Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: What evar on June 03, 2005, 12:49:08 pm
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Freespace 2 (with SCP) has a somewhat inconsistent framerate on my computer. It runs fine most of the time (with some slight lag) but every few minutes it stops for a ten second lag.
This happens especially frequently on the last level. I finished the game today, actually, so it's not like the game is unplayable, but I would really like to have smoother gameplay.
Here are my specs:
2Ghz Processor
512mb DDR RAM
Geforce FX 5200
Win XP Home
(I'll supply any other specs if necessary)
Here are the features I've got turned on:
-spec -glow -pcx32 -jpgtga -d3dmipmap -phreak -ship_choice_3d -2d_poof -nobeampierce -snd_preload
Video settings:
Graphics: Direct3D8
Resolution: 1024x768x32
Antialiasing: None
General Settings: High
Audio: DirectSound
Version of SCP: 3.6
I want to have it look good while still running smoothely. And with my specs I expect that it should run quite well. I don't know what all these new features require, though. Also, when I tried using OpenGL the game ran smoothely, but it had no textures, so I guess OpenGL isn't fully implemented yet.
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Well... OpenGL should run fine...
At least it does for me...
And for your settings: The last level IS very memory-hungry...
But I suggest you to turn off "-pcx32" as it uses some memory and it doesn't do that much...
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Originally posted by What evar
Also, when I tried using OpenGL the game ran smoothely, but it had no textures, so I guess OpenGL isn't fully implemented yet.
Heart peirced... so much... blood... vision... blurry... can.. not continnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
:thud:
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Oh my gosh, you killed taylor! You ********!
Now who's going to squash all our bugs? :(
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Mipmapping isn't necessary and slows most machines to a crawl.
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You can probably get rid of -pcx32 without noticing the difference.
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Well, I removed mipmapping and 32-bit textures. I've noticed a slight speed increase, I think.
Now it might only be my imagination, but I tihnk beams look less good now. Do any of these features affect the beams?
oh, and it would be great if somebody knew why the textures don't work with OpenGL. Thanks for your help!
EDIT: Just checked, and the beams don't seem to have any noticable change in them.
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I say drop the screen resolution from 32bit to 16bit.
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That will decrease the visual quality a lot!
I wouldn't recommend that.
Try -nomotiondebris. That should help a bit.
I guess the weak point about your PC is your GFX card.
Which Forceware are you using?
Be sure to disable Anti Aliasing and Antisoptropic filtering in the drvier menu. Also set the general quality level to "Quality" it's faster than "High Quality", but it looks the same.
Which Forceware version are you using?
Oh and you should disable V-Sync. That should also help.
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Originally posted by DaBrain
That will decrease the visual quality a lot!
I wouldn't recommend that.
...
The goal is to increase performance, isn't it? This is the best and simplest method to do it. Anyway, it will not decrease the visual quality so apparently.
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The FX 5200 should be as fast as a Geforce 2 - Geforce 3. (Unless it has a 64-Bit memory interface! It's a lot slower in that case!!!)
So it's fast enough for 32-Bit. I guess there is a problem somewhere.
Going from 32-Bit to 16-Bit is worse than turning down the res to 640*480 IMO.
This 'lag' problem sounds either like a bug (get a new/other build), or a thermal problem of the GFX card.
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...how about getting rid of all that SCP **** and just running the regular game? It'll look better and run faster at the same time.
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run faster I can maybe see, but look better?
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Originally posted by Admiral LSD
...how about getting rid of all that SCP **** and just running the regular game? It'll look better and run faster at the same time.
... I feel offended now...
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Well... [joke]Seems like Admiral LSD isn't on LSD anymore, so he doesn't see the beautiful colors anymore... So the SCP indeed looks very colorless and "trist"[/joke]
Just a joke!
But to be honest:
The SCP is a GREAT improvement to retail FS2! And the hi-res textures and hi-poly moddels make it look even better!
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Originally posted by Bobboau
run faster I can maybe see, but look better?
Yes. The SCP "improvements" are U-G-L-Y, ugly.
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Nice job troll, how about only posting if you actually have valid tips for him to improve SCP performance instead of just slandering the whole project.
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he's been around too long to be a troll,he's just being an idiot, it happens every now and then.
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Originally posted by Admiral LSD
Yes. The SCP "improvements" are U-G-L-Y, ugly.
Hang on a sec. Lightspeeds shine maps are ugly? The hi-poly fenris is ugly?
If you don't like certain additions don't run with them. If you want to you can make FS2_open look exactly like retail. Everything is optional.
Saying that you should get rid of everything just makes you look like an idiot.
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It looks like honesty does not pay off in this community at all.
Poor lad.
Anyway, on-topic:
Have you considered removing some MediaVPs? They cause some heavy slowdown, especially the models and the textures packs.
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did you try -pcx2dds, it uses vid memory better if your card supports compressed textures (which it should if it has 32+ megs on it).
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I don't think this is honest...
It's just impossible that a person doesn't like any improvement of the SCP. There are so many things, you can't dislike them all.
Ok, that was enough OT for me today.
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Originally posted by TopAce
It looks like honesty does not pay off in this community at all.
Poor lad.
If he honestly believes that Freespace looks worse with high poly models or with shine maps I'll concede that it's his own (somewhat derranged) point of view and leave it at that.
At the moment it looks more like someone who is too lazy to edit the VP files complaining at people who aren't.
Anyway I think we should drop the subject until LSD posts and get back to dealing with the Original Poster's question.
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How about using the experimental 32-bit-to-16-bit flag, since 16-bit is the same in-memory size that the original pcx files took up, but still better image quality.
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Alrihgt, I haven't been checking back for a while, but here's what I've done lately:
The game was running fine when I removed mipmapping and 32-bit textures, but once I upgraded to 3.6.5 (to play the Shrouding Light campaign) the game started getting a more inconsistent framerate. (As it was in 3.6 before I removed mipmapping and 32-bit textures)
I'm not using any atialiasing or 8as far as I can tell) antisotropic filtering
I do not wish to reduce the resolution to 16-bit, however I'm wondering about those "Game Speed" settings. Would "Compress pcx" help?
I'm sort of reluctant about the vertical sync, as I've noticed in other games that it does help quite a bit (visually).
The debris is something I wouldn't mind letting go, but I can't imagine that would help a lot.
Also, what exactly is Forceware?
And does preloading sound slow down or speed up the game?
Thanks a lot for all your help.
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Nvidia call it's drivers 'Forceware'. Upgrading the dirver *may* help, but most drivers run FSO just fine.
Just try the newest driver.
www.nvidia.com
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[color=66ff00]Guys I think that the Admiral is being corrosively sarcastic and his claims should be taken with a whole salt sellar. :nod:
[/color]
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*Couldn't be bothered making new Thread*
I think the lightning zaps on the ships need code optimization. With nothing else in a level, just a ship with little health remaining, the lightning zaps are enough to reduce my framerates by half or worse when there is a big zap.
Just thought I'd say. Someone else can mantis it... :p
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You're right. I actually wanted to do this before, but labelled it 'not worth it' as I figured the performance change would be very small.
OTOH, is this a recent thing? The lightning code makes use of three g3_draw_rod calls, and I remember somebody making changes to something to draw lines in 3D before.
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Originally posted by WMCoolmon
OTOH, is this a recent thing? The lightning code makes use of three g3_draw_rod calls, and I remember somebody making changes to something to draw lines in 3D before.
3D line drawing was only a problem in OpenGL and was fixed a long time ago. I never changed the ligthning arc effect back to lines though since pretty much everyone agreed that the new effect looked better. I know that I for one hated the line effect since it looked very cheap.
There should have been little to no slow down with it though (wasn't any during my initial testing) so that may be something new.
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Hmm...I added 2 more "rod" calls because the non-line effect looked really bad up close. :wtf:
That does add quite a few lines, but it doesn't seem like it should add drastic slowdown unless something odd is happening. Perhaps it's the sound, or the dynamic lighting cast by the lightning?
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Originally posted by WMCoolmon
Hmm...I added 2 more "rod" calls because the non-line effect looked really bad up close. :wtf:
True. Inquisitor asked me to fix it but I kept putting it off and then forgot about it. Until you made the changes anyway. :D
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It happens in D3D, havn't tested in OGL yet.
They still look fugly IMO too. Maybe I'm using a later build? 22 May 2005 build.
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Originally posted by Grug
It happens in D3D, havn't tested in OGL yet.
There's some freaky speed issues with D3D right now. If you can try it in OGL and it doesn't have the same slowdown then it's probably related to that D3D problem (slow nebula missions too).
I agree that the effect doesn't look as good as it should but it's better than before. At some point it will get changed, made moddable or something, but that's actually last on the priority list so nothing's going to happen there any time soon.
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I was thinking that the code used for the lightning bolts in nebulas might help.