Suggestion: Low Graphics Mode?

[Guest biyabo]

Hello, this is an avid player and fan of Element TD and its community! I have gotten many of my friends to play Ele TD, and I play it with my girlfriend a lot. However, the Element TD 4.0 Public Beta map gets very graphically intensive to run in the endgame. By the last couple of levels, my Laptop runs Warcraft 3 at less than 1 FPS. My desktop computer even goes down to 20 FPS - a computer which can run the game on max settings at 100 FPS.

My request is this: Is it possible to somehow integrate an in-game text command or a mode where you can disable tower spell effects, or perhaps switch them all to simpler effects? It would be great to be able to play the game on older machines, and have rounds with more players. If it is not possible to create a command to turn off or lower the spell effect quality of tower attacks in-game, then could the map's designers release a separate, low-graphics version?

Before anybody posts the following suggestions: My laptop has been set to the most minimum graphics values possible, and it can run regular Warcraft 3 maps and even other tower defense games (such as Gem TD) at over 30 FPS. My desktop computer can only stay above 30FPS if I turn graphics to medium, which I end up having to do before every round of Ele TD.

Thank you for reading my suggestion. I hope that such a request is possible to do.

[Twilice]

Can you play dota on your laptop?

How old is the laptop?

If you check how much your computer uses in work memory and then take it away from the total RAM how much do you have left:

With wc3 on

Without wc3 on

With wc3 on playing element td.

Just some questions.

I haven't yet had problems in the recent versions with any laggs. But some older version had issues which could create massive lagg. But I don't think any of thoose versions were official.

BTW: Myself use an about 3 years old latop. Works pretty good, stays at around 30fps all the time exept during rare times when it use more then neccecary memory.

P.S. when did you "defrag" your computer the last time?

When did you do a virus search last time?

[Karawasa]

You will be happy to know that a lot of performance optimizations have been made to the map. These should be enough to alleviate your problems (a lot were made), but if not we can revisit this idea in the future (4.1...).

[Guest M45T3R]

Lower the resolution.

BTW, how did you get 100FPS? Mine is locked at 64.

[Guest Void]

Really? Any computer from around 2005 through now should be able to run it perfectly. I suggest, if you can't run a WC3 map without lag, you might want to get a new computer

[Guest biyabo]

I can play DotA on the same laptop on max graphics and max resolution at 35fps. It drops to 25fps or so when several people cast spells. I purchased the laptop in summer 2006 for my birthday. I have put 4GB of RAM in it, and it uses 3.5GB (Windows Vista). I have done everything possible to maximize performance: I have quit every single program, task tray icon, and process. I run the game on, as I said, the lowest graphics settings possible: the lowest resolution in 16-bit color, with every graphics setting value to minimum or off. I can't answer 13est's other requests speficially, because actually, my Girlfriend is borrowing the laptop currently to play with me regularly over Garena . My laptop defrags daily, with Smart Defrag scheduled to defrag while idle. Every weekend I check to make sure that it is defragged. I also run CCleaner to clean out stuff. I also run weekly Spybot and AVG searches, and I have never found any viruses, and any Spybot stuff is deleted on the spot. Even after all this, I get the performance results I have posted before.

Karawasa, I'm ecstatic to hear about the performance optimizations. I will tell you if I still experience issues. By the way, I know that I should get a newer laptop and am already looking to buy a new one. However, I have as I said many friends who play Ele TD, and we all don't like lugging around our desktop systems and so resort to our Laptops whenever we get together to hang out. That's primarily why I humbly requested that Ele TD the map could be made more accessible to older machines.

M45T3R, my desktop computer (20" Apple iMac with Boot Camp and Windows Vista) has some third party program tweaks for its ATI Radeon video card. I can force antialiasing and other graphics enhancements to games. So basically, I can run Warcraft 3 at above naturally possible maximum graphics settings at that FPS, but get a little-below 30FPS with Element TD in some instances.

Thank you all for your responses. I really should have joined the forums earlier .

[Twilice]

I have 896 mb ram (don't ask me wy, because I don't know the answer)

And it runs good, there was some issues on the older versions. Specially with "closed beta new ice" and also "closed beta new gunpowder" those could before make heavy lagg.

Hm, with the public I can't remember any of theese things, maybe exept with undead, but I thought it was fixed before it went public?

[Guest M45T3R]

M45T3R, my desktop computer (20" Apple iMac with Boot Camp and Windows Vista) has some third party program tweaks for its ATI Radeon video card. I can force antialiasing and other graphics enhancements to games. So basically, I can run Warcraft 3 at above naturally possible maximum graphics settings at that FPS, but get a little-below 30FPS with Element TD in some instances.

Thank you all for your responses. I really should have joined the forums earlier .

You can still lower the resolution and remove anti-aliasing because it makes absolutely no difference in a 5-year-old game.

[Guest M45T3R]

Apple is known to use prehistoric video cards (3 years-old and older) in all of their computers, so that may be the problem.

[Guest biyabo]

MASTER, actually, this iMac has a Radeon 2600XT Pro, 512mb. I run a 20 inch screen iwth 1680x1050 desktop resolution, and at this length, displaying the game resolution matters a lot. There's a lot of pixellation on model and texture edges. But like I said, I turn all this off and set graphics to medium when playing Ele TD anyways.

Side note, in defense of Apple: They do not regularly use 3 year old graphics cards in their computers. Generally the cards are 6 months to a year old, tops 2 years. The latest line of Apple computers have quite good Nvidia cards actually. Also, I noticed that Warcraft 3 runs better on my Mac OS X partition than it does in Windows Vista. Could be a testament to OS X vs Vista, or that Warcraft 3's code runs better, or that the OS X drivers are better. But I have to play on windows for Garena and my girlfriend (since it's the same CD Keys from my Laptop and my Desktop computers).

But anyway, I was asking for lower graphics for the map so that it could be more accessible for all people not just me. Telling me to run the game on lower graphics or that my system specs are too low is besides the point.

[Guest M45T3R]

The Radeon 2600XT is like 3 years old LMAO. It's not even part of the new generation of video cards (beginning of 2008).

The "good" nVidia cards you are talking about are the 8800GTS, which are 2 years old and get smoked by cards 3/4 of its price...

[Twilice]

I have NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 in my laptop, it is enough.

I saw you got a beta tester now, try the latest beta, come back. If it still laggs, then your computer has serious problems. And problary needs to be reinstalled.

[Karawasa]

I saw you got a beta tester now, try the latest beta, come back.

Yes, please do biyabo.

[Guest biyabo]

Well I bought this iMac 2 years ago, so a year old card from that point would be accurate. On the other hand I have a PC with dual 8800s, but I felt no need to mention that because it has no problems with Element TD.

M45T3R, your posts have been entirely unhelpful and completely unrelated to my comments about a low graphics mode. They've all been about "get a better computer". I have a better computer, I have been building computers for years. That's not the point, please stop trolling.

Karawasa, thanks for the Beta acceptance. I have tried Beta 22 and I'm pleased to report that it does run better on my iMac. I'm able to play it on max graphics until level 59 with 30+fps. I have only played one game so far (classwork has taken over my life), and in that game, building 30 Necromancy Towers (and others) by level 59 dropped my FPS to about 10. My girlfriend who was in the game reported that she was at least able to play the game until about level 58, which is much of an improvement over the previous unplayability by level 50. I have no specific data because she has the laptop, but this weekend I'll run a FRAPS benchmark test from level 45 till game end on the laptop to give some FPS data.

[Twilice]

M45T3R, your posts have been entirely unhelpful and completely unrelated to my comments about a low graphics mode. They've all been about "get a better computer". I have a better computer, I have been building computers for years. That's not the point, please stop trolling.

You have problary been to long on a dota forum or such.

If you stop bumping threads more then 1½ years old I think it would be less "trolling", then if M45T3R stopped trolling.

It is better to start a new fresh topic with current status imo.

BTW, cool trolls are cool!

[Guest M45T3R]

Well I bought this iMac 2 years ago, so a year old card from that point would be accurate. On the other hand I have a PC with dual 8800s, but I felt no need to mention that because it has no problems with Element TD.

M45T3R, your posts have been entirely unhelpful and completely unrelated to my comments about a low graphics mode. They've all been about "get a better computer". I have a better computer, I have been building computers for years. That's not the point, please stop trolling.

Karawasa, thanks for the Beta acceptance. I have tried Beta 22 and I'm pleased to report that it does run better on my iMac. I'm able to play it on max graphics until level 59 with 30+fps. I have only played one game so far (classwork has taken over my life), and in that game, building 30 Necromancy Towers (and others) by level 59 dropped my FPS to about 10. My girlfriend who was in the game reported that she was at least able to play the game until about level 58, which is much of an improvement over the previous unplayability by level 50. I have no specific data because she has the laptop, but this weekend I'll run a FRAPS benchmark test from level 45 till game end on the laptop to give some FPS data.

Nope, I'm just pointing out that what you said about your graphics card was wrong. Of course a 2-year-old card can run a 6-year-old game with absolutely no lag.

[Guest biyabo]

Actually, what I said wasn't incorrect. I purchased the iMac over 2 years ago, like I said. At the time, that graphics card was 7 and a half months old. And I had said that Apple generally picks cards which are about a year old. Most computer manufacturers pick cards which are at least 6 months old, I don't particularly think it's a big deal.

Of course a 2-year-old card can run a 6-year-old game with absolutely no lag.

My point is exactly the opposite. I have a now three year old card. The Frozen Throne released in 2003. I don't regularly have any issues running the game on max. On no map did I ever have issues except Element TD. I have said all this earlier. If you're going to make a post directed at me, then read what I said.

If you stop bumping threads more then 1½ years old I think it would be less "trolling", then if M45T3R stopped trolling.

It is better to start a new fresh topic with current status imo.

BTW, cool trolls are cool!

This thread is only a couple days old, I don't understand what you mean. I see no need to start a new thread. Trolls are not cool.

[Twilice]

I didn't mean this thread... I mean the other threads you bumped which are (were) 1½ years old.

[Guest Sancdar]

I have major problems in the public beta whenever there are a lot of towers, especially Electricity and Voodoo. In large games where there are several people left near the end, it'll get unplayable. I don't understand why people would assume that it's from a bad computer, there are several known issues in 4.0PB that cause extensive lag. Luckily, as has been said, as far as we know they've been nailed down.

[Guest ungulateman]

My computer is a 2005-ish Sony Vaio. I run to lv45 online against three other players with barely any lag at all. So I don't have any advice for you. Hell, just before I got to the ronald hunt with 30+ aoe towers and it only slwed down a little.

[Guest Void]

My computer, despite the fact that it's a quite nice Alienware laptop from xmas '07, can run ETD with 8 players on the ronald waves for about 20 minutes (definitely more, but that's about when we got bored and quit). So I don't know why this is even an issue, my card is 1&1/2 years old and I'm sure it wouldn't cost that much to buy a relatively new card, probably around $80, and it will serve you for much more than just ETD.

[PunKZ]

I have slight lagging problems in the later levels, but very small though and I have my school computer, I can't imagine what's wrong with ur pc.

[dvdlesher]

Hmm, I agree with you actually, but this idea gonna kill someone (because he has to code the game, design the low graphics terrain, etc) I guess...

[PunKZ]

btw I forgot to say, this should be in the "Suggestions forum"!

[Cisz]

You are so right, moved.