Make the Video memory use row Low or High, and describe the new Low in the menu, the ini example and the docs.

Low, the default, lets released textures go after the hold and frees what switched-off upscalers and SMAA hold; High
keeps both for the session. The row shows Low for any setting but high, the old balanced among them. The descriptions
in all four languages no longer promise simpler surfaces or missing objects, since the default no longer trades them.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/architecture.md

@@ -266,7 +266,15 @@ keeps per-core data without locks and relies on that, so the host models it (`ru
   swapchain, DLSS and frame generation features); `mem: host` gives the host-visible allocations, the process's
   commit and working set and the game's heap; `vk: released textures` how often released textures came back and how
   old they were, and how many were made again after a drop (`vk_memory.c` `owner_log`). A figure that only climbs over
-  a session is a leak. `vram_use` (`cfg.c` `VRAMLOW`) trades these caches for work done again.
+  a session is a leak.
+- Released textures by age: the game releases a texture when what uses it leaves the view and takes it back when that
+  returns; the cache keeps the released image so that the take-back finds it. In play the take-backs came within a
+  minute of the release or never, so a released texture goes once it has gone unused for a hold of three minutes, six
+  for content only the GPU made (`vk_texture.c` `drop_aged`, `vk_tex_release.h`, `tex_released_hold`). The size bound
+  (a quarter of the video memory budget) stays as the safety net for a burst of area changes, and young textures may
+  pass it, up to twice it, while the card and the system's commit have room. Times are wall seconds from a clock of
+  the presents, not present counts. `vram_use = high` (`cfg.c` `vram_use_value`) turns the hold off and keeps what a
+  switched-off upscaler or SMAA holds; the default, low, frees both.
 - Allocation: Vulkan Memory Allocator. Debugging: Vulkan validation layers, per-pass frame dumps (`NX2NAVI_DUMP`,
   `vk_dump.c`), a sampling profiler (`NX2NAVI_PROFILE`, `tools/prof_report.py`) and a flight recorder
   (`NX2NAVI_FLIGHT`). RenderDoc cannot capture, because it hides `VK_EXT_external_memory_host` from the application.

nx2navi.ini.example

@@ -333,8 +333,21 @@
 # Percent of the video memory in use above which textures give way: first those the game released, then those no
 # shader sampled for a while (tex_disuse); each is made again when used. The default lies under the 87 percent past
 # which game memory gets no copy in video memory (memory = mirror), which costs far more frame time than a texture
-# uploaded again. 0: textures never give way for video memory.
+# uploaded again. 0: textures never give way for video memory. 70 frees more on a card short of memory, and more
+# textures are made again (the low of the 0.10 previews set it).
 # tex_vram_pressure = 80
+# Seconds a texture the game released is kept once nothing uses it (0 to 900); then it goes, however much room is
+# left. In play the game took released textures back within a minute or not at all; one taken back after its drop is
+# made again and shows its stand-in for a frame. A texture whose content only the GPU made waits twice as long, and one
+# the GPU drew into since its last copy back to game memory stays. 0: released textures stay up to tex_released_mb for
+# the whole session (as before 0.10). Default: 180; vram_use = high sets 0. Read at start.
+# tex_released_hold = 180
+# Megabytes the released textures may hold (0: no bound). Past it the oldest go even when young; while tex_released_hold
+# is on, young ones may stay past it, up to twice it, as long as video memory and the system's commit have room.
+# Default: a quarter of the video memory budget where the PC has an eighth of its memory to match, at least a
+# thirty-second of the PC's memory (512 to 2048), at most 8192. 1024 (the low of the 0.10 previews) holds less, but
+# textures the game takes back after their drop are made again and show their stand-in for a frame. Read at start.
+# tex_released_mb = 4096
 # Texture compaction (experimental). Video memory is taken in blocks (vma_block_mb), and a block goes back to the
 # driver only once everything in it is freed: after a long session the blocks hold textures scattered between holes,
 # and the game holds a gigabyte or two of video memory it does not use. 1: textures no shader sampled for ten seconds
@@ -540,14 +553,15 @@
 # cpu or astc_bc = 0) and the budget is under 20480 MiB, auto goes one step lower, as they take four times the memory.
 # The log says what was picked ("texture detail:"). Read at start.
 # texture_detail = auto
-# Video memory use (the Screen tab's row): low, balanced or high. balanced, the default, frees what DLSS, frame
-# generation's HUD-less picture, FSR 1 and SMAA held once they have been switched off for a while (about 0.9 GiB with
-# DLSS off at 5120x2142); high keeps it, so switching them on again makes nothing. low also sets, unless set here:
-# tex_released_mb = 1024 (released textures keep at most 1 GiB instead of a quarter of the video memory budget; one
-# the game takes back after its drop is made and uploaded again and shows its stand-in for a frame),
-# tex_vram_pressure = 70 (textures give way from 70% of the budget) and pipe_seed_boot = 0 (0.3-0.6 GiB of video
-# memory and 2-4 GB of commit less; a first visit to an area can miss a few objects for a frame). Read at start.
-# vram_use = balanced
+# Video memory use (the Screen tab's row): low or high. low, the default, lets go of released textures once nothing has
+# used them for tex_released_hold (180 s), and frees what DLSS, frame generation's HUD-less picture, FSR 1 and SMAA
+# held once they have been switched off for a while (about 0.9 GiB with DLSS off at 5120x2142). high keeps both for the
+# whole session (tex_released_hold = 0: released textures up to tex_released_mb), so switching those features on again
+# makes nothing. balanced, the default before 0.10, means low. The low of the 0.10 previews traded memory for work
+# done again; its values are keys of their own: tex_released_mb = 1024, tex_vram_pressure = 70 and pipe_seed_boot = 0
+# (0.3-0.6 GiB of video memory and 2-4 GB of commit less, but a first visit to an area misses objects for a frame
+# while their pipelines are made). Read at start.
+# vram_use = low
 # Sun shadow map size: game (the game's own, which changes with the view and drops to about 400 near the ground, so
 # leaf shadows look blocky and jump) or a fixed 256, 512, 768, 1024, 1536 or 2048. Above 960 the texture heap grows with
 # it. 256 is coarser than the game's own and is for integrated GPUs short of memory bandwidth. Read at start.

runtime/ui/menu.cpp

@@ -766,13 +766,14 @@ static void row_texture_detail(void) {
     opt_choice_list("NX2NAVI_TEXTURE_DETAIL", UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL, vals, names, 4, UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_DESC);
 }
 
-// Video memory use (cfg.c VRAMLOW, cfg_vram_keep): low sets smaller texture caches and builds the shared pipeline list
-// at first use, high keeps what switched-off features made. Read at the start, so the row notes the restart.
+// Video memory use (cfg.c vram_use_value, cfg_vram_keep): low, the default, lets released textures go after the hold
+// (vk_texture.c drop_aged) and frees what switched-off features made; high keeps both. Any value but high is low, as
+// cfg.c reads it (balanced, the default before 0.10, among them). Read at the start, so the row notes the restart.
 static void row_vram_use(void) {
-    static const char *const vals[] = {"low", "balanced", "high"};
-    const char *names[] = {menu_text(UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW), menu_text(UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED),
-                           menu_text(UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH)};
-    opt_choice_list("NX2NAVI_VRAM_USE", UI_MENU_VRAM_USE, vals, names, 3, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC);
+    static const char *const vals[] = {"low", "high"};
+    const char *names[] = {menu_text(UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW), menu_text(UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH)};
+    opt_choice_list("NX2NAVI_VRAM_USE", UI_MENU_VRAM_USE, vals, names, 2, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC,
+                    cfg_vram_keep() ? 1 : 0);
 }
 
 static void row_shadow_scale(void) {

runtime/ui_text.c

@@ -99,12 +99,12 @@ static const char *const text_en[UI_TEXT_COUNT] = {
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_AUTO] = "Automatic: %s",
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_FULL] = "Full", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_REDUCED] = "Reduced", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_LOW] = "Low",
     [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE] = "Video memory use",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "How much video memory the game keeps for later. Low keeps fewer textures of places you "
-                              "left and builds some graphics only when first needed: returning to a place can show "
-                              "simpler surfaces for a moment, and a first visit can miss a few objects for a frame. High "
-                              "also keeps what an upscaler or anti-aliasing switched off had made. Takes effect after a "
-                              "restart.",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Low", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED] = "Balanced", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "High",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "How much video memory the game keeps for later. Low, the default, lets go of the textures "
+                              "of places you left once they have gone unused for three minutes, and of what an upscaler "
+                              "or anti-aliasing switched off had made; in play the game asked for such textures again "
+                              "within a minute or not at all. High keeps both for the whole session. Takes effect after "
+                              "a restart.",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Low", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "High",
     [UI_MENU_LOWEND_INTRO] = "The settings of the low-end GPU mode. Each can be changed here; most take effect after a restart.",
     [UI_MENU_LOWEND_RESTART] = "The mode turns on after a restart. Its settings are listed here then.",
     [UI_MENU_LOWEND_NOT_FOR_CARD] = "Not for this graphics card: it has mesh shaders and 8 GB of video memory or more. "
@@ -924,12 +924,12 @@ static const char *const text_ru[UI_TEXT_COUNT] = {
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_AUTO] = "Авто: %s",
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_FULL] = "Полная", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_REDUCED] = "Сниженная", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_LOW] = "Низкая",
     [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE] = "Расход видеопамяти",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "Сколько видеопамяти игра держит про запас. «Низкий» хранит меньше текстур покинутых мест и "
-                              "создаёт часть графики только при первой надобности: при возвращении поверхности могут на "
-                              "миг выглядеть проще, а при первом посещении на кадр могут пропасть несколько объектов. "
-                              "«Высокий» также хранит то, что создали отключённые масштабирование или сглаживание. "
-                              "Действует после перезапуска.",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Низкий", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED] = "Сбалансированный", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "Высокий",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "Сколько видеопамяти игра держит про запас. «Низкий», по умолчанию, освобождает текстуры "
+                              "покинутых мест, не использованные три минуты, и то, что создали отключённые "
+                              "масштабирование или сглаживание; в игре такие текстуры запрашивались снова в течение "
+                              "минуты или не запрашивались вовсе. «Высокий» хранит и то и другое всю сессию. Действует "
+                              "после перезапуска.",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Низкий", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "Высокий",
     [UI_MENU_SHARPNESS] = "Резкость FSR",
     [UI_MENU_SHARPNESS_DESC] = "Насколько FSR повышает резкость. 0 отключает.",
     [UI_MENU_SHARPNESS_NEEDS_FSR] = "только с AMD FSR 1",
@@ -1902,12 +1902,12 @@ static const char *const text_pt_br[UI_TEXT_COUNT] = {
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_AUTO] = "Automático: %s",
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_FULL] = "Completo", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_REDUCED] = "Reduzido", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_LOW] = "Baixo",
     [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE] = "Uso da memória de vídeo",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "Quanta memória de vídeo o jogo guarda para depois. Baixo guarda menos texturas dos "
-                              "lugares que você deixou e cria parte dos gráficos só quando são precisos pela primeira "
-                              "vez: ao voltar a um lugar, as superfícies podem parecer mais simples por um instante, e "
-                              "numa primeira visita alguns objetos podem faltar por um quadro. Alto também guarda o que "
-                              "um escalonador ou antisserrilhamento desligado criou. Vale depois de reiniciar.",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Baixo", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED] = "Equilibrado", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "Alto",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "Quanta memória de vídeo o jogo guarda para depois. Baixo, o padrão, libera as texturas "
+                              "dos lugares que você deixou após três minutos sem uso, e o que um escalonador ou "
+                              "antisserrilhamento desligado criou; em jogo, essas texturas foram pedidas de novo em "
+                              "menos de um minuto ou nunca. Alto guarda tudo isso durante a sessão inteira. Vale depois "
+                              "de reiniciar.",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "Baixo", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "Alto",
     [UI_MENU_COLOR] = "Cor",
     [UI_MENU_COLOR_PRESET] = "Perfil de cor",
     [UI_MENU_COLOR_PRESET_DESC] = "Define os quatro valores abaixo. Vívido: mais contraste e saturação, sombras um "
@@ -2741,9 +2741,9 @@ static const char *const text_zh_hans[UI_TEXT_COUNT] = {
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_AUTO] = "自动：%s",
     [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_FULL] = "完整", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_REDUCED] = "降低", [UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_LOW] = "低",
     [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE] = "显存占用",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "游戏为之后保留多少显存。“低”保留较少已离开地点的纹理，部分图形在首次需要时才创建：回到某地时表面可能"
-                              "短暂显得较简单，首次到访时可能有几个物体缺失一帧。“高”还会保留已关闭的放大或抗锯齿创建的内容。重启后生效。",
-    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "低", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED] = "平衡", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "高",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC] = "游戏为之后保留多少显存。“低”（默认）会释放已离开地点中三分钟未使用的纹理，以及已关闭的放大或抗锯齿"
+                              "创建的内容；实际游玩中，这类纹理要么在一分钟内再次被使用，要么不再使用。“高”在整个游戏过程中保留两者。重启后生效。",
+    [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW] = "低", [UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH] = "高",
     [UI_MENU_HDR_GROUP] = "HDR",
     [UI_MENU_HDR] = "HDR 输出",
     [UI_MENU_HDR_DESC] = "在 HDR 显示器上呈现更亮的高光。请先在 Windows 中开启 HDR。",

runtime/ui_text.h

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ typedef enum {
     UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL, UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_DESC,
     UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_AUTO,   // "Automatic: %s", %s the level it picks on this card
     UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_FULL, UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_REDUCED, UI_MENU_TEX_DETAIL_LOW,
-    UI_MENU_VRAM_USE, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_BALANCED, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH,
+    UI_MENU_VRAM_USE, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_DESC, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_LOW, UI_MENU_VRAM_USE_HIGH,
     UI_MENU_SHARPNESS, UI_MENU_SHARPNESS_DESC, UI_MENU_SHARPNESS_NEEDS_FSR,
     UI_MENU_COLOR,            // group heading over the colour rows
     UI_MENU_COLOR_PRESET, UI_MENU_COLOR_PRESET_DESC, UI_MENU_COLOR_DEFAULT, UI_MENU_COLOR_VIVID, UI_MENU_COLOR_CLARITY,