Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition PC Ultimate Performance Guide

SpecialK local mode method (no installation/service)

1. Get rid of all previous tweaks, get rid of Nvidia Control Panel overrides, restore the exe to an unmodified exe, etc. 4GB Patch is not needed anymore

2. Download and extract the SpecialK Chrono Cross fix into the game's directory: https://sk-data.special-k.info/misc/SK_ChronoCross_FontFix.7z

3. Open the game through Steam, and set the game to Borderless Windowed in the launcher.

4. When starting the game, open the SpecialK Overlay with Ctrl+Shift+Backspace

5. Make sure the Frame Pacing is set to Unlocked with 0 in the first field and 7 in the second field.

6. Enable Frame Limiter and double click in the space and enter 60. Close the game and the launcher.

7. Download DXVK-Async: https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async and extract the dxgi.dll as dxvk_dxgi.dll and d3d11.dll from the x32 subfolder into the game's directory. 

8. Open the dxgi.ini file that SpecialK created when you opened the game and add the following to the bottom of the file:

[Import.DXVK]

Filename=dxvk_dxgi.dll

Role=dxgi

When=Proxy

Architecture=Win32

9. Done, now you have DXVK, 4GB patch which is included in SpecialK, Isa's Frame Pacing fix, and SpecialK's frame limiter/HDR fix/Font Fix.

SpecialK global injector installation/service method (SKIF)

1. Get rid of all previous tweaks, get rid of Nvidia Control Panel overrides, restore the exe to an unmodified exe, etc. 4GB Patch is not needed anymore

2. Download DXVK-Async: https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async and extract the dxgi.dll and d3d11.dll from the x32 subfolder into the game's directory

3. Set the game to Borderless Windowed and close the launcher.

4. Download and install Special K (global injector mode is required in order to work with dxvk): https://discourse.differentk.fyi/t/download-special-k/1461 (Click Installer and install as you would normally)

5. Right click the game in Steam and go to properties and add SKIF %COMMAND% to the Launch Commands (this allows you to never need to open SKIF and instead have it only open when the game is opened through steam, and it'll auto-close too.

6. Open the game once through Steam now so that SpecialK can create a profile folder. Close the game afterwards.

7. Download and extract the SpecialK Chrono Cross fix to a temporary folder https://sk-data.special-k.info/misc/SK_ChronoCross_FontFix.7z

8. Navigate to C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK and copy and paste the dxgi.dll that you extracted earlier from the SpecialK Chrono Cross fix and rename it to SpecialK32.dll and replace the existing one.

9. Navigate to C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\CHRONO CROSS THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION and copy and paste the SK_Res that you extracted earlier from the SpecialK Chrono Cross fix

10. Open the game through Steam and open the SpecialK Overlay with Ctrl+Shift+Backspace

11. Make sure the Frame Pacing is set to Unlocked with 0 in the first field and 7 in the second field.

12. Enable Frame Limiter and double click in the space and enter 60.

13. Done, now you have DXVK, 4GB patch which is included in SpecialK, Isa's Frame Pacing fix, and SpecialK's frame limiter/HDR fix/Font Fix.

Optional: Install Reshade (https://reshade.me/) for the game using Vulkan since you are using DXVK (it now works in Borderless Windowed)

Note: if the Steam overlay doesn't work for whatever reason and in turn your controller also doesn't work, then just press start and select with your controller and it'll open the SpecialK overlay, close it again and now the controller will work in-game. This however doesn't affect everyone. 

Credit to Saftle