How to get a lag free flashpoint?

[lee_h._oswald 0]

After testing thousand different settings in ofp/detonator, I must say....

We can´t get OFP looking good AND run a little bit smooth!

---

My System:

NForce2 Ultra 400 Board.

2x 512MB DDR333 Samsung

AthlonXP Barton 2500+@3000+ (multip.=13)

128MB Leadtek GF4 Ti4600

Seagate 40GB 7200U/min <- very fast.

Windows XP

Detonator 44.03

---

Detonator Settings:

All settings QUALITY

VSync off - 0 frames ahead rendering (1 frame isn´t faster)

AA: 4x (2x isn´t faster)

AF: 8x (only 2x is faster but looks ugly)

---

OFP Settings:

Best Quality settings possible with "flashpoint preferences".

Texture Sizes: All 4096*4096 (you can set it to 1024*1024 but it will not be faster cause highest textures I found was 1024*X at BAS Blackhawks)

Terrain Detail: normal.

View Distance: 900m

But I set some things "higher" then it is possible with the OFP preferences.

In flashpoint.cfg I changed this:

---

LOD=0.005289;

Texture_Heap="0";

File_Heap="0";

---

In User.cfg I changed this:

---

frameRate=5.000000;

visualQuality=0.005289;

---

Changing those settings will stop those ugly "trees popup" and "changed textures/LODs popups" in your viewdistance.

OFP is looking really impressive but isn´t very playable.

You now will say: "You are not having the best computer available!"

Be sure, I tested it on a P4 3GHz, Asus P4P800, 1GB DDR, GeForce FX5900Ultra.

It was not faster! (The reason I did not buy a GeForceFX).

---

Here a screen how OFP looks with viewdistance 3000m @ 1280*1024(32)

Click

Remember there are no LODs/Trees popups, it looks fantastic ingame!

Here the same, but with 900m viewdistance

Click

Only 11frames more...

---

Sone things more I tested.

Running my CPU at original speed: 2500+

You will get mx 1 frame more...

Setting the detonator to "UGLY".

At high viewdistance you will get only a few frames more..

---

Stupid, isn´t it?

Wait, it comes MUCH BETTER!

Same situation like the first screen, but:

OFP with viewdistance 3000m @ 320*200(16)

-----

NOW, sit down and tell me.... WHAT THE HELL?

I really don´t understand the OFP engine..... do you?

---

Take a look at the stupid quake3 game.

There are "SPEED .DLL´s" available. Looks like 200frames are not enough, 300 frames is it..

---

Ok, anyone knows how to get OFP look nice and run smooth?

Please tell here.

MfG Lee

*hopes for an engine upgrade to make more use of modern hardware*

[toadlife 3]

This may seem harsh, but you guys thata re complaining really need to find a new game. You obviouly just don't don't like the way OFP looks in the first place.

Setting AA to higer than 2x only makes things look blurry to me, and I've never noticed any improvement by turning on Aniostropic filtering. WIth my system, Aniostropic filtering trashes my framerate completely.

With Aniostropic filtering cranked up, you guys are never going to get the framrate you want. Turn it off, or at least down to 2x, and set your Anti-ALiasing to 2x and your performance should be absolutely stellar.

My 'humble' little system (compared to the outrageous ones quoted here)....

AThlonXP 2800+ (not overclocked)

512DDR Ram (@333mhz)

Gainward Geforce4 ti4800SE (overlocked from 275/550 to 300/600)

...gets great performance with:

1024x768

~2000 viewdistance

normal texture detail.

And I didnt pay ~$3000 for it.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

This may seem harsh, but you guys thata re complaining really need to find a new game.

---

Sorry, but we want other things that YOU want!

We are trying to find out, how to get OFP looking nice and run smoothly.

If you are happy with 2x AF, ok, but we are not.

8x 2x 0x <- click here

Very helpful....

MfG Lee

[sanctuary 19]

NOW, sit down and tell me.... WHAT THE HELL?  

I really don´t understand the OFP engine..... do you?

Now i feel better with my system ;)

I thought i was alone to have very strange results when tweaking OFP to smooth my experience.

How one can understand that in OFP 800X600 is smooth (smooth enough for OFP and my system) but 640X480 with the same exact settings display more "game lag" ?

How am i supposed to understand that switching to 16 bits colors will not improve the framerate in face of 32 bits color depth ? (but the graphic artefacts due to 16 bits logically appeared, them)

Really , i think that tweaking OFP seems to require some luck too and that OFP have a life from his own  ;)

[Placebo 28]

Don't know if this is going back to the days of 3dfx but I remember long time ago reading that running at 640x480@16bit doesn't use hardware acceleration, you have to run at 32bit and up or 800x600 and up?

[toadlife 3]

@Lee_H._Oswald:

Regarding those three screenshots you posted. I've never <s>seen</s> err, *noticed* textures do that (the screenshots to the right with no AF) with my Geforce3 or Geforce4. <s>I take it you are using an ATI card?</s> Edit- oh your running a GF4 ti4600?

Edit: nm, I was wrong.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Did you try it at an airfield?

Only there you have this strange effect.

But it shows where textures not more being rendered sharp.

And I really don´t like it to have it 5meters in front of my feet.

MfG Lee

[bonko the sane 2]

I find that using Quincunx AntiAliasing on my GF5600 (which supposedly is similar to AA X4) virtually eats no FPS and graphics are much nicer,on the other hand,the anysotropic filtering does eat loads of FPS,but at the end of the day the thing that slows my humble AMD1700+ is terrain detail.

[toadlife 3]

Did you try it at an airfield?

Only there you have this strange effect.

But it shows where textures not more being rendered sharp.

And I really don´t like it to have it 5meters in front of my feet.

MfG Lee

I'll give it a shot later at an airfield and psot my results. Which airfield is that taken at?

[lee_h._oswald 0]

North nogova.

MfG Lee

[toadlife 3]

Yep...the runway does the same thing for me unless it set AF and AA both to 8x. This seems like a graphics engine glitch though, because if you move over to the side of the runway and look down it from an angle it looks great.

I don't see the big problem with this. I think OFP was designed with simulation in mind before eye candy.

Also remember that this game was first developed back ~1998, (hell, it natively supports glide). I think it's unfair to ask BIS to rewrite the graphics engine for the brand new vid cards on an allready 2+ year old game.

I have to stand by my original statement that if you can't get past these imperfections in the game, then you need to find a new game.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

I think it's unfair to ask BIS to rewrite the graphics engine for the brand new vid cards on an allready 2+ year old game.

And I think, it lets OFP live longer.

90% of the new players come to ofp because of very good looking screenshots, ppl made.

Take a look at all those fantastic addons coming out.

Fantastic 3d models, stunning textures!

It is boring to have choppers/aircrafts like comanche, MI28, Blackhawk, FA18, Tornado,..... and only be able to fly at a viewdistance of ~1000m. (Or setting details to "crap-mode")

I know, OFP is no flight simulator, but having the game nice and 20-40fps would be helpfull as infantry also.

And let me say one more thing:

OFP is the only game I am playing!

No other game give me so much freedom in what I want to do.

For me, I would pay for an engine upgrade.

MfG Lee

[suma 8]

For me, I would pay for an engine upgrade.

I am really glad to hear that. You will have an opportunity once OFP 2 is released.

I know it might be not very pleasant to hear that, but some things simply cannot be done fast. It took about 5 years to develop original OFP.

[sanctuary 19]

Don't know if this is going back to the days of 3dfx but I remember long time ago reading that running at 640x480@16bit doesn't use hardware acceleration, you have to run at 32bit and up or 800x600 and up?  

Well, that can explain my weird results when tweaking OFP , if 640x480x16 doesnt use Hardware acceleration in OFP.

I find that surprising though.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Be sure, I will buy OFP2 since it will be the only game which is worth to buy!

Wondering that no other software company is able to bring so much freedom of what you can do as player, in their games.

---

Any tips how to boost ofp a little bit?

MfG Lee

[toadlife 3]

@Lee_H._Oswald

I have system similar to yours (AthlonXP 2800/Geforfce4 ti4800SE), and I get well over 30 FPS on Nogova with these settings:

3000 view distance

Low Texture Detail (I've never noticed a real difference between low and high detail)

1024X Textures

No AA/AF

If I bump the view distance down to 2000, the FPS increases quite a bit and allows me to up some other options, like AA and AF. Increasing the texture detail to Normal didn't make too much of hit on my performance. I choose to put my texture detail on low, since I don't see any reasonable quality increase by putting it higher.

I could probably put antialiasing up to 2x, and make the picture look quite a bit better without taking a big hit in performance.

Yes, you will still have the 'runway bug' that you've demonstrated, but every other part of the game *should* look great.

Hopefully you can find settings that gives you acceptable performance and at the same time, pleases you asthetically.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

And I get a 70FPS when using crap setting with 3000m viewdistance.

But!

Thats not the thing I want to reach.

I am searching for the "brake", that not allows an average system to show OFP in his true beautyness!

I don´t want to have 50 frames, but 20-30 without lag would be nice.

But thx for testing.

MfG Lee

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Ok, and a special for you.

I made a screenshot with your settings(No AA/AF, 3000m).

And to compare, a screenshot with my settings.

Click me gently!

MfG Lee

[mr burns 131]

It´s strange that nobody mentioned the OFP Tweak Guide yet    Can be found here:  http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/opflashpoint/index.shtml

[toadlife 3]

ahh I see the differences now. WHy not compromise and put the terrain detail to normal?

Or try seting textures to low, and using high antialiasing settings.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

My settings are based on this and satchels guide.

MfG Lee

[mr burns 131]

It helped me a lot too....i was really surprised that Geometry Performance can be easily turned up to 30000+, and this setting gave me the best boost in Image Quality in Frame rate yet (was set to 1700 ), but thats long ago.

atm i use a nice but not always lag free setup:

1280x1024x32, Terrain detail to Normal and every other graphical setting to the highest possible, shut auto drop down off and will edit my .cfg according to Lee´s now

My ´puter: Barton 2500+, A7N8X, 2x Infineon 256 (Dual Channel), Rad 9600 PROez, 80´Seagate Barracuda (5338 OFP Bench).

[Placebo 28]

It´s strange that nobody mentioned the OFP Tweak Guide yet    Can be found here:  http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/opflashpoint/index.shtml

Well it's been mentioned a number of times in the past in various threads, and it's mentioned in Avon's FAQ and has for a loooong time, as is criticism of various aspects of the tweak guide

[Major Fubar 0]

Pentium 4 3.0ghz 800FSB

1024mb Corsair 400mhz duel channel ddr

Asus P4P800 deluxe motherboard with latest bios and chipset upgrades

BFG Asylum Geforce FX 5900

Audigy II Platinum

That's one beast of a mchine...I'm jealous!

Terrain detail and viewdistance are the two FPS killers in OFP. To be honest, I can't really see that much difference between average terrain and high detail terrain...

[Airwolf 50]

ya, but my beast of a machine doesnt work like it should and im @!*&$ pissed off!!!

Another reason why i want these high details, is that my friend has a p4 2.0 with only 2100ddr ram and an ati 9700, and even from personal experience, ati cards do not work good in flashpoint, my 8500 was a POS. Anyways... he claims he can run it at 1600x1200, hi detail, with high viewdistance.. with no lag... i find this most disturbing.