Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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Subject: Weird...
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This is pretty weird, when I paly Halo I only have about 10-25 FPS (I can tell by fraps). Which I know isn't very good. But then, I play Counter Strike Source (much much better graphics it uses the HL2 engine, but I most of you probably know that anyway. And I get 50-80 FPS. I just don't get it. If someone knows why thanks much.

my Sytem Specs are

Dell Dimension 2400
256 MB RAM
Pentium 4
CPU 2.66 GHZ
Norwood Micro Nvidia PCI Geforce FX5500

Pretty standard except for the card.

Thanks in advance!

  • 07.21.2006 12:57 PM PDT

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Try adding -use11 to the end of your command line in your Halo shortcut. This will force Halo to use the version 1.1 shaders instead of trying to shove the 2.0 shaders down your 5500's throat.

Other then that, it probably that Valve did a better job of optimization then Gearbox did.

  • 07.21.2006 1:11 PM PDT
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OK, Igg, I'll give it a try.

  • 07.21.2006 1:18 PM PDT

Posted by: Ryukage
What? Play a game? FOR FUN???
This concept of fun confuses and infuriates me!

Dude, you have a Dell!
Theres the problem. I have the same issue. I'll try Igg's suggestion, and see if that helps me too.

  • 07.21.2006 1:31 PM PDT
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Yeah true Dells suck. I hate 'em too. But I thought it was weird it was low FPS in Halo, but not in CS:Source.

  • 07.21.2006 1:49 PM PDT
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Posted by: Iggwilv
Try adding -use11 to the end of your command line in your Halo shortcut. This will force Halo to use the version 1.1 shaders instead of trying to shove the 2.0 shaders down your 5500's throat.

Other then that, it probably that Valve did a better job of optimization then Gearbox did.


Would that be the shortcut key your talking about?

  • 07.21.2006 2:38 PM PDT
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Hey, I use a Dell to play Halo occasionally, and get decent framerates etc. What resolution are you using?

  • 07.21.2006 2:47 PM PDT

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Posted by: Iggwilv

*hands Kim a crowbar*
Here you will need this to help you get your foot out of the back of your throat, looks llike its in there pretty deep. And what is that on your face? Egg?! *hands Kim a washcloth*

256 megs of ram? my videocard has more than that. I suggest you get at least 512 megs with a gig of ram prefered.

  • 07.21.2006 3:01 PM PDT

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Posted by: PlasmaPistool
Would that be the shortcut key your talking about?


Right-click your Halo icon and go to properties. In the target field(if you have XP) it will look like this: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" add -use11 to the end so it looks like this: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -use11

Other helpful switches:
-useff -- if you have a REALLY crappy card or integrated graphics
-novideos -- will remove the startup videos but also the cutscenes in the campaign
-console -- allows you to use the Halo console to issue kick/ban commands etc.


  • 07.21.2006 3:24 PM PDT
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Posted by: Iggwilv
Other then that, it probably that Valve did a better job of optimization then Gearbox did.


Right. I can play Half-Life 2, for example, on all high with no lag save for checkpoints, but a match in Halo and my computer is done for.

  • 07.21.2006 3:36 PM PDT
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It won't let mep ut -use11 it gives me a pop-up saying it's not a valid name.

  • 07.24.2006 2:20 PM PDT

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Make sure that you put the -use11 outside of the quotation marks.....or is it inside....let me verify when I get home.

Definately outside the quotes like in my example.

[Edited on 7/24/2006]

  • 07.24.2006 2:26 PM PDT
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I did it didn't work it's weird.

  • 07.24.2006 3:17 PM PDT

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Copy and paste your shortcut command line, so I can see what it looks like.

  • 07.24.2006 3:32 PM PDT
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"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe"

and then I put -use11 next to it and it doesn't work.

  • 07.24.2006 4:03 PM PDT
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you have an fx5500 and your expecting more than 10-20fps on halo. Good luck with that P.O.S card. Sorry to put it that way, but your card does suck.

  • 07.24.2006 4:20 PM PDT
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I can play a game of F.E.A.R. or Half-Life 2 with good frame-rate, but with Halo I get 10fps. All because I have a Dell , I can't wait till I get a little more money to build my own.

  • 07.24.2006 4:23 PM PDT
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Posted by: TMH1988
you have an fx5500 and your expecting more than 10-20fps on halo. Good luck with that P.O.S card. Sorry to put it that way, but your card does suck.


Yeah, but it's the only game like that.

  • 07.24.2006 4:26 PM PDT
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Posted by: QUIKQOLD
Posted by: TMH1988
you have an fx5500 and your expecting more than 10-20fps on halo. Good luck with that P.O.S card. Sorry to put it that way, but your card does suck.


Yeah, but it's the only game like that.


You can thank Gearbox for their half-assed port.

  • 07.24.2006 4:44 PM PDT
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Jsut what I was thinking. LOL

  • 07.24.2006 4:55 PM PDT
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Posted by: QUIKQOLD
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe"

and then I put -use11 next to it and it doesn't work.
Did you insert a space between the quotation marks and the hyphen?

  • 07.25.2006 1:26 AM PDT
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Posted by: Iggwilv
Other then that, it probably that Valve did a better job of optimization then Gearbox did.


O_o
How can you compare the graphical settings of the two games anywhere remotely near as you just did? Halo is designed as a console title. By that, it has an exact and constant limit on what it can do. The engineers who wrote the engine code designed it to that. Valve designed their game with a dynamic hardware spectrum in mind. When you change the settings of what your video card spits out in a Source game, you're literally changing what it spits out. When you change the graphics settings in Halo, you're just changing the values of what it spits out (drastically cutting the amount of data needing to be processed).

If Halo were a Valve game designed to run on computers specifically, and you were to turn off specular, then when the engine went through a shader looking at everything, it wouldn't load the cubemap data at all. In Bungie's Halo, if the cubemap data isn't there, you get an exception and the game crashes itself to prevent harm to your computer.

You cant say Valve did a better job of optimization than Gearbox simply because Gearbox had virtually no control over at all. Gearbox didn't design the engine and had very little sway over the graphical statistic side of the port and even less on the management side of the engine. The best they could do in the short time permitted was ensure everything worked with minimum specs, appeared apropriately with recommended specs, and rewrite their server sided netcode to include 56k support. With Bungie breathing down their neck making hair-pulling changes in what they wanted after the deal was signed on, I'm surprised it turned out as great as it did.

  • 07.25.2006 2:03 AM PDT
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This is pretty much off topic, but... Did you know you can see your current FPS in-game, along with a graph of fps over the last 30 seconds or so? Press ctrl and F12, and a yellow box will pop up. Press the same keys again to close it. I don't know if you need -console to see this, but i had console enabled when I did it. I know it sounds like I'm trying to trick you into pressing alt + f4, but i wouldn't do that. Well, I would, but that's beside the point.

  • 07.25.2006 10:54 AM PDT
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Posted by: chees0s
Posted by: QUIKQOLD
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe"

and then I put -use11 next to it and it doesn't work.
Did you insert a space between the quotation marks and the hyphen?


No. I'll try it if it wokrs thank you!!

  • 07.25.2006 3:36 PM PDT
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It wokred! Thank you!!!

[Edited on 7/25/2006]

  • 07.25.2006 3:37 PM PDT

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