Low-end comps
Since AACW has few graphics options to turn in/off for better CPU performance how do I optimize my laptop for a faster gameplay other then by turning off the AI behaviours/time? I have alredy bumped up my virtual memory and it helped. What can I do next?
Just about every time I exit AACW, I get a "Vitrual Memory Too Low" message in my system toolbar...Well, it is a part of your hard drive memory that can be used by the computer in addition to its RAM memory. My laptop is 256 MB RAM, so I bumped virtual memory to 1792-1792 MB brackets. Thus I get no CTD playing AACW. Now I wonder what ELSE can be done to speed up this great game a bit.
If you get " low virtual memory" I may want to bump it provided you hard drive still has some free space
If you get " low virtual memory" I may want to bump it provided you hard drive still has some free space
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Primasprit
- Posts: 1614
- Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:44 pm
- Location: Germany
Hi Seneca!
From http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B308417&x=10&y=14
How to manually manage computer memory
When your computer is running low on RAM, and you must have more RAM immediately, Windows uses hard disk space to simulate RAM. This is known as virtual memory. It is also known as the paging file. This is similar to the UNIX swapfile. By default, the virtual memory paging file (named pagefile.sys) that is created during installation is 1.5 times the RAM on your computer.
You can optimize virtual memory use by dividing the space between multiple drives and by removing space from slow or heavily accessed drives. To best optimize your virtual memory space, divide it among as many physical hard drives as possible. When you select drives, follow these guidelines:
• Try to avoid having a paging file on the same drive as the system files.
• Avoid putting a paging file on a fault-tolerant drive such as a mirrored volume or a RAID-5 volume. Paging files do not require fault-tolerance, and some fault-tolerant computers experience slow data writes because they write data to multiple locations.
• Do not put multiple paging files on different partitions on the same physical disk drive.
How to manually change the size of the virtual memory paging file
You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change under Virtual memory.
4. Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change.
5. Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, type a new paging file size in megabytes (MB) in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum paging file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. When you increase the paging file size, you typically do not have to restart your computer.
Boy do I feel silly...What is virtual memory? Just about every time I exit AACW, I get a "Vitrual Memory Too Low" message in my system toolbar...
From http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B308417&x=10&y=14
How to manually manage computer memory
When your computer is running low on RAM, and you must have more RAM immediately, Windows uses hard disk space to simulate RAM. This is known as virtual memory. It is also known as the paging file. This is similar to the UNIX swapfile. By default, the virtual memory paging file (named pagefile.sys) that is created during installation is 1.5 times the RAM on your computer.
You can optimize virtual memory use by dividing the space between multiple drives and by removing space from slow or heavily accessed drives. To best optimize your virtual memory space, divide it among as many physical hard drives as possible. When you select drives, follow these guidelines:
• Try to avoid having a paging file on the same drive as the system files.
• Avoid putting a paging file on a fault-tolerant drive such as a mirrored volume or a RAID-5 volume. Paging files do not require fault-tolerance, and some fault-tolerant computers experience slow data writes because they write data to multiple locations.
• Do not put multiple paging files on different partitions on the same physical disk drive.
How to manually change the size of the virtual memory paging file
You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
1. Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change under Virtual memory.
4. Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change.
5. Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, type a new paging file size in megabytes (MB) in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum paging file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. When you increase the paging file size, you typically do not have to restart your computer.
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Primasprit
- Posts: 1614
- Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:44 pm
- Location: Germany
Jacek wrote:Well, it is a part of your hard drive memory that can be used by the computer in addition to its RAM memory. My laptop is 256 MB RAM, so I bumped virtual memory to 1792-1792 MB brackets. Thus I get no CTD playing AACW. Now I wonder what ELSE can be done to speed up this great game a bit.
If you get " low virtual memory" I may want to bump it provided you hard drive still has some free space
The best way to increase performance would be to upgrade your memory, 256 MB is not very much. AACW is very happy with 1024 MB RAM.
Yeah, Primasprit, that would do but unfortunately I won't be buying a new laptop anywhere soon. I agree 256 MB is not much but I have to find a workaround for now. I want to retain AI options to enjoy a better challenge, but game has zilch graphic options in Main Menu to adjust. I disabled music, though I don't know if it is any good. Any ideas?
I really like this game.
but unfortunately I won't be buying a new laptop anywhere soon. I agree 256 MB is not much but I have to find a workaround for now. I want to retain AI options to enjoy a better challenge, but game has zilch graphic options in Main Menu to adjust. I disabled music, though I don't know if it is any good. Any ideas?
I really like this game.
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Primasprit
- Posts: 1614
- Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:44 pm
- Location: Germany
Hi Jacek!
I didn't meant that you have to buy a new one, maybe you have the possibility just to upgrade the RAM of your laptop? This would not only affect the performance of AACW but of all applications you are running.
Of course this are additional costs, but actually I don't see another possibility to enhance the performance of the game in another way, sorry. (I also don't know the other specs of your computer so I can't say if the RAM upgrade is really worthwhile...)
[...]that would do but unfortunately I won't be buying a new laptop anywhere soon.[...]
I didn't meant that you have to buy a new one, maybe you have the possibility just to upgrade the RAM of your laptop? This would not only affect the performance of AACW but of all applications you are running.
Of course this are additional costs, but actually I don't see another possibility to enhance the performance of the game in another way, sorry. (I also don't know the other specs of your computer so I can't say if the RAM upgrade is really worthwhile...)
in the ACW\settings\general.opt file there is this entry:
UseTexOnly = 0
set it to 1
Alternatively, you could edit the rgn files one by one, removing ocean bitmaps for example and peripherical regions, but it is a lot more work!
UseTexOnly = 0
set it to 1
Alternatively, you could edit the rgn files one by one, removing ocean bitmaps for example and peripherical regions, but it is a lot more work!
Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's law."
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