[Why does this game run poorly?]

I finally had the opportunity to reinstall my rig and switch around mainboards (as I am self employed working from home, I don't get to do that too often..)

 

PoE now finally runs smoothly on my rig. Still wondering what caused the problem though...

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Nope, tried to lower resolution, still same jerky junk.

[Why does this game run poorly?]

just found out something interesting: when I go to 'the fireplace' where my FPS is downright unplayably poor, my CPU-use in Task Manager is around 20 percent. When I move away, not only my FPS goes up, but my CPU use jumps to the lower 40 percent!

To quote a great philosopher: What the...?!?!?

 

Anyone knows what is going on underneath that hood of that game? Because I really have no ideas anymore

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Good for you and thanks for sharing. Doesn't seem to be blanket fix though, at least not for me.

[Why does this game run poorly?]

 

Right now, I would almost sacrifice a puppy to get to a constant 30 fps... ;-)

Any luck with overclocking your GPU as suggested earlier?

 

Yep, I tried, and sadly, it did not work... Not to say that I don't appreciate the advice. But in my case, it seems not to be the graphics card. It's not memory either, since I had the opportunity to try a different pair of sticks. So that leaves the processor, which is only used for 20 percent when PoI is running...

 

Ow, and the patch didn't help either. Even setting the graphic slider to minimum I get the same 8 fps at the opening campfire...

[[1.03] Minor bugs and some words about the (poor) optimization]

Second that, though in my case it's Win7 64bit ;-)

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Right now, I would almost sacrifice a puppy to get to a constant 30 fps... ;-)


EDIT: you know, even a constant 20 fps would make my day!

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Well, just in case someone would notice something immediately off with my system, here is my DxDiag. While am still waiting for the patch due to GOG (sobs...), I have read on some boards that the patch did not help them, and there is nothing in the patch notes about my specific problem...

 

 

          Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.150202-1526)

          System Manufacturer: MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD

       System Model: MS-7529

               BIOS: Default System BIOS

          Processor: Intel® Core2 Duo CPU     E8400  @ 3.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz

             Memory: 4096MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 4096MB RAM

          Page File: 2459MB used, 5728MB available

        Windows Dir: C:\Windows

    DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI

 System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

     DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode

 

 

---------------

Display Devices

---------------

          Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series

       Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

          Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9440)

           DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)

         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_9440&SUBSYS_24481682&REV_00

     Display Memory: 2811 MB

   Dedicated Memory: 1020 MB

      Shared Memory: 1791 MB

       Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (75Hz)

       Monitor Name: AOC 907

      Monitor Model: 907

         Monitor Id: AOC1907

        Native Mode: 1280 x 1024(p) (60.020Hz)

        Output Type: DVI

[Why does this game run poorly?]

 

 

 

Well, I have the GOG version, so it's not the overhead. Also, judging from other forums, my rig should be able to run the game smoothly... instead, I get less than 10 fps in crowded areas.

 

You mentioned in an earlier post using an HD4870 - is that the 512MB VRAM model? If so, it might be lack of VRAM (I've seen GPU memory usage reach 600MB at 2560x1600) - try installing MSI Afterburner to check on your usage.

 

If your system is maxing out on VRAM, check you're not forcing any graphics enhancements like AA in Catalyst Control Centre and try running the game at a lower resolution with MSAA disabled (open console with ~, press Enter, type msaa 0, press Enter again).

 

Another option might be to try overclocking your HD4870 if you're not already doing so (MSI Afterburner should be able to do that, but keep an eye on temperatures) but that won't help much if lack of VRAM is the problem.

 

Thanks. Nope, it's the 1GB version, so on-specs, so to speak. Thing is: it is handling effects pretty well so far. It just is the models that my rig has a hard time with.

 

BTW: the character creation screen is also a pain; somehow, my clicks are 'lagging' and the cursor is trailing. Not a big deal though, the crowded areas is more of a gamebreaker for me

 

I'll look into Afterburner though...

 

 

The crowded areas are taxing on the CPU, not graphics card. You can do a really simple test by pausing in a crowded area (Copperlane) and scrolling around. You'll notice performance improve dramatically despite rendering the same scene.

 

Nope... I paused around the starting camp fire, still FPS in the 7-8 range. Only zooming in helps there (goes to around 10 fps). And my CPU is only taxed for 20 percent...

 

I'll just wait for the patch

 

 

[Why does this game run poorly?]

 

Well, I have the GOG version, so it's not the overhead. Also, judging from other forums, my rig should be able to run the game smoothly... instead, I get less than 10 fps in crowded areas.

 

You mentioned in an earlier post using an HD4870 - is that the 512MB VRAM model? If so, it might be lack of VRAM (I've seen GPU memory usage reach 600MB at 2560x1600) - try installing MSI Afterburner to check on your usage.

 

If your system is maxing out on VRAM, check you're not forcing any graphics enhancements like AA in Catalyst Control Centre and try running the game at a lower resolution with MSAA disabled (open console with ~, press Enter, type msaa 0, press Enter again).

 

Another option might be to try overclocking your HD4870 if you're not already doing so (MSI Afterburner should be able to do that, but keep an eye on temperatures) but that won't help much if lack of VRAM is the problem.

 

Thanks. Nope, it's the 1GB version, so on-specs, so to speak. Thing is: it is handling effects pretty well so far. It just is the models that my rig has a hard time with.

 

BTW: the character creation screen is also a pain; somehow, my clicks are 'lagging' and the cursor is trailing. Not a big deal though, the crowded areas is more of a gamebreaker for me

 

I'll look into Afterburner though...

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Well, I have the GOG version, so it's not the overhead. Also, judging from other forums, my rig should be able to run the game smoothly... instead, I get less than 10 fps in crowded areas.

 

So I reeeeaaaaallllyyy hope the patch will amend it. I stopped playing soon after the first areas because it just hurt the eyes.

FYI: I am not what you would call a 'performance gamer', and I am not above scaling back details. Also, I have zero issues with other games, including Skyrim, Wasteland 2 or Deus Ex Revolution. Somehow, Pillars is just not working for me right now.

[Why does this game run poorly?]

check your driver graphic options, it helped a LOT here.

Could you elaborate on that a bit? What things did you tweak?

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Yeah, it would probably help. Also, it is surprising considering the graphics and models are ok, but not spectacular. I really do hope there is something to be done and/or there will be a patch of some sort.

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Well, just measured: I get a whole 8 to 10 fps on the opening camp fire scene at the start, goes in higher 20's when I move away, but drops to 8 again when I return...

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Well, just found out that a very banal workaround is just to, ehm, zoom in in crowded areas (ie the starting fireplace)

[Why does this game run poorly?]

Sure. But how do I remedy it? I do not care much about having the fireworks and sparkles, I already run it at lowest resolution. but it needs to remain playable. Right now, it is way too choppy

I understand that minimum specs are minimum specs, but my machine does meet them; the only part that is absolute minimum is the RAM (can't help it, that in turn is bottlenecked by the mobo). When I go into the task manager, the game takes up about 20% processor capacity and a little over a gig of memory; there is still room to spare there (I only run bare minimum in the background).

[Why does this game run poorly?]

My rig does meet minimum requirements (HD4870, Core2Dueo 3Ghz, 4GB RAM), but the low framerate when there are more than 2 chars around makes it nigh unplayable. Turning off anti aliasing barely helps. I am running the game in admin.

Now, before people start about 'Unity': Wasteland 2 and especially Shadowrun Returns run very smoothly, and those are both Unity games... So does anyone have any ideas?