Map frame rate issue

I've been messing around with area portals/detail brushes/ and hint brushes on my recent map to try to get the frame rate up. I've done little to improve my current fps, even after reading a few tutorials. I was wondering if anyone could give me a plan of attack given this screen shot of the worst area of the map.

http://www.dazfish.co.uk/b3ta/uploads/map.jpg

The map is fairly large but reasonable. The biggest hit as you can see is when your looking at the cave and castle at the same time. Everywhere else averages 50ish fps where this drops to the low 20's. I've tried area portals around the cave entrance and castle entrance as well as making all the ridging on the top walls func_details, but so far have been left wanting.

One other thing is I've only done fast compile. Could this be the source of my problem?

Any help would be great. Thanks. Also if u need any more screens for a better look just let me know.

do a full vis compile and then see what happens. fast vis is pretty much worthless.

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<div class="abouttext">Message submitted 26 minutes after original post:</b></div>
Alright after the normal VIS compile the framerate increased in other sections of the map but not this paticular one. Ideas?

theres so much open eyeline just in that screenie, i fear it may be hard to quell in that layout sir.....thats alot of stuff for the engine to draw at once....i suggest breaking it down a bit....sorry, i know yer going for a feel here, but, its a tradeoff.. :/ ....remember that everything in that huge skybox is being drawn and rendered as well

Doc B... :dodgy:

You'll be able to block bits and bobs with some cube maps methinks but pretty much, its as Doc said. To much visible info to draw from that perspective.

Its also best to post an in game compiled screen. It shows people that they are not wasting their time on an unconfirmed map. This map might never compile properly for all they know.

Lastly there are 2 remaining things you might do:

1) reduce the distance the perspective is from that spot you took the screen from. Distances, as small as a few meters can amount to lots of frame increases.

2) get a bigger PC. For all its worth, HL2 is not HL1 so a bigger PC can help sometimes. Although its a myth for HL1, its not so mythical for HL2.

If you cannot acquire a bigger machine, ask someone with one to run the map and point out its issues.

In the end though, its best to increase the frames without resorting to a bigger machine. Thats your call.

Good luck

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The best things in life, aren't things.

If it fits in the theme of your map, use a env_fog_controller which draws fog fairly close towards the player, and the let it clip all brushes and props behind it. Should a (small) bit

Alright I've had a little luck and increased the framerate to 30ish around that point.

I've taken a few more screens for better perspectives and also some problems I may have found.

First off is the cuts in the geometry. I turned everything that is not a wall, floor or cieling into func_detail. Is this correct? The only problem is it seems like a lot of uneeded cuts in some places.

Examples:

http://imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_03990BF603.jpg

http://imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_0399B92E03.jpg

Also here are two more shots. One of the compiled perspective from the first shot in my first post. And then another perspective.

http://imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_039A3B2F03.jpg

http://imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_039A923903.jpg

Would it be possible to maybe raise the rock formations up, for instance the one I'm standing on in the picture, and make it so eveything beyond it is not rendered, essentialy blocking the castle from being rendered in that area? I was thinking my best bet is to use rock formations as vis blockers but can you do this with displacements?

And as far as my rig I'm running a AMD 64 3200 venice 1 gb or memory and an x1800XL. Which concerns me even more because If I bog down lord knows what it would do to lesser machines.

as i understand it, and have not really researched, displacements do NOT block vis, and therefore will not decrease the framerates as such. it seems your machine should be quite adequate to construct detailed full hdr maps, so that brings us back to the actual construction of it.

....and btw, i cant get yer pic links to work... :/

Doc B....

question....is this castle going into the "gameplay areas", or is it ultimately ending up in a skybox?

Sorry about that. To get them to work copy the url haha cheap is as cheap does

As far as

"question....is this castle going into the "gameplay areas", or is it ultimately ending up in a skybox?"

If I understand this correctly, which I think I do not haha.

You can go into the castel up in the towers etc. There are rooms and what not as well. There is also a dungeon that goes beneath it. So I guess it's going into the "Gameplay area"

what if I created some kind of solid object inside the displacements. Give them a back bone so they will block the visibility?

thats an idea thats certainly worth a try....i do it that way alot to add charcter to roofs walls etc that would otherwise have a "backlight" of sorts....dont see why it wouldnt work on a lager scale.... :wink:

Doc B... :dodgy:

Will nodraw block visibility?

yes it will, if used on all sides of the brush. :wink:

Doc B... :dodgy:

I put solid nodraw blocks inside the geometry with little success. It's kind of strange though as far as the fps goes. Here are three screens. One is to the left of the not so hot spot. Fps is fine. The next is to the right looking straight onto the castle, again fps is fine. But when I look inbetween the two. BAM! I'm down in the 30's.

http://Imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_0472356803.jpg

http://Imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_0472C9E803.jpg

http://Imagedeposit.com/ad_images/ImageDeposit_dot_com_FREE_Hosting_BIG_UserID_62052_Image_number_047328E003.jpg

Use "Image Shack" to post your screens if the site you are using is uncooperative.

Search google for "Free image hosting"

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The best things in life, aren't things.