Low FPS in TW problem

catgirldesu

Also known as @sylenthunder I need your help! Honestly, I don't know why I didn't do this earlier...

Speccy stuff
DxDiag stuff

The usual problem that you've heard of multiple times already; 80vs80 TWs are impossible to play.
I would say maybe 50vs50 or 60vs60 TW is the limit my laptop seems to handle (I haven't been in TW lately so I don't remember) until I begin having to play with "Only show important players" which sucks for the obvious reasons. I need to note that this happens when most players are gathered in one place (eg. inside the base). I am mostly fine when I'm, let's say, on the left lane with just 30vs30 or so.


Additional notes:
- I play with "Simple models" in TW (plus NW and other crowded places).
- I turn off shadows, sun, terrain etc. all that stuff. I also lower the skills effects. I don't turn them off completely though, otherwise I can't tell what the opponents or allies are doing.
- I clear the temp folder regularly. If there's an upcoming TW that I know I can attend, I clear it a little while before TW.
- PWI is excluded from my anti-virus. At least I hope it is. I just followed the instructions so hopefully I did it right.
- I don't use Arc. I bypass it.
- I used to record TWs, but obviously stopped when it got too hard to play. I turn Skype off/kill it before TW, but I still use Ventrillo because it's what my factions use.
- I re-start the client a while before TW. I'm not sure if this actually helps or not, some people said it helps with the memory problem.
- I was not aware of "run PWI client as Admin" bit until I read one of your recent posts. I actually have no clue how PWI run before that but I'll run it as admin from now on.
- I use wireless internet. Skipping all the details, but basically I can't switch to wired so I have to stick to wireless. (I suppose this has more to do with lag though.)
- I haven't verified PWI files for ages. I don't even know when was the last time I did. Do you think I should do it?

I was supposed to have my laptop cleaned as well as have its fan cleaned, but.. things happened, time passed. I don't know if this would help the laptop run smoother, but I probably really need to do it for maintenance reasons.

Anyway, if you have some free time to give me some tips/comments, I'll greatly appreciate it.
​​

darkonome

Not a techspert like sylen but;

-run as Admin (makes a huge difference)
-windowed/full screen? apparently full screen is better for FPS however I always thought windowed was..
-power options - you want this set to 'high performance etc' on your laptop perhaps

Your processor although pretty good for 'normal' uses at a single core/thread level is pretty low, for comparison on Passmark it got a single threaded score of 1,525 compared to what sylen uses which got a score of 1,935 and the best CPU tested has a score of 2,530.

Should probably check whether the Turbo Boost option on your processor is enabled in the BIOS.. could be missing out on an extra 1GHz..

sylenthunder

Sorry for the delay. Didn't see this thread until I was headed to bed, and saved it because I wanted to give it the effort it deserves.

@darkonome Full-screen provides a better FPS because it allows DirectX to go into Exclusive Mode. This brings the CPU thread polling into a higher focus than the other programs in the background, or on your display. Since this aging client relies so heavily on the CPU, it can make as much as a 10-15% difference depending on your system's specs.
Also, good point on the single core/thread level. Especially since the client is not capable of using multiple cores. (No, you cannot even force it to do so.)

Ok, now on with the show....

1. Your video drivers are at least a couple of years old. That needs to be updated immediately. As in before you do anything else today. As in it should have been done two years ago. Run the installer as administrator, choose advanced installation, choose clean install.
   http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Windows+7+-+64
2. ffdshow Video Decoder is installed. It can cause issues with the client's rendering if it's not on the absolute default values. To be certain, un-install it. You can re-add it later with the default settings if you need it.
3. Haali Video Renderer is even worse at interfering with the client than ffdshow. It is capable of completely crashing the client at the loading screen in certain configurations. These are two I always look for, and you've got both.
4. You have Kaspersky, which is one of the better AV solutions. Be sure to exclude the client completely from all of it's scans. (Links to instructions are provided in my sticky thread.) After you have done this, verify the client files three times in a row. Any less will not fully correct any file corruption that may have occurred.
5. Additionally, you need to allow the client to pass through the firewall so that Kaspersky doesn't slow the packets down by scanning them.
6. Your power profile is set to balanced. That will reduce clock cycles on the CPU when it's not in use much and will have a negative effect on the client.
   Manually edit the power profile under the advanced settings to set the min and max CPU% to 100% when plugged in. (You can leave when on battery alone.
   Also, disable the hard drive power off when plugged in. That's guaranteed to bork the client, and can cause problems with other software as well. Especially if you are running something full screen. So be absolutely sure to set "Turn Off Hard Disk after:" to Never.
7. Sony PlayMemories Home process should be killed before playing. Especially if you are using the cloud service.
8. OMG, turn off and uninstall the Bing Bar from your system. That thing is such bloat. You can do the same searching in Google, or even in your Start Menu.
9. Un-install the Skype Click-2-Call service. It is known to cause problems with the client. Not limited to completely crashing it.
   I believe you can uninstall it separately from Skype in Programs & Features. If not, then just un-install Skype and then disable it when re-installing.
10. If you aren't using it, turning off the background process uCamMonitor.exe for Magic-i Visual Effects 2 will be helpful.
11. Sony VAIO Care is just system bloat provided by the manufacturer. Unless you are actually using it, completely remove it. If you are using it, disable the services before playing.
    In most cases, software such as this is simply put there to make the un-informed PC user feel better about the company. It proposes to keep your system up to date, check for issues, ect. Mostly what it does is phone home to Sony your system information and personal activity for advertising purposes. If it was doing it's job as they advertise, you wouldn't have video drivers from 2012.
12. VAIO Control Center is a GUI for controlling special features in Sony VAIO laptops such as battery charge limiter, keyboard backlight, ambient light sensor, etc. You can do all of this through other parts of the system and it is not really necessary.
13. Sony VAIO Improvement is just more bloatware designed to update the bloatware you have, and to install new better bloatware from Sony. Recommended to remove.
14. Sony VAIO Smart Network, does it ever end? Once again Sony has provided you with even more bloat to waste your precious system resources. This doesn't do anything Windows didn't do on it's own already. Un-install it and don't look back.
15. Lastly, you're using Wifi. I don't care how convenient it is, or how fast the supposed data rate is, you just cut the speed of your ISP in half.
    It's prone to interference, and then you're going to have an even further increased latency on top of that due to the way the router sends the packets on Wifi. Also, because 95% of units out there do not have the memory they need to truly function, if there are any other devices using a marginal amount of bandwidth, it's going to suck even more.

I think that covers everything. Holler if you have questions.​​

catgirldesu

Thank you so much! You're awesome.
I'll go through the list and let you know if something comes up.

I was certain you'd find a lot of bloatware, but some of these things are rather surprising. As in, I had no clue they were there. Sneaky bloatware!

Thanks for the tips @darkonome, too!

​​

catgirldesu

What do ffsdshow and Haali Video Renderer even do? I tried to look them up a bit, but I'm more confused than before. I'm mostly asking because... what kind of situation would require me to download them again?
​​

sylenthunder

They are video decoder/encoders. Usually used by video recording software, video editors, or encoders/mixers. Some specialized video players may use them as well.​​

hogwarts123

So much tech talk @sylenthunder . I was going to try to follow this because I was also having similar problems in TW but mostly NW. As soon as it hits 30vs30(or what ever it is) I drop to 2 fps. I usually don't use my laptop for pvp events and such but my desktop is in for servicing so... I don't use fullscreen like you advised but I used to not have as many problems in larger pvps. I like to run things on the side like skype etc. but stopped because of this issue. I tried to follow but my brain shorted out after the 2nd paragraph.:/ I like to mess with my computers but just lost you. How do i post my specs and things so I can show you. I wouldn't think it would be a problem in XNW because my toons came from RT but i guess it doesnt work like that. Reply when ever you can

sylenthunder

hogwarts123 wrote: »

So much tech talk @sylenthunder . I was going to try to follow this because I was also having similar problems in TW but mostly NW. As soon as it hits 30vs30(or what ever it is) I drop to 2 fps. I usually don't use my laptop for pvp events and such but my desktop is in for servicing so... I don't use fullscreen like you advised but I used to not have as many problems in larger pvps. I like to run things on the side like skype etc. but stopped because of this issue. I tried to follow but my brain shorted out after the 2nd paragraph.:/ I like to mess with my computers but just lost you. How do i post my specs and things so I can show you. I wouldn't think it would be a problem in XNW because my toons came from RT but i guess it doesnt work like that. Reply when ever you can

From my sticky thread....

SylenThunder - Sanctuary wrote: »

What do you need to post?
At a minimum, we need detailed information on the issue, system specs, and what you've tried.

For system information, the best is to download Speccy, and publish a Speccy log. All you need to do then, is add the link to the published report in your post. (I provided the hyperlinks for you, to make that easy.)

If the problem includes a graphic issue, or a strange error message, it's usually best to include a dxdiag report as well.
(Remember to use the [ CODE] tags for the dxdiag info and to remove any trademark characters so it doesn't get cut off.) (CODE tag is the # symbol in the editor.)
Current forum doesn't allow lengthy posts, so it cannot handle DxDiag reports. Use PasteBin to upload your report into, and then provide the link to it.

​​

jabq

catgirldesu wrote: »

What do ffsdshow and Haali Video Renderer even do? I tried to look them up a bit, but I'm more confused than before. I'm mostly asking because... what kind of situation would require me to download them again?

If you download and watch anime alot, from various groups. Chances are some of the anime will require one of the two. I have not seen any western tv show or movie as for those specifically. I don't watch as much asian tv shows, but possibility is high.

That used to be in the old days though. Recently i have not had much problem since i started watching them online .

Uninstall them and see which anime/group uses them during your normal week/month/year. See if there are decent substitutes online for those anime/groups.

Also could you post how the fps situation is after you have done the tweaks?​​

catgirldesu

Ooh, I see. Thanks for the answers you two.

I was concerned they might mess up Premiere for me because I make videos and, on a rare occasion, animations. I already had Premiere get corrupted files once and had to reset all the preferences and settings... it wasn't fun.

I honestly mostly watch stuff online, except for a few particular series that I want to save on my drive to re-watch in the future, or animated movies with good animation that I must absolutely watch in HD (Garden of Words anyone? So beautiful it makes me cry), so downloading them is the way to go, if I can't watch them at the cinema. I'm VERY picky about the quality, especially when it comes to animated movies/series.
I'll do what you said @jabq and see who uses what.

I haven't been to a 80vs80 TW yet so I can't give any feedback on that. I did go to a TW today, but it was probably about 60vs60? or 60vs50? I'm really not sure. It went smoothly, and I was recording. Admittedly, I forgot to check the actual FPS, but I can say I don't remember having any issues.

​​