Performance Problems

illvmillvm Join Date: 2010-05-11 Member: 71722Members
I fired up the alpha today and much to my dismay it was rather unplayable. I was getting roughly 3-5 FPS@1440x900 in most with the following specs:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67GHz
4GB DDR3
nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512

I know my video card isn't exactly cutting edge but it seems like it should be able to handle a bit more than a few frames a second. Is there anything I can do (other than swap out with newer hardware) to fix the issue?

Also, does anyone know how to uninvert the mouse? Couldn't find it in the options. =/

Comments

  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    You didn't fire up the alpha, you fired up the pre-Alpha engine test which is riddled with bugs and not representative at all of actual game performance.
  • FocusedWolfFocusedWolf Join Date: 2005-01-09 Member: 34258Members
    edited May 2010
    this post was to annoying imo
  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi! Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    It's a pre-alpha engine test.

    Bad Company 2 is a fully optimised and released game.

    Your lack of understanding in almost every post astounds me focused wolf.
  • Lemming JesusLemming Jesus Join Date: 2010-04-13 Member: 71385Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1770977:date=May 12 2010, 10:43 AM:name=FocusedWolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (FocusedWolf @ May 12 2010, 10:43 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1770977"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The engine runs poor is an understatement.

    The other day i inherited a copy of bad company 2 from someone that could not even get it to load. Lets just say at 1920 x 1200 resolution i had every conceivable setting to the maximum (i was assuming the worst because i can't do this with crysis without noticing fps drops every time a nuke explodes in multiplayer).... Anyway... guess what. Bad company runs smooth as silk and i was really shocked.

    Now lets look at NS2. Well it doesn't have any form of anti-aisling running right now and the performance is disappointing at approximately 34 to 48 fps for me (same hardware, gtx 285). It runs lets say like how Crysis runs on my system. I haven't played Crysis in a while but lets just say that i think Crysis runs better then NS2 does on the same hardware.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    <img src="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/picard-facepalm.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
  • reasareasa Join Date: 2002-11-10 Member: 8010Members, Constellation
    Give it time. This team is very speedy in correcting problems.
  • MaxMax Technical Director, Unknown Worlds Entertainment Join Date: 2002-03-15 Member: 318Super Administrators, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, Constellation, Subnautica Developer, Pistachionauts, Future Perfect Developer
    We released an update last night (Build 146) that corrected an issue that degraded performance in the initial Steam release. I'd be interested in hearing if that made a difference for you.

    More optimizations are on the way; this release was just to correct a bug that was introduced in the 11th hour that destroyed performance near shadow casting lights.

    By the way, my desktop also has a GeForce 8800 GTS 512.
  • JAmazonJAmazon Join Date: 2009-02-21 Member: 66503Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1770991:date=May 12 2010, 06:55 PM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Max @ May 12 2010, 06:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1770991"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->By the way, my desktop also has a GeForce 8800 GTS 512.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I think we gotta pitch in and get Max a 480 :D
  • PopenatorPopenator Join Date: 2009-08-27 Member: 68617Members
    edited May 2010
    The only performance increase I notice seems to be due to the sounds successfully loading, rather than spamming the log with errors every time a bullet is fired or a stick figure pops up.

    GeForce 9600GT 1gb

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I think we gotta pitch in and get Max a 480 :D<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    You give a mouse a cookie... and then NS2 graphics requirements become those of Crysis
  • SgtBarlowSgtBarlow Level Designer Join Date: 2003-11-13 Member: 22749Members, NS2 Developer
    edited May 2010
    <!--quoteo(post=1770991:date=May 12 2010, 06:55 PM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Max @ May 12 2010, 06:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1770991"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->We released an update last night (Build 146) that corrected an issue that degraded performance in the initial Steam release. I'd be interested in hearing if that made a difference for you.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


    It has yes. (8800 GTX)
    Still a weard delay when fireing the gun.
  • IeptBarakatIeptBarakat The most difficult name to speak ingame. Join Date: 2009-07-10 Member: 68107Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
    8800GT.

    Only issue is when shooting and initial movement.
  • -Nemesis--Nemesis- Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71301Members
    Its an Engine TEST people....

    I am amazed at how many people think that the final product is going to be like this!!

    We pre-ordered the game....
    As a huge thanks, the guys have allowed us a very early access to the first "playable" example of NS2 to give us a feel, and keep us upto date

    As mentioned above, this is not a Beta, its not even an Alpha... infact, its not even a pre-alpha!

    So, as arnie once said, "STOP WHINING!"
  • rofldinhorofldinho Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68259Members
    edited May 2010
    Yes, it's only an engine test, but given how long they've supposedly worked on it and how many of us there are desperate for this game to be a success, then being slightly worried at the very poor performance is only to be expected.

    I'm worried that the engine for the engine test is pretty much what they're going to use for the Alpha. And in all honesty, not only is the performance poor, but it doesn't look very good either.

    I'm starting to hope that UWE have a backup plan in case it turns out they can't enhance the game/engine or make it look decent enough to sell to non-NS fans. MW2 is a great looking game and seems to run very well on decent PC's - would licensing their engine not be a possibility? And how hard would it be to create NS2 using someone else's engine, compared to developing your own and going through the issues of enhancing performance etc? IIRC they moved away from using the Source engine because of a dispute over the licencing fees.

    And yes, I'm a programming noob who doesn't know one thing about these things. I'm just praying for NS2 to come out sometime this year and be fast, good looking, and have similar gameplay to that of NS1.
  • illvmillvm Join Date: 2010-05-11 Member: 71722Members
    Max, the patch helped out quite a bit. There are still a few hiccups, especially when I new sound plays (e.g. gunshot, reload, dummy collapse, etc.) but at least I can navigate the map(s) now. Haven't tried it with players yet (assuming that's possible).

    As for everyone flaming people for saying the engine is running poorly: this is actually useful feedback. Especially if posted along with hardware and software specification (assuming the engine doesn't do auto surveying, which I doubt it does). We all understand it's not a final, polished product and all of us are interested in NS2 being a great game! This can't really be done without feedback from the community. Especially given that there are only a handful of people working on the game.

    Grats to UWE BTW. It's no small feat to make a game engine from scratch (the math alone is boggling) and sustain a large, rabid fan base. Hopefully you don't feel pressured to release the game early and the funds from the pre-orders can keep you sustained until NS2 is ready for release.
  • InsaneInsane Anomaly Join Date: 2002-05-13 Member: 605Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, NS2 Map Tester, Subnautica Developer, Pistachionauts, Future Perfect Developer
    <!--quoteo(post=1771024:date=May 12 2010, 10:51 PM:name=rofldinho)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rofldinho @ May 12 2010, 10:51 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1771024"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm starting to hope that UWE have a backup plan in case it turns out they can't enhance the game/engine or make it look decent enough to sell to non-NS fans. MW2 is a great looking game and seems to run very well on decent PC's - would licensing their engine not be a possibility? And how hard would it be to create NS2 using someone else's engine, compared to developing your own and going through the issues of enhancing performance etc? IIRC they moved away from using the Source engine because of a dispute over the licencing fees.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    The move to Source happened because it turned out to be considerably easier to get work done with the engine that evolved into Spark, particularly in the environment/level design pipeline. I'm not aware of any licensing issues.

    Licensing a third engine at this stage would be prohibitively expensive and involve chucking away a huge quantity of work. Since switching to our own engine, the pace of development has shot forward, thanks in part to a proprietary toolset that is tailored to NS2 developers' needs.

    It's worth bearing in mind that before the engine test was released, it was only possible to test Spark on a small number of developers' machines. It was inevitable that once it was public a whole range of performance issues would crop up when faced with unfamiliar hardware. This is no reflection on the quality of the engine or on Max and Kurt's abilities as programmers (which are considerable), but simply a necessary stage in the testing phase.

    In terms of visuals, you should realise that there are several layers of visual polish absent from this test build. Some of this is graphics tech not included (such as volumetric lights) and some of it involves further environment detailing and polish that weren't deemed necessary for pre-alpha test environments.
  • -Nemesis--Nemesis- Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71301Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1771024:date=May 12 2010, 11:51 PM:name=rofldinho)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rofldinho @ May 12 2010, 11:51 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1771024"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Yes, it's only an engine test, but given how long they've supposedly worked on it and how many of us there are desperate for this game to be a success, then being slightly worried at the very poor performance is only to be expected.

    I'm worried that the engine for the engine test is pretty much what they're going to use for the Alpha. And in all honesty, not only is the performance poor, but it doesn't look very good either.

    I'm starting to hope that UWE have a backup plan in case it turns out they can't enhance the game/engine or make it look decent enough to sell to non-NS fans. MW2 is a great looking game and seems to run very well on decent PC's - would licensing their engine not be a possibility? And how hard would it be to create NS2 using someone else's engine, compared to developing your own and going through the issues of enhancing performance etc? IIRC they moved away from using the Source engine because of a dispute over the licencing fees.

    And yes, I'm a programming noob who doesn't know one thing about these things. I'm just praying for NS2 to come out sometime this year and be fast, good looking, and have similar gameplay to that of NS1.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    This is exactly why pre-alpha and alpha stages are usually done behind closed doors!

    This is a TEST - how many times do we have to mention it? AA is not even enabled yet!
    If you look in a dictionary, it doesnt say "Test - A final, completed version"....

    This test is no reflection on the final performance of the engine, and to say your 'worried' that it will reflect the final product really does show your understanding of game development!

    Do you walk onto a building site and moan that your worried your front room doesnt look like you thought it would?!
    Do you goto a motor show and moan that the concept car has no engine?!
    Do you expect a new born baby to suddenly start goign to work??

    No - you dont! (Crap anologys I know)
    But again, you cant start moaning that a test is not what you expect - All games have been at this stage, believe it or not, even those games that you claim currently run "smooth" were once running at 10fps!

    When we have the Beta - then you can start to praise how well UWE have developed the game, and you can look back on this and think "My god, I feel like an idiot"

    Anyway, I must stop ranting, I need to take back these seeds I got from the garden centre - Planted then 1 hour ago, and I have yet to see them bloom...
  • cmc5788cmc5788 Join Date: 2009-10-06 Member: 68959Members
    edited May 2010
    To be honest I am genuinely surprised that they've even fixed the compatibility issues that they have, with the sort of large-scale audience the engine test has suddenly been exposed to. That and AFAIK not many/none of the UWE team has ever been involved in preparing such a huge product for release to such a big audience.

    And to any of you complaining about performance: have you EVER tested a commercial game in its pre-alpha state before? I have, and I've gotta say, I'm not sure what you're expecting. Some of the "fine commercial products" you enjoy today, I can guarantee, were unplayable and bug-ridden in their pre-alpha state. Things will get better.
  • spellman23spellman23 NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1771100:date=May 13 2010, 02:51 PM:name=cmc5788)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cmc5788 @ May 13 2010, 02:51 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1771100"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->To be honest I am genuinely surprised that they've even fixed the compatibility issues that they have, with the sort of large-scale audience the engine test has suddenly been exposed to. That and AFAIK not many/none of the UWE team has ever been involved in preparing such a huge product for release to such a big audience.

    And to any of you complaining about performance: have you EVER tested a commercial game in its pre-alpha state before? I have, and I've gotta say, I'm not sure what you're expecting. Some of the "fine commercial products" you enjoy today, I can guarantee, were unplayable and bug-ridden in their pre-alpha state. Things will get better.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Max helped make the engine for Titan Quest. That was pretty big...

    Also, yes, I have worked in a pre-alpha testing environment.
  • RobBRobB TUBES OF THE INTERWEB Join Date: 2003-08-11 Member: 19423Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Windows XP Pro SP3
    AMD X2 4800+
    nVidia geForce 8500 GT (yep. the passive cooled one. it was 50 bucks when my original high end card died, so i grabbed it as exchange card and torture it for over a year now)

    Performancereport for last release: improved to somewhat ok-ish on "redicously low", it does have some weird hiccups that prevent me from doing anything until I alt tab out and back in, waiting for "restoring".
  • DrummerDrummer Join Date: 2004-02-18 Member: 26654Members
    win7 64-bit
    amd x2 4400
    geforce 7600GT
    2 GB ram

    i get very similar performance at awful through high for each resolution. meaning, my performance is much more dependent on the resolution rather than the visual quality. when switching between the settings at one resolution, my fps only wavers about 5 fps from the lowest setting to the highest (granted, im only at 20, so 5 fps might be a lot.) this may just be because of my now ancient video card tho. i would just expect the visual quality to affect fps more than the resolution would

    but this might all be moot since i plan on getting a new card by the time we hit the final release date
  • FocusedWolfFocusedWolf Join Date: 2005-01-09 Member: 34258Members
    edited May 2010
    Max i have a question actually.

    Why is it when i shoot the gun that the game sort of hiccups. I forget what the command was to show fps, but back when i knew what it was... i noticed also a fps drop when i shot my weapon.

    Now this is going to sound weird, or maybe not, but i can hear my video card. It makes a certain sound when it's processing... like a buzz, now when i play the game it's running a little rough, but when i shoot... their's a moment of silence where it sounds like the card stops processing briefly before the cores fire up again.

    I'm wondering if their's something not be pre-cached regarding the firing animation... i mean you should be able to see this also. Just set the fps counter to visible and watch before and during the firing of a weapon. Their should be a fps drop while firing. It's almost like when you shoot that your loading something heavy into gpu memory via some gun script, and when you stop, that it unloads. Just a theory.
  • PsYcH0_Ch!cKeNPsYcH0_Ch!cKeN Join Date: 2009-12-11 Member: 69601Members
    edited May 2010
    EDIT: Further testing shows I was wrong. Disregard.
  • aerialistaerialist Join Date: 2010-01-31 Member: 70377Members
    I have the same issues about the lag just before my gun fires.
  • -Nemesis--Nemesis- Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71301Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1771275:date=May 15 2010, 04:22 AM:name=FocusedWolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (FocusedWolf @ May 15 2010, 04:22 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1771275"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Max i have a question actually.

    Why is it when i shoot the gun that the game sort of hiccups. I forget what the command was to show fps, but back when i knew what it was... i noticed also a fps drop when i shot my weapon.

    Now this is going to sound weird, or maybe not, but i can hear my video card. It makes a certain sound when it's processing... like a buzz, now when i play the game it's running a little rough, but when i shoot... their's a moment of silence where it sounds like the card stops processing briefly before the cores fire up again.

    I'm wondering if their's something not be pre-cached regarding the firing animation... i mean you should be able to see this also. Just set the fps counter to visible and watch before and during the firing of a weapon. Their should be a fps drop while firing. It's almost like when you shoot that your loading something heavy into gpu memory via some gun script, and when you stop, that it unloads. Just a theory.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I can answer this for you...

    It lags, because its a test
    it lags because its not optimized!

    Now, Stop Whine!
  • FocusedWolfFocusedWolf Join Date: 2005-01-09 Member: 34258Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1771381:date=May 16 2010, 06:10 AM:name=-Nemesis-)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (-Nemesis- @ May 16 2010, 06:10 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1771381"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I can answer this for you...

    It lags, because its a test
    it lags because its not optimized!

    Now, Stop Whine!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    As long as it's a well known problem then that is all that matters :P
  • RebeliRebeli Join Date: 2003-06-09 Member: 17158Members, Constellation
    Min fps for me in both maps was about 40 with full settings.
    With ridiculously awful min fps were around 55, normally around 80 :)
    Works pretty well considering pre-alpha status.

    Running:

    E8400@4.2Ghz
    4GB DDR2 1200Mhz
    Radeon 5770
    Win 7 64bit
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