Another grovel for help :)

[DOXY]

You guys helped me so well getting DP up running on this box, that I think maybe you could help me again

I put a junker together for my kid to play on LAN in the other room, and it's having problems.

Think it's a K6-2-400 and the  has got like 48Mb ram on it, (4MB committed to video) and 98se installed.  Old thing, but Q2 shouldn't require much more than 90mhz 16-25 Ram, right? Hardware acceleration is on full.

The int vid chip is SiS 530, and the game wouldn't start until I found the last driver made for it, which supposedly supports OpenGL. 

So now the game starts, but there is a big problem with it.  It's VERY slow.  I mean slow as in: you move the mouse (at the menu screens), and wait ten seconds to see the pointer move.  The audio loops like a drumbeat.  It took several  minutes just to position the mouse over "Play" and click it.  I managed to get through to Start new game, and "Begin"  and the init console eventually displayed, but a game never started.

It it just too old and junky of a machine?  Or is the slowdown something fixable?

tnx
Doxy

[y00tz]

Welcome back Doxy,
I'm glad we got your firewall problem sorted out.

Although Q2 had minimum specs of 90mhz and 16 mb ram, but this game probably requires more... For example, Q2 used low-bit textures, PB uses 32-bit.
Just to let you know... my paintball2 LAN server is 800mhz celeron, running xp pro, and has 256 ram, and integrated 8 meg video...
And at the lowest settings i get 20 fps.

Sorry mate, I don't think there's any hope for your machine.

I know this is off-topic but maybe build a cheap rig on Newegg.com? I could help you look for parts if you like.

Cheers and good luck,
y00tz

[DOXY]

Wow, I just saw that!  On this box, the client pulls like 60MB :O  The 48 in the other one isn't going to cut it, especially with 98se running.  That was the best I could scrape up out of the junkbox.

I do need to build another box when I get the funds.  Is newegg cheaper than tiger direct?  I'll be lucky to find something in a yard sale with my bank account the way it is now   Until then I guess we' can only play Doom on the LAN here. 

Well, another off topic thing.  If I can't play DP on the LAN right now, how can I play online?  I've got a login account now, and I can see a list of servers when I click "Join a Game"  Do I just jump in one and start shooting at people like Zdaemon Doom?  Sure it's a newbish question, but I haven't done a lot of online shooting, and never with teams or anything, just FFA.  Is there a faq or protocol for such thngs?

tnx

Doxy

 

[y00tz]

Doxy,

Newegg and TigerDirect are very similar.. Newegg usually doesn't deal with insane rebates and Ive head a good track record with both.

You can join any game, if you get a 'bad password' error, just try a different server.  As for as protocol, you'll pick it up quick.  I'm not sure if we have an FAQ.
But here's some vocab:
Liner - someone who sprays (shoots) one spot.  Strategical, but frowned upon.
Camper - somoene who stays in one spot and snipes people. Also stragetical and therefore frowned upon
Recon - After players die they can hit 'P' to watch players and cycle through them with '[' and ']'.. recon is when a dead player on the team gives locations of enemies by watching them.  They use team chat which is the 'y' key.
if someone says 'no kills' it means they have the flag and would rather capture it and get 5 points then win by elimination and get 1 point.
A few tips..
-In siege castle if you're in the castle then don't leave the castle...
-Ignore people.  A lot of players in game will flame you with racism and other ignorance, especially if you're new, just ignore them completely and let others see how childish they are.
-Download a map pack (I can give links if you don't have one already)
-Download a hi-res pack (I can link you to this too)

As for as protocol goes... I mean, just shoot and kill the other team

Cheers and good luck, post if you ever need anything,
y00tz

[DOXY]

OK, I downloaded the map-pack from the "files" link at the top of this page (October 2006) and added all that stuff into their respective folders in my pball folder.  It looks like I have a bunch of more maps now.

Before I did that, I tried to go play on a server.  I saw people running around, but it said I was eliminated for another 45 seconds. Then it was asking me to vote on the next map, and I clicked something and it started to download a map I guess.  I thought I was holding people up so I quit and went looking for the map pack.  I'll try again this evening.

I didn't see a hi-res pack but I'm not particular about the graphics.  They already look great to me (coming from ages of nothing but Doom2)

I'll give it another go in a while

ty again

Doxy

[y00tz]

Doxy,

Whether or not your vote it picks the next map, you're not holding anyone up

-y00tz

[KiLo]

This topic has a bunch of links to high-res texture packs:
http://dplogin.com/forums/index.php?topic=5661.0

[jitspoe]

In-game downloads are currently really slow.  You can view the console (hit ~) to see the progress of the download.  You won't be holding anybody up.  They'll just be playing on the map while you download.  The map packs won't have everything.  There are a LOT of maps, and people are always making new ones.  Multiplayer is really the only way to play this game, so if you're not doing that, you're missing out on a lot.  It may be frustrating at first because there are players with years of experience under their belt that will kill you effortlessly, but you'll gain experience in time.

I guess some of the key things for new players are:
- Never let the enemy grab your flag.
- If somebody does grab your flag, don't just sit there -- do everything you can to intercept him.
- It's better to get killed and lose by elimination than let the enemy team grab and/or capture your flag.
- It only takes 1 shot to kill somebody, so you don't need to walk around the map grabbing every piece of equipment there is.  Grab some stuff and run toward the enemy -- either kill or be killed.  Don't dilly dally and let the enemy get into your base.
- Learn to strafe-jump.  It's this games equivalent to "running."

[DOXY]

I spent a few hours playing online last night, and think I'm getting the hang of it.  I actully hit some people
Really fun game you have  put together!

[DOXY]

Hi again.  An update on this. 

I took the old box and tripled the RAM in it.  Now it's got 156mb and 400mhz, the last driver SiS ever made for the 530, and there's no improvement.  I think it's got to be something else.  Tripling the memory should have made a noticeable difference, even if it still wouldn't run great.

But it's still exactly the same.  The menu/login screen shows up, but it's all but frozen and loops sound.  With the resources listed above, it should at least run the menu/console part of the game, shouldn't it?  Is there some way to troubleshoot for a memory conflict or other problem?  I tried reinstalling the game after the ram upgrade already.  Think reinstalling the display driver is worth the effort?

Could it be something silly like only having a 2-button non-wheel mouse?

thanks
Doxy

[y00tz]

No it's the video card.

I have identical systems that i use for server that if I take the video card out (it's a radeon 9200se), one will barely manage 14fps, the other hits 100fps. 

Glad to see you back

[DOXY]

Thanks, I've been off camping all week, and just got this ram stick in.  I'm still determined to get DP running on this box! 

So now I'm going to try a different video card next, because the integrated 530 is apparently trashing out.  I'm looking at this cheap one on the link down there.  It isn't much, but DP is the  biggest thing this box is ever going to run.  Think it will do the job?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2174312&CatId=319

[y00tz]

I think so... no guarantees but for the price, it won't hurt to try.

Been camping?  I've been on vacation all week... good timing

[DOXY]

Yep, must be good timing   We can't ever let June pass without a trip to the beach campground.  I'll get this card next time I get paid and see what it does.

Thanks for the help again!
Doxy

[y00tz]

Thanks for the help again!
Doxy

Doxy, you're always a pleasure to help.  Few people requesting help on the forums are patient, and even fewer listen to advice.

Cheers & Good Luck,
y00tz

[jitspoe]

A rage 128 will probably still struggle, and I don't think ATI even supports them any more, so you might have trouble with drivers (even more trouble than usual, if you ATI owners can believe it).  You'll probably want at least a radeon (or better yet, an nVidia GeForce series card).

Edit: Also, make sure you have a slot available for the video card (and that it's the appropriate type for that particular card).  Often times the onboard card will take away the AGP slot... well, actually, that's old enough that it may not even have an AGP slot to begin with.

[y00tz]

Doxy, 

The card you have selected is PCI, but in the event you DO have an extra AGP, here's a card that is much better and the same price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102437.

Anyway, for just $10 more, here's another:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102447
+64mb instead of 32mb ram,
+Radeon over Rage
+PCI guaranteed to fit

A video card for a machine like that is nothing worth breaking the bank over, but good luck.


Cheers,
y00tz