Edit: Filed thru Bug Reporter.
Turning down visual quality does not fix the problem.

The following is a report of a large performance hit in a few sectors. This mainly happens at a small amount of stations. Specific reports follow.

Location: Setalli Shinas (Sector L-12 Oan Research)

Asteroids seem to be causing the performance hit, makiing it difficult to dock. As there are asteroids near the Itani capital, I can't see why this is different.

-=SETTINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH Config.INI=-

[directx8]
windowmode=0
vsyncoff=0
gamma=19
triplebuffer=0
mipmapfiltering=2
texturefiltering=2
envmap=1
bumpmap=1
specular=1
illummap=1
textureresolution=0
texturequality=32
dxtc=0
aa=3
multipass=1
ps_hack=0
surroundmode=0

[Mouse]
xaxisinvert=0
yaxisinvert=0
sensitivity=1
mlook=0

[Vendetta]
Username=Freyar
AudioDriver=Windows Sound (WAV) driver
VideoDriver=DirectX9 GKGL driver
xres=1280
yres=1024
bpp=32

[Freyar]
channels= 1 100
defaultshipcolor=31
clickedsector=
chatmode=1
initialchattab=0

[SideWinder Joystick]
enabled=1
JOYY=Pitch
yaxisinvert=0
yaxiscenter=0
yaxismindeadzone=-10
yaxisdeadzone=10
yaxisminsaturation=-95
yaxissaturation=95
JOYX=Turn
xaxisinvert=1
xaxiscenter=0
xaxismindeadzone=-10
xaxisdeadzone=10
xaxisminsaturation=-95
xaxissaturation=95
JOYRU=Throttle
Ruaxisinvert=1
Ruaxiscenter=0
Ruaxismindeadzone=-10
Ruaxisdeadzone=10
Ruaxisminsaturation=-95
Ruaxissaturation=95
JOYBUTTON0=+Shoot2
JOYBUTTON1=+Shoot1
JOYBUTTON2=+Turbo
JOYBUTTON3=+Shoot3
JOYBUTTON4=+StrafeRight
JOYBUTTON5=+StrafeUp
JOYBUTTON6=+StrafeLeft
JOYBUTTON7=+StrafeDown

[directx9]
windowmode=0
vsyncoff=0
gamma=17
triplebuffer=0
mipmapfiltering=2
texturefiltering=2
envmap=1
bumpmap=1
specular=1
illummap=1
textureresolution=0
texturequality=32
dxtc=0
aa_type=1
aa_quality=3
multipass=1
ps_hack=0
surroundmode=0
automipmap=1
maxmipmaplevels=5
shaders=1

'twould be nice if you'd tell us some information. For example, if you have a GeForce 4 MX 420, I'd say that getting a performance hit with those settings is expected. If you have a Radeon X1800 XT, then it isn't.

I thought system specs were visible sorry..

2.0 Ghz Processor
Geforce FX 6600 GT
768MB DDR RAM

I would try to turn down antialiasing or turn down the resolution to see if they affect the performance of the slow sector(s).

Another option is to turn down the texture quality. How much video memory is on your video card? At 1280x1024 at the high AA mode you have selected (according to the config.ini file) maybe you're running low on texture memory.

Turning the settings down, does not give a remedy to this situation as mentioned in my first post.

My Geforce 6600 GT contains 128MB

You can try turning off the glow effect or disabling shaders by editing the config.ini file and change shaders=1 to shaders=0 in the [directx9] section. Of course that makes VO not look as nice but it should make things faster.
Another option is to switch to opengl mode. I don't know if the geforce 6600 has all the capabilities needed for all the shaders.

Why don't you tell us what a " a large performance hit" is. With that card, I'd expect that sectorw with high-poly roids and such could bring you down into the 30-50fps range, at least at your settings... Also, check the LOD settings ingame and tell us. It should be something like "Distance Level of Detail: 20" "Scene Level of Detail: 20" (20 being the highest and most resource-intensive, 1 the lowest and least resource intensive). Turning down distance LOD often has a negligable decrease in visual quality, and can boost FPS in roid-heavy sectors majorly.

Ray: A 6600's just a slightly downgraded 6800. That is, it supports DX9 PS1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. If my 5600 can handle the shaders (except the levi's, and that's because your game wants more than 128MB of gfx RAM), then the 6600 -should- be able to.

"Large performance hit": 5-10FPS (Guess)

All of these settings were done individually. One was done, tested and then set back to the original config.

OpenGL Reference: Increase performance lightly to 10-20 FPS(Guess); Brightness/Gamma Setting Issues
Disabling Glow Effect: No Change (Though I like the lighting better that way)
Disabling Shaders: No Change
Lowering DLOD to 1: No Change (Originally 20)
Lowering SLOD to 1: No Change (Originally 20)

If a 6600 GT is giving you 5-10FPS, then you have some kind of an issue. Also, disabling Antialiasing should give you a 2x performance boost and disabling glow effect should give you another 2x performance boost. Changing LOD from 20 to 1 should give you anywhere from a 1.5x to a 10x performance boost (depending on sector and how much geometry data your card can push). There are several possible issues that I see. The first is that your card's drivers are from the stone ages and work like shit. Go upgrade them. The next is that you aren't using the card and instead have some kind of integrated graphics on your mainboard that's kicking in and behaving like shit. Check it out. The last is that you are working at too high a resolution or doing too much 3d stuff and overflowing the 128MB VRAM on your graphics card. Unlikely, though.

PS: You can use the /fps and /fpsgraph commands to see some useful information ingame...

With the new FPS command, I've got more specific information.

Standard FPS outside of sector/not looking at trouble-spot: 59.4 AVG
OpenGL Reference Driver: 19.4 FPS AVG
Resolution Tests (Note: Resolution Tests done without anti-aliasing):
320x200@32bpp (10 FPS Guess; FPS Graph illegible),
640x480@32bpp (7.5 FPS AVG),
800x600@32bpp (2.1 FPS AVG),
1024x768@32bpp (1.4 FPS AVG),
1280x1024@32bpp (2.0 FPS AVG)

No Full Scene Glow: 4.2 FPS AVG
SLOD=1: 4.5 FPS AVG
DLOD=1: 2.7 FPS AVG
Multi-Pass Rendering Off: 1.8 AVG

In reguards to the on-board video card, I've electronically ripped it out by it's guts. In otherwords, my PC doesn't even know it exists.

Nvidia Driver: 81.85
Nvidia Driver Revision Available: 81.95
Driver Updated to Revision Available (81.95): No change

Look dude, those numbers simply aren't possible on a 6600GT.

Just for reference...

I have an AGP 6600GT 128MB, 2400+ AthlonXP, running linux.

I can play at 1600x1200 with all Vendetta options at max and I get atleast 30fps, usually 60 when looking at "normal" sectors (I use VSync). Throw in some 2x FSAA and its still playable, IMO.

However looking at "trouble spots" (some stations, dense bone roid clusters, the Leviathan and its entourage) will kill my fps into the single digits (especially with rglow or fsaa on). I think it was stated that this is due to overflowing the texture memory.

You might try texture compression (dxtc=1), although this reduces visual quality.

If he's getting those fps at 320x240, texture compression isn't the answer. :P

I just tried it on my geforce 5600 Ultra with 128megs of vram. It was very jerky until all the textures were loaded to the video card (this card is very crappy when it comes to loading textures into video memory). But after that I got at least 20fps and averaged 30.
This is an AthlonXP 1700+ with WinXP and 78.01 drivers.

I can't figure out what is causing your slowdown. Is your video card maybe overheating and then clocking itself way down?
Do you have this problem with any other 3d games/apps?

Just to get this straight, the trouble-spot is in Setalli L-12 near (within 200 or so meters) the docking bay with both the station and the asteroids visible? Can you send me a screenshot just for reference so I can test at roughly the same location?

OOh, good point. Once you've done what raybondo has asked, pull the cover off of your machine and aim a fan in there to see if overheating is an issue.

I can't figure out what is causing your slowdown. Is your video card maybe overheating and then clocking itself way down?
Do you have this problem with any other 3d games/apps?

No problem like this on other 3D Games/Apps (America's Army, SOFII, DOOM, FEAR)

Just to get this straight, the trouble-spot is in Setalli L-12 near (within 200 or so meters) the docking bay with both the station and the asteroids visible? Can you send me a screenshot just for reference so I can test at roughly the same location?

Good Framerate:
http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=596mss5pk.jpg

Docking Attempt:
http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dockingss8fl.jpg

Full Station View With Trouble Spot:
http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fullstation5hu.jpg

Any new news on this little issue?

I might go have a look at this spot tomorrow and see what I get there. However I'm on a Mac using OpenGL.

Is the OpenGL number you cite looking at the troublespot or just the standard fps average?

In OpenGL I go from 45fps in the same spot as your best screenshot to 15fps in the worst screenshot. Have you tested your framerate in a sector with other bone roids such as Edras F5

Your graphics card is overheating.
OR
...... no I really can't think of anything else it could be.
I have a 6600 256mb.
Lowest framerate ever was 17.

I've got a GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, and there are places that drop below 10fps (Pherona E-2 is nasty: http://mandalor.homelinux.net/vendetta/screenshots/high-fps.png & http://mandalor.homelinux.net/vendetta/screenshots/low-fps.png - that's with all setting maxed).

But Setalli Shinas L-12, in the screenshots Freyar posted shouldn't be that bad, I would think. I don't have any idea why he's getting that low a framerate there.