Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Technical Support => Topic started by: SuperDud on December 26, 2004, 02:36:30 PM
-
It's been doing this for awhile now(since patch 3 or so). It normally takes me 2 or 3 tries to get into the MA. Lately however, I've also had to reboot. I took a few days off and today went to sign in and can't get in. I rebooted and still get dumped. I tried 7 times with the same result, I feel like I'm back in the AOL dial up day:mad: I so run Norton Antivirus and have always been. I disable it before trying to log on. My connection goes through a router but has also always done that with no problems. Any ideas? Thanks
-
Super....been getting the same problem lately.....not sure what it is....never had it before....
Also...VERY long load times but I think others are getting this as well.
-
Hey gutt, thx for the reply. I toyed around with it a little bit and changed texure size in video settings. I changed it from 1024(or something like that) to 512. Since then my no discos or long load times. Might want to give that a try.
-
Long load times are pretty sure from the textures although the discos shouldnt have anything to do with that I believe. hadnt had this problem until about 2 weeks ago....will wait it out...some say there have been some server issues...may be related.
Take care
-
Why couldnt discos be related to textures? By selecting lower textures, you lower the load on your processor and speed up the transfer of textures between system memory and the video processor. If you are trying to move larger textures around and your comp gets overworked for one reason or another, its going to freeze up. Even if its only for a second or two. If the processor stops managing the internet connection for a couple seconds, its long enough to disconnect you from AH.
-
Star while that may be the case I have never had a problem with my 64bit machine running this. It is also a "random" problem when the host connection goes. If it is the problem then I will have to live with it because I like the larger textures. Thanks for the heads up though!!!!:)
-
Another thing I noticed is that you said you have both AA and AF at full. I have a problem running AF on mine. Not the same card as yours, not the same drivers, nothing is the same. But when I asked about why this might be, this is what Skuzzy had to say about AF:
AF is not really going to look good in the game anyway. It makes text unreadable, and/or look very bad.
There are only a couple of time you would ever notice the benefits of AF anyways. Not sure why your card/drivers are flaking out, but you would do well to leave AF at application preference.
Just passing alog the info.
-
My game crashes as soon as i change a base or go into tower when i select 1024 textures.
-
Thanks Star!
I have turned the AF down a notch but still get the discoe's occassionally....Skuzzy may not like or notice the AF but I do on my monitor and I like its effects so I keep running it...LOL. But I am tweaking the card settings.
Unfortunately I ended up doing a total system reformat and OS reinstall. PAIN IN THE ASS!
Ran into the Microsoft XP upgrade blues as I have a purchased copy that JUST arrived 1 week ago. I started the reinstall on my gamerig but it wouldnt access the internet after the reinstall...unfortunately and unbeknownst to me...I tested it on my old laptop to see if it was a bad disk problem....it installed fine and accessed the internet....come to find out it was a driver for my MOBO gigabit adapter...DOH!!!!
Well I installed the XP on the desktop and now MS wont let me activate it...I have USED up my activations.
What I did was explain my problem to the phone people at MS and they gave me a zillion number code to put in the key. That activated it...but from NOW ON I have to call them to reactivate if I reinstall....what baloney...how about since I deleted the XP from the laptop you reinstate that key??????
Anyhow....will keep tweaking and see if I continue to get the Discoes.
Regards:aok
-
guttboy, it is not a matter of liking AF or not liking it. I know exactly how anisotropic filtering works.
If it is working properly, on your video card, the in-game text will almost be unreadable.
The only place you will likely notice any visual benefit is when looking out over your wings, from the cockpit, but even there, the difference is minimal.
-
Skuzzy...the text is NOT unreadable...just odd looking. I do like how the wings look...yes it is not a DRAMATIC change but I like it none the less.
If you are saying turn it off then perhaps that should be a sticky saying that AF does not do anything perceptible in the game and will give huge performance hits or something to that matter.
Anyhow I will experiment with it off and with it on but I do notice a difference...if I shouldnt be noticing one the please let me know because there may be something wrong with my machine....just did an entire reformat reinstall of EVERYTHING from the OS to the AH to drivers etc.
Regards:D
-
Now calm down. I said, "almost" unreadable.
If you like it, then use it. I just want people to understand the negative aspect of using it, so they do not send me emails complaining about a *problem* when they turn it on.
Your first response implied AF being great and no issues. When in fact, there are issues. I just want that clarified.
-
Roy,
I am calm...LOL.....
But seriously though...what are the negative aspects to using it? Im not trolling here...just wanting to enhance the AH2 experience.
What I have found with moving the AF up it "seems" as though the cockpit stuff looks more smooth...cant really explain any other way. Its kinda like a filter is placed over a camera....
Anyhow if there are impacts to using it such as high FR hits and such PLEASE let me know so I can pass it on to the squaddies and such.
What do you recommend???? For AA and AF settings?
Its relative I know...I run in the biggest screen setting 1600x1200 if im not mistaken with the high graphics setting of not 512 but 1024. I notice a difference there.
Anyhow not trying to be hostile if thats the way you took it just trying to look for a good solution to the disco at login problem.
BTW....are you having server probs? Because I have been running this setup for quite some time and havent registered a problem until recently on login....drops host connection...takes a couple times to login.
BTW....since my reinstall of everything....no disco's although I only connected once to test.
Regards
mike:aok
-
AF should not make any difference in the cockpit art. AF only becomes noticeable when the angle of the texture is greater than 45 degrees from the viewer's perspective and is also in the distance. Up to that point, trilinear filtering is used anyways, even when forcing AF.
Basically, the outside wing tip (last 1/4 of it or so) surfaces, as viewed from the cockpit would appear better when using AF.
AF does cost frame rates. Nothing is free.
If you are running 1600x1200, and using AA, with max texture settings at 512 or 1024, then you are swapping in video ram. Not good.
If you want to run AA with high textures, and have 256MB of video ram, you need to run at 1280x1024, max texture size at 512, and 2X,..maybe 4X AA, with AF off.
-
Since we are discussing it anyway, even if its not technically on topic for the thread...........
I have my max textures set to 1024, my resolution ingame (and desktop) set to 1024 x 768. My monitor refresh rate is set at 85hz and I have AA set to 4x, AF set to Application Control, Vsync is on and I'm using Trilinear filtering. My ingame "sliders" are set at probably 85%, maybe as much as 90%. I have animated water turned off.
Over water, my frame rates are maxxed at 84-85. I can get into a hardcore furball over a burning CV and not have fps drop below 65. Over land however, I can easily drop down into the 30s, maybe even high 20s if I'm low enough. Dont have to have a base around, just trees and such. I'm pushing things right now to see just how much I can get and have liveable frame rates.
Suggestions?
Athlon XP 2600+ oc'd to 2.3 Ghz
Corsair PC 3200 RAM, 1GB (2x512)
FX5900XT 128MB video card
Biostar nForce2 MOBO running @ 400mhz FSB
Windows XP Prof. running 16 processes (including AHII)
Using Omega drivers.
-
With 128MB of video ram, you are being hurt running 4X AA with 1024 textures. Lots of texture swapping is going to happen.
I would say turn down the max texture size to 512, possibly 256, so the card can process textures faster when using 4X AA.
-
Which would give the best balance of quality vs performance? Turning down AA to 2x, or even application control, and keeping the higher max texture size, or just lowering the max textures?
-
Here is a simple formula Star. It is about the amount of video ram needed for any given frame. This is an approximation.
Drawn_Frame_Buffer = (Horizontal Resolution * Vertical Resolution) * 4;
Working_Frame_Buffers = Drawn_Frame_Buffer * 2;
Total_Frame_Buffer_Space = Drawn_Frame_Buffer + (Drawn_Frame_Buffer * AA level);
Aces_High_Texture_Space = (Maximum Texture Size / 5) * 1MB
----
Now, add it all up.
Approximate Video Memory Required = Total_Frame_Buffer_Space + Aces_High_Texture_Space;
(1024 * 768) * 4 = 3.07MB;
3.07MB * 2 = 6.14MB;
3.07MB + (3.07MB * 4) = 15.35MB
(1024 / 5) * 1MB = 204.8MB
220.15MB
Now this is a rough estimate, but it gives you an idea of the amount of video ram needed for any given scenario.
This also does not take into account the amount of scratch pad video ram required by the video card and drivers. You can toss in another 4 to 8MB for that, depending on the video card.
In a best case scenario, you want that total number to be less than the total amount of video ram you have available.
-
Ok, I can follow the formulas easy enough. They are fairly straightforward, and a logical progression. Using your formula, for a max texture of 256 and changing no other settings (and adding in the extra at the end), I would only need around 75MB, and with max textures at 512, I would need around 125. Assuming I turn my max textures down to 512, theoretically I have enough video RAM to cover what I'm using for settings. What is the end benefit? Or I guess the more appropriate question is, what part of my performance am I hurting now, with settings that exceed my available amount of video RAM? How do the ingame "performance sliders" affect this? Obviously the game plays, and I get decent frame rates. Not great, but decent. It also stands to reason that when I DO have frame rate hits, its over an area with more objects to be drawn (over land). So are you saying that if my system is within the bounds prescribed by the formulas given, plus the extra "scratch pad" RAM, that I can max out those ingame sliders and not hurt performace? The formulas give me a good idea of how important each component is to the overall performance issue, but obviously there is more to it than just this or AH would be damn near unplayable on my comp in its current settings. So is it by having textures preloaded to memory that I am circumventing this limit? I've tried lowering my max textures before, and I havent noticed any appreciable increase in performance.
Appreciate the info, stuff like this is hard to find.
-
Star, there is no easy answer to this. This is why the options are available in the game.
There are four layers of software at work here. The game, DirectX, and the video card driver. Then the driver that runs on the video card itself.
All of those layers have thier own resource controls in place and none are exposed to the other, except the video card hardware driver and software driver.
Everyone has to find thier own level of comfort. For some, it is performance, for others it is quality, for others it is a balance of the two.
The in-game settings can have a different impact from computer to computer. Again, the various elements coming together to make all this work, all effect how these adjustments will be observed.
Whether you go for performance over quality or vice-versa, you always should avoid getting the video card thrashing. This can manifest many different things and anomalies, which are out of our control.
-
Skuzzy,
I turned the AF down to its lowest levels....notice a slight difference but only a couple of frames/sec difference. I will continue to run it in the lower level and see if it changes the disco problem. I did a clean install of everything on this rig so that may help out as well.
Regards,
TG12:)
-
A clean OS install can work wonders for most systems, from time to time. The OS gets pretty ugly after a while.
-
So Far So good! Lets just say it was harder dealing with the MS tech support folks than....well enuf said!
Things running smoothly now although I didnt realize how much of a pain it was to reformat everything and start from scratch...to include mobo driver installs etc....WOW...glad my friend Troy owns the company I got this from and he could talk me through everything.
But as I said its doing great now....hmmm now do I load that norton antivirus now?????
Regards,
:)
-
had a major problem losing connection on logging in. I would have to log in up to 5 or 6 times to finnally get a good connection. Reformatted and reinstalled everything fixed my problem. (Took a while to do but worth it)
-
Raider,
I dunno but maybe this was my problem and not the textures/aa/af thing
No problems after reformat...gonna put my old settings back in and try as a test case
Regards