Video choppy... is it lag? - Dungeon Runners Forums Archive

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Bugs and Technical Issues » Video choppy... is it lag?

Rainger
Chicken Hawk
Posts: 162

Video choppy... is it lag?
#51401 - 03/17/08 04:08 PM

Since the Heave, my video has been frequently choppy. Most of time I get this is when there is a lot of action, such as Balzack runs, or in pvp when the opponent has a Chill Bill, or in pve when I have a Chill Bill.

I didn't notice any of these problems on the PTS. Is this lag or a local problem? I didn't see nearly as much trouble in the last live release. Please advise.

I'm running a Dell Inspiron 9100.
2 gig ram
ATI Radeon Mobility 9700, 64 MB

edited spec of machine... too many specs to keep track of.

Edited by Rainger (03/17/08 06:51 PM)

MasterWeedhead Actual Hawk Posts: 218	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? #51447 - 03/17/08 08:53 PM
	Inspiron Laptop or desktop? -------------------- http://threeplanetssoftware.com/software/dr/Crackersd Like my Halo avatar, I'm red, you're blue.

Teclis Purveyor of Random Thoughts Posts: 1,088	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51447] #51457 - 03/17/08 09:08 PM
	WTH does THAT matter WH#3... the same processors are put in desktops and in laptops. The same memory is in them. The same OS is on them.... Again, I'm "techno-declined" but not THAT much...so WHY would that possibly matter. Please explain. -------------------- Swiper Aerator Edited by Teclis (03/17/08 09:08 PM)

Ripper_McGee
Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker
Posts: 2,170

Re: Video choppy... is it lag?
#51462 - 03/17/08 09:29 PM

Weedhead - it's a laptop. You can tell both by the model listed (Inspiron 9100) and because the graphics card is a "ATI Radeon Mobility 9700, 64 MB".

Rainger - lag in DR can normally be identified when your character stops reacting completely then suddenly bursts ahead (if you were running for example), or attacks spastically until it catches up, etc...If you're experiencing low FPS (frames per second), then that's not LAG. Can you please elaborate on what you're experiencing?

In general, your laptop hardware is a little old, but should still be able to run DR. Also, you might try some of these general tips (I'm not saying any of them specifically apply to you, btw):

Linky...

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Rainger
Chicken Hawk
Posts: 162

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51462]
#51468 - 03/17/08 10:07 PM

Quote:

Rainger - lag in DR can normally be identified when your character stops reacting completely then suddenly bursts ahead (if you were running for example), or attacks spastically until it catches up, etc...If you're experiencing low FPS (frames per second), then that's not LAG. Can you please elaborate on what you're experiencing?

Thank you. For general information, the Inspiron 9100 is a laptop (actually a desktop replacement). I am running XP Professional.

It does appear that I'm having low FPS, as the video skips (does not flow) when there is a lot of action. This obviously makes targeting and action control difficult.

I've tried to tweak a few settings on my side; lowering the color quality to 16 bit, and changing the Direct3D to Performance (it was Balanced before). I cannot change the resolution (1200x800) or the hertz (60), as it is a panel screen (laptop). Previously, I had no trouble running additional programs in the back-ground, but have tried launching without any other (user-controlled) programs running.

I'll look further at the link and run a defrag tonight.

Ripper_McGee
Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker
Posts: 2,170

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51468]
#51471 - 03/17/08 10:31 PM

What are your graphical settings in the game? Can you please post the [Display] portion of your user.cfg file? Here's mine, as an example:

Code:

 [Display]
AntiAlias = 8
Benchmarked = true
FoliageAmount = 1
Fullscreen = true
FullscreenHeight = 1200
FullscreenWidth = 1920
Gamma = 5
LightBloom = false
Shadows = false
UISize = 1
VSynch = true
WindowedHeight = 556
WindowedWidth = 800
WindowedX = 327
WindowedY = 371

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Rainger
Chicken Hawk
Posts: 162

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51471]
#51474 - 03/17/08 10:41 PM

Here's the requested info:

Code:

   
[Display]
AntiAlias = 0
Benchmarked = true
FoliageAmount = 2
Fullscreen = false
FullscreenHeight = 800
FullscreenWidth = 1280
Gamma = 3
LightBloom = false
Pipeline = VFPF
Shadows = false
UISize = 4
VSynch = false
WindowedHeight = 753
WindowedWidth = 1280
WindowedX = 57
WindowedY = 77

Rainger
Chicken Hawk
Posts: 162

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51462]
#51486 - 03/18/08 01:23 AM

Unbelievable!

I've defragged the disk after a disck cleanup. Found msconfig and had a selective startup. Restarted the machine and launched Dungeon Runners..

Now I have:
Dungeon Runners Fatal Error
Your video card does not meet the minimum specification requirements to run the game.

So I restored the default settings for the performance on the video and went to normal startup. Still get the Fatal Error popup.

Any ideas? I'm getting ready to submit a ticket, but I'm not a patient person.

Ripper_McGee
Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker
Posts: 2,170

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51486]
#51489 - 03/18/08 01:43 AM

It sounds like a support ticket is a good idea. What version of DirectX do you have installed? Per the patch notes,

Quote:

7. We’ve added an upgrade to your DirectX installation as part of this build. This helps set the stage for future graphics engine enhancements that are taking place now.

Hopefully this didn't adversely affect you. Make sure you run a dxdiag (click Start|Run, type dxdiag), run all the tests and save the results to a text file. Support will want you to do this. Also, what Catalyst drivers are you using and have you recently upgraded them? It looks like official mobility drivers aren't supported, so you might want to try the Omega Drivers. If you do install new drivers, make sure you cleanly remove the existing drivers first using a tool like Driver Cleaner Pro (an older freeware version can be found here). If you're not comfortable cleaning and installing drivers, find somebody you trust who can do it for you.

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Rainger Chicken Hawk Posts: 162	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51489] #51490 - 03/18/08 01:54 AM
	DirectX 9.0c I tested earlier today and just now.. no problems.. btw, that's exactly what support wanted.. so updated the ticket. I don't know about the drivers. I don't have a problem with updating. I'm guessing that the info is found in My Computer properties?

Ripper_McGee
Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker
Posts: 2,170

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51490]
#51491 - 03/18/08 02:02 AM

If you run dxdiag, check the display tab - you'll find your driver version listed there. If I had to guess, I'd say it was very old. Dell's horrible with laptop driver updates and ATI (AMD) doesn't support mobility drivers for Dell laptops.

If you decide to uninstall the current drivers and install new drivers, make sure you follow the directions in the read me for Driver Cleaner Pro (you'll definitely want to use this with ATI Drivers, in general) for uninstalling the drivers. Once everything is uninstalled and clened, you'll boot back into your normal mode and install the new drivers.

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Rainger Chicken Hawk Posts: 162	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51491] #51493 - 03/18/08 03:08 AM
	The driver was from 2003.. updated with Omega... and can get into the game. YIPPEE! What is the number in the top right? Is that fps? Mine normally looks like 11-14. In a battle, it drops to 4-8. At login, its 135. Any suggestions on tweaks?

Ripper_McGee
Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker
Posts: 2,170

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51493]
#51515 - 03/18/08 11:32 AM

Are you running Fraps? If so, that's FPS. Try going to your graphics settings in game and lowering resolution (different than lowering it in your driver settings). Also, try setting Vsynch to yes ( if it doesn't work, set it back to no).

Out of game, you can try tweaking some of your graphics options with the Omega drivers (which will probably help other games perform better, too).

Unfortunately, you're only going to get so far due to having older hardware. The 9700 is an ok card, but it's a couple of generations back. Also, DR performance relies heavily on your CPU, so if that's a couple of generations back it'll limit performance further.

Have you tried taking the vfpf = pipeline out of your user.cfg?

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Rainger
Chicken Hawk
Posts: 162

Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51515]
#51548 - 03/18/08 06:00 PM

Thank you for your assistance. Several of the items proved helpful, especially the Omega drivers.

The number that I mentioned in the corner is the FPS. I had observed that at times of large encounters, it would go to a 1-2 FPS.
I have made adjustments to the in-game resolution and changed the vert sync to always. There was some improvement, but much less than I had hoped for.

As I don't have plans to replace this computer for another 3 years, I've gone out to a parts vendor and picked up a replacement CPU and graphics card for a mere $170 ... so now I'm running a P4 3.2 GHz Northwood (previously P4 2.8 Prescott) and a ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 128 meg. This seems to have made a substantial difference. The load now on the CPU holds at ~65%. I think I can get that down with further changes to the msconfig startup processes.

Thanks again.

Ripper_McGee Karl's "bad cavern" spelunker Posts: 2,170	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51548] #51550 - 03/18/08 06:02 PM
	Rock on - glad I could help! -------------------- Dungeon Runners Widgets DR Buzz Ideas /twitch ™

MasterWeedhead Actual Hawk Posts: 218	Re: Video choppy... is it lag? [Re: #51462] #51555 - 03/18/08 07:44 PM
	Just asking cuz some desktops have funky stuff added to them. EX: I saw a deskstop withe AMD Turion Mobile tech -------------------- http://threeplanetssoftware.com/software/dr/Crackersd Like my Halo avatar, I'm red, you're blue.

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