T
ToeCutter
Guest
Okay folks, you've all read similiar posts only to find that the fix prescribed within the post didn't fix a thing, right?
YOU are the target reader for this post.
After spending nearly 50 odd hours formatting, tweaking, defragging, etc, I have FINALLY eliminated any trace of stutter on my PC. Even as recently as last night, my rig stuttered every few seconds or so. I could barely make it through the train station without ending up in a corner due to the stuttering. I've been playing for about an hour and a half, going through those very same areas that once stuttered so horribly in hopes of reproducing even the most insignificant degree of stutter. I'm happy to say that my PC, for now, is 100% stutter-free. I'm playing at 1280 x 1024, everything set to HIGH, vsync enabled at 85 Hz. The game looks beautiful and I can finally get around to playing the damn thing as opposed to tuning it.
To what do I owe this miraculous development? After Googling my 247th time (Subject: "half life 2" stutter autoexec.cfg), I ran across an obscure post on ShackNews that suggested a completely different approach to solving the stutter issue. I tried it, and quite amazingly, it seems to have worked flawlessly.
The post recommended extracting the .GCF files in the Steam directory. The idea here is that the game won't have to extract the files on the fly when it needs to load a new level, or even new sounds, since they'd exist in the HL2 directory in raw, uncompressed form. It seemed to make sense, having done something very similar back in the day with the old WAD and PAK files used by id Software's titles.
I extracted the files and added a line to my 4 line autoexec.cfg and BINGO, it worked PERFECTLY. I was in such a hurry to try the fix, that I completely forgot to defrag before firing up HL2. Nonetheless, the game ran perfectly!
For those who doubt the effectiveness of this fix, I've been meticulously logging EVERY change I make to my system in an effort to eliminate the stutter. Proper troubleshooting technique dictates detailed logging of changes, or you'll never accurately identify the cause of the problem. Having properly logged everything, I can say with 100% certainty that this FIXED the stutter problem.
Why is this important? Because it points to the cause of the problem being associated with the way Steam distributes files and updates. If this truly is the cause of the stutter, Valve has some serious explaining to do!
That's where forum members come in. If you are one of the folks that simply cannot eliminate the stutter, try this fix and provide feedback as to whether or not it works. I can't say with absolute certainty that this will fix everyone's PC, but it is so far, since September of last year, the ONLY solution that has worked for mine.
How to extract .GCF files for Half Life 2:
Disclaimer: Use at your own peril! I take ZERO responsibility if you completely jack your Steam/HL2/whatever install by appling this measure.
1. Download and install GCFScape. Here's the link.
2. Look in this directory for your GCF files: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps.
Note: Be sure to close Steam before extracting files.
3. Open and extract EACH GCF file to the following directory: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\username\half-life 2. Extract the GCFs by opening them in GCFScape, right-clicking the folder described as "root" and selecting "Extract".
Note: Disregard any overwrite warnings. The directory paths are the same, but the files coexist there, nothing will be overwritten. The extracted GCFs are LARGE, nearly 3.5 GB. Ensure you have space available before extracting.
4. Continue this process until ALL GCFs are extracted to the Half life 2 directory.
WARNING: Do NOT delete your existing GCFs after extraction. Steam will see them missing and assume the game has been uninstalled.
5. Add the following line to your autoexec.cfg: ai_norebuildgraph "1"
6. I suggest everyone defrags their HDD before attempting to play HL2. You've just added over 3 GBs of fragmented files, it's prudent!
7. Fire up Half Life 2 and hope for the best.
This fix should work with all Source engine titles. I haven't installed anything besides HL:Source and HL2. Both work just fine now.
I implore everyone who trys this fix to post your results back to this thread. I'm incredibly curious to see if this helps anyone else.
I noticed that Valve released an update to Steam today. Hopefully the update won't break anything. I've not yet applied the Steam update, so your mileage may vary if you've already applied it.
Disclaimer: I did not "discover" this fix, only the post that mentioned it. Kudos to the original poster! :cheers:
YOU are the target reader for this post.
After spending nearly 50 odd hours formatting, tweaking, defragging, etc, I have FINALLY eliminated any trace of stutter on my PC. Even as recently as last night, my rig stuttered every few seconds or so. I could barely make it through the train station without ending up in a corner due to the stuttering. I've been playing for about an hour and a half, going through those very same areas that once stuttered so horribly in hopes of reproducing even the most insignificant degree of stutter. I'm happy to say that my PC, for now, is 100% stutter-free. I'm playing at 1280 x 1024, everything set to HIGH, vsync enabled at 85 Hz. The game looks beautiful and I can finally get around to playing the damn thing as opposed to tuning it.
To what do I owe this miraculous development? After Googling my 247th time (Subject: "half life 2" stutter autoexec.cfg), I ran across an obscure post on ShackNews that suggested a completely different approach to solving the stutter issue. I tried it, and quite amazingly, it seems to have worked flawlessly.
The post recommended extracting the .GCF files in the Steam directory. The idea here is that the game won't have to extract the files on the fly when it needs to load a new level, or even new sounds, since they'd exist in the HL2 directory in raw, uncompressed form. It seemed to make sense, having done something very similar back in the day with the old WAD and PAK files used by id Software's titles.
I extracted the files and added a line to my 4 line autoexec.cfg and BINGO, it worked PERFECTLY. I was in such a hurry to try the fix, that I completely forgot to defrag before firing up HL2. Nonetheless, the game ran perfectly!
For those who doubt the effectiveness of this fix, I've been meticulously logging EVERY change I make to my system in an effort to eliminate the stutter. Proper troubleshooting technique dictates detailed logging of changes, or you'll never accurately identify the cause of the problem. Having properly logged everything, I can say with 100% certainty that this FIXED the stutter problem.
Why is this important? Because it points to the cause of the problem being associated with the way Steam distributes files and updates. If this truly is the cause of the stutter, Valve has some serious explaining to do!
That's where forum members come in. If you are one of the folks that simply cannot eliminate the stutter, try this fix and provide feedback as to whether or not it works. I can't say with absolute certainty that this will fix everyone's PC, but it is so far, since September of last year, the ONLY solution that has worked for mine.
How to extract .GCF files for Half Life 2:
Disclaimer: Use at your own peril! I take ZERO responsibility if you completely jack your Steam/HL2/whatever install by appling this measure.
1. Download and install GCFScape. Here's the link.
2. Look in this directory for your GCF files: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps.
Note: Be sure to close Steam before extracting files.
3. Open and extract EACH GCF file to the following directory: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\username\half-life 2. Extract the GCFs by opening them in GCFScape, right-clicking the folder described as "root" and selecting "Extract".
Note: Disregard any overwrite warnings. The directory paths are the same, but the files coexist there, nothing will be overwritten. The extracted GCFs are LARGE, nearly 3.5 GB. Ensure you have space available before extracting.
4. Continue this process until ALL GCFs are extracted to the Half life 2 directory.
WARNING: Do NOT delete your existing GCFs after extraction. Steam will see them missing and assume the game has been uninstalled.
5. Add the following line to your autoexec.cfg: ai_norebuildgraph "1"
6. I suggest everyone defrags their HDD before attempting to play HL2. You've just added over 3 GBs of fragmented files, it's prudent!
7. Fire up Half Life 2 and hope for the best.
This fix should work with all Source engine titles. I haven't installed anything besides HL:Source and HL2. Both work just fine now.
I implore everyone who trys this fix to post your results back to this thread. I'm incredibly curious to see if this helps anyone else.
I noticed that Valve released an update to Steam today. Hopefully the update won't break anything. I've not yet applied the Steam update, so your mileage may vary if you've already applied it.
Disclaimer: I did not "discover" this fix, only the post that mentioned it. Kudos to the original poster! :cheers:
