Tip to get better graphics in AO

[sanglier]

Hi all

Dunno if this has been already said here but there is a way to get way better graphics in AO, like if you where in high details mode.

I will try to explain.

The trick is to activate some video option on the video card in hardware, anisiotroping & antialiasing.

Go to your video card advanced options, choose 3d settings, then you will have the option to choose a target (program that will be affected by new settings), go to your anarchy online folder & select CLIENT.EXE.

Now you can activate Anisiotroping ( put 16X if good video card or x8 is normal card)
Also activate Antialiasing ( X8 or x4).

Save & launch game with normal shorcut, enjoy AO in high details with smooth & better colored textures.

[Mekh]

Hi all

Dunno if this has been already said here but there is a way to get way better graphics in AO, like if you where in high details mode.

I will try to explain.

The trick is to activate some video option on the video card in hardware, anisiotroping & antialiasing.

Go to your video card advanced options, choose 3d settings, then you will have the option to choose a target (program that will be affected by new settings), go to your anarchy online folder & select CLIENT.EXE.

Now you can activate Anisiotroping ( put 16X if good video card or x8 is normal card)
Also activate Antialiasing ( X8 or x4).

Save & launch game with normal shorcut, enjoy AO in high details with smooth & better colored textures.

What's the impact on performance (FPS), and what kinda hardware do you have?

[sanglier]

i have core2 duo 1.8, 2Gb DDR2, Gforce 7600 GT

I use anisio x8 antialias x4 with no performance loose.

[Omutb]

There shouldnt be much of an impact on FPS if your card works ok, its only applying some post processing effects, making things smoother and nicer looking.

Obviously, the higher resolution you run AO in, the more impact it might possibly have on it.

[Mekh]

There shouldnt be much of an impact on FPS if your card works ok, its only applying some post processing effects, making things smoother and nicer looking.

Obviously, the higher resolution you run AO in, the more impact it might possibly have on it.

I was asking because AO aren't supposed to support DX much (if at all) when it comes to graphics, hence I'm surprised it makes a difference in the first place...

I've always assumed AA and Anisotropic was handled using DX, but it's just something I've assumed automatically, not based on any real knowledge.


It's my understanding most effects are handled using the CPU, which is the reason newer and better gfx cards don't do much for AO usually, if ever...


Just curious...

[Omutb]

I've always assumed AA and Anisotropic was handled using DX, but it's just something I've assumed automatically, not based on any real knowledge.


It's my understanding most effects are handled using the CPU, which is the reason newer and better gfx cards don't do much for AO usually, if ever...

The effects are whats called "post processing", ie theyre applied to the image being rendered on the screen, which regardless of how its generated must be done by the gfx card.

Its just the rendering part thats not done in the gfx card.

Think of it like this, if you take a digital photo, and you manage to get the that red eye effect, you can either leave it as it is, and have demonic children, or you can edit the photo to remove it, its a bit like that.

Of course, i might have it completely wrong

[Autohead]

OMG! Thank you so much, I feel like an idiot for not trying this before now...this fricken TRIPLED my FPS and makes AO looks awesomely better.

[Berim]

I've done this in the past with nvidia cards but now I'm a ATI user. Haven't stumbled into a similar option yet in catalyst drivers. Should I look harder?

[Falkvinge]

AA is causing havok on my planetmap :\

[Honorbound]

I've done this in the past with nvidia cards but now I'm a ATI user. Haven't stumbled into a similar option yet in catalyst drivers. Should I look harder?

That "new" CCC being the utterly smelling piece of crap it is, I've never used it since the old control center had been replaced with it.
However I'm sure there are the very same options in there which used to be in the old one; there has to be controls to set driver-forced FSAA and aniso levels somewhere.

Alternatively, get ATiTrayTools. Smaller, simpler, and gives access to a lot of useful "hidden" options that are not accessible with CCC, plus features like temperature and performance monitoring, fan control, 1 click or automated OCing, saving/restoring different video/driver settings on the fly, etc.

[Berim]

Yea there are the general settings but I haven't seen an option where I could define settings just for client.exe. It might be there though, I haven't really put that much effort in finding it.

[Honorbound]

Yea there are the general settings but I haven't seen an option where I could define settings just for client.exe. It might be there though, I haven't really put that much effort in finding it.

The OP must be about some tweaking tool that can auto-load pre-defined settings when a specific application is launched. There's no such feature in stock drivers.

Settings you make on the control panel will be applied regardless of anything, usually overriding even any settings you might have made in the application itself.

[Berim]

It's not a tweaking tool, the option is there by default in nvidia drivers.

[Falkvinge]

The OP must be about some tweaking tool that can auto-load pre-defined settings when a specific application is launched. There's no such feature in stock drivers.

Settings you make on the control panel will be applied regardless of anything, usually overriding even any settings you might have made in the application itself.

That's wrong because you can create game setting profiles in the stock driver nvidia control panel.
-------------

But still, AA is causing problems with my planet map.. :\

[lordran]

This is great! thx for the tip. AO's looks are smoother then ever. It also looks like textures have more details on em. I put all details to the max on my 8800 GTX.

[Comi]

Tried this and didnt notice any real difference...

[Noxira]

This isn't working for me. I also tried additionally overriding the settings for anarchy.exe but absolutely nothing happens. What could I be doing wrong here? I'm using a nVidia 7600GT just like the OP.

[speardancer2]

This isn't working for me. I also tried additionally overriding the settings for anarchy.exe but absolutely nothing happens. What could I be doing wrong here? I'm using a nVidia 7600GT just like the OP.

override the settings for client.exe. anarchy.exe is just the game launcher, so you should have a nice looking launcher window

[Autohead]

Some things I've noticed...

Okay, I use a GeForce 8800 GTS 512 MB...a pretty nice card...now this was great and I saw a huge performance increase everywhere, EXCEPT for the dreaded org shops and APF Staging Area...still get ridiculous slowdown/lag/whateveryoucallit in those places. Also, noticed a little artifacting as it tries to render trees and some player models, this stops once things are fully rendered on my screen, but an annoyance none the less. These are problems I've had ever since switching to this card a few months ago. Don't really know how to fix it...

I can also say with 99% certainty that AA does absolutely nothing, everything still has jagged pixelated edges. This is in windowed mode.

[RaffaChicken89]

I've tried to get this to work several times in the past but I've never had any joy with it. I'm doing everything as described here (tried on client.exe and as a global setting) and it's not having any effect at all. Not just in AO, but any other game I've tried. The new STALKER for instance doesn't have proper AA, and I can't get it to work for that either.

nv 8800gt, latest drivers

Any ideas?