• You've discovered RedGuides, an EverQuest multi-boxing and scripting community 🧙‍♀️⚙️. We want you to play several EQ characters at once, come join us and say hello! 👋

  • A TLP without truebox has thawed (Very Vanilla ready)
    Frostreaver

Tech - Tips and tricks for memory useage while boxing multiple toons (lets share info)

Goatse Moneyshot

Goatse Moneyshot

BANNED
Joined
Aug 5, 2013
RedCents
396¢
With a limited CPU/GPU/Random access memory ive always tried to squeeze as much as I can from my desktop's that I could with my limited budget and Motherboard limitations.

with a intel core 2 extreme
8gb of ram
and a 3 gb video card.
using isboxer I can only box 6 toons with some lag.
but ive noticed greater boxing#'s using winEQ2

first and foremost I start with turning off all unnecessary processes on the taskbar.

secondly
right click on task bar
open task manager
click sort by user name for easier ID of junk processes.
the only processes I leave running for everquest are
EQgame.exe
macroquest2.exe
(whatever web browser you use) the more windows the more Random access memory used!
wineq2.exe

third I click the services tab.
turn off
themes
print spooling
windows media player network sharing service
windows defender
windows firewall
window search
Razr game scanner (optional if Naga software installed)
Razr overlay subsystem emergency service
Skype click to call updater
Skype click to call PNR service
depending on video card there will be two or 3 services.
(if you end a windows critical service, it usually will restart the PC.)

in everquest I launch the patcher.
click the gear to bring up the settings menu.
click game configuration
select video card
deselect all (unless your macro requires a mount!)
if so select your toons race only and the hoses and elemental box.
next again
turn off
sound
Social Animations
Mip Mapping
Dynamic Lighting

Leave Texture Compression checked.
set your preferred resolution.
and turn texture quality to Low
Hit finish and get loaded to into your favorite toon :)

Press Control O once you are in game.
go to the second tab listed as display.
uncheck every box on the left side.
Load screen set to none
sky to off
New armor set to none
under particles, turn spell env and player sliders to, Near off and my spells
opacity slider to 0%
next click advanced tab under the opacity slider.
turn off all check boxes besides
no tattoos

at the bottom left of this window,
dynamic sky reflection size to tiny.
sky reflection update interval set to
once per minute
and terrain texture quality to low.
memory mode set to least memory usage.
fps max set to 40
max background set to 80



this is pretty much everything I do to be able to run 10 accounts on my current desktop configuration.

anyone else have any tips or tricks that I am unaware of?
would love additional input :)

forgot to mention.
the older the zones, the less RAM it uses :)
cheers!
 
I use pretty much all of the above plus a few more things:

One thing that I use a lot is I use viewport 0 0 320 240 (ie OG Doom size) for my 2ndary characters and also
I have

Rich (BB code): 
[Defaults]
StickFigures=1

as first lines in eqclient.ini in Everquest directory since I like stick figures :)

There was even a plugin that made all background EQ instances /viewport 0 0 1 1 and then reset to normal when in focus , but don't think it is active anymore.


One problem that I have not found a solution for is memory leak introduced by frequent zoning.

If you use something like Bonechips macro your eqclient.exe instance will balloon in size from 500-600MB to 2GB in a couple of days and then crash with a dump. (remember to erase the dumps directory from time to time!)
 
StickFigures=1 does not seem to work for me....

Also on Low Memory usage for video card.... should this be balanced? My issue is I am always 100% CPU

Graphics Chipset AMD Mobility Radeon HD 5000 Series
4794MB of Memory

ISBOXER questions, I like windowed mode, my question is should I have EQ in Full Screen or Windowed mode?
Does anyone know if having the little preview screens uses more CPU? Not sure if I should use them or not
 
m0nk said:
StickFigures=1 does not seem to work for me....

Also on Low Memory usage for video card.... should this be balanced? My issue is I am always 100% CPU

Graphics Chipset AMD Mobility Radeon HD 5000 Series
4794MB of Memory

ISBOXER questions, I like windowed mode, my question is should I have EQ in Full Screen or Windowed mode?
Does anyone know if having the little preview screens uses more CPU? Not sure if I should use them or not
Click to expand...

Use viewport for the little screens if you want to save resources but it really shouldn't matter too much considering how small the windows are. If you really don't want to black out your screens then you can set the background FPS to something like 20-30 and that'll help you save resources but your small windows will look a little choppy.
 
m0nk said:
StickFigures=1 does not seem to work for me....
Click to expand...

The reason stickfigures isn't working for you I think is that you're using ISBOXER. there's a setting in ISBOXER where you can have a seperate eqclientini file for each character. If you look in your everquest folder you might see eqclient-soandso, you'll have to make the change in each of the characters ini files.
 
I use this: http://ezserveronline.com/forums/index.php?topic=2988.0
to box. Everything in it works great and has allowed me to squeeze 12 toons onto my crappy 10 year old desktop. Some of the advice is emu specific but most of it works for Live as well, including the attached plugin (MQ2Test) which has been a godsend. (Basically, it automatically adjusts viewport based on if the program is minimized or not.)
 
Last edited:
Eliminate luclin models will reduce EQ's footprint drastically. I used to strip them all out then use an active hack to cast my mounts and get all the benefits without actually being on them. That said you will need to enable luclin models for character you want to cast mounts.

I typically hover around 500-600 MB per eqgame instance. So rocking a 16 GB ram on 64bit OS I could jam probably ~28 boxes on my PC leaving 2 GB for system memory. That said I'd never want to box that many, and honestly, I'd rather launch a AWS Server and remotely power them with a 0x0 viewport and just use straight up commands and have the UI shown on a blacked out screen lol.
 
1everdude said:
I use this: http://ezserveronline.com/forums/index.php?topic=2988.0
to box. Everything in it works great and has allowed me to squeeze 12 toons onto my crappy 10 year old desktop. Some of the advice is emu specific but most of it works for Live as well, including the attached plugin (MQ2Test) which has been a godsend. (Basically, it automatically adjusts viewport based on if the program is minimized or not.)
Click to expand...

That is a great forum post that I use for reference from time to time.

Are you saying that MQ2Test works with current Vanilla Compile ?
 
Rich (BB code): 
MQ2Test
This next plugin I use is custom-made and not guaranteed to work perfectly. Smiley There is a command in game (/viewport) that changes the way Everquest draws to the screen. If you type /viewport 1 1 1 1 it tells Everquest to, essentially, not draw your screen at all. (/viewport reset will switch your screen back) What my plugin does is issue the /viewport 1 1 1 1 command to the Everquest client if it's /not/ in the foreground, and switches it back to normal if it is. So when you run this plugin all background characters will have their screen blacked out, while the screen you are looking at will always be displaying normally. Please report any oddities with this plugin and always remember, /viewport reset

Ok that is a brilliant idea for a plugin, why is it no one has brought this to live? Thats crazy! Anyhow I'm going to start loading this plugin.
 
Noobhaxor said:
Rich (BB code): 
MQ2Test
This next plugin I use is custom-made and not guaranteed to work perfectly. Smiley There is a command in game (/viewport) that changes the way Everquest draws to the screen. If you type /viewport 1 1 1 1 it tells Everquest to, essentially, not draw your screen at all. (/viewport reset will switch your screen back) What my plugin does is issue the /viewport 1 1 1 1 command to the Everquest client if it's /not/ in the foreground, and switches it back to normal if it is. So when you run this plugin all background characters will have their screen blacked out, while the screen you are looking at will always be displaying normally. Please report any oddities with this plugin and always remember, /viewport reset

Ok that is a brilliant idea for a plugin, why is it no one has brought this to live? Thats crazy! Anyhow I'm going to start loading this plugin.
Click to expand...


Someone has, just not on this website. :)
 
Sweet. It let me comfortably (no crashes in 2 days) box about 15 toons on my 16gb pc, only running at 50% memory usage.
 
it is in the current Vannilla compile under /plugin MQ2Viewport just read the update notes :)

All hail Maskoi!
 
playj said:
it is in the current Vannilla compile under /plugin MQ2Viewport just read the update notes :)

All hail Maskoi!
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing that out ;) Usually try and stay on top of that stuff but slipped by me!
 
Sigh, my rig took a dump today :( dont have alot of $$$ to get another one put together soon.
thinking about going with something bigger than 8gb max ram XD
 
I paid $270 for Ivy Bridge quadcore 3470 on eBay with 8GB of ram (easily expanded to 24GB, can go to 32GB if you throw out the old RAM chips)).

The Intel integrated graphics are perfectly fine for Everquest but if you want to play with full detail you can add a graphics card later.

There are a lot of corporate(Dell, HP, Lenovo others) Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge quad cores being dumped on eBay, they are great for multiboxing.

If you want to spend less you can get an older quad core system such as those that Razkle got for about $160.
 
in between replacing the mobo with the same one so i can play again with minimal changes or start over.
160 isnt bad but im more in the hunt for a motherboard processor combo just sketched out about buying a PC on ebay
 
all models turned off.
i only use 3 zones when i run macros. they are relatively old zones so the memory usage is lessened. which helps a bit.
thats the theory im going with currently.
I am changing everything up soon will report back with new zones memory useage ect.
left all 17 clients open for 12 hours two different times to see if the memory would "leak"
all stayed within 250MB and 500MB of ram in the taskmanager.

scared of catching bans though.
would be sad.
tinfoil hat engage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Tech - Tips and tricks for memory useage while boxing multiple toons (lets share info)
Next unread thread 🦁

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top
Cart

Cart

Total -