houtex

I'll treat it any way I

After all, it's my

Ok, new forums suck for posting this stuff. Just so we all are aware of that... with that done...

1) Single core, slower CPU is your biggest foe, and it is unlikely that you will *ever* overcome your problems with this machine in regards to Co*. I would, in your case, be saving up for a dual core Intel box with an Intel chipset for optimum performance, but at the very least a dual core of the last 2 years would be perfect. Since that's not an option here...

2) The onboard sound chip is going to take up quite a bit of CPU time as well as the PCI Latency (which is probably set to 32 or 64 default) This is a thorny issue, but googling for the PCI Latency Tool (guru3d.com) is probably your best bet. Setting the video card to 128, and the sound card to 32 should render some helpful delay to the looping problems, but won't solve the issue either. Another trick is, when the looping starts, MOVE AWAY from the offending sounds.

The *only* fix for this, so far as I've been able to determine, is a dual core fast CPU, like a Core 2 Duo of any speed. Problems solved... mostly(?)

3) I would be turning these off via MSConfig (Start, Run, MSConfig, startup and services tabs, respectively) You don't need them, and they're taking up precious memory and resources, including the CPU itself:
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AudioDeck] C:\Program Files\VIA\VIAudioi\SBADeck\ADeck.exe 1
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Nitro PDF Printer Monitor] "C:\Program Files\Nitro PDF\Professional\NitroPDFPrinterMonitor.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - Startup: OpenOffice.org 3.1.lnk = C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\quickstart.exe

O23 - Service: Java Quick Starter (JavaQuickStarterService) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe

And anything else you might think wasn't needed, but is running. *every erg counts* in a machine such as yours... You gotta be both ruthless and restrained in what you allow to run.

4) Service Pack 3 your XP.

5) If possible, get updated video and audio drivers. They are a little old. Although I'll certainly understand if they're not available. Check NVidia and ViaArena

6) If you can get one, a Sound Blaster X-Fi Gamer will help the CPU and Latency thing... but it won't elminate it. If you can get it, be sure to remove and disable the onboard sound card.

7) What Father said. The game is unfortunately going to be shuffled off to virtual memory (read Hard Drive Page File) and that is going to slideshow you badly. You're on the borderline to not bother with a page file with 1.5G of ram... don't suppose you can get to 2G can you?

The reason being that if, in XP, you can eliminate the page file, you can virtually eliminate any hard drive swappage. This works wonders. I successfully ran XP with no page file with 2G of ram and do not recommend anything less if you were to attempt it.

Vista doesn't seem to show signs of this issue, but your machine would be rather hard pressed to run it.

Unless you can do any or all of the above, the only thing you can possibly do is to, every hour, exit the game and restart to get it 'back to real memory'. Windows itself is the cause of this particular issue.

Dunno if that helps, but it's my $.12 (inflation, don't ya know.)

OOOH. Bio postings!!! Sweet. You've released the inner bard in me nao!!!

I have a Bio for just about every character I make. And they're NEVER long enough... but I trim them as best I can to keep the core there... And the formatter, as we all know... is bunk. So they're in block form... mostly. Sorry. Limitations of my patience with a bad editor...

I'm no RPer, but I do try to be in character, and use the Bio to keep me there. Here are some of my favs... I won't bore you with 40 of them...

---

The Dawn Sisters, Pinnacle:

Ruby Dawn, 50 Mind/Emp Controller -
Tired of the Mundane, Ruby, and her sister Cerise, learned to change their world through Magic. For a time, they were content to amuse and empower for their own needs. One day, Ruby heard of new spell to try, but when her selfish practicing cost her the family's pet iguana in the horrific spell gone wrong, she swore to use her powers for the good of others. Her sister Cerise? The loss of Rodney caused her mind to snap, and she was never the same. Twisted inside, she turned to Evil, and can be found in the Rogue Isles.

Cerise Dawn, 50 Mind/Psy Dominator -
Cerise, the sister of the Heroine Ruby Dawn, was devastated by what Ruby did to poor Rodney the Iguana. After all, he was the family pet, and for Ruby to make a mistake in judgement and use Magic on him... Cerise was never the same after 'the incident.' She was lost in pain for Rodney, and unconsolable. She left home because she couldn't stand to be in Ruby's presence any longer. One thing led to another, as they say, and today Cerise is dedicated to a life of crime, inflicting her pain on others to get what she wants or needs. Watch your mind. Cerise is likely to mess with it.

(Rose Dawn, the third, long-lost half sister, is awaiting Going Rogue to be
released Live.)

---

Other favorite Hero stories...

Gruenfeld (GREWN-feld), Pinnacle, 20 Broad Sword/DA Scrapper
Gruenfeld the Great was minding his own business, hacking away at the King's enemies during a great battle when a space-time wormhole opened up and swallowed him, his men, and some of the enemy. The Story goes thus: Portal Corp's technology had enabled researchers to "look in" on the battle using one of their devices. A power problem caused a malfunction and opened a wormhole, depositing Gruenfeld and, um, portions of the rest near the device. Why Gruenfeld was spared is not known. What *is* known is that he cannot be sent back: History has written of a great darkness that swept him and his men away, never to be seen again (Coincidentally, this is what the research was about...) Gruenfeld awoke to find himself in Portal Corp's campus. When told of his plight, he accepted his fate with true Knightly honor. After a year of observations, Gruenfeld was able to get out and do what he did best: He became a Hero, and fights for his adopted City. Hail Gruenfeld!

---

Mood Bubbles, Freedom, 18 FF/Psy Defender -
An extraterrestrial visitor from the planet Ehlvahyni, Muu D'Bubalis was on an undocumented vaction excursion to System 64 Telis.42, Planet 3. Known as 'Earth' or 'Terra'. Such a beautiful planet. All blue, green brown and white... Suddenly, an unforecast solar flare hit her ship, and caused her spacecraft to malfunction. She was able to crash land her spacecraft near the Rogue Isles, whereupon she was captured, and her ship confiscated by those wretched villains. But they didn't realize what they were up against. Although addled by her crash, she easily escaped with the help of her force devices and mental abilities, but the ship was lost... for now. It is protected by a force field that cannot be deactivated except by Muu's mind. Tired and hurt, she was able to find refuge in Paragon City, and for the time being, has decided to help out while she recovers her powers, tries to find her ship and repair it, and get back home.

---

And Villains...

Endolith, Pinnacle, 28 Stone/Stone Brute -
He doesn't know who he is. He only knows that he is made of stone, and can control the earth. He was found in a quarry somewhere. They suspect that he's the product of some experiment gone awry, but all he knows is that he's mad at the universe for doing this to him, and he's going to make it pay. Somehow.

---

Doyen Prime, Champion, 8 Grav/EA Dominator -
Doyen Prime is an ancient, immortal being, transcending time and lording over thousands of worlds and cultures. In that time he's learned a great many things from his conquests. He has come to know the art of gravity and energy manipulation. And now he's come to Earth to conquer it. He has time. He will outlast. He is the Doyen, after all. But it wouldn't be... well, *fun* to just unleash his almighty fury and knowledge to conquer the Earth. No, it will be much more entertaining to slowly perform a masterpiece of subjugation, where everyone will finally be under his control, and by their own wills. Even the "great" Recluse will eventually be a pawn of the Doyen.

---

Jerry the Deathclown, Pinnacle, 9 Dark Melee/SR Stalker
Jerrold Thompson was obsessed with being a clown. It's all he ever wanted. He read, watched videos, anything clown! But then he started using his mother's makeup to paint his face. She tried to make him stop, but he wouldn't. She stopped buying the makeup, but no matter, Jerry just went to the store himself. They wouldn't help me... I mean, Jerry. It was when Jerry started to yell "MAKE ME LIKE TAMMY FAYE!!!" that it started to go sour. Jerry was interviewed by some men in white coats. Next thing I ... he knows he's put in a strange jacket thing and taken away! They stole him, and took my makeup away. Jerry swore they'd PAY for that, but they weren't there when he broke out. Oh well, I'll just go find someone, make THEM pay. I mean Jerry. What? You're not laughing at me are you? Good. Hey, lemme show you my nifty gloves. They channel dark energy, so people can PAY... you don't have any rouge on you do you? Gotta touch up my face...

---

And finally, this gem of win...

Thing of Bigness, Guardian 26 SS/WP Brute -
Me am Big.

(Big's a LOT of fun... Dumb, but fun. )

Thing of Bigness would pick up the kitten, then hug it and squeeze it and pet it and feed it and love it and call it George.

And then beat the hell out of anyone who pointed and laughed at the kitten being on his huge *** shoulders, because he's rather like a certain green skinned dimwit brute. Only red armor clad with wings on the shoulders and goggles.

But I only *wish* I'd come up with this, because this won the thread, hands down:

Came across this, and recently had an experience that relates.

I have done a little PLing here and there, but usually it's when I'm up in the 45+ range, and that push to 50 gets a little difficult. So 8 man missions with SK to hurry along the process becomes easier to do until you can't be SKd anymore... it still takes long enough to experience the character the way it was meant to be done.

But just the other day, I experienced my first AE PL farm. Hordes and hordes of Freakshow. Stuff I couldn't hit, but I got XP galore.

I really didn't, at first, know what the heck was going on... then got it... and like a bad train wreck, became fascinated by the process. Ding. Ding. Ding... it was like a trance.

But I have a habit of saying 'Rock' for every Level I achieve on a character. The tank didn't like it. Told me to shut up. Knocked me out of the trance.

Yeah, I admit the constant 'Rock' would be annoying, sure... So I don't hold a grudge... but I just realized if I can't be 'me' in that, then I don't wanna be in it. So I bailed.

I'd gotten 8 levels. And I used them, to my advantage...

But I felt like I cheated. Oh, sure, it got me the stamina run, but... I missed out on *earning* that.

Simply put... I'll not do it again. It's just not the right way to go for me. That's not to say I care whether some others do it, I just don't care to.

---

The other thing about a 50 relates to my Mind/Psi Dominator, Cerise Dawn. That character was 50 before they 'fren'ed the powers. And so I feel a little put out that I put so much effort (oh, goodness, it took *forever* on Pinnacle...) to get her to a 50, because until Domination went off... she was weak as all get out... and now, I understand they're much better offensively, and so it may be easier to do than in the past. Man! What timing is that...

But then I realize that my 50 Dom was hard earned, and makes me happy to know I did it before they screwed with the powers. /em dance5

---

There ya go.

I dunno if it'll help, but here's how I always do the drivers:

1) Download the correct drivers as needed for your video card (already done, I take it.)
2) Download Driver Sweeper from Guru3d: http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/
3) Install Driver Sweeper, DO NOT RUN yet.
4) De install any and *all* video drivers... ATI, NVidia, Intel, SiS... whatever you can find in the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.
5) Reboot to safe mode (F8 while rebooting, select just 'Safe Mode')
6) Run the Driver Sweeper and kill ALL video drivers (and just those. Not chipset, not audio... unless you wanna do those too... then go for it.)
7) reboot to normal mode, let the system figure itself out and get done with all gyrations.
8) THEN install the new NVidia drivers.

This works in most cases like this. Other than this, I don't know why you're not getting the right driver information.

Yeah, but just quick replying is a bit of a pain in the

All I see are these two items:

1) I got a late start, and am only a 4 year (48 months) vet. That is straight up, from start to now, time. Therefore I am getting gypped because I wasn't turned on to Co* until a whole year later.

2) I'm in like Flynn, as there is no chance short of a major frakkin' disaster that I won't be eligible for the Loyalty Program. So it'll be a little later, but GR Beta here I come! w00t!

Going Rogue first.

Then (or maybe with GR?) webslinging/grappling.

And bridge the RIs and Paragon so that heroes and villains can go either side.

And for the awesome that it would be: A super mega enemy that attacks a single zone. Not a raid. Not an invasion... a single bad *** 30 stories tall. That would take easily an hour to defeat, and 100 heroes to do it.

Yeah. There ya go.

I don't think the boards could handle two houtexes

Thankfully, there's only one of us here.

Yah, it's a little weird looking at first, but I'm getting used to

As my first post on the new forums... let me say... after all this time awaiting them to be back...

FINALLY!!!! teeheeheehee... *explodes*

/bonus points for the correct mention of reference.
//might wanna pm me though... dunno if I'll look at this thread for a bit.

[ QUOTE ]
I'll play Freedom, Pinnacle and Virtue and report back later tonight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, I was on all three for the past couple hours, and I never had any issues. Not one. The graph looked great, frames were excellent, no lag, only one rubber band on Pinnacle (which I thought odd, but acceptable)

So... I'm living right? Naw... Surely that's not it. I wouldn't feel so badly today if I were.

/stupid frail body... sigh.
//they don't have any NOS parts for it anymore.
///need a new neck, shoulder, back, etc.

Awesome news! Glad to see it workin' for ya!

[ QUOTE ]
Houtex, frankly, I think singling out my post to write this was uncalled for. I'm not claiming this is NCSoft's fault, I'm not asking them to fix this, I've never said I had an über computer, hell I admit I don't know much about computers and have done so multiple times.

I'm just saying, we've got different people with different ISPs having the exact same problem on NCSoft servers located in different geographical locations, and those same people never experience any trouble on any other website, videogame or anywhere on the internet (unless, of course, it's a problem affecting the whole servers). I'm not talking about WoW or BBC.co.uk only, everything else works flawlessly.

When I'm talking about european players I didn't just ask two or three guys either, I'm talking about twelve players with five different ISPs having the same problem - all living in France with french ISPs, though.

I find this weird, that's all.

These are the facts - granted, I'm not providing proof, and if you don't want to believe it you can call me a liar ; but please don't make me look like some whiny dude ranting because his alienware PC doesn't run the game. That's really not what the topic was about.

[/ QUOTE ]

* reads all that, 'specially the 'uncalled for', 'liar' and 'whiny' bits... and wonders where that came about from... o.0 *

Um... Well... Ya see... Er... Uh, allright... I think I'm just gonna go with "Ok."

All I did was indicate that after I read your post, I *thought about the others with similar issues*, and how it relates to me and others not having them, and then posted a theory about why all these spread out instances of...

You know what? Forget it. Not worth the time. I've typed too much as it is, but will post it so you get the idea. It's not about YOU, it's about the game and the community. Sounds like you are embarrassed or something. Well now you ought to be, I'd guess. Way to go.

/sheesh, crap like this makes me wanna go on 'vacation' again... what the frak do I frellin' gotta do to not get stomped on like this for tryin' to help out?!
//Don't bother PMing me or replying... I'm done here.

Interesting. It takes less than 1500 posts to get the 'Developer' tag. Sweet.

C is for 'cookie', that's good enough for

After reading the post above the post above, I came up with this theory:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat....=0#Post13802515

I dunno if it'll help or not, but I throw it out there.

I'll play Freedom, Pinnacle and Virtue and report back later tonight.

I must admit curiosity as to the validation comment as well. Except for the DPF (and we all know how IE likes to keep DPFs...) I don't see any flags... but I love to learn, so help my ignorant self out? KThx.

Re: the screen. Turn off *all* screen savers and sleep modes in the computer. Make sure the Catalyst doesn't have any in it (Not an ATI guy, just makin' sure it doesn't have one) and you may even wind up checking the BIOS itself for sleep modes too and turn those off.

Re: commonalities...

See my thread about "Lag, LCTM" for a bit of a primer on my ideas regarding the chain of servers 'tween you and the game servers.

It's entirely possible that somehow you all are going through the same server(s) somewhere, and that's why it seems to be non-related.

Only way to know is to do a trace route. Mine winds up in Chicago, and then stops. turns out, I don't know where it goes from there, but up to that point, it's all good, good low ping times. I just don't have a clue where it goes from there, but they're going from Chitown to Virginia or SoCal, and I don't have issues, so I'm not *terribly* concerned about the locales of the remaning few servers... I just don't know why I gotta go from Houston to Chicago, but whatever, it works.

Anyway, if all of you wound up going to, oh, I dunno... Kansas City, Kansas (as opposed to Kansas City, Missouri) (and not to knock either one, just a place I pulled outta my brain) and that server was messed up... there you all go. ISPs apparently DO have a way to identify which server chain(s) they wish to use, and can make changes. There is proof (or was) with a guy in Alaska who was going to Japan or something before it came back to the states. His ISP fixed that, redirected the server chain to 'in the states'.

So. Just an idea.

/dunno where that other thread is... and I'm in a hurry, so maybe later I'll link it.

I don't even bother to check the server status anymore. I figure the forums are a better way to see if things are borked or not. WAY faster for sure.

And so the topic degenerates. Sigh. This kind of thread makes me wish for a thread ignore, 'cause ya both bring stuff to the table for other things, but this is seriously a case of:

TAKE IT PM GUYS!

Because really? You're just sniping each other now. No need for us to see it... there will be no victor here.


/will try to avoid the thread, but it keeps showing up and I can't remember which ones to not click on.