How to make TS 2010 EE graphics more free-flowing?

[mrscsi]

[what happened to the memory] - Sorry -not sure what you mean? Why is it down to 2.99 from 4 gig ? If so - no idea.

I'd like to know why Auran include a platform spec checker that comes up green - when things are patently not Green...

You are kidding right? You're an IT professional and you don't realize that the TrainzDiag utility is actually meant as a guideline and not an absolute…

If it were actually accurate to the 90% range there would be so many mad customers that would've sent back Trainz for refund. It's a guideline tool that shows you your in the ballpark so to speak.

When the program is written it has to be dumbed down for the masses. And your idea of "running well" and the threshold that Auran/N3V set for "running well" may be worlds apart.

Also how is TrainzDiag Going to know that you have shared graphics RAM? Which is 90% of the problem by the way. And it's not that your Video can't handle the game, it can't handle the game at full load…

A weakness that most integrated graphics chips share…

 

[edu]

You are kidding right? You're an IT professional and you don't realize that the TrainzDiag utility is actually meant as a guideline and not an absolute…

If it were actually accurate to the 90% range there would be so many mad customers that would've sent back Trainz for refund. It's a guideline tool that shows you your in the ballpark so to speak.

When the program is written it has to be dumbed down for the masses. And your idea of "running well" and the threshold that Auran/N3V set for "running well" may be worlds apart.

Also how is TrainzDiag Going to know that you have shared graphics RAM? Which is 90% of the problem by the way. And it's not that your Video can't handle the game, it can't handle the game at full load…

A weakness that most integrated graphics chips share…

Re: the Diagnostic. Sorry, was being ironic. Always forget this is a dangerous thing to do on such boards.

So with a SW and not a HW background - Im not the sharpest when it comes to Video cards and resource contentions. Is there anything that can be done Configuration-wise - or is this a 'HW do-over'...?

 

[edu]

Yeah there are no graphics to manage, but I'll guarantee you in surveyor with a blank map your graphics card will be at 99% load. Why? Because there's no graphics to manage and since Trainz isn't throttled with no assets your video card Is actually working harder (from its perspective) than it does running Avery Drexel…

Don't believe me go Into windowed mode and look at your frame rate in surveyor versus frame rate in a route.

What I suspect is happening with your jerkiness is your built in graphics just don't like to run 99% and when they do being that it uses shared RAM it's having a bit of a problem keeping up with 99% load…

One (retired) IT professional to another, build a desktop with a dedicated video card and you'll be fine…

Thanks - useful albeit depressing. The combination of a laptop and a broadband home wireless network is too useful in all other aspects to consider returning to a static physical platform. Auran is nuts to disenfranchise the growing number who prefer to work (and play) this way.

BTW - I've run this and monitored resource impacts on proc and RAM. Never gets close to 100% of either... How easy is it to isolate the graphics impact and monitor this? I'd rather be certain -than just 'suspect'.

Thanx again.

 

[mrscsi]

Re: the Diagnostic. Sorry, was being ironic. Always forget this is a dangerous thing to do on such boards.

So with a SW and not a HW background - Im not the sharpest when it comes to Video cards and resource contentions. Is there anything that can be done Configuration-wise - or is this a 'HW do-over'...?

You can try throttling the frame rate in the Trainzoptions.txt

Just add the line -framerate= XX I would suggest something in the 40s

This will actually throttle the frame rate even in surveyor…

That might help.

 

[edu]

You can try throttling the frame rate in the Trainzoptions.txt

Just add the line -framerate= XX I would suggest something in the 40s

This will actually throttle the frame rate even in surveyor…

That might help.

Tried it (thanks for the idea) - But, no dice. Exactly same the performance as before.

Finding it hard to believe a modern (albeit constrained) graphics system unable to cope with what an 8 yr old technology used to handle with aplomb for TNZ2004.

Thanks for all your assistance and ideas....keep-em coming!

 

[johnwhelan]

Toshiba notebook.
Intel i5 dual core 2.26 ghz
4 gig mem (2.99 only usuable tho....)
Win 7 (32 bit)
44088 - and I downloaded and installed the latest service pack yesterday -

and thanks for the assistance. I've run TrainDiag - all green ticks...

Lap tops are built for low power consumption not performance. I think Auran / N3V do not recommend lap tops for this reason although some people run Trainz successfully.

I'd suggest building a desktop if you want to run Trainz or keep to very simple layouts and use the developer settings to weed out assets that are ultra-efficient.

Cheerio John

 

[edu]

Lap tops are built for low power consumption not performance. I think Auran / N3V do not recommend lap tops for this reason although some people run Trainz successfully.

I'd suggest building a desktop if you want to run Trainz or keep to very simple layouts and use the developer settings to weed out assets that are ultra-efficient.

Cheerio John

Thanks John. I've already a separate older PC but this is running Ubuntu - and I have no wish to go down that route or of building yet another machine.

The fact that some are running on far older and less powerful laptops convinces me there's something wrong somewhere. The lag of 7 secs per click is far beyond that explained by integrated graphics constraint - so Ill keep trying to get to the bottom. I downloaded 2009 last night - just to see if it's an introduced issue... There's anti-virus and folder permissions (administrator) lines of enquiry too.....!! Im going to get this to work if it bloody kills me!!

 

[edu]

2009 works tickety boo on same laptop

I downloaded and installed 2009 - and it runs faster than lightening on exactly the same laptop.

Which leads me to strongly suspect that they've done something 'stupid' in 2010 - but which only my particular combo of HW and O/S enjoy the 'benefits of'.

But should any follow in my unhappy footsteps - dont assume that 2010 wont run on yer laptop because of a basic design constraint (e.g. graphics bottleneck). I cant be certain that this isnt the case - but since 2009 runs so well, I suspect there's something else going on.

I will watch out for future patches with great interest and Thanks to one and all for the help.

 

[shaneturner12]

I have found that having on-access antivirus scanning enabled for the Trainz folder can have a big impact (best thing to do is to add the Trainz installation folder as an exception)

Shane

 

[bassist118]

My system is a little thin too - updated to latest multi player patch and saw a major frame rate decrease... My suggestion would be only update to 44088, I've had no probs with this version and runs pretty smooth. If looking for a upgrade to your video card the more built in memory the better.. I have a Nvidia Geforce 9400gt with 512mb on board, my system only has a Pentium D 2.8 and 1gb ram. However I do get surprisingly smooth game play.



Andy