How can I fix lag and graphics issues for PC game?

Question

I received a trial code for the City of Heroes, City of Villains combo game, and upon trying to play, the game lagged severely. There was a notice at the sign in saying my video card driver needed to be updated, so I did, but now the colors are all... funky? for lack of a better term.

Is there anything I can do to fix this issue, or does my computer just not support the game? I would really like to buy the full version, but not if it isn't going to work! I'm on a Gateway MT6705 notebook (I know, they aren't that great when it comes to gaming in the first place) if that helps with providing information.

I just know the bare minimum when it comes to computers, so specifics would be great! I appreciate any input.

Answer 1

By looking at the specs of the laptop, it's not exactly the most gaming-friendly system but it should be sufficient to run those two games. They're a few years old already and the technology in your laptop should be capable of handling the games well enough. Therefore we could cut out the problem of your computer not meeting the minimum system requirements for the two games.

1. You might want to check if it's your internet connection that's causing the lag issues. Are you on dial-up? DSL? Cable? Satellite? Anything that's not considered (or advertised as) "broadband" will make playing online a very, VERY difficult experience.

2. Updating the video card drivers might not be enough. It's generally a good idea to update every driver for all pieces of hardware in your system. For the laptop in question, you could go here and download all the necessary drivers.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/2007...

Answer 2

If you want the game to work well you should just get a gaming machine with at least 2GB of RAM and at least a GeForce 7300 or better for the video card and an athlon processor that's at the very minimum 2.3GHz

Answer 3

Nice answer, Bigsnorlax2k! I have only a little to add...

Any time a game friend tells me they are having lag problems, I suggest 4 things:

1. While IN the game, lower graphics settings. In particular, in menu-options-graphics and audio, in the top box you will see an option for enabling advanced graphics settings.Turn off the water effects (if they are not already). Water effects are a huge resource hog.

2. Defrag your hard drive, if you have not recently.

3. Change your swap file size (not ingame, in your computer settings) to an initial AND max size of 4096.

4. Updating graphics drivers on a laptop is a MONSTROUS task. I'm pretty computer-savvy, but I've had to get expert advice from some serious techs to get it done right. So, this is a tough one to just slip in under #4, but...make sure that you not only have the most recent drivers for your graphics card, but also MANUALLY go to windows update and make sure you have the most recent offerings there as well.

More memory is sure to help, of course, but lots of players have found the game totally playable after making these changes (myself included).

Good Luck!

[uh oh, I had more to say than I expected. And note to snorlax: since the game has the option of downloading new content each and every time you play, what is being played now is not necessarily limited to the demands listed on the original box.]