Runtime Options and You

Hi, AsparagusTrevor here with my first DC article. I wanted to tackle something nobody seems to have dwelled upon before, the Runtime options in Multimedia Fusion. I myself have always wondered which options are better for different features in a game, so I decided to find all that crap out myself. Maybe this will be useful to people, maybe not.

This is based on my machine, which is above average. I have an AMD Athlon 1gHz processor, 384 Mb RAM, and a NVidia GeForce 2 with 32 Mb Video RAM. The Runtime resolution used is 640x480.

Firstly, the Machine Independent Speed option. Checking this basically means the game will run the optimal speed, sacrificing frame rate for game speed. If game slows down under normal circumstances, checking Machine Independent Speed will make the game look very jerky, but maintain the required speed.

Multi-samples
By default, if a sound effect playing is interrupted by another and the previous sound was not Uninterruptable then the first sound will stop to let the second one play. Checking multisamples will allow more than one sound effect to play at once, provided they are the same sample rate. This can cause slowdown in extreme cases when lots of sounds are used, but I have never noticed a signifcant difference.

I have checked out the different runtime graphics mode options to see what is best for what. I will list the good and bad points using the amazing gift of smilies...

No DirectX
With no options checked, this is the default MMF runtime graphics mode.
Fast scrolling. Can handle lots of objects. Good for Ink effects. Okay for transitions.
Can't handle lots of Ink effects well while scrolling. Large objects can cause slow down.

Direct X
Use Direct X checked.
Good with large objects and ink effects. Smooth transitions.
Average scrolling. Can't handle lots of objects too well. Seems to have a slowdown problem with exessive Background Pasting

VRAM
Use VRAM (Only if Direct X enabled) is checked. This would depend on how much VideoRAM the user has, although it seems a lot is needed before decent speeds are reached.
Fast, smooth scrolling.
Slow with lots of objects and ink effects. Horrible for transitions.

So in summary, you should look at what your game features most of in the list and use the appropriate Runtime options. I usually use DirectX, and I stay the hell away from VRAM because it seems to be crap without an obscene amount of RAM on your graphics card.

Hopefully in MMF2 the runtime will be optimised better, but until then make sure you use the right graphics mode for you.

That was a Public Service Anouncement from AsparagusTrevor