Map Loading Times

2008-03-19 08:03:17

#1

Phil_F: Member; +1|6734

I suspect there is a lot of misinformation out there about what causes slow map loading times.
I had a rather low spec machine running BF2 - it is about 1.33 ghz and had 500 MB Ram and a Radeon 9600 card... about the minimum spec I guess. Anyway it ran fine.. lag was good and maps loaded in about 1 minute or so. I was running XP off a 4 gb HD with all else on a separate 40 GB HD. I occasionally got swap file issues... when installing patches!! But got round them.

Anyway... recently lag started to get really intolerable... something had changed... maybe since the last patch or punkbuster had altered its operation or whatever... my connection latency was still recorded at about 40ms but the game became really hard to play. Perhaps it is down to my ISP... in any event I got another GB of Ram and then transferred my whole system to just one drive and re-installed BF2.
Now.... Jesus H the map load time must be about 5 minutes... i get to hear the theme tune about two or three times to completion.
The hard drive is chattering away... and my sound has become choppy... all since I put in the new RAM and re-installed XP.

What the heck is going on??

Would it help to use separate IDE interfaces for the DVD drive and HD?
And what really causes slow map loading times?
I do wonder if the latest PUNKBuster update is at the heart of the problem.

Thanks

2008-03-19 08:05:43

#2

Locoloki: I got Mug 222 at Gritty's!!!!; +216|6842|Your moms bedroom

damn, i dont think i've ever had a map load in under a minute

2008-03-19 08:09:53

#3

d4rkph03n1x: Member; +131|6952

Maybe it decided to say fuck you, I don't want to take this shit anymore.

Instant answer ; Spend some more money on up to 2gb or more ram and a decent processor/gfx card, and we'll get along fine. Imo, computers need love and attention. 1 Minute loading times aren't that fast my friend. If you've installed anything that takes up more ram, then it'll be hard for the poor old bastard to keep up with your demands. A singular 1.33ghz processor can't read data off a hard drive too fast, and you might want to check the speed of the drive that you have got. It sounds like you have a very old machine; Maybe it's time for an entire new computer, if you can afford the upgrade.

Here are some links to help you with your query.

Possible answer regarding ISP
http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=95592

Boris' FPS tweak guide
http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=50278

Boris' Latency reduction guide
http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=22556

edit: maybe i should read the thread thru. Victim of speed reading.

Last edited by d4rkph03n1x (2008-03-19 08:15:40)

2008-03-19 17:23:01

#4

Phil_F: Member; +1|6734

Well I get in late but I still manage to shoot lots of people.. lol It is quite playable on the old box... I can't see myself investing anymore in a game with such specific requirements and so many damned patches and problems.. I am looking forward to the new free game.. it looks great.
It is about strategy not pretty graphics.. never saw the point in 2142 either.. the props and weapons are just candy.. the essence of the game is skill and teamwork.

2008-03-19 17:58:24

#5

chittydog: less busy; +586|7037|Kubra, Damn it!

Turn dynamic shadows to low, they're a killer with loading times. Turning down texture filtering, lighting and terrain will also help your load times. With these turned down, I generally load a map < 30 seconds.

2008-03-19 18:15:17

#6

Cheez: Herman is a warmaphrodite; +1,027|6641|King Of The Islands

Run this for a couple hours.

If they aren't already, set your graphics to Low, except View Distance (100%) and Effects (Medium).

Turn off crap.

I dunno, PIO Mode? Check Device Manager > ATAPI Controller.

My state was founded by Batman. Your opinion is invalid.

2008-03-26 03:43:47

#7

Phil_F: Member; +1|6734

I did find some improvement when I took my DVD drive off the same IDE cable as the HD. It was really choking the data rate.
Now.. yeah I can get on in about 4 minutes. I was aggrieved to find myself getting kicked for excessive idle time just as I finally managed to join! ha! c'est la guerre

2008-04-06 14:55:53

#8

Markooo*Est: Previously known as CC-Marley; +334|6350|Estonia

Once i loaded map with 5 seconds,

2008-04-15 12:25:48

#9

theelviscerator: Member; +19|6491

key phrase..transferred system....

FAIL.

2008-04-15 16:26:50

#10

The_Lance_117: CANADA STRONG; +110|6139|CANADA

My maps load in about 10 seconds average, I get automatic dibs on helos and planes.

2008-04-15 16:56:33

#11

Adamshannon8: Member; +94|6387

chittydog wrote:
Turn dynamic shadows to low, they're a killer with loading times. Turning down texture filtering, lighting and terrain will also help your load times. With these turned down, I generally load a map < 30 seconds.

yes i <3 the < 30 second loading times.

BF2S Forums Map Loading Times

chittydog wrote:

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