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PC-Age: Can't keep that framerate up? Don't lower your settings, cap your framerate!

A

AgentOtaku

Member
PC gaming at 30fps!? ...ARE YOU FUCKING MAD!

Oh but it's true! ...and I can't believe this never really occured to me all these years playing PC games either!

So I was playing Far Cry 2 and was getting dissapointed just how often the framerate was hovering around the 45fps and consistantly dipping into the 30s. It's not a fault of the engine as it's very well optomized. It's actually me, my hardware and how i've just been conditioned with the idea that a non consistant 60fps PC = shit ....okay that's an exageration, but it is a concept that alot of us are pretty familiar with and spend alotta money at times to adhere to that ideal...

Then, through influence on GAF (holla DarkX) and prior experience (ET:QW) I decided to run gfx_maxfps = 30 ..and presto, I have a framerate that is essentially locked at thirty with everything set to very high and it almost never dips below that. Personally, this isn't a hard thing to adjust to either as I'm living in age where 30fps is more than the norm anyways (at least when you play consoles as often as me).
So I decided to try this on Crysis...the other title in my catalog that can never stay anywhere near 60fps (averages around 30-45). I found the command for it via the InCrysis Forums, which was "first_time_set = 0.035" I believe and now I'm rocking out with everything set to "High" and the framerate is rock fucking solid...even the cutscenes

I dunno, nowadays I rate a locked/stable 30fps with a bunch of shit going on >>>>> A fluctuating 30 - 60fps

So I guess this is an arguement to not be ready just yet to benchmark the hell outta yo shit, get discourged, and run out to buy a SLI setup. Toy around with the idea of caping your framerate

Oh as stated before, I also leave the cap on for Enemy Territories: Quake Wars ...though I think that game was orginally designed to run at 30fps anyways for some odd reason. Think the devs said something along the lines of "balancing between client and server"

Just to be clear though, if the game is rock hard 60fps all the time ala Source or UE3 based affairs, I'll gladly leave it so ....though I wish I could find the command to cap Mass Effect back to 30 as it regularly dips in places like the Citadel

But yeah, bottomline, if your ACTUAL framerate average is around 25 - 45fps with occasional spikes at +60 ....why not just lock it to 30

Oh and just for reference, here's my current setup:

E6600
8800gt
Vista32
4gig Ram
Audigy2
Raptor 10,000rpm (single, not raided)

UPDATE: Went ahead and started a list of games and corresponding commands to cap the framerate...feel free to contribute

Known framerate cap commands said:
Crysis and Crysis Warhead

Achieve a locked 30fps by either making a System.cfg file and putting the CVAR in there (hit up Crysis Tweakguide to do this) or entering the command via the console (after you entered the command "con_restricted 0" which enables console use)

Command: first_time_set = 0.035

Far Cry 2

Haven't figured out how to make a config file (or modify the one that exists) so just enter the following command when bringing down the console:

Command: gfx_maxfps 30

Source Engine Games (Half Life 2, Portal, etc.)

Command: fpsmax 30

Mass Effect

Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect\Config\BIOEngine.ini

Find MaxSmoothedFrameRate=62 under the [Engine.GameEngine] section and change the value to 30 and make sure bSmoothFrameRate=TRUE and that should limit the game to 30fps.
Click to expand...

Unreal Engine 3 based titles

Basically most UE3 games support a framecap.

Example, In Batman add:


[Engine.GameEngine]
bSmoothFrameRate=TRUE
MinSmoothedFrameRate=30.000000
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=30.000000


To UserEngine.ini, which is found in My Doucments/Eidos....................
Click to expand...

And also this!

Lince said:
well it takes some times but after some research I found a tool to cap every DX9 / OpenGL game at the desired framerate (no DX10 yet sorry)

first you have to download this tool (I'm not sure if this is legal or what, seems freeware to me so mods do what you want)

http://rapidshare.com/files/160642187/FPS_Limiter_0.2.rar

extract the content to a folder and run FPS_Limiter_GUI (you must have Java enabled)

it looks like this

fpsgui.jpg


you just need to point to the path where the game executable is located and select the desired framerate, note it defaults to DX9 applications. Click on "create bat" and there you go, you should have now in the folder a direct access to the game limited to the desired framerate.

result: http://rapidshare.com/files/160661014/LP30FPS.mp4

that was a small video of Lost Planet with maximum settings and 8xAA/16xAF capped at 30fps running on my modest PC, it runs silky smooth at a never faltering 30 fps. The best part is both the CPU and the GPU workload is reduced and so is the power consumption, triple win.

and now Fallout 3: http://rapidshare.com/files/160661015/FO330FPS.mp4

with Fallout 3 you just repeat the process and then change the variable iFPSClamp=0 in Fallout.ini to iFPSClamp=30

this is how I got the game to run in ultra settings with 4xAA/8xAF at rock solid 30fps and said goodbye to the hiccups. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
 
M

Momar

aka Ryder
Interesting... I should give this a shot some time on Warhead. I think fluctuating framerates bug me more than low framerates :| Seeing that FRAPS number in the top left corner change like mad bothers the hell out of me.
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Ryder said:
Interesting... I should give this a shot some time on Warhead. I think fluctuating framerates bug me more than low framerates :| Seeing that FRAPS number in the top left corner change like mad bothers the hell out of me.
Click to expand...

and that really is the thing ...it becomes a very apparent distraction. Enabling FRAPS or r_displayinfo 1 only makes it worse :lol
 
A

alistairw

Just so you know, I have the best avatars ever.
This should really be a standard option for PC games instead of some unintelligible gobbledygook entered on the console.
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
alistairw said:
This should really be a standard option for PC games instead of some unintelligible gobbledygook entered on the console.
Click to expand...

I was actually thinking this as well, and outside of off the wall circumstances like Halo for PC (which I think was done because of the animation system at the time right?), yeah it isn't a standard
 
L

Lince

Banned
nice thread, I'm playing Far Cry 2 at 30 fps too, no big deal since it's ultra smooth and you can set the graphics all the way to maximum settings, it helps I play PC games on my HDTV with a wireless 360 pad. I really hope there was a 30 fps cap for Assassins Creed too, I've tried to run it v-sync and maxed with forced 16xAA and 16xAF but it keeps fluctuating between 30 and 60, even tried to run prime95 in the background with no success lol, I guess the game doesn't use all available CPU cores but 2.

edit: loving Dead Space cap too, and the fact you can make it sit @ 60 fps through the Nvidia control panel :lol
 
H

herod

Member
Pretty sure this is something the graphics card manufacturers could implement in drivers on a global basis.
 
L

Lince

Banned
herod said:
Pretty sure this is something the graphics card manufacturers could implement in drivers on a global basis.
Click to expand...

I was wondering if a tool like D3Doverrider could be updated with this feature?

AgentOtaku said:
I wish I could find the command to cap Mass Effect back to 30 as it regularly dips in places like the Citadel
Click to expand...

same here
 
M

Momar

aka Ryder
AgentOtaku said:
and that really is the thing ...it becomes a very apparent distraction. Enabling FRAPS or r_displayinfo 1 only makes it worse :lol
Click to expand...

With all the console gaming I've been doing lately, I imagine 30 FPS would be more than fine for me on PC (assuming for some reason these 2 8800GT's can't achieve 60fps :( )
 
L

Lince

Banned
cedric69 said:
It'd be nice it this thread could become some sort of repository for locking fps at 30 in different games.
Click to expand...

let's start then

Far Cry 2: gfx_maxFPS = 30
Crysis / Warhead: first_time_set = 0.035
Source engine games: fpsmax 30

quote and add the commands for different games
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
cedric69 said:
It'd be nice it this thread could become some sort of repository for locking fps at 30 in different games.
Click to expand...

Well lets get started then shall we!:

Crysis and Crysis Warhead

Achieve a locked 30fps by either making a System.cfg file and putting the CVAR in there (hit up Crysis Tweakguide to do this) or entering the command via the console (after you entered the command "com_restricted 0" which enables console use)

Command: first_time_set = 0.035

Far Cry 2

Haven't figured out how to make a config file (or modify the one that exists) so just enter the following command when bringing down the console:

Command: gfx_maxfps 30

Source Engine Games (Half Life 2, Portal, etc.)

Command: fpsmax 30

EDIT: beat me to it :D ...will add to the OP though, thanks for the Source commands
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I do find that Far Cry 2 has a strange issue with its framerate regardless of whether I lock it. As you walk around, there are occasional "skips" in the framerate unrelated to disc access or anything. They are very minor and I feel that most people may not notice them, but it annoys me. When capped to 30 fps, it feels just like Halo 3 did (same type of skipping). Very odd.

I didn't realize there was such a command available for Crysis, however, so thanks for revealing it.
 
Chiggs

Chiggs

Member
Fluctuating framerates are fine for me, as long as they're in the 30-60fps range. Greater than that and it's sort of annoying.

dark10x said:
I do find that Far Cry 2 has a strange issue with its framerate regardless of whether I lock it. As you walk around, there are occasional "skips" in the framerate unrelated to disc access or anything.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, good old frame-hitching at its finest. Oblivion, Quake 4, Doom III, Fallout 3...they all do it. There are some ini changes you can do to eliminate that.
 
S

Sutanreyu

Member
AgentOtaku: Just a quick heads up. The correct command for enabling the console is "con_restricted 0", rather than 'com'. Hopefully that'll save some people some frustration. :p
 
T

TheHeretic

Banned
Since when is hovering between 30-60 annoying, or even noticable? Fluctuating frame rates are a problem when you are going from 30 to 15, an capping your framerate isn't going to achieve anything there.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
For reasons that I cannot fathom Unreal 3 and CoD4 actually look pretty choppy at 30fps while RTS games like C&C3 and World in Conflict look smooth as greased butter at 30fps. Most other titles tend to fall in the middle of those two extremes.

I used to mess around with max_fps in Half Life and I've found that 30 locked is pretty smooth, 40-45 starts to look as good as or better than 30, but 60 is like liquid silk. I think it has something to do with being a multiple of your refresh rate.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
SapientWolf said:
For reasons that I cannot fathom Unreal 3 and CoD4 actually look pretty choppy at 30fps while RTS games like C&C3 and World in Conflict look smooth as greased butter at 30fps. Most other titles tend to fall in the middle of those two extremes.

I used to mess around with max_fps in Half Life and I've found that 30 locked is pretty smooth, 40-45 starts to look as good as or better than 30, but 60 is like liquid silk. I think it has something to do with being a multiple of your refresh rate.
Click to expand...

Because the FPS games have more pixel movement while RTS games move much slower?

It's like watching a scenic sunset vs a Hollywood action flick.

30fps doesn't suit me as much as it used to, I prefer 40-45 much better. 60 is good, 80+ is great.
 
godhandiscen

godhandiscen

There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
alistairw said:
This should really be a standard option for PC games instead of some unintelligible gobbledygook entered on the console.
Click to expand...
It is an standard option for Halo PC. I love that game.

Thanks for the command for Crysis. I will try it later.
 
G

Grayman

Member
As someone who never gets motion sickness testing with 30 fps in quake 3 nearly made me puke. You should feel bad for playing at 30 you evil leaper.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Hazaro said:
Because the FPS games have more pixel movement while RTS games move much slower?

It's like watching a scenic sunset vs a Hollywood action flick.

30fps doesn't suit me as much as it used to, I prefer 40-45 much better. 60 is good, 80+ is great.
Click to expand...
I take it that you game on a CRT. Personally, I can't tell the difference between 80 or 50. It doesn't get smooth until I turn on v-sync.
 
G

Grayman

Member
SapientWolf said:
I take it that you game on a CRT. Personally, I can't tell the difference between 80 or 50. It doesn't get smooth until I turn on v-sync.
Click to expand...
I've noticed the jump from 60 to 85 but I adapt to it very quickly and then it just feels normal instead of awesome. Going higher wasn't as enjoyable because the resolution drop got too noticeable.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
SapientWolf said:
I take it that you game on a CRT. Personally, I can't tell the difference between 80 or 50. It doesn't get smooth until I turn on v-sync.
Click to expand...

LCD now, had played with CRT.

Colors are so much better, but the smoothness is gone :(
 
F

Fafalada

Fafracer forever
Hazaro said:
Because the FPS games have more pixel movement while RTS games move much slower?
Click to expand...
That, or the said games don't actually run at real 30. Stuff like Fraps only measures visual updates, the actual game logic could be running at anything for all you know.
 
L

Lich_King

Member
My first PC was 486dx2-66 with 8 mb ram and 1 mb video memory, bought back in 1997, so I'm fine as long as fps is above 10 :lol
Jumping between 90 and 120 fps in DMC4 seemed weird to me somehow, I had to turn v-sync on, other than that, I've never noticed any problems with framerate
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Sutanreyu said:
AgentOtaku: Just a quick heads up. The correct command for enabling the console is "con_restricted 0", rather than 'com'. Hopefully that'll save some people some frustration. :p
Click to expand...
whoops! :D
 
C

ch0mp

Member
TheHeretic said:
Since when is hovering between 30-60 annoying, or even noticable? Fluctuating frame rates are a problem when you are going from 30 to 15, an capping your framerate isn't going to achieve anything there.
Click to expand...


VERY easy to see when your framerate halves..

For anyone who has played MP fps games 30 is nowhere near enough.
 
T

TheHeretic

Banned
ch0mp said:
VERY easy to see when your framerate halves..

For anyone who has played MP fps games 30 is nowhere near enough.
Click to expand...

Depends on the game, and theres no good reason to lock your frame rate to 30fps in a multiplayer game anyway.
 
G

Grayman

Member
Lich_King said:
My first PC was 486dx2-66 with 8 mb ram and 1 mb video memory, bought back in 1997, so I'm fine as long as fps is above 10 :lol
Jumping between 90 and 120 fps in DMC4 seemed weird to me somehow, I had to turn v-sync on, other than that, I've never noticed any problems with framerate
Click to expand...
Going from 90fps to any rate in the 80s drove me bonkers in quake 4 but that would be because the doom 3 engine appears to be scrubbish and not have fps independent physics which is the whole reason that the q4max mod defaults duel to 90fps to begin with.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Chiggs said:
Ah, yes, good old frame-hitching at its finest. Oblivion, Quake 4, Doom III, Fallout 3...they all do it. There are some ini changes you can do to eliminate that.
Click to expand...
Yes, I solved my FO3 issues, but I'm still uncertain about FC2. I don't know what the deal is, but it just doesn't run as smooth as it should.
 
P

Proc

Member
vareon said:
Thread bookmarked. Thanks, AgentOtaku! I'll try some of these later after my exams.
Click to expand...

same, same. never really thought to try locking the freamerate at 30. Should be clutch for fallout 3 when I play with the controller on the couch.
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Proc said:
same, same. never really thought to try locking the freamerate at 30. Should be clutch for fallout 3 when I play with the controller on the couch.
Click to expand...

Fallout3 actually runs flawless on my machine though
 
P

Proc

Member
AgentOtaku said:
Fallout3 actually runs flawless on my machine though
Click to expand...

rad, i have similar specs (8800gts, q6600, 4gig ram, vista 64). can't wait to get back and try it out
 
B

Bogus

Member
To you guys saying you like seeing 80+ FPS in games: what LCD monitors are you using that are capable of refresh rates over 75hz, anyway? Most good ones I've been able to find are capped there, and mine only goes to 60.
 
O

otake

Doesn't know that "You" is used in both the singular and plural
well thank you very much. it's amazing that this never occurred to me.

thread is full of win. :D
 
B

brain_stew

Member
I tend to prefer to use V Sync + Triple Buffering, as there is a noticeable difference between 30fps and 40fps+ for me but the difference becomes less and less noticeable once you start getting above 40fps.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
My problem with capping the framerate, or enablind V-Sync is this: mouse response diminishes drastically. Try taking a game that runs at 60fps no problem, like a Source game, or even the original Half-Life games, and cap it to 45. You'll notice mouse response diminishes quite a bit. Then try capping it to 30, it feels almost unplayable.

I rather run Far Cry 2 where it'll hold a decent 40+fps most of the time, with the occasional drop to 30, rather than keeping it at 30.

Of course, this is null when using a gamepad. The input lag at 30fps is not really noticeable on a gamepad.

Oh, and a tip to those annoyed by tearing. When I moved from my CRT monitor (running at 100Hz) to my 22" LCD (running at 60Hz), I was really annoyed by the tearing. A CRT running at 100Hz barely shows any tearing at all since it updates so fast that the tears are almost too small to see. When I got my 22", I had to start forcing V-Sync. Then, I got annoyed by how it added input lag (since triple buffering seems to be forced with new nVidia cards, whether you have it set to On or Off in the Control Panel). Force yourself to play without V-Sync for a week or two. After a while, you will stop seeing tearing, and you'll get to enjoy a much more responsive game.
 
scarybore

scarybore

Member
Just to be clear though, if the game is rock hard 60fps all the time ala Source or UE3 based affairs, I'll gladly leave it so ....though I wish I could find the command to cap Mass Effect back to 30 as it regularly dips in places like the Citadel
Click to expand...

I don't know of any console commands that let you change the max framerate on the fly but you can set Mass Effect to max out at 30fps by editing a .ini file.

Documents\Bioware\Mass Effect\Config\BIOEngine.ini

Find MaxSmoothedFrameRate=62 under the [Engine.GameEngine] section and change the value to 30 and make sure bSmoothFrameRate=TRUE and that should limit the game to 30fps.
 
A

ampere

Member
I'll definitely try this out to see if I can get Crysis running. I had a lot of problems trying to run the demo, which obviously turned me away from buying the game.
My setup is:
Core 2 Duo 2.2Ghz
2GB RAM
Nvidia 8600M GT (256MB)
I don't know the rest of the guts
It's a laptop. I want to run Crysis on my laptop :p
 
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