Can't get any of the ddraw.INI DX9 modes to work without lagging terribly in-game

Updated versions of killap's Unofficial Patch and Restoration Project.
NomadAI
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2021 5:58 pm

Re: Can't get any of the ddraw.INI DX9 modes to work without lagging terribly in-game

Post by NomadAI »

I found a F12SE which works with RPU! YAY! However, I forgot which website I got it from. I'll try to backtrack it down using my History.

So, I fully blitzed through the campaign and finished most of Fallout 2. I didn't see everything yet, but I really really LOVE the new RPU additions around finding Sulik's sister (Slaver Camp, Umbra Tribe) and other RPU additions. There is this one interaction after fixing Gecko plant when exiting Gecko that I found to be quite enjoyable as well haha. Overall, in my eyes, RPU is the complete Fallout 2 experience, leaving no threads hanging. For the longest time, the fate of Sulik's sister and so on hung on my mind. Thanks for answering them! Sulik even had "home" dialogue unused before RPU, I guess! Cassidy's new voice fits into Fallout sensibility perfectly! I for one did not think the voice didn't fit or something. Actually, I don't even remember Cassidy's previous voice because I usually didn't have him in my party back as a teenager. I dunno why. Bravo, kudos! Amazing and I'd say inspiring work!

Now, I'd like to make my own joinable companion NPC mod similar to Endocore's "Better Miria". I'm using his guide here: https://falloutmods.fandom.com/wiki/Bui ... _Miria_Mod

So in order NOT to conflict with my main Steam directory [D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout 2], I just backed up everything, the entire Fallout 2 folder into another non-Steam location (basically right in my D drive [D:\Fallout2M]), basically "Fallout2M" or Fallout 2 modded by myself.

Yet strangely enough, I ran back into the SAME issue as before! With ddraw.ini's DX9 modes 4-6 causing slowdowns AND the screen tearing is back with ddraw.ini mode 4-6 or even mode 0 and using HR mod again only.

I'm really at a loss why this is happening, because I used the SAME file settings and I made sure to force Nvidia Control Panel to the SAME settings of OFF for the fallout2Hr.exe as the one in the Steam directory. So now I'm thinking that it can't be the Nvidia Control Panel because it has the SAME settings for both Fallout2HR.exe under Steam [D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout 2] and non-Steam [D:\Fallout2M] directories.

This leads me to believe that perhaps it's not the Fallout2HR.exe or even Nvidia Control Panel changes that did it (maybe the Launcher is connecting some pieces of code or settings that I don't know about] ... perhaps I changed something else to make it work? GAH!

I even re-installed RPU into the non-Steam directory again, and went over the process of changing all the settings accordingly. Perhaps it's the Fallout2 Tweaks to blame. I'm starting to think it's the player speed up that's conflicting somehow with the DX9.

I'm gonna tinker and revert Nvidia Control Panel ON for the Steam directory and see if that does anything. So odd!
NomadAI
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2021 5:58 pm

Re: Can't get any of the ddraw.INI DX9 modes to work without lagging terribly in-game

Post by NomadAI »

UPDATE: Under Steam directory, Nvidia Control Panel's Max Frame rates is the one causing slowdowns + screen tearing. So forcing it ON via Nvidia Control Panel reintroduced the slowdowns/tearing in the Steam directory main RPU "user-unmodded" game. So forcing it OFF via Nvidia Control Panel fixes it. So I guess and I'll tinker more, the other OFFs are not needed.. the main one is the MAX FRAME RATE one.

However, what's odd, is that for the Non-Steam directory (where I will start modding, but at this stage, it's the same RPU, I can load/start game as punk girl, so RPU works), EVEN forcing OFF MAX FRAME RATE in Nvidia Control Panel
DOES
NOT
resolve the slowdowns + screen tearing... so the solution that works for the Steam directory, for some reason, does NOT work for the Non-Steam directory. Very odd indeed!


UPDATE #2: Got the Non-Steam version to work, but under different settings!
TLDR: Main thing was to have both DDRAW.INI and F2_RES.INI agree towards a FULLSCREEN and DX9 only solution, so NO windowed settings and back to 8bit, not 32bit color, that's also important, I think!
So unfortunately, I don't know how to make the windowed/windowed-fullscreen options work for this Non-Steam backup I intend to use for modding. Something about windows just messed it all up.

Note #1: bolded settings are the most important, I think
Note #2: Why MouseSensitivity to 85 under Input? Because I'm using SFALL/RPU's mouse for this FULLSCREEN mode instead of the alternative one for the High-Res Patch of f2_res.ini that worked better for me for the WINDOWED FULLSCREEN mode.
Note #2 TLDR: ddraw.ini's MouseSensitivity=85 only works when f2_res.ini's ALT_MOUSE_INPUT=0, as far as I understand.
Note #2 Rationale: Why setting to 85, less than the default 100? I found SFALL's default 100 setting to be too fast and jerky, so I slowed it down a bit. Will probably slow it down even more, but that's just personal preference.
Note #3: Why ProcessorIdle=-1 under Misc? Because using f2_res.ini's CPU_USAGE_FIX=1. They are mutually exclusive. One, or the other, not both.
Note #3 Rationale: I'll try the ddraw.ini-Misc-ProcessorIdle=1 paired with f2_res.ini-OTHER_SETTINGS-CPU_USAGE_FIX=0 combination as well and see how it performs, beucase with f2_res in control of my CPU, I've been having some CTDs... perhaps having SFALL/RPU control CPU as opposed to the High-Res patch (which is barely used in this FULLSCREEN mode) may be a better compatibilty thing. Actually, for my modding I'll go with this SECOND COMBINATION:
ddraw.ini-Misc-ProcessorIdle=1 paired with f2_res.ini-OTHER_SETTINGS-CPU_USAGE_FIX=0
Note #3 Tip: With ddraw.ini's ProcessorIdle setting under Misc, one has greater control by setting from 1-30. I'll play/tinker around with the settings to find an optimal value, at least for me.

Nvidia Control Panel:
Max Frame Rate = Off
Note: All the rest can be turned On, it seems. Odd, so only the above setting messes things up, at least for Fullscreen.

ddraw.ini:
[Graphics]
Mode=4
GraphicsWidth=1920
GraphicsHeight=1080

TextureFilter=1
GPUBlt=1
Use32BitHeadGraphics=1

[Input]
MouseSensitivity=85
[Misc]
ProcessorIdle=1

[MAIN]
GRAPHICS_MODE=0
SCALE_2X=0
SCR_WIDTH=960
SCR_HEIGHT=540
COLOUR_BITS=8

REFRESH_RATE=0
WINDOWED=0
WINDOWED_FULLSCREEN=0

[INPUT]
ALT_MOUSE_INPUT=0
[OTHER_SETTINGS]
CPU_USAGE_FIX=0

CONCLUSION: Thus, I'd call these settings the SFALL/RPU-dominant settings since most graphical controls are via ddraw.ini. The ONLY thing pushed via the f2_res.ini is the 960x540 closest to original Fallout 2 outlook, as Magnus detailed in post here:

https://www.nma-fallout.com/threads/how ... -2.213432/
The rest of the f2_res.ini settings are basically to make way and not interfere or conflict/mess up with ddraw.ini

Still, I'd like to figure out how to make the windowed and especially windowed-fullscreen work because I usually have multiple browser tabs open for guidance/walkthroughs/different character builds to try and so on. So this is still an issue, but at least, it's no longer an issue stopping me from trying on Fallout 2 modding! YAY Woot!
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