Hello all

[darksky602]

Hello all,

I was wondering if someone could explain how people are running large armies 9+ characters on a single computer and not disconnecting. I am running 4 characters currently and on their own they are fine with the exception of yellow linking going through portals. BUT if I get into a large crowd of other players (examples: PV, Guant runs, or colo runs) they yellow and red link then crash. I was told that I need more RAM to run multiple accounts and that is why I am crashing. I do not have issues unless using Vtank ie no portal lag or crashes but obviously I am running one account then.

Things I have tried:

1. Replaced portal.dat files
2. Reinstalled AC
3. Turn off each option in decal one at a time (solved log in issue due to tracker programs in magtools)
4. Increased RAM from 6 GB to 8 GB
5. Mulit logged from 4 separate folders
6. Installed and used Thwarg Launcher with the proper userpreferences.ini file in the AC folder
(saw some improvement using Thwarg launcher but still lagging when rendering landscape and crashing in large groups)

Goal is to be able to run a full fellow on this system if it is possible based on the hardware I have.

Secondary goal is to run the 4 characters I have without crashing in guant and colo, with minimal lag while playing.

System specs:

toshiba satelite p775 laptop
IntelCore i7-2670QM CPU 2.20GHZ
RAM 8 GB Crucial
Windows 10 (turned off most background garbage)
Router Cisco ports triggered 9000-9013 and forwarded. (Thinking issue is in here, maybe a setting or firewall causing lag?)
Display Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000 (possible other culprit).

Information from Decal:

Decal (DenAgent.exe) version: 2.9.7.5

type, enabled, name, version, clsid
Plugins, 1, ChaosHelper, 2.2.5.0, {0A2F484B-54A6-4084-8286-C3755E1148A6}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Chat System 5, 5.0.0.5, {0A7B25AC-79A9-4F6A-9751-419B87A7BB05}
Plugins, 1, GoArrow, 3.0.0.0, {46BBF551-8578-4A59-B2FB-B5D9F4C719FA}
Plugins, 1, AC+, 2.0.0.2082, {5ACB7319-8E15-4A4A-A24D-59180DA1DF49}
Plugins, 1, GoArrow (VVS Edition), 2.5.0.0, {5E8D5E3D-C04D-4976-98B6-9A8DCBC4212D}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Tank, 0.3.1.171, {642F1F48-16BE-48BF-B1D4-286652C4533E}
Plugins, 1, Decal Hotkey System, 2.9.7.5, {6B6B9FA8-37DE-4FA3-8C60-52BD6A2F9855}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Integrator2 Beta, 1.0.1.13, {7882AE88-CB68-4C98-BB94-90204C2D2156}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Item Tool, 1.0.0.19, {7BCA75A3-CC65-456B-BBB1-6383FB072B60}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Sense, 1.0.0.1, {8625358A-9ED1-4166-9CD6-8F9BBAD1359B}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Reporter, 0.0.0.8, {8C70FF56-0E53-4265-9E19-C4534A8D3AA8}
Plugins, 1, MiniMap, 1.1.0.282, {92C09018-E815-4C22-987B-8E553154146E}
Plugins, 1, Mag-Tools, 2.0.9, {959D5CA6-0BD5-48A2-9AD2-F95F94DCDC3E}
Plugins, 1, Virindi HUDs, 1.0.0.18, {C6B1DF06-FF20-459E-8302-AA346CBFDA01}
Plugins, 1, SSSort (VVS Edition), 3.0.0.2, {D77DAD0D-75C7-425D-96AE-E8B3E1366EF3}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Window Tool, 1.0.0.8, {DCB2CFA5-BAB2-43C9-82C4-3C1616276862}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Global Inventory, 1.0.0.8, {EB071330-DC65-4302-9CF9-6104B5B4C73B}
Plugins, 1, Virindi Hotkey System, 1.0.0.6, {ED7CC818-7159-461F-A833-4CA49E1C85B6}
Network Filters, 1, Virindi AutomaticUpdatesFilter, 1.0.0.8, {108ED493-48AD-42A6-AADC-EF773E4F185A}
Network Filters, 1, Mag-Filter, 2.2.8.0, {15395EC4-585E-4C59-9813-9C9F1654026C}
Network Filters, 1, Echo Filter 2, 2.9.7.5, {34239EAD-6317-4C40-A405-193BA5232DD8}
Network Filters, 1, Character Stats Filter, 2.9.7.5, {4540C969-08D1-46BF-97AD-6B19D3C10BEE}
Network Filters, 1, World Object Filter, 2.9.7.5, {53092D1B-F0B0-46FF-BF11-8F031EC9B137}
Network Filters, 1, Decal FileService, 2.9.7.5, {5E9B2FC3-C251-4589-8CE3-2BCA542B98B6}
Network Filters, 1, Identify Queue Filter, 2.9.7.5, {B0C05A9A-273D-4BC4-B7BA-E27CF94C8EF4}
Network Filters, 1, SpellFilter, 2.9.7.5, {C2D43735-BE7E-4829-AF73-F2E7E820EB16}
Services, 1, Decal Dat Service, 2.9.7.5, {37B083F0-276E-43AD-8D26-3F7449B519DC}
Services, 1, Decal .NET Lifetime Service, 2.9.7.5, {71A69713-6593-47EC-0001-0000000DECA1}
Services, 1, Decal Input Service, 2.9.7.5, {B33307BA-706D-474A-80B9-70BB8D13EF3E}
Services, 1, Decal Networking Service, 2.9.7.5, {C8C406F8-BA2E-4964-8B04-FF38394A8E0E}
Services, 1, Virindi View Service Bootstrapper, 99.99.99.99, {DBAC9286-B38D-4570-961F-D4D9349AE3D4}
Services, 1, Decal D3DService, 2.9.7.5, {F0CC07A0-2C89-4FA4-9356-714665BC2F8B}
Services, 1, Decal Render Service, 2.9.7.5, {FB3C8286-88ED-4B4D-B413-94B40F346239}
Services, 1, Decal Inject Gateway Service, 2.9.7.5, {FEFE5CAB-10E4-404F-AD4D-184BCB506099}
Surrogates, -1, Version 1 Plugin Surrogate, 2.9.7.5, {3D837F6E-B5CA-4604-885F-7AB45FCFA62A}
Surrogates, 1, Prefilter Network Filter Surrogate, 2.9.7.5, {443D4A68-5422-4E0C-9460-973F8FBDB190}
Surrogates, 1, Decal.Adapter Surrogate, 2.9.7.5, {71A69713-6593-47EC-0002-0000000DECA1}
Surrogates, 1, ActiveX Plugin Surrogate, 2.9.7.5, {7559F22F-C56F-4621-AE08-9C354D799D4B}
Input Actions, 1, Delay Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {324D76B8-D8C7-4A81-B867-E4E1F874E488}
Input Actions, 1, Mouse Move Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {57D18578-0BF0-4DE5-A0A9-E7CB531C0429}
Input Actions, 1, Restore Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {6EE2F682-7129-44BE-84B9-787BAE35EC1C}
Input Actions, 1, Polled Delay Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {762335B2-2274-4BB4-8B1F-F7286C949FF7}
Input Actions, 1, Typing Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {9CDCEEDC-F8AC-42D5-9A05-52B9346D00A4}
Input Actions, 1, Event Input Action, 2.9.7.5, {D6E4BD19-4900-4515-BCE2-A9EA4AAE2699}

Operating System:
Home Edition (Build 9200)

[User is member of Administrators group] : true

Decal Settings
[Injection Method] : Timer (Default)
[Portal Path] : C:\Users\Wade Wilson\Desktop\Asheron's Call
[Launcher App] : acclient.exe
[Update URL] : http://update.decaldev.com
[memlocs.xml] : 27376 bytes, Version 0.0.11.6096
[messages.xml] : 55090 bytes, Version 2013.07.27.0
[Video Memory] : 1744830464

D3DX Libraries (Only d3dx9_30 is required)
[d3dx9_24.dll] : Installed (9.5.132.0)
[d3dx9_25.dll] : Installed (9.6.168.0)
[d3dx9_26.dll] : Installed (9.7.239.0)
[d3dx9_27.dll] : Installed (9.8.299.0)
[d3dx9_28.dll] : Installed (9.10.455.0)
[d3dx9_29.dll] : Installed (9.11.519.0)
[d3dx9_30.dll] : Installed (9.12.589.0)
[d3dx9_31.dll] : Installed (9.15.779.0)
[d3dx9_32.dll] : Installed (9.16.843.0)
[d3dx9_33.dll] : Installed (9.18.904.15)
[d3dx9_34.dll] : Installed (9.19.949.46)
[d3dx9_35.dll] : Installed (9.19.949.1104)
[d3dx9_36.dll] : Installed (9.19.949.2111)
[d3dx9_37.dll] : Installed (9.22.949.2248)
[d3dx9_38.dll] : Installed (9.23.949.2378)
[d3dx9_39.dll] : Installed (9.24.949.2307)
[d3dx9_40.dll] : Installed (9.24.950.2656)
[d3dx9_41.dll] : Installed (9.26.952.2844)
[d3dx9_42.dll] : Installed (9.27.952.3001)
[d3dx9_43.dll] : Installed (9.29.952.3111)
[d3dx9_44.dll] : Not Installed
[d3dx9_45.dll] : Not Installed
[d3dx9_46.dll] : Not Installed
[d3dx9_47.dll] : Not Installed
[d3dx9_48.dll] : Not Installed
[d3dx9_49.dll] : Not Installed


---Support Libraries ---
Note: The following libraries are not necessary for Decal to function and are only provided to be of use to plugin developers.


.NET Frameworks
[v1.0.3705] (1.0 Final) : Not Installed
[v1.1.4322] (1.1 Final) : Installed
[v2.0.50215] (2.0 Beta 2) : Not Installed
[v2.0.50727] (2.0 Final) : Installed (Service Pack 2)
[v3.0] (3.0) : Installed (Service Pack 2)
[v3.5] (3.5) : Installed (Service Pack 1)
[v4] (4.0) : Installed (Version: 4.6.01038)

C++ Libraries
[msvbvm60.dll] : Installed (6.0.98.15)
[atl70.dll] : Not Installed
[mfc70.dll] : Not Installed
[msvcr70.dll] : Not Installed
[msvcp70.dll] : Not Installed
[atl71.dll] : Not Installed
[mfc71.dll] : Not Installed
[msvcr71.dll] : Installed (7.10.3052.4)
[msvcp71.dll] : Installed (7.10.3077.0)

Microsoft XML Libraries
[msxml3.dll] : Installed (8.110.10586.212)
[msxml4.dll] : Installed (4.30.2100.0)
[msxml5.dll] : Not Installed
[msxml6.dll] : Installed (6.30.10586.63)


---Video Device Information---
[Device] : Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000
[Device Name] : \\.\DISPLAY1
[KeyDeviceID] : Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0116&SUBSYS_FC001179&REV_09
[KeyDeviceKey] : \Registry\Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{7A12D001-5442-4E89-931E-63E4E709AFEA}\0000
[Manufacturer] : Intel Corporation
[ChipType] : Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
[DACType] : Internal
[Revision] :
[MemoryLocalised] : 1664 MB
[MemoryEnglish] : 1664 MB
[DisplayLocalised] : 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
[DisplayEnglish] : 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
[DisplayWidth] : 1600
[DisplayHeight] : 900
[DisplayBpp] : 32
[RefreshRate] : 60
[MonitorName] : Generic PnP Monitor
[MonitorMaxRes] :
[DriverName] : igdumd64.dll,igd10umd64.dll,igd10umd64.dll,igdumd32,igd10umd32,igd10umd32
[DriverVersion] : 9.17.0010.4229
[DriverAttributes] : Final Retail
[DriverLangEnglish] : English
[DriverLangLocal] : English
[DriverDateEng] : 5/27/2015 12:00:00 AM
[DriverDateLocal] : 5/27/2015 00:00:00
[DriverSize] : 12814752
[MiniVdd] : n/a
[MiniVddDateEng] : n/a
[MiniVddDateLocal] : n/a
[MiniVddSize] : 0
[Vdd] : n/a
[RenderWindow] : Yes
[Beta] : No
[Debug] : No
[Signed] : No
[SignValid] : No
[Identifier] : {D7B78E66-4256-11CF-4C62-0ADCB7C2C435}
[DDIVer] : 11
[DDIVerEng] : 11.1
[DDIVerLocal] : 11.1
[iAdapter] : 0
[VendorID] : 0x8086
[DeviceID] : 0x0116
[SubSystemID] : 0xFC001179
[RevisionID] : 0x0009
[WHQL Level] : 0
[NoHardware] : 0
[DDAccelEnabled] : Yes
[3DAccelExists] : Yes
[3DAccelEnabled] : Yes
[AGP Enabled] : Yes
[AGPExists] : Yes
[AGPExistsValid] : Yes


Opinions welcome, no matter what the answer even if it gets a good laugh.

Honestly I am a month into trying to figure out the issue and lack the knowledge base to solve the problem. I wanted to get the opinion from the experts here before i throw more money at this and buy new hardware to continue playing this game.

[Joeblow8579]

You have several problems in my eyes. First, you are trying to play 4 clients from one set of 13 ports. These days, AC requires about 20-25 ports for each client. On my system, I forward ports 9000-9150 to my computer. I then set up my first client to port 9000, my second to 9030, et cetera.

The second problem is that you have a very underpowered computer and especially extremely underpowered GPU. The integrated GPUs, while they have gotten a lot better in the last couple generations, were pretty terrible with the 3000-series and before. Judging by how my midrange discrete GPU performs, I wouldn't think integrated graphics could run more than one or two clients at low resolutions, but I haven't tried it.

Start by fixing the port issue and see if that helps.

[Dmdtt]

one other suggestion to run more clients, install ACpowerSaver even an unedited version that only adds 9ms between frames will improve performance for most machines. personally without AC power saver the game tries to run at 390fps which eats a ton of memory and limits me to about 3 clients. with the program tho I am able to run 6-7 without too many issues.

edit: colo should be possible provided you fix port issue like JoeBlow suggested. gauntlet however is another story. for some reason gauntlet is far from optimized and the fact that it requires over 20 players to beat it increases the lag/memory usage while in gauntlet by a very significant amount. few people in my alleg that are able to regularly run 3+ clients at a time are unable to get through even 1 gaunt run without at least 1 disconnect.

[HellsWrath]

TURN YOUR LANDSCAPE DETAIL TEXTURES TO MEDIUM OR LOWER
KEEP FOLLOWER CLIENTS IN 800X600
ALWAYS PLAY WINDOWED
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Above medium kicks in ToD textures that are much more resource intensive than the basic textures at medium or lower.

I run 6-8 on machines with 4gig ram, core2duo cpu and an integrated HD graphics card.

There is absolutely no need for more hardware, what you have is perfectly fine if you set it up appropriately.




There has been no need to port forward with AC since the July 2013 Network Layer Patch unless you have customized your router/network.

Each client needs a range of 13 for white worlds and 22 for DT, safest bet is 25.

9000,9025,9050 etc.

If you use ComputeUniquePort=True in userpreferences.ini then it will automatically assign unique ports to each client in the 50,000 range.

[darksky602]

First I would like to say thank you for all of the suggestions and information. I honestly appreciate the help.

This is a copy of my user preferences.ini file:

[Render]
FieldOfView=90.00
SceneryDrawDistance=Medium
DisplayAdapter=0
LandscapeDetailTextures=False
ScreenBrightness=1.00
LandscapeTextureDetail=Low
AspectRatio=Normal
TextureFiltering=Bilinear
LandscapeDrawDistance=Low
GraphicsPerformance=-1.00
EnvironmentTextureDetail=Medium
AutomaticDegrades=False
DegradeDistance=50.00
MultiPassAlpha=False
BuildingDetailTextures=False
[Net]
ComputeUniquePort=True
BindInterface=
UserSpecifiedPort=9005
[Sound]
SoundFeatures=Stereo
AmbientSoundVolume=0.07
PlaySoundOnlyWhenActive=False
SoundDisabled=True
InterfaceSoundVolume=0.07
AmbientSoundDisabled=True
InterfaceSoundDisabled=True
SoundVolume=0.07
[Input]
InvertMouseLookYAxis=False
KeymapFile=Default.keymap
UseMouseTurning=False
MouseLookSmoothingAmount=0.00
MouseLookSensitivity=0.25
[Camera]
AdjustmentSpeed=40.00
Stiffness=0.45
AlignToSlope=True
[Misc]
TooltipDelay=0.25
TooltipEnable=True
[UI]
ChatFontSize=Small
ChatFontFace=PalatinoLinotype
[Display]
RefreshRate=Auto
Resolution=1360x768
FullScreen=False
SyncToRefresh=True
[International]
UseIME=False

When Hellswrath first mentioned userpreferences.ini to me in vcg chat (also thank you again) I could not find it, so I went and downloaded it from a friend's teamspeak. I edited true where I believe i should and dropped it in my AC folder. I will play with the ports just in case that is an issue with my router, I am unsure on how to assign a specific port to each account in the userpreferences.ini file?? I will also change the resolution for the other 3 follower accounts. When I tried that before I had one client running 1360x768 and the others were different, ie smaller visible window for play inside a black box that was still 1360x768, not sure how to correct that, but I will play around and see if i can fix it. Again thank you all.

[Immortalbob]

userpreferences.ini is located in your documents/asheron's call folder. its not in the game folder. the same folder your screenshots go into.

C:\Users\Your Name\Documents\Asheron's Call

[darksky602]

I located the userpreferences file where you said it was. I compared the one I have in my AC game folder and the one in the documents section.The one in the AC game folder is the one changing when I change any settings in AC, the other file is not changing. Both had unique port = true. I made them exact copies of one another just in case this was the issue.

I have lowered resolution for all graphics, set my followers to 800x600 and my main window to 1200x800.
I triggered and forwarded 9000-9150 in my router.
I added AC powersaver.

The game is running better, still have lag when landscape renders. Portals are yellow linking less though. Still trying other things to get game to run smoother, will attempt to get it to crash and report back.

Thank you again for all the help

[HellsWrath]

That is interesting as by default it saves userpreferences.ini to mydocuments and uses the same file for all clients.

[darksky602]

I am unsure why it is working that way now. I made 4 userpreference.ini files and placed them in the documents folder where bob stated it was. I set them to change the screen resolution to 800x600 for the follower accounts and nothing changed, it was still reading the one in the AC folder. So I moved all the individually named userpreferences files to the AC folder and then changed the paths under accounts (explained in Thwarg launcher thread), to pick up the files in the AC folder and it worked. At least this way the follower accounts are launching properly in 800x600 now.