Performance improved by /nosound

By Talsworthy on April 21, 2009 4:04:43 AM from

Talsworthy

Join Date 02/2006

I've been having issues with Demigod performance. I had assumed it was my processor as its an AMD 3200+, 8800GT and 2 GB Ram.

However after seeing a similar post I tried the following.

Skirmish Map - Brothers.

First with sound

Game starts at Sim Speed of 4, then I go and cap the Portal to the right as I approach it moves down till hit hits 0 and stays there.

Then without sound using the /nosound option

Game starts at Sim Speed 4, I cap - still a steady 4 and fps 45. I then wade into battle and it remains at 4 with fps above 40.

My card is a Creative Labs Xfi Xtreme Gamer card (latest drivers Dec 2008) - so a good card. I have tried various options such as no hardware acceleration (much worse!) and turning off EAX etc. Tonight i'll turn back reverb back on to see if that has an effect.

So anyone else seeing a difference in performance with /nosound. Also Are there any other options on the switches - the sound options don't seem to make a difference.

I'll also try the onboard sound card tonight and post my findings. However IMHO the game performance should not be effected to this degree

Tals

If you are not sure how to implement the /nosound option then this post should assist https://forums.demigodthegame.com/348389

If you do have the issue Stardock have also made this post

for those of you experiencing the audio performance issues, could you please email [email protected] with the following information. Entitle your email NOSOUND PERFORMANCE ISSUE.

Before sending this information, please do the following if you have not already:

1) Update your sound drivers to the latest available.

2) Make sure your motherboard and chipset drivers are the latest available. (These are drivers such as Intel Chipset XXX where xxx is your motherboard chipset.)

Once you have the latest drivers, run Demigod and reproduce the issue. Then exit Demigod and create / obtain the following files. Please attach the following information to your email:

1) Please run the DXDiag.exe utility and save the output to a file.

2) Attach your DemiGodLog.TXT which can be found here:

%userprofile%\My Documents\my games\Gas Powered Games\Demigod\DemiGodLog.TXT

Thank you for your assistence in helping us address this issue for the community.

I am having trouble with this issue as well. Unfortunately, I don't recall all of my system specs, off the top of my head (and am not at my home PC), but I am just above the minimum system specs as listed on the box. The motherboard is a GA-M55 Plus S3G (rev 1). I am running with a 64 bit processor (which I have issues with constantly), but I am running a 32bit copy of Windows XP. I am using the on-board sound card (whatever it is...).

I saw a post about changing your audio options to "Stereo Speakers" or somesuch, but it was already set that way, so no changes made, there.

When I run it with the "/nosound" option, the game runs amazingly (other than the fact that it doesn't have sound ).

Successfully updated karma reason!

We ( my boyfriend and me, both having the same system and of course the same issue) resorted to downloading experimental sound drivers from http://www.nforcershq.com/ to try it out. Our onboard sound card is a Realtek ALC850, a sound card that is extremely badly supported. Anyway, those new drivers didn't solve the problem. So those can be scratched off the list as well. I'm out of ideas.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I removed the Xfi card out of my box - updated the bios, drivers, sound drivers. Still exactly the same symptons. Which is good as it takes the Xfi card out of the frame. Onboard sound had exactly the same issue with no xfi present

I did briefly downgrade to Nvidia 174.74 as I read somewhere that had worked better but no joy on this.

I think i've pretty much exhausted every option now - really need the devs to get involved and give us some things to try

If it helps the devs - my testing iss always on skirmish - brothers. With sound on the spin of the map is slower, sim speed 4. It stays at this I send my peep right and I can guarantee as he turns the corner and does the second step their is a brief stutter and it moves to sim speed 3. It then may go back up or stay at that. I then cap the portal on the right. As soon as the peeps show it moves to sim speed 2. Once I see opponents its to 0 and 1.No sound and I get a constant sim speed of 4 and it doesn't go down - sometimes does up!

With MP and no sound I see +6.

If this is sorted it would be very sweet!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Since my system was experiencing such bad stutter also, I thought it may have been my graphics card (Geforce 6800). It has since been upgraded (Geforce 9800), but DG still had stutter problems. Using /nosound solved my issues. Before I was getting a sim speed of -1s and 0s. Now I get 4s to 6s. Much better.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I find that playing with /nosound leaves me enough CPU power on my SINGLE CORE processor to run all of my normal background software as well as a killer tracklist in windows media player and still maintain a sim speed of ~4 on the largest maps 5v5, so it would seem that the game is perfectly optimized for the demographic with hearing problems

I hate to think of the possibility that it's a motherboard issue; this board is socket 939 and replacing the board means more than replacing JUST the board (unless I wasted money on a board with what is already an outdated socket).

In the meantime, I think I might have to bite the bullet and play MP without sound =/

Prove me wrong, devs! I DARE YOU

Successfully updated karma reason!

Before turning off the sound I would get 0 or -1 in all games running on very low graphics. Now the I put /nosound in the target I can easily run 40+fps for most of the match with 4xAA and high details and terrain. I am actually fine playing without the sound but it HAS to be the problem.

Running dual core 4200+AMD Athlon 64 X2

9800GT

3GB Ram

20mb fiber optic connection.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Stil Rey - what MB is that?

My hope is regardless of the cause the devs can find a work around - whether that is to enable proper HW Sound - would be nice or allowing more cutting down of the sound eg force stereo/mono etc, I don't mind I just want a solution

Successfully updated karma reason!

Just found a very interesting article http://www.rme-audio.de/english/techinfo/nforce4_tests.htm this suggests that the nforce4 implementation causes the system to be bogged down with high graphics and sound http://www.rme-audio.de/english/techinfo/nforce4_tests.htm

Need a dev to help us.

Successfully updated karma reason!

esp. if there were a way to cut down the sound quality in game without changing it system wide. Perhaps I *LIKE* quadrophonic sound in my other applications.

Though I will say that playing with /nosound has helped me rediscover my old Command and Conquer soundtracks. Frank Klepacki is MADE for composing RTS music =P

Successfully updated karma reason!

I'm not sure it's a motherboard specific issue as I have a Gigabyte EP31-DS3L and am experiencing /nosound related slowdown.

I tried the very latest Realtek audio drivers which were released a couple of days ago but it didn't make any discernible difference.

Anyone checked the new patch for improvements yet? Can't see any mention of the issue being addressed in the patch notes unfortunately.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Looks like we're just going to have to be patient.

From the patch thread in reference to the /nosound issue:

Quoting Frogboy,

GPG and Fmod (The sound library company they use) are working on it.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Haven't tried /nosound yet but setting my system to stereo speakers instead of 5.1 has done wonders already. So thanks for the advice.

MSI K9N Diamond (nForce 590, Sound Blaster Audigy on board)

Athlon64 X2 +5200

2 GB Ram

Nvidia 8800 GTS (320MB)

Windows XP Home

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Bantam,

reply 10

I'm not sure it's a motherboard specific issue as I have a Gigabyte EP31-DS3L and am experiencing /nosound related slowdown.

I tried the very latest Realtek audio drivers which were released a couple of days ago but it didn't make any discernible difference.

Anyone checked the new patch for improvements yet? Can't see any mention of the issue being addressed in the patch notes unfortunately.

I tested it this morning, unfortunately no improvement on the sound issue. Do you have a link to the patch thread?

Tals

Successfully updated karma reason!

I couldnt play it even on low settings, but when i did /nosound i completely maxxed the video settings and it runs smooth as silk.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I've managed to get my hands on a USB headset, i'll try that out tonight and let people know the outcome.

Tals

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Talsworthy,

reply 15

I've managed to get my hands on a USB headset, i'll try that out tonight and let people know the outcome.

Tals

Surprisingly the same issue is still evident. i.e a work around is not a USB headset So /nosound till devs find a solution.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Hi All,

In order to get to the bottom of this we need to narrow down hardware. So for those of you experiencing the audio performance issues, could you please email [email protected] with the following information. Entitle your email NOSOUND PERFORMANCE ISSUE.

Before sending this information, please do the following if you have not already:

1) Update your sound drivers to the latest available.

2) Make sure your motherboard and chipset drivers are the latest available. (These are drivers such as Intel Chipset XXX where xxx is your motherboard chipset.)

Once you have the latest drivers, run Demigod and reproduce the issue. Then exit Demigod and create / obtain the following files. Please attach the following information to your email:

1) Please run the DXDiag.exe utility and save the output to a file.

2) Attach your DemiGodLog.TXT which can be found here:

%userprofile%\My Documents\my games\Gas Powered Games\Demigod\DemiGodLog.TXT

Thank you for your assistence in helping us address this issue for the community.

Zargon0225

Successfully updated karma reason!

It amazes me that people are content with using an onboard sound card. You wouldn't dream of running a game like Demigod with an onboard video card and expect good performance, would you?

Pet peeve of mine, please don't take personal offense.

For those with x-fi cards, make sure you are running in "game mode". This guy wrote an app that allows you to quickly switch between modes. You can even setup profiles to switch modes automatically based the exe launched.

http://www.spectra9.com/xfmc/xfmc.html

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting k1DBLITZ,

reply 18

It amazes me that people are content with using an onboard sound card. You wouldn't dream of running a game like Demigod with an onboard video card and expect good performance, would you?

Pet peeve of mine, please don't take personal offense.

For those with x-fi cards, make sure you are running in "game mode". This guy wrote an app that allows you to quickly switch between modes. You can even setup profiles to switch modes automatically based the exe launched.

http://www.spectra9.com/xfmc/xfmc.html

You really need to read this thread out of interest gamemode doesn't sort the issue. Onboard sound doesn't have a 50% performance hit anyway - 5% if you are lucky.

If you have the issue read the thread properly and report back - we've put a lot of time on this. If you don't then no need to be here you're enjoying the game

Tals

Successfully updated karma reason!

I have an Intel D975XBX2 with onboard sound (IDT High Definition Audio CODEC), and turning off reverb fixed my performance issues. It was interesting because I have a Core2Duo and with performance problems or not the CPU never went over 70%.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Atamido,

reply 20

Reverb made no difference unfortunately, i'm fairly sure all those who are posting issues in nosound thread are at the end of the line i.e we have tried everything

Successfully updated karma reason!

I have a 3ghz machine with a SB audigy 2 zs card and i have the same issue as everyone else.

Sometimes i can play a big part of a game without any troble, but sooner or later the lagginess sets in. there is no help in soundseting or reverb. the system is already on stereo.

/nosound makes the game run as smooth as smooth can be, even on highest setting (excluding AA).

I hope they find a cure for this soon, as the game is playable without sound. but... it aint as perfect as it should be.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Talsworthy,

reply 19

You really need to read this thread out of interest gamemode doesn't sort the issue. Onboard sound doesn't have a 50% performance hit anyway - 5% if you are lucky.

If you have the issue read the thread properly and report back - we've put a lot of time on this. If you don't then no need to be here you're enjoying the game

Tals

I did read the thread, but apparently I missed your post (#14) where you mentioned you tried game mode - my bad.

So because I don't have the problem I can't offer suggestions or help? If everyone followed that advice nothing would get solved.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Ahh no if you have the solution then fire away, trust me I would be incredibly happy - but unless you understand the bios well - i.e the effect of reducing hyperthreading on the MB etc or know of a particularly driver that solves this I suspect we haven't got a lot left todo without the devs finding a software solution.

Because you don't have the problem just means its quite hard to perceive aka your comment re onboard sound

Tals

Successfully updated karma reason!