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L.A. Noire

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire cover
Developers
Team Bondi
Rockstar North[1]
Rockstar San Diego[1]
Rockstar New England[1]
Windows Rockstar Leeds[1]
Publishers
Rockstar Games
Russia 1C-SoftClub
Release dates
Windows November 8, 2011
Reception
Metacritic 83
IGDB 89
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, DLC
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Adventure, Shooter, TPS
Vehicles Automobile, Truck
Art styles Realistic
Themes Detective/mystery, Contemporary, North America
Series L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire on HowLongToBeat
L.A. Noire on IGDB
L.A. Noire guide on StrategyWiki
L.A. Noire on MobyGames
L.A. Noire on Wikipedia
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire 2011
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files 2017

L.A. Noire is a singleplayer third-person action, adventure, shooter and TPS game in the L.A. Noire series.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Requires online activation
Can be activated in the Rockstar Games Launcher.[2] Launch build requires now-obsolete Rockstar Games Social Club, but a patch removes this requirement.
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Windows
Publisher website
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Windows
Amazon.com
Requires online activation
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
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Windows
Humble Store
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Windows
Steam
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Always online (requires a constant internet connection to play)
Not purchasable in the Middle East, Cuba, North Korea, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Windows
Amazon.com (unavailable)
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Always online (requires a constant internet connection to play)
Windows
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
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The Complete Edition.
Windows
All digital versions require Rockstar Games Launcher for activation and online features.
All non-Rockstar Games Launcher DRM versions use GameShield IronWrap DRM.[3] Rockstar has not disclosed details of how many machine activations are allowed nor any other restrictions.[4]

Version differences

The Complete Edition includes the base game and the DLC Bundle. As of update v2663.1.0.0 (April 19, 2021), this is the default digital version of the game and was granted to both new and previous owners.[5]

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
DLC Bundle Unlike the original console releases, individual DLC was never available separately for the PC.
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch v2617.0.0.0 is the latest version for the retail release.[6] Unlike the launch version on the disc, this build can be run without the now-obsolete Rockstar Social Club client.

V-Patch

Allows using variable framerate (without cars braking much slower than intended) and custom FOV.[7]
Unlocks aspect ratios, adds custom resolution support, borderless windowed mode and option to skip intro videos.
The patch has to be temporarily disabled in order to complete some puzzles.[8] Like in "The Set Up" case, the pencil can not be picked up when running the game above 30 FPS. Or in "The Quarter Moon Murders", you might not be able to swing on the chandelier.

L.A. Noire Unlocker

Unlocks the frame rate to 60 FPS, and removes black bars in non-16:9 aspect ratios
Skips intro videos
Unlocks exclusive DLC outfits (including the Chicago Lightning outfit) and allows early access to detective outfits

Skip intro videos

Skip logos with V-Patch[9]
  1. Install V-Patch.
  2. Launch the game once.
  3. Open <path-to-game>\lanvp.ini.
  4. Change skip_logos=0 to skip_logos=1.
Use L.A. Noire Unlocker[9]

Game data

External settings.
External settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\L.A. Noire\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/110800/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\L.A. Noire\Profiles\<user-id>\L.A.Noire\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/110800/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Uses Rockstar Games Launcher's savegame cloud sync function.

Video

Display settings
Display settings
In-game graphics settings
In-game graphics settings

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Use L.A. Noire Unlocker or V-Patch to remove black bars at certain resolutions.
Multi-monitor
See the WSGF entry or use V-Patch.
Ultra-widescreen
See the WSGF entry or use V-Patch.
4K Ultra HD
Certain UI elements don't scale correctly with the resolution, resulting much smaller at higher resolutions. Full screen map and minimap visibility are both compromised at 4k.
Field of view (FOV)
Use V-Patch or Widescreen Fixer.
Windowed
See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Use V-Patch.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
FXAA.
In DX9 mode only (no visual differences between DX9 and DX11), Nvidia users can force MSAA, SGSSAA, MFAA, and CSAA (older GPUs only; replaced by MFAA in series GTX 800M/900) in Nvidia Profile Inspector with the included "L.A. Noire" profile or 0x004000C1 anti-aliasing flag. Antialiasing - Transparency Multisampling can be enabled alongside MSAA. Post-processing forms of AA like SMAA and TAA can be added with ReShade.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Can be forced off in GPU control panel
60 FPS
Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS.[10] See High frame rate.
120+ FPS
See High frame rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Windowed

Enable windowed[9]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open settings.ini.
  3. Change Fullscreen:YES to Fullscreen:NO.
Use the -windowed command line argument[11]

High frame rate

Use V-Patch[12][13]
  • Place the .dll file into the location of the game's exe.
Allows for variable refresh rate (not just 60 FPS) and does not suffer from the braking speed bug.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

When using the DirectX 11 renderer, fullscreen mode always runs at 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Override refresh rate with 3Dmigoto[9]
  1. Download the latest release of 3Dmigoto.
  2. Extract the files from the x32 folder to <path-to-game>.
  3. Open <path-to-game>\d3dx.ini.
  4. Change ;refresh_rate=60 to desired hertz, and remove the semicolon (e.g. refresh_rate=120).
  5. Change hunting=1 to ;hunting=1 by adding a semicolon.
Download and launch Widescreen Fixer[14]
  1. Select L.A. Noire from the games list.
  2. Click the gear icon.
  3. Check Enable FPS Cap Fix and 59.940 FPS.
  4. Save the settings and launch the game.
  5. Press * to unlock the frame rate while in-game.
Negatively affects cars' handling: Acceleration is too fast, steering is too sensitive, and braking is too slow.
Use L.A. Noire Unlocker[9]
  1. Open Unlocker.ini.
  2. Change lock at 60 fps = 0 to lock at 60 fps = 1.
Use L.A Noire FPS Unlocker[15]
  1. Open the tool.
  2. Start the game.
  3. Press F10 to activate the fix.
Use Cheat Engine
  • Works without restarting the game.
  1. Open LANoire.exe with Cheat Engine and scan for 59.94000 Float value.
  2. Edit the found value proportionally to your desired FPS.
  • 119.88 for 60 FPS
  • 239.76 for 120 FPS
  • 287.712 for 144 FPS
  • 479.52 for 240 FPS

Input

Controls settings
Controls settings
Remap settings
Remap settings

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Disabled by default. Can be enabled in the options menu.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Full in-game support. Launcher does not support controller input.
Controller remapping
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Button prompts
For DualShock use the DualShock 3 button prompts mod
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio settings
Audio settings

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music, effects and dialogue
Surround sound
Auto configures up to 7.1 output[16]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Game pauses itself and pause menu has no audio.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
Fan translation, download.
French
German
Italian
Polish
Fan translation, download.
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation, download.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish
Fan translation, download.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D, DirectVR
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues unresolved

Map markers are very hard to see at higher resolutions

The map and some other UI elements do not scale up correctly with higher resolutions, starting from 720p.

Massive pop-in and poor LOD quality, even on highest available graphics settings

L.A. Noire is plagued by very noticeable pop-in and poor level of detail at all times. This appears to be hardcoded.

Shadows appear as blocky artifacts

On some systems some shadows (e.g. while investigating bodies) can have a glitchy appearance.

Issues fixed

Freezing on title screen

L.A. Noire for Windows is known to freeze at the title screen during the synchronization process, or immediately after, when the camera moves away from the L.A. Noire neon sign. There are several possible reasons for this. Some of the most common are:

  • Anti-virus related issues where game files are misrecognized as malware.[17]
  • .NET Framework 3.5 or C++ runtime libraries are not properly installed or configured.[18]
  • Firewall prevents game from making a connection to the Internet.
Updating Microsoft Components[citation needed]
  1. Download and install the latest version of .NET Framework (4.5) here
  2. Download and install the latest version of Microsoft Visual C++ (2010) here
  3. Choose from this page which version of DirectX you will be using and then download and install it

Notes

This may fix issues whereby the game fails to install or the Rockstar Games Social Club launcher (and therefore the game) fail to launch
Fix the .NET Framework on 64-bit Windows 7[citation needed]
  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Type optionalfeatures.exe and press Enter.
  3. Uncheck Microsoft Framework 3.5.1.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Reboot the computer.
  6. On next boot, go back and check Microsoft Framework 3.5.1. This will re-install .NET 3.5 and correct the issue.
If this does not work, run the .NET Framework clean-up tool, and then repeat the above steps.
If the problem persists after following the above, delete ypatcher.exe from <path-to-game>. The game should start up.

Game crashes after launcher with no error message

Run the game as administrator

Crash to desktop on Windows 8

Apply patches for Windows 8 compatibility[citation needed]
It is recommended to first follow Rockstar's official instructions, and if this does not work then to follow the instructions below.
  1. Download this file containing fixed cases.big.pc and out.wad.pc files.
  2. Extract the .rar file to <path-to-game>, overwrite if asked.
  3. Update the game (if using the retail version, see Patches)
  4. Launch the game.

Slowdown, lag, or frame-rate issues

Tweaking game via command line arguments[citation needed]
  1. Run the game with the -str and/or -npd and/or +jobs_numThreads 0 command line arguments to enable a single-threaded renderer, which may improve performance or compatibility on some systems.
  2. If the problem persists, switching the Renderer field to DirectX 11 in the same options menu can also improve performance.
Disable the Steam Overlay[citation needed]

Missing main menu

Verify integrity of game cache[citation needed]

Rockstar Social Club / Launcher UI issues at main menu

After logging into the Social Club account, the game does not advance to the main menu (neon lights screen).
Two Social Club processes are present in the task manager.
Create offline profile
  1. Go to the Create Account menu.
  2. Click on the "Offline profile" gray link.
Reinstall Rockstar Games Launcher manually[19]
  1. Delete the Rockstar Games launcher installation folder (back up any saved files beforehand).
  2. Install the Rockstar Games Launcher from the official website, then launch it and log in.
  3. Run the game.

Nvidia video driver crashes

Change the renderer from DirectX 11 to DirectX 9[citation needed]

Black border around game

This is caused by the display's overscan handling.
See the Overscan entry for solutions.
Use V-Patch

Glowing aura around characters

Disable in-game SSAO from the Graphics menu.

USB controller problems

With certain controllers connected to the PC (e.g. wheel or flight pedals), a bug can occur with a controller that is set to disabled in the game menus still being accepted for input for some game controls, with keyboard input being ignored. This most notably occurs when trying to drive cars.
Use -joysticktype 1 command line argument[20]

Unable to reposition the window using the mouse

Keyboard workaround[citation needed]
  1. Use Shift+right click on the game's taskbar icon.
  2. Go to "Move" with the keyboard.
  3. Use arrow keys to the move window and press Enter.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c, 11 No visual differences; DX11 may offer better compatibility and performance.
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
32-bit support is deprecated as of Title Update v2663.1.0.0.[21] The game itself is still 32-bit, but the 64-bit Rockstar Games Launcher is required. The retail version still supports 32-bit systems, as it did not receive this update.

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok
Audio FMOD Ex
Cutscenes Bink Video

Mods

Coax, Force and Accuse Mod

When in development, Interrogation prompts were titled "Coax, Force and Accuse". Shortly before the game was released, it was changed to "Truth, Doubt and Lie" which is often misleading as the dialogue was written for the former prompts. This mod restores the original prompts.
To install extract the files to the L.A. Noire\final\pc folder.


Command line arguments

In the retail version, these parameters can be applied by running LANLauncher.exe and accessing the Options menu, then typing them into the "Command Line" field.
As of the latest update on Steam and the Rockstar Games Launcher, these arguments may not be applied to LANLauncher.exe.
An alternative method is to create the commandline.txt file in <path-to-game> and type the arguments there.[22]
Parameter Description
-ignorefocus Prevents the game from pausing on focus loss.
-joysticktype Forces a specific DirectInput controller type. Can be used to try different controller button layouts if the controller is not specifically supported. See list of supported controllers.
-L Changes the game language - use English, French, German, Italian or Spanish as options; for example -L french
-mousefree Allows the mouse to move outside the game window while in windowed mode.
-nosound Disables sound.
-npd Disables the D3D_PUREDEVICE flag from device creation. May help if you have graphics compatibility issues.
-str Enables single-threaded renderer, which may improve performance or compatibility on some systems.
-windowed Runs the game in a window.

Undocumented parameters

The following parameters are referenced inside the game's files and were likely intended for developer usage only. There are many more that are completely unused, and therefore not listed here.

Parameter Description
-debugburn Prevents flaming people from dying.
-disablecrashhandler Disables the crash handler.
-disablepost Disables post effects
-dmtf Disables the D3D D3DCREATE_MULTITHREADED flag; could improve performance at the cost of stability.
-dx11 Runs the game using DirectX 11.
-err Tests out error messages at an unspecified location.
-exit Exits the game immediately (skipping the main loop) to test clean shutdown.
-gamewells Allows the player to use gamewells even if no conversation exists.
-noenvtextures Does not stream any environment textures.
-nonv Does not intialise the nVidia API; may improve performance for some users.
-res [width] [height] Forces the game to run at a specified resolution (e.g. -res 1920 1080)
-revive Allows the player to be revived manually. (Seems to be referenced after dying in a gun fight. Unknown if it will actually do anything.)
-TexStreamSize [memsize] Overrides the Textures VRAM streaming pool size (possibly in kilobytes)
-timeofday [time] Overrides the time of day from the scenario (float 24-hour time, e.g. 22.5 is 10:30 PM)
-writedefs Outputs Attribute System definitions in an .xml file in <path-to-game>\attribute\definitions.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP SP3, Vista SP1, 7
Processor (CPU) Intel Dual Core 2.2 GHz
AMD Dual Core 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 16 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT
ATI Radeon HD 3000
512 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device) DirectX 9 compatible
This game requires a 64-bit OS as of Title Update v2663.1.0.0.[21]

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/110800/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (110800) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 L.A. Noire (2011) Xbox 360 credits - MobyGames - last accessed on 2018-06-17
  2. Verified by User:Ptolemy on 2020-04-16
    Entered in the key from my retail copy of the game into RGS, and it activated successfully.
  3. Verified by User:Ptolemy on 2020-04-16
    Scanned the .exe of the RGS version, and didn't find any traces of GameShield. Also, the directory did not have any of the GameShield files that the Steam and retail versions have.
  4. Unofficial List of Steam Games with DRM - Page 102 - Steam Users' Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  5. L.A. Noire PC Title Update v2663.1.0.0 Notes - last accessed on 2022-08-22
  6. L.A. Noire Patch Notes and Manual Links to Updates – Rockstar Support - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  7. L.A. Noire - Total FPS Unlock, Car braking test - last accessed on May 2023
  8. Bugged cases with unlocked FPS - last accessed on May 2023
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Verified by User:Keith on 2019-09-18
  10. Verified by User:Johnmooth on 2023-04-01
    Rockstar Games is always capping 30 FPS by default, otherwise may cause some bugs and glitches on higher frame rates and does not cap to 60hz.
  11. Full list of PC command line parameters for L.A. Noire – Rockstar Support - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  12. Reddit - last accessed on May 2023
  13. 2021 Completely Unlock FPS (60+ FPS, Fixed braking), Ultrawide Support, Borderless Window, Custom Resolutions... - last accessed on 2021-06-09
  14. WidescreenFixer - last accessed on May 2023
  15. Unlocking the framerate to 60FPS (new patch) :: L.A. Noire General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
  16. PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
  17. Freezing on Neon Sign / Title Screen during synchronization in L.A. Noire for PC on Steam - Rockstar Games Customer Support - last accessed on May 2023
  18. .NET, C++, DirectX: Nothing happening after pressing Launch in L.A. Noire (dead link, no replacement on current support site)
  19. Verified by User:Hman360 on 2022-01-18
    Fixed the issue for me with these steps
  20. Supported controllers for L.A. Noire PC – Rockstar Support - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  21. 21.0 21.1 L.A. Noire PC Title Update v2663.1.0.0 Notes - last accessed on 2021-05-02
    "Support for 32-bit operating systems has been deprecated"
  22. Full list of PC command line parameters for L.A. Noire - Rockstar Games Customer Support - last accessed on 2022-11-25