Why are the framerates so bad this past month?

[Treize69]

Normally I have no problem with framerates, and I've been flying with full vis range since starting AH last summer with no problems.

Now, since the new version, I am flying with short vis range, after going through and doing everything I can to free up memory, and STILL getting a max of 15 FPS down low. As soon as I get away from the trees it shoots right back up to 75. Its gotten so bad that I normally refuse to fight below about 3k now, where I used to be the guy who never fought ABOVE 5k.

Its getting so annoying that I don't even want to fly anymore, since I know I'm just going to get in a low fight and get ticked when my screen freezes and I crash for no reason other than that. Or the delay is so bad that I am shooting at a 1 or 2 second old image when the guy I'm fighting has already rolled around or reversed and is about to kill me.

Lag has also gotten worse, I've seen more warps (and radio200 complaints about warps) since the new version than I ever remember seeing.

Is there any reason or imminent fix for this (and yes I updated today), or am I going to have another spell of not flying until they fix the framerates connections? Its getting so irritating that I either stay on buff patrol at 15-20K, stay out over the water to fight, or just stay high watching peoples 6s. And its getting REALLY old.

[AutoPilot]

Yea i know what ya mean.It occurs when there are a lot of other people on in one area.In the old AH-1 days, it seemed like every time they reeased a new patch or version you had to upgrade your video card(example- AH-1 conversion too AH2), some of us even thought maybe Dale and connections with the software company gettin kick bax for all the people goin out and buy new vid cards every other month.

[Flit]

Try deleting and installing a fresh download of the game. Sometimes that helps.
Also, remember that there a lot of hops between you and HTC that they have no control over.
The internet is a strange animal.

[bozon]

I've noticed it as well since the last version came out (all 3 patches).
It happens only in very low altitude and only in certain places. I've yet to find out exactly what is common to these places.

After patch 2, the install regenerated the cash and it is rare since, but still happens (could be decieving since it's not the same map all the time). Maybe only certain objects in the terrain cause it.

Bozon

[Schatzi]

Treize, check your graphics details. Maybe with installing the new patch, they got changed?

If not, as an interim solution, you can try lower details and maybe even texture size to improve your FR.

[wrag]

Something that might help.........

Go to AH video setup before you log on and reduce your max frame rate to 45.

I did that.  I also set Vsync to always on in my video card setup before I start AH.

I also start AH using FSautostart.  It turns off everything possible and optimize memory just before you start Ah and will restart everything turned off (if you wish) when your done.

Use no more then 512 textures, turn off other plane skins.

Got a ATI9800 Pro with 128 ram on it.  Using all the above is the only way I can enjoy AH.  Otherwise people with better systems were out flying me because they SEEMED to have about 1/2 a second advantage on me with manuvering and firing.  I would get HO'd but on my front end I had rolled or turned away.  I would sometimes get rammed but on my FE I had avoided.  It was, and still is when it happens, frustrating to KNOW you should be hitting, and you're watching your tracers SEEMINGLY going right through your target.  You get the proper lead and fire and nadda.

All I can think of to explain this is my CPU and my GPU were out of sync.  The information coming from the CPU was not ALL getting painted/displayed by my GPU (stutters and freezes) and was being painted a huge amount (computer time that is) of time behind the CPU?  Result  I was  NOT seeing what was actually happening!

I was getting a high fps of 75 most of the time during all this but down low in a BIG furball it would drop to 8 and sometimes even less!  

The films I recording during this time SEEMED different then I remembered the actual fights.  Think the recording was coming from the CPU.  So I could see what had actually happened rather then what my video card, being slower by maybe 1/2 a second due to the load of information it had to process, showed me during the fight.

Now down low in big furballs I can fight, and if I fly well, maybe even survive.  No stutters no freezes.  Well VERY few stutters, but NO FREEZES.

So for now it SEEMS to be fixed, sorta ???

Sadly I'm thinking that due to my MB, CPU, and GPU combined with the constant eye candy upgrades HTC is making, I will probably have to quite AH for awhile soon as it will cease to be enjoyable when the eyecandy loads up my system so much that nothing I can do will fix such problems any longer.

Not planning on making upgrades just now.  Too much going on, too many changes in the computer market.