Got it working. Mucho fun <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> Warthogs = msot fun so far, just get a map witha about 50 of them and watch the hilarity <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--Teflon+Oct 10 2003, 12:35 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Teflon @ Oct 10 2003, 12:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Hahhaha rocket puma. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> yeah and it looks like sheila has her auto targeting on <i>again</i>
whoever said that maps were small in MP: DUH!! IN CTF do you WANT To travel 10 miles to reach your base! NO! thats lame. also in Slayer they have to be small or its boring...
whoever is having problems with installing/video card: you need to get updates for your video card
whoever hates Library and Flood: I really HATE Library, it was useless...The flood was scary!!!! <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
whoever wants to buy halo pc but cant afford it: BREAK YOUR PIGGY BANKSS!!! You would love SP and MP/CTF
what about 'whoever has the latest, beyond up to date drivers for their video card but is suffering a now well-documented yet unexplained low performance on a high end machine'? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!! and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O
<!--QuoteBegin--Geminosity+Oct 10 2003, 05:05 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Geminosity @ Oct 10 2003, 05:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> what about 'whoever has the latest, beyond up to date drivers for their video card but is suffering a now well-documented yet unexplained low performance on a high end machine'? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!! and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Specular reduces performance 3-4%, shadows 5-8%
The problem is the game itself. The netcode sucks, and I'm sure anyone whosde played it can concur. A server advertises 50-100ping but lags like its got a 1400baud backbone.
I have a question... I have Halo too ( <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> ) and I was wondering what version of shaders I should use with my...
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz 512MB DDRAM Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 MP3+ (Halo has !!!GREAT!!! EAX support BTW) NVidia GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB (Latest drivers) Windows XP Home SP1
I already run Halo pretty good, when I put -use11 in the command line, I didnt get much of a difference. So which version of shaders should I use?
ooh! same card as me... there's one way to get the game running somewhat nicely and smooth for about half the time but its something I normally avoid like the plague. Course now i've done it I kinda realise it's not that bad... 800 x 600 res <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
Still, you will get bits where it's less than smooth -.-
Now that I've been running around in it for so long I'm starting to notice something really cool... the controls! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> Once you get the buttons where you like them they're so few that you almost stop thinking about them. Quite often in fights I'll empty a clip into something, crack it in the face with my trusty rifle and stick a plasma grenade on their friends forehead at point blank range before running off giggling without a thought for how stupidly difficult that would've been to pull off in something like half-life. It's so eaaasy to do stuff =D I never find myself thinking for a minute 'what button do I press?' or other atmosphere killing things like 'what number is knife again?'. I don't even miss the fact there's no walk anymore o.O
The vehicles are a blast too <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--Beast+Oct 10 2003, 12:13 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Beast @ Oct 10 2003, 12:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well halo pc arrived. But it refuses to work, as apparantly my card doesnt support 3d accelleration....... yeah..right. GeForce 4ti4600 not supporting 3d accelleration?..
Something isn't right here. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> Anyone got any ideas? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I got the same problem when using refresh force or refresh lock. Uninstall your video drivers then reinstall them
<!--QuoteBegin--XeroSlayer+Oct 10 2003, 07:26 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (XeroSlayer @ Oct 10 2003, 07:26 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I have a question... I have Halo too ( <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> ) and I was wondering what version of shaders I should use with my...
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz 512MB DDRAM Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 MP3+ (Halo has !!!GREAT!!! EAX support BTW) NVidia GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB (Latest drivers) Windows XP Home SP1
I already run Halo pretty good, when I put -use11 in the command line, I didnt get much of a difference. So which version of shaders should I use? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I use 14
I know that the movie wasn't done ingame though it was obviously in-engine, but aside from that there's a few things you'll see in the movie that were on the features list for the final non-xbox thing that got lost in the translation to the xbox...
<b>- Native creatures</b> <i>These guys travelled in herds and would either run-away or attack if you bothered them depending on their nature</i>
<b>- No Squeaky aliens</b> <i>The game was originally meant to be a lot like tribes with 2 sides fighting over large maps so the covenant was basically the 1 race and looked pretty cool; you'll note that the red elite had a shield and sword as apposed to the silly lizard things they have using shields now... red elite are just slightly harder elite blue elites now =/</i>
<b>- More Diversity in Vehicles/items</b> <i>In multiplayer the players were to have full access to all items, including the sword, banshees, etc. I know that you get banshees now in the new PC conversion but it was already available in the older cooler PC version that never came out and was made before the xbox version anyways. Not too sure but I think players were also able to pilot the marine dropship as well</i>
<b>- Easier to run</b> <i>That version wasn't a DX9 horror with bad framerates, it just just nice graphics and ran on a wide range of systems quite happily, unlike the current one which has a lot of people complaining ^^;</i>
The current PC incarnation is good, but you can still see why some people (me included) were super-miffed when MS bought out bungie before they could release the old one =/
<!--QuoteBegin--CommunistWithAGun+Oct 10 2003, 06:10 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CommunistWithAGun @ Oct 10 2003, 06:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Geminosity+Oct 10 2003, 05:05 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Geminosity @ Oct 10 2003, 05:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> what about 'whoever has the latest, beyond up to date drivers for their video card but is suffering a now well-documented yet unexplained low performance on a high end machine'? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!! and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Specular reduces performance 3-4%, shadows 5-8%
The problem is the game itself. The netcode sucks, and I'm sure anyone whosde played it can concur. A server advertises 50-100ping but lags like its got a 1400baud backbone. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> 1400 baud, chokeing because of ten hops to the nearest half decent line and twelve connections by people who are running 56.6's on a 3 comp network, one running emule, the other kazaa. then there's your framerate ... even worse
edit: anyone know how to config it for my crap vid card (ima get a radeon soon) nvidia geforce2 MX400 running next to a 1.9p4 and 512 RAM
(it's my dad's i swear <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> i like amd better)
For improved performance in firefights there's an option in audio settings to reduce the number of effects played (at max it selects one sound of the fifteen the recorded for each gun at random, and on low it chooses from a much smaller pool). The change is pretty much indistinguishable, but it'll save you a bit on cpu and ram. Also, if you're still struggling pop the sound quality to low - it doesn't sound terrible, like "low" settings for sound quality often do.
Now for my question: anyone know if you can tweak settings for online play with any greater control than just choosing your connection type? My cruddy internal modem doesn't like letting me do anything without lagging every few seconds.
Unless you have a top of the range system then Halo is going to run slow in some places regardless of what you do, this is just a simple tweak guide to maybe give you a few extra fps (frames per second) to ease the strain on your gfx card.
How To Check FPS
To check your fps in game press Ctrl+F12. To have an alternate fps display read out, right click on the Halo shortcut in your desktop and click on properties. You'll see a Target field, at the end of it type -console and press Apply and Ok. So it should read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -console(assuming you installed to default directory. Now in game open the console (the key to do this is ¬ by default)and type rasterize_fps true then press Enter. To turn it off type false instead of true.
Indoors vs Outdoors
Out doors play will always give you a better frame rate than indoors play. Outside the game only really has to render have the screen as the other half (the sky) is just a 2D pic more or less. Indoors everything has to be rendered.. the floors, the walls, the cieling, therefore causing more of a strain. This is normal to have lower fps indoors so there's nothing wrong with your card or your game.
Turn Them Settings Down
Like it or not, if you want to gain better fps then you're going to have to lower some of your quality settings. We'll start with the in game menu. On the main title screen click Settings, then Video Setup.
Resolution: A lower resolution can improve fps quite alot. If you have anything lower than a top of the range system, then i suggest using a resolution of 800x600 or 640x480. If you play full screen and don't like the fact there are black borders around the game screen because you have a large monitor, you can use your monitor settings to strech the game screen to fit. Any monitor settings changed in game will only effect Halo, your screen will be back to normal in desktop mode or in other games. XBox Halo plays at 640x480.
Refreshrate: Most monitors limit refresh rate to around 75/85hz, and there really is not much visable difference between them. 60hz will give a sharper picture with maybe what seems to be a little glare. Most higher settings will look softer and feel better on the eyes. I suggest 85hz.
Framerate: With a standard PC system there's only really 2 settings here you should be worried about. Setting to 30fps will keep your framerate at a constant 30fps regardless if your system can handle this or lower. NoVsync will allow your fps to go as high as your gfx can handle, but may cause slight tearing in the gfx but will have less strain on your card. For lower end systems i recommend 30fps, otherwise use NOVSYNC.
Specular: This adds some depth to objects to give them that more realistic look.. and if a setting adds anything to the game then it's gonna reduce fps. So set this to off.
Shadows: Once again this adds shadows to enemies, soldiers, the Warthog etc. Turn this off for best performance.
Decals: If you're looking here and don't have the top of the range card then i doubt you will be able to play around with this. If you can then set it to No for best performance.
Perticles: As it suggests, it sets how detailed the particles are when rendered. For best performance set to off
Texture: Sets how detailed the textures are on enemies, walls.. everything really. Set to low for best perfromance.
Gamma: This just controls brightness and shouldnt really effect fps much at all. Set to what you prefer.
Sound Quality
Believe it or not sound quality can effect fps. The higher the sound quality the more strain on the system. Set your sound quality to low for best performance.
Shaders
Halo being a DirectX 9 game tries to use the best quality shaders. This is PS2.0. You can however force the game to use DirectX 8 shaders to help improve game performance. People with anything lower than an Ati 9800 Pro or an nVidia card are recommended to do this.
Do it the same way you enabled the console. Right click on the shortcut and click properties, and at the end of the text in the Target field add -use11 to use PS1.1 shaders, or -use14 to use PS1.4 shaders. For best perfromance i recommend using 1.1. The Target line would then read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -console -use11
Other Tips
Other ways you can help improve game performance is...
1) Turn everything else off on your PC before playing. The more applications you have running, the less processor and ram can be used for Halo.
2) It seems if you play in windowed mode then there's an increase in performance and framerate. To do this once again edit the Target field and include -window at the end.
3) Play from a fresh restart of your PC. This can free up ram and close apps you may have idling in the backgroud and didnt realise
Or they could fix it with some patches...stupid Directx9
nice post commie, theres another good performance post over on Gamespys Halo site and can be found <a href='http://www.forumplanet.com/3dactionplanet/halo/topic.asp?fid=6707&tid=1182996' target='_blank'>here</a>. I use PS1.1 for my ti4400. Too bad I broke my hand and cant play NS or Halo for 2 weeks <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif'><!--endemo-->
Had my first shot at Halo multiplayer last night and it was a great giggle ^^ Seems I'm one of the only players who remembers you can smack people in the face with your gun and using the sniper rifle at ranges you're supposed to use stuff like flamers really annoys people lol
Only real downsides to it so far is that FPS still isn't smooth, though it's playable, and there's some weird warp moments where I've seen jeeps get flipped, warp back to just before being flipped then get flipped again o.O Oh... and annoying sometimes Team Killers are rife ><
<!--QuoteBegin--Geminosity+Oct 12 2003, 08:29 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Geminosity @ Oct 12 2003, 08:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Oh... and annoying sometimes Team Killers are rife >< <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> ever tried to enter a banshee after you won the 3 person / same team race? its painful
Comments
Warthogs = msot fun so far, just get a map witha about 50 of them and watch the hilarity <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
yeah and it looks like sheila has her auto targeting on <i>again</i>
whoever is having problems with installing/video card: you need to get updates for your video card
whoever hates Library and Flood: I really HATE Library, it was useless...The flood was scary!!!! <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
whoever wants to buy halo pc but cant afford it: BREAK YOUR PIGGY BANKSS!!! You would love SP and MP/CTF
Damn it, private.. stop making up imaginary animals!
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!!
and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!!
and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Specular reduces performance 3-4%, shadows 5-8%
The problem is the game itself. The netcode sucks, and I'm sure anyone whosde played it can concur. A server advertises 50-100ping but lags like its got a 1400baud backbone.
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz
512MB DDRAM
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 MP3+ (Halo has !!!GREAT!!! EAX support BTW)
NVidia GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB (Latest drivers)
Windows XP Home SP1
I already run Halo pretty good, when I put -use11 in the command line, I didnt get much of a difference. So which version of shaders should I use?
Course now i've done it I kinda realise it's not that bad... 800 x 600 res <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
Still, you will get bits where it's less than smooth -.-
Now that I've been running around in it for so long I'm starting to notice something really cool... the controls! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Once you get the buttons where you like them they're so few that you almost stop thinking about them. Quite often in fights I'll empty a clip into something, crack it in the face with my trusty rifle and stick a plasma grenade on their friends forehead at point blank range before running off giggling without a thought for how stupidly difficult that would've been to pull off in something like half-life. It's so eaaasy to do stuff =D
I never find myself thinking for a minute 'what button do I press?' or other atmosphere killing things like 'what number is knife again?'.
I don't even miss the fact there's no walk anymore o.O
The vehicles are a blast too <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
athlon 2 ghz
512 ddr
geforce2mx440 (i blew my FX! )
can i handle this one?
Something isn't right here. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> Anyone got any ideas? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I got the same problem when using refresh force or refresh lock. Uninstall your video drivers then reinstall them
Pentium 4 2.0Ghz
512MB DDRAM
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 MP3+ (Halo has !!!GREAT!!! EAX support BTW)
NVidia GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB (Latest drivers)
Windows XP Home SP1
I already run Halo pretty good, when I put -use11 in the command line, I didnt get much of a difference. So which version of shaders should I use? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I use 14
ooh! on a kinda related note I finally found one of the old Halo Movies I got excited about before the game got 'Bo<b>X</b>ed' =D
<a href='http://www.fileplanet.com/files/40000/46319.shtml' target='_blank'>http://www.fileplanet.com/files/40000/46319.shtml</a>
I know that the movie wasn't done ingame though it was obviously in-engine, but aside from that there's a few things you'll see in the movie that were on the features list for the final non-xbox thing that got lost in the translation to the xbox...
<b>- Native creatures</b>
<i>These guys travelled in herds and would either run-away or attack if you bothered them depending on their nature</i>
<b>- No Squeaky aliens</b>
<i>The game was originally meant to be a lot like tribes with 2 sides fighting over large maps so the covenant was basically the 1 race and looked pretty cool; you'll note that the red elite had a shield and sword as apposed to the silly lizard things they have using shields now... red elite are just slightly harder elite blue elites now =/</i>
<b>- More Diversity in Vehicles/items</b>
<i>In multiplayer the players were to have full access to all items, including the sword, banshees, etc. I know that you get banshees now in the new PC conversion but it was already available in the older cooler PC version that never came out and was made before the xbox version anyways. Not too sure but I think players were also able to pilot the marine dropship as well</i>
<b>- Easier to run</b>
<i>That version wasn't a DX9 horror with bad framerates, it just just nice graphics and ran on a wide range of systems quite happily, unlike the current one which has a lot of people complaining ^^;</i>
The current PC incarnation is good, but you can still see why some people (me included) were super-miffed when MS bought out bungie before they could release the old one =/
I love it when I play it... the plasma grenades are the best grenade thingies in any game ever!!!
and I still love cracking people in the face with my rifle (especially the little shield guys) but I just wish my FPS would stay smooth
~sighs and goes back to the HALO techy bit to find more tricks to try~
*oh, and don't turn off specular effects unless you want it to look worse than half-life o.O <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Specular reduces performance 3-4%, shadows 5-8%
The problem is the game itself. The netcode sucks, and I'm sure anyone whosde played it can concur. A server advertises 50-100ping but lags like its got a 1400baud backbone. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
1400 baud, chokeing because of ten hops to the nearest half decent line and twelve connections by people who are running 56.6's on a 3 comp network, one running emule, the other kazaa.
then there's your framerate ... even worse
edit: anyone know how to config it for my crap vid card (ima get a radeon soon)
nvidia geforce2 MX400
running next to a 1.9p4
and 512 RAM
(it's my dad's i swear <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> i like amd better)
Now for my question: anyone know if you can tweak settings for online play with any greater control than just choosing your connection type? My cruddy internal modem doesn't like letting me do anything without lagging every few seconds.
On a side note - where can I find tweak's n stuff for Halo so I can get it to run?
How To Check FPS
To check your fps in game press Ctrl+F12. To have an alternate fps display read out, right click on the Halo shortcut in your desktop and click on properties. You'll see a Target field, at the end of it type -console and press Apply and Ok. So it should read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -console(assuming you installed to default directory. Now in game open the console (the key to do this is ¬ by default)and type rasterize_fps true then press Enter. To turn it off type false instead of true.
Indoors vs Outdoors
Out doors play will always give you a better frame rate than indoors play. Outside the game only really has to render have the screen as the other half (the sky) is just a 2D pic more or less. Indoors everything has to be rendered.. the floors, the walls, the cieling, therefore causing more of a strain. This is normal to have lower fps indoors so there's nothing wrong with your card or your game.
Turn Them Settings Down
Like it or not, if you want to gain better fps then you're going to have to lower some of your quality settings. We'll start with the in game menu. On the main title screen click Settings, then Video Setup.
Resolution: A lower resolution can improve fps quite alot. If you have anything lower than a top of the range system, then i suggest using a resolution of 800x600 or 640x480. If you play full screen and don't like the fact there are black borders around the game screen because you have a large monitor, you can use your monitor settings to strech the game screen to fit. Any monitor settings changed in game will only effect Halo, your screen will be back to normal in desktop mode or in other games. XBox Halo plays at 640x480.
Refreshrate: Most monitors limit refresh rate to around 75/85hz, and there really is not much visable difference between them. 60hz will give a sharper picture with maybe what seems to be a little glare. Most higher settings will look softer and feel better on the eyes. I suggest 85hz.
Framerate: With a standard PC system there's only really 2 settings here you should be worried about. Setting to 30fps will keep your framerate at a constant 30fps regardless if your system can handle this or lower. NoVsync will allow your fps to go as high as your gfx can handle, but may cause slight tearing in the gfx but will have less strain on your card. For lower end systems i recommend 30fps, otherwise use NOVSYNC.
Specular: This adds some depth to objects to give them that more realistic look.. and if a setting adds anything to the game then it's gonna reduce fps. So set this to off.
Shadows: Once again this adds shadows to enemies, soldiers, the Warthog etc. Turn this off for best performance.
Decals: If you're looking here and don't have the top of the range card then i doubt you will be able to play around with this. If you can then set it to No for best performance.
Perticles: As it suggests, it sets how detailed the particles are when rendered. For best performance set to off
Texture: Sets how detailed the textures are on enemies, walls.. everything really. Set to low for best perfromance.
Gamma: This just controls brightness and shouldnt really effect fps much at all. Set to what you prefer.
Sound Quality
Believe it or not sound quality can effect fps. The higher the sound quality the more strain on the system. Set your sound quality to low for best performance.
Shaders
Halo being a DirectX 9 game tries to use the best quality shaders. This is PS2.0. You can however force the game to use DirectX 8 shaders to help improve game performance. People with anything lower than an Ati 9800 Pro or an nVidia card are recommended to do this.
Do it the same way you enabled the console. Right click on the shortcut and click properties, and at the end of the text in the Target field add -use11 to use PS1.1 shaders, or -use14 to use PS1.4 shaders. For best perfromance i recommend using 1.1. The Target line would then read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo\halo.exe" -console -use11
Other Tips
Other ways you can help improve game performance is...
1) Turn everything else off on your PC before playing. The more applications you have running, the less processor and ram can be used for Halo.
2) It seems if you play in windowed mode then there's an increase in performance and framerate. To do this once again edit the Target field and include -window at the end.
3) Play from a fresh restart of your PC. This can free up ram and close apps you may have idling in the backgroud and didnt realise
Or they could fix it with some patches...stupid Directx9
Seems I'm one of the only players who remembers you can smack people in the face with your gun and using the sniper rifle at ranges you're supposed to use stuff like flamers really annoys people lol
Only real downsides to it so far is that FPS still isn't smooth, though it's playable, and there's some weird warp moments where I've seen jeeps get flipped, warp back to just before being flipped then get flipped again o.O
Oh... and annoying sometimes Team Killers are rife ><
ever tried to enter a banshee after you won the 3 person / same team race?
its painful