Steam Deck Performance & Optimization Guide

Pax Autocratica is officially certified Playable on Steam Deck by Valve. While the core shooting feels responsive on the Deck’s analog sticks, achieving a stable framerate and preventing crashes requires a few specific setting tweaks in Early Access build v0.1.

1. The Critical “Frame Generation” Crash Fix

If you experience sudden game freezes or instant crashes to the SteamOS dashboard upon starting an expedition, Frame Generation is the culprit.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling FSR Frame Generation in the in-game display settings causes Proton to fault on Linux / SteamOS.

How to Fix:

Open the in-game Settings → Display.
Set AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation to OFF.
Set FSR Upscaling to Quality or Balanced.
If you cannot reach the main menu due to crashing, right-click the game in Steam → Properties → General → Launch Options, and paste:
```
-safe-mode
```

2. Recommended SteamOS & In-Game Settings

For the optimal balance between 3 hours of battery life and fluid 45 FPS combat:

Framerate Limit: 45 FPS (Set display refresh rate to 90Hz on Steam Deck OLED).
TDP Limit (Watts): Enabled → Set to 11W (or 12W for intense boss arenas).
Manual GPU Clock: Disabled (let SteamOS dynamic governor handle clock boost).

In-Game Graphics Settings:

Resolution: 1280 × 800
Overall Quality Preset: Custom (Medium)
Texture Quality: High (Steam Deck has ample VRAM)
Shadow Quality: Low
Post-Processing: Medium
Motion Blur: OFF (Improves visibility in fast swarms)

3. Recommended Controller Mapping

Assign the back grip buttons for maximum speed:

R4 (Top Right Grip): Assign to Capture Rounds for instant capture firing without lifting your thumb from the right stick.
L4 (Top Left Grip): Assign to Dash / Evade.
R5 (Bottom Right Grip): Assign to Intella Ping / Radar Scan.

Steam Deck Performance Guide: 45 FPS Lock & Crash Fixes