BG:EE lag spikes and crashes + video demonstration. General solutions do not fix the problem.

Damianus

TL;DR:
BG:EE lags and crashes mercilessly, to the point the game becomes unplayable. Tried a lot to fix said problem, but neither me nor anyone else was able to help so far.

Detailed explanation:
Since the game was bought, many years ago, it produces very frequent lag spikes, in example, whenever adjusting options, entering new locations, tinkering with inventory, using menus, etc.
Sometimes these lags last for more than several seconds each, making the game totally unplayable, often crashing the client in its entirety. BG:EE runs awfully on a fresh system and clean game installation... with mods (like SCS) it gets even worse.

This happens both with Steam version, and with GOG version.
Current OS is Windows 7 64 bit, I have replaced the machine's CPU, GPU (three times), RAM, HDD/SDD and the problem still remains.

To better explain the issue I made a quick video demonstration, focusing on the equipment window problems (frequent 1 sec+ delay whenever moving objects). Do notice the sound during Beamdog's logo skip... yep, the game lags even before you start playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1uFywxW35k&feature=youtu.be
BTW. The originals work just fine. Beamdog version is an exceptional case.

I would really like to try some of the promising new mods, exclusive for "enhanced" editions, but it simply cannot be done under these circumstances.

This is probably my final cry for help. Wasted quite a lot of time, throughout years, trying to fix the problem (software experiments, hard formats, borrowing PC components from friends and buying new parts with hope the game would run better).

Can you perform a Christmas Miracle?

Cahir

@Damianus I found this solution on Steam. It worked for someone experiencing the lag and stutter:

Go to Documents/Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition and check the following line in the baldur.lua file:

SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','1')

Try to switch 1 to 0 and vice versa

It's a long shot, and maybe you have tried that already, but maybe it's worth a try.

EDIT: Also, have you tried to run beta 2.6 on Steam? Does the problem also occurs for v2.6?

Cahir

Generally try the solution described here: https://beamdog.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/article/1084882999

From what I understand the recommended set up is DirectX 9.0c for IE games.

Also, please state your current GPU and drivers installed. That will help a lot to troubleshoot.

Damianus

Thanks for the answer, Cahir.

I remember trying most of these things before (partially because you already did recommend some of them in the past, on the CoB forums). I tried them once again, just to be sure, but sadly nothing seems to work.

Editing the line "SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','1')" does nothing.
Things like reinstalling Open AL or DirectX also do not help.

I tried both BETA steam versions. One for the old computers (1.3) and the new one (2.6). The second one had raised my hopes up, since it launched without any issues initially, yet after several equip/un-equip actions in the inventory it started lagging too.

Simple solutions won't work here, I'm afraid. This case requires a high level wizard to solve it.

BTW. Dunno if its relevant, but the only thing that gave me any problems in the original, vanilla BG1 was the DirectDraw thing. There is this DDraw fix file that makes everything work like a charm, but it appears that BG:EE already includes something of the sort.

Cahir

@Mantis37, apologise for calling you out, but I have heard you've had a similar problem in the past. Do you remember how did you solve it in the end?

Mantis37

Me? I don’t remember exactly but I think updating the drivers for my pc solved most of the issues. These days I mainly use Android when I play, so my issues are different!

Season’s greetings & such .

Cahir

@Mantis37 thanks for stopping by and reply!

@Damianus at this point I can only offer to check if your graphics card drivers are up to date. Can you share your specs? It would be easier for more tech-oriented users to help you if they know specs of your PC.

Mantis37

No problem. Looking back it’s fairly clear that the problems for me were primarily graphical- during cloudkills & such, and so updating the drivers for my onboard video card was helpful.

Damianus

The PC is pretty old. As I wrote, I have tried three different GPUs (starting with Radeon HD4850 from 2008, ending up with low-end RX560 from 2017) and the problem was always there. I have been trying different driver versions, including the 'out of the box' default drivers, and the downloaded, up to date ones. This does not seem to be a GPU issue (at least on the hardware or driver level).

Similarly, the CPU used to be Core2Duo E8400, now a quad-core Xeon e5450 sits in its place. This hardware is good enough to run a lot of pretty modern titles, choking only on the most demanding games.

The same OS I use (the exact patches, updates etc.) has been tried out with a different computer, and the game appears to run fine on it.

I also, obviously, went through every option in the game and the only difference they make is that turning off the 'hardware cursor' makes moving said cursor an utter test of patience. Also, the 'alternative renderer' seems to make things slightly worse, but it's hard to say. BTW. The very action of adjusting in-game options and switching menus is creating huge lag spikes on its own. The game window has frozen ('no response') several times during the process.

I do appreciate your help, but this is a specific problem and it requires a specific solution. I feel like all the generic advice/FAQ have been already tried out.

Once again, the Beamdog games are the only ones with this problem. And I've played hundreds of titles on this configuration. It must be something with the engine that conflicts with the hardware/software.