Halo Target Line Parameters
The following table lists the command line parameters that you can use to start Halo: Combat Evolved and the reason why you may want to use them. Microsoft Product Support will not troubleshoot issues that only occur when you use command line parameters. To manually add parameters to the command line in the Halo shortcut, follow these steps:
1. |
Right-click Start, and then click Open or click Open All Users. |
2. |
Double-click the Programs folder. |
3. |
Double-click the Microsoft Games folder. |
4. |
Double-click the Halo folder. |
5. |
Right-click the Halo shortcut icon, and then click Properties. |
6. |
Click the Shortcut tab. |
7. |
In the Target box, press END, press the SPACEBAR, and then type the parameter that you want to use. If you want to use an additional parameter, press the SPACEBAR, and then type the next parameter. As an example, the following sample command line includes several parameters:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -novideo vidmode 800,600,85
Note Parameters are not case-sensitive. |
8. |
Click Apply or click OK. |
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| -? | Display a list of all parameters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| -nosound | Turn off all sound. This can be used to diagnose an error or an issue if an error or an issue is related to the generation of sound. If you use this parameter and it resolves your issue, it is best to update your sound drivers or your hardware. |
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| -novideo | Disables video playback. This can be used to diagnose an error or an issue if an error or an issue is related to the playback of movies. If you use this parameter and it resolves your issue, it is best to update your video and sound drivers to make sure that you can play back the opening content. |
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| -nojoystick | Disables joysticks, gamepads and other gaming input devices. This may be used to slightly increase performance because Halo will not be polling or actively looking for game controller input. This can also be used to diagnose an error or an issue if an error or an issue is related to the connection of gaming devices. If you use this parameter and it resolves your issue, it is best to update your gaming device drivers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| -nogamma | Disables adjustment of gamma. Gamma can be adjusted in game to make the display either darker or lighter. If you cannot correctly see the screen after you make an adjustment, you can use this parameter to start the game in a state that you can return gamma to a usable level. |
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| -noSSE | Disables SSE and 3DNow! Optimizations. Note This will severely decrease performance for some computers. This can be used to diagnose an error or an issue if an error or an issue is related to the advanced instruction set of your CPU. If you use this parameter and it resolves your issue, you may want to consider having your PC serviced by your manufacturer. |
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| -useff | Forces the game to run as if the computer's video solution is a fixed function card. A fixed function card does not support Pixel Shaders and graphics typically will be simpler and blockier. Examples of fixed function chipset include but are not limited to the following:
Note Forcing the game to run at an earlier shader version that your display adapter can support may increase performance while reducing visual quality. Trying to force the game to run at a later shader version than your display adapter can support causes the game to default to the highest shader level that your hardware supports. |
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| -use11 | Forces the game to run as if the computer's video solution is a Shader 1.1 card. Vertex and pixel shaders are used to create the complex objects and characters that can be displayed in Halo: Combat Evolved. If a card supports shaders it will generally be faster to use them instead of using fixed functions. Halo: Combat Evolved will automatically select the best shader level for your system depending on your hardware and drivers. Examples of Shader 1.1 capable chipsets include but are not limited to the following:
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| -use14 | Forces the game to run as if the computers video solution is a Shader 1.4 card. Examples of Shader 1.4 capable chipsets include but are not limited to the following:
Trying to force the game to run at a later shader version than your display adapter can support will cause the game to default to the latest shader version that your hardware supports. |
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| -use20 | Forces the game to run as a Shader 2.0 card. Examples of Shader 2.0 capable chipsets include but are not limited to the following:
Trying to force the game to run at a later shader version than your display adapter can support will cause the game to default to the latest shader level that your hardware supports. |
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| -safemode | Disables as many advanced graphics and sound features as possible. This can be used to diagnose an issue that is hardware related. You may also enter Safe Mode by starting the game by pressing the CTRL key, and then clicking the Continue in 'Safe Mode' button when you are prompted to. The -safemode parameter is a combination of the following individual parameters:
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| -window | Runs the game in a window. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| -width640 | Forces the game to run at 640x480. This command may improve performance at the cost of visuals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| -vidmode w,h,r | Forces the game to run at width, height, update. This command can be used to reset the game to a width, height, and update rate that your computer and monitor can work with if you set them incorrectly in the game. The following are two example uses of this parameter: vidmode 800,600,60 vidmode 800,600,85 |
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| -adapter x | Forces the game to run full-screen on a particular display adaptor in a multiple monitor setup. This can be used to send the game to a particular card and monitor combination if you have a multi-monitor setup. |
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| -port x | Server port address used when hosting games. This can be used to create a custom shortcut for a particular server. |
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| -cport x | Client port address used when joining games. This can be used to create a custom shortcut for a particular server. |
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| -ip x.x.x.x | Server IP address used when you have multiple IP addresses. This can be used to create a custom shortcut for a particular server. |
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| -timedemo | Runs four movies and writes out timedemo.txt in the folder where Halo is installed. Note This command will overwrite your current Campaign save. While the Timedemo.txt file may be used to measure performance it is not a true representation of the frame rates that you will see in the game. The timedemo command was designed as a development tool and not as a benchmark for Retail Product Performance. |
Server Commands | Halo Target line parameters | Downloads