Everquest:FAQ
FAQ
Q: What kind of system is recommended for running multiple EQ sessions on the same computer?
We have once again revised our figures, updated for Omens of War. With low textures and no models at 800x600 16-bit color, EQ uses about 29MB of video RAM and 300MB system RAM per session. With high textures and all models, EQ uses about 45MB of video RAM and 500MB system RAM per session. Note that these figures will vary depending on which zone you are in and how many players are near.
This may seem a little overboard considering your video card may only have 32 or 64MB of RAM, but video RAM also includes AGP memory. AGP memory is part of your system RAM that is assigned by BIOS to be used by the video card for extra video RAM when necessary. The setting in BIOS should you need to increase it, is called AGP Aperture Size (our step by step guide with photos from 3 different computers may help you adjust this setting) -- be aware that raising this value can harm your system stability. Newer systems may typically have this set to 64-128MB by default. The setting may also be hidden in newer BIOS -- it took me about 30 minutes of wondering why the setting was nowhere to be found and looking through my motherboard manual to determine where to find it. In my case, I needed to hit CTRL+F1 in BIOS to show all of the "advanced" settings, and AGP Aperture Size was then available for me to set. The AGP memory is not used until the RAM on the video card is running low.
Use the table in the section below, titled "How can I minimize the amount of RAM each EQ session uses to aid multiboxing?", to aid in your hardware requirements research. Determine the graphics quality you require for each desired session, and add the totals from the table. If you want to run 4 full quality sessions at 1600x1280x32 resolution, you will need 4*(283+314)MB of system RAM and 4*(29+16+15)MB of video RAM (2388MB system and 240MB video), keeping in mind that extra system RAM will be used to cover the video RAM if necessary. Also, the figures listed are just to enter the game, the actual requirements for playing the game past that point increase as you move around, zone, etc, and certain zones require more resources than others. You should also allow for system overhead and other programs running.
Q: How can I minimize the amount of RAM each EQ session uses to aid multiboxing?
Some EverQuest graphics options significantly increase the amount of RAM required to play the game. Most of them can be turned on or off through the options editor (click the Options button at the first menu in EverQuest, not the patcher), and some require manually editing eqclient.ini (Velious textures are LoadArmor17 through LoadArmor23 in eqclient.ini and are not found elsewhere). Here is a table of the approximate memory usage of each, according to our testing at 800x600 resolution with 16-bit color. Some options may increase the effects of others (texture quality for example). It is interesting to note that EQ options generally increase the System RAM requirements, while increase in resolution or color depth only increase the Video/Texture RAM requirements. These figures are immediately upon entering the game in Plane of Knowledge. Both System and Video RAM usage increase as you move around, zone, etc. All figures are based off of the "Base EverQuest 800x600 16-bit" value and are added to it.
| Option | System RAM | Video/Texture RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Base EverQuest 800x600 16-bit | 283MB | 29MB |
| Sound | + 22MB | + 0MB |
| Dynamic Lighting | + 4MB | + 0MB |
| Mip Mapping | + 4MB | + 5MB |
| Medium Quality Textures | + 30MB | + 0MB |
| High Quality Textures | + 32MB | + 0MB |
| All Velious Textures | + 51MB | + 0MB |
| 14 Luclin Models | + 90MB | + 0MB |
| 29 Luclin Models | + 142MB | + 0MB |
| Complex Sky | + 10MB | + 1MB |
| Shadows | + 13MB | + 1MB |
| Full Options | + 314MB | + 16MB |
| 1024x768x16 | + 0MB | + 2MB |
| 1280x1024x16 | + 0MB | + 6MB |
| 1600x1280x16 | + 0MB | + 11MB |
| 1920x1536x16 | + 0MB | + 16MB |
| 2240x1792x16 | + 0MB | + 26MB |
| 2560x2048x16 | + 0MB | + 30MB |
| 3200x2560x16 | + 0MB | + 51MB |
| 800x600x32 | + 0MB | + 1MB |
| 1024x768x32 | + 0MB | + 3MB |
| 1280x1024x32 | + 0MB | + 7MB |
| 1600x1280x32 | + 0MB | + 15MB |
| 1920x1536x32 | + 0MB | + 22MB |
| 2240x1792x32 | + 0MB | + 33MB |
| 2560x2048x32 | + 0MB | + 40MB |
| 3200x2560x32 | + 0MB | + 67MB |
With full options and a conservative 800x600x32 resolution, we were easily past 600MB system RAM used by a single session upon entering the game, with about 43MB of video RAM used.
Q: I do a lot of travelling, should I be concerned about my account being warned or banned?
Most likely not. We realize that people move, and people do various things. The system is designed to protect us, not to inconvenience you. The automatic part of the system will simply let us know that it thinks we should take a look at your situation. Assuming that you are not in 17 places at once, you will probably not even receive an email asking what the situation is. You may contact us if you have any questions about the license system.
Q: I have multiple computers and often play even 6 accounts at once, do I need more than one license?
Absolutely not. One license covers one physical location, even though you may be playing on multiple computers with multiple EQ accounts. You may contact us if you have any questions about the license system.
Q: I just paid for subscription, how long does it take for my subscription to activate?
If you used the new "Buy Now" buttons for a standard 90 or 365-day subscription, the subscription will be active by the time you see the confirmation page that says you're subscribed. If you used the Special Circumstances link, we must handle the payment manually but it should be done within 24 hours (generally during business hours it will take much less than that). If you used the form to send via postal mail, it could be a week depending on where the payment is sent from.
Q: After I subscribe, do I need to download the software again or what happens?
Nope, the license server takes care of it for you. You do not need to re-download the software at any time unless there is a new version available -- and as of EQPlayNice 1.15 and WinEQ 1.31, the software automatically updates to new versions for you. Policies
Q: What are the different options available to people that may wish to subscribe?
Create an account in the forums then go to this link for subscription information. Enter your forum name in the Lavish Software Account name text box.
