Killing Floor optimization (INI, cache, faster loading)

Killing Floor is old-school in the best and worst ways. One week it runs perfectly, the next week you’re re-downloading maps or sitting through long loads for no reason.

This page collects a few safe, practical tweaks that help most players on community servers.

Tip: Before editing config files, make a backup copy of the file you’re changing.

Where is KillingFloor.ini?

File locations can differ depending on installation, but the idea is the same:

look inside your Killing Floor installation directory for System
find KillingFloor.ini (and sometimes other .ini files nearby)

If you cannot find it quickly, search your KF folder for KillingFloor.ini.

1) Keep cache longer (avoid re-downloading server files)

By default, the cache is purged relatively often. You can increase the retention time:

Open KillingFloor.ini
Find:

PurgeCacheDays=30

Replace with something like:

PurgeCacheDays=300

Longer cache retention means fewer re-downloads when joining servers with custom maps/mutators.

1.1) If you join many servers (keep it stable)

If you hop between many heavily-modded servers, cache will grow and change more often. Two practical rules:

let the first download finish once (do not interrupt repeatedly)
if you start getting mismatches frequently, do one clean cache reset instead of fighting single files:
- Fix: Package version mismatch

2) Faster startup (optional “NoIntro”)

If you want to skip intro loading, there’s a lightweight method described in our main FAQ.

Main F.A.Q.

3) Map switching and RAM cache size

If your PC is on the weaker side, you can tune cache size in KillingFloor.ini under [Engine.GameEngine] by adjusting CacheSizeMegs.

The recommended values depend on your RAM amount (see the FAQ for the full table):

Main F.A.Q.

4) PreCaching (advanced / optional)

Disabling precaching can reduce stutters or long stalls on some systems, but it’s not universally beneficial. If you try it, do it exactly as written and test after each change.

Reference snippet (from our FAQ):

[ALAudio.ALAudioSubsystem]
Change UsePrecache=True to UsePrecache=False
[Engine.LevelInfo]
Change bNeverPrecache=False to bNeverPrecache=True
[Engine.NullRenderDevice]
Change UsePrecaching=True to UsePrecaching=False
[D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]
Change UsePrecaching=True to UsePrecaching=False
[D3D9Drv.D3D9RenderDevice]
Change UsePrecaching=True to UsePrecaching=False
[OpenGLDrv.OpenGLRenderDevice]
Change UsePrecaching=True to UsePrecaching=False
[PixoDrv.PixoRenderDevice]
Change UsePrecaching=True to UsePrecaching=False

5) Simple performance basics (safe, boring, effective)

Without touching configs, these are the most reliable wins:

run at a stable resolution and avoid extreme settings that create stutters
close heavy background apps during long sessions
if you use overlays (recording, chat overlays), disable them if you get random stutters

KF is old. Stability is more important than max visuals.

Joining error “Package version mismatch”:
- Fix: Package version mismatch
Server list and IPs:
- Server browser