Rangarok Online System Requirements/Performance FAQ Version 1.01
by Strider VM (stridervm@pinoymail.com)
For the Microsoft Windows operating system.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ Changes since v1.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whoops, I accidentally removed something in the FAQ (Ping times), I
just reinputted it again...... My sincere apologies..... ^-^;;
Also corrected minor spelling errors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Processors
II. RAM (Random Access Memory)
III. Video Card
IV. Sound Card
V. Internet Connection
VI. Recommended Setups
VII. Improving Game Speed/Latency
VIII. Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ragnarok Online is an anime-themed MMORPG, also, RO uses Direct3D for
graphics so a Direct3D card is required, since this game isn't really
optimized (speed-wise, compared to similar games such as Everquest,
Counter-Strike or Diablo 2) You need a somewhat fast system to play
this game without big lag or performance problems..........
In Ragnarok Online, the most important things for smooth performance are
Processor, followed by RAM and then Video Card, it means that a fast
processor can compensate for the RAM and the Video Card.........
Of course, if you have any corrections or any additions that you want to
suggest, you can e-mail me at stridervm@pinoymail.com .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Processors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the current processors that can run Ragnarok Online (fast enough)
and my comments about them :
Pentium MMX (166 to 233Mhz)
I wouldn't even try unless you have a 384MB RAM and a Geforce 2 video card,
but then, if you have these equipment, what are you doing in that processor?
It can run, but REAL SLOW, try turning EVERYTHING to the lowest setting.....
And sound and music off too.....
Celeron Series : (300+)
A good, all around system, I'd suggest a Duron though....
Pentium 2 : (233 to 500 Mhz)
Performance-wise, it can beat a K6-2 system at equal speeds, however, since
this uses a newer technology, it should be faster (And more expensive too!)
recommended speed for playing Ragnarok Online is at least a 300Mhz system
with a Riva TNT. 400 or faster is better.......
Pentium 3 : (450 to 1000 Mhz)
Works great, no problems. Since it's just a beefed up Pentium 2....
Pentium 4 : (1400Mhz and still going faster than 2800 Mhz)
The latest in Intel's processors, there have been reported incompabilities
in some programs due to how this processor is made, fortunately, there's
no problem in Ragnarok Online (In my tests anyway.) . But these
are the fastest (and most expensive) processor in the market today.
Cyrix M2/MX Series : (266 to 400Mhz)
I don't like this processors, the K6 processors are MUCH faster, and
they generate less heat... treat this as you would a Pentium MMX
processor.
Cyrix M3 Series : (600 to ???Mhz)
Well, it's much faster than their M2 series, but Intel P3 and AMD's Duron
processors still are much better choices, and even the Intel Celeron is
faster...... :(
K6-2 Series : (200 to 550Mhz)
The minimum I could suggest if you want to play Ragnarok Online is 450 Mhz,
well, 400 would work but make sure your video card is at least an Nvidia
Riva TNT.
K6-2+ : (533 Mhz)
You can consider this to be a K6-2 Processor that failed AMD's
heat tests or something, I don't know, it's 533 (97x5.5) , most motherboards
don't support that speed, and it needs only 2.0v , instead of the usual
2.2v , but I tried running it on 560Mhz (112x5) and it ran fine, I also
jacked up the voltage to 2.1v just to make sure anyway, this processor
has enough power to make gameplay smooth enough.
K6-3 Series : (400 to 500Mhz)
These are the fastest Socket 7 processors known, of course, not as
fast as a Pentium 2 on equal speed (still), but faster than the
equivalent K62 anyway....
AMD Duron (550 to 900Mhz)
It's my most recommended for now, since it's very cheap and runs pretty
fast too, faster than a Celeron, yet cheaper.
AMD Athlon (500 to 1400Mhz)
Well, these are the fastest AMD processors. What do you expect!? ;p
Can go toe-to-toe with the Pentium 4's, cheaper too.....
Also, I'm lacking information of available processors speeds and even so
on the not-so-known processors (I know there are other Socket 7 processors
besides AMD, Cyrix and Intel processors, also I think there are other
speeds some processors have but haven't seen it yet.), if anyone can
contribute anything in this section, please feel free to inform
me.............
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. RAM :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
32MB
It's pretty much suicide to play Ragnarok Online in this RAM, (Heck,
even Counter-Strike would choke on this RAM!) you might even
wait as much as 3 minutes for loading of one level to finish... ^-^;;
64MB
Still not good enough, unless you have an Athlon processor.....
128MB
My recommended size for smooth playing, but loading is still dependent
on the processor... (K6 about 15 seconds, on Duron about 8)
256MB
The most recommended to make sure you don't wait longer than 10 seconds
while the game is loading, and anything more than 256 is pretty much
useless unless your using Windows 2000.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Video Cards :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voodoo 1 / Banshee :
They work! (Suprisingly) But, a lot of the extra graphics (transparencies,
the water, etc) are missing, also the game is also unstable if you're
using a Voodoo 1...........
Voodoo 2 :
Well, the extra graphical effects can be seen, but on the Dual Voodoo 2's
I have, I'm having crashing problems when trying to play RO's for
a long time.......
Voodoo 3 and above :
The Voodoo card recommended for RO, if you're having problems, click
the "Voodoo 3 user" checkbox..........
Riva 128 :
They work, but they are pretty slow...........
Riva TNT/2 :
They work pretty fine, the basic requirements for smooth playing in
Ragnarok Online...............
Geforce Series :
Well, these are overkill for RO, so this one works as well......
S3 Savage 3D :
Well, they are faster than the Riva 128, but not as fast
as the Riva TNTs........... But works nonetheless.
S3 Savage 4 :
Works well for Ragnarok Online, no problems in my system.....
(Expect the occasional hangups on Socket 7 systems.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Sound Cards :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, in Ragnarok Online, they don't matter much if they are in ISA or PCI,
however in systems with really fast processors (faster than 600Mhz) they
can be the source of system choke-ups (In which a systems performance
is limited by an outdated hardware.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. Internet Connections :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primarily, the most important in Ragnarok Online (Or any online game) is
how close you are to the server (ping speed), and how reliable your ISP's
connection with the game's server........ Which means even if you have
a T3, but your ping to the server is 700, then the extra bandwidth
would be of no help.....
ISDN (128KBit) : Since these are generally directly connected, they
are very reliable, these are a good choice.
DSL (128KBit to 1Mbit) : These are quite the same as ISDN, more
bandwidth but has slightly less reliability.
Cable Modem : These setups can be considered a double-edged sword,
some providers can provide really low latency, others, the other
way around, since some providers prefer bandwidth over speed....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. Recommended System Setups
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
For smooth performance (minimum) :
K6 2-3 Processor at 500Mhz or Pentium II 300Mhz
Video Card : Nvidia Riva TNT 2
RAM : 256 MB
Sound Card : ISA or PCI Based
Internet : 56K
The good performance :
AMD Duron/Athlon processor at 700Mhz
Video Card : TNT2 / Geforce
RAM : 128MB
Sound Card : PCI Based
Internet : DSL / ISDN
Best Performance :
Intel Pentium 4 at 1400Mhz / Athlon 1400Mhz
Video Card : Geforce2MX
Sound Card : PCI Based
Internet : DSL / ISDN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. Improving Game Speed/Latency
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Try to get the latest drivers for your video card. If the actual
manufacturer of the video card is out of business (ie. 3DFX)
You can try searching search engines such as Yahoo! To look for
your actual video card drivers.
The frameskip command (/skip) does improve game speed too, however,
depending on the setup and/or hardware you have, these things might happen,
in which case, it's best to enable frameskip.
1)If you have a slow system. it will slowdown your gameplay... Since frameskip
is made to "skip frames" to keep your game running at the same speed
as the other players.
2)Another problem that can occur is, the system runs at full speed (60 fps)
however, the game seems to slow down, but this "slowdown" only happens
visually, gamewise, the game does not slow down, and then suddenly the
game speed runs really fast to compensate for the delayed frames, this
problem is very noticable in FPS shooters such as Counter-Strike.
Turning the effects also help too (/effects) , especially if there
are lots of spellcasters in the area you're leveling up.
There are programs that can help improve your Ragnarok Online (Game speed
and/or lag) For Game Speed, I suggest PowerTweak (www.powertweak.com)
since their program, besides an system optimizer, also acts as a cooler.
For ping/lag, download programs such as EasyMTU (http://www.rob.cybercomm.nl),
They modify some settings on the system registry and they can also improve
your general internet connection, they may not be a magic bullet, but at
least try to squeeze the last drop of your systems performance..... :)
Also, to know your "ping" (How fast your ISP can send information from
their server to RO's servers) , go to your MS-DOS prompt and type :
"ping www.ragnarokonline.com" (without quotation marks) , you should
see a line similar to this :
Reply from 211.239.123.168: bytes=32 time=524ms TTL=112
This shows how fast your connection to the server you're "pinging" to,
so the lower the number the faster your connection to RO can be,
In this example the "time" is 524ms, it means it takes about half a second
for your "command" to reach the RO servers. Which means it also
the delay from your click and the character actually walking.
If your actual ping in the RO server is higher than 600MS, I suggest
a better ISP.....
This is also a necessity since RO lags, especially in areas that are
crowded (Yoyo Land, Payon Cave, etc.) and having a good ping means you
can react faster when you are mobbed ...... Besides, if your actions
are delayed by a second, don't expect to MVP bosses, even if you're
playing a magic using character.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gravity for making Ragnarok Online, now i they would be better at managing
this game......
GameFAQS for posting this FAQ.............
FAQ 2003 Strider VM, no rights reserved...... ^-^;;
-------------------------End of file-------------------------------
