Help plz can't find framerate solutions in forum

Hey I saw the technical issues thread (now closed) but I didn't see any good solutions posted. I would love to keep playing this game, but as of now, it is entirely unplayable...well...just not enjoyable.

Few years ago, I used to play CoH with a Pentium 3, and it ran smooth as butter at 1024X768. What the heck happened!? somewhere around issue 8 it looks like things went sour.
I reactivated my account a few months ago to play with friends. I have a "new" computer (newer than the P3), it's a P4, 2 gb ram, decent enough video card.
in any combat situation, my framerate drops to as low as 3 FPS (not kidding).
Without going into an endless rant about how any graphical advancements added that caused this are completely unnecessary for this game....
I'd love some advice so I can actually enjoy playing. I dropped all of my effects as low as they'll go. Resolution 800x600. Game still grinds to 2 or 3 FPS in any large enough battle.
So if someone could please direct me to a thread that has the information I need....
if it's there?

I'm somewhat confused by your statement that the technical issues thread is "closed".

The forum as a whole is still there and that's where people who understand techy stuff hang out to answer your questions.

But I did find this thread compiled by Zloth of common technical issues, including one for graphical issues. It was stickied at the top of the Tech issue forum.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...668#post803668

From my own experience - how much memory do you have on the video card itself? My own graphical problems when CoV came out were solved by getting a more robust video card.

P.S. Making a statement that updated graphics were not necessary to this game will likely get you flamed - people really like new shineys. And the next expansion Going Rogue will have graphics that demand even more from your rig (as an FYI).

Please post the results of these two programs:

• CoH Helper - it will show us basic computer settings and your CoH configuration.
  
• HijackThis - it will show us what's running on your computer concurrently with CoH. Click on "Do a system Scan and save a logfile." It will automatically open up Notepad and put the info there. Make sure Wordwrap is off in Notepad (Format > Wordwrap unchecked) before you cut and paste here.
  
  
  

I struggled with low frame rates a year ago. Over the course of several months, I upgraded all my components (starting from cheapest and least effort) with moderately expensive current model (at the time) components. None of it had any effect until I came to the last item: the CPU. I swapped out my single core CPU to a multi-core (which also involved a new motherboard to accept the multi-core) and finally, my frame rate went back to decent levels (high-30s+ when idle, +/- mid-20s in combat, high-teens during invasions).

I'm also gonna say single-core is an unlikely offender. I've never played on anything BUT a single-core processor, and have never had frame-rate issues except for during Invasions.

I'm running silky-smooth with an AMD 3500+, in 1050x1680, and recently upgraded to a new 512k video card, but even before the upgrade, CoH was one of the few games I could play at max settings without any noticable slowdown.

Wish I could offer more help, but I'm gonna GUESS you need a better video card. I'd be shocked if your single-core was the problem.

I'm going to agree with RobertoLyon, and suggest it's far more likely your video card, which you have not given any stats on. (Not that you've given any stats on your P4 other than that it's a P4, of which there are a *HUGE* range of options.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

Whew. Sorry, yzzlthtz, but time does march on. Just to be specific: the P4 was introduced in late 2000 and it's last best iteration shipped in mid-2008. It's an old chip in any case and from looking in my wayback machine of building PC's; it wasnt worth the time to use in a gaming rig from the beginning. Could it be used? Sure. But the better price point and capabilities were found in the AMD chips. CoH has always been 'pipeline' heavy; and at least the early mobo FSB Speeds for the P4 were stunningly poor (IMHO).

In this economic time, I feel for you, but dont blame game designers for making a good product. If the Devs dont make a whiz bang product (check the GR videos), they will be left in the dust. BUT, thankfully, you can turn down the graphics if needed for better FPS. AND like the others have said; upgrade your video card, and you will probably have less of a problem. For under $100, you can get a card that will work well even with a P4 under the hood. I just had to say the previous bits because they are true.

yzzlthtz, I think it's more productive to open your own thread in the Technical forum. You'll get more professional help there. You should follow Zombie Man's advice and post the CoH helper and Hijack this output in the new thread. Maybe there is something you can adjust to speed things up a bit.

I also have a computer with P4 2.4GHz cpu, a Radeon 9800 Pro video card and 2G of memory. It used to be pretty good with CoH, in particularly before CoV came. As you described, the game is pretty choppy in team now. I didn't try to tune the setting, the graphics quality is probably medium, I guess. Now, I just use the computer for internet and word processing.

No one has mentioned this yet. Maybe some chip fried or is about to.

You might be entering the "pay someone because I don't know" area. Unless you have a brother-in-law who "knows computers."

I get serious chop when 9000 nictus and fire and bubbles and a grenade and everything everything is going on and I'm in the middle of it, but only then.

Million influence says we don't hear from the OP again because the OP doesn't want to reveal just how underpowered the OP's graphics tech is.

This wasn't a question, it was a complaint.

Just to clarify my post and my experience, I went from a 7600 GT(?) to a 8800 GTS 640MB and got maybe a 2-4 fps improvement. Setting my graphics to basic, with the 8800 got me maybe ~5 fps more, but I wasn't willing to accept having to do that with how much the 8800 cost.

9600GSO came in two varieties. The original was a renamed 8800GS. It was a cut down G92 GPU (8800GTS/9800GTX) with only a 192-bit memory bus instead of 256-bit and 96 of 128 shaders enabled.

Later a version was produced based on the G94 core, the one used in the 9600GT. This card retained the 256-bit memory bus but only had 48 shaders instead of the 9600GT's 64.

Performance wise they are suppose to be nearly equivalent.