Guide to maximizing FPS and performance without hideous graphics!

[obitus]

cRPG are the great game, but do you suffer frame freezes?  Low fps?  Stuttering?

Unacceptable.  There are plenty of nearly free FPS to gain just by some configuration.  I'll explain all of the video options, how they impact gameplay, and how to set them for your particular hardware and gaming rig.  You don't even have to turn the game in to Mario 64 unless your computer is from the same era.

My settings obviously aren't going to work for everyone, but they are a good starting point to adjust from.

BOLD FONT = TRY THESE OPTIONS FIRST.  They are the best options for improving performance without sacrificing much or any visual quality.



Launch window "Configure" button

ADVANCED TAB
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FORCE SINGLE THREADING.  M&B's multithreading is poor, so trying this option is something I highly recommend.  If you have ever experienced freezing in which you are unable to control your character for seconds at a time, this is probably what you need to do to fix it.  This option fixed all of my freezing AND increased FPS to boot (Core2Duo).  Newer Intel CPUs (i5, i7) seem to have no problem with the multithreading.

VIDEO TAB
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Render Method: DirectX7 vs. DirectX9
Try to use DirectX9. 
If you are unsure, select DirectX9 and use all of my supplied settings.  If you cannot reach 60fps even with all of my tweaks then you should consider using DX7.
DX7 makes the game look like it was made in 1999, makes swings harder to see etc.  Only use it as a last resort for exceptionally slow computers.

Use Pixel Shaders:  If you use DirectX9 you need this option set to YES.  If you use DirectX7 it shouldn't matter since DX7 cannot use pixel shaders, but set it to NO.

Start Windowed: NO.

Show Framerate: N/A

Force Vertical Sync:  OFF.  If you want VSYNC you should use external settings

Load Textures On Demand: NO.  This option causes problems on a lot of people's rigs.

Texture Detail: Try to keep this maximized...one of the last options to lower, as it gives relatively few FPS for a big sacrifice in graphics (for me).  If you have a weak videocard, particularly one without much texture memory this could be a good option for you to turn down.  Things are gonna be uglier though

Max. Frame Rate: Set this to your monitor's refresh rate.  Most people have a 60hz monitor, which should also be max frame rate.  You can check your monitor's refresh rate in windows.

Screen Resolution: Try to use your native resolution at maximum color depth if you can.  You should easily be able to free up FPS from other places without having to sacrifice resolution.

Antialiasing: OFF.  Only add this AFTER you've configured everything else if you have way too many FPS and want the game to look prettier.  AA can be a huge FPS drain, and if you have a 1080p or higher resolution display you won't notice jaggies as much anyway.

Shadow Quality: Ultra High (or off).  If you use shadows at all you want them to be ultra high quality...low quality shadows look terrible.  All or nothing in my opinion here.



In-game video configuration

(click for huge)
http://i.imgur.com/9oDJsl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hXgCpl.jpg

Render Method: Same as above.
Screen Resolution: Same as above.
Antialiasing: Same as above.
Monitor Gamma: N/A as far as performance.  Increase as needed for night maps.
Texture Detail: Same as above.
Shadow Quality: Same as above.

Shader Quality: High.  Another all or nothing type deal.

HDR Mode: High.  Many of you will prefer OFF for gameplay reasons.  I like HDR so I keep it on, if you don't like it then keep it OFF for more FPS.

Auto-exposure: Yes.  If you use HDR, keep this option turned on otherwise some places will be too dark.  With HDR set to OFF this option doesn't matter.

Use Depth Effects: Optional; this makes water refractive.  Looks better, but a noticable performance hit and you will not be able to tell where puddles of water start and stop.  I prefer OFF.

Use Instancing:  Yes, unless you suffer performance loss.  Instancing apparently is an option to batch processes for your GPU, so leave this option on unless you notice any weirdness.

Grass Density:  0-10%.  I'm a firm believer that this is one of the best options to sacrifice for performance AND it benefits gameplay to boot.  Don't turn this one up unless you have way too many FPS and want some foliage to block your view of enemy players.

Realistic Shadows On Plants:  Full is preferred.  Altering this option can result in neon-lit plants!

Tree Detail: High.  Don't change this, change the next option.

Tree Degrade Distance: 40-50% for good FPS boost.  Another great option to gain FPS without sacrificing visuals.
This alters where a lower poly model is drawn instead of the high detail model for trees.  Leaving at 100% doesn't hardly look any different from 50% but you will have lots less FPS on forest maps.

Character Detail / Character Shadow Detail:  Lowest possible for good FPS boost.  Again honestly not much in the way of visuals sacrificed as you would expect.  Character detail is still very high up close.

Number Of Corpses:  Self-explanatory.  Zero is the best option for gameplay and performance - weapons and items scattered on the battlefield are easier to view without corpses.  I chose five in order to have a ragdoll.

Number Of Ragdolls:  I chose one just in order to see the occasional humorously positioned ragdoll corpse.

Blood Stains: On.  A bad option to turn down for performance, as blood stains are how you will determine whether or not your enemy is low on health.

Dynamic Lighting: Optional.  Turn off for decent performance improvement.  Not much effect in terms of gameplay considerations.

Character Shadows: Optional.  Turn them off for significant performance improvement.  You may see an enemy around a corner with them turned on.

Environment Shadows:  Yes.  Game looks pretty bad with them turned off.

Particle Systems:  Interesting option here.  On is good for seeing enemies with torches and distant flames in fog.  Cavalry leave dust trails which don't really block vision but do let you know which direction they rode. 
Off will remove your ability to determine whether it is raining, but will give substantial performance improvement.
 
Anisotropic Filtering:  Optional, I prefer OFF since I can't tell the difference and like more FPS.

Fast Water Reflections:  On.  Turn this OFF only if you have spare FPS, otherwise you should leave it ON.  Huge performance hit for not much more in terms of visuals.  Gameplay-wise I would argue that ON is a better choice, as you'll usually have an easier time spotting players in water with the water reflecting only the skybox.




Here are some other's recommendations/experiences.  Your mileage may vary (for instance, buffersize in rgl_config.txt didn't affect my fps at all but may help your hardware):

Nice guide, but I have to correct you in something: Shader and HDR are the options which affect framerate the most (at least for me). They make the game look much better, but setting Shader to Low and HDR off is what makes my game run smooth. Only in one or two maps, and in certain spots, my framerate lowers. Also don't use Instancing, Detph of field and auto-exposure. My game runs smoother without them.

Another thing: texture detail. I can't really tell a difference between 25% and 100%, and it does help your framerate. What gives the best graphics are the Shader and HDR, and, if you want the best performance, you should just use the minimum values.

And, finally, the most important change you can do to increase your framerate is editing the file rgl_config.txt (located in My Documents). Change the value of the line render_buffer_size to 1/4 (or 1/8 if your card gets too hot) of your graphic card's memory.

I've tried playing without Pixel Shaders, and it looked like there were less polygons or something. It looked like crap xD

On Nvidia Drivers:

With 260.99 version it's like another game. Smooth and beautiful. Choose this version because I remember that it was good in 2010. With this driver I've got same stable game with all new armors etc.
M&B is only game at my PC. I don't bother about other games.

My PC
Win7 64
Core 2 duo E8500
4 gb ram
480 GTX

It was awful with 296, 295, 280 versions.

So, if you have stuttering, jerky animation and nvidia card - check archive drivers at nvidia site.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us

[_Tak_]

Use game booster its better, try and you will see

[Kherr]

Afaik Game Booster increases speed because it deactives background processes and such things.
So imo you can do both... optimizing warband and optimizing your os.

[gazda]

if you have older computer just go dx7 , it isnt that bad. I used dx7 on my old laptop and when i compare that to high detail dx9(which i use now) its not that bad, mostly its just difference in enviromental reflections.

[Rumaahinen]

Great guide!

Force single threading fixed my performance issues, this should be stickied.

[obitus]

What does pixel shaders actually do? I mean, does it increase performance if I use it?

Pixel shaders are the name for the pretty texture effects that DirectX9 can do.  Textures look more realistic via normal maps and specularity.  That's the technologically correct way of saying they are lit better and look more 3d, and they can be shiny.

[Christo]

Nice guide.

BUT

Forcing Vsync was always bad for me, it made my attack/block timings totally hopeless, I couldn't aim swings, etc.

Dunno if some über-high tech PC would do this, but on mine, I would never turn it on.

Rather set an FPS cap.

[obitus]

Nice guide.

BUT

Forcing Vsync was always bad for me, it made my attack/block timings totally hopeless, I couldn't aim swings, etc.

Dunno if some über-high tech PC would do this, but on mine, I would never turn it on.

Rather set an FPS cap.

Vsync is quite literally an FPS cap.  I guess it could hypothetically cause lag on computers that can't reach their screen's refresh rate.  If the fps limit is set lower than your screen's refresh rate it definitely is holding you back.

DX9 But if I turn it on, does it decrease, increase, or does it nothing to performance?

Try my settings with DX9.  If you are sub 60 FPS even with all of my settings then you should consider DX7.  DX7 gives plenty more FPS but should be used as a last resort after trying the rest of my tweaks.



I've updated the guide to answer these questions, thanks!

[obitus]

i was talking about the very option "Use pixel shaders", not directX9. I got usually around 100-130 fps, but still on huge maps with 100+ players it alsways feels a bit like lagging, although I still have around 90 fps then.

DX9 = YES Use pixel shaders.  DX7 = NO.

You would not want to ever use DX9 with no pixel shaders.  Use DX7 to turn off pixel shaders and gain way more FPS than DX9 running needlessly without them.

The option is redundant should honestly be set by DX9 / DX7.

Your FPS is quite high.  If you lag with 100+ players try turning down only character detail and character shadows to the lowest setting, see if it helps.  DX7 really makes the game look terrible, so I wouldn't recommend it for you unless you don't care at all about graphics.

[Christo]

Another problem with DX7, is that some weapons will be even harder to see when in a swinging motion.

I don't suggest using it either, for the very reason.

Also about Anisotropic Filtering. Try looking at the ground textures (for an example) with both on, and off.
You'll see the difference, imo.

[Patoson]

Nice guide, but I have to correct you in something: Shader and HDR are the options which affect framerate the most (at least for me). They make the game look much better, but setting Shader to Low and HDR off is what makes my game run smooth. Only in one or two maps, and in certain spots, my framerate lowers. Also don't use Instancing, Detph of field and auto-exposure. My game runs smoother without them.

Another thing: texture detail. I can't really tell a difference in detail between 25% and 100%, and it does help your framerate. What gives the best graphics are the Shader and HDR, and, if you want the best performance, you should just use the minimum values. And don't use Anisotropic Filtering if you don't want to lose performance.

If your rig is old, you could turn shadows off as well and see if that helps.

And, finally, the most important change you can do to increase your framerate is editing the file rgl_config.txt (located in My Documents). Change the value of the line render_buffer_size to 1/4 (or 1/8 if your card gets too hot) of your graphic card's memory. Edit: don't change this! It only resulted in instability for me. Leave it at 32.

What does pixel shaders actually do? I mean, does it increase performance if I use it?

I play without Pixel Shaders. There's not much of a difference graphically wise, and it runs a little smoother.

[Mlekce]

That force single threting solved my freezez in game,and A Filtering must be used,improves graphic very,very much and don't cost in preformance.

[scheel]

Single Threading helped me with those freeze issues, but only for a day - now its back, even though i didnt change anything... crap.

[Boerenlater]

I tried it, sure 60fps all the time but the game felt not smooth anymore.
Back to my own 60fps settings.

[Phazey]

Force Vertical Sync:  Optional.  FPS in this game can vary widely and rapidly.  If your FPS is considerably higher than your monitor's refresh rate (usually 60), then you'll want it ON, as you will prevent ugly frame tearing.
If you are usually sub 60 FPS you might want to keep it OFF.  Also, if you haven't properly set your Max Frame Rate to your monitor's refresh rate, keep this OFF.

Don't use vsync unless you really, really dislike horizontal tearing. No need to cap your framerate at 60. Instead, cap your framerate at 123 (not 120), that way, if your vidcard can churn out more frames, it will.
If your framerate is higher than 120 (hence the cap at 123 instead of 120), you will not see any tearing and the game will be much more responsive than at 60 fps.

Make sure you check 'show framerate'. Being able to see your framerate is essential when trying to tweak a game for better performance. When testing individual graphics settings, be patient. Change ONE thing only and test the effects on a reliable spot. Use the same map and the same amount of players, if at all possible.

Try these optimized textures. They are rumoured to improve performance a bit:
http://forum.c-rpg.net/index.php/topic,25836.0.html (installed them but on my rig there was no real noticable difference)

On tweaking windows:
Game booster is mostly nonesense, really. It just disables some windows services you don't need whilst gaming. Instead, i would recommend doing that manually yourself. Run msconfig, disable anything in your startup you don't need. Then grab a windows services guide and disable (or put on 'manual') any services you don't need (or only want started when you need them). You could use black viper's guides, for example.

http://www.blackviper.com/2010/12/17/black-vipers-windows-7-service-pack-1-service-configurations/
http://www.blackviper.com/2008/05/19/black-vipers-windows-xp-x86-32-bit-service-pack-3-service-configurations/

My point is: instead of using some vaporware 'game booster', do it yourself properly. You'll learn a thing or two about windows in the process.

I use only medium detail within warband (with particle systems disabled because the rain animations give me headaches) on 1920x1080 and i get a reasonable stable ~123 fps out of rig with occasional drops to ~70-90 on certain maps with 120+ players. I strongly perfer a good framerate over graphics detail.

tl;dr, use game booster then, you nub. and keep vsync on. ;)

Anyways, good guide. Needs some minor tweaks though.