Is there ANYTHING I can do to get Dark Avatar to run better?

from GalCiv2 Forums
The frame rates are atrocious, my PC sucks. Are there any optimizations I can use to improve performance aside from buying a new graphics cards? Also, could anyone give me tips on improving performance for this game or how to install grpahics cards into a computer? My system stats are as follows: Debug Message: Version v1.50X2 Dark Avatar last updated on: Tue Mar 6 17:59:51 2007
Debug Message: Checking DX Version.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 3/10/2007, 02:04:59
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: YOUR-LK4RLMSU41
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 1 (2600.xpsp2.030422-1633)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Compaq Presario 061
System Model: DM174A-ABA S5300NX NA310
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.0
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.50GHz, ~2.5GHz
Physical Memory: 504MB RAM
Page File: 194MB used, 2080MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip Type: Intel(R) 82845G Graphics Controller
DAC Type: Internal
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2562&SUBSYS_80931043&REV_03
Display Memory: 64.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Monitor Name: COMPAQ 7550 Color Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ialmrnt5.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.4342
Driver Date: 6/21/2005 17:04:48
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Realtek AC97 Audio
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_24C5&SUBSYS_80981043&REV_02
Manufacturer ID: 65535
Product ID: 65535
Driver Name: ALCXWDM.SYS
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5410
Driver Date: 2/17/2004 05:49:14
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
9,073 views 20 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Also, I have my graphics card updated to the latest driver as well. The main problem in running this game that I am having is sluggish frame rates. Also, I'm getting alot of crashes, though the crashes are remedied when I turn hardware acceleration (of my graphics card) down alittle.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Get yourself a decent graphics card, those onboard Intel jobs are just pieces of crap. There's not much else you can do really. As for installing one, it's quite simple. Just locate the slot it goes in, which is directly above your PCI slots, and plug it in. Depending on the card, you might also have to plug in a power cable. Then just install your drivers and other software.

If you buy one, just be sure you're getting the right type for your motherboard. It will either take an AGP or a PCI-E card. Since it sounds like you don't know very much about computers, you might be better off taking it to a shop and having them install it for you. And do some research before you go out and spend a bunch of money on one, it's easy to get ripped off these days when it comes to video cards.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
The main problem in running this game that I am having is sluggish frame rates.

My comp is far worse than your (P4-1.5GHz) but has slughty better graphics card (128MB Radeon 9200). However I can play DA without any performance problems. The trick is I play EXCLUSIVELY in zoomed-out mode, where everything is "iconized". You can set the level at which that view mode starts in the main menu. IIRC I set mine to 10%.

I'd also suggest you to increase amount of RAM you have. 512MB is enough for a comfortable game with about 100 colonized planets (medium all-abundant galaxy). For gigantic all-abundand (~500 habitable planets) you'll need a minimum of 2GB, many players recommend even more.

BR, Iztok
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I was having the exact same problem. I installed another 512 333MHz DRAM for $50 last Saturday and my performance is MUCH better. My load times are much shorter, time between turns (which wasn't bad before) is better, and animations and graphics are much smoother. Even the intro and end of game movies are smooth, and before they were so choppy I ignored them. Note that I have anti aliasing set to 4 and none of the video options disabled.

I looked into a better graphics card (upgrading from 128mb NVIDEA 5200 to 256MB RAM NVIDEA 7300) for $79 at Fry's Electronics, but now I'm glad I didn't bite. The RAM upgrade did the trick.

My system is older (~2004) but still decent:
3GHz P4 w/HT
1 MB DRAM
128MB NVIDEA graphics card

Based on my experience go with the RAM upgrade. That will also help your PC's performance in general, which is always good. If that doesn’t quite do the trick consider upgrading your video card ($79 is actually a great price for a 256MB video card).

Hydro
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Based on my experience go with the RAM upgrade. That will also help your PC's performance in general, which is always good. If that doesn’t quite do the trick consider upgrading your video card ($79 is actually a great price for a 256MB video card).

Hydro


I wouldn't recommend the 7300. It might be good enough for Dark Avatar, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth for any other games that are coming out these days. That's why it's only $79, it's pretty much obsolete. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than a 7600 on the Nvidia side, or an X800 for ATI. There's more to a video card than the amount of RAM it has, today's graphics processors are far superior to what's on the 7300. It won't be long before even the 7950 is obsolete, now that DirectX 10 cards are coming out on the market. The next generation of games will require those. Another year or two and DirectX 9 cards won't even be able to play the new games, or at least not that well.

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Get yourself a decent graphics card, those onboard Intel jobs are just pieces of crap. There's not much else you can do really. As for installing one, it's quite simple. Just locate the slot it goes in, which is directly above your PCI slots, and plug it in. Depending on the card, you might also have to plug in a power cable. Then just install your drivers and other software.

If you buy one, just be sure you're getting the right type for your motherboard. It will either take an AGP or a PCI-E card. Since it sounds like you don't know very much about computers, you might be better off taking it to a shop and having them install it for you. And do some research before you go out and spend a bunch of money on one, it's easy to get ripped off these days when it comes to video cards.


Yeah I know a decent amount about computers themselves and troubleshooting and such, but not the internal mechanics. Do you know of any specific cards that may work well with my system?
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!

The main problem in running this game that I am having is sluggish frame rates.

My comp is far worse than your (P4-1.5GHz) but has slughty better graphics card (128MB Radeon 9200). However I can play DA without any performance problems. The trick is I play EXCLUSIVELY in zoomed-out mode, where everything is "iconized". You can set the level at which that view mode starts in the main menu. IIRC I set mine to 10%.

I'd also suggest you to increase amount of RAM you have. 512MB is enough for a comfortable game with about 100 colonized planets (medium all-abundant galaxy). For gigantic all-abundand (~500 habitable planets) you'll need a minimum of 2GB, many players recommend even more.

BR, Iztok


I have to resort alot to the zoomed-out mode as well which is fine for battles because it feels more tactical. The game runs OKAY when I first start up a game but once it becomes a military game it's hopeless. I HAVE to use the tactical view. I miss seeing everything in detail, you know?
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah I know a decent amount about computers themselves and troubleshooting and such, but not the internal mechanics. Do you know of any specific cards that may work well with my system?


Well not knowing what kind of video card slot you have, I can't really say for certain. Though I'm guessing it will be an AGP. If that's the case, you should either go with an Nvidia 7600 or an ATI x800. Those are pretty much the top of the line as far as AGP is concerned. After those it switches to PCI-E, which is the next video card format. But in order to make your system PCI-E compatible, assuming it's now AGP, you'll also have to replace your motherboard, RAM and processor. In short, get a new computer. That's what I had to do just recently in order to get a PCI-E card. It will be worth the expense in the long run however, since AGP is slowly becoming obsolete.

Both the 7600 and x800 will run between $100 and $250 BTW, depending on your location.

Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You desperately need to upgrade your memory. I alt-tabbed out of a medium sized galaxy in the early stages of a game and checked the task manager. GalCiv2 was already eating up a whopping 550Meg. You'll notice a definite improvement by simply doubling (and I'd recommend at least tripling) your memory.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You can get a good idea of what the game is doing by opening Task Manager before you start the game. Make TM as wide as your desktop and set the Update Speed to 'Low', then start the game.

It will update every 5 seconds or so, so you can get a pretty good processor and page file usage history in the performance graphs. On a 1280 wide screen and dual cpu's, it will display the past 10 minutes or so of activity.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I wouldn't recommend the 7300. It might be good enough for Dark Avatar, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth for any other games that are coming out these days. That's why it's only $79, it's pretty much obsolete. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than a 7600 on the Nvidia side, or an X800 for ATI. There's more to a video card than the amount of RAM it has, today's graphics processors are far superior to what's on the 7300. It won't be long before even the 7950 is obsolete, now that DirectX 10 cards are coming out on the market. The next generation of games will require those. Another year or two and DirectX 9 cards won't even be able to play the new games, or at least not that well.



Good point. I guess it depends on what type of gamer you are. I don’t play any RT or other games, and focus on strategy. Most strategy games don’t have the wizz-bang graphic needs – in general, that is.

There is also the issue of sinking $100+ worth of graphics card into a PC that may not be worth more than that since PC value decays exponentially (my 2004-era PC might not be worth much more than that now). Of course, if you need it you need it. My general philosophy is to buy a PC well into the top quartile of its time since then it has a much longer effective lifespan – with a few judicious component upgrades (generally RAM). At some point it is MUCH cheaper simply to ditch the old PC and get a new one. Individual components are always more pricy than systems.

So, Belanos you are quite correct that if you’re objective is to optimize performance then getting an upper or mid tier graphics card (and RAM) is best. As you noted, you can get a good graphics card that isn’t too dated for $100-150 (using the philosophy want-more-costs-more, of course). This upgrade would cost at least $150 ($100 for the video card and $50 for the RAM). I fall more into the cost effectiveness category – bang for the buck – and if that is the primary consideration then RAM is the clear choice.

BTW – I didn’t know the Alt-Tab that kills GC2 was caused by memory problems! Maybe now I can do this without causing GC2 to seize. Hmmmm.

Hydro
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah I think it's ram that I need, though I definitly need a new graphics card. All in all, I think I'm going to buy a new PC. Any PC's that anyone recommends for less than $1200? Something decent for gaming and internet. Like, for example the Dell XPS's?
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah I think it's ram that I need, though I definitly need a new graphics card. All in all, I think I'm going to buy a new PC. Any PC's that anyone recommends for less than $1200? Something decent for gaming and internet. Like, for example the Dell XPS's?


I wouldn't go with Dell, they're usually really basic computers. Not all designed with gaming in mind. They definitely don't come with the kind of video card you'll be needing. Go find some local computer shop, not one the big chains but a smaller shop, and get them to custom make one for you. For up to $1200, you can get yourself a pretty decent system. Computer parts are pretty cheap these days and the smaller shops will give you the best service in the event something goes wrong. Ask around and see if anyone has any recommendations.

Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah I think it's ram that I need, though I definitly need a new graphics card. All in all, I think I'm going to buy a new PC. Any PC's that anyone recommends for less than $1200? Something decent for gaming and internet. Like, for example the Dell XPS's?


I wouldn't go with Dell, they're usually really basic computers. Not all designed with gaming in mind. They definitely don't come with the kind of video card you'll be needing. Go find some local computer shop, not one the big chains but a smaller shop, and get them to custom make one for you. For up to $1200, you can get yourself a pretty decent system. Computer parts are pretty cheap these days and the smaller shops will give you the best service in the event something goes wrong. Ask around and see if anyone has any recommendations.



Yeah, I was just using Dell as an example. I really only need a computer capable of displaying and playing most direct X 9.0 games and below very well; games such as Sims 2, Dark Avatar, and Civ 4. Stuff like that. I'm going to wait til much later to get into Vista and Direct X 10 games because obviously all of that is still in its infancy. Thanks for all of the tips and such, most apprecieted. If you have any other advice to offer pertaining to what I said a sentence above that'd be great.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks for all of the tips and such, most apprecieted. If you have any other advice to offer pertaining to what I said a sentence above that'd be great.


If you can afford it, spend more on your video card. I'd even suggest getting the Nvidia 8800 if you have the bucks. It's a DirectX 10 card so you'd be all ready when the time comes. You should go for at least the 7950 or ATI equivalent, whatever that is. Probably the X1800. All those games you mention are going to run so much smoother if you have a bit more video horsepower. Earlier this year I had an ATI X800 but it burnt out on me. So I upgraded everything and went for an Nvidia 7950GT. Now most of my games run smooth as silk, with the exception of Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights 2. But even those are performing acceptably, I just have to compromise a bit on the graphic bells and whistles.

Civ 4 has definitely benefited from a better card, I can run high texture/huge maps now with no problems at all. Even with the X800 I was getting my best performance with only low texture graphics. High texture gave me some problems late in the game.

Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Incidently, Dark Avatar is a cakewalk on my 7950. I can turn the anti-aliasing up to six and have all the bells and whistles turned on with no problems at all. And this is on a 1680 X 1050 widescreen monitor, which is fairly high resolution. Of course I also have 2 gig of RAM which probably helps as well. I even added the high resolution graphics mod that someone has come up with. They look great BTW.
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Incidently, Dark Avatar is a cakewalk on my 7950. I can turn the anti-aliasing up to six and have all the bells and whistles turned on with no problems at all. And this is on a 1680 X 1050 widescreen monitor, which is fairly high resolution. Of course I also have 2 gig of RAM which probably helps as well. I even added the high resolution graphics mod that someone has come up with. They look great BTW.


Thanks man. Yeah I heard about the new high resolution graphics card. Sadly my computer can't use it. :/

I'm definitly going to look around and weigh my options. More than likely I will end up getting a customized PC, though I really don't need anything to expensive nor mindblowing powerful at the moment. Just something that will tide me over until DirectX 10 is in full cycle as is Vista. Too many problems with Vista I've heard, so I'm going to wait that out. I guess I'm going with the "more-bang-for-your-buck" route. I'm fine with playing older games so long as they can run well (performance wise on a mid-high setting) on my computer. Which... MOST of my games do. Though I definitly need more ram and graphics acceleration for Civ 4, Dark Avatar, WOW, and the Sims 2 which are the more intensive games I own. I don't even have hardware fucking transform and lighting. So I have to resort to Age of Mythology and the other games of similar system requirement levels, which is fine... AOM is a gem of a game. What are the price ranges for the cards you've mentioned?



Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What are the price ranges for the cards you've mentioned?


The 7950GT cost me about $350-400 Canadian, tax included. You could probably count on about 25% less in a large market American city. The 8800 is going for about $5-600 around here, and the Nvidia 7600 and ATI X800 about $200-$250. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than those two, especially if you're into Civ 4. ATI's top of the line right now is the X1950 I believe, which is about the same price as the Nvidia 8800. I'm not sure if it's DirectX 10 or not, but the benchmarks I was looking at were very good. In some areas it outperformed the 8800.

The 7600 and X800 also come in an AGP version, so you could probably just get those and some more RAM if you wanted to be economical. Your processor sounds like it's all right, it's just the rest of the stuff that's lacking.

Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The 7600 and X800 also come in an AGP version, so you could probably just get those and some more RAM if you wanted to be economical. Your processor sounds like it's all right, it's just the rest of the stuff that's lacking.


One should note though that a lot of last-gen OEM machines with integrated video don't even have AGP slots, just PCI. So he'll really need to have a look at it before deciding on any course of action at all.

Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
One should note though that a lot of last-gen OEM machines with integrated video don't even have AGP slots, just PCI. So he'll really need to have a look at it before deciding on any course of action at all.



You'll note that I mentioned that in case he wanted to forego the complete system overhaul and stick with his current motherboard. As I said, the processor is fine, it's just the rest that needs upgrading. If he's just interested in getting better performance for the games he's mentioned, which overall aren't that demanding compared to some games out there, he could get away with just a new video card and some RAM.

My personal opinion would be to scrap it all and go with a completely new setup. That way he'll have what he needs for any future upgrades, which will certainly require a PCI-E compatible motherboard. And the DDR2 RAM is faster too.