Frame rate drop

This is an issue i've had since i bought the game. I get EPIC frame rate drop when i play large games, i used FRAPS and it was reading 8 fps! I have an alienware gaming laptop specs are as follows,

  • i7 920XM Processor
  • ATI Radeon mobility HD 5870
  • 4GB of ddr 3 ram
  • windows 7 64 bit

With these spec i can play high end game like crysis smoothly at 50-55fps. Large scale stategy games like napoleon total war and play perfectly. Changing the grphic detail does nothing either, from what i can tell its the game not being able to handle the amount of units on the map and not hardware issues. What makes things worse is that i have contacted Stardock twice and i always get automated responces back that offer absolutely no help.

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

thanks

 

harry

6,832 views 20 replies
Reply #2 Top

Your comp is either aging or has spyware.

Reply #3 Top

No Synetpus its a game issue. the 2 gig limit

Reply #4 Top

Aging! I bought my laptop 2 month ago. I can play games like crysis perferctly, and as for spyware i run regular virus/malware scans with avast and malware bytes.

 

Thanks for the link harpo but i'm pretty sure i've overcome the 2 gig limit, i used a program called large address aware and now the game uses about 3.2 gigs. Didn't change a single thing. I'm confused though, do other people experience this because i've seen several forums discussing the matter so i'm not sure how widespread the issue is.

Reply #5 Top

Yeah just read through the link, i'll give it a try but i'm already runing the distant stars mod, will this work in conjunction?

Reply #6 Top

jihad, LAA only affects memory space availability. it does NOT affect RAM access  to process the data ABOUT the details of each of the strikecraft, trade ships,construction frigates/frigates,cruisers AND capitals, AND all the particles that ALL the ships are throwing around. I have also found lowering the display detail settings and length of the exhaust trails helps to reduce the late game snail problem, but it is basically the computer tracking every single particle and triangle on every ship and structure that is the problem.

yes the primary aim of  the optimisation project was to prevent the 2gb dump issue, but they have also done other optimising that helps the late game lag.

also you might find it helps to turn off all unnessesary processes like indexing service etc to free up a bit more processor time AND ram access slots.

harpo

 

Reply #7 Top

Just tried it, it did little to nothing to help my issue. The problem i have is late game frame rate drop which the mod states that it does little to correct.

Reply #8 Top

Thanks for all your help but i have one more question.  have noticed that when playing 4v4 on smaller large maps, i.e 67 planet maps the game runs smoothly throughout the game. My question is what is at roughly what amount of planets does the game lag.

Reply #9 Top

I have noticed that lag increases rapidly after about 120 planets, but it is very system dependent ie fast ram = larger maps, slower ram = smaller maps with all other parts the same

harpo

 

Reply #10 Top

I was playing a game on sector aurelia (or something to that effect) a large map with only 67 or so planets 4v4 but about 2 hours into the game i started to get lag which is strange as the map is large in the sense that it covers alot of ground due to there being several star systems but there isn't actually that many planets in comparison to other maps. For example on implosion, a map with roughly the same amount of planets, the game runs at a reasonable rate throughout. I'm hesitant to run the optimisation mod as i'm currently running distant stars and vanilla entrenchment is crap in comparison.

Reply #11 Top

yes vanilla is a bit dull compared to the mods, but personally I just stack optimod under the mods I am using and you can get the benefit without many difficulties

harpo

 

Reply #12 Top

Well thats what i did but there were graphical glitches, not just that but in the description of the optimisation mod they specify to NOT stack with other mods as it will cause said glitches. What mods do you stack to get improved performance and still have an interesting game to play? Presumably no side effect.

Reply #13 Top

If you are running DS mod, thats a question for them. IIRC they already reduced SC and mines and maybe the trade ships.

Reply #14 Top

Yeah i've already spoken to them, they said they are incorporating it. Onlt thing is that with the DS mod games maps that i could play before well now give me fps drop in late game stages, i.e 4v4 on implosion. For example both in vanilla entrenchment and with other mods like the star trek mod, game on implosion work well. I don't know i like the DS mod but it looks like it lowers the fpr threshhold even more, i was hoping that because my computer has really good specs that i would be able to compensate but i think it again comes back the game limitations.

Reply #15 Top

I got same CPU with 12 GB ram and  2x GTX 285 in SLI. 

Unfortunately game doesn't support multi threading or more than 2 GIB for it self.

Late gamy you get too much trade ships and too much fighters/bombers and game start lagging.

Crysis on my specs runs above 40 FPS all the time while SINS become a screenshot especially on diplomacy after pacts....

TSOP with optional trade ad on and fighter/bomber ad on helps a lot..... 

Reply #16 Top

Sorry to sound like a noob but whats TSOP? I'm quite used to modding sins but i'm not familiar with all the abreviations. Anyway i know what you mean, i play crysis perfectly and then i switch to sins and its just like epic fail.

Reply #17 Top

The Sins Optimization Project  :|

Ya, you buy a car that the sales guy says can do 200mpr but when you take it on the road the tires fall off at 100mph.  :thumbsdown:  Also can't return because you opened the car door. So if you want to add better tires, you need to take out the seats and air conditioning and don't drive at night because the lights don't work.

Reply #18 Top

I think you summed up the Sins problem quite well :grin:   If there was an update to take advantage of multicore processors i think it would greatly improve the situation.

Reply #19 Top

jihad, the only problem with the request is that ALL regular sins players have been requesting it for years, and it is not likely to happen as it would take a complete engine re-write to do and possibly impact on the low end computers.

harpo

 

Reply #20 Top

Yeah i know, i've read the forum topics, i just wnted to chip in my vote too :grin: