Performance improvements please

MilaniumMilanium Join Date: 2012-12-27 Member: 176388Members
edited December 2012 in Ideas and Suggestions
<div class="IPBDescription">for those with less powerful hardware</div>I bought this game knowing that there are severe performance issues with the spark engine and that a subnotebook with integrated graphics is not the ideal gaming station. <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/app/4920/discussions/0/828923952164503277/" target="_blank">http://steamcommunity.com/app/4920/discuss...23952164503277/</a> Still it would be great if development could focus on making this great game work without having a liquid nitrogen cooled nano-super-computer as I can play Source engine games just fine. By the way people with uber-hardware expect the game to run with 1000 FPS all the time and also complain a lot which hinders vital positive word-of-mouth-propaganda.

I posted some PLOGs because it has been suggested to do a full log to investigate pc ressource comsumption. Can't check as they seem to be some kind of binary-only and ~50 MBs:

<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=35479B506045A6E6!179&authkey=!AKu8-GCMcfi12xM" target="_blank">https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=35479...AKu8-GCMcfi12xM</a>
<a href="https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=35479B506045A6E6!178&authkey=!AODFf97VQp-v40Y" target="_blank">https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=35479...AODFf97VQp-v40Y</a>

The log textfile only has few interesting debug messages:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Date: 12/28/12
Time: 12:40:55
--------------------------------------------------------------
Build 235
Steam initialized
Render Device: Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (9.17.10.2875)
Logging all to 'client-1228-114141.plog'
Cost per profile 33.686ns<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
only a meaningless
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Error: Couldn't open file ''<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
is spammed multiple times while in the middle of a game and in the end there is a:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Error: Attempted to load remote options from a file that does not exist.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


<b>Some suggestions:</b>
<ul><li>alternative low-poly models <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/-1/828925849280957661/?appid=4920" target="_blank">http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discuss...661/?appid=4920</a></li><li>port the rendering core from Windows/DirectX to Linux/OpenGL as <a href="http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/faster-zombies/" target="_blank">http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/faster-zombies/</a></li><li>optimize ressource hog game code parts as you are doing already :)</li><li>collect stripped (not 50 MB, only the vital information) performance logs automatically if users opt-in</li><li>the breakpad crash reporter also freezed and shows no progress bar so I am not sure if I ever successfully send anything to the developers</li></ul>
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Comments

  • DwavenhobbleDwavenhobble Join Date: 2012-12-14 Member: 175044Members
    I see your problem. it Reads Intel, that seems to be the biggest problem most people have. Be it graphics cards or processors they always seem to be trouble
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  • SixtyWattManSixtyWattMan Join Date: 2004-09-05 Member: 31404Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2053029:date=Dec 29 2012, 05:08 PM:name=Dwavenhobble)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dwavenhobble @ Dec 29 2012, 05:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2053029"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I see your problem. it Reads Intel, that seems to be the biggest problem most people have. Be it graphics cards or processors they always seem to be trouble<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I bet you use an AMD. laughinggirls.bmp
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  • CommunistWithAGunCommunistWithAGun Local Propaganda Guy Join Date: 2003-04-30 Member: 15953Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2053029:date=Dec 29 2012, 03:08 PM:name=Dwavenhobble)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dwavenhobble @ Dec 29 2012, 03:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2053029"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I see your problem. it Reads Intel, that seems to be the biggest problem most people have. Be it graphics cards or processors they always seem to be trouble<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Everyone point and laugh at this person before he edits his post
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  • DwavenhobbleDwavenhobble Join Date: 2012-12-14 Member: 175044Members
    <!--quoteo(post=2053050:date=Dec 29 2012, 09:47 PM:name=SixtyWattMan)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SixtyWattMan @ Dec 29 2012, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2053050"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I bet you use an AMD. laughinggirls.bmp<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <!--quoteo(post=2053105:date=Dec 30 2012, 12:07 AM:name=CommunistWithAGun)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CommunistWithAGun @ Dec 30 2012, 12:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2053105"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Everyone point and laugh at this person before he edits his post<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    say what you like about Intel being the more powerful, I have at present a rather old AMD machine from before the days of multi core that has 3.6gigahetz power in it.

    Also some old AMD machines which still run quite fine.
    I did have two Intel Machines before.
    One barely runs and slowed down to a crawl.
    The other was my previous laptop which overheated so badly it melted the graphics card to the processor and over the course of its life had numerous errors and repairs needed.

    I've yet to have any kind of serious issue with an AMD hell I know someone with a 7 year old AMD laptop that still runs.

    honestly give me a machine that will last over one that's powerful and will die in 2 years any day
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  • geoxilegeoxile Join Date: 2010-12-24 Member: 75926Members
    Linux/OpenGL makes no sense. They are not an exclusive package, OpenGL is its own thing. Also, the performance overheads are proportional, you're probably not going to see 20+ FPS differences in NS2 unless your card is entirely capable of playing the game smoothly to begin with. And honestly, I wouldn't take Valve's word on it. For the past decade they've been stuck on DX9 or below and despite putting out new games on new builds of the Source engine they've yet to do anything with DX11.
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  • MilaniumMilanium Join Date: 2012-12-27 Member: 176388Members
    The spark engine is also using DirectX version 9 <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/wiki/index.php/Engine" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/wiki/index.php/Engine</a> oh and wait what, Adobe Flash? You might want to migrate that to something sane, too.

    Valve also wrote that they got a measurable performance boost when switching to OpenGL because of some DirectX overhead they were not aware of so the knowledge they gained might also increase FPS for Windows gamers in the long turn. As they publish their findings in scientific papers and attend academic conferences <a href="http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/publications.html" target="_blank">http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/publications.html</a> I doubt that they just made that up.

    Don't see the problem with Intel. Bought them because of their great Linux Open Source drivers and not because I want a gaming machine, but anyway they have partnered up with Valve for gaming on Linux <a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTE2ODg" target="_blank">http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news...&px=MTE2ODg</a>
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