Modification for the hotbar needed
 

Since SOE's tech support isn't helping, and since they're being too busy suggesting other "solutions" that are based on improving quality rather than the actual problem, I'll take a shot at asking here.

2 days ago, I found out that something with my hotbar is causing my FPS to drop drastically, which is most likely the "faded" icons on it, since my videocard doesn't support vertex shading or hardware lighting/transforming.

I was wondering if it was all possible to make a modification to the hotbar so that when a skill can't be used, rather than making it dim slightly, it turns red, equivalent to the "out of range" effect. Also, rather than making a skill icon fade out completely and "refill" while it is on cooldown, if a small duration timer can be added somewhere on the icon and remove the fading from the icon.

Not exactly sure how much this would help my framerate, but I hope it's worth a try.

All you can do is turn off the shading in options (Alt-O).

Under which section would I find that in? I don't ever recall seeing it.

All I see in options is tinting for the spell icons, and those don't seem to have any effect on my framerate.

That's what I meant, and I'm not saying this has any effect on framerate, that was your idea (unless I misunderstood, but there are no other options anyway). ;)

Actually, the hotbar icons still fade when they are on cooldown or are currently in use. This is still part of what is unsolved.

SOE forwarded my question to "tier 2 tech support" last night, and they still have yet to respond to it.

Let us know what they end up telling you, might be interesting!

Apparently, "tier 1" tech support is a lot faster than "tier 2" tech support is.

"Tier 1" suggested 4 solutions in a period of 3 days that didn't do anything. It's been 2 days since they forwarded the problem to "tier 2" and they haven't made an attempt to respond.

Hmm, so thats why that dumpster full of CSR call records was labeled "Tier 2"... ;)

Well, "tier 2 tech support" still hasn't responded to the forwarded problem. Joy.

In the meantime, I've downloaded this hotbar modification.

While it doesn't fix the problem altogether, having them fade out while not in use, then fade back in when I'm in combat is pretty nifty. While I haven't tested the combat portion of it, the fact that they're not visible when I'm just navigating helps a lot. However, I will still have to manage the fading problem of the keys while I am in combat.

Let's just say that SOE has given up. So much for their tech support. XD

Funny, because the friend that got me started on Everquest 2 is using a laptop, and it runs fine for him.

Presumably, then, your friend has a laptop that meets the game's requirements.

I don't mean to seem rude, but I'm really not understanding why you're annoyed with Sony's tech support here. The fact that they don't provide support for laptops (which is not to say that no laptops can run the game) is really irrelevant. You said yourself in your original post that the problem is that your graphics card doesn't support some of the features that EQ2 utilizes.

One of the computers on which I play EQ2 right now doesn't run the game very well, even at minimal graphics settings, and is all but guaranteed to crash if I try to play in certain zones. I will be rectifying that situation in another week or two by upgrading the computer. I wouldn't expect Sony to redesign elements of the game or to provide new graphics options just to accomodate me; nor would I expect their tech support folk to help me come up with ways to circumvent the fact that my computer doesn't actually meet the game's requirements.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but that seems to be exactly what you *are* expecting, and it seems just a bit unreasonable.

-- Darryl

If playing it on a laptop is not supported then you cannot expect them to give you support when you're... playing on a laptop.

That's a bit like walking into a McDonalds and then getting upset when they don't have a wine list...

OK maybe that metaphor is a bit of a stretch, hehe...

Be that as it may (and the two of you are correct of course), I still don't see why the hotbars would be the issue...

Oh, I'm skeptical about the idea that the hotbars, specifically, have anything to do with the low frame rate, myself. But more fundamentally, I just thought it a bit odd that the original poster was trying to blame Sony's tech support for not helping him "get around" the fact that his graphics card doesn't meet the game's minimum specs, and wanted to point out (since nobody else had bothered to do so yet) that the obvious solution was to upgrade it so that his system *does* meet the game's requirements.

I mean, it's not as if there's any shortage of *real* reasons to be annoyed with Sony's tech and customer support people. ;)

-- Darryl

I'm probably the only one that never had any problems with them so far -- I guess I never really needed help, either (apart from stuck chests and the like).

Rubs some brown off gm9's nose :)

The couple of times I have needed cs or ts I haven't and any issues either, well there was that one time and wizard camp but then thats another story. I've never had any weired or far out issues either so you have to take that into account also.

Trust me, it's the hotbars that's doing most of the drop.

With the modification I downloaded, I can move around in the game just fine at an average of 15 FPS, which is the same for when I had the hotbar turned off. When the hotbar is turned on or when I'm in combat, my FPS drops down to 4-7. When everything is disabled via F10, then I run at a smooth 30-55 FPS just fine.