System Configurations vs Game slowdown

Scronan · 11-17-2001, 04:27 PM

Howdy Ho Folks,

I wanted to start more of a technical thread here (wait, I'm a mod now, guess I can do that!), since I encountered some oddities while playing.

First off, my system configuration when I noticed the symptoms below:

K62/500 CPU
Tnt2 16 Video Card
128 MB Ram
ISA AWE 32 Soundblaster (no laughing!)

I was noticing the same glitchy sound that plagued me in WW, which I thought was the programming. I also knew that the sound card I was using was old and outdated and would make a good target with a BB gun. When I got to Arnika last night, the game was slowing down A LOT, and it made playing frustrating. I adjusted the resolution and a few other settings, which helped a bit.

So, I'm not sure if a higher powered CPU is needed for better game play, not that it wouldnt hurt, but I thought my system was powerful enough. I am planning on upgrading it in the next few months, but I may have to do it sooner.

Anyway, I'd had enough so I just went out and bought a Sound Blaster Live(!), 256 MB of ram and also a 56k modem (33.6 before, every bit helps when you're too cheap for DSL).

I havent tried Wiz 8 yet, but having that extra ram sure gave my CPU a kick in the pants, it runs MUCH smoother now.

I'll report my findings, and Sazerac I know you're good with this techie stuff, any ideas? I know it could also be video drivers, but I think that my video card should be good enough. I was eyeing some mighty fine looking 64 MB video cards at CompUSA today, so next month I might get one, however I still am unsure if it is necessary.

Any thoughts, or simillar situations, please share with the group. I'd also like to hear what your system configs are and how the game is running.

And please, don't use this as an opportunity to brag about your high powered systems, that is not the point of this thread.

Thank you in advance,

Scronan

Feanor · 11-17-2001, 06:35 PM

hey Scronan,
Your video card is probably fine.
Just make sure you have the latest drivers.

I would guess the biggest weakness on your system is processor.
The RAM should help a ton though.
But, if you want to upgrade your video card, I'd say go ahead, because new cards offer other benefits like Anti-Aliasing (nice in 3d RPGs IMO) as well as uber-speed.
I can't post any hardware->performance findings, because I don't have the game yet : (

Mouse · 11-17-2001, 07:14 PM

As I am in the U.K., I will probably have to wait until hell freezes over before any sightings of this game.

But as this is a techie thread, what's the general opinion of the 64 meg version of the KyroII video boards? From what I have been able to find out, they seem to give the best bang for your bucks [img]smile.gif[/img]

Case00 · 11-18-2001, 12:09 PM

I'm not sure how much cpu affects the game, I'm using twin 550mhz Zeons, and Arnika got a little jumpy for me as well. Nothing too bad, but it was a bit noticable.. more likely it's the video card.
If your running 2000, you can always run performance monitor to a log while playing the game, and see what cpu% peaks at.

[ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Case00 ]

[ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Case00 ]

Scronan · 11-18-2001, 12:21 PM

Hi Mouse, Case00

Aye, I think that most people have described the slow down feature in Arnika. I know that sometimes the games bogs down and you have to reload. I looked at the box again, and it says 233mhz or better, 8mb video, etc.

So, I would think that my K6-2 500 would be fine. Now that my ram went from 128 to 384, the game does run A LOT smoother, hardly any slow down at all.

Mouse - Nice to see a Scottsman aboard! Welcome to the Wiz 8 forum! I've been eating these cookies that are imported from Scotland (Walkers Shortbread), and they're so good that everytime I tell my friend here who is Scottish that i'll bring him some, I eat the whole damn box!

Best,

Scronan

laross · 11-20-2001, 05:28 PM

Greetings from the wet corner of US (washington state)

I too have been fighting the game more than rogues and crabs!!!
My system is also an AMD K2-500 with a
TNT2 maxi gamer cougar-32mb (just loaded newest n vidia drivers no help)
Turtle beach-Montego II Quadzilla sound (again latest drivers=no help-no difference)
192 mb memory
Am getting a LOT of sound stutters or hesitations-mouse too although not as much am at a lose as what to do. Have read other forums and seen this problem come up more than a few times. The "I don't understand it so get a bigger machine" answer isn't right. This setup should run the game fine -IMHO- a newer one might show more-features textures,lighting etc. but I believe a 500 cpu with almost 200mb mem and any 32mb vid card should be a pleasure to play this game with.

P.S. for the curious-windows 95 os2 with win me upgrade
tyan trinity motherboard
36x generic cd player
creative lab modem (56k)
viewsonic 17" monitor
Altec Lansing 3pcs speaker
all set up on a custom built table on the right hand side of my lazyboy recliner

may all your blades be forever sharp!

Feanor · 11-20-2001, 05:43 PM

hey laross,

just curious, what version of DirectX are you running?

laross · 11-21-2001, 12:01 PM

Hi Feanor

I'm running direct x 7.1 (build 407.01.3000)
followup
I installed the game on girlfriend's computer
after I posted last post. It runs GREAT--I'm jealous!!!
hers is slower - go figure- a Pentium II 333 with an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER
I'm wondering now if it isn't AMD or at least pre Athlon? or nvidia
drivers an AMD don't play nice together with Wiz 8 hmmmmmm
Love this game

P.S. note ---anyone wanting to know their version of direct x do this.
Start button
Run
type in dxdiag
you'll get more info than you probably want.

May your tinder always be dry.
laross

MILAMBER · 11-21-2001, 06:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by laross:
Hi Feanor

I'm running direct x 7.1 (build 407.01.3000)
followup
I installed the game on girlfriend's computer
after I posted last post. It runs GREAT--I'm jealous!!!
hers is slower - go figure- a Pentium II 333 with an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER
I'm wondering now if it isn't AMD or at least pre Athlon? or nvidia
drivers an AMD don't play nice together with Wiz 8 hmmmmmm
Love this game

P.S. note ---anyone wanting to know their version of direct x do this.
Start button
Run
type in dxdiag
you'll get more info than you probably want.

May your tinder always be dry.
laross

PII's are faster with the multimedia stuff then the old K6-2's are.
A few years ago I had a PII that would consistantly beat the crap out of my office computer which was a K62.

11-17-2001, 04:27 PM	#1
Scronan Zhentarim Guard Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 315	Howdy Ho Folks, I wanted to start more of a technical thread here (wait, I'm a mod now, guess I can do that!), since I encountered some oddities while playing. First off, my system configuration when I noticed the symptoms below: K62/500 CPU Tnt2 16 Video Card 128 MB Ram ISA AWE 32 Soundblaster (no laughing!) I was noticing the same glitchy sound that plagued me in WW, which I thought was the programming. I also knew that the sound card I was using was old and outdated and would make a good target with a BB gun. When I got to Arnika last night, the game was slowing down A LOT, and it made playing frustrating. I adjusted the resolution and a few other settings, which helped a bit. So, I'm not sure if a higher powered CPU is needed for better game play, not that it wouldnt hurt, but I thought my system was powerful enough. I am planning on upgrading it in the next few months, but I may have to do it sooner. Anyway, I'd had enough so I just went out and bought a Sound Blaster Live(!), 256 MB of ram and also a 56k modem (33.6 before, every bit helps when you're too cheap for DSL). I havent tried Wiz 8 yet, but having that extra ram sure gave my CPU a kick in the pants, it runs MUCH smoother now. I'll report my findings, and Sazerac I know you're good with this techie stuff, any ideas? I know it could also be video drivers, but I think that my video card should be good enough. I was eyeing some mighty fine looking 64 MB video cards at CompUSA today, so next month I might get one, however I still am unsure if it is necessary. Any thoughts, or simillar situations, please share with the group. I'd also like to hear what your system configs are and how the game is running. And please, don't use this as an opportunity to brag about your high powered systems, that is not the point of this thread. Thank you in advance, Scronan __________________ Member of No Clans, Groups or Organizations.<br />But an all around nice guy.

11-17-2001, 07:14 PM	#3
Mouse Ironworks Moderator Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Scotland Posts: 2,788	As I am in the U.K., I will probably have to wait until hell freezes over before any sightings of this game. But as this is a techie thread, what's the general opinion of the 64 meg version of the KyroII video boards? From what I have been able to find out, they seem to give the best bang for your bucks [img]smile.gif[/img] __________________ Regards Mouse (Occasional crooner and all round friendly Scottish rodent)

11-18-2001, 12:21 PM	#5
Scronan Zhentarim Guard Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 315	Hi Mouse, Case00 Aye, I think that most people have described the slow down feature in Arnika. I know that sometimes the games bogs down and you have to reload. I looked at the box again, and it says 233mhz or better, 8mb video, etc. So, I would think that my K6-2 500 would be fine. Now that my ram went from 128 to 384, the game does run A LOT smoother, hardly any slow down at all. Mouse - Nice to see a Scottsman aboard! Welcome to the Wiz 8 forum! I've been eating these cookies that are imported from Scotland (Walkers Shortbread), and they're so good that everytime I tell my friend here who is Scottish that i'll bring him some, I eat the whole damn box! Best, Scronan __________________ Member of No Clans, Groups or Organizations.<br />But an all around nice guy.

11-20-2001, 05:43 PM	#7
Feanor Dungeon Master Join Date: November 7, 2001 Location: Greenville SC Age: 42 Posts: 92	hey laross, just curious, what version of DirectX are you running? __________________ .<br />Just because you may be paranoid does not mean that they are not after you.

11-21-2001, 06:19 PM	#9
MILAMBER Lord Soth Join Date: March 5, 2001 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,948	quote: Originally posted by laross: Hi Feanor I'm running direct x 7.1 (build 407.01.3000) followup I installed the game on girlfriend's computer after I posted last post. It runs GREAT--I'm jealous!!! hers is slower - go figure- a Pentium II 333 with an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER I'm wondering now if it isn't AMD or at least pre Athlon? or nvidia drivers an AMD don't play nice together with Wiz 8 hmmmmmm Love this game P.S. note ---anyone wanting to know their version of direct x do this. Start button Run type in dxdiag you'll get more info than you probably want. May your tinder always be dry. laross PII's are faster with the multimedia stuff then the old K6-2's are. A few years ago I had a PII that would consistantly beat the crap out of my office computer which was a K62. __________________ \"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.\"<br />-General George Patton (1885-1945)<br /> <br />Member of CLAN HADB<br />Founder of The Anti Clan Coalition

11-17-2001, 06:35 PM	#2
Feanor Dungeon Master Join Date: November 7, 2001 Location: Greenville SC Age: 42 Posts: 92	hey Scronan, Your video card is probably fine. Just make sure you have the latest drivers. I would guess the biggest weakness on your system is processor. The RAM should help a ton though. But, if you want to upgrade your video card, I'd say go ahead, because new cards offer other benefits like Anti-Aliasing (nice in 3d RPGs IMO) as well as uber-speed. I can't post any hardware->performance findings, because I don't have the game yet : (

11-18-2001, 12:09 PM	#4
Case00 Manshoon Join Date: May 23, 2001 Location: Miami, Fl USA Posts: 193	I'm not sure how much cpu affects the game, I'm using twin 550mhz Zeons, and Arnika got a little jumpy for me as well. Nothing too bad, but it was a bit noticable.. more likely it's the video card. If your running 2000, you can always run performance monitor to a log while playing the game, and see what cpu% peaks at. [ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Case00 ] [ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Case00 ]

11-20-2001, 05:28 PM	#6
laross Welcomed New User Join Date: November 20, 2001 Location: washington state- usa Posts: 2	Greetings from the wet corner of US (washington state) I too have been fighting the game more than rogues and crabs!!! My system is also an AMD K2-500 with a TNT2 maxi gamer cougar-32mb (just loaded newest n vidia drivers no help) Turtle beach-Montego II Quadzilla sound (again latest drivers=no help-no difference) 192 mb memory Am getting a LOT of sound stutters or hesitations-mouse too although not as much am at a lose as what to do. Have read other forums and seen this problem come up more than a few times. The "I don't understand it so get a bigger machine" answer isn't right. This setup should run the game fine -IMHO- a newer one might show more-features textures,lighting etc. but I believe a 500 cpu with almost 200mb mem and any 32mb vid card should be a pleasure to play this game with. P.S. for the curious-windows 95 os2 with win me upgrade tyan trinity motherboard 36x generic cd player creative lab modem (56k) viewsonic 17" monitor Altec Lansing 3pcs speaker all set up on a custom built table on the right hand side of my lazyboy recliner may all your blades be forever sharp!

11-21-2001, 12:01 PM	#8
laross Welcomed New User Join Date: November 20, 2001 Location: washington state- usa Posts: 2	Hi Feanor I'm running direct x 7.1 (build 407.01.3000) followup I installed the game on girlfriend's computer after I posted last post. It runs GREAT--I'm jealous!!! hers is slower - go figure- a Pentium II 333 with an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER I'm wondering now if it isn't AMD or at least pre Athlon? or nvidia drivers an AMD don't play nice together with Wiz 8 hmmmmmm Love this game P.S. note ---anyone wanting to know their version of direct x do this. Start button Run type in dxdiag you'll get more info than you probably want. May your tinder always be dry. laross

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