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Depth of Field, Shadows and Specular Map
In the "Advanced Video" menu, these three options are grouped together; each subtly affects the game environment in a small way. Each option only has one setting: "On" or "Off." Depth of Field blurs objects in the far distance, similar to how they would look if you were viewing an object from far away in real life. Shadows is self-explanatory in that it adds shadows to every object in the game as they would appear in real life. Specular Map mimics the effect the sun would have on an object, creating realistic amounts of light and, in some cases, glare.
Soften Smoke Edges, Ragdoll and Bullet Impacts
Also grouped together, these three options affect the graphics quality of the game, and are also set to "On" and "Off" toggles. Soften Smoke Edges is used on all smoke effects in the game, such as those from a smoke grenade, to create realistic-looking smoke by altering the edges of the cloud. Ragdoll affects how enemy characters react to your attacks; when set to "On," enemies realistically contort their bodies to explosions and the environment. Bullet Impacts is used to show bullet holes in the wall, ground and other areas.
Texture Quality
Texture quality affects how detailed everything appears in the game, such as the enemies, weapons and environments. Higher texture quality settings results in more detail being added to every part of the world. Texture quality features two settings: "Manual" and "Automatic." When set to "Automatic," the game decides which texture quality setting is best based on your computer's hardware. When set to "Manual," you decide the quality of the textures from four different settings: "Low," "Medium," "High" and "Extra," with the texture quality increasing with each setting from "Low" to "Extra," respectively.
Performance Gains
If your computer stutters or otherwise runs slow while playing "Modern Warfare 2," turning off some of the settings in the "Advanced Video" menu can make your game run faster. Soften Smoke Edges requires a large amount of your computer's resources, as most smoke occurs during heavy firefights or large action scenes. Turning this off reduces the amount of detail your processor must render, speeding up the gameplay. Likewise, turning Shadows and Specular Map to "Off" can also increase performance. As both of these settings must be applied to every object in the environment, including player models, it can significantly slow down your game. Turning off these three settings can cause large performance gains on many computers, allowing you to play "Modern Warfare 2" optimally.