TickMU runs on the classic MU engine. It is a 32-bit game that draws with OpenGL, and that decides what matters for speed. Your graphics card needs a proper OpenGL driver, a few 32-bit runtimes have to be present, and the speed of one CPU core counts for more than the number of cores or the size of your graphics card. This guide covers all of it, including the parts that people with expensive PCs usually find missing.

The short version

1. Install the Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 in the x86 (32-bit) version. The x64 version does not count for this game.
2. Make sure .NET Framework 4.8 is installed. The launcher needs it.
3. Install your graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel directly, not only through Windows Update.
4. On a laptop, or any PC with two graphics chips, force main.exe onto the dedicated graphics card.
5. Set the Windows power plan to High performance.
6. Check VSync and any frame limiter in your driver. They are the usual reason FPS is stuck at exactly 60.
7. Add the game folder to your antivirus exclusions.

What has to be installed

You can install both the x86 and the x64 Visual C++ packages, they do not conflict. The game just needs the x86 one.

DirectX: there is nothing to install. The client only uses the sound part of DirectX that already comes with Windows, so the old "DirectX End-User Runtime" download will not change your FPS or fix a crash.

If the game closes at startup with the message "This application has been closed to protect your computer", see the Client Crash Knowledge (DEP Fix) guide.

Graphics driver and the right graphics card

This is where powerful PCs most often lose FPS without anyone noticing.

• Laptops and PCs with two graphics chips. Windows often starts MU on the weak built-in chip to save power. Open Settings, System, Display, Graphics, click Browse, pick main.exe from your TickMU folder, open Options and choose High performance. Do the same for Launcher.exe. NVIDIA users can also set it in the NVIDIA Control Panel: Manage 3D settings, Program Settings, add main.exe, and pick the high-performance NVIDIA processor. If your FPS is low in empty places and Task Manager shows the Intel or AMD built-in graphics busy while the big card sits idle, this is the cause.
• Desktop PCs. Plug the monitor cable into the graphics card, not into the motherboard. A cable in the motherboard port runs the game on the integrated graphics even when a strong card is installed.
• New card, or a switch between brands. Do a clean driver install. Leftover files from the old driver cause missing OpenGL, crashes and low FPS. The free tool Display Driver Uninstaller (run in Safe Mode) removes the old driver completely before you install the new one.
• "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" in Device Manager. No real driver is installed. Install the one from the maker's website.
• Intel built-in graphics. Update the driver from Intel's site. It runs the game, but expect lower FPS in crowded places.

Windows settings

• Power plan: set it to High performance (or Best performance). On a laptop, keep it plugged in. On battery the CPU is limited and FPS can drop by half.
• Monitor refresh rate: in Settings, System, Display, Advanced display, choose the highest rate your monitor supports. A 144 Hz screen left on 60 Hz keeps you at 60.
• Game Mode: turn it on in Settings, Gaming.
• Overlays and background tools: close the ones you do not need. Screen recorders, the Discord and GeForce overlays, and RGB or tuning programs hook into OpenGL games and cost FPS.
• Fullscreen optimizations (optional): right-click main.exe, Properties, Compatibility, tick "Disable fullscreen optimizations". On some PCs this makes the game smoother, on others it changes nothing. Test it, and undo it if it does not help.
• Antivirus: add your whole TickMU folder to the exclusions of Windows Security or your antivirus. Real-time scanning of the game files slows loading, and a game plugin that gets quarantined makes the client fail to start.

VSync and frame limiters

If your FPS sits at exactly 59 or 60 in quiet places, something is capping it. The usual causes:

• VSync in the NVIDIA Control Panel (Vertical sync) or in AMD Software (Wait for vertical refresh). Set it to Off for main.exe.
• AMD: turn off Radeon Chill and Frame Rate Target Control for the game.
• Any other frame limiter from overlays or tuning software.
• The refresh rate of your monitor, see above.

Two honest notes. First, high FPS in an empty field does not guarantee the same in a crowd. In busy places such as the Arena or an invasion, the limit is mostly the speed of one CPU core and the number of characters and effects on screen, not the graphics card. Second, the original engine was built for low frame rates, and we have not tested it far above 60. If movement or effects feel too fast, cap the game at 60.

Settings.ini: the options that raise FPS

Close the game, open Settings.ini in your TickMU folder with Notepad, change the values and save. Note that the launcher can restore this file when we ship a new version of it, so check your values again after an update.

Leave the other values in the file as they are, unless staff tell you otherwise.

Hardware: what matters most

• CPU speed per core matters most, especially in crowds. A fast recent CPU gives a bigger gain than a bigger graphics card.
• Graphics card: a mid-range card is enough. Going bigger does not raise crowd FPS much.
• RAM: 8 GB works, 16 GB is comfortable. The game itself is 32-bit and uses a limited amount, so more than 16 GB does not help it.
• Disk: an SSD makes map loading and the first run after an update much faster.
• High-quality model and texture packs make the client bigger and use more video memory. If you notice stutter on a card with little memory, lower MaxAnisotropy first.

Still low?

Open a ticket in the right Discord channel and send us your CPU and graphics card model, whether it is a laptop, your FPS in town and in the Arena, and a screenshot with the FPS counter visible. The more we know, the faster we find the cause.