Microsoft KB Archive/902421

Knowledge Base

Game performance may be slower than you expect when you play Dungeon Siege II

Article ID: 902421

Article Last Modified on 11/14/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Dungeon Siege II

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SYMPTOMS

When you play Microsoft Dungeon Siege II, the game performance may be slower than you expect.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods in the order that they appear in.

Method 1: Verify the minimum video, processor, and RAM requirements

Make sure that your computer exceeds the minimum video, processor, and random access memory (RAM) requirements to play Dungeon Siege II. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Click the System tab.
3. Under System Information, note the values that appear next to Memory and Processor.
4. Click the Display tab or the Display 1 tab.
5. Under Device, note the value that is next to Approx. Total Memory.
6. Click Exit.

Compare the values on the computer to the system requirements. If the computer does not meet the minimum system requirements, contact your manufacturer for more information about how to obtain the required updates and upgrades. If this does not resolve this issue, go to the next method.

Note If you have an ATI Radeon 7000/VE series or an Intel Extreme Graphics 82845, 82865, or 82915 display device installed, the minimum processor speed that is required is 2.0 gigahertz (GHz).

For more information about the minimum system requirements for Dungeon Siege II, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

902424 The minimum system requirements for Dungeon Siege II

Method 2: Download and install the Dungeon Siege II update

An updated version of Dungeon Siege II resolves some performance issues. To download and install the updated version of Dungeon Siege II, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/dungeonsiege2.aspx

Method 3: Analyze and compare the computer that you are using to other computers

To analyze the gaming performance of your PC and to view the ranking of the system relative to other computers that are on the market, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://gameadvisor.futuremark.com/gameadvisor/service/

For more information about the Windows Game Advisor, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

If your PC ranks low, you may be able to improve the performance of the game by using the methods that are listed in this article. However, you may have to update your PC's hardware for optimal performance. For information about how to update the computer's hardware, contact the manufacturer of the computer.

Method 4: Change the video settings

1. On the Dungeon Siege II Main menu, click Options, and then click the Video tab.
2. In the Screen Resolution list, click 800x600.
3. In the Shadows list, click None.
4. In the Texture Filtering list, click Bilinear Filtering.
5. Move the Object Detail slider to the left.
6. In the Shaders list, click None.
7. Click OK.

Method 5: Change the audio settings

1. On the Dungeon Siege II Main menu, click Options, and then click the Audio tab.
2. Move the Music Volume slider to the left-most position.
3. Click OK.

Method 6: Raise the Dungeon Siege II game priority

1. On the Dungeon Siege II Main menu, click Options.
2. Click the Game tab.
3. Click the Raise App Priority On/Off button to the On position.
4. Click OK.

Note These steps set the Dungeon Siege II game priority to the highest game priority in Microsoft Windows.

Method 7: Improve general game performance

For more information about how to improve game performance, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

815069 Games: How to improve game performance

Keywords: kbconfig kbtshoot KB902421

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