What graphics options do I have available in the game?
BioShock includes the following graphical options:
Resolution: Choose the screen resolution appropriate to your system. A higher screen resolution requires higher system specs.
Windowed Mode: Toggle between full screen and windowed mode.
Vertical sync:
On: Framerate is locked at 60, 30, 20, 15. No screen tearing
Off: Framerate is not locked so is usually higher. Screen tearing may occur.
Shadow maps: Dynamic objects and characters cast shadows
High detail post processing: Bloom effects bright lights and bright surfaces bloom out.
High detail shaders: This enables specular light calculations. Without specular (light that reflects from the surface and give highlights), shiny surfaces should look significantly less shiny.
Real time reflection: Certain water surfaces have real-time reflection. When it is disabled, those water surfaces will use cubemap approximations.
Distortions: Glass and waterfalls distort the background
Force global lighting: This enables a one-pass inaccurate lighting method for dynamic objects, characters and dynamic lights. This will also mean that characters and dynamic objects don't receive shadows (although they can still cast shadows if shadow maps are enabled). This is most observable on characters. As they walk around the level, light influences will pop on/off when they approach/leave lights.
Graphics quality: Graphics quality has 3 positions that will change the overall graphics settings in the options screen.
Actor detail: As it is lowered, it will remove decoration objects in the level. These are things like god-rays. Also some effects won't show up or spawn in low actor detail settings. Changes will only take effect when the game is reloaded.
Texture detail: As it is lowered, textures get more blurry (even when fully streamed in).
Adjust brightness: Change the game's brightness.