Since FEAR install, ET has started visual lags, FPS chopping

(EB) #1

I installed FEAR several days ago and since then, when I play ET, the frame rates begin to chop/video stalling for .5 seconds at points during gameplay.
Has anyone else had any issues like this with any other game or program ?

…obviously I am looking for a fix instead of having to remove one game or the other.
Here is what I have tried:

  1. Re-installation of ET
  2. Changing the video drivers

(no resource hog programs are running in the background.)
Computer specs:
P4 521 2.8Ghz HT
1GIG ddr2 533mhz ram
Nvidia 6800 pcie (drivers 84.+)

Thanks ahead of time :slight_smile:

(SCDS_reyalP) #2

It might just be coincidental. The recent PB update has caused a LOT of complaints about fps drops and lag.

If fear isn’t running, it shouldn’t affect ET. Possible exceptions would be if it installed some copy protection thing that runs all the time, or perhaps changed some system setting or driver.

(Centuri0n) #3

Just a guess cuz I aint that good with stuff like this. Maybe it’s a problem/conflict with a version of DX? I don’t know about ET, but FEAR makes you install it’s own included version of DX 9.0C doesn’t it?

(Hakuryu) #4

DX is backwards compatible… as long as you have the version you need or higher for a game, all games that require previous versions will work.

I would look for a service running for copy protection like a poster above said, but it could be something simple like your HDD needs to be defragged.

(SCDS_reyalP) #5

ET makes very little use of DX (sound, maybe a few other very minor things), so that is quite unlikely.

Since EB has a gig of RAM, HDD defragging should only be an issue for load times.

My bet is that it is just coincidence, since the symptoms described match what people are complaining about from the recent PB update. Trying on a PB off server might prove or disprove this.

(Hakuryu) #6

ET makes very little use of DX (sound, maybe a few other very minor things), so that is quite unlikely.

Since EB has a gig of RAM, HDD defragging should only be an issue for load times.

My bet is that it is just coincidence, since the symptoms described match what people are complaining about from the recent PB update. Trying on a PB off server might prove or disprove this.

It is unlikely DX is backwards compatible? Perhaps this was answering the previous post.

I defrag once a week, but some people never do. Even with sufficient memory, XP uses the swapfile alot, and if the swapfile is fragmented badly, performance can be affected.

Could be, I noticed a few stutterings lately, but they go away after 20 seconds or so.

(SCDS_reyalP) #7

I meant ET is very unlikely to be affected by the DX version, since the parts it uses are very simple and likely to be backwards compatible.

edit: bah, you are right, that was an answer to the post before yours. Sorry for the confusion.
I defrag once a week, but some people never do. Even with sufficient memory, XP uses the swapfile alot, and if the swapfile is fragmented badly, performance can be affected.
[/quote]
If windows is swaping more than occasionally while you play ET, you have a problem, regardless of whether the swapfile is fragmented.

(EB) #8

I hope this is coincidental as I see it being the only reason at this point.

(Dazzamac) #9

Uninstall FEAR, any time spent playing it is valuable ET time being wasted.

(squadjot) #10

My game is imo ruined atm… i suspect PB as reyal mentions

like when i joina server… i get a wait for about 10 secs …i can see my HD is running like crazy…

ingame i constantly get a lot of smaller lag-pauses…and some larger ones (again HD is running like mad)…WTF who fucked up my game???..

(Hakuryu) #11

^ sounds like someone has a virus or trojan. I had a similar thing happen about 2 years ago when that Code Red Worm got on my system. Lag, ping jumps up to 999 (from 50), and slow starting.

About the swapfile… I setup a log to sample my memory and swapfile usage every 5 minutes and let it run for a month. Even when my system was using only around 20% of physical memory, the swap file was used. I tried reducing the swap file to 0 (zero) and XP would automatically allocate and use the swap file regardless… even when only using minor system resources. There is nothing wrong with my system… that is just XP being XP.

(EB) #12

…Thanks for all of the replies/suggestions.

I decided to reformat the HD to a dual boot with ubuntu and xp media. The problem has cleared(whatever it was) but I have yet to reinstall ET & FEAR & FEAR’S TOOLS.
…if it happens again: I will let you guys know.

(as for the viral/worm idea…possible, but I hope unlikely.)

(mortis) #13

Use Ghost or some other utility to clone your drive, so that you have a safety net.

(Ragnar_40k) #14

F.E.A.R. uses SecuROM: http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/gamedb.php?letter=F
Maybe the copy protection drivers run havoc …

(SCDS_reyalP) #15

F.E.A.R. uses SecuROM: http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/gamedb.php?letter=F
Maybe the copy protection drivers run havoc …

This would not be hugely surprising. PB or etpro anticheat might also interact badly with them.

(jjpron) #16

hear, hear!

(jah) #17

2 friends of mine had this issue in the past and they discovered that their had drive died (bad sectors on the HD). do a defrag and look for bad sectors, if you have’em just get another HD.

good luck

J

(EB) #18

-jah , the hard drive is a month old. sata 300. :confused:
…before I reinstalled my os’s I did a 0 write over the whole disk and re-checked all sorts of other system functions.

I have now reinstalled ET and it is running very well.
…now I will reinstall FEAR within the next few days.

…I will find out what I can blame for my misallactionisms (not a word)!!!

(Joe999) #19

back in the days when i had to screw around with half life 2 i used msinfo32 to generate a system info file before and after i run the game. a diff of both files lead to the conclusion that the half life 2 copy protection driver wasn’t uninstalled when i quit the game, and it caused my sys to get a BSOD when i inserted any new disc into my drive.

i suggest you try it. btw: did you check your event log?

(B0rsuk) #20

Is there any chance you installed any other games ? Like, games using starforce ?
http://www.boycottstarforce.net/?page_id=3