Low FPS....Machine too old?

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This probably isn't relevant or helpful and maybe I'm not even qualified to comment but:
*I probably wouldn't have bothered to install Windows XP on a machine with anything less than a 512MB RAM and a 1.5+ GHz processor.
---For a machine similar to yours with <= 256 MB RAM I probably would stayed with Windows 98.
*Using an old machine with 500Mhz processor, 256MB RAM, ATI Rage 128 (16MB?), Windows 98 and 3DGS version 6.31.4, with
---100 testDummies (254triangles a piece?) in a fairly small level, and more than 15 in view at a time, I get > 30 frames per second.
Maybe you are using 'software mode', the OS is eating up too many resources, and/or 3DGS version 5.24 is much slower than 3DGS version 6.31.4.

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Well you may have a valid point about the Operating System
on this test machine...? Though Windows ME and Windows 98
ran at turtle speed
The Card is 128 MB not 64 MB...
I know its not Version Related because my highend computer (AMD 64) can
handle the same level and I get 60 -80 FPS.
And can run levels with over 50 models and levels twice as big.

I have A6 as well but I'm building two version
of my project to have something for low end users
that cant handle A6... This test machine definatly cant!

I'm also wondering if maybe the memory size is not sufficient?
I have exactly 192 MB of Memory.
The Video card has 128 MB of memory....

Oh and no this is in Hardware mode but Software does
exactly the same thing on the test machine.

If you encounter I'd say more than 3 entities or models...
BAM the FPS begins to drop. If you stare at the ground or
walk away it will rise up to approximatly 60 FPS.


I Appreciate any help here... My main concern is
Targeting the lowest End Computer possible.
I just dont know if This one is even going to run
A5 I may have to get a differnt computer to
use for my Low - End Testing.

Any futher sugestions?



*** Teutonic Darkness ***

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Though Windows ME and Windows 98
ran at turtle speed

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I have A6 as well but I'm building two version
of my project to have something for low end users
that cant handle A6... This test machine definatly cant!

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Oh and no this is in Hardware mode but Software does
exactly the same thing on the test machine.

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There is nothing advanced done here at all just default
everything....

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*Someone please Tell me The recomended specs for A5;
So I can cover as many low-end systems as possible without
loosing performance.

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I'm suprised to see that thát machine actually runs windows xp ... How full is that pc's harddrive?

Another question, what graphics card do you have exactly? Most 128 MB cards I know of require a pentium-4 or AMD Athlon or equivalent alone ..

Cheers

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The Card is an ATI Radeon 9200 with 128 MB.
The Hardrive is only using about 20% of the space on a 80 GB drive.
It runs Xp pretty well...

I looked at the specifications for XP it only calls for:
300 MHZ or higher processor
128 MB or hoigher memory


I'm over the minimum requirements for XP at least.
When I first got this "Test Computer" I tied out everything
from 98SE, WINME, finally XP as it run the fastest and most stable.

* You got me on the requirments on the ATI card though
I really dont know.. as I dont have the box anymore..


That may actually be the entire problem?
It installs fine but maybe its too demanding on resources
when displaying models and stuff...hmm.

I will try to remove it and go back into my bios and
re-enable the Factory Graphics chip to see if at least
software mode in A5 will render faster FPS.

Other than the video option...looks like I may be out of luck
on using this system.
(a shame too as I just threw a 256 memory chip in today)


well let me give it a go and I'll post back later,



*** Teutonic Darkness ***

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To me, that sounds as if your configuration were perfectly okay... well, not perfect maybe, but it should pretty well do the job.
Since FPS only drop when looking at the guards, it seems to be a problem related to entities somewhat. Could you probably post the different rendering stats as shown on the debug panel when looking at the guard models?
I'd especially be interested in the "ref" value...

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Well I would post some shots of The Debug Panel..
but I dont have Webspace anymore.
Know any good free ones?


You may be on to something with the entities bit..
Dont know? Having Levels with no Models seems
to do ok but When I start adding in the Extras
somewhere between 3 and 5 models
( regarless of Models size or poly count )
The FPS does indeed drop at least when looking at them.


If you can point me to a good free Web hosting.
I'll post some screens.

I would definatly appreciate it if somwonme can
help me get to the bottom of this



*** Teutonic Darkness ***

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If that last wall is a normal flat wall ( I mean the big one you can see in the distance, then that's your problem. It has some ugly red lines on it, meaning it isn't build very well ... Rebuild that block (probably that's a wall from the hollow block your level is in?).

Cheers

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Well actually the wall in the distance goes less than
half way up..

If looks like just a wall from the screen shot but it used
to be a skybox behind.. I just Removed the sky texture and flags
to gain more FPS.

However the first wall is only one block and the former
Sky box wall behind it is only 1 block...

It just show up that way in debug mode when you double
click the "d" button... Have no idea what it all means
just thought it would help showing this screen.

To maybe help diagnose the low FPS I'm encontering.


Any other ideas... other than maybe finder a
better "test machine"? ...




*** Teutonic Darkness ***

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I would also think that in fact your WMB is the problem. If I spotted that correctly, there are about 450 map polygons in view when your fps drop - compared with your PC's performance this could well cause your problems.
Try setting all the blocks to "flat" and see if anything changes...

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