How to increase performance massively

[Deus_nsf]

Use the d3d9.dll from the DXVK project... but on windows LOL, just copy paste the dll in the bin32 or bin64 folder, depends on what version of the game you are playing, and the game will run under Vulkan, massively improving performance in this very CPU / single thread game.

Don't take my word for it, take my video!

https://youtu.be/fHzQd-HKPI4

[Deus_nsf]

much longer session :

https://youtu.be/WuKBhobjbYI

[UmbralPenumbra]

who's really concerned about more performance on a game from nearly 2 decades ago, especially if their computer is new enough to be vulkan capable

[Deus_nsf]

I don't get you, this game hits brutal CPU bottlenecks on some levels, dipping below 100 FPS on D3D9 on my machine, and that is on a Ryzen 3800X and GTX 1080 Ti, not everyone has this class of hardware, for me Vulkan is about getting even more FPS because it's fun, but for people especially ones with weaker CPUs it can be the difference between 50 and 70 FPS and for those people it's a huge deal.

[UmbralPenumbra]

I have an i7 950, the base of my current system is a build I did in 2010 upgraded to have a gtx680, and I never saw any problems with framerate. But I play on a 60hz monitor and the fps capped at 60 (no vsync) so I wouldn't notice dips unless it went below 60. I haven't had a system incapable of 60+ on this game since maybe 2007. On a side note, Imagine playing the demo on integrated graphics with 5fps, that was a real doozy.

[Deus_nsf]

yeah, I should have specified that I am using special commands to increase LOD values, by default the LOD values are super CPU friendly and tuned for CPU of 2004-2005, but the pop-in is very aggressive, if you put the game in devmode (add -DEVMODE at the end of the shortcut to the exe after the "") and if at the game base folder you add a file named Systemcfgoverride.cfg containing this:

r_MotionBlur = "0"
e_detail_texture_min_fov = "3"
e_obj_view_dist_ratio = "100"
e_water_ocean_sun_reflection = "1"
e_shadow_maps_size_ratio = "2000"
e_shadow_maps_view_dist_ratio = "80"
e_vegetation_sprites_distance_ratio = "6"
r_Texture_Anisotropic_Level = "16"
e_active_shadow_maps_receving = "6"
e_terrain_lod_ratio = "0" # this one needs to be re-entered each time a level transition happens :(

Then the game will look much better (sadly it's a bit glitchy with water in ultra high so very high is preferrable) but it will be much more taxing on the CPU because the engine is basically being pushed to it's limits.

[UmbralPenumbra]

Still plays buttery smooth for me with those settings even on the more demanding levels
Maybe the issue is being on a Ryzen CPU. AMD was on top back in the Athlon XP/64/FX days (had an Athlon 64 in my "Half Life 2 rig"), but have been pretty unimpressive since the early 00s
Likely they were on top because of Pentium 4's terrible NetBurst architecture. Ended up going with a Q6600 and then an i7 950 when the later AMD CPU's turned out to be meh
But I'm not familiar with modern CPUs, so if the Ryzen 3800x is a low-end CPU then yeah older CPU intensive single threaded games like Far Cry, Doom 3, et al might struggle on higher settings

[Deus_nsf]

the 3800X (and variants) is the best gaming CPU from AMD at the moment, only beaten by the Intel 9700K and variants, but I play at high framerates so it's kinda different, try to play at unlocked framerate and in the open areas you shouldn't have much more than say 150-200 FPS, actually I have no idea, I'd be interested to have a feedback ^^

also be sure to be in -DEVMODE otherwise those settings wont all work

[Sar]

Do those settings fix horrible grass draw distance? Last time I tried to fix it I've found info that it's somehow hardcoded into the maps. Setting it to max value in FC Configurator did nothing.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Publicado originalmente por Deus:

I don't get you, this game hits brutal CPU bottlenecks on some levels, dipping below 100 FPS on D3D9 on my machine, and that is on a Ryzen 3800X and GTX 1080 Ti, not everyone has this class of hardware

Maybe it's because you're using AMD and older games like Intel more. I wanted to go for Ryzen as well but I play older games so I went with i5 9300H over R7 3750H.

[UmbralPenumbra]

Publicado originalmente por Athlon Pentium GHZ OC:

Maybe it's because you're using AMD and older games like Intel more

Athlon 64 FX series magazine ads back in the day showed Far Cry, and Far Cry has an AMD logo on the box art, so I doubt that. AMD was on top of the world in the mid 2000s. Mostly because Intel dropped the ball with the Pentium 4's NetBurst architecture. Athlon XP, Athlon 64, and Athlon 64 FX were _the_ CPU series for gamers back then. I myself had two separate builds, one with an Athlon XP 2800+ and one with an Athlon 64 3200+. Playing Call of Duty, Far Cry, Max Payne 2 and Half-Life 2. AMD has had less than stellar quality/performance since the late 2000s. Notorious for repackaging defective quad cores as tri-cores, and less than stellar performance as of late compared to Intel. I made the switch to a Q6600 and now my current build being an i7 950. If AMD is ever on top again I'll use them again I don't have any brand loyalty. But it's good to keep historical context in mind. Everything I'm reading seems to imply that Ryzen CPUs suck so it may just be an issue specific to that series.

[Deus_nsf]

Publicado originalmente por Athlon Pentium GHZ OC:

Publicado originalmente por Deus:

I don't get you, this game hits brutal CPU bottlenecks on some levels, dipping below 100 FPS on D3D9 on my machine, and that is on a Ryzen 3800X and GTX 1080 Ti, not everyone has this class of hardware

Maybe it's because you're using AMD and older games like Intel more. I wanted to go for Ryzen as well but I play older games so I went with i5 9300H over R7 3750H.

A good Intel CPU would indeed in this game give better performance, because of the better single thread performance, but for that you would need a very good Intel CPU, because the 3800X is not lagging far behind.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Publicado originalmente por PC Incompatible:

Publicado originalmente por Athlon Pentium GHZ OC:

Maybe it's because you're using AMD and older games like Intel more

If AMD is ever on top again I'll use them again I don't have any brand loyalty. But it's good to keep historical context in mind. Everything I'm reading seems to imply that Ryzen CPUs suck so it may just be an issue specific to that series.

Bruh, idk what world you're living but Intel is clearly sucking so hard being just barely better than AMD in gaming benchmarks for a higher price and lagging in everything else. Tiger Lake seems like a big letdown even though they're finally switching to 10nm, so much so that Apple is gonna ditch Intel and make their own ARM chips in a few years.

I think letting someone in marketing lead Intel was a big mistake and they should've let an engineer be the CEO like AMD did.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Publicado originalmente por Deus:

A good Intel CPU would indeed in this game give better performance, because of the better single thread performance, but for that you would need a very good Intel CPU, because the 3800X is not lagging far behind.

I'm pretty sure Ryzen has superior threaded performance while Intel has better single core performance and faster clock speeds but crappy multi-core that Ryzen excels at.

[based af]

Thanks Deus, I gave it a try and most of the really bad framedrops that I used to got during big explosions etc. are mostly gone now. 3900X, 32GB 3800C16, 1080 Ti

[Deus_nsf]

Publicado originalmente por the three time:

Thanks Deus, I gave it a try and most of the really bad framedrops that I used to got during big explosions etc. are mostly gone now. 3900X, 32GB 3800C16, 1080 Ti

Nice! Super glad to hear that!
I'm quite curious though, what kind of framedrops are we talking about ? the worst performance I have with D3D9 is like 80-90 FPS and that's with my tweaked config file, and at native 5K but no AA and no HDR. (we have almost the same hardware)