OpenGL Issues that need attention

SmashIT

So a couple of people running linux had been telling me that vsync was stuck on in NS2 so they are locked in at 60fps and unable to turn it off, so lets chalk that up as issue #1.
Talking to them I was wondering if it is a linux or opengl related issue so I changed from DX9 to OpenGL on my Windows 7 machine to see if I had VSync stock on as well under windows.
After restarting NS2 it quickly freaked out popping up 3 GGLSLcompiler.exe error boxes before NS2 crashed.
Hope this info helps you think of a way to fix it and if you could get it sorted soon in the next hotfix that would be just great!
Naughty Skulk

warped

I'm one of these having all these problems. Running Arch 3.12.9-2.

Stuck at 60 FPS, also the crashing has become much worse than previous builds.

0ni

It's less to do with vsync and more to do with the fact that there isn't a proper fullscreen mode. It's running in a window on the desktop. I think that might also be one of the sources of the performance drop you see when moving over to Linux. It's not so bad, on Enlightenment I gain maybe 4 fps over KDE, but that pales in comparison to the 30-50 I lose from windows to linux. Hopefully UWE's "commitment" to their engine means we'll continue to see improvement in this area.

A bigger issue I've had is that in order to not play at 9 fps I have to restart ns2 after each and every game. Even if the map doesn't change. Currently getting 40fps early game with an i5 650 @4ghtz and a HD 7870 @ stock, I think even just in brute power I should be able to expect more then that.

In terms of openGL specifically I was never able to properly compare them as openGL didn't work in windows for me. Straight up CTD most of the time with the occasional system lock. My windows partition is forever gone now though and I'm at the point in my life where I'd rather give up gaming then Linux.

Just in case any Devs read this:
Not getting my shadow badge until the game runs semi decent on Linux. Not that you desperately need my $70 but I really want you to have it and I really want my shadow lerk skin, but rules are rules and doubly so for personal rules.


@warped
if you're decently familiar with Arch and are willing to do a separate partition would you be willing to try installing steam and ns2 without a desktop environment? I know going straight from terminal for everything is a lot of hassle but I'm curious to see what performance gains could be had by not running ns2 on top of a gui. I won't blame you for not wanting to try though. I'm going to guess that it's single digit gains at best.

warped

It's a lot of hassle. I would rather just install Windows on a separate partition. not that i would.
I share your sentiments about giving up NS2 before Linux.

At the moment though, it seems like it wouldn't make a difference, still be locked at 60 FPS.

Also, have done testing with 3.12.9-2. It actually loads the game now, however it is crashing quite frequently. Especially when opening menus.
Still back on LTS kernel, for stability.

rkfg

Happens to me as well. In the build 262 VSync was off even if enabled in nvidia-settings. The game is way more responsible when it's off, and now I feel like the mouse sensitivity became lower and I'm like underwater even though Subnautica isn't released yet. No matter how many times it was discussed and how few frames there are between the mouse move and actual moving, VSync makes you slower and less accurate. Until NVIDIA releases more cheap G-Sync monitors or some sort of addon to existing monitors, there's no another way to get fast response except turning VSync off.

So you may try to disable it in nvidia-settings (and it will affect other games and maybe videoplayback which is too bad) or you may create a profile there. Here's how (see attached).

warped

Thank a lot @rkfg

Works perfectly for me. Back to 150+ FPS and Super smooth

Mazza

Works like a charm, @rkfg!

Cheers