CA: Fix the campaign map stutter.

I thought I'd come back and have some fun with this game again, but holy cow the stuuter is just so annoying. I know I can revert back to an older video driver, but come on.

do you honestly expect them to do this for napoleon? do you expect them to release a single patch for napoleon?

must be fun being delusional and holding onto impossible hopes. i sincerely wish i was you.

It's still not wrong to push them in that direction. If people just shrug their shoulders and go "eh, what the heck" CA won't even register that their customers aren't amused.

The issue is still there, unsolved, after all this time. Tweaking constantly the graphic settings or installing/uninstalling AMD/ATI drivers is not a solution... It's a band-aid, nothing more... And it's stupid. The devs should solve this once and for all...

Agreed. It's ridiculous. Fix this CA!
+rep to OP.

It's not like they're going to do anything about it....

The Campaign Map stutter problem was my #1 issue with NTW, even though it was really a minor thing compared to issues I have had with other games in the past. I initially thought there was a bottleneck issue with my AMD 555, as it was showing a momentary spike to 100% CPU usage when scrolling the Campaign Map. After I investigated a bit further and did some GPU logging though, I discovered that my PowerColor AX-6790 (not typo) was the culprit. It was maxxing out and causing the CPU to load up. I decided to try Crossfire, and after installing another 6790, I now have totally greasey-fluid movement of the Campaign Map, the same as the battle sequences had been with a single 6790. Crossfire does not work (for me anyways) with ETW, though, so be aware of this if you are thinking about going the Crossfire route to higher graphics performance. I have read mixed reports of S2TW Crossfire compatibility, does anyone have the scoop as to whether it works OK ?

Originally Posted by Jagged_Steel

The Campaign Map stutter problem was my #1 issue with NTW, even though it was really a minor thing compared to issues I have had with other games in the past. I initially thought there was a bottleneck issue with my AMD 555, as it was showing a momentary spike to 100% CPU usage when scrolling the Campaign Map. After I investigated a bit further and did some GPU logging though, I discovered that my PowerColor AX-6790 (not typo) was the culprit. It was maxxing out and causing the CPU to load up. I decided to try Crossfire, and after installing another 6790, I now have totally greasey-fluid movement of the Campaign Map, the same as the battle sequences had been with a single 6790. Crossfire does not work (for me anyways) with ETW, though, so be aware of this if you are thinking about going the Crossfire route to higher graphics performance. I have read mixed reports of S2TW Crossfire compatibility, does anyone have the scoop as to whether it works OK ?

The bad thing is, if you decide to go crossfire new problems could arise. Like you said, there are some compatibility issues with crossfire in some games and it would just make the experience worse. Why not get a single good graphics card? They tend to cost though. I'm not sure about S2TW, whether it will work or not. But go crossfire, and you're asking for a new set of problems.

Originally Posted by xX_iCeD_Xx

The bad thing is, if you decide to go crossfire new problems could arise. Like you said, there are some compatibility issues with crossfire in some games and it would just make the experience worse. Why not get a single good graphics card? They tend to cost though. I'm not sure about S2TW, whether it will work or not. But go crossfire, and you're asking for a new set of problems.

Simple: I am getting performance equal to or better than a $400 6970 or $500 GTX 580 for less than $200 with two 6790s @ $89 each(Worst series naming regiment ever with the 6790-it is actually a 6800 series Barts GPU). And, for the most part, new games with high graphics demands all support Crossfire, and older games that do not can easily be handled with just one of the cards enabled. This uncludes ETW, one 6790 plows through that easily. Also, these days I am as much into building computers as I am in playing games, so Crossfire is just something I wanted to try.




I have my 6790s overclocked to @925 Mhz from the stock 840, so the performance is actually quite a bit better than this graph shows. With V-sync enabled I stay at a steady 60 fps in NTW in both the Campaign and Battle portions.

Oh I see man. Haven't really gotten to know crossfire or SLI. How fast can you disbable the second card? Crossfire like you said is a great alternative if you want to play newest games and run it on pretty high end rigs and if you got some serious dough. Thanks for clearing that up. I average about 30 fps with almost everything max and my computer is really horrible.

The newest Catalyst software from AMD which is used for all Radeon graphics cards, not just Crossfire setups, works really good IMO. You can enable and disable the second (or third) Crossfire card with 3 clicks of the mouse.You do of course need to have a Crossfire compatible motherboard. I am running an ASUS M5A97 EVO, with an AMD 555 BE, waiting for the revision on Bulldozer and I will step up to one of those. Right now the 555 (2 core 3.2 Ghz stock) overclocked @ 4.1 Ghz grinds through every game I currently have , so there isn't any rush to go Bulldozer .As far as price goes, Crossfiring two lower end cards usually nets an excellent price /performance ratio. Like the benchmark graph above shows, I am getting performance equal to the $400 6790 and $500 GTX580 for $200. The 6790 is the best bang for the buck in cards right now, IF you can get them on sale. At the regular price of ~$140 I would opt for a 6850 or 6870, but when on sale for less than $100 these are a real bargain. With one 6790 I was averaging 35-40 fps in battle sequnces in NTW, and everything was butter smooth, but in the Campaign Map it would dip down in the teens when scrolling creating the "stutter", adding the second card fixed that completely, and now both Battle and Campaign run @ a steady 60 fps.



Overclocking graphics cards is just as easy, you have sliders and can set the clock and memory where you want within the predetermined limits. This does not mean that all cards will function with the highest clock settings , you have to experiment and run a burn in test to see if an overclock is stable.The best OC on my 6790s is 925 Mhz GPU x 1125 Mhz Memory, up from 840x1050 stock, it really makes a difference.

P.S> Why can I not edit posts? I made the 6970/6790 typo mistake in the above post and can't fix it.

Originally Posted by Jagged_Steel

P.S> Why can I not edit posts? I made the 6970/6790 typo mistake in the above post and can't fix it.

You should be able to. There should be a button at the end of your post. As far as the Crossfire talk goes, I was thinking of upgrading to the AMD 555 Black Edition (Excellent for its price, what it's like 60€). But..... That would mean that I'd have to buy a new motherboard which would accompany a Phenom 2 processor. On top of that I'd have to get a new PS, so we're talking about like 200€ right now, which is not a lot, but i'm not taking the risk to ruin my financial status As far as stuttering goes, I run everything on almost max except like HDR and AA, and i get a constant 30 FPS and my computer is horrible = No map stutter, which means that the problem lies elsewhere, not exactly on your hardware, but perhaps on CA's end.

In the "Posting Rules" in the lower left corner it says "You may not edit posts". I have no idea why.

If you can still find a 555, they are a real bargain. They are now EOL (End Of the Line) and most of the retailers here in the US are now sold out of them. Those that still have them are pricing them @ $50 (35 euros?). If you are going to get a new AMD Mobo at this time, make sure you get one with AM3+ socket and 900 series chipset so you are ready to use the current AMD CPUs(Bulldozer) and the next ones coming (Piledriver). If I were putting together a budget AMD machine right now I would go for a FX-4100 (4 core version of Bulldozer). Here in the US you can get a good Motherboard that will allow some overclocking for less than $100 and the FX-4100 for $109. I am quite well versed in what's best in regards to AMD gear these days, especially what is the best "bang for the buck" (or Euro- in your case), if you want any advice on a possible AMD based upgrade I will be glad to give you my 2-cents worth about any hardware choices.

About the stutter issue: I realize that it is likely a coding issue, and in my case it was really minor. I was/am just fishing for "excuses" to upgrade my rig (gotta tell the woman something), and adding the Crossfire card gives me enough GPU power to smash my way through and make it run 100% perfectly fluid instead of 99% perfectly fluid.

Hahah, women..... Always a problem AMD hardware really offer a bang for your buck. I have more map stuttering in ETW than NTW.
I can get a 500w PSU for 50€, an AM3+ motherboard for 57€ and an AMD processor for 100€.
Which processor should i get an AMD Athlon II X4 640 or an AMD Athlon II X2 265? (if I buy). There's a difference of 20€ in price. Because i may just do a small scale upgrade, since I'll be getting a new computer in a year or so. Really, anything better than my current set up is excellent

Originally Posted by xX_iCeD_Xx

Hahah, women..... Always a problem AMD hardware really offer a bang for your buck. I have more map stuttering in ETW than NTW.
I can get a 500w PSU for 50€, an AM3+ motherboard for 57€ and an AMD processor for 100€.
Which processor should i get an AMD Athlon II X4 640 or an AMD Athlon II X2 265? (if I buy). There's a difference of 20€ in price. Because i may just do a small scale upgrade, since I'll be getting a new computer in a year or so. Really, anything better than my current set up is excellent

If you are going to get an AMD CPU from the last generation, I would get a Phenom II or not bother. On paper, the 265 looks slightly faster (the 265 @3.3 Ghz compared to 3.2 Ghz for the 555) but even at stock clock settings the 555 will blow away the 265 in real game performance due to the C3 steppin and Level 3 cache. Same goes for the 640. The extra cores sounds good compared to a 555, but 99% of games still run on 1 core only, so 1 fast core will give better performance than 4 slower ones, and the Phenom IIs overclock amzingly well. I have my 555 running @ 4.1 Ghz on the cheapo stock cooler, and my father's 955 running @ 3.8 with the stock cooler. For your situation You might consider getting a nice motherboard (AM3+ of course) and shop around for a 555 (or 565-575 -2core, 955,965,975-4 core. All of which are actually the same chip) , even if you have to get it used from Ebay or something. That way in a year or so you could pop in a next generation FX CPU (Piledriver) and have a top notch gaming rig for a few years. Other than the CPU, I recommend going with an all-AMD platform. In theory, running Nvidia Video cards on AMD machines is fine, but search any computer forum and you will find that MOST driver issues arise when "mixing oil and water"- AMD CPU/Nvidia GPU or Intel CPU/Amd GPU. The AMD GPU lineup has the best bargains at the moment anyways, so this is an easy choice.

I really couldn't find a 555 or .... well, hold on... hmm.How would the AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition work? Damn it's 112€ If you could send me a PM on some compatibility and what to look for (i'm in Finland btw), I'd be in your debt (watching too much game of thrones lately). +Rep mate.

The 960t is a good option. It is a 4 core variant of the 1100(6 core Thuban), and has the higher NorthBridge/memory controller that the 1050-1100 6 cores do compared with Denebs(555 and 955). If you are going into that price bracket, I would go for the FX-4100 personally, but a lot of OverClockers still swear by Thubans. You can run 1866 Mhz memory with 3000 Mhz NB on the 4100, and guys are regularly hitting 5 Ghz stable with the stock cooler. That is impressive. With a 960t you will be lucky to hit 4 Ghz with stock cooler, and 4.5 with a super duty cooler. The 960t and 4100 are real close in actual in game performance though, so either is fine. The only real edge the 4100 has is a bit higher NB/Memory and faster per thread (core) speed. In multi threaded games like BF3 the 960t would probably push out a couple frames per second more than the 4100, but in single threaded games, which is the other 99.9% of games out right now, the 4100 with a nice overclock will do better. If you research and go to Overclocker type forums, you will see a lot of guys slamming the FX CPUs, but this is just because of over-expectations. They are a bit better than Phenoms, cost less , and use less power clock for clock. They were hyped to be a lot better, so some guys are sore about them not living up to the pre-launch hype for Bulldozer.

If find that if I just use the mouse for navigation around the campaign map and not the keyboard, the stutter won't occur. Everytime I use the keyboard to navigate I need to restart the game.