Max Particle Count?

Greetings All,

I'm messing around with my settings today, and I'd like to know...
What do you guys keep your Maximum Particle count set on?

I know there are places that call for a higher setting in order to be fully enjoyed, but I'm just looking for a mean, everyday, cruising around number.
Thanks - Dag

This completely depends on the quality of the graphics card used:
For low-end, low values, like 256-512 are ok, even switching particles off altogether on busy sims.
For mid, values like 2048-4096 should work fine, except when 'zooming in' on a heavy particle effect.
For high-end, you can crank it up to the max of 8192.

Atm there are some bugs in the 'official client' with particles. Causing more (invisible) particles to be generated as is necessary, and causing 'stray particles'. The open source community (blakar ogre) has revised the code already, and it's available in some of the alternative clients. (Check nicholaz-beresford.blogspot.com for one of the most well known patched SL clients)

I set mine to 0 cause I can't stand bling! I've not noticed anything else has gone that was there before so it can't have mattered too much! Sorry I can't help lol

Mine is set to 8192 for everyday use because I love playing with particles; scripting them and enjoying them.
A well-designed & scripted particle effect, or combination of effects, is a joy to behold & I wouldn't want to deny myself any part of that joy!
Also enjoy the big, brash in-your-face particle effects, and again, 8192 is the best way to see & experience that, imo.

There are some nice effects for things like waterfalls, fountains, chimneys with smoke. But you'll survive. I turn mine on and off depending on where I am. Clubs? OFF!

8192 because my good ol' graphics card continues to out-perform expectations.

I agree bling is pointless but well thought out particle effects definitely add a lot to SL. If I'm having problems I'll turn my draw distance down first & particle count last.

As everyone would probably expect, I keep mine maxed.

Recent updates have really improved the quantity of particles shown too, which very noticibly improves some particle exhibits!

I'll sooner crank my draw distance down to 64 than cut back on the number of particles displayed.

I don't think I'll ever understand 'blingtards' ... why would anyone think that wearing strobe lights was 'cool' ? If you're going loud and over the top... go for something colorful and stylish, not siezure inducing.

/me sniffles.

You guys don't like my BLING?

But...but...bling is the cheap perfume of Second Life!

What will I do to attract men now?

PersonX: Omg! You're nekkid!
PersonY: What? No! I'm wearing puffy angora clothing mad from particles!!
PersonX: ... Um... I have particles off... ur nekked!!!
PersonY: Eep! Perv! Stop undressing me with your UI!

Hmm... maybe I should crank up my particles... I'm at 50 now. I've gotta find out what I'm missing!

Slawken...what graphics card are you using?

Drop by my Cloud Chateau (it's a silly name, but it's stuck now, you'll find it
in my pics list or the finder.), for my favorite particle rich exhibit.

I can move quite easily in there with particles maxed out...
even on fairly low-end computers. (your mileage may vary)

Ditto here, maxed out on the options menu. Running on a pair of nVidia 8800 GTX-OC's w/756MB DDR-3 RAM apiece. Bleeding edge, stable hardware combined with maximum eyecandy levels in SL is such a pretty experience. :3

Sapphire Radeon 9500. Budget version of the ATI chipset, cheap at the time & a couple of years old now but coping well with most of what I throw at it.

Performance prolly limited more by the Athlon 1500+ cpu than anything.



It's no good - i'm going to hafta get a job