To understand the point of DXVK, you must first understand the concept of a graphics API (Application Programming Interface).

In layman's terms, graphics APIs are what developers (in this case, M-R Software - the creators of OMSI 2) use to make their applications utilise your graphics card to render graphical elements.

OMSI 2, by default, uses DirectX for this. Although it is very popular amongst developers, it is only officially supported on Windows, as with any DirectX version.

So, even if a Windows only game can be emulated on platform such as macOS or Linux (achieved via Wine), if it uses DirectX, it is likely that it will run into issues (of any severity) or fail to run at all.

Vulkan is another graphics API that solves this problem because it is cross-platform (i.e., it can be run on Windows, macOS & Linux).

DXVK uses this to solve the cross-platform compatibility problem that DirectX has. It translates DirectX API calls to Vulkan calls by providing a translation layer to the game. Although it is intended for use under Linux via Wine, it can be used on Windows to the same effect.

All of this is, of course, of no use to us. The notable part here, however, is that in comparison to DirectX, Vulkan can perform better and with less stuttering in some games, although it is somewhat dependant on what hardware you are using.

Furthermore, OMSI 2 uses DirectX version 9 which is quite outdated now and is no longer used by most games. In comparison, Vulkan is a much more optimised & modern API.

In-fact: using DXVK on older DirectX 9 games has usually reaped the most performance improvements compared to newer games. Grand Theft Auto IV is a very notable example with many users experiencing near complete elimination of the game's infamous stuttering & frame dropping issues.

Using DXVK with OMSI 2 also reaps some benefits, listed in the section below.

As with any major modification to software, please be aware that this is not guaranteed to work the same across all systems. It might not result improved experience and could cause instability.

Remember that if stability is important to you, it is not recommended to use this modification during important times, such as Bus Company Simulator drives or Virtual Transportation Group meetings.

It is possible that your game could become unstable (e.g. stop loading tiles) which could ruin hours of your work. Only use this modification when you are not in a position to lose any work.

Before proceeding, you should check if your system supports Vulkan:

• Graphics Card -- Use your browser's Find In Page option to search for your graphics card in this list[www.khronos.org].
  
  If it is not listed there, then try using the search bar on this page[vulkan.gpuinfo.org].
  
  If it is not listed on either of the above pages, then your graphics card is not compatible with Vulkan (and thus DXVK). Please do not continue onto the installation section.
  
  
• Operating System (OS) -- Windows 7 & above
  
  
• If you are on a system with an integrated AMD Radeon graphics device (APU) and no discrete graphics card then DO NOT proceed with the installation of this modification.
  For one user on this configuration, the game started displaying very stretched (wrong aspect ratio) and this issue did not undo itself even after a full reinstall of OMSI or adjusting graphics control panel options.

It is also equally important that you have a somewhat capable system that is able to reap the benefits of Vulkan! If you are using a very old system with a graphics card from before 2013 it is not likely you will see tangible improvements and you may even experience severe issues.

Remember that "optimisation" doesn't only imply less use of resources to do the same task, but it can also mean better (more) use of the available resources to do the same task better/faster!

This guide assumes you are using Windows 10 v1703 (Creators Update) or above for some minor details in various instructions (e.g. how to open an unknown file with Notepad).

This modification does not require the prior installation or uninstallation of any other external dependencies - it is completely standalone.

If you are updating this modification be sure to check the list of changes of the "Changelog of updates" section below incase there is a "WARNING" or "NOTE" you should be aware of.

1. Click here[drive.google.com] to download the archive with the required files.
   
   
2. Open the downloaded archive with File Explorer / Windows Explorer.
   
   
3. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
4. Open the OMSI 2 folder.
   
   
5. Copy the contents inside.
   
   
6. Open Steam.
   
   
7. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
8. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
9. Click on Properties....
   
   
10. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
    
    
11. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
    
    
12. Paste the contents into this location and click Replace the files in the destination (or similar) if prompted.
    
    
13. In the same folder you have open from Step 11, right click on the Omsi .exe / Application file.
    
    
14. Click on Properties....
    
    
15. Click on the Compatibility tab at the top.
    
    
16. Click on the Run this program in compatibility mode for option to enable it, then select Windows 7 from the drop-down menu just below.
    
    
17. Click on Change high DPI settings.
    
    
18. Ensure the Use this setting to fix scaling problems... option is unchecked.
    
    
19. Click on the Override high DPI scaling behaviour option to enable it, then select Application from the drop-down option below.
    
    
20. Click on OK.
    
    
21. Click on OK.
    
    
22. Open the Inputs folder (in the same folder you have open from Step 11)
    
    
23. Double click on the keyboard .cfg / CFG file.
    
    
24. A dialog titled "How do you want to open this file?" will appear. Click "More apps ↓", then select Notepad from the list and click OK.
    
    
25. You are now text-editing OMSI 2's keyboard controls settings file. Click on the blank space under the [game] line, then press Enter on your keyboard.
    
    
26. Copy and paste the below text:
    
    
    [entry] reset_graphic_device 13 6
    
    
27. Press Enter a few times on your keyboard again. The final result should look like this:
    
    
    
    
28. If your view looks like the above, save and close the file. Note that the debug_start_bench2 entry may differ - this is fine.
    
    
29. Open a new File Explorer / Windows Explorer window.
    
    
30. Navigate to your Steam installation directory. By default, you can access it by opening these folders in order: This PC > Windows (C:) > Program Files (x86) > Steam
    
    
31. Right click on the GameOverlayUI .exe / Application file.
    
    
32. Repeat Steps 14-21 for this program.
    
    
33. Open Steam and launch OMSI 2.
    
    
34. Click on Options on the bottom right.
    
    
35. Click on the Graphics (Advanced) tab at the top.
    
    
36. Set the Max. Tex. Mem for high-res Tex load option to 0.0
    
    
37. Click on OK.

You have now successfully installed DXVK for OMSI 2 and can launch the game.

Before proceeding onto the "Options" section below, it is important that you understand the Antialiasing options so that you can make an informed choice.

Antialiasing is a procedure used in digital graphics processing for smoothing lines and removing visual distortions. It heavily reduces shimmering distant lines (such as road markings) and jagged edges to the point that they are not noticeable at all. It is highly recommended that you use this feature.

There are several different methods (algorithms) of Anti-Aliasing which can be applied to OMSI 2. Here is a comparison in the context of jagged edges:



With no antialiasing being applied, you can clearly see that diagonal lines are jagged. There is no performance cost when using no anti-aliasing.


Post-processed antialiasing methods behave like a "filter" over the game, just like SweetFX.

They do not interact with the game itself or read any parts of it, so are "blind" to the game's actual world. The algorithm is applied equally to the entire screen.



FXAA (Fast-Approximate Anti-Aliasing) is a very lightweight method which requires very little system resources, since it is approximate. It simply blurs the edges of jagged areas. This makes them much less noticeable, but can make the overall image feel a little blurry.



SMAA (Enhanced Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing) is a slightly more performance intensive method which does not blur the edges of objects as much as FXAA. You can see jagged edges are slightly more visible as it is not as powerful. This can be somewhat attributed to SweetFX - with ReShade there are more SMAA options which result in even better image quality.


Pre-processed antialiasing methods directly interact with the game to determine where exactly the jagged edges are, then anti-alias each frame before it is displayed.



MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing) is a very powerful method which reads the game's depth buffer (Z axis) to determine where the jagged edges are, then it heavily increases the sampling rate in those areas only. This allows for high quality powerful antialiasing via efficient use of resources.

Unfortunately, due to what is currently assumed to be a bug with DXVK[github.com], it is not possible to use this method with DXVK as it breaks the render order of reflections (e.g. rear view mirrors) causing them to look garbled.

As such, instructions on how to enable it with DXVK are omitted from this guide - if the bug is fixed, they will be re-added. Note that this issue does not occur without DXVK in OMSI 2.

Side note: enabling MSAA locks the game's depth buffer, meaning ReShade effects that use depth detection (e.g, Ambient Occlusion, DOF, etc) cannot be used. This is true for all games on all graphics APIs.



Up until now we have only analysed how anti-aliasing solves jagged edges. You should, however, also consider that these jagged edges move as you move in-game, which can give a shimmering effect.

Here is a comparison which shows how shimmering is affected by each antialiasing method. Look closely at the pedestrian barriers on the right, and the road markings on the pedestrian crossing.
It is highly recommended that you view this video in fullscreen and at the highest quality setting to make a proper judgement.



Finally, it is important that you take everything described here with a pinch of salt! I have been playing OMSI 2 with 4x MSAA for many years, and immediately noticed the shimmering once I disabled MSAA. It is entirely possible, however, to get used to it within a few weeks.

Personally I continued to use DXVK & ReShade because ReShade's SMAA is powerful enough to make this a non-issue at low & medium distances and the depth effects that ReShade has are far too beautiful to give up in comparison.

The same applies to performance. OMSI is a very heavily CPU bound game and makes little use of your graphics card. Thus, there is plenty of room for anti-aliasing options if you can already run OMSI decently well. I have still yet to be able to get any anti-aliasing option to cause a noticeable decrease in performance (be it 16x MSAA, or 16x SLI MSAA). Don't be afraid to try any option!

This guide includes one or more easy-installation option(s) which allow you to customise the included content to your liking.

All options are cross-compatible with each other, except the following pairs:

• SweetFX (overwrites preset, please check guide) and ENB (overwrites preset, please check guide)
  
  
• FXAA (Fast-Approximate Anti-Aliasing) and SMAA (Enhanced Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing)

Included options:


ENB is graphics modification that acts like a colour-filter over games. It is capable of some slightly more advanced effects such as Ambient Occlusion, but they do not work properly with OMSI. Still, it allows for different colour changes and bloom, so is a viable alternative to SweetFX.

If you choose to install this option, you should read the "Using OMSI with DXVK" section (which you should do anyway) to ensure it functions properly.

NOTE: If you already have ENB installed and wish to retain your current settings, please ignore the installation instructions of this section and proceed onto the next section instead.
This option overwrites the ENB preset file by default as it is required for new installations.

• No pre-existing ENB installation
  --- If you do not already have ENB installed
  
  Please ignore this option unless you were re-directed here from the below section.
  
• Pre-existing ENB installation
  --- If you already have ENB installed

SweetFX is a simple graphics modification that acts like a colour-filter over games. It is not capable of advanced effects such as Ambient Occlusion or DOF, but it can significantly improve the look of OMSI.

If you choose to install this option, it is critical that you read the "Using OMSI with DXVK" section (which you should do anyway) to avoid crashes.

NOTE: If you already have SweetFX installed and wish to retain your current settings, please ignore the installation instructions of this section and proceed onto the next section instead.
This option overwrites the SweetFX preset file by default as it is required for new installations.

• No pre-existing SweetFX installation
  --- If you do not already have SweetFX installed
  
  Please ignore this option unless you were re-directed here from the below section.
  
• Pre-existing SweetFX installation
  --- If you already have SweetFX installed

• With ENB (for pre-existing ENB installs)
  --- Enables SMAA if you installed the ENB option
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only FXAA is applied.
  
  
• With ENB (overwrites enbseries.ini)
  --- Enables FXAA if you installed the ENB option
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only FXAA is applied.
  
  
• With SweetFX
  --- Enables FXAA if you installed the SweetFX option
  
  
• Without ENB or SweetFX effects
  --- Enables FXAA if you did not install any SweetFX or ENB options.
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only FXAA is applied.

• With ENB (for pre-existing ENB installs)
  --- Enables SMAA if you installed the ENB option
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only FXAA is applied.
  
  
• With ENB (overwrites enbseries.ini)
  --- Enables SMAA if you installed the ENB option
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only FXAA is applied.
  
  
• With SweetFX
  --- Enables SMAA if you installed the SweetFX option
  
  
• Without ENB or SweetFX effects
  --- Enables SMAA if you did not install any SweetFX or ENB options.
  --- This is still achieved with SweetFX, but all SweetFX effects are disabled - only SMAA is applied.

Please ignore this option unless you were re-directed here from the "Troubleshooting" section.

• 1:1
  
• 3:2
  
• 4:3
  
• 5:3
  
• 5:4
  
• 16:9
  
• 16:10
  
• 21:9
  
• 32:9
  
• 256:135
  
• None specified (default)

Please ignore this option unless you were re-directed here from the "Troubleshooting" section.
Filenames indicate: CRC32 Size (MB) Description

• 00000000 0.00MB (Empty Starting Point)
  Allows for generation of a brand new state cache file from scratch
  
  
• 0f79ba10 0.75MB
  
  
• 4bac3485 3.10MB (Recommended)
  My personal cache file which I have used for several months with SweetFX, ENB & ReShade
  
  
• 5382b28e 1.70MB
  
  
• c3544a38 0.09MB (One Grundorf)
  Cache file generated exactly as per the instructions of the "Using OMSI with DXVK" section below
  
  
• f4fd6023 1.51MB

To use the available options (do not use these to install SweetFX/ENB if you already have pre-existing installation of either - skip to the below section for those):

1. Ensure you have completed the instructions of the Installation section above.
   
   
2. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
3. Open the downloaded archive with File Explorer / Windows Explorer.
   
   
4. Open the Options folder.
   
   
5. Open the folder with your preferred option and open the OMSI 2 folder inside.
   
   
6. Copy the contents inside.
   
   
7. Open Steam.
   
   
8. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
9. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
10. Click on Properties....
    
    
11. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
    
    
12. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
    
    
13. Paste the contents into this location and click Replace the files in the destination (or similar) if prompted.

You have now successfully installed DXVK for OMSI 2, installed your preferred options, and can launch the game.

If you previously already used SweetFX or ENB with OMSI 2 and wish to continue using it with DXVK while retaining your existing preset / settings, continue onto the instructions below:

1. Ensure you have completed the instructions of the Installation section above.
   
   
2. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
3. Install the "Pre-existing SweetFX installation" sub-option of the "SweetFX (overwrites preset, please check guide)" as per the instructions of the "Options: List & Installation" section above.
   
   
4. Open Steam.
   
   
5. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
6. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
7. Click on Properties....
   
   
8. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
   
   
9. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
   
   
10. Find the SweetFX_settings .txt / Text Document file and copy it somewhere safe, like your Desktop.
    
    
11. Double click on the file (the original one in the folder you opened from Step 8) to open it.
    
    
12. A dialog titled "How do you want to open this file?" will appear. Click "More apps ↓", then select Notepad from the list and click OK.
    
    
13. You are now text-editing the SweetFX configuration file. Go to the line with // external_d3d9_wrapper = at the start (its near the bottom)
    
    
14. Click on the right of the space after = sign. Type d3d9_dxvk.dll.
    Do not remove the // characters from the start of the line. It should now look like this:
    
    
    
    
15. If your view looks like the above, you may continue.
    
    
    Enabling FXAA or SMAA if not already enabled
    
    If your SweetFX preset does not have FXAA or SMAA enabled by default, but you still wish to use it, continue onto the instructions below. Otherwise, save and close the file.
    
    
16. Go to the line with #define USE_SMAA_ANTIALIASING at the start (its near the top)
    
    
17. If you would like to use SMAA, set the 0 number just after this text to 1.
    If you would like to use FXAA, do the same for the line below.
    Do not set both lines to 1. It should now look something like this:
    
    
    
    
18. If your view looks like the above, you may continue.
    
    
19. Go to the line with / SMAA Anti-aliasing settings / at the start (below)
    
    
20. Select and delete this entire block of text:
    
    
    
    
21. Copy & paste the below text in its place:
    
    
    /*-----------------------------------------------------------. / SMAA Anti-aliasing settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define SMAA_THRESHOLD 0.10 //[0.05 to 0.20] Edge detection threshold. If SMAA misses some edges try lowering this slightly. I prefer between 0.08 and 0.12. #define SMAA_MAX_SEARCH_STEPS 39 //[0 to 98] Determines the radius SMAA will search for aliased edges #define SMAA_MAX_SEARCH_STEPS_DIAG 6 //[0 to 16] Determines the radius SMAA will search for diagonal aliased edges #define SMAA_CORNER_ROUNDING 100 //[0 to 100] Determines the percent of antialiasing to apply to corners. 0 seems to affect fine text the least so it's the default. // -- Advanced SMAA settings -- #define COLOR_EDGE_DETECTION 1 //[0 or 1] 1 Enables color edge detection (slower but slightly more acurate) - 0 uses luma edge detection (faster) #define SMAA_DIRECTX9_LINEAR_BLEND 0 //[0 or 1] Using DX9 HARDWARE? (software version doesn't matter) if so this needs to be 1 - If not, leave it at 0. //Enable this only if you use a Geforce 7xxx series or older card, or a Radeon X1xxx series or older card. /*-----------------------------------------------------------. / FXAA Anti-aliasing settings / '-----------------------------------------------------------*/ #define FXAA_QUALITY__PRESET 39 //[1 to 39] Choose the quality preset. 39 is the highest quality. #define fxaa_Subpix 1.000 //[0.000 to 1.000] Choose the amount of sub-pixel aliasing removal. #define fxaa_EdgeThreshold 0.100 //[0.000 to 1.000] Edge detection threshold. The minimum amount of local contrast required to apply algorithm. #define fxaa_EdgeThresholdMin 0.100 //[0.000 to 1.000] Darkness threshold. Trims the algorithm from processing darks.
    
    It should now look almost the same as it was before. Only some numbers may have changed:
    
    
    
    
22. If your view looks like the above, save and close the file.

1. Ensure you have completed the instructions of the Installation section above.
   
   
2. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
3. Install the "Pre-existing ENB installation" sub-option of the "SweetFX (overwrites preset, please check guide)" as per the instructions of the "Options: List & Installation" section above.
   
   
4. Open Steam.
   
   
5. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
6. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
7. Click on Properties....
   
   
8. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
   
   
9. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
   
   
10. Find the enbseries .ini / Configuration settings file and copy it somewhere safe, like your Desktop.
    
    
11. Double click on the file (the original one in the folder you opened from Step 8) to open it.
    
    
12. A dialog titled "How do you want to open this file?" will appear. Click "More apps ↓", then select Notepad from the list and click OK.
    
    
13. You are now text-editing the SweetFX configuration file. Go to the line with EnableProxyLibrary at the start.
    
    
14. Replace the 0 just after the = sign with a 1. Repeat the same for the below line.
    
    
15. On the line with ProxyLibrary at the start, type d3d9_dxvk.dll after the = sign. It should now look something like this:
    
    
    
    
16. If your view looks like the above, you may save and close the file, unless you would like to use FXAA or SMAA, in which case you should continue onto the instructions below.
    
    
    Enabling FXAA or SMAA
    
    
17. Go back to Step 15. Replace the d3d9_dxvk.dll with d3d9_sweetfx.dll.
    
    
18. Install the "With ENB (for pre-existing ENB installs)" sub-option of either the "FXAA (Fast-Approximate Anti-Aliasing)" or "SMAA (Enhanced Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing)" as per the instructions of the "Options: List & Installation" section above, as you wish.

You have now successfully installed DXVK for OMSI 2, installed your preferred graphics modification while retaining your pre-existing settings / preset, and can launch the game.

Please do not ignore these instructions. Follow them carefully. They explain certain in-game behaviours and some steps are important to ensure stable game operation.

1. Launch OMSI 2.
   
   
2. Once the main menu appears, select any map from the Current map dropdown, select the Load map without buses option then click Start! in the bottom left.
   
   At this point, avoid pressing the Start button or switching out of the game to another window, as the game may crash. Personally, since DXVK v1.8.1, I have not experienced instability while doing this, but it is not recommended.
   
   
3. Select any entry-point from the Set Position... list that appears and click OK.
   
   
4. Press the ALT key on your keyboard 4-5 times to open and close the in-game pop-out menu a few times. The screen may flash black a few times - this is completely normal.
   
   This step prevents window draw issues from occurring (e.g., the pause menu becoming invisible).
   
   You will need to do this step every time you load a map for the first time after launching OMSI 2.
   
   
5. If you have launched OMSI 2 for the first time after installing DXVK, the shaders are still being compiled. You may notice some slight stuttering & hitching - this is completely normal. Right click around the map (in the "F4" free roam view) to move the free-movement camera around for 1-2 minutes to help it finish. It doesn't matter where on the map you go, just move around.
   
   If the game crashes, do not worry, this is also normal. Continue from Step 1 above. The game should only crash around 3-4 times in the worst case scenario when compiling the shaders.
   
   Eventually, the majority of the stutters & hitches will stop (the occasional stutter is no problem). This indicates that the shaders have now been fully compiled.
   
   You will not need to do this step the next time you launch OMSI 2 or load any other map or bus.
   
   
6. That's it! You may now spawn a bus and continue playing the game as normal.
   
   If you have installed SweetFX or ENB, please continue onto the relevant section below. Even if you have the vehicle preview box disabled in the spawn new bus dialog, you must still complete the below steps as OMSI still performs the relevant D3D draw calls even when this box is disabled via the in-game checkbox.
   
   
   IMPORTANT: Proper SweetFX usage procedure
   
   
7. If you installed the SweetFX option before starting the game, now that you have spawned a bus, you MUST press CTRL + SHIFT + = on your keyboard once to gracefully reset the graphics device. The game may freeze for a few seconds - this is normal. Just wait patiently.
   
   Otherwise, the next time you spawn a bus, the game will crash with a D3DERR_INVALIDCALL error.
   
   After you have performed this step once, you can spawn as many buses as you like and the game will not crash.
   
   
   
   IMPORTANT: Proper ENB usage procedure
   
   
8. If you installed the ENB option before starting the game, now that you have spawned a bus, you should press CTRL + SHIFT + = on your keyboard once to gracefully reset the graphics device. The game may freeze for a few seconds - this is normal. Just wait patiently.
   
   Otherwise, ENB effects will not display.
   
   You will need to repeat this step each time you spawn a bus.

• In intensive areas, after spawning a bus, sometimes textures might eventually start to turn white (stop loading) or fade to black (if you have the 4GB Patch installed). This is a bug with OMSI itself, not DXVK.
  
  If this happens, simply press CTRL + SHIFT + = on your keyboard once to gracefully reset the graphics device. The game may freeze for a few seconds - this is normal. Just wait patiently. It should fix the problem - if not, try again.
  
  This shouldn't crash your game as it is an unused / hidden developer function implemented directly into OMSI 2 by the game's developers.
  
  If this persists or happens by itself / in any other scenario, follow the instructions of issue no. 1 of the "Troubleshooting" section below and see if that helps.

A common misconception about modifications like these is that it is guaranteed to provide an instant FPS (frames-per-second) boost across all systems. This is false and DXVK is no exception.

Some users have seen a consistent increase of around 5-10fps. This is a brilliant difference for OMSI, which usually runs at around 20-50fps (in most reasonably detailed situations). This FPS boost, however, is heavily dependant on what is causing the performance drops themselves.

Generally, I have found that the FPS boost usually only occurs in situations with complex meshes and high poly counts. If performance is dropping due to other reasons, however, there is little to no FPS improvement.

Here is one example from the Addon London DLC. At the time of writing, v1.01 is the latest version of this DLC and the Brixton area suffers heavy performance losses as many buildings have fully modelled exterior signage, etc.

In this situation I have spawned a London Citybus 400 bus in the Brixton area. All AI Traffic is disabled, and all other factors are irrelevant since I saved the situation and re-loaded it upon subsequent launches of the game. This gives us a control we can use for a simple benchmark of the FPS difference in this situation.

I am using a completely unmodified new installation of OMSI 2 with only the London DLC installed. No anti-aliasing is being applied via my graphics card control panel.

Please note that OMSI's built in FPS counter reports incorrect values. I have still included it to show that there still is a feasible difference, however.

The FPS is sitting at around 22:






With DXVK, however, in the exact same situation (still no anti aliasing applied), the FPS increases to around 33:









Overall, stability is much improved with DXVK:

• No loss of graphics device -- now, whether Task Manager is open, User Account Control appears, you sleep your computer or press CTRL + ALT + DELETE, the graphics device is no longer lost. When this happened, the graphics would reload, which would sometimes cause textures to turn white (or fade into black if you had the 4GB Patch installed) or cause OMSI to crash with a D3DERR_INVALIDCALL error.
  
  
• No D3DERR_INVALIDCALL crash after spawning a bus -- occasionally OMSI would crash with this error after spawning a bus, especially when OMSI is under high video memory load.
  
  
• Less / no more random hard-lock freezes -- if you are an experienced OMSI 2 player you will know that sometimes when you pan the view textures appear white (because they were unloaded from memory while you weren't looking at them, to save resources) and the game will freeze while they are loaded. Occasionally, in some intensive situations OMSI would not recover from this freeze even after several minutes and you would have to close the game via Task Manager.

As with any major modification to software, please be aware that this is not guaranteed to work the same across all systems. It might not result improved experience and could cause instability.

Remember that if stability is important to you, it is not recommended to use this modification during important times, such as Bus Company Simulator drives or Virtual Transportation Group meetings.

It is possible that your game could become unstable (e.g. stop loading tiles) which could ruin hours of your work. Only use this modification when you are not in a position to lose any work.

DXVK comes with a built in HUD (Heads Up Display) which displays performance metrics and system & game information.

1. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
2. Open Steam.
   
   
3. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
4. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
5. Click on Properties....
   
   
6. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
   
   
7. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
   
   
8. Double click on the dxvk .conf / CONF file.
   
   
9. A dialog titled "How do you want to open this file?" will appear. Click "More apps ↓", then select Notepad from the list and click OK.
   
   
10. You are now text-editing the DXVK configuration file. Go to the line with # dxvk.hud at the start.
    
    
11. Remove the # text from the start, including the space just after it. You have just "uncommented" this setting, meaning it will be actively loaded by DXVK. It should now look like this:
    
    
    
    
12. Now, look to the right after the = sign. This is a comma separated list (no spaces!) of the enabled HUD elements.
    
    By default, I have included every single one (see top screenshot). Delete each element as you wish, including its comma. You can find an explanation of each element here[github.com].
    
    If you decide to make any changes, once you have finished, it should look something like this:
    
    
    
    
13. If your view looks like the above, save and close the file.

You have now successfully configured DXVK's HUD for OMSI 2 and can launch the game.

If you are experiencing a technical issue or unexpected behaviour, see if it is addressed here. If so, follow the relevant instructions listed under the issue's description.

For all options, if you are asked to navigate to your OMSI 2 installation folder, use the following instructions to do so:

1. Open Steam.
   
   
2. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
3. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
4. Click on Properties....
   
   
5. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
   
   
6. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.

Try installing the 4GB Patch. This tool patches x86 programs to let them utilise up to 4GB of memory (instead of 2) on x64 systems.

1. Click Download the 4GB Patch on the official 4GB Patch download page[ntcore.com].
   
   
2. Open the downloaded archive with File Explorer / Windows Explorer.
   
   
3. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
4. Double click on the 4gb_patch .exe / Application file inside to open it.
   
   
5. A Select Executable... window will appear. Navigate to your OMSI 2 installation folder and find the Omsi .exe / Application flie and open it.
   
   
6. A window indicating that the patch was successful should appear. Click OK.

If the issue persists or happens again later, try following the instructions of issue no. 4 below and see if that helps.



This is highly likely to occur if you have any of the Bus Company Simulator, Omninavigation, Control Center addons installed. These addons are currently assumed to be completely incompatible with DXVK.

It is also possible that the "GPM" plugin included with Addon Grand Paris Moulon (if you have it installed) could be causing issues as it is known to severely degrade performance on some systems.

You can temporarily disable them without fully uninstalling them to see if it fixes your issues:

1. Navigate to your OMSI 2 installation folder.
   
   
2. Open the plugins folder.
   
   
3. Move all of the files inside this folder (except any with the name "GPM") to new folder in a safe place, such as your Desktop.
   
   
4. Launch OMSI and see if the issues are resolved. If not, repeat the above step for the remaining "GPM" files and see if that helps.

1. Go to this page[whatismyresolution.com] to determine your monitor's aspect ratio.
   
   If it looks wrong or not fully simplified, find the resolution of your monitor by right clicking on your desktop, then clicking "Display Settings".
   
   Then, enter the Width x Height values into this calculator[toolstud.io] and press "Calculate!".
   
   Scroll down and find the aspect ratio listed above the box which says "Perfect Match". This is your monitor's aspect ratio.
   
   
2. Install the sub-option of the "Force Aspect Ratio" option named with your aspect ratio as per the instructions of the "Options: List & Installation" section above.

The DXVK state cache file exists to combat exactly this. It pre-caches shaders & pipelines to prevent stuttering & FPS drops.

1. Ensure you have followed the instructions of the "Using OMSI with DXVK" section above.
   
   
2. Navigate to your OMSI 2 installation folder and check if an Omsi .dxvk-cache / DXVK-CACHE file is present. If not, continue onto the below step.
   
   
3. In the same folder you have open from the above step, go back two folders, then open the shadercache folder. Check if the same file is present there.
   
   If not, something is wrong and DXVK is not generating its state cache for some reason. Go to the "Support" section of the "Additional Information & Credits" section above and use those instructions to upload relevant log files and mention that this is the case in a comment on this guide.
   
   After that, continue onto the below instructions.
   
   If the file is present in either location, you should still continue onto the below instructions.
   
   
4. Install the "4bac3485 3.10MB (Recommended)" sub-option of the "DXVK State Cache files" option as per the instructions of the "Options: List & Installation" section above.
   
   For good measure, you should also place the file in the folder you have open from Step 3.
   
   
5. Restore the same approximate situation (map & bus) in OMSI 2 and play for an hour or so. If there is no tangible improvement, repeat Step 4 for the "00000000 0.00MB (Empty Starting Point)" sub-option.
   
   
6. Restore the same approximate situation (map & bus) in OMSI 2 and play for an hour or so. If there is no tangible improvement, repeat Step 4 for the other "DXVK State Cache files" options progressively.
   
   
7. If performance does not improve, it is also possible that the "GPM" plugin included with Addon Grand Paris Moulon (if you have it installed) could be causing issues as it is known to severely degrade performance on some systems.
   
   Try following the instructions of issue no. 2 above for files named "GPM" only and see if that helps.
   
   
8. If performance still does not improve, you can try clean installing your graphics drivers. Follow the Clean install your GPU Drivers section of this post.

This is a rare issue that seems to only occur on some system configurations. As a temporary workaround, you can press F3 or F4 in your keyboard to switch to an exterior view, then F1 or F2 again to return back to your previous view.

If the issue persists or happens again later, try following the instructions of issue no. 4 above and see if that helps.







This is a rare issue that seems to only occur on some system configurations. There is currently no known workaround, but you can try following the instructions of issue no. 4 above and see if that helps.

For reference, this issue occurred on the Lenmental V3 Updated map just behind the "Lenmental P1 [38]" spawnpoint with the Solaris Volvo bus.



This issue appears on systems with integrated AMD graphics (APUs) and is unrelated to DPI scaling issues.

There is currently no known fix for this issue (even using the "Force Aspect Ratio" options). It is currently assumed to be a driver bug.

This is a known issue that occurs 100% of the time for all users across all hardware configurations. There is currently no known fix.

If it is too irritating, you can click on the Preview checkbox of the spawn new bus dialog to disable the preview box. This setting will persist between OMSI sessions.



This is a somewhat common bug with OMSI 2 and is unrelated to DXVK, although the black screen only variant of this issue seems to only occur with DXVK. It is an easy issue to fix:

1. Hold down the ALT key on your keyboard.
   
   
2. Tap the TAB ⇆ key on your keyboard once, but keep the ALT key held down.
   
   
3. Click on the OMSI 2 / Omsi window once, then release the ALT key.

Do note that this only seems to work if you actually click on the OMSI window in the ALT+TAB menu. If you simply focus OMSI in this menu with by pressing the TAB key repeatedly, then release it, this workaround will not work.

1. Ensure OMSI 2 is not running.
   
   
2. Open Steam.
   
   
3. Hover your cursor over the Library tab in the top left, then click on Home.
   
   
4. Right click on the OMSI 2 entry in the games list on the left.
   
   
5. Click on Properties....
   
   
6. Click on the Local Files option on the left.
   
   
7. Click on Browse.... A File Explorer / Windows Explorer window will appear.
   
   
8. Find the d3d9 .dll / Application extension file. Delete it or move it outside of the OMSI 2 folder.

You have now successfully uninstalled DXVK (and any options included with this guide) for OMSI 2 and can launch the game.

Q: Why is adding an extra key entry to reset the graphics device required during installation?
A: As described in the "DXVK's effects on OMSI" section, installation of DXVK makes resetting the graphics device impossible by any other means (e.g. CTRL + ALT + DELETE)..
A: Sometimes, this is the only way to fix white/faded black textures and it is required for proper usage of SweetFX.
A: Additionally, this is a graceful reset, not a forced reset (as with any other means) which causes OMSI to improperly lose its graphics device, which can cause the game to crash.

Q: Why do I need to set the Windows 7 compatibility mode for OMSI in the "Installation" section?
A: This improves the stability of OMSI 2 and reduces the chance that textures turn white / fade to black in situations where OMSI is under high video memory load.

Q: Why do I need to set the video memory limit to 0.0 in the "Installation" section?
A: This completely removes any limits on video memory usage in OMSI 2. It is extremely unlikely that OMSI 2 will use excessive video memory on most modern graphics cards, which have plenty available.
A: I included this to eliminate any other factors which could be causing issues. For example, DXVK could use more video memory for the better (see the "Disclaimer" section), but if your in-game limit is set to the wrong value you could start white/faded black textures.
To you, however, it would look like DXVK is causing this, since it didn't happen without DXVK!

Q: Why is a dxvk.conf / CONF file included with this guide?
A: This is the DXVK configuration file. It is included with this guide by default as the setting to enforce a stricter maximum frame latency greatly improves the smoothness of OMSI with DXVK.
A: As well as this, it allows you to configure several other options.
A: Note that DXVK does not come bundled with this file by default, nor does is auto-generated at runtime.

Q: Why can't I just use normal ENB / SweetFX with DXVK?
A: Graphics modifications such as SweetFX/ENB/ReShade all modify the same d3d9.dll / DLL graphics library file that DXVK replaces. As such, they are not compatible with each other by default.
A: It is possible, however, to use their proxy library functions (sequential mounting of graphics libraries into the game) to use it easily with OMSI 2 & DXVK.

Q: Is it possible to use ReShade with DXVK?
A: Yes, however, after you spawn a bus (whether or not you have the preview box enabled), for some reason OMSI will break the depth buffer, meaning the advanced effects that make ReShade worth using over simple colour filter graphics modifications like SweetFX or ENB unusable.
A: It is, however, possible to fix this, with some reverse-engineering and byte-patching of OMSI 2's main game binary. I have successfully done this, however it is quite complicated to do. I will address this in a future update of this guide - watch this space!

Q: Why not just have one SweetFX/ENB option for users with/without pre-existing installations?
A: This prevents accidental overwriting of shader files. There are many different versions of SweetFX and ENB that can be used with OMSI 2, and if this is changed it could cause visual changes in-game.

Q: After completing this guide, the main menu & other parts of the UI are smaller and squished together.
A: This is called Application Controlled DPI scaling, meaning that DPI scaling is not being applied to OMSI at all. This is completely unrelated to DXVK and it is a coincidence that DXVK disables DPI scaling by default.
A: The Override DPI Scaling part of the "Installation" section intentionally reinforces this, because...
A: ...this is actually good. When you apply DPI scaling to OMSI (set the Override DPI Scaling compatibility mode to System), although the UI becomes comfortably arranged, the main game renderer is also scaled, making it substantially more blurry and less sharp.

Q: Do I need any third-party programs to use this?
A: No.

As with any major modification to software, please be aware that this is not guaranteed to work the same across all systems. It might not result improved experience and could cause instability.

Remember that if stability is important to you, it is not recommended to use this modification during important times, such as Bus Company Simulator drives or Virtual Transportation Group meetings.

It is possible that your game could become unstable (e.g. stop loading tiles) which could ruin hours of your work. Only use this modification when you are not in a position to lose any work.

For me, however, it worked out the box. I am using NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver version 465.89 which I installed after wiping the previous drivers in safe mode with Display Driver Uninstaller. You can find my PC Specs on my Steam profile.



If you already have a previous version of this modification installed, simply follow the instructions of the "Installation" section above as normal to install / update to the latest version. You will then need to re-install your preferred MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing) option.

Advanced users: Do note, however, that this will overwrite the dxvk.conf / CONF file (DXVK configuration file), so back it up before you update this modification if you have made any manual edits yourself.

If you are updating this modification be sure to check the list of changes of the "Changelog of updates" section below incase there is a "WARNING" or "NOTE" you should be aware of.



If you have a technical issue, before commenting, please:

• Check the "Troubleshooting" section above to see if it has already been addressed. If it has not been addressed or you have further queries, you may continue.
  
  
• Check the "Frequently Asked Questions" section above to see if it has already been addressed. If it has not been addressed or you have further queries, you may continue.
  
  
• Ensure that your graphics card supports Vulkan - refer to the "Disclaimer" section above.

Include the name of your graphics card in your comment.

Please upload the contents of the logfile .txt / Text Document in the folder from Step 11 of the "Installation" section to Pastebin[pastebin.com] and include it in your comment if you are experiencing instability.

Do the same for the Omsi_d3d9 .txt / Text Document file as well. If you do this successfully, you do not need to include the name of your graphics card or the driver version in your comment as it is included in this file.

Please do not use any other means of contact for support (e.g., adding me as a friend on Steam then messaging me privately).



sjain - Creating Steam guide, configuring / testing dxvk.conf configuration file, compiling the archive with required files, adjusting FXAA & SMAA settings

doitsujin -- Creator of DXVK[github.com]

_FreD -- Creator of SweetFX preset[forum.omnibussimulator.de] included with this guide

Thiago Sobral -- Minor assistance with reverse-engineering of OMSI 2's main game binary

Various members of Sobol OMSI 2 Mods Discord server -- reporting issues & testing different solutions.

Various members of Virtual Hub Discord server -- reporting issues & testing different solutions.

Khronos Group -- Creators of Vulkan Graphics API[www.khronos.org]

WARNING: Installing this update as normal will overwrite the dxvk.conf / CONF file, if you modified this file manually please back it up before proceeding.
NOTE: If you were experiencing issues of any type, please read through the guide again (especially the "Installation" & "Troubleshooting" sections) as they may be addressed now.

• Added options to use FXAA or SMAA with/without SweetFX or ENB
  
• Added options to force aspect ratio for users experiencing window draw issues (e.g. stretched, too small)
  
• Added options to use existing DXVK cache files for various cache generation issues & behaviours[github.com]
  
• Removed MSAA options as this currently breaks the depth buffer, causing incorrect render orders in reflections[github.com]
  
• Updated SweetFX from v1.5 to v1.5.1 official / OMSI modified version 2.0.1 by _FreD[forum.omnibussimulator.de] (thanks kenji for making me aware)
  
• Updated installation instructions to address factors that could be causing issues as a result of DXVK's behavioural changes
  
• Speculative fix for window drawing too small on High DPI systems
  
• Speculative fix for extremely giant Steam overlay on High DPI systems
  
• Added section addressing how to setup DXVK in-game HUD
  
• Added "Troubleshooting" section with a number of tips on what to do when experiencing different issues
  
• Added clear instructions on how to restore existing SweetFX/ENB presets while retaining DXVK functionality
  
• Added "Disclaimer" section before the "Installation" section addressing important points to consider before proceeding, including warning for users with AMD Radeon integrated graphics and no discrete graphics cards.
  
• Minor improvements & cleanup

Thanks to kenji, velaro_006, Rѕησявσу95, volvorider, daandekrieger_, mak47 & Drift_Legend for reporting issues and testing different solutions.

• Initial release