Low FPS Even With Low GFX
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So to cut to the chase, I recently got into Falcon BMS as part of a recent flightsim kick of mine. After getting it installed and updated to the latest version (Update 7) and solving a few CTD problems (had to turn off the intro video and force the game into windowed mode) I finally got into the game and booted up the rampstart training mission to find out I’m getting less than 10 FPS. Obviously that isn’t an acceptable framerate so I quit out of the mission and set about turning down every graphics setting I could possibly find to get it up to an acceptable level (I’m not too picky but for a game like this I’d like around 30 at least).
I’ve turned down both ingame settings (object detail, multisampling, ect, but not the HDR settings or the ones under the Advanced tab because I didn’t understand what they did) and the settings in the startup config (turned off double hud resolution and all shaders, turned on low-res clouds and the ‘reduced particle system’) and turned the resolution down as low as 1366 by 768 (I have a 24 inch monitor that runs 1920 by 1080 natively). The end result was a modest frame rate increase that I would estimate is no more than 20 FPS at the highest, even on other training missions (as I’ve heard Rampstart is a bit demanding).
As near as I can figure my computer (specs at the bottom) meets the ‘official recommended system requirements’ outlined here: https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/content.php?132 And though it’s not a modern power-house by any means, I get plenty of power out of it in many other recent games at at least moderate to high graphics settings.
My question is: is my rig really weaker than I think it is or are there some hidden settings I’ve completely missed that would net me a 15+FPS increase from what I’m getting currently? (Note It’s a Lenovo Y570 laptop so upgrading parts isn’t really an option.)
My system specs
OS: Windows 7
CPU: 2nd-gen [email protected] Quadcore w/hyperthreading (doubt it’s a CPU issue as the most I’ve seen BMS take up is about 5%)
GPU: Nvidia GT 555M w/1GB VRAM
RAM: 8GB
Hard Drive: 512GB @ 7200RPM + 1TB @ 7200RPM (BMS is installed on the second one which is about half free)TL;DR I’m getting a lot worse FPS than I think I should given my hardware even with drastically reduced graphics settings. Am I crazy or did I just miss something?
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Inside BMS Setup, where you changed the resolution, does it actually show it using the nVidia card? Does your laptop have both Intel and nVidia chipsets (being switchable?) A quick Google search on your laptop suggests you do.
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Yep, I too suspect that you are using the integrated graphics (integrated on chip with the CPU) instead of the discrete graphics card.
You can probably set which graphics you want to use for a given program in your nVidia graphics manager (nVidia Control Panel or something like that).
As far as I’ve experienced, switchable graphics can be a nuisance.
Also, know that BMS was very nVidia driver version “sensitive”, don’t know if this is still the case (because I use AMD)There are a large number of threads on this (or related) subject:
Forums > Technical Support >i have 2 video cards, confused about settings
Forums > Technical Support >Graphics problem
Forums > Technical Support > Performance issues with overkill rigForums > Technical Support >Good Quality and Good Performance Guide - FPS
Maybe you’ve already done this, but for the sake of completeness: you can configure the graphics
by clicking on the BMS icon to start up and choosing Configuration instead of Start up.
Then: configuration => settings hardware =>shaders
If necessary, turn off some of the shaders like heat blur, rain effects, shadows etc.Setting Shaders=>Lighting=>“Per pixel lighting” to “Per vertex lighting” should give you a large instant FPS boost.
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A great benchmark mission to ensure playable FPS in all conditions is the Mavericks training mission or a quick first flight
over the FLOT (front line) in the middle of a first day of a campaign.
Using the TGP or the Maverick view when there a lot of units (ground or air or both) around will certainly cost FPS
(and you"ll have even lower FPS in bad weather) but they are (certainly the TGP is) vital,
so if you’re satisfied with the FPS in that case, you’ll be satisfied in all other situations as well. -
@WolfKeeper
Yeah, I already had it set to use my nVidia card (it had defaulted to my integrated one and I knew that wasn’t going to cut it). -
Yeah, this laptop has Optimus (nVidia’s thing that thinks it can determine the “proper card” to use for each program, I’d personally rather just choose myself) but I had already switched from my integrated card (Intel HD 3000) to my discrete one (nVidia GT 555M) before I even loaded up any of the missions.
And like I said, I had already turned off all of the shader options and it still chugged (though there was a bit of improvement). For the sake of completeness I tried your suggestion with the lighting and it didn’t seem to improve things any further.
And as for that Maverick mission suggestion, I loaded it up and it was just as frame-y even without the Maverick view turned on.
Thanks for all the help so far, I’ll look into those forum threads you mentioned and see if any of them can give me some ideas.
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Take a look at my hot list at the performance gain section. Also Gamebooster could help u quickly kill unwanted apps and services that hold your cpu down.
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I have like the exact same system on my laptop, use A.S’s recommended settings on falcon-online.org. Some settings combinations are weird and make mine run terrible, but with that config as a basis I get 60+ instead of like 10 or 15.
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%Arty
I’ve already looked at the hotlist and tried many of the recommendations. And it’s definitely not a CPU issue (at most BMS only uses about 5% of my CPU as I said above) so I doubt Gamebooster would do much.
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Is this the thread you’re talking about? http://falcon-online.org/forum/index.php?topic=244.0
Or is it a different one?
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Update: Seems I was being generous with my framerate estimates. With all the latest tweaks I’m getting 6-7 FPS on the Maverick training mission. This is just absurd.
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I had exactly the same problem with the exact same GPU and optimus and switching falconBMS.exe to the GT555M solved it. Deactivate some shaders afterwards but you should be just fine.
You have to select the program exe in the Nvidia Control Panel (setup panel -> hardware & audio), go to the applications tab, “add” and then Falcon BMS 4.32/Bin/FalconBMS.exe (not the launcher !)
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@ Rezzy: do you and OldGoat5 and l3crusader have the same graphics driver version installed?
Graphics settings in both BMS and nVidia cp and the impact of the driver version is demonstrated here:
http://www.72ndvfw.org/forum/m/5688083/viewthread/11304553-woot-i-think-my-friend-stumbled-onto-answer-for-nvidia-hardware-guys-bms -
Thanks, but I’ve already done that, and I verified that it was the .exe and not the launcher. And ingame it definitely says I’m using the 555M.
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I don’t know about the others, but I have driver version 337.88 installed on mine.
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Is this the thread you’re talking about? http://falcon-online.org/forum/index.php?topic=244.0
Or is it a different one?
Thats the one. If i use anything else i get major fps drops. I have the 337 driver as well.
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This post is deleted! -
About the resolution: anything else than the native resolution of your monitor and card is not guaranteed to give better results,
even if it is a lower resolution. I believe the GPU just calculates the normal frames and composes a lower resolution frame based on those. -
Huh, that’s really weird, because I tried those same settings and I’m not even getting 10 FPS.
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Well that would explain why lowering the resolution doesn’t help. Do you know if running the game windowed would cause issues?
