Author Topic: Extreme game slowdown  (Read 2623 times)

Offline FrostDragon

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Extreme game slowdown
« on: May 18, 2012, 10:04:27 pm »
I've ran in to an instance where my game has been brought to a screeching halt,  and this doesn't have to do with the ability to progress in the game.  it's more like the game is now running at 1 FPS and no that's not a typo.  I entered a cave and it looks like there is a whole bunch and I mean a whole bunch of waterfalls.  Needless to say, I can't jump or anything.  but as soon as I pause the game, which takes 3 or 4 seconds holding down the 'P' Key, the frame rate goes all the way back up  and sits stable at 60fps

You can have a look for yourself.  http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595845186224128726/67695AEF6758C658ACF48784571F5472FF7BDDCE/

I do have a copy of the world saved in it's current state if anyone want to have a look at it

Offline NyQuil

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2012, 10:08:22 pm »
I thought it was just me.  I just got done running a chkdsk and I'm now running a defrag.  For me, it was the increased movement speed seemed to randomly skip frames and pause, or whenever I'd pick up anything.   No second or longer skips, but definite hiccups.  I just assumed my pc was having i/o problems.




Edit: Good god does MyDefrag take forever if you haven't run it in a few weeks.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2012, 10:42:23 pm by NyQuil »

Offline FrostDragon

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2012, 11:04:46 pm »
Doing a little investigating it would seem that the game uses only 1 core on a multicore CPU.  So I think that's where some of the stuttering and in my case the extreme slow down are coming from. 

Offline Coppermantis

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2012, 11:16:44 pm »
Yes. I get fine framerate except where there are waterfalls. Lagged me to death, literally.
I can already tell this is going to be a roller coaster ride of disappointment.

Offline NyQuil

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2012, 11:30:26 pm »
I just finished my main sata drive chkdsk and MyDefrag and the game runs really well, except when I hit a pickup.  It seems the Player Character is just ducking, but it really feels like a pause whenever I run past any dropped item.    I don't know if it was a change or I am just noticing more pauses, but the game is smooth outside of pickups.

I hate to ask, but is there a way with this engine to put a bunch of files, such as the image files, into one (open source) file?  So instead of 25,774 Files, 1,269 Folders there are a few less files/folders that can be compressed if you want to mod/edit?

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Edit again:  The delay is the same as before, but it seems more noticeable.  I just tested,

Edit 2:  I have no problems anymore.

Edit 3:  I'm playing a bit, and I really only hit anything when there is an item to pickip, and there is a delay.  I don't know if it is intended, but I didn't notice it before.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2012, 12:28:25 am by NyQuil »

Offline tigersfan

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2012, 08:04:24 am »
There's definitely a problem here. Sorry about this. We'll look into this ASAP.

Offline x4000

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2012, 09:39:03 am »
Okay, this issue is now solved -- sorry about this!  http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AVWW_-_Post-Launch_Series_1_Release_Notes#Beta_1.024

I don't get a perfect 60fps in that waterfall cavern still, but that's due almost entirely to graphics load and I'm still north of 30fps solidly.  The prior problem was a CPU thing and is definitely fixed.  If the GPU thing is still an issue on some cards, that's something I'll have to look at more on Monday.

I hate to ask, but is there a way with this engine to put a bunch of files, such as the image files, into one (open source) file?  So instead of 25,774 Files, 1,269 Folders there are a few less files/folders that can be compressed if you want to mod/edit?

Sorry, but no -- we can't distribute our files in packages or our bandwidth costs go sky-high (every time we add or change one small file, we have to redistribute a ton of stuff that didn't change).  And additionally, it wouldn't even work well with how we piecemeal load images off the disk, because we don't know what images you might need in combination and we only load what is needed -- if they were in packages, loading times would be substantially longer and RAM use would be prohibitively high.
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Offline KDR_11k

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2012, 09:55:36 am »
He just wants the option so he can use it in a mod, he doesn't want you to use those packages.

Offline x4000

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2012, 12:13:25 pm »
He just wants the option so he can use it in a mod, he doesn't want you to use those packages.

Right, but that's still not going to happen for the same runtime reasons.  Not to mention that would be a lot of code and twice as much chance for bugs with two ways of loading assets.
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Offline NyQuil

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2012, 05:33:00 am »
Not that it matters in the scheme of things, but my question was more based on windows file indexing.  I've yet to use a mod or even consider writing one.

Offline Misery

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2012, 06:36:00 am »
On the note of slowdown, I've noticed this with the lighting.

Mostly with Flash of Light; when the spell fades and the light starts to dim the game often slows down a good bit until the effect ends or I re-cast it.

Offline nanostrike

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2012, 11:02:38 am »
I've been getting slowdown since the last patch seemingly at random.  I've had it in caves, buildings, outside, ect.  Very annoying.

Offline Bluddy

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2012, 01:21:07 pm »
Yeah I'm also getting slowdown.

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2012, 01:25:56 pm »
Is there any consistency in whether there's an infestation (traps, falls, lots of nettles, etc) present, or a specific infestation?
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Offline Bluddy

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Re: Extreme game slowdown
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2012, 01:41:32 pm »
It seems like it could be related to having many entities onscreen/in the chunk. In the settlement it was pretty bad, and in a battleground mission the game was near unplayable on my MBP. No infestation or traps.