Need basic graphics advice (vert. sync, antialiasing etc.) for performance

[spl1nter]

Hello hive mind,

I've been playing Q2 since it came out, and I just moved to a quad core processor with a new nVidia 8800 GTX graphics processor, and my performance has become craptastic. I'm sucking at FFA, and my jump performance seems to be suffering too. I changed the multithreading option to "off", which helped, but I have some basic tweak questions...since I know jack about graphics cards:

1) What settings can I tweak? I don't know anything about antialiasing, vertical sync, etc....any help would be appreciated.

2) what about OpenGL drivers? Is there something other than the Q2-included "default OpenGL driver" that I might be able to try?

3) Is my optical mouse the problem? Do I have to revert to a rollerball mouse?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know this game is a dinosaur, but I love it...and would like to get my performance back.

Cheers,

spl1nt3r

[console]

Hi,

Since you've already disabled the nVidia multithreading "optimization"...

Yeah, you might want to give the r1q2 client a try, with the r1gl OpenGL driver.

I use r1q2/r1gl on a quad-core processor with an nVidia 7800 GT, and the performance has been great (after I disabled the multithreading boondoggle.)

http://www.r1ch.net/stuff/r1q2/
http://www.r1ch.net/stuff/r1gl/

See also the Q2 Config-O-Matic for configuring r1q2 and r1gl options:

http://r-1.ch/q2config.php


Hope this helps,

quadz

[spl1nter]

Console....you da man! I'll give it a try!

/spl1nt3r

[[BTF]Defiant!]

wwft

[spl1nter]

Hey D,

no more WTF . The r1q2 mod has apparently cured all my ills. w0ot!

/S

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Cheers to you buddy.  See you in!

[|iR|Focalor]

3) Is my optical mouse the problem? Do I have to revert to a rollerball mouse?

GOD NO! Testicle mice are USELESS. You might notice that occassionally you'll get this black gunk on the mouse buttons. That oxidation from the oil on your fingertips. That same crap will deposit on the wheels inside the mouse that the testicle rolls against to detect movement, then you'll have to clean that crap off every day or so. If you don't, the wheels could get stuck in a certain position when you move the mouse, which is VERY annoying when playing games. I used a rollerball mouse on my old 500mhz machine for years. I've scraped the shit off the wheels with a pocket knife so many times that it's actually shaved the surface of the wheels down making the mouse ALWAYS have sticking problems even when the wheels are clean.

But since I'm on the subject of mice, I have a little problem myself, maybe someone knows why I'm having it.

I used to have a wireless infared mouse and keyboard hooked up. I was having an annoying problem with the mouse freaking out and causing the positioning of it to shoot up to the top lefthand side of the screen for apprently no reason at all. When playing Q2, I would often for no reason look stright up and start spinning around and around until I jerked the mouse around frantically on the desk to get it to work again. I figured maybe it was some kind of wireless signal interference. I've since switched the mouse to a corded USB infared mouse, but I still use the wireless keyboard. I seem to have less occurances of this, but it still happens. I mentioned the problem to DeanRW one day on TS:Railz and he said that it's the sensor getting ready to crap out. I don't think that's the problem though, both of these mice are pretty new. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the video card. I had problems sometimes running Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the graphics would sometimes lock up. Sometimes after several minutes it would unfreeze and continue, but usually it would cause the system to reboot after several minutes. I also have the mouse problem when I'm not in games, I'll be browsing the web and the mouse position will shoot up to the upper left corner until I move the mouse in a clockwise circle a few times. My graphics card is an nVidia 7600GT. Sometimes I unhook the infared corded mouse and use it on my old machine and then use the wireless mouse on this one, so normally I always leave the wireless keyboard AND mouse ps2 inputs plugged in from the wireless receiver, I'm gonna try unplugging the wireless mouse ps2 input while using the USB mouse to see if that cures it, but I doubt it will. Any ideas anyone?

[Quest]

Focalor -

My theory on the mouse freaking out has to do w/ the surface your mouse is on. I used to just use my desk top(which is kinda shiny) and my mouse used to freak out often. After I switched to using a mouse pad, I never had the problem again.

[|iR|Focalor]

Hmm, good point. I thought that could be one possible cause since it seemed to do the same thing with a wireless AND wired mouse. The desk I'm using is a cheapy particle board desk with a slightly laminated (I guess) sheet of woograin looking covering all over it. I was thinking maybe the woodgrain lines could be what was causing the optics to freak out. But I don't think I can stand to play on a mousepad though. Oh well, guess I'll have to live with it.

[m0n0LiTh0]

Hmm, good point. I thought that could be one possible cause since it seemed to do the same thing with a wireless AND wired mouse. The desk I'm using is a cheapy particle board desk with a slightly laminated (I guess) sheet of woograin looking covering all over it. I was thinking maybe the woodgrain lines could be what was causing the optics to freak out. But I don't think I can stand to play on a mousepad though. Oh well, guess I'll have to live with it.

Sander down with some #320 grit sandpaper in a circular pattern (mouse movement area)..
 
Mouse seems to track better afterwards....

[Whirlingdervish]

a thin layer of black cloth from your local craft store will help..

buy a couple yards and make a table cloth out of it, and use it as a giant mousepad.

if that slides around too much for you, a little hot glue on the bottom, past the edges of where you'll be mousing, will help it stick down and stay there while you flail around.