Posts by Sinatra



    How to Record and Edit Call of Duty 2 Clips


    As most of you have seen, when I make a Ban Request I provide clips of the Demos I upload using r_xdebug. This makes it easier for people to see the most important parts of a Demo if they don’t have the time to watch it themselves. Whenever I play I use a “Record Buffer” of 120 seconds. This means that at any point I can capture the last 120 seconds of gameplay, whether that be my own gameplay or while watching Demos.


    I chose this length because of the 2 minute round duration on our server, I can capture everything that happens in a certain round if needed. Using the Record Buffer also saves storage space because OBS records into RAM instead of on your selected drive, this way the recording will not be saved until you press a set hotkey. Doing this is quite simple (After installation and setup) and only requires 2 programs, those of which I’ll show you how to install, setup and use in this guide.


    It should be noted that OBS in particular can be quite resource intensive so keep this in mind, though I am using a 9700k, GTX 1060 and 8GB Ram and I don’t experience any major issues.


    Chapters


    1. Installing VLC Media Player
    2. Installing OBS Studio and Recording Clips
    3. Editing Clips
    4. Uploading Clips
    5. Notes

    Installing VLC Media Player


    VLC is probably the most popular media player available and we can use it to view and cut the clips we record.

    You can download it here on the VLC Media Player website.


    Run the VLC Media Player Installer and install it as you would any other program:

    6IBKXdC.png

    Run VLC and on first startup you’ll see the following options, uncheck both and click Continue:

    BF1lkmK.png

    Navigate to View and enable “Advanced Controls”:

    QgbxQzK.png

    You’ll notice that you now have extra controls above the usual playback buttons:

    LllXxhX.png

    These are the controls we’ll use to cut clips.


    Installing OBS Studio and Recording Clips


    Next you’ll install OBS Studio, you can find it here on the OBS Studio website.


    Run the OBS Studio Installer and install it as you would any other program:

    Z46AKcT.png

    Before you run OBS for the first time, you should set it to run as an administrator so it has the necessary permissions to record and save files:

    4vuZHqW.png

    NAlrCIb.png

    You may want to uninstall the Virtual Camera that comes with OBS, this can conflict with certain programs. For example, if I use Microsoft Teams and I don’t uninstall the Virtual Camera then Teams will auto-detect it and my avatar will change to the OBS Logo. Since I have no use for the Virtual Camera, I uninstall by running the Virtual Camera uninstaller as administrator like so:

    BEWwUhY.png

    Run OBS and on first startup you’ll see the following options, select “Optimize just for recording, I will not be streaming” and click Next:

    ctCal4c.png

    Select the following options and click Next:

    sniiCVs.png

    Check the following information and when you’re ready, click “Apply Settings”:

    cYX2qcx.png

    Navigate to OBS Settings:

    Dky5tk5.png

    Navigate to the General Category, here are the settings I change:

    B4vZowg.png

    1dRGh46.png

    Click Apply, navigate to the Output Category and select “Advanced” in the drop-down menu:

    MBqYcL5.png

    On the Streaming Tab, select the following options:

    VyWMuhX.png

    Note that you may have multiple options in the Encoder drop-down menu.

    For example, I have an NVIDIA GPU that supports NVIDIA’s video encoding feature called NVENC:

    IPzc7hI.png

    In my case, it is recommended to use NVENC because it moves encoding from the CPU to the GPU. If you have this option select it and use the same settings as the above picture, if not then stay with x264.


    On the Recording Tab, select a location for the Recording Path and change the file format to MP4:

    EnCsq2F.png

    On the Replay Buffer Tab, enable the Replay Buffer and select a preferred duration (I use 120s):

    f5RGyYI.png

    Click Apply and navigate to the Hotkeys Category, scroll down and set the preferred hotkeys for “Screenshot Output” and “Save Replay”:

    NyN5Mod.png

    Click Apply and close OBS Settings.


    Locate the default Scene called “Scene”, I like to rename this to “CoD2”:

    PsEbwS8.png

    Run Call of Duty 2 and minimize it so that OBS can detect it.


    I like to mute everything except the gameplay in my recordings so any music I am playing is not captured and OBS provides a feature to do this without plugins, though it requires an updated Windows 10 version 2004 or higher. If you do not meet these requirements, scroll down until you see the Display Capture part.


    If you meet this requirement, locate the Audio Mixer and mute all inputs:

    1Qwampb.png

    Locate the Sources section and, by clicking the plus button, create a new “Application Audio Capture” source called “CoD2 Audio Capture”:

    aUXZJfQ.png

    izNJSHm.png

    Select the following options and click OK:

    xOpBW3Z.png

    Create a new Display Capture source:

    j9T70Q5.png

    Note there are two different source types that we can select here to record the game, those are “Display Capture” and “Game Capture”. I have issues using “Game Capture” which cause my game to randomly close and crash to the desktop without warning or error after an unspecified amount of time. After researching this issue it seems to be unfixable and is most likely due to the age of CoD2 and not OBS, though I’m not sure if anyone else will have issues with Game Capture. For now you should use Display Capture until you’re comfortable enough to test anything else.


    Display Capture will capture everything you see on your monitor, including the Desktop and any applications you have open while OBS is recording. Keep this in mind so that you don’t accidentally share any private information. You should always watch the clips you make and cut them if needed before being sure that you’re ready to upload them.


    Remember that while OBS is recording using Display Capture, you are recording everything that YOU see on your screen even if CoD2 is not running. The taskbar icon of OBS changes when it is recording so you should be aware of this.


    tQFrQR5.png

    I like to uncheck “Capture Cursor” but that is preference:

    HfQBWIY.png

    Once you have created a Display Capture source, locate the Controls section and click “Start Replay Buffer” to start recording:

    GZQxEf4.png

    You must click “Start Replay Buffer” each time you want to record while you play. The button will change to “Stop Replay Buffer” when you are recording and if you click this it will stop recording. Remember that only the last 2 minutes of recording are saved into RAM and nothing is saved to your Recording Path unless you press the Save Replay hotkey.


    You’ll notice that the OBS taskbar icon changes and it now has a red circle, as mentioned above:

    KLCF9tV.png

    Whenever the OBS taskbar icon shows the red circle, it is recording.

    Tab back into CoD2 and move the cursor around the main menu for 15~ seconds then press your specified Save Replay hotkey, in my case F9.


    Navigate to the folder you selected as your Recording Path and you should see a file like this:

    00SWPEF.png

    Open the .mp4 file using VLC, check the brightness of the video.

    If the brightness is too low you can apply a filter to the Display Capture source to increase the brightness at which OBS records that source, I like to do this.


    Right-Click the Display Capture source and select Filters:

    zx7vtaD.png

    In the window that opens, click the plus button to add a “Colour Correction” filter:

    GE8mKev.png

    I like to rename this filter to “Gamma” since that is the only option I change:

    I111LIr.png

    Set the preferred Gamma level, I like 0.60:

    no02bfz.png

    Now when you record a clip, the selected Gamma should be applied.


    Editing Clips


    Open the saved clip in VLC.


    You can use the Record control to cut this clip:

    mHTnnVS.png

    While you are playing the video with VLC, click the Record control button where you want to start the clip and then click it again when you want the clip to stop.


    VLC will save this cut version of your clip in your Videos folder by default:

    BkOxWkD.png

    This cut clip is the one that I upload and share.


    Uploading Clips


    To upload and share the clips I create and cut, I use a simple website called Streamable.

    It is easy and takes 2 seconds to create an account.


    Once you have created an account you can upload a clip using the “Upload Video” button:

    vSCMMCY.png

    To get the link to a clip you uploaded you can click the “Copy Link” button:

    bDYynqR.png

    You may notice that Streamable has an Edit Video feature but for the privacy reasons above, I much prefer to cut the clip locally on my PC instead.


    Notes


    As always, I hope this guide wasn’t too difficult to follow. Doing this takes time at first but once you get used to it, it can be done very quickly and makes it much easier for people to view the more important part of your Demos if you clip them this way.


    Good luck and have fun!


    - meta

    PC Optimization and Call of Duty 2 Tweaks [Part 3]


    Editing Windows Control Panel/Settings


    There are a few changes I like to make in the Windows Control Panel and the newer Settings panel.

    I’ll start with the Control Panel, open it:

    sF8yuNB.png

    I like to make the following changes:

    • Disable Sticky Keys
      • Stops the game from minimizing to show a pop-up regarding Sticky Keys after pressing the Shift Key 5 times in quick succession. This can happen accidentally when you’re playing.
    • Disable Enhance Pointer Precision
      • Mentioned earlier, this option disables Windows’ built-in acceleration curve. Mouse input still stutters in CoD2 so we use RInput as explained above. Good for having no acceleration when moving your mouse on the Desktop.
    • Enable Ultimate (Or High) Performance Power Plan
      • Enables your PC to use as much power as needed

    The settings for Sticky Keys can be found in the “Ease of Access Centre”:

    f8we0FU.png

    9CRcuaZ.png

    f75sEKS.png

    Disable all of the options in this category and click Apply:

    5mVk7d3.png

    Find Enhance Pointer Precision in “Mouse”:

    Rs7qEXa.png

    Make sure your Pointer Speed is set to 6/11 ticks, this is the position by default but it’s good to check it.

    Disable “Enhance Pointer Precision” and click Apply:

    hDcYp0V.png

    Find the Power Options:

    TMyEsiP.png

    Select either the Ultimate Performance or High Performance power plan (You may not have Ultimate in this list):

    G8VWnQm.png

    After enabling the Ultimate Performance or High Performance power plan, select “Change Plan Settings”:

    dXc0eKf.png

    Set “Turn off the Display” and “Put Computer to Sleep” to Never and click “Save Changes”:

    b91l9bk.png

    Close the Control Panel and open the Settings Panel:

    E0cxvld.png


    I like to make the following changes:

    • Edit Language Bar Options
      • This setting also relates to key presses which can happen accidentally when playing.
    • Disable Xbox Game Bar
      • An obvious one here, I don’t know of anyone that uses Game Bar and it is usually more of an annoyance than anything else.

    Navigate to “Devices”:

    MpmOyJx.png

    Navigate to “Typing” and click “Advanced Keyboard Settings”:

    J32k4Ft.png

    Click “Input Language Hot Keys” and then, on the dialog window that opens, click “Change Key Sequence”:

    tAciYbT.png

    Select Not Assigned for both “Switch Input Language” and “Switch Keyboard Layout”:

    FOGIPvk.png

    Click OK on any open windows and navigate to "Gaming":

    BObtRqW.png

    Disable "Xbox Game Bar":

    i5DUgTi.png

    Some people have tried enabling/disabling Game Mode here but I just leave it at default, it's reported that many of the issues with Game Mode and Disable Full-Screen Optimizations have been fixed in newer builds of Windows.

    Close the Settings Panel.


    Call of Duty 2 Config Tweaks


    By now most of you know how to change the properties of "CoD2MP_s.exe" and edit your config for CoD2.

    Here are the properties I have set for CoD2:

    kmGoJsb.png

    I don't change anything in "Change High DPI Settings" though I know some people experiment with this too.

    Here are the commands that I change/add when making a new config:

    The final recommendation is to properly set your CPU Affinity when running CoD2, by default CoD2 does not use all of your CPU cores. You can do this manually by using the Task Manager but this does not save for each restart meaning you have to change the affinity every time you run CoD2.


    I use a program called ProcessHacker that saves CPU Affinity permanently.

    The nightly build is available here on the ProcessHacker website.

    Make sure to download the nightly build, the default release doesn't have the ability to save CPU Affinity.


    The latest nightly release may be different to the one listed below.

    Download and run "processhacker-3.0.4953-setup.exe" as an administrator and follow the prompts:

    TE3yqFa.png

    QnxeKzt.png

    Click "Next" and not "Browse":

    vEgi5H4.png

    Uncheck "Start this program when setup exits":

    ndtBSSw.png

    Navigate to the ProcessHacker directory (This directory should be the same for everyone since you installed it to the default directory). Edit "ProcessHacker.exe" properties, set it to run as administrator:

    bpOAv6P.png

    There is a bug in the nightly release of ProcessHacker which stops it from hiding properly at startup so you need to create this task yourself, open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc):

    9PZ9pOA.png

    Make sure that "Task Scheduler Library" is selected in the left pane and click "Create Task":

    9Tia5w9.png

    On the General Tab, give the Task a name and select "Run with Highest Privileges":

    LrzCyZs.png

    On the Triggers Tab, click new:

    3PpyX7Y.png

    In the drop down menu, select "At log on" and click OK:

    nQyW2v3.png

    On the Actions Tab, click new:

    3Qb0T9l.png

    Select "Browse" and select "ProcessHacker.exe":

    0W7UFzp.png

    q5K1CEw.png

    Type "-hide" in the "Add Arguments" box and click OK:

    ETjq3Zu.png

    On the Conditions Tab, uncheck all Power options:

    0v6MhaQ.png

    On the Settings Tab, uncheck "Stop the Task if it runs longer than:" and click OK:

    oRvqqUz.png

    Right-Click the Task you just created and run it:

    PTzYqzd.png

    You will now see a new icon in the Taskbar Notification Area:

    P5T2S0o.png

    Right-Click it and select "Show/Hide ProcessHacker":

    9dstbQw.png

    Open ProcessHacker settings:

    wF37FhN.png

    On the General Tab, check the following boxes:

    7UbZx0s.png

    On the Updater Tab, uncheck "Check for updates automatically"

    Y9q9YT3.png

    Close ProcessHacker settings and you'll be asked to restart ProcessHacker, click "Yes".

    Once ProcessHacker has restarted you can close it but you should still see it available in the Notification Tray.


    Run CoD2 RI and then CoD2.

    Alt+Tab and minimize the game when you reach the main menu.

    Open ProcessHacker from the Notification Tray and click on the "Private Bytes" column to sort by highest memory usage:

    zph7VaK.png

    Find CoD2 and Right-Click it, find Affinity and select "Save for CoD2MP_s.exe":

    T48FO9E.png

    Right-Click CoD2, find Affinity and click "Set Affinity" (As shown in the picture above).

    Click "Select All" and click OK:

    lL78fws.png

    Close ProcessHacker.


    You're done.

    You made it.

    Begone frame drops, may we be blessed with smooth frags and positive KDs for all of time.


    Conclusion


    I don't really have any closing points to make, if this guide helped one person or if they learned one new thing then it was worth me writing all of this. This community should be allowed to have a smooth and updated Call of Duty 2 2022 experience without hackers (Since we're a few of the only people still playing). Unfortunately I can't write a guide on how to stop people from downloading hacks.


    Good luck and have fun!


    - meta

    PC Optimization and Call of Duty 2 Tweaks [Part 2]


    Installing and Configuring Graphics Drivers


    The age-old question of which Graphics Driver to use. Personally I never use the latest driver, I prefer to use the latest WHQL Certified release which has been extensively tested and is certified by Microsoft as being stable and mostly bug free.

    The latest recommended/certified drivers for your NVIDIA GPU can be found here on NVIDIA’s website.


    I select the following options to get a list of WHQL Certified drivers:

    2gZCCe3.png

    You can see that the latest WHQL Certified release for my GPU is 472.12 and that is the current driver that I have installed.

    Select a Driver and download it.


    For the clean installation of the selected NVIDIA Driver you can use a program called NVSlimmer which is available here on the 3DGuru website.


    It is recommended to download NVSlimmer now because once you uninstall the current NVIDIA Driver and reboot, Windows may automatically start searching for an unwanted driver from its database. This way you will be able to run NVSlimmer quickly and install the new Driver (You can solve this by disabling the internet or unplugging your ethernet cable while you are changing drivers). For now you can download the NVSlimmer .zip file and leave it there until you need it.


    Before you install the Driver that you selected, you need to uninstall your current NVIDIA Driver properly and to do this you can use a program called Display Driver Uninstaller. A very useful tool that removes NVIDIA Drivers and any left over files and registry edits that might conflict with a new NVIDIA Driver installation.


    The latest Driver Display Uninstaller can be found here on the Guru3D website.

    Though this program is recommended to be used in safe mode I have never experienced any issues using it in normal mode.


    Once you have downloaded DDU, extract it like so:

    FEAmwOM.png

    Run the archived 7zip package and choose a folder to extract the contents to:

    hNXsi6c.png

    Inside that new extracted folder you will find DDU, it is recommended to run DDU as an administrator:

    7OH7r13.png

    You will be greeted with an information pop-up, you can close it.

    The settings dialog will appear, here are the settings I select:

    Ta4Z9wt.png

    When you close the settings dialog you may be greeted with a “You are not in Safe Mode” pop-up, you can ignore it.

    Select GPU and NVIDIA in the corresponding drop down boxes and then click “Clean and Restart”. DDU will take a couple of seconds uninstalling your current NVIDIA Driver and then it will automatically restart your PC.

    It will show its process in the log.

    RDqJWwl.png

    Once your PC has restarted and you are back on your desktop you will probably notice that you’re on 60hz again (If you are using a 144hz or 240hz monitor). You will change this later.


    Now you need to clean install the latest WHQL Certified drivers.

    Be aware that the settings you select here will only install the core, required components of the NVIDIA Driver. All telemetry and other NVIDIA services will be removed from the installation, this means you will also not have Geforce Experience.


    Continue as you did with DDU, running NVSlimmer as an administrator:

    dawas1o.png

    Ww9YR7S.png

    When you run NVSlimmer, it will ask you to select the driver you want to use:

    7zgNQ85.png

    It will take a couple of seconds while it loads the package and you may get a “One or more unrecognized folders were detected” warning, you can ignore it.

    You’ll see the following choices, select only the core/required options:

    k7829X2.png

    You can see just how much stuff comes bundled with NVIDIA Drivers.

    Click Install and accept the confirmation that you want to apply the changes:

    uHYQ1C1.png

    The NVIDIA Driver installation will now start, agree to the terms and conditions:

    9JCcCyd.png

    Select Custom Installation:

    AWifpA5.png

    Select “Perform a clean installation” and click next:

    070hFnN.png

    The NVIDIA Graphics Driver will now install and once it has finished you can close the NVIDIA Installer and NVSlimmer.

    dLmsCWo.png

    Open the NVIDIA Control Panel by Right-Clicking on the Desktop and disable the Notification Tray Icon:

    HlbbF0N.png

    5y0Mpx4.png

    Navigate to the “Manage 3D Settings” section and set them to the following values:

    bfGEW4H.png

    hEh2RAp.png

    EJBAS39.png

    I know that Low Latency Mode is often recommended to be set to On. After re-reading the information on TweakGuides.com they recommended it be set to Off which allows applications, in this case Call of Duty 2, to queue frames themselves.


    Click Apply in the lower right corner and navigate to “Change Resolution”.

    Select your preferred resolution and refresh rate:

    UuxUQEZ.png

    Click Apply in the lower right corner and navigate to “Adjust Desktop Colour Settings”.

    Select your preferred Digital Vibrance Level:

    Z6zGSIR.png

    Click Apply in the lower right corner and navigate to “Adjust Desktop Size and Position”.

    Select your preferred scaling options:

    9zSFLZD.png

    Click Apply in the lower right corner and close the NVIDIA Control Panel.

    You now have a clean NVIDIA Driver installation and have set all the recommended settings.


    Installing RInput v1.44 (Raw Mouse Input for CoD2)


    After Windows 10 version 1607 (Released in 2016) Microsoft made some changes that caused mouse input to stutter even with Enhance Pointer Precision disabled, I know this because I tested it myself with 1607 and 21H2. Ever since then, to get 1 to 1 mouse input with no acceleration and no stutter or lag people have used a program called RInput.


    RInput is used by those who play CoD2 Solo Queue on FPSChallenge.eu and as such, does not trigger that Anti-Cheat. If I remember correctly other Anti-Cheat software such as FACEIT do flag this program as suspicious so please don’t try to use this on CSGO or VALORANT. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting banned (Unless you cheat on CoD2). It effectively does the same thing as “m_rawinput” in CSGO so you shouldn’t need it for that game anyway.


    RInput v1.44 can be found here on the Fearless Assassins website.

    You’ll also need to download and install 7-zip to extract the RInput file and that can be found here on the 7-zip website.


    Download RInput v1.44 and extract it using 7-zip:

    nijC9wH.png

    Inside the folder you just extracted you’ll find a redistributable file that wasn’t included in the ones you installed earlier, install it:

    2LY8jpr.png

    After installing it you can delete “vcredist_x86.exe”.

    Copy the RInput 1.44 folder to your C:\ drive:

    Tmc6pPt.png

    Edit “RInput.exe” properties and set it to run as an administrator:

    vI2VnkO.png

    HK32BcJ.png

    Right-Click “RInput.exe” and select “Create Shortcut”:

    IgNdeKp.png

    Rename the created shortcut to “CoD2 RI”:

    bl49buk.png

    Edit “CoD2 RI” properties and add the CoD2 executable name to the end of the “Target” box:

    eI7qI60.png

    6VMgTZu.png

    Right-Click “CoD2 RI” and pin it to your Start Menu:

    tuBZ7KH.png

    Run "CoD2 RI" from the Start Menu shortcut you just created and you’ll see this:

    LHhxIlQ.png

    With this window still open, run CoD2 and if you’re quick enough you might just catch this:

    4pFCNiR.png

    You can see that it says “Successfully injected library into process”. This means that RInput is working and has injected itself into CoD2, you will now have perfect 1 to 1 mouse input with no acceleration or stutters. If you run CoD2 RI and you don’t see a “Successful” message then try running CoD2 RI again, sometimes it just doesn’t inject and trying again usually fixes it.


    The above screenshots show "RInput v1.31" but the actual .dll that is injected is the newer v1.44, they updated the .dll but not the .exe. You need to run CoD2 RI before CoD2 every time if you want 1 to 1 mouse input.




    PC Optimization and Call of Duty 2 Tweaks [Part 1]


    This time sparked by Kryst talking in chat about frame drops, the bane of all PC gamers. This is more advanced than the ones I’ve posted before but if you’re comfortable with navigating Windows, using different programs and you know your hardware you should be fine. It is very detailed and comprehensive, will probably take you an hour to read and will make your finger hurt from all the scrolling (I’m not joking but I am sorry) but at least you'll learn more about how Windows works, maybe?

    This post is so big that I have to split it into 3 parts/posts to fit into the 10,000 character limit, forgive me please.


    There are a lot of “snake oil” tutorials on the internet that are mostly useless and sometimes those changes can even affect performance negatively. However, there are some changes that we can make that have been known to help.


    As you’ve probably seen in my clips scattered around the Akuma forums and Discord I have constant 250 FPS even when recording with OBS. I’ll go through the steps I take when I configure Windows, my hardware drivers and Call of Duty 2.


    It should be noted that the best thing you can do to increase your FPS is use a desktop PC with a fair amount of RAM (8GB+) and a SSD drive for your Windows installation. If you play newer games you likely have 16GB+ and possibly a NVMe SSD. Some would argue that 16GB is standard in 2022 but for CoD2 and maybe Chrome/Firefox 8GB+ should be fine.


    Some of you are using laptops but they often come with further downsides such as limited Graphics Card control panel options so keep this in mind. Since I’m using an Intel CPU and a NVIDIA GPU, all the information in this guide will be related to that type of hardware. If you’re using AMD you may be able to use Google to find the corresponding settings but it won’t be the focus of this guide (Some information further down is still useful to you though).


    As before, I’ll provide chapters so you can skip the ones you don’t want or need.


    List of Chapters

    1. Editing BIOS
    2. Installing DirectX End-User Runtimes and Visual C++ Redistributables
    3. Installing and Configuring Graphics Drivers
    4. Installing RInput v1.44 (Raw Mouse Input for CoD2)
    5. Editing Windows Control Panel/Settings
    6. Call of Duty 2 Config Tweaks
    7. Conclusion

    Editing BIOS


    Usually we assume the latest Windows or Graphics Card update is the problem and while that can be true, we can change the way our hardware operates at the base level. This helps us rule out hardware settings as the cause of frame drops if it happens in the future. Editing the BIOS is a more advanced topic and if you don’t feel comfortable doing this then you should leave it completely alone but if you know what you are doing, I absolutely recommend disabling certain features to help with CPU performance.


    I am currently using an Intel 9700k and this processor provides features that downclock the frequency to save power or overclock the frequency to increase performance, they are enabled by default and can cause frame drops if the frequency fluctuates while playing.


    Overclocking your CPU is an entirely different topic and requires its own amount of knowledge so that you don’t damage your hardware, I am not an expert with this and frankly it is outside the scope of this guide. I generally don’t touch this and prefer to keep my CPU stable at its base clock without any power saving features which is done by disabling the settings below. I also recommend not using any overclocked XMP profiles for your RAM because these can cause stutter and input lag.


    There are 5 settings that I disable in my BIOS:

    • EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology)
    • Turbo Boost
    • XMP Profiles (Presets for RAM frequency and timings)
    • Intel C-States
    • Intel Speed Shift

    I have personally found that disabling C-States fixed FPS fluctuations and kept it constant (FirmFoot remembers).


    Installing DirectX End-User Runtimes and Visual C++ Redistributables


    After I have installed Windows I always like to install the DirectX End-User Runtimes and the latest Visual C++ Redistributables. This means the redistrubutables needed for any programs I use in the future will already be installed (Except for one little program later in the guide but the redistributable for that will also be provided with its download).


    The DirectX End-User Runtimes can be found here on Microsoft’s website.

    The latest Visual C++ Redistributables can be found in an All-In-One Package here on GitHub.


    The Visual C++ Redistributable Package will need to be unzipped before you can install it:

    2WBN6kf.png

    Install these as you would any other program, they don’t require a restart.

    Hey guys,


    On my quest for the same game smoothness I felt on Windows 7 (Rest in peace), I decided to take the time and re-read the TweakGuides.com link I posted above. However, after reading it again I found some useful information that I feel will be better listed here so you don't have to wade through the mass of text to find it.


    In the conclusion page of their Call of Duty 2 guide, which is a different page than the one I linked, there is a short "Call of Duty 2 FPS Boost" section. Though the section mentions these problems only affected DirectX 9 and were fixed in the 1.2 Patch, I tried them on 1.3 with DirectX 7 and I thought my game felt better.

    It could be placebo but I'll post them anyway.

    Quote from TweakGuides.com

    There appears to be a fault of some kind with the way the engine applies the texture settings (the r_picmip-based commands). Thus, each time a new map loads up, you can get a noticeable performance boost if you change the r_picmip value from its current value, use the r_applypicmip command, and then reset the r_picmip setting back to its desired value and again use r_applypicmip. This must be done every time a new map loads up.

    This quote refers to the "r_picmip" command, which relates to the "Texture Resolution" option in the game settings.

    The following numbers are the different texture resolutions for this command:

    0 - Extra

    1 - High

    2 - Normal

    3 - Low


    To refresh this each time a map loads we can bind this command to a key:

    Code
    bind F5 "r_picmip 3; r_applypicmip; r_picmip 2; r_applypicmip"

    In my config I already have r_picmip set to 2, which is Normal.


    You can see that this bind sets and applies the texture resolution to Low then sets and applies the texture resolution back to Normal. This key must be pressed each time you load a new map and it works in spectate, you'll know it worked because the game will freeze for a second whilst it processes the commands and if you really want you can open the console and check the logs to see what it did.

    Quote from TweakGuides.com

    There is a problem with the r_gpusync command, which should be set to 0 for single card graphics users, however it instead defaults to 3 for all users. Setting this command back to 0 should provide another performance boost for single-card graphics users (SLI users should leave it at 3). You can simply add "+seta r_gpusync 0" (without quotes) to your startup icon(s) if you want to quickly apply this fix, or insert it into your autoexec.cfg file.

    Though we can set r_gpusync in our config, I prefer to add this command to the bind above since I'm pressing it each map load:

    Code
    bind F5 "r_picmip 3; r_applypicmip; r_picmip 2; r_applypicmip; r_gpusync 0"

    I'm aware that any r_gpusync value not set to 3 can cause input lag but I don't think that's a problem on newer, modern PCs.

    Regardless, you can test this to see if it benefits you or not.


    Maybe one day I'll come to the realisation that CoD2 is old and Windows 10 is just not designed for this type of game anymore but until then..


    - Meta

    Great post Denizoo!


    When I saw this it reminded me of a similar list of commands by TweakGuides which I think would go together with your post perfectly (I should probably save this link to a Google Docs in case the website gets taken down, haha).


    Your information can definitely help people, especially if they're playing on laptops or low-end PCs.

    Good job. :thumbup: