Frame rate issue

[Flayed1]

  Just wondering what all changed that would have this big of a hit? There is nothing I can see that was added to the game that would hit this hard. The biggest thing that bugs me is that no matter where I move the in game sliders betweeen 2/3 to the left and all the way to the right with no FR change, it just sits at 28 to 30. in tower and down into teens in combat.   

 I have tried changing to the lowest texture size with no difference between it and 512. You would think that if I turned the sliders down and changed to the low texture size I would see some increase in FR but there isn't. 

 I'm running a 2ghz comp 512 ram and a 256 meg vid card and run it as clean as I can when playing AH. While it's not the most high end computer anymore it's not a total dinosaur yet.   I could add more ram but I somehow doubt that would fix the current issue.   Skuzz I'm thinking like you seem to be that it may be CPU related but being that I'm running double the CPU of the minimum requierments it would seem to me that something in this patch is eating the hell out of CPU power on some comps.  Just a guess mind you.

[kilz]

just a suggestion for yall to try before moving your sliders..

google FS AutoStart. download it. i have a few of my squadies on this that where having FR issues and this has helped them ALOT. most of the time people have to many processes running in the back ground. do what Skuzzy said and ALT+CTRL+DELETE and it will pop up a window showing what programs are running click the tap at the top marked Processes and on the bottom of that window it will show the total. FS AutoStart helps you shut down the Processes that are not needed SAFELY. hope this helps yall out.

BTW Skuzzy the new computer is a blast. thanks for the advise on the PhysicX card.

[The Fugitive]

  I'm running a 2ghz comp 512 ram and a 256 meg vid

I'm hoping thats a typo! 512 ram  That not enough to run windows reliably ! I would think thats your problem. That would make a big bottle neck.

[Flayed1]

512 ram has run all aps I have reliably for well, as long as I've had this comp (just after AH1 was changed to AH2) and AH has run perfectly up to this patch. I can and will test 1G ram in a min (wife has an extra 512 I can grab for test) but I'll bet it doesn't do any good..

EDIT: Just added another 512 ram and tested with the same results I have at 512 ram, so ram is not the issue. I have in game screen shots with the the ram info up if that would help..

 I uped a wirble and had a fr of 24 looking out over the terrain and when I fired it droped to 12, then 4..  Looking directly up at the sky its better but not all atacking planes fly right over head so thats no good.

 So now that I have tried with 512 ram and 1G ram and had the same results I'm again thinking that AH has suddenly hit my CPU hard or my particular vid card.

  So far I have.
 Dropped sliders all the way down in game and had little change.
 Updated vid drivers with little change.
 Droped texture resolution down to min and had no change from 512.
 Added another 512 ram for a total of 1G and had no change.
 
Skuzz if there is anything you would like me to do just ask and it will be done OH great master of technical issues!  I will do all that I can.


EDIT again:  Has the way sound is played changed at all?   Just a thought in case it is somehow using more resourses then it did befor..  Again just a thought.

 Oh and if you would like I'll call you if you have some things you would like me to try. Monday ok or if your willing to work over the weekend I can call then also:P ....  Now stop thinking dirty. 

[Skuzzy]

The game can run in 512MB of RAM, but that is if the computer is a really lean machine.

Everytime we ad more things to the game, the game will require more resources.  Computers that ran fine , but happen to be on the edge of the fence can be pushed over.

Try removeing the 'cache' folders and 'skins' folders, the disable skins and allow the cache to regenerate.  Disable any anti-aliasing next.

[BaldEagl]

I was going to report the same thing.  The first night with the update my FPS dropped from it's normal 15-25 to 5-15.  Now I realize I have what's likely the oldest machine running the game and I was flying around large hoar... furballs  so I didn't bother reporting it.  Last night I upped on the big island map and had the same issues, but when I switched arenas to one of the newer smaller maps all was well again.  In the end it won't matter to me as I'm building a new machine today but if I were'nt I'd be concerned.  Gotta go... time to start building.

[OOZ662]

google FS AutoStart. download it. i have a few of my squadies on this that where having FR issues and this has helped them ALOT. most of the time people have to many processes running in the back ground. do what Skuzzy said and ALT+CTRL+DELETE and it will pop up a window showing what programs are running click the tap at the top marked Processes and on the bottom of that window it will show the total. FS AutoStart helps you shut down the Processes that are not needed SAFELY. hope this helps yall out.

Been using that for years. It doesn't have much to stop, though.

[Tigger29]

Flayed1, running 1024 textures and 512 textures is the same exact thing, unless you have the hi-res pack downloaded (separate download.. I wouldn't recommend it for you based on your performance report, and only 512mb of RAM).

Don't let them fool you, Windows can run plenty reliably at 512mb... just not as fast is all.

Assuming the computer is lean, and you're virus/malware free, and the computer is running at 100%, then you can try two things:

Try dropping your resolution a notch (if you're at 1280X1024, try 1024X768.. if you're at 1024X768, try 800X600).

Try dropping down to 256 textures.  This is likely going to make the biggest difference of the two.


Also go to your video card settings and make sure all of the fancy stuff is turned off (set it to 'performance' settings).

[Thing]

My frame rate totally sucks since this new download.   I have 1gb ram and a new nividia video card, run fs autostart, and shut off my anitvirus software prior to running game.  Any suggestions????   

[Flayed1]

Flayed1, running 1024 textures and 512 textures is the same exact thing, unless you have the hi-res pack downloaded (separate download.. I wouldn't recommend it for you based on your performance report, and only 512mb of RAM).

Don't let them fool you, Windows can run plenty reliably at 512mb... just not as fast is all.

Assuming the computer is lean, and you're virus/malware free, and the computer is running at 100%, then you can try two things:

Try dropping your resolution a notch (if you're at 1280X1024, try 1024X768.. if you're at 1024X768, try 800X600).

Try dropping down to 256 textures.  This is likely going to make the biggest difference of the two.


Also go to your video card settings and make sure all of the fancy stuff is turned off (set it to 'performance' settings).

 Read my other poasts.. I have tried turning down the textures to the minimum and get no change from 512...  EDIT: On the resolution I havn't tried changing that due to the fact I just bought this 22" wide screen monitor and other resolutions on AH stretch funny on it not to mention whats the use of having a wide screen if ya can't use it being that AH was one of the big reasons I got it and looks so nice on it lol. (will see what I can do though)   Have added another 512 or ram for a total of 1 gig and have no change..  I shut down all processes so I am only running 25 when I play AH.. No antivirus or mailware enabled, vidio card is set for preformance with all extras turned off.   As stated erlier 2Ghz comp while not real fast by todays standard, I don't feel is real slow.   The only thing I use it for is to play AH, EVE Online and other offline games with a lil web surfing on the side usually to the AH forum.  So I try to run it as clean as possible.

 Skuzz I removed the cache and skins folders with the same result..   And are you saying that a 2Ghz cpu with now 1Gig ram and a 256 meg vid card and trying to run as clean (not being a real computer geak it could probabbly be cleaner) as I can is now a marginal computer for AH?  Not bashing mind you just asking.        I can still play but if there are any more of these updates it will put this system out of service for AH

  As I said befor the thing bugging me the most is that I can set the resolution and in game sliders all the way down and see very little difference in preformance from 2/3 of the way up, where befor if I turned the sliders down all the way frame rates would jump up a great deal....   

  Hmm another thing I can try... My wifes comp is very similar to mine (I built them) but running a lil different 256 meg vid card. I'll copy AH over to it and see if I get a different result, might help show if its my vid card thats taking the hit.  Will keep you updated.

[Flayed1]

  Problem might be in the fact I am running a 22" wide screen monitor that needs to have an extreamly high resolution to make the game look in proportion.  I turned the resolution down and got a big jump in FR and the sliders are now giving me the old FR bump I used to get if I turned them down but now everything looks squashed and stretched on my screen...

 So problem might be vid card/monitor issues.

  Skuzz if ya don't mind me asking what size monitor and resolution are you running?  I am almost certain that this is my issue now but it still sucks that AH looks crappy on this monitor in any other resolution but the biggest.    Also if this is the issue I can get used to the stretched look but I'll ask if there is a way to tell the wide screen to act like a standard square monitor so that the other resolutions don't stretch across it and look strange?

[BaldEagl]

Any time you run a large LCD monitor you almost have to run it in it's native resolution to make it look good.  Native resolution for most 22" widescreen monitors is 1600 x 1024 (IIRC).  Thay means you have to render over 1.6 million pixels per frame, vs just over 786,000 pixels per frame at 1024 x 768 resolution on a regular aspect monitor (over 2x as many).  Obviously, it takes a lot more machine to do this, or it takes a lower frame rate.

To give you the extremes,  I just updated today from:

PIII 600 MHz
512K PC 100/133 SDRAM
64 MHz GeForce MX-440
Win98
Soundblaster Live Value
19" CRT @ 1024x768

Clean configuration running 512 textures and graphic details minimized @ 15-25 FPS under most circumstanses.

To:

Core2Duo 2.66 GHz
2G DDR2 800 DDRAM
512M NVIDEA 8800 GTS
WinXP Pro
Soundblaster X-Fi Gamer Fatality
22" 2ms/3000 contrast LCD @ 1600x1024

Background updaters were running as I tested the game.  Running 512 textures @ 1024 settings and graphic details maxed @ 59 FPS solid (refresh rate set @ 60 and anti-aliasing maxed).

The FPS drop, in my opinion, is due to the additional rendering (trees, etc. that you never saw before).  The best ways to reduce the impact (in order) is to reduce your resolution (not recommended for LCD monitors), reduce your texture size or reduce your graphics detail settings (object detail first then ground detail).  These setting tweaks kept me in the game for years with a sub-standard system (but I wasn't trying to push 1.6MM pixels per frame).

[Flayed1]

  Yeah I did find a resolution that isn't to horible, a little stretched but not extreamly horible and get 50 to 60 FR now down to 40 in real hevy smoke, with in game sliders back at my usuall 2/3 to the left.  Now when I slide the sliders all the way to the right I start banging out 70 to 80 FR not that I'll be playing on low detail, just nice to see the sliders working again

[Overlag]

my main issue is Bullet hit sprites...

... as soon as i hit someone the screen pauses for a few micro seconds. Makes my sucky aim even worse because its constantly pausing.

still does it offline.

i upgraded Monitor a few days after patch and had to reduce some settings but it hasnt removed the stutter on bullet hits.

1280x1024x32 @75hz 75fps fixed
512 textures
FSAAx4
AFx8
Detail Slider max, range a few clicks off max


1680x1050x32 @ 65hz 65fps fixed
512 textures
FSAAx2
AFx8
Detail slider a few clicks from max, range alittle less than before also.

I tweak settings so it stays near max fps (hz rate) as much as possible, but the stutter on hits is still pausing the game.

AMD 4400x2
7800GTX
1gig ram (single channel, 1 memory stick failed from 2gig setup )
150gig Raptor for windows and game installs

[Flayed1]

  I may have jumped the gun on thinking I have solved my issues by lowering the resolution... 

 While I get a better FR it is wildy unstable and nothing in particular seems to be screwing with it, just bobs up and down like a mad man.   
  Last night I took an F4U up and flew over to bomb some GV's at a Vbase and all was fine on the flight over. FR at 40 on CV and into the 60's in flight. FR stay around the 45 to 50 range when I entered the combat area and through the dive in from 10 K down right up to where I droped my bombs and the Wirble started firing at me and BOOM FR of 10..  I was cussing a bit but figured maybe the (seeing more tree's) issue was still the problem because I was diving in and  of course you get closer to ground, see more tree detail.

 Then I jump into a tiger for base defence at an airfield. Roll out of the VH and get between the base and town with only a few burned out buildings and several enemy and friendly cons up and my FR stayed at a constant 15 to 16 with no trees and few other objects in view..  Most of the cons were 110G and spit's. Nothing has changed with graphics for modles in general has it?  This instance just seemed odd to have such terrible FR with almost nothing in view other than a good grouping of planes.

 The rest of the night was just constant FR going from 25 to 40 to 30 to 60 to 15.... well ya get the idea. A lower fr wouldn't bug me as much as long as it was stable but this jumping all over hell is really messing with game play..   It's not possible that the graphics fix did't fix things to good and I'm loading stuff up off in the distance that I shouldn't/can't see.. In other words dumping stuff onto my CPU load at cirtain points that is not needed to load at those points. Like when I was looking over at town in my tiger, could my comp have been loading a bunch of trees beyond the hills and burned out buildings in my field of view that I had no way of seeing? Thus slamming my comp with a bunch of work that it didn't need to be doing?

  Sorry if I'm wasting time here, I'm no programmer but I keep having this feeling that something is just off with this patch, gut feeling type of thing. If I'm having FR hits like this I don't see how anyone running the minimum system requierments posted on the home page can even play at all.

   Just throwing out thoughts here.. I will continue to tinker and see if I can solv it on this end