Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 01:46:45 pm

Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 01:46:45 pm
Right, I haven;t been able to find anything on this, so apologies if it's been posted before.

anyways, my system is juddering to a halt whenever a new model is drawn... i.e. what I mean is whenever I switch to the exterior view (only for the first time) or a new ship warps in, the screen freezes for several seconds (fps also freezes).  this happens on HTL / non htl directx modes.

openGL works fine, but then i lose the TGA nebulas and the weapons are scaled & render oddly (thinner, like their 'plane' is rotated).


I've also tried the -safeloading tag (in the launcher) to no avail... the rest of the time it's a solid 60fps, even in action.

I'm sure there's a known fix / reason for this, but I can't remember what it was or where it was posted.

System is an Athlon 2400+, 512Mb RAM & FX5600, so I don't think it's 'normal' slowdown.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: diamondgeezer on January 21, 2004, 02:40:41 pm
Reckon I get this as well. Didn't somone mention clearing up the loading for TGAs or something?
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Zarax on January 21, 2004, 02:56:21 pm
Same here, i get screen freezing when explosions are loaded, and i can't do anything for at least one minute...
P3 1ghz 512mb ram TNT2 here (XP Pro)
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 03:21:21 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Reckon I get this as well. Didn't somone mention clearing up the loading for TGAs or something?


I have no idea..... I'm surprised it's not been mentioned before if it's that frequent - it's a bit of a showstopper IMO.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: diamondgeezer on January 21, 2004, 03:23:54 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Zarax
P3 1ghz 512mb ram TNT2 here (XP Pro)

Yeah, well, not being funny but you're packing a TNT2. What exactly do yout expect?
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 03:50:34 pm
Down to the TGA's, by the looks of it.  Switched to 8-bit PCX and no problems.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: RandomTiger on January 21, 2004, 04:02:40 pm
diamondgeezer I used to run FS2 retail happily on my TNT2 so I imagine he just expects the same from fs2_open.

Having said that if its TGA's that are to blame you must release that they will be taking up twice the amount of memory as PCX files will. On cards with little memory this can push them over the edge.

I'm due to have a look at the texture system soon, I'll keep all this in mind when I recode it.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Lightspeed on January 21, 2004, 05:41:51 pm
This is a known problem :blah:
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 05:47:35 pm
Quote
Originally posted by RandomTiger
diamondgeezer I used to run FS2 retail happily on my TNT2 so I imagine he just expects the same from fs2_open.

Having said that if its TGA's that are to blame you must release that they will be taking up twice the amount of memory as PCX files will. On cards with little memory this can push them over the edge.

I'm due to have a look at the texture system soon, I'll keep all this in mind when I recode it.


Well, only the nebulas (4, I think - about 700k each )and a single effect were TGA, and my card has 128MB RAM so i'm guessing it's not a simple overfill.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Flipside on January 21, 2004, 05:50:18 pm
I find .jpgs work perfectly well for just about everything to be honest, they load pretty swiftly, slower than PCX obviously, and I don't really mind if the ship isn't precisely the same colour as it was in photoshop, it's not as if colour picker is a precise art ;)
You can't have opacity, but then, for most things, I don't need it :D

Edit : However, in Aldo's case, I can understand why he needs them :)
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Lightspeed on January 21, 2004, 05:54:46 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Flipside
Edit : However, in Aldo's case, I can understand why he needs them :)


..and that would be why? nebula and planet images do NOT support transparency.

sucks. :rolleyes:
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: aldo_14 on January 21, 2004, 06:01:30 pm
At least bright does a good conversion job.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: RandomTiger on January 21, 2004, 06:22:08 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Lightspeed

..and that would be why? nebula and planet images do NOT support transparency.

sucks. :rolleyes:


Is there a bug in mantis about that?

I keep on hearing people grumbling about stuff but its always just snipets of information. A full detailed considered bug report in mantis would be very useful.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: SA22C on January 22, 2004, 02:50:33 am
I have been having this problem as well, I submitted it to Mantis.  At any rate, I did find that in the new build, the problem wasn't really bad unless I used the large textures from FS1.  With those puppies loaded, when you turn to face a new ship with those textures, the fps drops to zero and some of the faces of the model lose their textures and turn to plain colored polygons.  I've got a GeForce3 which isn't state of the art, I know, but it should be able to handle a 512x512 map without choking on it.

Oh, OpenGL works great for me as well, if only it wasn't missing all the effects.

PS: I've been lurking since before the SCP started and have followed the project with great interest.  You guys are doing a friggin' amazing job on this game.  With all the new lighting effects, FS2 hardly shows its age.:yes:
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Zarax on January 22, 2004, 04:06:49 am
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer

Yeah, well, not being funny but you're packing a TNT2. What exactly do yout expect?


DG, i know my hardware is a bit ancient, but with the 12-05 build there wasn't such a problem, so it should be something different...
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: Lightspeed on January 22, 2004, 07:13:36 am
Quote
Originally posted by RandomTiger


Is there a bug in mantis about that?

I keep on hearing people grumbling about stuff but its always just snipets of information. A full detailed considered bug report in mantis would be very useful.


There have been 2 threads about this as it specifically isn't a bug.

Try using any 32-bit graphics as a planet image and they wont show up. Trash the alpha channel (i.e. 24-bit) and they will work.
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: RandomTiger on January 22, 2004, 01:08:40 pm
Oh right, that one. You mean make a 32 bit TGA with no alpha channel and it gives you nothing?
Title: big fps droppages...
Post by: WMCoolmon on January 22, 2004, 11:17:48 pm
Quote
Originally posted by RandomTiger


Is there a bug in mantis about that?


Linkie (http://mgo.maxgaming.net/mantis/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000013)