Does Oblivion run choppy for you?

[firebird761]

I recently got the Game of the Year edition and I've been wrestling with it ever since i installed it. The game runs choppy even on low details on the lowest resolution, it's fine when i'm walking around, it stops for maybe a millisecond, but when I enter battle, especially with multiple enemies it gets game breaking lag.

 

I've attempted to run Oldblivion, but the game crashes whenever I have tried to start it. I've tweaked it with the Oblivion Stutter remover, and Streamline 3.0. I've also used the oblivion tweaking page http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Tweaking for advice, but nothing there seems to improve it by much, I've even reinstalled it. What I'm at a loss for is that my computer can run the following at highest settings with anti aliasing at top notch.

 

Bioshock

Bioshock 2

Borderlands

Fallout 3 (with NMC's high res textures, the wheather mod, fallout redesigned, two radio add ons, and the night sky mod.)

 

These are my specs:

 

1TB Hard Drive

CPU: Intel Pentium D 820

-core speed average 2793.5 mhz

-Bus speed 199,5 mhz

Ram: 4gb (2 cards at 2gb each model PC2-6400)

Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce GT 520 1GB

-Core 270Mhz

-Shaders 540 Mhz

-Memory 800 Mhz

OS: Windows XP

 

I also forgot to mention that I am running Oblivion with the Optimized Land Max mod. I would appreciate an suggestion, cause quite frankly I'm stumped.

[Lanceor]

I'd say that the processor is probably the bottleneck. You're not getting major slowdowns except when enemies appear, so that points to CPU rather than GPU. That's why Optimized Land Max doesn't seem to be helping.

 

My old computer used a Pentium-D 920 2.8 GHz and I know that Oblivion was always maxing it out. Here's what I would have done:

 

• 
   
  
• Ensure that all other applications are closed, and run Game Booster to close all unnecessary services.
  
• Defrag the hard drive - a lot more important than you can imagine!
  
• Use CPUID Hardware Monitor to keep an eye on the CPU temps (the D's were notorious for overheating and will throttle down when the temperatures are too high). If heat is a problem...
  
  • Used compressed air to clean the computer interior, especially the heat sink. (A vacuum cleaner will work to some degree, but the risk of damage is a lot higher.)
    
  • Consider remounting the CPU and heat sink with some good thermal paste.
    
  • Consider buying an aftermarket heat sink. The D's original heatsinks used crappy plastic snaps that loosen and break over time. Make sure the aftermarket heat sink uses metal screws to hold it in place, and of course, the bigger the better.
    
  • If your case was a budget one like mine was, consider installing extra fans. I took out the covers for the unused CD slots and used cardboard to mount fans there. :P
    

  [*]If your computer is close to retirement anyway and you don't mind potentially reducing its life, you can consider the following:

  • If temps are still out of control, consider running the computer with the cover open. You'll end up with a dusty interior that you'll have to have to clean a lot though.
    
  • Consider overclocking the CPU if you're able to - one good thing about the 820's was their reputation for overclockability. Of course, this may reduce stability (and the usual "you might fry your equipment" disclaimer), but will give a slight performance boost. With a big aftermarket heat sink, I was able to bump my bus speed to 234 (processor speed 3.31 GHz) without fiddling with voltages or timings. YMMV.

[firebird761]

I actually do everything you just suggested, save for the overclocking, I have a bad history with that, It does seem that the cpu is the bottleneck, but wouldn't that be the case for all of the other games as well, i've never had lag in a single one of those. Or is oblivion just that big of a game?

[Lanceor]

Whenever combat occurs, Oblivion's AI system uses a ludicrous amount of CPU. For example, In this pic I have 72 (!) followers and my (new) computer runs just fine with that many NPCs running around. But the moment a mudcrab shows up, framerates drop to unplayable levels.

 

 

When I was using the Pentium D, I wouldn't use any companions or summons. Any more than 2 or 3 NPCs would max out my processor. I'd try to avoid combat outdoors, and if a large group of monsters appear, I'd run away to try to divide them up.

 

Hmmm... there is a script function that flags the scene as "complex". From the CS Wiki:

• 
   
  
• animation and sound details are reduced
  
• target disposition checks are not run as a part of "should attack" checks for actors already in combat
  
• combat does not check movement restrictions (actors may sidestep into objects, off ledges, etc)
  
• low and middle low process levels do not update -- very important! This means that actors which are not in the loaded area WILL NOT UPDATE while this flag is set -- meaning they will not go through load doors, for example. This is the main reason this command needs to be used with caution.
  
• excess dead bodies in the loaded area are cleaned up more frequently
  
• avoidance is disabled (actors won't open doors or angle away from each other)
  

 

I could easily create spell or item that would make the scene "complex" for a period of time. Would such a thing be helpful?

 

Edit: You actually gave me an idea: I'm quickly whipping up a "Combat Booster" mod that auto-activates whenever the player is in combat. Care to test it?

Edited October 16, 2012 by Lanceor

[firebird761]

Sure, I'm game. I really want to play this game, it's vast and beautiful. Edited October 16, 2012 by firebird761

[Lanceor]

I'll send you the link in a PM.

 

Just drop it into your Oblivion/Data directory and activate it either in the "Data Files" option when you start Oblivion, or another mod manager if you have one.

 

Let me know how it goes, and if it goes well, I'll upload it as a proper mod. :)

 

Note that NPCs will behave even dumber than usual while combat is happening. ;)

[firebird761]

That works beautifully, although i did go and get myself killed just to see the frame rates, I even noticed that the game is moving smoother when non combat situations are happening, like deer hopping around. Thank you very much sir.

[Lanceor]

Okay, I'll release it as a mod then. :)

 

The deer are actually considered to be in combat - they're freaking out and running away, and that's why this mod helps. ;)

[Lanceor]

And it's live. :)

 

http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/42889/

 

If anyone else on an older computer tries it, let me know whether it helped or not. :)