The PC platform has seen a racing game after some time. Split Second : Velocity (aka Split/Second) has now been released to the public. From the brief experience I had with the title, this looked like a fun game to play with more arcade style gaming elements. However, Split/Second is a console port and like most console ports, it does not appear to be the most optimized game to run on PC hardware. In other words, some of you with even high end systems might run into performance woes. Anyways here is our routine troubleshooting article which tries to address some of the crashing issues, controller problems, stuttering performance, etc with the game. Hopefully this should help you resolve the nagging issues you run into while playing Split/Second.
Can’t change resolution, black screen, game minimized to tray or crashes when changing resolution
This is a very common issue with Split/Second and dual monitor systems. If you run into any of the above problems, try disabling the second monitor prior to starting the game (if you have more than two monitors connected, disconnect everything apart from your primary monitor). You can connect the second monitor once the game is started up and you have changed the resolution. Perhaps and upcoming patch may address this issue.
Playing Split/Second with an XBOX 3670 controller
Although you may not be aware, you can play Split Second with an XBOX360 controller. However, since the game does not have native support for them, you may run into a few snags such as not knowing which button on the controller does what. If it helps, here’s the default button mapping for X360 controller:
Accelerate = RT
Brake = LT
Tab = Y
Instant replay = LB
Level 1 power play = A, X
Level 2 power play = B
Enter = Start, A
Escape = B
If you run into any issues with controller setup, I suggest you give XPadder a go. It’s a simply utility that allows you simulate keyboard and mouse movement in a game using a XBXO controller.
Tips to improve performance and reduce stuttering
Like I said earlier, this game is not the most optimized port so you may run into performance issues. Here are some things you can try to improve performance.
- Disable Anti Aliasing – this has a major impact on performance and turning this off should give you more than a few FPS boost. Additionally, make sure you have not forced AA from your video card’s control panel.
- Try playing in Windowed mode – some people (mostly on ATI hardware) have reported better FPS on windowed mode
- Disable VSync – you can try this as well but it’s doubtful if it will yield positive results. On a side note, this game has a built in framerate lock at 30FPS so don’t waste time trying to get it above 30FPS.
- Update your DirectX to the latest monthly runtime. Windows XP users may grab the latest runtime from here.
- Update your video card’s drivers – if latest drivers do not work, try downloading and installing latest beta drivers (do this at your own risk).
ATI Drivers: Download the latest ATI Catalyst drivers from this link: http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx
NVIDIA Drivers: Download latest official NVIDIA drivers from this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Beta Drivers: Check here http://downloads.guru3d.com/
What Are the minimum system requirements to run this game?
Since many have asked, here are the minimum and recommended system requirements to run Split/Second. IMHO 4GB system memory in recommended settings is a bit of an overkill.
Minimum
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Intel Pentium 4 @ 3.0 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 4000
- Memory: 2 Gb
- Hard Drive: 6.5 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 Mb
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7800 / ATI Radeon X1800
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
Recommended
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 3.0 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800
- Memory: 4 Gb
- Hard Drive: 6.5 Gb free
- Video Memory: 512 Mb
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9600 / ATI Radeon HD 3870
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- DirectX: 9.0c
Note: This article is a work in progress. More issues/fixes will be added as they are discovered. If you have any specific problem or a solution, feel free to comment to this post.
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