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I have a 10 year old laptop that is currently hosting a server on my local lan network, but I want my sisters to be able to play too. Thr problem is the laptop is almost 10 years old. It is running windows 7 64 bit. I did everything I could to optimize it but still I onky got 5-10 fps. Is there a specail build or setting so thar I can get at least 20 fps? i have the render distance at 20, shaders turned off and everything that I could find at minimum. Pleaee help!!

It's odd you have such bad performance on a 64bits OS, i have an older OS on 32 bits only and have no problem with Minetest that is apparently supposed to use the CPU much more than the GPU

Some tips :
The minimap can be intensive, don't display it, but even when not displayed apparently still gather data, so you may then want to add
enable_minimap = false
to your minetest.conf file

The view distance auto tuner eat lots of ressources too, you can't disable it but it's possible to limit it by setting the same value to those
viewing_range_nodes_min =
viewing_range_nodes_max =
in your minetest.conf file to have it fixed , probably set the value to your desired viewrange

Set
fps_max = 30
wanted_fps = 30
to your minetest.conf, it should be enough

Additionally, use the latest minetest version, it had got some better performance.
And even better, use the latest build (I use Krock's one myself), there was an additional performance increase that was done after the latest minetest stable 0.4.15 release.
You can reach the build board :
viewforum.php?f=42
And while on your 64bit OS you may want to use the 64bits Minetest, there are report the 64bits version generate a lot of those "out of memory" error, so you may still want to use the 32bits version

You could try to play at a lower resolution. This is an easy performance boost which many people forget/overlook. Especially if you have a screen with an absurd resolution going to the 2000s. ;-)

Changing the screen resolution is pretty awkward to do in Minetest. You have to go through advanced settings (found in main menu or minetest.conf). First you have to enable “real” fullscreen with the “fullscreen” setting. Because just playing in a small window is probably not helping much. ;-)

Then set the desired screen size with “screenW” and “screenH”. You find these settings buried in the advanced settings dialog (client settings). For the screen size, make sure you only enter a resolution which is actually supported by your screen.


Apart from that, I don't have any other hints for you because I'm not that smart about graphics.
I'm pretty sure the advanced settings will give some additional ways to tweak Minetest for boosting the performance. The problem is, you first have to understand the settings which is not always easy. ;-(

I hope some developer comes along here and maybe give some more helpful hints.

So are you playing Minetest on the laptop that the server is running as well? It's going to knock down your performance greatly. Try running the server on a machine that is separate from the machine you are playing on. Our Raspberry Pi LAN server is very impressive considering the specs. With my 2008 laptop I can connect to most servers and have a very enjoyable game. It can also run a server (no visual) and perform on a LAN very well. But playing and serving on the laptop, or even our desktop is sluggish for everyone connected. The server holds much in it's ram. So does the client (the visual part). So between the two... you are soon using swap. Also I'm assuming your laptop's graphics uses shared ram.

Bro I need specs to help you, how much RAM has the machine got, what CPU (model and speed), if you provide the info I will help you!

Peace

JG

In settings turn off all shaders, turn off all filters / mip-map. Use 'Opaque' leaves. Maybe even turn off smooth lightiing and particles.
In-game use '+' and '-' to adjust your view range, lower results in higher FPS.

I would recommend that you get the latest drivers for your graphics card. Also, maybe it would be a good idea to turn off extra background apps/services. All the above are also good ideas ;)