Statistics
Average FPS: 42.19
Duration: 37.26 sec
CPU Usage: 95%
System memory usage: 48%
Video memory usage: 100%
Graphics Settings
Video Mode: 1680 x 1050 (60 Hz)
Texture Quality: High
Render Quality: Highest
View Distance: 68
Detail Distance: 100
Hardware
Microsoft® Windows Vista" Home Premium
Service Pack 1
Video Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Video Driver version: 180.48
Audio Adapter: Speakers (Creative SB X-Fi)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
File ID: benchmark.cli
_________________________________________________
Duh I think I'm giving up on this game for now.
I am running it everything maxed out - view distance 68 and fps 42.19 in the benchmark, and it's milky smooth during gameplay.
I can't understand how people with much better hardware than mine are gettting lower benchmark fps
maybe it's a driver issue? (I'm playing it on the desktop with the single 8800GT 512MB and not with the laptop sli). Maybe the oc'd E8400 helps? I dunno...
What makes me give up for now however (it's otherwise a great game) is the lack of AA. There are so many jaggies I'm not accustomed to that, the game actually makes me dizzy and sick at the stomach - it's like playing a game in the 90's...
I'd much prefer having to put textures on medium rather than high, and at least some AA just to be kinder on my eyes.
Duh I did try to force AA in the Nvidia control panel - tried 2xAA (normally I find that enough for 1680x1050), 4xAA and 8xAA -- no difference at all. I.t. j.u.s.t. d.o.e.s. n.o.t. w.o.r.k.
I'll be keeping an eye on this thread just in case someone figures out how to get a decent AA, or maybe a patch comes out, or a Nvidia driver which enables the forcing of AA through the nvidia cp...
I've been thinking of installing the game on the lappie to get rid of the AA issue - I mean the lappie's 1920x1200 and it's only 17" to render those pixels... but I dunno... I wouldn't want to go through the trouble and get crappy graphics again...
The only feedback I can give to this thread is that I discovered that actually putting the shadows on the lowest possible makes them neater for me. Putting them on lowest makes them look like real life shadows, not like a million ants crawling on the floor. Also, pressing P ingame makes the game look neater & softens the far-away jaggies (though not the nearer ones).
Tbh, I don't think that the game engine is that great.
I mean, if I can game at a playable 40+ fps at the above settings, I should have the option to lower some settings and increase AA and still get a playable game. But this is not possible.
It also makes no sense increasing shadow quality, still get 40+ fps and getting dizzying scurrying ants on the floors rather than proper shadows. I think the shadows are just broken, the same way that self-shadows (on the characters' faces) are broken in Oblivion. Shadows only appear at their best if you lower the slider all the way down.
Edit: I just saw my previous post on this same page - duh so using higher settings give me a higher fps in the benchmark?!? Now that's really something which doesn't make sense....