NS2 Gameplay Stutter

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  • hyperrifthyperrift Join Date: 2010-12-16 Member: 75714Members
    I have the exact same issue and it kills the game for me, makes it totally unplayable, on any graphics settings.

    Just built a new machine too.

    Core i7 950
    Geforce-460 GTX
    6gb ram
    Windows 7 64bit

    The youtube videos posted earlier provide a good example. It is a "stutter" like a momentary load, but every 5 seconds. ALWAYS.
  • ctdctd Join Date: 2009-06-01 Member: 67611Members
    I thought everyone had this issue? Hit reg and jolty lag makes it unplayable. I haven't bothered saying anything because I thought this was an on-going issue that the devs were aware of.
    i5-750
    8gig ram
    GTX 470
    win7 64
  • jamieshepherdjamieshepherd Join Date: 2009-09-04 Member: 68693Members
    Updated post with video, hopefully it helps
  • hyperrifthyperrift Join Date: 2010-12-16 Member: 75714Members
    Noticing a theme of GTX cards and windows 7 64 bit.
  • _Thresh__Thresh_ Join Date: 2008-01-11 Member: 63385Members
    edited December 2010
    dito ctd

    Edit: I use ATi cards hyperift. Although am using win 7 64.

    Same deal with the hitching. I played 160 for a few minutes. Got the hitches. Switched it off until the next version.

    Not mad. Just not good enough for an enjoyable game yet.

    Specs- i7- 950
    2 x Ati 5870
    8 gb 1600mhz dominator
  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    Seems like it happens when entering a new room or turning around fast.
  • hyperrifthyperrift Join Date: 2010-12-16 Member: 75714Members
    edited December 2010
    In the newest video posted to the original post by jamieshepard, the video from 1:50 to 1:56 or so captures the problem exactly. That stutter is everywhere.

    Most of the lerk in-flight footage illustrates it as well.
  • jamieshepherdjamieshepherd Join Date: 2009-09-04 Member: 68693Members
    edited December 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1818267:date=Dec 22 2010, 07:05 AM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kouji_San @ Dec 22 2010, 07:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818267"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Seems like it happens when entering a new room or turning around fast.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I told you, leave this thread already you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about... What can you offer to this thread? You're not a developer, and you're not experiencing the problem. Stop saying ridiculous things like "it must be the server" or "you're turning too fast" - You don't have the issue, so you have no clue, please exit. Turning just makes it easier to spot when there is no animation going on, are you incapable of using your brain when you come to such conclusions? Jesus.

    <!--quoteo(post=1818268:date=Dec 22 2010, 07:07 AM:name=hyperrift)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hyperrift @ Dec 22 2010, 07:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818268"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->In the newest video posted to the original post by jamieshepard, the video from 1:50 to 1:56 or so captures the problem exactly. That stutter is everywhere.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Yeah I tried to get the point that it happens under all circumstances, and is most frustrating when you need to make quick decisions (ie. shooting) - so it really hinders gameplay. I think I also hit the tab a few times just to reinforce that it isn't anything netcode related, as my latency appears to be fine.

    Hope this has helped folks.
  • hyperrifthyperrift Join Date: 2010-12-16 Member: 75714Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1818270:date=Dec 22 2010, 08:08 AM:name=jamieshepherd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jamieshepherd @ Dec 22 2010, 08:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818270"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I told you, leave this thread already you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about... What can you offer to this thread? You're not a developer, and you're not experiencing the problem. Stop saying ridiculous things like "it must be the server" or "you're turning too fast" - You don't have the issue, so you have no clue, please exit.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    ++
  • _Thresh__Thresh_ Join Date: 2008-01-11 Member: 63385Members
    No need for that. Kouji is just trying to help.

    I'm sure the devs will get to it with this thread and video reference.
  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited December 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1818270:date=Dec 22 2010, 07:08 AM:name=jamieshepherd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jamieshepherd @ Dec 22 2010, 07:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818270"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I told you, leave this thread already you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Oh shush you, who do you think you are...

    <!--quoteo(post=1818270:date=Dec 22 2010, 07:08 AM:name=jamieshepherd)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jamieshepherd @ Dec 22 2010, 07:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818270"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->What can you offer to this thread?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Observe!

    I'm concerned about these issues as well. I'm just observing things from these video's and what I feel from my mouse and aiming. It feels like the crosshair is laggy, but the fact that I don't experience these issues as badly as you guys doesn't nullify my observations... Check that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqSKgazJdfE" target="_blank">latest video</a> of mine and you will see that I am also experiencing this stutter to some extend, similar to NS2HD...

    The bigger lagspikes or rather slideshows come from the server performance. I know this, because other players experience them at the same time. But these smaller constant stutters might come from the occlusion loading. I know that sometimes I can see holes in the map, because the engine thinks I'm not able to see those props just around the corner, while making them invisible...


    When I get close, they popup and make me lag/stutter. So this is part of the cause, by simple process of elimination...


    Here's a suggestion btw, maybe try to make a video with r_wireframe typed in the console, to see what is going on behind the scenes? cheats have to be on as well...


    [edit]
    I know these issues can be frustrating, making people missread and get angry. But can we please keep things lighthearted. We all know UWE is trying their very best to get things to run smoothly for everyone. It just takes time and we also know that patience is a lost art these days <img src="http://members.home.nl/m.borgman/ns-forum/smileys/biggrin.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />


    [edit2]
    When walking around trough the map using r_wireframe, it does stutter when it loads areas... Even in the RR where it shouldn't there are a few things Spark thinks you can't see. But when you sidestep to get it into view, as soon as it loads it will stutter. Even for simple geometry, talking about 4 or 6 faces in the ceiling near the alien RR portal
  • WheeeeWheeee Join Date: 2003-02-18 Member: 13713Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited December 2010
    was curious about this and went to make a video. turns out i get stuttering too, although not nearly as bad as the videos posted, i get rubberbanding of a frame perhaps once every 10 seconds.

    *edit* the skulk leap frame rubberbanding is not the same bug as the stuttering. i've been testing it and it seems like a completely different bug, separate from any frame-hitching.

    It's due to leaping at a negative angle (i.e. from the horizontal). leap will never rubberband if you leap while looking above horizontal or land at a steep angle. if you do the jump-leap bug, you don't get frame hitching at the end. it's the same whether it's unupgraded leap or running leap
  • VanillamarineVanillamarine Join Date: 2009-10-17 Member: 69068Members
    I have exactly the same stutter as shown in the video. I thought the devs are aware of these problems ... WTF

    phenom 1050
    4890
    4gig ram
    win7 64

    General low fps aswell, 40 to 50 fps, but the biggest issue are these stutters and glitches.
  • SN.WolfSN.Wolf Join Date: 2010-03-29 Member: 71115Members
    As a dedicated server operator i can tell you this:

    Memory usage is about 2Mb per connected player. (average ping for all players was 120ish)
    CPU jumped to 100% on an average of every 3 seconds like clockwork. I get about a 20 minute run with 4 or more players in before it chokes and crashes.
    Empty it runs for hours.

    The crash error reported to me by some of the clients connected was a .SWF error but i couldn't get details just failed to render blah blah blah .swf error. I myself get the stutter and while running in windowed i confirmed it was happening when the dedi box CPU spiked.

    The memory didn't seem to be an issue as much as it was a few builds ago. I for one am losing faith and hope that this can even be fixed but i'll keep my fingers crossed.
  • AsranielAsraniel Join Date: 2002-06-03 Member: 724Members, Playtest Lead, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Retired Community Developer
    just to add more details so that the devs can work on it:

    I also have the stutter described in the videos, even if my fps are quite good (average 40 on tram and 50 on rockdown).

    What i observed is the following:
    When running a local game alone, the stutter is nearly gone, it happens sometimes, and i think it's occlusion culling.

    As soon as i play on a server, even with good ping, it comes quite often. But the stutter is a little different. Its like, i move 2 meters forward, and get pulled 10 cm backward all the time. perhaps not all 2 meters, but you get the idea.
    Here i think it has something todo with the server, it "feels" like the server decided that i collided with an object and has to pull me back. It is somethimes worse when walking near/around/over buildings.

    hope this helps.

    PS: i almost got used to it. Try playing a game like Left4dead2 too see the difference, it is very big.
  • WheeeeWheeee Join Date: 2003-02-18 Member: 13713Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited December 2010
    i've been testing this quite a bit. it doesn't happen or is very minor when creating a LAN game by yourself. I attempted to simulate a game by adding bots and placing structures/sentries/hydras, but it had no effect and I couldn't reproduce a large stutter.

    However, when I played on a full server (5v5) i stuttered near places where a corridor would open up into a large area (like the central area in tram).

    LAN game:
    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJvFpWsfNC0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJvFpWsfNC0</a>

    LAN game with bots:
    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAmO0Orr-Gs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAmO0Orr-Gs</a>

    Net game:
    <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKUF8QgSJVA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKUF8QgSJVA</a>
  • VanillamarineVanillamarine Join Date: 2009-10-17 Member: 69068Members
    Another thing to note, when playing in 14 player servers. The tickrate of the server is actually INCREDIBLY low, it was bouncing from 16 to 9. So the highest tickrate on the 14 player server that I was able to observe via my netstats was 25 and that was when everyone was in the readyroom. Isn't a tickrate of 9-16 extremely low and bound to create "lags"?
  • TacotaTacota Join Date: 2009-10-12 Member: 69027Members
    edited December 2010
    I used to have the problem, don't anymore, thankfully(okay, well rarely). GTX 260 + C2D E8500
    Lol @ people saying untestable with it.

    Annoying - yes.
    Untestable - no.
  • endarendar Join Date: 2010-07-27 Member: 73256Members, Squad Five Blue
    i7 3.33ghz
    12gb
    GTX295
    win 7 64

    It took me 3 pages to realize that ive experienced this stutter. It is not constant, 99%% of the time the game is "playable". I run a server, and ive noticed in the chat logs sometimes people complain about the stutter, so I joined to see what it was, and you couldn't walk 5 metres without getting bounced back a bit, and it would constantly keep happening. I restarted the server, problem gone. It only happens if the server is up for long periods of time (2 days+).

    And to the people assuming the devs are aware of the problem and are working on it, did you ever submit a getsatisfaction? (im sure some of you have).
  • endarendar Join Date: 2010-07-27 Member: 73256Members, Squad Five Blue
    <!--quoteo(post=1818340:date=Dec 22 2010, 10:37 PM:name=Tacota)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tacota @ Dec 22 2010, 10:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818340"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Lol @ people saying untestable with it.

    Annoying - yes.
    Untestable - no.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I'd like to add that I believe when it occurs it is untestable/unplayable. You may not have experienced it on the same level as others.
  • EggcakeEggcake Join Date: 2010-12-19 Member: 75773Members
    edited December 2010
    As I showed in another thread, there is some microstuttering going on. Also on Singleplayer.

    On top of that, I noticed since patch 160 (159 was okay!) some HEAVY slowdowns at specific points in the game. One example is the extractor position right outside the marines base on rockdown. When I stand right in front of the huge vent and look north (away from the vent) I get slowdowns down to 17fps. It stays like this for a while also when I move north.
    It's on 1680x1050 and I only tested it online, but I have never noticed it with 159. The exact same thing happened at the alien hive at a specific position.
    Edit: I cannot reproduce it offline at the moment. But it was definitely there several times and I'm 100% sure that I never experienced this with 159.


    If you want to show the stuttering, do a FRAPS benchmark - but NOT with fps or even average fps but with frametimes and plot them.
  • peregrinusperegrinus Join Date: 2010-07-16 Member: 72445Members
    My game's stuttering is similar to the video posted in the first post, but worse because my fps is nowhere as good as that guy's.
  • EggcakeEggcake Join Date: 2010-12-19 Member: 75773Members
    By the way:

    I don't think it has anything to do with loading textures on the hard drive or something. I tested it both with a Solid State Drive and a slow HDD - altough the FPS were a bit lower (probably just coincidence), the stuttering was pretty much the same.
  • jamieshepherdjamieshepherd Join Date: 2009-09-04 Member: 68693Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1818340:date=Dec 22 2010, 12:37 PM:name=Tacota)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tacota @ Dec 22 2010, 12:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1818340"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I used to have the problem, don't anymore, thankfully(okay, well rarely). GTX 260 + C2D E8500
    Lol @ people saying untestable with it.

    Annoying - yes.
    Untestable - no.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    You don't understand, it feels a lot worse than it looks. If your game stops for a millisecond every two seconds, you can definitely feel it a lot more than you can see it as a 3rd party. It makes the game untestable for me through absolute frustration.
  • EggcakeEggcake Join Date: 2010-12-19 Member: 75773Members
    edited December 2010
    <b>Gameplay stutter visualized:</b>

    <!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->For everyone who doesn't want to read everything: just read the red text ;)<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

    What I did:

    - Benchmarked Frametimes with Fraps on Tram and Rockdown
    - Of course I could not do the same things in SP as I did in MP - there was action involved in MP, but not that much


    Put simple (for anyone who doesn't know what the following graphs tell you) : the frametimes give a much better "resolution" of the FPS. It tells you how long it took for the computer to show one frame. Perfect 30FPS would be about 33ms per frame. But 5x 100ms + 25x 20ms would also be "30fps" - of course this is much worse than the previous example! That means for the following graphs: every spike is one short "freeze".
    That's also how people found out about the microstuttering with MGPU, by the way.

    Of course most of you guys don't need the confirmation, because the stuttering is pretty obvious. I only wanted to give some actual numbers. It's also clear, that the stuttering is much <!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->worse (less often, less severe) in MP than SP<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> (and as I said: there wasn't much action involved).
    I can also pretty much <!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->rule out harddrives<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->. The benches on Rockdown were made on a HDD, the benches on Tram on a fast SSD. There are some single stutterers which weren't visible on the SSD, but the "periodic" stuttering is always there, no matter what drive I used.
    Also the <!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->details don't influence the stuttering<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->, as far as I could tell.

    Aanyway:

    <img src="http://www.abload.de/img/rockdown7uzl.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

    <img src="http://www.abload.de/img/tram663b.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />


    Oh about the timeframe: I had around 25-60fps, so I benched for around 30-40s. So I'd say one "freeze" every ~2s.

    <!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro--><b>To be clear: the lower the numbers are the more FPS you get! Every single spike is one short "freeze" where the image takes up to 100ms to render!</b>
    Also note, that on Rockdown there ~2000 frames (I benched longer/better fps) and on Tram only about 1000 - keep that in mind when looking at the graphs. There isn't more stuttering in Rockdown, the graph is just tighter. It's pretty much the same.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
  • daelidaeli Join Date: 2010-04-05 Member: 71179Members
    Very nice graph. You should add that the spikes are not frame increases but stutters. When no image is rendered fraps somehow increases fps to very high numbers.
  • AsranielAsraniel Join Date: 2002-06-03 Member: 724Members, Playtest Lead, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Retired Community Developer
    very interesting!

    and the fact that its so regular probably increases the chances that max can find the cause :)
  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited December 2010
    That graph shows it perfectly. Come to think of it, these periodic stutters (1 to 2 seconds interval) are VERY similar to what I used to have in Source (TF2 engine version), and sometimes still experience from time to time. The cause there was that it had to do something with Source doing some heavy file writing to the HDD during gameplay. Normally not a problem as the HDD could handle it, only AVG messing around by scanning those files each time it got modified did create this FPS stutter in Source...


    Then it comes down to the question of what viral protection stuff is UWE running on their machines and what we are running, because they seem to be unable to reproduce it on their machines :/

    Could it be that Spark is doing something similar?
  • DelphicDelphic Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58262Members
    hmm I get this stuttering normally, will try turning off all my anti-virus stuff (doesn't interfere with most games but...) and see if it disappears.
  • cbel1cbel1 Join Date: 2010-12-22 Member: 75858Members
    We bought NS2 with my friend recently to support the game and we both are experiencing the same stuttering effect. The game is pretty much unplayable at the moment. Yeah sure you can test it, but if you try to <b>play it for real</b> then its just plain horrible. Keep the patches coming, you are doing great job guys!

    Q6600
    460GTX
    4gb
    Win 7 64bit
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