FAQ
This page lists answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about BF3 Colour Tweaker. If you need to know something which isn't explained here, then please contact us.
- Does DICE approve of and allow this tool?
- Is this a cheat or a hack?
- Will this get me kicked or banned by PunkBuster?
- Everyone says that DICE is banning for this! Explain!
- What's the difference between this and the FXAA Injector?
- Why don't my changes work on the base game maps?
- I can't uninstall the program. Help!
- Why isn't BF3 Colour Tweaker able to load or save the game files?
Does DICE approve of and allow this tool?
DICE has not made any official statement about BF3 Colour Tweaker; however, they have disapproved of a related tool which allowed unfair game changes. We have made every effort to make BF3 Colour Tweaker fair for all players, as we did not even include options to disable sun glare or fog. All our tool allows players to do is improve the colours of the game, and it is therefore fair in our eyes. At this point in time, it is unclear what stance DICE has regarding this particular program, and so the best advice we can offer is to use it at your own risk.
Is this a cheat or a hack?
No. We never have and never will support cheats. This program only modifies the colours of the game, which does not affect the game balance and only makes Battlefield 3 look better. However, this could potentially be detected by PunkBuster; see the next FAQ answer for more details. We do everything we can to keep players using our tools safe, and so we have clear warnings in place both on this website and in the program itself.
Will this get me kicked or banned by PunkBuster?
Possibly. Unlike all of our other tools, BF3 Colour Tweaker does modify the game files of Battlefield 3, which could potentially get detected by PunkBuster. At the time of writing, it is safe to use on PunkBuster servers. However, this could change at any time in the future.
If PunkBuster does start detecting the modified files, then it is very unlikely that it would issue a ban; it is far more likely to simply kick, as players could just as easily have corrupted files from a bad installation! There is no way for PunkBuster to know whether the files are corrupt or intentionally modified.
If you want to play on PunkBuster servers, then you do so at your own risk. It's up to you to decide whether the level of risk as described above is worth having a beautiful and colourful Battlefield 3. However, BF3 Colour Tweaker should be perfectly safe to use for non-PunkBuster servers.
Everyone says that DICE is banning for this! Explain!
There seems to be a huge amount of misunderstanding, confusion, and exaggeration surrounding this. Many appear to be under the impression that people have been banned for this - this is not the case.
At the current time, there have been zero legitimate reports of bans or even kicks for this. Modding the game files with Frankelstner's tool (something different) can get players kicked for "MD5Tool Mismatch"; this is something manually set up by server administrators, and does not currently happen with our own tool.
DICE has not yet made any official announcement regarding Battlefield 3 mods. The comments that people have been discussing have indeed come from a DICE employee, but on his own personal Twitter account where he can post his own thoughts and opinions. To clarify, he warned that players could get permanently banned for modifying the game files. He didn't say that anyone is already getting banned, and he didn't guarantee that people would get banned. Interestingly, he has deleted his comments from his Twitter page.
What's the difference between this and the FXAA Injector?
The FXAA Injector applies additional post-processing filters to the game, which can smooth and sharpen the graphics, in addition to changing the colours. It can definitely improve the look of the game to some extent, but it can only do so much. There is no way for the FXAA Injector to remove colour grading or bring back details which have been lost through the use of so many filters; all it can do is brighten up the game and change the colour tint. It also comes with an FPS hit which reduces performance.
BF3 Colour Tweaker works in the opposite way: instead of applying additional filters, it actually removes filters. It does this by modifying the game files to remove colour grading and change other colour settings directly. As a result, it is extremely more effective than the FXAA Injector at improving the game's visuals. It also does not reduce the frame rate at all; if anything, it will give a performance boost.
The FXAA Injector is less risky to use due to being an established and accepted tool, but is much less effective and reduces performance. BF3 Colour Tweaker is more risky due it being new and modifying the game files, but is much more effective and may increase performance.
Why don't my changes work on the base game maps?
If you have used Frankelstner's BF3 Gameplay File Tweaker to modify your game files, or you have downloaded a mod, then there could potentially be a conflict and they could override the changes made by our tool. In this case, the solution is to remove any modded game files that you have.
I can't uninstall the program. Help!
We are aware that a small minority of people have had problems uninstalling BF3 Colour Tweaker, most often when they are trying to install a newer version on top of a previous installation. We are looking into these issues, but in the meantime, you can use the Microsoft Fix it tool to resolve the problem.
Why isn't BF3 Colour Tweaker able to load or save the game files?
If you encounter an error when loading or saving, then you may need to run BF3 Colour Tweaker with administrator rights. To do this, simply right-click on your BF3 Colour Tweaker shortcut, and choose "Run as administrator"; BF3 Colour Tweaker should then function with no problems.