Please Help, Massive lag issue

[Dkean]

Hey all, please help me i dont know what to do.
My PC specs are
Pentium 4 3.34 ghz
Gainwaid Geforce 6800 GT (AGP)
1 GB Ram

I just bought and starting playing and i was so excited to play this.
But then i get into the game and get this huge lag probably 3 - 5 fps in the first town. I did all i can to fix this, i lower the resolution did no change, put graphics to max in config still no change. FPS was the same in anysetting. But when i go out of the city i goes a little bit better.

I also did virus scans and spyware scans and still no fix.

I can play other good games like.
BF2 -High
Doom 3- Ultra High
Cod 2 -High

basically any other game.

Any help would be appreciated
thanks.

[Feba]

Possibly an issue with your sound card/drivers. FFXI uses odd music files.

[Dkean]

I did the official benchmark 2 test for FFXI and scored 3600 around there, but when it was doing it i didnt notice much lag at all. But the game is lagging so much worse lag i ever seen on my pc.


I dont have a sound card. I just use my motherboard

[Ellipses]

If you have sound, you have a sound card. Even if it's built-in on your motherboard. If it is built-in on your motherboard, it's probably a crappy sound card that needs software mixing. Getting a SoundBlaster or other card that can do hardware mixing might help.

Do you have virus scanners or anything like that running while you play?

[Dkean]

No nothing runs while i play. Other than Zboard

and my sound device is
Realtek AC97 Audio

[Ellipses]

Yeah, that's software mixing. I won't guarantee the sound is the problem (I have onboard Realtek sound and my system doesn't lag that badly even with a 1.7 ghz Celeron), but it's something to look into if you can. Your specs otherwise should be more than enough to handle the game.

Does it stay at 3-5 FPS the whole time you're in the town? Or is it just for a bit after you enter/log on?

[Dkean]

It lags everywhere, maybe ill get about 10-15 fps outside the city.
But its weird the benchmark ran perfectly prettymuch. in some parts like tunnels in the city and runs good but not where u see people.

I just download, lastest sound drivers and ill give it a go again.







Nope that failed to. :(

[Ellipses]

Yeah, first step would probably be updating all your drivers and making sure your network is okay (try googling some download/upload speed tests or something). There's also a setting for number of character models displayed (Config > Misc I think). Try turning that down and see if it improves your FPS.

[Dkean]

Heres some more info on my system, but i dont know if it will help.


I just did what you said , but sadly it did nothing at all.

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 6/23/2006, 13:41:24
Machine name: MARK-TJGWMTNUN2
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: INTELR
System Model: AWRDACPI
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz
Memory: 1016MB RAM
Page File: 368MB used, 1304MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

Double Post Edited:
I guess theres nothing i can do :(
Anyone else got sugestions cause i really dont want to waste money on a new system, when the system i got is only a half year old.

Maybe ill try Reformating and starting over by reinstally XP. But i dont think it will make a difference but its worth a shot.

[Icemage]

To isolate your problem and see if it is a sound card issue try this:

Open the FFXI Configuration Tool via Start > Program Files > PlayOnline > Final Fantasy XI > Final Fantasy XI Config.

Click on the Sound tab.

Uncheck the box that says "Enable Sound".

Start FFXI and see if you're still lagging. If you are, then it's not your sound drivers. If you aren't, then it is.

If it is your sound drivers, there's probably some incompatibility with your on-board sound card. I'd recommend buying an (inexpensive) sound card in the $20-$30 range (make sure it has its own dedicated hardware, and doesn't just use your system resources the same way your onboard card does - don't drop below $15 or you run the risk of duplicating this problem).


Icemage

[Ellipses]

Sorry, those are the only suggestions I've got. FFXI is very quirky with the graphics and such; being a port of a PS2 game, it doesn't use the graphics card the way most 3-D games do. Nothing in your setup screams "I'm the problem."

[Dkean]

Turning of Sound did nothing, when i was hoping is was.
Thanks for all your help btw.

But its weird, why did the benchmark go so well compared to when i playing it.

[Ellipses]

Benchmarks in general aren't perfect. There's a lot that goes on in the game that doesn't in the benchmark, like downloading a ton of data and displaying a larger variety of models and textures.

[Feba]

out of curiousity...are you playing on dial up? If it's related to the amount of things on your screen...


Other than that, all I can think of would be graphics drivers...

[Dkean]

LOL me on dial up ah no
hell no i hate dail up,

im in a 3mb connection and i live in new zealand.

Im about to reinstall XP, I think its my only choice.

If that not work then i dont know.

Btw im using the latest Nvidia Drivers, i even tried an older version.
Maybe my drivers are not working properly so maybe am xp reinstall an only option.

Is it possible to copy FFXI files so when i install it again, i can copy the files with copyed version and replace the new installed files so i can not wait 3 hours for the update to finish?

[Icemage]

Even on dialup he should be getting better than 10-15 FPS. I know some people who play on dialup - they're fine most of the time as long as they stay away from heavily populated zones (Jeuno, Dynamis, Al Zahbi).

---

One thing that isn't listed is your available hard drive space. Maybe you're close to the limit and your FFXI install is heavily fragmented? I can't imagine that fragmentation would slow you down in FFXI and not Doom 3, however.

---

Last question: In FFXI Config, on the General tab, is the checkbox for "Enable MIP Mapping" turned on or off?


Icemage

[Dkean]

Trust me ive tried everything in there.
hard Drive is= 27.9 of 76gb i think its plenty

id just analised the hard drive with Disk Defragmenter
And its red everywhere which i guess is bad.

heres the report
maybe a bit big

Volume (C:)
Volume size = 74.52 GB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 46.86 GB
Free space = 27.66 GB
Percent free space = 37 %

Volume fragmentation
Total fragmentation = 21 %
File fragmentation = 42 %
Free space fragmentation = 0 %

File fragmentation
Total files = 119,791
Average file size = 504 KB
Total fragmented files = 18,100
Total excess fragments = 70,530
Average fragments per file = 1.58

Pagefile fragmentation
Pagefile size = 756 MB
Total fragments = 1

Folder fragmentation
Total folders = 5,452
Fragmented folders = 428
Excess folder fragments = 2,682

Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation
Total MFT size = 123 MB
MFT record count = 125,726
Percent MFT in use = 99 %
Total MFT fragments = 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fragments File Size Most fragmented files
3,172 334 MB \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\knightonlinesetup_1299_01.exe
1,506 301 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\mov\mov999.pmv
849 5 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\Local Settings\Temp\dd_netfx20MSI764C.txt
494 91 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092937.exe
340 82 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092932.exe
328 28 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP157\A0099298.msi
300 1 MB \Program Files\KnightOnline\Item
291 77 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\mov\music999.bgw
285 20 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\78.01_winxp2k_english_whql.exe
271 1 KB \WINDOWS\system32\config\system.LOG
265 18 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109111.CPL
253 434 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092940.exe
241 54 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\ffxib2setup.exe
234 155 MB \Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 2\main\iw_00.iwd
225 15 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109127.CPL
225 15 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP192\A0109103.CPL
222 920 KB \Program Files\KnightOnline\UI
213 13 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\sound2\win\music\data\music171.bgw
207 824 KB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\patch2.cfg
198 33 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092933.exe
197 360 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP170\A0099579.exe
178 43 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP147\A0093380.msi
174 19 MB \Program Files\EA SPORTS\F1 Challenge 99-02\Replays\MALAYSIA.Vcr
172 11 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP173\A0106335.ilg
171 11 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101666.tlt
154 10 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101655.tlt
149 17 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\WDM_A389.exe
147 9 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101657.tlt
140 10 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109112.EXE
121 15 MB \Program Files\rFactor\GameData\Locations\Birmingham_MP\Bir mingham.mas

[IfritnoItazura]

Video card driver version?

Edit:
Ewww~ Defrag your hard drive!

[Icemage]

Trust me ive tried everything in there.
hard Drive is= 27.9 of 76gb i think its plenty

id just analised the hard drive with Disk Defragmenter
And its red everywhere which i guess is bad.

heres the report
maybe a bit big

Volume (C:)
Volume size = 74.52 GB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 46.86 GB
Free space = 27.66 GB
Percent free space = 37 %

Volume fragmentation
Total fragmentation = 21 %
File fragmentation = 42 %
Free space fragmentation = 0 %

File fragmentation
Total files = 119,791
Average file size = 504 KB
Total fragmented files = 18,100
Total excess fragments = 70,530
Average fragments per file = 1.58

Pagefile fragmentation
Pagefile size = 756 MB
Total fragments = 1

Folder fragmentation
Total folders = 5,452
Fragmented folders = 428
Excess folder fragments = 2,682

Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation
Total MFT size = 123 MB
MFT record count = 125,726
Percent MFT in use = 99 %
Total MFT fragments = 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fragments File Size Most fragmented files
3,172 334 MB \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\knightonlinesetup_1299_01.exe
1,506 301 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\mov\mov999.pmv
849 5 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\Local Settings\Temp\dd_netfx20MSI764C.txt
494 91 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092937.exe
340 82 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092932.exe
328 28 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP157\A0099298.msi
300 1 MB \Program Files\KnightOnline\Item
291 77 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\mov\music999.bgw
285 20 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\78.01_winxp2k_english_whql.exe
271 1 KB \WINDOWS\system32\config\system.LOG
265 18 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109111.CPL
253 434 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092940.exe
241 54 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\ffxib2setup.exe
234 155 MB \Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 2\main\iw_00.iwd
225 15 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109127.CPL
225 15 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP192\A0109103.CPL
222 920 KB \Program Files\KnightOnline\UI
213 13 MB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\sound2\win\music\data\music171.bgw
207 824 KB \Program Files\PlayOnline\SquareEnix\FINAL FANTASY XI\patch2.cfg
198 33 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP143\A0092933.exe
197 360 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP170\A0099579.exe
178 43 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP147\A0093380.msi
174 19 MB \Program Files\EA SPORTS\F1 Challenge 99-02\Replays\MALAYSIA.Vcr
172 11 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP173\A0106335.ilg
171 11 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101666.tlt
154 10 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101655.tlt
149 17 MB \Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\WDM_A389.exe
147 9 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP171\A0101657.tlt
140 10 MB \System Volume Information\_restore{2837AC91-7904-443B-AACC-438CC3EAC097}\RP193\A0109112.EXE
121 15 MB \Program Files\rFactor\GameData\Locations\Birmingham_MP\Bir mingham.mas

Important bits boldfaced for emphasis. Your FFXI music files are fragmented to a fare thee well.

Defragment your hard drive, you should see an immediate improvement.


Icemage

[Dkean]

Video card driver version?

84.21

Double Post Edited:
Important bits boldfaced for emphasis. Your FFXI music files are fragmented to a fare thee well.

Defragment your hard drive, you should see an immediate improvement.


Icemage

Ok ill Defrag it thanks again.

[IfritnoItazura]

84.21

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/envi/win/win01.html?pageID=win

The supported driver is 81.98.

[Dkean]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/envi/win/win01.html?pageID=win

The supported driver is 81.98.

Thanks thats a driver i havnt tried. Ill download it now.

Double Post Edited:
Dammit that didnt work, the Driver didnt improve the frame rate at all.
Looks like Defrag or XP reinstall.

[Thrasher]

I did the official benchmark 2 test for FFXI and scored 3600 around there, but when it was doing it i didn't notice much lag at all. But the game is lagging so much worse lag i ever seen on my pc.

3600 is kinda overall slow for that pc was it always like that? Now since its onboard sound could you can disable it in BIOS, and I would guess there would be a 5-10% difference in the benchmark score. If its more then 10% I would point to the onboard sound hogging your cpu. (yes I actually ran vana' diel benchmark with on board sound off once, I wanted to see how much onboard sound actually affected my pc)

Did you try and defrag and disk clean up yet?

[Dkean]

Im gonna reinstall xp, but im just making a copy of FFXI files so i dont do the 2 hour update

[Dkean]

:) :rolleyes:

I just finished Installing XP
Installed the Support Driver.
Updated Driver for Sound.

I Dont know how to thank you for helping me out.
Im reinstalling the 6 cd pack i have of FFXI.
I think the lag will be gone for some reason, i just hope im right.

I think you guys a the geatest.
I will reply on how it runs.
If it runs like crap, New hardware for me.

[Feba]

Btw im using the latest Nvidia Drivers, i even tried an older version.

nVidia cards don't always play nice with FFXI, even though they give SE cash to promote them. Normally this is seen with -ga spells and bard songs (perticularly Ballad and Firaga), but it cuold be something else...

[Inferknite]

Incase it hasn't been already stated.

Try rolling back your system (Via system restore) about 3 weeks to a month. Make sure you back up important applications first. Although typically Windows won't delete your recent DOCUMNETS when rolling back your system.

The reason for this is since a recent windows update, I've been getting frequent lag/dc's that wouldn't go away. After rolling back a few weeks it worked as usual.

Good luck hope that helps some

[Thrasher]

Little thought have you updated your motherboards drivers? Its a crap shoot but it could help.

Also if you want to you could also check into bios updates for your motherboard.
If its a store bought pc Sandra (http://www.sisoftware.net/) is a good program to find out who really made your motherboard, but this is getting into advanced tweaking and you might need a floppy drive. (I cant beleave we still need those sometimes)

Also since the hard drive keeps being brought up try speed fan (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php)it had good hard drive utility it can run a S.M.A.R.T check in windows.

Also dont forget DiskClean up


I have had some success using 3ed party video drivers but its not like a big huge boost. http://www.guru3d.com/

(How did I mannage to miss that whole thing about defraging -_-)

[Dkean]

Hey all

I did something that i regret, I didnt write down my play online ID, before i reinstalled XP. But it dont matter ive ordered another copy of the game.

I did the FFXI benchmark 2 test again and scored 4750 thats heaps more than 3600.
yes i no i should of write my PO ID down lol i did using a word program. I will next time write with a pen when my new copy arrives.

I have tried emailing PO but they give me automated replys.

Thanks for all your guys help again Btw.