Your video card isn't supported, as is indicated in the requirements. Or maybe you need new drivers. If you buy the game, and it still runs smooth except for the pointed legs, turn of the unit shader.

[This message has been edited by Ichbinian (edited 12-05-2005 @ 06:56 PM).]

Like Ichbinian said, your card isn't good.

Radeon's supported by the game run from $120-$400 bucks.

But you can enjoy great gameplay even with a middle-ended card.

Have you checked what graphical settings you have?

if the card isnt supported how does it play the game then...... and where do u choose graphic options in the demo? if the card werent supported how does my pc run the game smooth? and yeah i know intergrated cards arent the best choice there is. and by the way i found my mistake, i had all setting set to low, so the guys feet were not cool, lol, i set all to medium, and the game still runs smooth, not as smooth as before, but in that big snow battle i dont go down any fps, so even tho my card isnt showed on the supported list...... wud my system run the game with cd rom? i wanna be sure before i go and do a foolish desision.

[This message has been edited by crazdude (edited 12-06-2005 @ 04:33 PM).]

RTW can be run by the Integrated ATI Radeon Express 200, no problem. It will runn Far Cry, etc. etc.... it is hardware DX 9 accelerated. The 'problem' is that when you set it next to today's to nVidia graphic cards, or even the ATI cards, it runs slower in terms of framerate. But it has very good detail, and very good rendering. In some games like Doom 3, the 200 IGP seems to fail to apply the gloss mapping. In all games, the 200IGP is going to be "slower", particularly at higher resolutions.

1. Run the 200IGP at 800x600 (or maaayyyybee 1024x768)
2. Accept the lower framerates.

Again... this is indeed a DX9 chipset, and it is more than able to handle RTW (at lower graphic settings).

Normally, I play RTW on an nVidia nForce2 MX400 IGP. At 1024x768. And medium to full graphics, though usually I cut down on grass and buildings and shadows. It runs fine. But a GeForce 78xx or 6xxx would be 'better', and I do use those on other machines (but not on my small, quiet Shuttle SN41G2 desktop machine).

In summary, if the machine otherwise meets your needs, the 200IGP will do the job. You can upgrade video cards later if you need.

yeah, well overall what wud this setting be? i have resolution on 800x600x32 which sucks but i have all the other settings good, i have the details all turned on, and high unit detail, and high buildin detail, what wud it be rated over all? (low, med, high?) and yeah so it wud be worth to buy the game even if i can only run it at those settings (i noticed the difference between higher resolutions) the game still runs smooth at higher resolution, but the camera rotation and mouse cursor lag on higher resolution wud there be any way to set it to at least 1024x768x16 and not having it lag? am willing to lower other settings for it

[This message has been edited by crazdude (edited 12-07-2005 @ 06:14 PM).]

Yes. Do this:

You can tweak it. Mine does not lag.

those the settings you use?

Similar settings. I usually keep building and grass low, unit detail at medium, AA off, reflections off, widescreen off, and smoke/dust off. I usually enable the rest of the check boxes. I always use Large unit sizes. For certain battles, I will push other details up, except and glints and AA. For big battles (1-2K), its pretty much like this though.

so with my system what settings do u recomend so huge battles wont lag, or will lag just a tiny bit in order for me to play. and to try and keep the game looking decently good still?

For bigger battles, use the screenshot plus, Grass low. That should keep the lag low.

For smaller battles, screenshot plus:

Grass Low
Smoke/dust on
Desynchronize Animations ON
Shadows on
Terrain, Units, Effects to high if you want

You should experiment to find what you personally like, and how your exact system handles it. I have a 'low end' system (AthlonXP2600+ Barton, MX400 integrated graphics). My largest battle was about 3,000 units Sele vs Egypt, and there was some lag, but it was definitely playable.

so my system wud be a med end? well anyways i might ask for the game for christmass, is it worth getting it even if i get a little choppiness with the mouse cursor? (am only playing the demo right now)that is with the 1024x768 resolution.

[This message has been edited by crazdude (edited 12-10-2005 @ 11:35 AM).]

I definitely think the game is worth playing, even if a system needs some 'lower' settings to make is relatively smooth.

Since you have the demo, let that be your guide. I began with the demo, too, even before I knew how to adjust it. At first, I was annoyed with the mouse lag. But then I learned how to reduce it, and after playing a campaign, your hand/eye will adjust to the slight lag of an underpowered system like yours or my normal desktop. When I play RTW on the high-power machines (which are in another location), I notice a slight difference. If I wanted a 6,000 unit battle at max settings, well it would be very choppy and slow. But make no mistake... RTW is great and very playable with the settings I've listed!

wud the cd rom version be a bit less choppy than the demo? just wondering seeing as a cd rom is launches it from the dc rom drive instead than the hardrive

^^Yes, it will because of that the full game almost always is mire optimized than the demo. I think that patch 1.2 lowers them even more too, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

The CDROM is not used to actually run the game... CD#1 is used as validation to the program that you are a legal owner, and only performs certain CD checks... no matter what speed CDROM you have, it will not slow the RTW game down or cause lag.

Again, just to avoid confusion... RTW does NOT launch, nor does it PLAY from the CDROM. The CDROM will not make the game more choppy.

The game will run smooth on your system when you have the retail game and have your underlying OS properly optimized... or even partly properly optimized (e.g., swapfile, BIOS setup, driver installs, AV, background programs, etc.).

ok, am not sure what optimized really means, but the actual game on a cd will run smoother than the demo version right? seeing as it is wel, actually finished has more stuff.

Optimized means you make one setting change, like reduce building detail, and then test to see if you notice change (e.g., smoother). You also look to see if the effect (like less 'pretty' buildings) is "worth it" to you, personally. You continue to test various combinations of settings until you arrive at your own "preferred" configuration for your particular system.

Assuming you "tweak" or "optimize" your settings (it will take a few minutes, or you can even spend an hour or more with it), then the game will run smoother. You can start by tweaking the Demo. I've played RTW on far worse systems than yours, and even with higher lag, the greatness of the innate game itself is worth it. With your harware, you are middle of the road. You can run and play it just fine, once RTW (and possible your Operating System) are tweaked ("optimized").

will the mouse lag go down? in the demo i seem to set my settings to the lowest it can possibly get, and mouse lag leaves a few tracks still, its fast but its always there. and my units and stuff dont lag in hihger settings, i dont play hihger settings only cuz they mouse tends to lag

Quote:

Remember, I cannot see your machine. You are going to have to put into words exactly what you mean (your own description) about mouse lag. Some things you are saying, like this, make me think you have another problem... or two.

Do you have Windows Media Player 10 installed? If you say yes, test it and post what the version number is (e.g., Help - About), like version 10.00.00.3923 for example.

Does the mouse leave trails on the red menu screens when you first start RTW and try to select menus?

Quote:

Again, I'm not sure what this means.

If the game is playing 'normally', and you have control of the units and mouse cursor, and when you move the mouse there is a slight pause, and when you stop moving the mouse, the mouse continues for a moment (as if a 'heavy' cursor had inertia, and took a moment for the 'brakes' to 'stop' if when your mouse stopped), then this is was I mean by lag.

There may be slight lag on your system. You probably will not have zero lag, like on a desktop moving the mouse instantaneoulsy. My own has a slight, but perceptible lag. That lag is 'constant', until either I push the Video settings too high, like huge units and 3,000 men on the field, and AA on, and highest building & grass detail. Finding this threshhold is trial and error, and personal preference.

ok,by leaves tracks behind i mean mouse still isnt smooth, like when i move my mouse to turn the cursor, like it takes haft a second for the cursor to take the order and the mouse to move, it doesnt do it the exact same moment i move my mouse, and it slides a little too, yet still, even hwne i have a good resolution, the game itself doesnt seem to slow down by a lot, it still runes smooth enough, more lag the higher settings of course, but the mouse seems to be the only thing that changes, thats what i meant by the cursor lag, i other words it slides and doest go very fast.

OK, good description.

What exact mouse are you using... look at the bottom of it, and post all the info. Also, say how it connects into your machine (probably either PS2 or USB).

Next, post a DXDiag output (Start - Run - DXDiag - run all tests - click "Save all information" - open that file with notepad - Copy all (CTRL-A) - paste it into a post (it will be long) ). Also post your preferences.txt.

Do you have custom mouse drivers installed, like MS Intellimouse? If so, what is the version number (e.g., 1.0, 3.2, 5.2, etc.).

If you are running an optical mouse, and you can try this:

1. Turn off machine.
2. Unplug current mouse.
3. Plug in a PS2 plain vanilla ball-mouse, prefer 2-button.
4. Boot and let XP install default drivers.

Test RTW. Any difference?

I will examine other drivers in the DXDiag post. Oh, also state the make and model of your video display, and state explicitly if it is CRT (tube) or LCD (thin flatscreen).

mouse lag only happens in rome total war, not with computer, and i have a lcd monitor, lol, i know that, its an HPvs17 and my mouse it a ps2 am sure, i have a spare usb one somwhere in my office's closet, lol, too lazy to search for it. and what tests do I run? and what preferences? now anyone know what the answer to this is?

[This message has been edited by crazdude (edited 12-14-2005 @ 09:04 PM).]