Saints Row 2

Steam & DXVK Configuration Guide

Performance & Stability Optimization

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Why Do We Need Another Guide?

Saints Row 2 runs as-is... albeit very poorly. With this quick-start guide, you should be able to get a gameplay experience with little to no stuttering! As it turns out, DXVK is entirely broken out of the box with the SR2 Steam release.

UNDERLYING CAUSES OF INSTABILITY:

  • The SR2 executable natively only accesses a maximum of 2GB of system memory.
  • The SR2 executable contains restrictive SteamStub DRM layout structures.

DXVK will cause SR2 to crash on a new game setup or save initialization almost instantaneously after the loading screen sequence. This occurs because the engine quickly climbs past that strict 2GB heap threshold.

Note: You do not need the Gentlemen of the Row mod for stability improvements when utilizing this specific layout configuration's fixes.

Important Links

Download the most recent release builds from the official sources provided below:

1. Steamless DRM Removal

Once you have downloaded and extracted Steamless, open the Steamless.exe program runner. Click the three dots index selector icon in the top right corner of the application window, and trace down your path directory to point to your local SR2_pc.exe file.

Keep the utility plugin selection option on automatic. Click the Unpack File button utility element.

When the completion cycle finishes processing, close down the Steamless application window. Navigate back inside your core Saints Row 2 file deployment installation directory. You will find a newly generated file inside titled:

SR2_pc.exe.unpacked.exe

Rename your absolute original source executable file SR2_pc.exe to SR2_pc.OG.exe, then rename the newly generated unpacked target file from SR2_pc.exe.unpacked.exe back to SR2_pc.exe.

2. 4GB Memory Extension Patch

Once you have unpacked the zip archive container, run the application file labeled 4gb_patch.exe. It will automatically pop open a fresh workspace navigation browser interface window.

Locate your newly unpacked and cleanly renamed SR2_pc.exe application binary file. Select it and click Open.

CONFIRMATION: You should receive a clean validation confirmation dialog pop-up letting you know that the unpacked executable asset has been successfully patched!

3. DXVK Vulkan Integration

Once you have expanded the deep file tracks of the .gz and .tar download packages inside your archiving utility tool (like 7-Zip), navigate inside the nested subfolder directory labeled x32.

From within this target subfolder layer, select and copy the file named:

d3d9.dll

Paste this file straight into your primary Saints Row 2 base system root installation directory path. If you have tracked and executed all steps accordingly, the DXVK Vulkan translation runner layer will seamlessly attach and function on this Steam variation build of Saints Row 2!

Final Architectural Notes

DXVK will no longer throw sudden lock crash events on startup execution, game generation parameters, or storage file loads! You are now free to play Saints Row 2 with minimal frame processing micro-stuttering events while keeping full base vanilla gameplay components intact.

RETAIL NOTE: None of these manual staging processes are mandatory to apply DXVK to the DRM-free GOG installation of SR2. However, you will need to utilize the SR2 GOG FPS Unlocker frame engine configuration module to free the environment out of its standard 30fps lock frame cap.

Mod Preferences: You can still download and utilize the heavy Gentlemen of the Row modifications module package directly on top of this sequence structure if you prefer to have the unique gameplay configurations it introduces.