Upgraded from DL to DA

DA grinds to a halt

from GalCiv2 Forums

I finally purchaed DA after playing DL for a couple of years. (Yes, I'm way behind the times!) DL runs well on my computer. Unfortunately, DA comes to a grinding halt when a war starts. My video driver is up to date. Any help? Thanks.

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Debug Message:  Version v2.01 Dark Avatar last updated on: Mon Nov 24 16:26:43 2008
Debug Message:  Checking DX Version.
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System Info
Time: 5/2/2009, 07:46:15
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: OWNER-PF68LBC21
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: eMachines                     
System Model: D845GVSR                      
BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/12/04 21:32:52 Ver: 08.00.08
Processor: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.66GHz
Physical Memory: 1014MB RAM
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Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
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Chip Type: GeForce FX 5200
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Driver Date: 5/16/2008 14:01:00
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Product ID: 100
Driver Name: ALCXWDM.SYS
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
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Driver Date: 1/24/2008 16:36:16
Type: WDM
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Debug Message:  Device not cleared. 3325 counts left.
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Debug Message:  Destroying Window.
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5,554 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Just a guess but it could be your physical ram size and small pagefile. 1GB of ram and 400MB of pagefile is awful small these days. I know that there are many DL games that I've played where essentially the limit is when the game memory usage hits the 2GB mark. And I'm pretty sure DA uses more memory than DL.

In any case you're probably crashing when memory utilization exceeds your 1GB of ram. You could possibly determine if this is the case assuming you have a 2nd monitor and can bring up Task Manager while playing the game and getting it to crash. Just click on the Processes tab and keep an eye on the Mem Usage of GalCiv2.exe. I'm willing to bet that once it hits 1GB is when the game crashes and if it does that's your smoking gun.

I'm not sure what the games minimum specs are these days but 2GB of ram and a 4GB pagefile are probably reasonable minimums to be able to play this game.

[edit] Opps. I see you only have the one monitor so you can't watch the task manager and still play the game. I do wonder why you play the game at 1024x768 when you have a 1600x1200 capable monitor but that's an aside. Also your pagefile is fine. I mistakenly took 400MB used as the total. However even with that said I still think the small physical memory size is your issue. [/edit]

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

The video card could have something to do with it, as well. It is only DX 9.0 (not 9.0c) capable.

HAL (sw vp): NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 - Also notice that the software vp is being used, not the hardware vp.

Mumblefratz, the monitor may not be capable of higher resolutions. A generic driver is being used, so the max res shown is only what the driver is capable of, not necessarily what the monitor can do.

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

The upgrade from DL to DA allowed me to play a game that includes the Daleks and the Borg. Where else can you do that? :borg: B)

 

I have read other posts stating that the engine for DA was improved over the engine in DL, therefore DA ran much better. My DL runs very smoothly. DA is very choppy on the map where ships are displayed. Its very noticible when I scroll over the map, the scroll actually studders over fleets. Besides a new video card and more memory, any other advise about improving my situation in the meantime? Thanks.

BTW, what's a good video card for my system for DA? I have PCI only.

 

 

 

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Update:

 

After poking around in the DA forum, I stumbled across a recomendation to turn off both "enhanced ship rendering" and "transform & lightning". This worked! Now my DA performs as well as DL. Hope this helps someone else with similiar issues.

 

Now, about those Borg...... :borg: (those Daleks are suppliing them ships to fight against me!)

 

 

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Yep, some older video cards don't handle the newer rendering engine very well, so it can cause a performance hit rather than a boost.