Q261296: Asheron’s Call: How to Improve Game Performance
Article: Q261296
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 1.0
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): igz kbimu msgame kbGraphxLink kbgraphxlinkcritical
Last Modified: 16-MAY-2002
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Asheron's Call, version 1.0
- Microsoft Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty, version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
=======
This article describes how to improve game performance in Microsoft Asheron's
Call.
MORE INFORMATION
================
To improve game performance in Asheron's Call, use the following methods in the
order in which they are presented.
Quit Unnecessary Programs
-------------------------
To increase the amount of available system resources, quit all unnecessary
programs that are running on your computer before you start Asheron's Call,
especially programs that frequently send and receive data over the Internet.
To do this, follow these steps:
1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. In the Close Program dialog box, click any program except Explorer or Systray
(which are components of Microsoft Windows), and then click End Task.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to quit all programs that are running on your computer
except Explorer and Systray.
Install the Latest Version of Microsoft DirectX
-----------------------------------------------
Download and install the latest version of DirectX from the following Microsoft
Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp
For additional information about how to obtain and install the latest version of
DirectX, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
Q179113 How to Download and Install DirectX
Disable Weather Effects
-----------------------
To disable weather effects in the game, follow these steps:
1. On the Asheron's Call game screen, click Options ([GRAPHIC:the green triangle
with two check boxes]) in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. Click the Character tab.
3. Click to select the Disable Most Weather Effects check box, and then click
Apply.
4. Click Options to close the Options screen.
Reset Render Radius
-------------------
Reset the render radius setting to the default value, follow these steps:
1. Press ENTER to activate the Chat window.
2. Type "/render radius <distance>" (without the quotation marks), where
<distance> is 8 for Pentium III computers and is 5 for all slower
computers.
3. Press ENTER.
Change the Display Settings in the Game
---------------------------------------
To change the display settings in the game, follow these steps:
1. On the Asheron's Call game screen, click Options ([GRAPHIC:the green triangle
with two check boxes]) in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. Click the Sound/Graphics tab.
3. In the Graphics box, click 640X480.
4. Click to clear the Auto-Degrade box.
5. Move the Graphics Performance slider all the way to the right (the Speed
setting).
6. Next to Detail Texture, click to clear the Landscape check box and the
Environment check box.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click Options to close the Options screen.
Update Your Video Driver
------------------------
Contact the manufacturer of your video adapter to inquire about how to obtain and
install the latest version of the video driver for your video adapter.
To identify the manufacturer and model of your video adapter, follow these
steps:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System.
3. On the Device Manager tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to "Display adapters"
to expand the branch.
4. In the "Display adapters" branch, note the manufacturer and model of your
video adapter, and then click OK.
5. Close Control Panel.
For information about how to contact the manufacturer of your video adapter,
click the appropriate article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K
Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P
Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z
Reduce Internet Latency
-----------------------
To check the level of latency in your Asheron's Call Internet connection, follow
these steps:
1. On the Asheron's Call game screen, note the color of the Link Status
([GRAPHIC:a link of chain]) icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
The color of the Link Status icon shows the current status of your connection
to the Asheron's Call game servers:
- Green - Good, fast connection.
- Yellow - Slower connection. No packets have been received for at least 5
seconds.
- Red - Very slow connection. No packets have been received for at least 20
seconds.
2. For detailed information about the status of your link, click the Link Status
icon.
3. In the link status details, note the latency value for your connection. A
lower number indicates a faster connection to the game servers.
For additional information about how to reduce Internet latency, click the
article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q232392 Zone.com: High Latency in Game Lobbies or When Playing Games
Defragment the Hard Disk
------------------------
To run Disk Defragmenter, follow these steps:
1. Quit Asheron's Call and any other unnecessary programs that are running on
your computer.
2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
and then click Disk Defragmenter.
3. In the "Which drive do you want to defragment?" box, click Drive C Physical
Drive, and then click OK.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to defragment the hard disk.
For more information about how to use Disk Defragmenter, click Start, click Help,
type "disk defragmenter" (without the quotation marks) in the "Type in the
keyword to find" box, click Display, and then double-click "Using Disk
Defragmenter to speed up access to your hard disk".
Additional query words: 1.00 msgame ac igz ashcall kbgraphx asherons
======================================================================
Keywords : igz kbimu msgame kbGraphxLink kbgraphxlinkcritical
Technology : kbHomeProdSearch _IKkbbogus kbGamesSearch kbMSNSearch kbAsheronSearch kbAsheron100 kbAsheronDarkMaj
Version : :1.0
Issue type : kbhowto
=============================================================================
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.