Scotty I need more power!

Chazar · #1 March 9th, 2004, 11:56 AM

I'm running it on my Laptop, a Fujitsu-Siemens with not-uptodate ATI Radeon Mobility Graphic.

First it was awfully slow (Battle Frame count was around 2 with even the lowest quality setting, unbearable), both under Linux and WinXP, but those Omega-drivers recommended in that sticky thread really worked: Now I've set quality to the highest value and the frame count is still around 90...

This sounds incredible, but I guess that this is due to the very bad OpenGL support in most (Laptop-)Graphics drivers (eg. ATI in my case, which officially doesnt support the mobility chips).

So try different (third-party) drivers like those Omega-Drivers. Maybe just trying the game with one of those up-to-date Linuxes-from-bootable-CD (Knoppix, etc.) might also be worth a quick try...

Alarik · #2 March 9th, 2004, 03:02 PM

Thanks to all. I know there is a solution because it runs some (graphically) fairly comparible games like Shogun: Total War really well. I'm on windows 98...I personally think it's a driver issue. Can anyone recommend some good third party drivers that are compatible with the standard Viao Graphics card? I love computer games but on some of these tech issues I'm way out of my depth.

NTJedi · #3 March 10th, 2004, 07:36 AM

Use MSCONFIG to clean out the startup group... and disable any anti-virus services.

See if that improves performance.

Sindai · #4 March 10th, 2004, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alarik:
Thanks to all. I know there is a solution because it runs some (graphically) fairly comparible games like Shogun: Total War really well. I'm on windows 98...I personally think it's a driver issue. Can anyone recommend some good third party drivers that are compatible with the standard Viao Graphics card? I love computer games but on some of these tech issues I'm way out of my depth.

My guess is your laptop uses a Radeon card, and thus you're suffering from ATI's horrible OpenGL support. (Most games these days - like Shogun - use Direct3D to do their graphics, only small-developer games like Dom2 use OpenGL any more).

To make sure, though, go to "Run" and type "dxdiag." This'll pull up the DirectX diagnostic program, which will tell you virtually everything you could want to know about your computer. Go to the "Graphics" (or something like that) tab and tell us what it says your graphics card is.

Arryn · #5 March 10th, 2004, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sindai:
(Most games these days - like Shogun - use Direct3D to do their graphics, only small-developer games like Dom2 use OpenGL any more)

Not true. Since D3D is a Windows-only API, any developer, regardless of size, that has an app that is multiplatform (as is Dom) must use OpenGL. And many games from large companies support OpenGL as a secondary API. Knights of the Old Republic, 2003 Game of the Year, is an example.

Sindai · #6 March 10th, 2004, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
Not true. Since D3D is a Windows-only API, any developer, regardless of size, that has an app that is multiplatform (as is Dom) must use OpenGL. And many games from large companies support OpenGL as a secondary API. Knights of the Old Republic, 2003 Game of the Year, is an example.

I already knew all of that. It's not relevant to the discussion at hand.

GavinWheeler · #7 March 11th, 2004, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sindai:
only small-developer games like Dom2 use OpenGL any more

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
Not true. Since D3D is a Windows-only API, any developer, regardless of size, that has an app that is multiplatform (as is Dom) must use OpenGL.

Quote:

Originally posted by Sindai:
I already knew all of that. It's not relevant to the discussion at hand.

Looks directly relevant to me. Are you sure that you have read what Arryn wrote, carefully, and also that what you have written is really what you meant?