Win7 setup advice, please

Battle of Britain "Wings of Victory"
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scrambler
Airman
Posts: 36
Joined: 25 Jan 2008, 03:50
Location: Surrey, UK

Win7 setup advice, please

Post by scrambler »

Hello.
After a very long time away I have invested in a new PC pretty much purely so I could fly this great is again.

I have a second hand dell (an i5 with 8gb ram and a basic 1gb video card) with tech specs that can handle the demands fine, I have v2.12 plus multi skin running and all is great in game, high frame rates and no problems... except for intermittent crashes when I alt-x out of a mission. I've begun experimenting with different settings, but haven't been able to sort it out yet, and seem to be making it worse.

So, can any windows 7 users with a stable set up share with me how they have their system configured so I can try and replicate?

Many thanks.
Windows 7 Pro x64. Dell Optiplex 7010
Intel i5-3470 quad core 3.2 GHz w/ 8GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD7570 w/ 1 GB RAM running on Catalyst 15.20
MS Sidewinder FFB2

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stickman
BDG
Posts: 8754
Joined: 05 Nov 2004, 13:17
Location: Oahu, Hawai'i

Re: Win7 setup advice, please

Post by stickman »

Here is what the BDG recently wrote up for the v2.13 Release notes. Mostly the same advice that we put out for v2.12.

Please read through the following notes carefully before installation. There are several things to be aware of, particularly if you haven't done a patch update before.

Note 1: this update will bring *any* previous version up to 2.13. You do not need any previous patches at all.

Note 2: You will not be able to run (load) old campaigns with 2.13. If you are partway through a campaign, you may want to finish it before doing an installation.
To run a v2.13 Campaign the SAVEGAME folder should be cleaned out completely except for these 3 files: DIR.DIR \ inputcfg \ settings.cfg.
On a fresh CD install only these 3 files will be there.

Note 3: You will need the latest DirectX 9.0c to run 2.13. Higher version numbers of DirectX do not include DX9.0c extensions - if you have DX10 and 11 you must still have the latest DX9.0c. You will get a missing .dll error if you do not. When you run the 2.13 self-installer it will point you to the Microsoft DirectX update page. Update to DirectX9.0c (June version). Unfortunately, there are multiple versions of 9.0c so if in any doubt, update.

Note 4: The MultiSkin patch should go ON TOP OF Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory v2.13 Patch (English) OR Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory v2.13 Patch (International)
You should have a 1GB gfx card to be sure to run without issues.

Note 5: How to back up your existing settings from earlier BoBII updates.
Buddye's installation guide HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 0&t=19368B
Back up your Bdg.txt and \2dGauge, and \keyboard folders (these files/folders contain all your settings and joystick buttons)

Note 6: If you have a low end system and experience a crash once into 3D, go to your bdg.txt file and set LANDSCAPE_TEXTURE_SIZE = 1024 (the default is 2048). This will reduce the landscape texture resolution by a factor of 4 and should help users with low system memory.

Note 7: The minimum requirements for BoBII have changed very significantly since initial release. To run 2.13 successfully we recommend Win XP/7, 2GB RAM, 1GB Video card, Strong Dual or Quad Core processor. Alas, BoBII is still unable to run reliably on Win8/8.1. It has been reported that it works OK with Win10. Investigation of Win10 is ongoing, please check the forum, both General and Tech Supt, for the latest.

Note 8: Vista and Windows 7 (and later) users may need to apply (or reapply) the 'Vista/Windows 7 fix' to your desktop shortcut as a fresh 2.13 install will overwrite the previous shortcut.
Right click on shortcut and go to properties. Go to the compatibility tab. Check "disable desktop composition" and check the privilege level, run this program as an administrator.
A Windows font size of 96 pixels per inch is recommended.

Note 9: Forcing VSync with ATI card
There is a known issue with some (most?) ATI cards and VSync. See http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 10&t=21660
In short, you need to right click your ATI tray icon and enable through that (Wait for vertical refresh->Always on).

Note 10: Framerates over densely populated areas of 3D objects.
See the section later in this post. Object rendering is not as efficient as we hope to make it in the future. Be prepared to check your Ground Object Density settings in densely populated urban areas. See below.

Note 11: To run 2.13 with max settings you will need minimum of 3GB RAM (ideally 4G). Players with 32 bit Windows7 will need to enable the "/3GB switch" to their system. See http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 17&t=33282 You will also require a fairly muscular video card, with at least 1GB of Video RAM.

Note 12: To see in-menu videos with Win7, see here: http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 07#p161307 or install codecs here: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/indeo_codec.htm

Note 13: For menus to display correctly, you will probably have to set your screen text size to the standard 96DPI (in Win7 this is found under Screen Resolution by right clicking the desktop background, or under Control Panel>Display)

Note 14: Your newly patched install contains a full manual describing everything you might possibly want to know about Battle of Britain II, in pdf form in the \Docs\ folder, along with several other useful files. This sim is intended to be as fully user-configurable as possible. You can run it as it comes "out of the box" or you can spend as much time and effort as you are inclined, to modify its behaviour to your liking. The user definable options extend far beyond what is apparent in the in-game GUI, via the configuration file bdg.txt, fully described in the manual.

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stickman
BDG
Posts: 8754
Joined: 05 Nov 2004, 13:17
Location: Oahu, Hawai'i

Re: Win7 setup advice, please

Post by stickman »

Again from the v2.13 Release Notes (which apply to v2.12 also) I wrote this:

Game play Tips & Information

Game Play Performance Considerations.

1. How do I enable automatically generated (AUTOGEN) trees?

There are two places that Trees are AUTOGEN generated, Forests and Tree Lines (hedgerows).

In your \Battle of Britain II\bdg.txt file, at the very bottom of the file, you will see ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=OFF.

Copy these lines over the ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=OFF line:

# AutoGen stuff (experimental):
ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON
TEMP_AG_SN[15,1]=1192
TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=62

# AutoGen TreeLine stuff (experimental):
TEMP_AGTL_SN[0]=1192
TEMP_AGTL_SN[2]=63
TEMP_AGTL_SN[3]=62

---------------------------------------------------

Yes, you need all these lines. Just copy and paste all the section above, or type longhand.
The numbers in blue, 3 or 2 or 1 or 0 (lowest density) is a density setting and runs 0-3, minimum to maximum. 0 is nothing shows.
The above example is recommended for best performance and no bad graphics.

Here is an example of a more demanding setting, with more trees, but your frame rates may suffer, and you may get bad "tree stretching" graphics:

# AutoGen stuff (experimental):
ENABLE_AUTO_GEN=ON
TEMP_AG_SN[15,2]=1192
TEMP_AG_SN[15,3]=62

# AutoGen TreeLine stuff (experimental):
TEMP_AGTL_SN[0]=1192
TEMP_AGTL_SN[2]=63
TEMP_AGTL_SN[3]=62

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. TREES that slow frame rates.

In your Battle of Britain\Objectadds folder you will find a set of 27 text files called “TREES- …..txt”

Image

These are all individual tree objects around Hawkinge and Manston mostly. Many hundreds of them, and they may slow your frame rates down to 17 fps!
You can remove these files completely to reduce their impact on frame rates. Or you can try and delete the files that are bigger than 50 KB.

3. Some comments on framerates with all the new objects.

There will undoubtedly be quite an impact on many user's systems. Up until now large parts of the terrain have lacked 3D objects. Now there are many.

If you have anything other than a strong modern processor (it is more processor dependent than anything else) consider
1) Reducing your Ground Object Density setting. Full=100%, High=50%, Medium=25%, Minimum= No ObjectAdd folder objects show. Only BFIELDS (battle fields) important objects show.
2) Go to your Battle of Britain II\Objectadds folder and remove files. The ones starting “TREES- …..txt” are obvious. Others have logical place names, so you can remove them selectively as you wish.
3) This thread from the Technical Support Forum is still valid.
HERE-> http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/vie ... 17&t=10091
Reducing Object density will have the greatest effect for many users as it's the main difference visually in the last three updates.

4. Particle Density setting.

This GFX config item was the source of many problems when set to a value higher than Medium. For v2.13, those higher options have been disabled, so it should no longer be an issue.
For anyone wanting to run an older patch version, do not set this any higher than a setting of Medium. No better effect will be seen if set higher, but your frame rates will suffer, and the odds are very good you will get crashes.

5. Texture Quality & Object Quality settings.

These need not be set any higher than High. Set at Maximum will not make anything look much better.

==============================================================================================================================

General Information.

1. Windows 8.
BoBII will not work with Windows 8. :evil:

2. Windows 10.
Several people have reported some success running BoBII with Win10. :)
According to reports they have best results by doing these things:
- Run program in compatibility mode for Windows 7, as an administrator. (Native Windows 10 mode may work?)
- In game videos will cause crashes, so turn them OFF.
- Use a font size of 96 pixels per inch.
- Some graphics settings in Options may have to be set lower than Maximum. GroundObject Density no higher than High?

2. Alternate in game Campaign maps (BoBI style)
Some prefer the original Campaign maps, that look like the old Sector Control boards. Download here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/90809772/BOB%20map%20files.zip

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Known Issues:

1 - The "lawn darts" AI bug. Sometimes an entire Squadron/Staffel will crash into the ground when diving on an enemy Squadron/Staffel that is close to the ground.
Usually when diving from high altitude.
2 - The "glass mountains at Dover" 3D object bug. Two of the very long pier objects have huge hit boxes that extend up to 300 feet.
Player will crash when flying low over Dover. Need a 3D modeller to make new and smaller pier objects.
3 - When selecting the Blenheim in the 'End of Defiant' Historical Instant Action Mission (you can add it in place of the Defiant), you *must* select an RAF or Luftwaffe fighter after making the change to enable the Blenheim. If you do not, you will get a crash.
4 - Some objects are lighting badly in low light conditions.
5 - Spitfire flap selector animation timing is delayed when selecting 'flaps up'.
6 - When flying a Stuka or an Me110, your rear gunner will not fire.

Feel free to complain about these issues. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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Back Note to v2.12:
In Options, do not set Particle Density any higher than at Medium. Nothing will be gained doing so, and frame rates will suffer!

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Here is my 5 year old :shock: Dell computer's specs:

Dell computer XPS 8100

OS: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i7 (Quad Core) CPU 860 @ 2.80GHz
MOTHERBOARD: DELL Model 0T568R
MEMORY: 8 GB (4 each Elpida, 2GB @ 1GHz)
GFX: ATI Radeon HD 5700 - 1GB memory / with AMD Catalyst 10.12 drivers.
SOUND: On board Realtek

Joy Stick: SAITEK X52
TrackIR: no

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I ran v2.12, and am running v2.13, fine with this old computer.

Some users of Windows 10 report ALT-X 3Dexit crashes, but I have never had one with Windows 7.

scrambler
Airman
Posts: 36
Joined: 25 Jan 2008, 03:50
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Win7 setup advice, please

Post by scrambler »

Hi Stickman, many thanks for taking the time to reply.
After a fresh reinstall I think I am up and running with regular and reliable operation: no alt X crashes yet today.
I'll try it for a week or two and then I'll start tinkering with the graphics settings and see if I can get some of the higher detail up, like the auto gen and more ground objects, without it falling over.

Thanks again!
Windows 7 Pro x64. Dell Optiplex 7010
Intel i5-3470 quad core 3.2 GHz w/ 8GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD7570 w/ 1 GB RAM running on Catalyst 15.20
MS Sidewinder FFB2

Webz
Airman
Posts: 38
Joined: 13 Nov 2015, 15:42

Re: Win7 setup advice, please

Post by Webz »

4. Particle Density setting.

This GFX config item was the source of many problems when set to a value higher than Medium. For v2.13, those higher options have been disabled, so it should no longer be an issue.
For anyone wanting to run an older patch version, do not set this any higher than a setting of Medium. No better effect will be seen if set higher, but your frame rates will suffer, and the odds are very good you will get crashes.


I would say that even with a high end PC, don't set particle density to anything other than LOW. Since doing this I've not experienced crashes. I have a sneaking suspicion that the particle density causes a memory overload when a number of sim objects/effects get loaded into 3D.

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