• Registered: 2013-03-27
  • Posts: 5

Topic: Default config file

I'm the one with the old computers playing this awesome mod:)
Considering the default config file, I found that the default resolution of 1280 can be harsh, could it be 800x600 standard?

Also, could there be the standard detail options of Q3 games like geometry (r_subdivisions) and texture detail (r_picmip)?

Most important of all, the com_hunkmegs.
Years ago I tested loading times (using fs_cdpath) and timedemo FPS measurements and found that really Q3 games perform best when using com_hunkmegs AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. Not only will FPS drop with unneeded large com_hunkmegs but also memory management; the larger hunk does NOT work as "internal cache" while it does eat away memory leaving noticeably less for windows caching system. There is absolutely no performance decrease when using low com_hunkmegs; the game will never load data while the level is running (tested using data on dvd with fs_cdpath). If you make com_hunkmegs too low, all you eventually get is a hunk allocation error when trying to load a map.

I was not even able to launch the dedicated server under linux with the standard com_hunkmegs of 1 gigabyte having only 512mb!

I have found that com_hunkmegs 128 will run my ded linuxbox supersmooth and you can guess what old machine that is (P3 cubx 1000mHz, 3com wired) 25% CPU used, no hogging, hardly any pingdrop with more than 4 players.

For  my windows machines, I safely use com_hunkmegs 160 and have great fps on P3's with geforceMX's.
Also, I noticed starting the main executable involves starting the dedicated executable, that right?

thanks alot and kudos for the speedy development, have you been thinking of Jedi Knight and Medal of Honour?:)

2 Reply by nate (edited by nate 2013-03-27 16:56:37)

  • nate
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  • Registered: 2012-10-08
  • Posts: 202

Re: Default config file

This is a personally biased opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't think that reducing game defaults any lower would make sense since they're already low (default) and based on a 10 years old game that's considered ancient in technology era. Specs you mentioned are severely outdated. I mean by utilizing hardware you do, game specs are the least of your problems - there's OS resources, security as well as other factors that create challenge before you even come to application layer. Additionally, if some logically common sense is used, than it's the general rule - the needs of many outweigh the needs of few. By lowering specs by default and offering bunch of settings to users that generally feel uncomfortable with regular settings let alone any more specific stuff will mean, that most of users will end up utilizing half or barely any resources simply because they wont want to change it, even although their computers would easily cope with what a 10 years old game has to throw at them.

Personally I'm always leaning towards some kinda of middle ground but in this case, it doesn't make sense. I think better approach would be to simply add a single setting in menu that would execute a pre-defined config if user desires so. It would boot with default (current settings) and offer low & high specs options, where low would downgrade some commonly used stuff like you mention to some lower (safe) levels, with picmip 2, zone and hunk usage lower etc..while max would naturally do the opposite and boost stuff to some (safe) max levels. That would be a solution I think it would work best, naturally it would still at times fall down to user's specific needs, as you simply can't put all the cvars in a config that will make everyone happy as needs vary but most of basic stuff could be utilized like that and wouldn't interfere with what majority has set now.

That's my input on it. smile

  • Registered: 2013-03-27
  • Posts: 5

Re: Default config file

Yes, if making menu buttons and sliders is too much work, collections of configs could be used. Check the many other Q3 clones out there, they all have these standard system options that rtcwcoop is lacking, even the ones that have been released last year (like smokingguns).
I do want to point out that putting com_hunkmegs on 1000 is just a mistake, it makes no sense at all. Also, picmip going from 0 to 1 really is the main FPS booster on older specs.

It's a good thing this whole game runs on old hardware, it makes no sense to claim P3/gfmx  hardware is outdated for this software project. I sincerely hope rtcw coop is not going to be, like many projects that failed over time, the target of "graphic improving" patches that will require hardware shader cards. In that case I would say, this is a game of low specs, keep it that way. To me, it makes sense to stick to the defaults of the engine used, which would be default res of 640x480 lol. The low requirements of this whole is a substantial part of what interests me about this project. My input it is, tastes differ:)

Also, people's ping improves when they increase their "rate" to 10000 or 15000.

Perhaps, but Im not sure about this, a higher rate than the default 5000 will bring smoother gameplay. Maybe an idea for the dedault config to put it on 10000?

  • fretn
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  • Registered: 2012-08-28
  • Posts: 582

Re: Default config file

XillieXolf wrote:

I'm the one with the old computers playing this awesome mod:)
Considering the default config file, I found that the default resolution of 1280 can be harsh, could it be 800x600 standard?

Also, could there be the standard detail options of Q3 games like geometry (r_subdivisions) and texture detail (r_picmip)?

Most important of all, the com_hunkmegs.
Years ago I tested loading times (using fs_cdpath) and timedemo FPS measurements and found that really Q3 games perform best when using com_hunkmegs AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. Not only will FPS drop with unneeded large com_hunkmegs but also memory management; the larger hunk does NOT work as "internal cache" while it does eat away memory leaving noticeably less for windows caching system. There is absolutely no performance decrease when using low com_hunkmegs; the game will never load data while the level is running (tested using data on dvd with fs_cdpath). If you make com_hunkmegs too low, all you eventually get is a hunk allocation error when trying to load a map.

I was not even able to launch the dedicated server under linux with the standard com_hunkmegs of 1 gigabyte having only 512mb!

I have found that com_hunkmegs 128 will run my ded linuxbox supersmooth and you can guess what old machine that is (P3 cubx 1000mHz, 3com wired) 25% CPU used, no hogging, hardly any pingdrop with more than 4 players.

For  my windows machines, I safely use com_hunkmegs 160 and have great fps on P3's with geforceMX's.
Also, I noticed starting the main executable involves starting the dedicated executable, that right?

thanks alot and kudos for the speedy development, have you been thinking of Jedi Knight and Medal of Honour?:)

While I agree that maybe not all settings are optimal but you'll have to run a custom config to customize the settings to your needs, you're probably one of the very few who run it on old hardware

about other games: no interest smile rtcw is the only game I love and played

  • fretn
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  • Registered: 2012-08-28
  • Posts: 582

Re: Default config file

XillieXolf wrote:

Yes, if making menu buttons and sliders is too much work, collections of configs could be used. Check the many other Q3 clones out there, they all have these standard system options that rtcwcoop is lacking, even the ones that have been released last year (like smokingguns).
I do want to point out that putting com_hunkmegs on 1000 is just a mistake, it makes no sense at all. Also, picmip going from 0 to 1 really is the main FPS booster on older specs.

at a certain point during development the game couldnt start anymore because com_hunkmegs was too low, so we've made it higher, I do'nt think 1GB of memory is a lot nowadays, as my phone has that amount

The reason we removed all these tweaking options in the menus where because there where so many options to keep track of and it took marvin such an amount of time to keep them up to date that we simplified the menus at a certain point, just to keep the amount of work low

all the settings can be configured by cvars, even the default config files (high / low settings, etc) still exist:

highVidhighCPU.cfg
highVidlowCPU.cfg
lowVidhighCPU.cfg
lowVidlowCPU.cfg

just exec them in the console

XillieXolf wrote:

It's a good thing this whole game runs on old hardware, it makes no sense to claim P3/gfmx  hardware is outdated for this software project. I sincerely hope rtcw coop is not going to be, like many projects that failed over time, the target of "graphic improving" patches that will require hardware shader cards. In that case I would say, this is a game of low specs, keep it that way. To me, it makes sense to stick to the defaults of the engine used, which would be default res of 640x480 lol. The low requirements of this whole is a substantial part of what interests me about this project. My input it is, tastes differ:)

it will not, all graphic improvements will be disabled by the cvar cg_fancyfx
and it will be disabled by default

XillieXolf wrote:

Also, people's ping improves when they increase their "rate" to 10000 or 15000.

Perhaps, but Im not sure about this, a higher rate than the default 5000 will bring smoother gameplay. Maybe an idea for the dedault config to put it on 10000?

the problem with change cvar values is that people have a config in their installation folder which is always autoloaded, so even if I set it higher as a default value in the engine, their autoloaded autoexec.coop.cfg will overrule this again

  • nate
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  • Posts: 202

Re: Default config file

XillieXolf wrote:

It's a good thing this whole game runs on old hardware, it makes no sense to claim P3/gfmx  hardware is outdated for this software project. 
.........
Also, people's ping improves when they increase their "rate" to 10000 or 15000.

Perhaps, but Im not sure about this, a higher rate than the default 5000 will bring smoother gameplay. Maybe an idea for the dedault config to put it on 10000?

Yes and no. Game had support for voodoo, riva tnt and even ati rageII etc..but that doesn't mean it was ever meant to run at high settings (for those times). By the time game came out, only but few people could actually hold stable 125 fps with graphic max'ed out.  Now days, most of people can easily hold 333 without a second thought. So it all depends from a perspective which in today's era and way of things means that low supported hardware from that time is now considered severely outdated. 

I do agree there's no reason to stop supporting old hardware if it's still possible, but I tend to disagree that everyone should be treated as such, if anything quite the opposite.

As for rate - ping is a relative thing. In certain situations you can with combining various tweaks even get 0 ping but that doesn't mean it's actually the case, in mp world that's known as unhit tweaks. As for your question, now days any decent dedicated box can easily handle 20000 or 25000 rate, and that makes game smoother for client as stuff is where it was suppose to be. Low rate is usually a thing with home hosted servers where owner doesn't have a 100mb+ connection and/or cable fiber. Although, in this particular case where most of coop servers are in fact home servers, rate could be set to 10000 but that's arguable as well.

  • Registered: 2014-03-28
  • Posts: 24

Re: Default config file

fretn wrote:

all the settings can be configured by cvars, even the default config files (high / low settings, etc) still exist:

highVidhighCPU.cfg
highVidlowCPU.cfg
lowVidhighCPU.cfg
lowVidlowCPU.cfg

just exec them in the console

thanks for sharing these. This is the only place I see any mention of these prebuilt setting configs. Are they listed in the documentation as well?

Are the highVidhighCPU.cfg and lowVidlowCPU.cfg the absolute maximum and minimum values you can have? I'm looking for a reference to learn from to make a maximum and minimum CVAR range guide.

RTCW
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  • Registered: 2014-01-09
  • Posts: 86

Re: Default config file

The default resolution in coop is 800x600 windowed

The default com_hunkmegs is 512 because of the number of assets needed (the memory system in single player/coop is not split into seperate pools like it is in q3/RTCW multiplayer)