Graphics speed

[Mitch]

When I first started playing the sim a few days ago, I was able to run at 512 time compression with no slow downs, 1024 would give me a little. Now the most I can use with smothness is 256. I have rebooted twice.

I am running a Prescott 3.4Ghz Hyperthreaded on a Asus P4P800E-Deluxe MOB, with 2gb Dual channel PC3200 ram and a ATI X800 XT w/256 ram.

Any ideas on why I am now getting the slow down?

Thanks

[Quillan]

You've probably moved near a bunch of ships. Once you get within a certain distance, the game animates the ships and has to keep track of exactly where they are, so it causes a slowdown. It's really pronounced near a port or when you get close to a convoy.

[Cdre Gibs]

Most common reason I find is to many ships sunk in shallow water.

If the depth is less than 500m I noticed that even after reloading saved games FPS would drop if I had sunk to many ships in shallow water. If however most sinkings accoured in 500m or more, no loss under TC. Now the silly thing is that if you go back to the area of the ships that you have sunk in shallow water, you wont find the ship of course. But if you stay around and watch a ship sink, hit the bottom and keep watching you will see it slowly merge into then pass threw the bottom of the sea floor. Now we all know that 1's a ships hull or indeed a players sub reach's a depth of 505m the unit it no longer rendered in 3D. Now I have no idea if this means that the unit is now disabled (I tend to think not) and no longer rendered. But as I hinted I suspect Not. See If I take a Sub to say 800m I can no longer see it nor can I bring it back UP above 505m, but I can still steer it and even lay in waypoints and the sub will nav to those waypoints. I can even speed up or slow down. But as you can gather this is of no use because you cant resurface. Now what has this to do with your FPS, well lets expand on this. If the ships are still there but not rendered and have passed threw the sea floor (not good) then it stands to reason that they are now "out of the world box" and could cause a system mem leak resulting in a slow down. Now why a ship sunk in 500m or more does not result in this slow down I tend to put down to a quicker time period that it finaly pass's over to totaly being disabled (not being tracked by you CPU). Where as the ships that have passed threw the sea floor seem to take for ever to reach that same transit point.

Its just a theory mind you but it does tend to fit my observations so far.

[Mitch]

I have sunk several ships in shallow water and that is when I started to notice the slow down.

Thanks for the info.

[Mitch]

This is a bummer, I had depleted all torps, sunk 8 ships and was returning to bass on the surface at a time compression of 256 and all of a sudden it says all dead due to flooding, career ended.

[sik1977]

This is a bummer, I had depleted all torps, sunk 8 ships and was returning to bass on the surface at a time compression of 256 and all of a sudden it says all dead due to flooding, career ended.

You must have been attacked by a Plane or run over by a DD. Sometimes the game doesn't drop out of TC when it should, but its mostly when in High TC such as 512/1024/2048(modded).

You know there is no shame in saving a game once in a while and loading it if it crashes or you die for such unexplained reasons etc. Realism is good, but realistically even 100% realism won't change the fact that its only a game and you should play to have fun and not to be frustrated.

[HW3]

You were either attacked by plane/planes or, ran into a mine field.

[Mitch]

I was about an hour out of the base and only on my third patrol. Your right about saving. I had saved about half way thru, so I was able to recover 5 of my kills and then I ended up adding another 6 :up:

[Rotary Crewman]

The slow downs are due to...


STARFORCE! ARRRRGGGH!!!!!! It's coming to get us aaaaaaall!!!

[SmokinTep]

Saving during a patrol is wise............. :yep:

[Jack Sparrow]

Most common reason I find is to many ships sunk in shallow water.


Yep, I found that too when I sunk a load of ships just off the coast of Iceland.

I now try and do all my hits in deep water.

[RayRay]

Mitch,
Go into the board BIOS and increase the AGP voltage to 1.6v. If the Video card has a fan attached your OK, if not put a heatsink on the processor chip or a small fan pointed at it.