UT2k3 framerates... you're probably not alone!

[Col_Kiwi]

I've seen a lot of this on other forums so I thought I'd mention it here. If you're wondering why your framerate in UT2k3 seems just so-so compared to other games, don't blame a misconfiguration right off!

Some people seem to not understand that UT2k3 is a BRAND NEW and VERY DEMANDING game. I've got a GF4 Ti4200 128MB, OCed to 280/550, and a P4 @ 2.6, and at max details and 1280x960 resolution i get about 30-35 fps. This is respectable.

UT2k3 is designed, as any game, with future hardware in mind, etc, so those who think their framerate is low, think again. You're probably not alone.


An interesting tip I picked up from an Epic programmer on the official UT2k3 forum is that a good way to help solve framerate problems, especially on 64MB and lower cards is to lower texture detail more then model detail. UT2k3 textures are very very very high res, and the texture detail setting of Highest makes one level's textures fill >128MB video memory.

-Col.Kiwi

 

[spud]

Make sure sound is on software mode not hardware. Wam bam bay 40% more performance and havent noticed a sound quality issue yet. Dunno why though...

-Jeremy

<font color=blue>Just some advice from your friendly neighborhood blue man </font color=blue>

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Really??? I know it's demanding, but it's not terrible, I mean, i'm my system is still chugging on a Geforce2 Pro overclocked (225/500). I'm getting around 35-60 fps at 1024x768 at low/medium details. Just high enough frame rates to be playable, and not too low detail to puke at.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[spud]

Yup Yup i was running it on my p3 600 and it just chopped like a son of a bitch even on lowest settings. Me and buddy probed around and found that sound was the only thing we ignored wammo!!! Software sound enabled my system played it well. Low detail and all but still pretty good performance increase.

-Jeremy

<font color=blue>Just some advice from your friendly neighborhood blue man </font color=blue>

 

[eden]

Such a misleading topic subject.

--
"Let Go." -Avril Lavigne

 

[chuck232]

:lol: What's with the short sentence replies today??

UT2003 is one of the *new generation games* if I may call it such. A GF4 Ti4200 will have no problems playing this game and probably even DoomIII at med resolutions and details. But you really can't expect a GF2 MX play this game super smooth.

BTW, I think I'm getting more FPS than you and I've only got a P4 2.4B and Ti4200 128MB stock speed. How can you check? IIRC you had to type something in the console.

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[Quetzacoatl]

you type ~stat fps

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[chuck232]

Ok thanks!

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[eden]

Dunno why I post short, I guess my message is sent faster and understood directly. I'm taking the FatBurger approach!

BTW, STRESS tests of UT2003 had put many cards up there nevertheless. I don't believe a Ti4200 could give you only 35FPS under MAX DETAIL on a P4 2.4. It is a problem with nVidia's new drivers, or so, because if this game is advertising nVidia's logo, you can't help but wonder if nVidia isn't shooting themselves in the foot with that.

--
"Let Go." -Avril Lavigne

 

[flamethrower205]

35 fps is dumb. @ 1024x768, max settings (Quincux AA also), I pull an easy 40-50 fps min on my quadro dcc/1.2Ghz T-bird system.

What if you had admin rights to life?

 

[chuck232]

Maybe he means in botmatch, when he benchmarked?

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[eden]

Why base on a benchmark which COULD be biased to itself, if perhaps normal gaming gives you better results?
Look at Flame's results, and he uses an OpenGL card from the GF3 series, which IIRC isn't even what UT2003 uses, but rather Direct3D.
I won't try to deny UT2003 does lag on GF3s, but on those who own high end P4s with GF4 Tis, I have my doubts and would like to gamble.

--
"Let Go." -Avril Lavigne

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Yes, I agree Eden, the flyby benchmark seems a bit suspicious, I usually just go into a normal botmatch with like 4-8 bots, write down the average FPS every 2 minutes or so and play about half an hour. This game can lag just about any card given enough stress.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[chuck232]

Yeah, even the R9700 Pro at max res, details and max AA and aniso will make the game practically unplayable.

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[Quetzacoatl]

It is nice though to be able to play at 1280x1024 with 4x FSAA and max details at a smooth 60fps or more.

Soon enough, Intel will make the i845s...imagine dual channel Sdram...*shudder*

 

[eden]

Doesn't such kinds of reports/performances kinda makes you worried about Doom III and Carmack's expectations of it being perfect for R300?

And what about the so-called long times spend with Epic and nVidia optimizing for the Geforce line, UT2003, so that it can run at its best? Are we being told that optimizations are useless now, or the opposite and that nobody's trying hard enough to do it right?
Perhaps this is where ATi and RenderMonkey might do a difference.

--
"Let Go." -Avril Lavigne<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Eden on 10/20/02 03:34 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[flamethrower205]

Hmm, at least for me it makes a huge difference.

What if you had admin rights to life?

 

[eden]

What do you mean?

Also, OpenGL games make your gaming run like heaven anyways.

--
"Let Go." -Avril Lavigne

 

[chuck232]

MMM... if we could only get a card like the Quadro optimized for both OGL and D3D!

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[flamethrower205]

Das ist easy! Me sar done that! (note the German to Jar jar binx). My card is a full blown quadro, but screwing around with a friend's drivers on his GF3, I noticed a little anomily. Using this version of Rivatuner script (I'll check which one it was) and these drivers, the card effectively became a quadro, but not. It was fully optimized in D3D, but when it came back to OGL, it became fully optimized there. It was pretty cool. BTW, UT2k3 SUCKS in OGL.

What if you had admin rights to life?

 

[Greeny]

Another little tweak I found that really boosts frame rates...

Under UT2003.ini, scroll down to the direct3d device settings and change levelofanisotropy from 1 (default) to 0. The only obvious change is the blurring of distant textures (usually only noticeable on floors), but I prefer the boost in FPS to the crispness on distant floors anyways... I never realized how much anisotropic filtering affects performance, even with a Ti4600. It's probably a non-issue for 9700 Pro users, though... Lucky punks.

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.

Mitch Ratcliffe, "Technology Review" (1992)