Tweak your Vgclient.ini file, theres a LOT of gain you can go there by just changing manually a few values.
UseJoystick=False
UsePrecaching=True
ReduceMouseLag=False
UseVSync=True <---- Yes I know usually it lower the frame rate but not in this game also make sure you use tripple buffering as below.
UseTripleBuffering=True
GlobalHardwareSkinning=True
And if you have crappy onboard sound try to disable the sound
UseSound=False
If it work then you know why some people buy "real" soundcards =)
And make sure to DEFRAG you wouldn't believe how much it help with Vanguard.
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Below is for ADVANCED USERS ONLY
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Personally I use multiple hard drives (not in raid) and on each I store one of the data folder and then use NTFS Link
http://www.elsdoerfer.info/ntfslink/ to create a softlink the directories so the access time to read the different data elements Maps/sound/textures etc its improved a lot...
Quote:
In short: A hard link allows you have the very same file in multiple locations in your file system, without wasting additional space. The difference to a shortcut is, that a hard link represents exactly the linked file. An application can open the file and write to it, without even knowing it is a link.
About junctions...
Hard links can only be used for files, not for directories. However, there is another, similar thing: "symbolic links" or "soft links", called "junction points" by Microsoft.
Basically, a junction is just an empty folder, with a path to the linked directory attached to it. Now when an application wants to access it, the file system driver redirects all IO operations from the junction to the link destination. The caller will not notice anything.