Author Topic: What's Up with Improving Frame Rate? (Read 1944 times)

Bullethead · « **on:** February 18, 2004, 09:52:48 PM »

I haven't contributed here in a while because for the last half-dozen betas or so, all that's been changing is cosmetics to existing stuff and adding the odd new plane. None of this has addressed the big problem, which is that frame rates are unplayably low unless you happen to own a top-end machine with a fairly new Nvidia card. All this is way more than what I recall being the recommended hardware for AH2, and I figure the generally low framerates are the main reason hardly anybody flies AH2 online.

So what can I expect on the framerate front in the near future? Is HTC going to put some serious work into improving FPS for a wider variety of hardware? Or has effort switched to just pushing AH2 out the door more or less as is? I'd like to know one way or the other, because if HTC isn't going to work on FPS, then I have to decide whether AH2 is worth a new computer or not.

Kweassa · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2004, 10:26:19 PM »

The framerates have been immensely improved, Bullet.

I use a Pentium4 1.7Ghz, 512DDR with GeForce4 MX440.

This might have been a good setup two years ago, but nowadays, I can't run those top-notch graphics games: I'm barely able to play Forgotten Battles multiplayer games with medium graphics settings. I can't play single player because the frame rates are too low with the numerous ground/air objects in the scene. LOMAC? I can't even dream of.

Back when AH2 Beta was first out, I used to get something like average 12fps, with micro-second frame pauses everytime I moved my hat key with 1024x768 resolution.

As of current, with Beta14, I get a constant and smooth 30fps with 1600x1200 resolution, using Shift+F2 medium visibility distance. The object mipmapping and bump mapping options are checked off, visbility fog to 10 miles, and everything else left untouched. Even with some of those graphics options cheched off, it still looks pretty good.

Maybe your card or the system needs a bit of upgrading. Also, it seems AH2 isn't really cut out for players with ATI/Radeon cards.

FOGOLD · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2004, 01:55:03 AM »

It's simply not good enought to be "not cut out for Radeon video cards". There are thousands of AH2 players out there with Radeon Video cards (under Skuzzy's reccomendation quite often).
I can play Forgotten Battles at 65 FPS on high settings. Halo, COD no probs.

AH2 = 35 FPS on runway

No ammount of fiddling with the quality seems to help.

I will reserve judgement untill I see the finished product, but sure won't be buying a new machine to play it.

XP2000+
9800 Pro 4.2 dets
1gig PC2100
Audigy Player

Hap · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2004, 06:25:12 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kweassa
visbility fog to 10 miles

kweassa, just took a peek at video set-up board in the game; and i don't see a way to adjust fog.

how did you do it, and what affect did you notice?

thanks.

Flossy · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2004, 06:43:50 AM »

You can only do it offline, under Setup, Hap.....

gatt · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2004, 12:42:29 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kweassa
Maybe your card or the system needs a bit of upgrading. Also, it seems AH2 isn't really cut out for players with ATI/Radeon cards.

Oh yes looks like your right, my 9700 Pro runs at an [sarcasm on] incredible 25-30 fps only becouse she is pushed by a poor P4-3.2Ghz [sarcasm off] ...

Kaz · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2004, 12:51:38 PM »

I really hope that they'll do a Radeon optimization soon or at least tell us why they're focusing on other areas.

Maybe it's not that big a deal(not hard) to optimize the Radeon cards so they're putting more important things ahead of it.

But right now we just don't know. I'd like to hear from them just as much as the next person since this has been brought up a few times already.

1Duke1 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2004, 01:12:47 PM »

Runnin' a 9700 Pro, Cat 4.1's, P4 2.5Ghz and I'm geting around 50-60 on rwy and better in the air with everything on.

Much, much inproved over the 10-12 I was getting when AH2 first hit the streets.

Bullethead · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2004, 06:29:52 PM »

I have a 1.7 GHz P4 myself. Which, IIRC, is about 2x the CPU speed of the original "recommended system" for AH2. And this CPU's still good enough to run EVERY OTHER THING full tilt, especially since I got a Radeon 9600 Pro. But in AH2, my FPS blows chunks, especially with the Radeon. I got this Radeon to replace a ancient GeForce3 with 1/2 as much on-board memory, and doubled my RAM at the same time, all of which resulted in a 20% REDUCTION of my FPS in AH2, although every other game in the world works better. And since then (that was back around Beta 4 or 5), my FPS has gone steadily down with every new beta. In Beta 14, I'm down to 17 FPS on the runway.

That's the problem. My CPU may be several years old, but I've got enough RAM and a good enough vidcard to have no need at all to buy a new system for any other game. AH2 is the only problem, and it keeps getting worse instead of better. Something is BADLY wrong with AH2, especially for Radeon users. If other new 3D games with gorgeous graphics work fine, why can't AH2?

I'd REALLY like to see this framerate problem fixed first, instead of seeing new betas with the rather trivial fixes seen in Beta 14. I really could care less if shadows show through the plane when the FPS is so bad that I can't play the game anyway.

OTOH, if HTC has no intention of fixing the FPS problem, I hope they at least have the decency to tell me up front, right now, so I can weigh my alternatives.

Gypsy Baron · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2004, 08:03:52 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Flossy
You can only do it offline, under Setup, Hap.....

Speaking of fog, WTF is there so MUCH of it it this beta??

Is this an "England in winter" or "San Francisco in Summer"
terrain?

I must say, I prefer to see clouds and a horizon and the sun.

If this "fog" is just to placate those with low frame rates,
well, I'm for seeing what it will REALLY be like without
the fog!

=GB=

Flit · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2004, 09:16:11 PM »

I get 75-100 fps
try unchecking some of the video options
and turn off V-sync

Phantom4 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2004, 12:59:09 AM »

same as Duke:

Runnin' a 9700 Pro, Cat 4.2's, amd 2.5Ghz and I'm geting around 50-60 on rwy and better in the air with everything on at 1280xx1024.

FOGOLD · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2004, 01:43:48 AM »

Whats becoming clear is that there are people out here with similar Radeon systems and SOME of them are fine. There must be something else.

I stick to my guns. Forget AH2 till it's out.

gatt · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2004, 03:27:26 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Flit
I get 75-100 fps
try unchecking some of the video options
and turn off V-sync

Ehehe, I *can* fly at 75-100 fps if I uncheck some (many) options. Point is: with very high end systems you should be able to run AH2 at *full* settings. Without the horizon AH2 is simply awful. Online, terrain, sky and clouds are more important than a/c. This is not IL-2 FB where you salivate looking at your fighter's rivets from outside.

Anyway, something is clearly still untuned. But again, its a beta ...

Hap · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2004, 09:51:25 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by FOGOLD
Whats becoming clear is that there are people out here with similar Radeon systems and SOME of them are fine.

yes fogold, i've noticed that also. you might want to dbl ck with those for whom its working fine. i've not been able to really tell how many are ok. seems the minority for some reason.