Improving FPS and Ping

[Joth]

Forgive me if this is not the spot to post this but I thought it would be helpful to people. I've noticed some people (myself included) suffer from pretty bad fps and this guide will help you with that. It is not always a drastic improvement but sometimes it can be. I went from about 10 fps regularly to getting about 30 fps on most maps. My brother went from 18 fps to 65 fps regularly. THIS GUIDE IS NOT MY CREATION AND YOU CAN FIND A LINK TO THE ORIGINAL CAN BE FOUND HERE

 

FPS Commands

/cg_drawfps 1 - Enter this before starting.

 

r_OverBrightBits "0" - This command defines the brightness level of the map. The higher the number, the brighter the map becomes (0 being the lowest possible value). For some reason this command eats up a shit load of frames. I had it set to 16 and when I tried changing it to 0, I gained about 20-30 fps (on an AMD XP 1600+ / GeForce 3 Ti200 combo). So if you need the fps boost, set this to 0. Your game will appear extremely dark at first, but don't worry, you can brighten it up again with r_intensity and r_gamma which are explained next.

 

r_intensity "1.8" - This command increases the brightness of texture colors. With a low r_OverBrightBits, you may have to boost this to around 2 (default is 1). Keep experimenting until you find a brightness level you are comfortable with.

 

r_gamma "2" - This is the master command that adjusts the brightness level of everything in the entire game. All splash screens and menus, along with the actual game play is affected. The default value is 1, but you should usually make this higher, depending on the brightness of your monitor (and to compensate for a low r_OverBrightBits setting). Try 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2 etc until you find a good setting. When setting r_OverBrightBits to 0, you'll have to juggle around between r_intensity and r_gamma until you find something you are comfortable with.

 

r_vertexLight "1" - This is the command to enable vertex lightning. It removes many of the special effects and makes the map look somewhat dull. You should experience a decent fps boost with vertex lighting enabled.

 

r_picmip "3" - This is the texture detail command found in Setup / Video. The higher the number, the less detail you will have. 5 is a good value, because it blurs out the textures so you can see your enemies clearer, but if that's too much for you, try 3 or 4. The command defaults to 1 and can go up to 16. If you have simple items enabled (explained next), you'll want to set picmip to 3. Anything higher and some items become blurred beyond recognition.

 

cg_simpleItems "1" - This command makes the items on the map "simple" by changing them into 2d icons from 3d models. Set this to 1 to gain fps. If your r_picmip setting is above 3, some of the items will appear blurry with simpleitems enabled.

 

com_maxfps "120" - This caps your frames (can be seen with cg_drawFPS 1) at 120 fps. A strange physics algorithm in the q3 engine makes it so your characters will have the best possible movement/gravity at a constant 120 fps. Strafe jumps, for example, go the longest and highest when fps is capped at this magic number. The default value is 85.

 

r_displayRefresh "120" - Sets the display refresh rate of your monitor. You'll have to find out what refresh rates your monitor supports for each resolution, and use the highest refresh rate you can. Many monitors use 120 for 640x480 resolution, which works out perfectly with a com_maxfps setting of 120. The default setting is 0.

 

r_subdivisions "80" - The higher number, the less curves there will be in the map, with values ranging from 0-80. If you need fps try 80. If you can spare some, stick with default 4 or 20.

 

r_texturebits "16"

 

r_colorbits "16"

 

r_depthbits "16" - Makes the color depth of the game 16 bits. Change these values to 32 for a smoother picture. If you need the fps, stick with 16.

 

r_lodbias "2" - This is the Geometric detail setting found in Setup/Video. Keep it at 0 if you don't like square models. 1 is default and 2 is the lowest quality (more fps).

 

r_fastsky "1" - When set to 1, This command disables the sky, giving you better fps.

 

r_textureMode "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST" - Uses Bilinear filtering which will give you better fps.

 

r_mode "3" - Sets your resolution to 640x480, a suggested setting if you need the fps. 4 = 800x600, 5 = 1024x768, 2 = 400x300 etc.

 

cg_shadows "0" - Shadows underneath the models take up FPS and they will look ugly anyway with a picmip of 3-5.

 

cg_drawcrosshair "-6" - This command will select your crosshair, -6 being a red dot. The dot doesn't work on all maps and will appear as a grey box sometimes. To select the crosshairs, you can choose from 1 through 9, or even experiment with some random negative values.

 

cg_crosshairsize "8" - The size of the crosshair. I use 8 with the red dot... default is 24.

 

cg_fov "97" - This is the command for your field of vision. The default setting is 80. Higher values will give you a larger perspective of your surroundings. You can go all the way up to 300 or something in q3, but 97 is the max in jk2/ja for reasons unknown.

 

cg_marks "0" - Disable splash damage/projectile marks on walls (can save fps). This can be set in Setup/More Video. This well known q3 command doesn't seem to work in ja.. god knows why. I set it to 0 yet the marks still show up.

 

cg_noprojectiletrail "1" - Disables rocket smoke trails. Smoke trails eat up valuable fps and can be an annoyance.

 

cg_thirdperson "1" - Setting this to 0 will put your perspective in 1st person.

 

cg_drawGun "0" - Clears the gun drawings on the screen (can only be noticed in 1st person). This setting allows for a small fps boost. Some people like to see the guns, others find them distracting. It's up to you.

 

cg_hudfiles "1" - The default is 0 which will display a graphical mana and health hud. I highly recommend switching this setting to 1 for a simple text hud. It takes up less space on the screen and is easier to read.

 

cg_drawTimer "1" - The timer is displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen. Enable it, you need to be able to see the elapsed time in the game.

 

cg_drawAttacker "0" - Disables the 2d picture of the person who's shooting you from popping up. Some people like to leave this option on 1 but I find it to be distracting.

The following commands will disable screen bobbing when you move, which can be a detriment to your aim/be distracting. Set ‘em all to 0 for a smooth ride (can only be noticed in 1st person).

 

g_bobup "0"

 

cg_bobpitch "0"

 

cg_bobroll "0"

 

cg_runroll "0"

 

cg_runpitch "0"

 

cg_forcemodel "1" - This command will change all players' skins in the game to the current model you're using. Along with making it easier on the game's memory, this will give a nice fps boost to a slow computer.

 

model "reelo" - This is the command to change your model. You can choose any model you want by their name. Reelo is the fat ass guy so he may seem easier to see/hit.

 

cg_aurashell "1" - This defaults to 1 but make sure you don't turn it off (like I did before) or force seeing won't work. Wall hackers pay no attention to this.

 

cg_speedtrail "0" - Setting this handy command to 0 disables the annoying speed trails that appear when force_speed is enabled. Along with a small fps increase, I find it a lot easier to speed with the trails turned off. It almost seems less lagged.

 

cg_repeaterorb "1" - This setting changes the repeater projectile into a shinny sphere.

 

cg_drawRadar "0" - Set this to 0 to clear the useless/distracting radar which is on by default.

 

r_dynamicglow "0" - Setting this to 1 creates a fancy glowing lightsaber effect at the cost of fps. Keep it at 0 to save frames. Thanks for this addition goes to ihp|Clarity.

 

cg_rendertotexturefx "0" - Setting this command to 0 takes off the faggoty "bubble effect" that appears with force push/pull. Some users (cards) have this set to 0 by default for some reason, but if you see the effect and want it gone, here is your fix. The fps boost is small, but the stupid effect gets annoying after a while, especially in push/pull newbie infested servers.

 

 

 

 

 

PING COMMANDS

rate "25000" - Optimal setting for a high speed internet connection. Use 3000 if you're on dial up. If your high speed connect sucks, you might want to experiment with values lower than 25000.

 

snaps "40" - Any server admin who knows what he/she is doing will set the sv_fps to 30 for a smoother ride. You'll need to set your snaps to 30 or higher to take full advantage of this. The default snaps/sv_fps settings is 20. If you play with 20 snaps on an optimized server with 30 sv_fps, your ping will be much higher (possibly 20-30ms higher) than it would be if your snaps setting is equal to or greater than 30. Go with 40 just be safe.

 

cl_timenudge "0" - This command compensates for lag and will make your ping feel lower at the expense of choppy enemies. Values are always in the negatives, with 0 (off) being the default. Experiment with this setting depending on your ping/connection. -20 is a good setting for a 60-70 ping, -30 for 100 ping, etc. If the enemies are too choppy for you, keep this at 0.

 

cl_maxpackets "100" - If you have a low ping go with 100. If you're struggling for a decent ping, you might want to try 30 - 50

[Smity]

Thank you for posting this I had forgotten to move this topic originally. It has been moved to the Mod Center.

[Sharp]

yeah i had this posted originally, good to see it again..

[Smity]

yeah i had this posted originally, good to see it again..

Which is why I said I forgot to move it.

[droenn]

Thanks. Love /cg_hudfiles "1"

[D4Rk3lEmEnT]

esc-->setup-->video-->detailed shaders--> set to off

 

saves a lot FPS and you don't see a difference.

[Ayreon]

WARNING: EXTREMELY NOOB QUESTION AHEAD:

 

How big is the relationship between my video settings and my connection's performance? My computer runs JKA flawlessly with everything on max and I usually experience among the worst pings on the server. Would toning down the video settings really make enough of a difference? I thought that information was all processed on my side and none of it was sent/received, so I would expect the impact overall to be minimal :\

[Fasttea]

WARNING: EXTREMELY NOOB QUESTION AHEAD:

 

How big is the relationship between my video settings and my connection's performance? My computer runs JKA flawlessly with everything on max and I usually experience among the worst pings on the server. Would toning down the video settings really make enough of a difference? I thought that information was all processed on my side and none of it was sent/received, so I would expect the impact overall to be minimal :\

 

The only commands that should affect your connection would be the four "Ping Commands" at the bottom.

Unfortunately, any number of things can cause a high ping; distant server proximity, slow ISP connection speed, poor connection to your wireless router (if you use one) and so forth.

 

The "Ping Commands" should help, /rate and /snaps especially. If it isn't working, try experimenting with the other two commands in that subheading. Only tone down your video settings if you're getting a poor FPS.

[SuperHetero]

Hopefully this will avoid people from getting to this point:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtTUsOKjWyQ

[Ayreon]

@Fasttea, I believe the server is on the US, right? Me being from Europe, I guess there's only so much I can expect. I will try the commands, though, thanks for clearing it up.

 

@SuperHetero, my works often requires me to input excessive amounts of data on a remote server that is updated entry by entry and work can only be saved at the end of each section. I can totally relate to the guy on the video, god knows how close I've been to that :shiftyninja:

[friedmetroid]

the cg_hudfiles command is nice and all, but I prefer this http://jediknight3.filefront.com/file/Elegance_HUD;69110 because it's small and unobtrusive but also keeps the graphical representations of health force etc. It's also sometimes easier to see where the text based hud blends in with the map.

[Wookjedi]

This thing is the best. Like fo'srs... best.

[D4Rk3lEmEnT]

/cl_maxpackets 40 works fine for me. that even drops my ping >_>

[Bars]

For a substantial fps increase:

 

r_gamma 0

r_intensity 2 (or higher, to taste)

and increase brightness, to taste.

 

r_gamma steals a ton of fps, do not ask me why, it is a Q3 engine problem. Disabling it will increase your fps an additional 10-30.