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| FFXI Optimization: Graphics & Bandwidth; 'Net, graphical, and AMD CPU tweaks. | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 15 2007, 04:02 PM (3,472 Views) | |
| Kohan | Jun 15 2007, 04:02 PM Post #1 |
Denkiteki
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LAST UPDATED 07/21/2008! This guide is mostly complete! A more permanent storage location for the registry files would be appreciated, but in the interim, I'll upload them every now and then to my own free file host. The guides included within are: ( Guide 1: Bandwidth Optimization ) ( Guide 2: Registry Modification (Graphic Enhancement) ) ( Guide 3: AMD Multiple Core Processor Optimization ) ( Guide 4: Tweaking Advanced NVIDIA Settings ) ( Guide 5: WinXP: Excessive High CPU Usage Troubleshooting ) ===== ( Bandwidth Optimization (For PC & PS2 Users) ) If you have a home network, and various devices (a computer, your PS2, et cetera) are connected to the 'net via a router, you may have bandwidth issues. This is for various reasons, but one of them includes FFXI's inability to use your connection efficiently; simply put, it's a resource hog. Because you may live in a house where other people use the internet, you might want more bandwidth to be available to everyone, and to have better throughput flow for yourself. To ensure that, there are a few things you will have to do. If you're playing FFXI on a PC, first, you need to set up a static IP on that. (The needs of PS2 users will be covered later.) If you've heard this term used before and believe it's something you have to pay for, don't worry; in this case, it isn't. To find out how to configure it, visit this page first: http://www.portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm A forewarning: Once you start changing these settings, you can potentially disable your internet access accidentally. However, fixing it is as simple as removing your custom information and changing it back to "Obtain [...] automatically", so don't worry too much. After you have set a static IP on your computer, you'll want to start working on your router. Although things get more involved from this point on, they are not necessarily harder; it is simply important to pay attention to what you are doing. You will want to visit this page and find your router: http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm Don't proceed with configuring it right away, though. Before you do, find your router's manual, if you have it; if you don't, look it up online (you'll probably find a downloadable, Adobe Reader version of it). This is insurance. If you configure your router incorrectly and don't know what to do, you can open up the manual and find out how to reset it to factory defaults. That will undo everything you've done, and get you back up and running. With that said, once you have found your router on that page, click on it. It will bring you to a list of many, many games which use the 'net for online play. Guess what? One of them is FINAL FANTASY XI - PC. Underneath it, there's a link for the PS2 version, but -- surprise surprise -- it doesn't work! Again, we will get to that. When you click on the FFXI link, it will tell you how to change your router's port settings for FFXI PC. Let it be known that these ports are not all exclusively for FFXI's use, and that the PortForward listing is comprehensive, but could actually be tightened up a bit. If you don't want to fiddle around too much, do what PortForward.com tells you to, and you will be fine (in regards to FFXI). However, if you want to be really clean and tight when it comes to your FFXI config, set it for these ports instead:
That port information was publicly provided courtesy of AKosygin of "Dreams in Vana'diel". I'll provide information for PS2 users soon; I've got to head out to work now. |
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| Kohan | Jun 19 2007, 03:22 PM Post #2 |
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Denkiteki
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To configure the PlayStation 2, there's a few things you'll need to do differently. One bit of advice: If you're having trouble getting it to work, don't follow Sony's troubleshooting suggestions. Their guide suggests using a router's DMZ feature, which will open your entire network to viruses, hackers, et cetera. While I don't condone being paranoid about this kind of thing (as there are millions of internet surfers, and no real hackers are going to care about your home network), it's still not a good idea. That said, there is a part of Sony's guide which you will be using. This is in regards to configuring a high-speed network connection, which everyone using a router will have. (This guide does not apply to you if you don't have a router.) Do you remember when you registered and configured your network adapter in the first place? Hopefully, you do, because we'll be returning there now.
Credit: http://www.us.playstation.com/support/ps2/...s2_ac_NI_3.html Now that you're on the right screen, we need to fill all of that information in, but we do not have it yet. How do you get it? On one of the PCs in your network (Mac instructions will be provided further down), go through the following steps: 1. Selec the "Start" button. 2. Select "Run", then type in "Command", and hit enter. 3. At the emulated MSDOS prompt, type in "ipconfig /all", then hit enter. If you have a Macintosh, follow these steps: 1. Select the "Apple" menu. 2. Go to "Control Panels". 3. Select "TCP/IP". Whether you're on a PC or a Mac, you'll see a list of things, and several of them are important to you. Write down all of the following: 1. "IP Address" 2. "Subnet Mask" (This is your "Netmask".) 3. "Default Gateway" (This is your "Router Address".) 4. "DNS Server" (If there is more than one number listed, write down both. These are your "DNS Addresses".) Those of you familiar with how DHCP and IP assignment works may be wondering why we've written down a PC's IP address. That's simple: It's going to be used as a guideline. Let's say you have six computers in your network, and the IP address of your PC is 192.168.1.1. This means that the other devices on your network may potentially occupy X.X.X.2, X.X.X.3, and so on, all the way up to X.X.X.6. Because these other devices are probably not configured for static IPs (except maybe one of your computers, if you're playing FFXI on it), we're going to give the PS2 an IP none of them will ever use. Using the above example, you would give the PS2 the seventh possible IP, that being 192.168.1.7. This way, the first six IPs are still free for the other devices on your network. Now, this may be slightly different for every network; for example, your IP address may be something like 192.168.1.101. In that case, if you had six devices, you'd make the PS2 192.168.1.107. Get the idea? The variable is always going to be the last series of numbers. This will let you circumvent making a static IP for every single device. With this new IP in hand, fill out all of the PS2's required information, and save it. Your PS2 now has a static IP configuration, which is the first step to optimizing your FFXI connection for it. More details will come later; time to get ready for work. |
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| Kohan | Jun 20 2007, 01:54 AM Post #3 |
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Denkiteki
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PS2 and PC users both will need to give PortForward a visit, simply because it guides you through most of the necessary steps. However, for the PS2 version of FFXI, we're only going to use PortForward as a guideline; you're going to have to put in an entirely different set of ports than what it suggests. Why? It doesn't have a PS2-specific listing. For starters, here's the website: http://www.portforward.com/routers.htm You'll want to locate your router both by brand name and model number. Before you begin configuring it, make sure you have your manual handy in case you need to reset it to factory defaults. This way, any mistakes you make can be easily corrected. (If you don't have a hard copy on hand, Google a manual for it, and download one to be safe.) Once you've found your model, click on it. You'll then see a list of games. Although we're setting up the PS2 version here, click on FINAL FANTASY XI - PC. Remember that static IP you assigned to your PS2? We're going to need it again. Keep it handy while you're setting your router up, because as you make your way through the PortForward steps, a time will come where you're required to have a static IP. The one you created is the one you'll be using. Once you've come to the point in the guide where you're putting in port numbers, use these instead: Protocol UDP: 50000 through 65535 Protocol TCP: 1024 through 65535 As soon as you've got that set up, apply your settings. Fire up your PS2 and give it a go. If it works, congratulations; you're done! |
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| Sidius | Jun 20 2007, 08:19 AM Post #4 |
Gunshin
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Great post Kohan .. I think this should get stickied for all the new members or somewhat computer illiterate folks that think these kinda things are about as easy as brain surgery, when really it's quite simple. |
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| Kohan | Dec 12 2007, 09:54 PM Post #5 |
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Denkiteki
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( Registry Editing Foreword ) In mid-2002, "Final Fantasy XI" was released for the PS2 in Japan. The PC release followed not much later, supposedly featuring improved graphics and such, but it was actually a near copy of the PS2 release. Although players could use a simplistic GUI to modify the settings somewhat, it did not offer nearly as many customization options as the average PC game. This made FFXI's graphics acceptable at the time of release, but as the years have passed and PC gaming has progressed by leaps and bounds, it now looks dated and unimpressive. That's if you're playing it as-is and out-of-the-box, though. Even at the highest settings available in the GUI, FFXI still suffers from jagged lines and other issues that should've stayed on the PS2. Fortunately, the game engine that Square-Enix programmed isn't strictly tailored to the PS2 software. While the GUI is as useless as the one which shipped with "Final Fantasy VII" PC, there are actually many configurable options hidden within the Windows registry entries for FFXI. Considering that these options only function because Square-Enix designed the game to handle them in the first place, changing these settings does not violate the TOS. It does not make the game any easier to play on a strictly technical level, although being able to enjoy your gaming experience visually should always be considered a benefit. They are not that difficult to perform, and the most complex things may be determining hex values, but keeping Google.com at your side will help with that. Now that we've gotten the foreword out of the way, we'll get to the actual registry editing. ( Section 1: Finding & Backing Up the Registry Entries ) In Windows, you'll want to get the built-in Registry Editor going. This can be done in several ways, but we'll cover it for XP and Vista here. For Windows XP: 1. Click on the "Start" button, then "Run". 2. Type in "regedit", and hit enter. For Windows Vista: 1. Click on the "Start" button. 2. In the search field at the bottom of the menu, type in "regedit", and hit enter. That was easy enough. Before you, you'll see the Registry Editor. If you're unfamiliar with it, this is the brain of Windows. A fair forewarning: Mess it up, and Windows won't run. If this throws you into a panic, you may not want to make any of these edits at all. However, conducting a little FFXI brain surgery really isn't difficult. Even if you mess things up, as long as you're in the FFXI directory, that's the only thing you'll break. Additionally, we're going to take precautionary measures before you even start changing things, so the biggest foul-up of all (completely deleting all your FFXI info in the registry) can be fixed with just a couple of clicks. 1. Expand "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" by clicking on the plus box to the left of it. 2. Expand "SOFTWARE" by the same method. 3. Scroll down the list till you see "PlayOnlineUS" (not "PlayOnline", unless you're in another territory where the folder name may differ). 4. Right-click "PlayOnlineUS", and select "Export". 5. Choose a destination directory you will not forget, name the file "FFXIRegistryInfo" (or something easily remembered by you), and click "Save". Voila, your safety measures are complete. If you're still a bit paranoid and want to be 100% certain you won't wreck Windows, you can click "File" in the upper-left corner, "Export", and on the bottom of the window under "Export range", select "All". After naming a new file (something like "WindowsBackup"), your entire registry will be backed up and copied, but these files are usually over 100MB and can take quite some time to do. Even so, you have the option. If you change anything that breaks FFXI, resetting everything is as easy as double-clicking that FFXIRegistryInfo.reg file you made and letting it insert its changes into the registry. Easy as pie, right? Now that you know there's no real reason to be afraid, we'll proceed. ( Section 2: Understanding the FFXI Registry Values ) 1. Assuming you're already in the "PlayOnlineUS" directory of the registry (see Section 1 for details), expand it by clicking the plus box to the left of the words. 2. Expand "SquareEnix", and then click on "FinalFantasyXI". Here is where all of the settings for FFXI are. Most of them are controlled by the "FINAL FANTASY XI Config" which was installed when you first put FFXI on your computer. However, a lot of these options can be customized to a much finer degree than what that GUI affords you. On their own, the registry keys aren't very helpful. They're named with sets of digits that don't describe what they do (and this is actually unusual, since most programs are specific). Here's a key to tell you what all of them are (complete with Wikipedia links, where applicable, if you want to understand the technology behind them): 0000: MIP Mapping 0001: Display Resolution Width 0002: Display Resolution Height 0003: Background (3D) Resolution Width 0004: Background (3D) Resolution Height 0007: Sound On/Off 0011: Environment Animation Setting 0017: Bump Mapping 0018: Texture Compression 0019: Map Compression 0020: Unknown 0021: Mouse Hardware Cursor On/Off 0022: Introductory Movie On/Off 0023: Simple Character Creation Visuals On/Off 0024: Unknown 0028: Gamma 0029: Maximum Simultaneous Sounds 0030: Unknown 0031: Unknown bFirst: Unknown If you're curious about the On/Off settings, they're easily modified. Double-click any one of them (0007, or "Sound", is a safe one) and you'll see a number under "Value data", either 0 or 1. 0 equals off, and 1 equals on. Credit goes to djdanlib of Allakhazam for tagging the values. ( Section 3: Modifying the FFXI Registry Values for Graphics ) This is what most of you are reading this guide for. First, we're going to go through modifying the settings for high end computers. If you have a graphics card in the late 7000 or 8000 nVidia series, or a Radeon equivalent, this section will probably apply to you. Having a single core CPU of a high clock speed, a dual core of any speed, or a quad core will also qualify you. 1GB of RAM or greater is another suggestion. You may be wondering, why such requirements for a game whose box lists much lower settings? Simple: Everything listed on the box is according to what the GUI lets you do. The FFXI engine is actually capable of more, and if the game let you change these settings without going into the registry, the box would have to be changed. Additionally, FFXI PC would've looked significantly better than FFXI PS2 when it came out, and that would hurt sales on the console platform. We wouldn't have wanted that, would we? First, here's something which will make this incredibly easy for those of you with a computer similar to mine. Specifically, my computer has the following: Processor: AMD Dual-Core 1.9GHz Graphics Card: EVGA 8800GTS RAM: 2GB If you have a similar computer with the US version of FFXI installed, you can download the HQ file from the directory linked to below, and it will automatically configure your settings to what I have. This will give you a very good-looking FFXI. Everything isn't cranked to the max, but it has all been tweaked to provide an overall pleasing experience. Better graphics can be attained by going into your nVidia or ATI settings and forcing anisotropic filtering on all applications (this is not a very demanding setting, and does make a difference). 2x or 4x is good enough. For those of you with significantly slower computers (as in a single-processor unit with a Radeon 9200 or a GeForce 5500), try the LQ file. Unfortunately, I have to stop here; I'll return to this guide later tonight to get into how to do the edits yourself. In the meantime, anyone who has a powerful computer can download and use that registry file to automatically configure things (for starters). Registry File Download Links (Updated 06/13/08): LQ: http://sharebee.com/6f36950c HQ: http://sharebee.com/bbd5925a |
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| Tmoney | Dec 13 2007, 06:01 PM Post #6 |
Vana'diel's Savior
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Well I have just discovered that I do not have a powerful computer. |
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| Kohan | Dec 13 2007, 08:29 PM Post #7 |
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Denkiteki
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Did you install the file that I posted? If so, just use the backup that you made to restore it to your former settings. (I'll be making a guide to optimizing slower machines also.) |
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| Tmoney | Dec 14 2007, 06:23 PM Post #8 |
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Vana'diel's Savior
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Yeah I did exactly as you said so there was no problems. The game still worked with your settings and it looked great but I was moving ridiculously slow. |
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| Kohan | Dec 14 2007, 06:52 PM Post #9 |
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Denkiteki
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Since I haven't had time to continue writing the guide (though I will in the future), Running FFXI in a window at a resolution of 720 by 576 is recommended for this file. This will provide the best visual quality. If that's not an option for you, the next closest resolution of 800 by 600 will suffice. This will give you a very nice appearance along with good performance befitting a slower machine. Additional (and strong) suggestions for ideal performance on an outdated computer: 1. Turn your sound off. Do not do this in-game, but use the "FINAL FANTASY XI Config" GUI, or in the registry, change key 0007's value to 0. 2. In-game, turn off weather effects. This will also have a very significant and immediately noticeable effect. Your computer is low end when it comes to graphic processing, Tmoney (only in very recent times have some decent onboard graphics chipsets been made), but this should still be good for you. If it is not, let me know and I will make another. EDIT: The link in this post no longer works. Please check the original graphics guide for a new link. |
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| Kohan | Jan 6 2008, 03:50 AM Post #10 |
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Denkiteki
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In addition to the aforementioned registry edits, here's something for everyone who uses a nVidia card. A specific driver update has been made exclusively for FFXI players which addresses various lag issues that the game has had over the last year or so. I've installed them myself, and the difference is very noticeable for me (however, some of the cards having the most peculiar problems are anything in the 88XX series, which mine is of). If I remember correctly, Tsukee installed both the HQ registry edit and the new nVidia drivers, and was extremely happy afterward. Before you install these drivers, however, I recommend doing a thorough removal of your old ones. To complete this task, I suggest that you download and use the following program: Driver Cleaner Professional. Once you've installed DC Pro, start the program, click on "Help", then click "Help" again, and select "Readme". Scroll down to find the removal instructions for your card flavor (either ATI or nVidia), and follow them to a T. (Note that if you have a nVidia chipset motherboard, and are prompted to uninstall multiple driver types, that you only want to remove the display drivers). When you're all through with that, install the new driver set. Direct link: Enjoy. |
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| Thr33Swords | Jan 6 2008, 09:32 PM Post #11 |
Vana'diel's Savior
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Hey Kohan, can you please list all the changes you made to the registry to get it looking like it does on your PC? I cannot download the registry file. I have tweaked the graphics to look a tad better on the widescreen HDTV, but I still want more :P |
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| Kohan | Jan 7 2008, 12:30 AM Post #12 |
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Denkiteki
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It has been re-uploaded here: (Link removed due to it no longer working; see original graphics tweaking post for new link.) You've probably already done this, but since you're on a widescreen display, don't forget to change FFXI's in-game settings to look good on that. In-game, bring up the "Commands" menu, and adjust the following option: Config -> Gameplay -> Misc.2 -> Background Aspect Ratio Also, it's about time I completed this guide, so you can understand how to make these modifications yourself. The only reason I haven't is because aside from playing FFXI when I have a spare moment to, I'm writing for work, so I'll get back to that ASAP. |
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| Kohan | May 8 2008, 08:09 AM Post #13 |
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Denkiteki
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Several posts up, I referred to nVidia cards having issues with FFXI (particularly those in the 8000 series). A link was provided to a driver set that specifically remedies lag issues with FFXI. Here's the first line of that post:
Since then, a much newer driver set has been released which contains all of the fixes and more. Especially during campaign, you should see a lag decrease, along with superior overall stability. The new drivers: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_174.74.html That's the 32-bit version, so you'll need to locate the 64-bit edition if you're on XP 64 or Vista 64. Follow the directions in the quoted post to prepare your computer for the new drivers, and enjoy. |
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| Kohan | May 9 2008, 10:46 AM Post #14 |
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Denkiteki
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( Section 4: Actual FFXI Registry Editing ) Although I fully plan to write my own comprehensive guide on editing the registry, the people waiting for one have been waiting too long in my opinion. Considering, I'm going to quote one of the best ones I've found on the 'net. Armed with the knowledge I wrote above, this should round out what you need to know in order to custom tweak your FFXI.
Credit goes to djdanlib of Allakhazam. Now, we're going to move on to dual core optimization for AMD users. |
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| Kohan | May 9 2008, 11:46 AM Post #15 |
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Denkiteki
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( AMD Dual-Core Users: Optimizing Your System ) When you purchased your AMD dual core CPU, you deservingly anticipated a leap in performance, but may not have noticed it. Out of the box, the CPU is indeed stronger than any single core of the past, but that's just in terms of capabilities. Windows XP x86 (A.K.A. 32-bit) wasn't programmed with these beasts in mind. XP 64 and Vista 64 may have the potential to utilize them best, but the average Joe isn't using either of those. Regardless, to get the most juice out of your dual core, here's what you should do. Don't be intimidated by the large amount of steps, either. Most users will be able to skip the majority of them. They're there just in case, and this guide will tell you when and where you can jump ahead. ( Section 1: Downloading What You Need ) 1. Download "AMD Processor Driver Version 1.3.2.0053 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86 and x64)" from AMD's website. (The full name was provided in case this link becomes invalid in the future so you can still Google it.) Here's the direct link. 2. Once you've finished downloading those drivers, install them. The installation process may not require a reboot, but I suggest it nonetheless. 3. Download the "Update for Windows XP (KB896256)." This is the direct link to the file itself. If that link no longer works, Google the following: WindowsXP-KB896256-v4-x86-ENU.exe. 4. Download the "AMD Dual-Core Optimizer" into a location you're going to remember, because we're not going to open or install it just yet. Here's your obligatory file link. 5. Install the Microsoft Hotfix and reboot. ( Section 2: Registry Modification ) We're a third of the way through the dual/quad core optimization process. Once Windows is up and running again, it's time to re-enter our old friend, the Windows Registry. 1. Hit "Start," then "Run...", type in "regedit" and hit enter. 2. Expand the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" branch by clicking the plus sign to the left of the folder, and scroll down to "SYSTEM." 3. Expand the "SYSTEM" folder, then expand "CurrentControlSet." 4. Expand "Control," then scroll down to "SessionManager." Now, the next step is entirely optional, and for those who want a little extra security. We're going to back up this branch of the registry in case any mistakes are made. (If you don't want to do this, skip to step 8.) 5. Right-click "SessionManager," and select "Export." 6. In the lower area of the window, ensure the circular radio button next to "Selected branch" is checked. 7. Name the file whatever you would like (e.g., "SessionManagerBackup.reg") and save it in a place you'll remember. With this backup, you have made any changes or accidental deletions reversible. Fortunately, the actual modification should be very simple. 8. Expand the "SessionManager," and you should see a folder named "Throttle." If you do, proceed to step 9. If you don't, proceed to step 8a. 8a. Because the "Throttle" folder isn't present, we'll need to create one. 8b. Right-click "SessionManager," select "New," then "Key." 8c. Type in "Throttle" as the key name, and hit enter to create it. 8d. Click the "Throttle" folder to show its contents, then right-click the folder, select "New," and "DWORD Value." 8e. Name this new value "PerfEnablePackageIdle" and hit enter. 8f. Right-click the DWORD you just created, and select "Modify." 8g. Make sure the "Value data" is set to 1, and in the box to the right, hexadecimal. 8h. Hit "OK" to save your work, and now you're done with the registry (you can skip steps 9 and 10). That all didn't sound very simple, did it? The average user (you likely included) will not have to create that key, but in case you do, that's how. 9. In the "Throttle" folder, right-click "PerfEnablePackageIdle" and select "Modify." 10. Ensure that the "Value data" is set to 1, and in the box to the right, hexadecimal. You've completed the registry section of optimization. ( Section 3: The Final Touches ) You've installed a few things, and in the near future you're going to install something more, but we'll get to that later. Right now, we want to make sure your boot.ini file contains an essential switch. 1. Click "Start," then "Run," type in "msconfig" and hit enter. 2. Select the "BOOT.INI" tab, and look at the last line in the top window. 3. If "/usepmtimer" is there, you can proceed to step 8. If not, go to step 4. 4. Close this window, click "Start," then "Settings," and "Control Panel." 5. Open "System," then click "Advanced," and open your "Startup and Recovery" advanced settings. 6. Click the "Edit" button, and your boot file will open in Notepad. Save a backup of this file (e.g., boot.bak) in the same location as the original before continuing. If this part is done incorrectly and you do not create a backup, your system may not boot up. You can always delete the modified boot.ini in DOS and rename boot.bak to restore your original settings. 7. At the end of the bottom line of your boot file (not on a brand new line), type in "/usepmtimer" (without the quotes), and then save the file. To provide an example, the bottom line of my boot file looks like this (all on one line): multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer 8. It's now time to open the "AMD Dual-Core Optimizer" you downloaded earlier, and install it. Reboot your system, and congratulations, your optimization is complete! |
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