Matrix Games Forums

First off, I finally found the time to update my copy t0 2.1 and it rocks. I have just started to plat with it and I'm experiencing some jerky video. My PC is a P4 - 2.8Ghz processor with 1 GB or ram and I have a Radeon 9200 128MB video card. Any ideas out there?

Thats a fairly beefy system, should run Max well. If there is a weak spot, it might be the video card. But im not familiar with Radeon so it may be just fine. I had an Nvidia 256meg Geforce and it couldnt handle Max 2.0, it was a PCI card and was lacking the shader support.

Is the Radeon a PCI, AGP or PCIe?

A good process to follow is to do a clean install of 2.0 and 2.18, ensure all the video card drivers are up to date. Make sure to allow Max to do it's DirectX thing during install.

If it isnt drivers or a bad install, it could just be that you need a boost in your hardware.
*Bump up your ram to 1.5gig or if possible 2 gig
*If you have an AGP or PCIe slot, get a new video card. I bought my current one for $100, PCIe Nvidia 512meg 7600

Before you do anything though, go here and follow the instructions and post a DXDiag file for David to look at. He might spot something
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1077033

It's a PCI card, I could bump up the ram, any other thoughts out there?

Hi.

I have a few questions that might help me point you in the right direction.

- What exactly do you mean by 'jerky video'?

- Is this a Vista or XP machine? (if on vista you might just need to play the game at a lower screen resolution).

- What other software is running? (please include all virus/spyware software on that list)


thanks
David

If, by jerky video, you mean low frame rates, then you may need to set the game to lower resolution or turn down the shadows.
 
Have you checked the frame rate?

What I mean by jerky video is it's playing and looking great with no warnings but it's not 100 % smooth. Little triangle pieces of turf show through players arms etc.

It is an XP machine, and when I get back home I'll get you the list of what is all running in the background.


And thanks again David.

You might just want to lower the player detail, and turn the shadows down a notch. You might also want to ensure your video card drivers are up todate as well.
 
thanks
David

David,
         Would a different video card & more ram work better?

Well I can't be sure, but it looks like the Radeon 9200 was a card designed for DirectX 8.1. As the game is designed around DirectX 9c, it's possible that the card is having difficulty with the new graphics.
 
http://ati.amd.com/products/radeon9200/
 
Their webpage says it supports "smart shaders" but I don't know how that translates into DirectX shaders. But if it's only DX8.1 support, I'm pretty sure it doesn't support the same shader technology I use in game.
 
1Gig RAM should be fine if you're running XP.

Thanks a bunch David, I was pretty sure it was the video card but I thought I would ask folks more in the know. Once again I love the look of the new game ... so much better. I will still send you the programs that are running in the background. 

David,
         Would this card do?
BFG GeForce 7300 GT 512MB PCI-Express Video Card

David,
         here's a link to the screen capture I did with all that is running on the machine.


members.shaw.ca/viciouscircle/Background.htm

I have a Radeon 9200 128MB video card.

This most certainly is part of the problem.

The Radeon 9200 did not run DirectX 9.0 in hardware, so it throws that task to the CPU.  With Maximum Football 2.x, there are advanced shaders and bump maps that the 9200 cannot handle without help.  It also was not quite as fast as the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 which I would no longer recommend for Maximum Football.

Would this card do?

BFG GeForce 7300 GT 512MB PCI-Express Video Card

If the machine is running a Radeon 9200, it likely has an AGP bus, so any PCIe card will not work.

A GeForce 7300 GT or 7600 GS will work fine, but AGP boards will be the only option, and they cost a bit more for the same firepower than PCIe cards at this time.  A Radeon X1650 should also work quite well for your needs.

[font="verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"]I'm looking at the following card

Sapphire Radeon HD2600 Pro 512MB DDR2 AGP VGA DVI TV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card[/font]

Thoughts??

Sapphire Radeon HD2600 Pro 512MB DDR2 AGP VGA DVI TV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card

That should work well.

On a side note, many graphics cards under $200 that can do DirectX 10 cannot do DirectX 10 worth a darn.

I just need a card that allows me to play freely right now, I will be getting a gaming laptop sometime in the future for this game but that may be a year or 2 off so in the meantime.

Thanks for your help, but if I may ask would this card be any better?

BFG Geoforce 7600GS 420Mhz AGP8x 512MB DDR2 VGA DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

The 7600GS is slower on many games than the HD2600.  The 7300GT is slower yet.
 
A good X1650 would do well though.  Those are about $70.
 
 

Thank you all so very much, man are you all so cool and helpful.

So I can get both cards obviously one is more expensive than the other, any preferences not based on price?

HD2600
or
X1650

And in advance I thank you all for your help and guidance.

OK here's my new snag i need a AGP Video Card that is +0.8V/+1.5V any recomendations????