May impact performance depending on your configuration.

2x	4x

Vignette

• Vignette is a visual effect that darkens the corners of the screen.

Enabled (Game Default)	Disabled