Stuttering on the Nav Map

[JackBlades]

:dead:
So I've been playing for at least 6 hours now, doing one long patrol and I came upon an issue.

I have 40/100 fuel left and decided I need to get back to port to refuel. I'm heading to Surabaya by going south through the South China Sea. Shortly exiting the Luzon Straight I entered the South China Sea and am SLAMMED with huge stuttering on the Nav Map. No ships, planes, UFO's, anything in sight. Anything about 64x time compression results in a decrease in mouse movement and performance; anything above 512 time compression is unplayable. I'm not really ok with waiting 30 minutes to get back to port.

Any ideas? I've done some looking but all I found were threads with complaints about fps dropping with the outside cam but not on the nav map.

I have:
Running Stock Game
8gb ram
nvidia GeForce GTS 250 up-to-date
AMD Phenom II quad core

[fireftr18]

I had that problem with my old computer. It was a video card issue, it used shared RAM. The new computer's video card has it's own RAM. Your specs look great for the game. I assume your video card has its own RAM. Does it? If it doesn't, that may be one problem. Also, your computer may be hot. Check your vents and the interior for dust build-up.

[Pisces]

Have you submerged and did you do a hydrophone check (listening yourself)? There might be a convoy within rendering distance, but outside visual distance.

EDIT: Since it is noticable in the navmap only, it might be related to additional navmap interface additions. So, what mods are applied to your game if any, or what is in your showing in your view when it happens. Does zoomlevel make a difference?

[Hinrich Schwab]

Nav map stutter is indicative of a nearby contact. As Pisces already said, it is in rendering range, but not in drawing range of either the map or the 3D engine. The stutter is from the memory handling of both the contact object and your boat. In effect, it is an unintentional warning sign that something is near you. :ping:

[JackBlades]

I had that problem with my old computer. It was a video card issue, it used shared RAM. The new computer's video card has it's own RAM. Your specs look great for the game. I assume your video card has its own RAM. Does it? If it doesn't, that may be one problem. Also, your computer may be hot. Check your vents and the interior for dust build-up.

I thought that too. I am super paranoid about melting my machine so I keep a VERY close watch on the temp. I have 2 260mm fans, 2 180mm fans, a couple 80mm ones, and a water cooled cpu. It runs at about 90 degrees under stress. I don't think heat is an issue. I also just checked the vents to be sure and they are clean :D

Have you submerged and did you do a hydrophone check (listening yourself)? There might be a convoy within rendering distance, but outside visual distance.

EDIT: Since it is noticable in the navmap only, it might be related to additional navmap interface additions. So, what mods are applied to your game if any, or what is in your showing in your view when it happens. Does zoomlevel make a difference?

Nav map stutter is indicative of a nearby contact. As Pisces already said, it is in rendering range, but not in drawing range of either the map or the 3D engine. The stutter is from the memory handling of both the contact object and your boat. In effect, it is an unintentional warning sign that something is near you. :ping:

I will submerge now and check. I will report my findings.

[0rpheus]

I thought that too. I am super paranoid about melting my machine so I keep a VERY close watch on the temp. I have 2 260mm fans, 2 180mm fans, a couple 80mm ones, and a water cooled cpu. It runs at about 90 degrees under stress. I don't think heat is an issue. I also just checked the vents to be sure and they are clean :D

Woah... consider getting a better heat sink... 90 degrees is pretty damn hot. As an example, my board/cpu is rated to 72 degrees (c), and I try to avoid it ever going above 75 tops.

You might find, depending on your CPU (don't know much about the AMD Phenom's), that at that heat level it downclocks the CPU automatically to reduce heat-load. Mine did the same when I accidentally reset my overclock early this year - voltage was far too high, temps were in the mid 80s to 90s and the CPU would downclock itself to prevent damage, resulting in a massive judder if I was in a game.

Pretty sure it's a rendered but not visible contact, as others have said - but you may want to run a CPU monitor in the background with logging enabled so you can spot a heat-related downclock if it happens. Considering the amount of cooling you have in there, you must be running a pretty serious overclock to be hitting 90!

[JackBlades]

There were 2 ships, about 10 nm away from the sub, I nicked one of them and then the other went looking for me. I sailed off, they are now maybe 20 nm away. No other contacts.
I still have the stuttering. Let me clarify a bit more:
The stuttering is not time compression dropping to 1x. It is a drop in fps accompanied by the music repeating itself every few seconds. The mouse can barely move. All of this while viewing the nav map. Anyone ever experience this before?

[JackBlades]

Woah... consider getting a better heat sink... 90 degrees is pretty damn hot. As an example, my board/cpu is rated to 72 degrees (c), and I try to avoid it ever going above 75 tops.

You might find, depending on your CPU (don't know much about the AMD Phenom's), that at that heat level it downclocks the CPU automatically to reduce heat-load. Mine did the same when I accidentally reset my overclock early this year - voltage was far too high, temps were in the mid 80s to 90s and the CPU would downclock itself to prevent damage, resulting in a massive judder if I was in a game.

Pretty sure it's a rendered but not visible contact, as others have said - but you may want to run a CPU monitor in the background with logging enabled so you can spot a heat-related downclock if it happens. Considering the amount of cooling you have in there, you must be running a pretty serious overclock to be hitting 90!

Excuse my assumptions, I mean 90 degrees fahrenheit, about 32 (celsius). I've been running all types of games for years at that level without any issues at all. I do not overclock my machine at all to prevent any damage. I have run SH4 through convoys without any issue before. Why now?

[Fish40]

What you could try is to install the 4gig patch found in the D/L section. This is not a "game patch" per say, but rather a utility that allows programs to use 4gigs of memory. It's helped lots of folks, including myself with a variety of game issues. It couldn't hurt.

[0rpheus]

Excuse my assumptions, I mean 90 degrees fahrenheit, about 32 (celsius). I've been running all types of games for years at that level without any issues at all. I do not overclock my machine at all to prevent any damage. I have run SH4 through convoys without any issue before. Why now?


Ohhhh... that's entirely different! 32c is fine and sounds much more appropriate for your cooling setup. As to the stuttering, I'm not sure -sorry!

[Pisces]

Hmm, maybe the stuttering is caused by the music. 2 contacts shouldn't slow the game that much down. I remember there was an advice for SH3 to only put .ogg files or only .mp3 files in the gramaphone. Or maybe only .ogg. Any chance the file you were listening to was an mp3?

[JackBlades]

What you could try is to install the 4gig patch found in the D/L section. This is not a "game patch" per say, but rather a utility that allows programs to use 4gigs of memory. It's helped lots of folks, including myself with a variety of game issues. It couldn't hurt.
I can't install the 4gig patch because it says the sh4.exe version is "unknown" . I am running windows 7. As a side note I am playing the Steam retail version of the game, it is fully updated.

EDIT: I just found Large Address Array and used that successfully but I STILL have the stuttering to the point of the game breaking. :( I just don't get it

Ohhhh... that's entirely different! 32c is fine and sounds much more appropriate for your cooling setup. As to the stuttering, I'm not sure -sorry!

Not a problem! Thanks :salute:

Hmm, maybe the stuttering is caused by the music. 2 contacts shouldn't slow the game that much down. I remember there was an advice for SH3 to only put .ogg files or only .mp3 files in the gramaphone. Or maybe only .ogg. Any chance the file you were listening to was an mp3?

I have 1 .wav file from the stock game in the gramaphone. I like the stock soundtrack so I keep the gramaphone off

[JackBlades]

Have you submerged and did you do a hydrophone check (listening yourself)? There might be a convoy within rendering distance, but outside visual distance.

EDIT: Since it is noticable in the navmap only, it might be related to additional navmap interface additions. So, what mods are applied to your game if any, or what is in your showing in your view when it happens. Does zoomlevel make a difference?

I missed your edit Pisces. I am running the stock game, no addons. Zoom level does not make a difference.

[Pisces]

I missed your edit Pisces. I am running the stock game, no addons. Zoom level does not make a difference.Sorry, then I'm out of ideas.

[Diopos]

Other programms/applications running in the backround maybe?:hmmm:



.

[Fish40]

Here's one more thing I could think of trying. You are running Windows 7 correct? If you have not done so already, uninstall the game. Create a folder for the game directly on your "C" drive. Call it whatever you want, and install the game there. I've heard that installing game programs to the default x86 file may cause some problems. Mabey an old wives' tale? :hmmm: All I know is I have the game on my "C" drive and have not had a single issue.

[Pisces]

Installing into Program Files can cause issues with trying to keep mods to stick in Win7 and Vista. So it's not an old wives tale per se. (Felt like throwing in a Sailor Steve magnet. ;) ) But once the game is running it should not have anything to do with in game stuttering and lag.

EDIT: Actually, if you happen to hit the screencapture keycombo it might be User Account Control mumbling complaints in the background. It doesn't want files to be saved there.

[JackBlades]

Installing into Program Files can cause issues with trying to keep mods to stick in Win7 and Vista. So it's not an old wives tale per se. (Felt like throwing in a Sailor Steve magnet. ;) ) But once the game is running it should not have anything to do with in game stuttering and lag.

EDIT: Actually, if you happen to hit the screencapture keycombo it might be User Account Control mumbling complaints in the background. It doesn't want files to be saved there.

Here's one more thing I could think of trying. You are running Windows 7 correct? If you have not done so already, uninstall the game. Create a folder for the game directly on your "C" drive. Call it whatever you want, and install the game there. I've heard that installing game programs to the default x86 file may cause some problems. Mabey an old wives' tale? :hmmm: All I know is I have the game on my "C" drive and have not had a single issue.

I'm pretty sure I didn't hit the screen cap button. The trouble is I have it installed through steam, so I can't really. move where it is installed. Alas I'll just start a new campaign :/ Perhaps try a later year in the war.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll let this one settle on the bottom for now :arrgh!:

[Brig]

I too have been having the same trouble with stuttering on the game's time warp. Though I may not have a dedicated gaming computer everything else runs fine until time warping. I have found that doing some testing of my own, starting a new game and saving right away it has a saved memory of something like 300kb (pretty small). then after playing awhile it increases, soon it gets into mb range and then at about 1.5mb it starts the time warp stuttering at a small rate. at 3.5mb it is really noticeable and becomes quite annoying. regular game play is fine, I can still move around, dive, surface, attack, and move mouse with no difficulty what so ever, except in time warp.

P.S. Hope this helps to find the cause of the problem I had to stop playing some time ago because of this and couldn't get passed it.

[Brig]

I have now found the solution, it worked for me and I have been playing the game for a while now with no more time warp problems. The thing you need to do is to disable desktop composition, right click the Icon and go to properties then compatibility. For me however I downloaded from steam so the Icon on the desktop wont have it, instead what i did was go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Silent Hunters Wolves of the Pacific" in there there are files for the game it's self. Look for the application it should have a logo just like the desktop icon that is the one you want to right click.

Time warp and game speed should increase however when nearing large coasts or large carrier task forces time warp will start to lag at x1024 speed, but will speed up when moving away. I've now found it more playable instead of traveling across the Pacific at x1024 and falling asleep, now zipping across the world at x8124 speed (max).

[TorpX]

... now zipping across the world at x8124 speed (max).
8124x............GAWD! :o

[Moonlight]

That is seriously fast, do you get any problems with 8124x TC as I tend to stay at 2048x or lower.

[fireftr18]

On long trips to the patrol zone, I use 8124x. I don't have any problems. But, you have to be careful. You need to make sure you don't plot a course through an island and you have to watch it to make sure you turn tc down when you need to.

[Pisces]

Do realize that with extreme high time compression it becomes very unlikely you meet anyone on the sea. You are sort of making short hyperjumps through the world. The other units also until one happens to enter deep in your 3d environment. With sometimes catastrophic results if they are enemy. But most of the time you may actually jump across the other's waypoint track completely bypassing them. Timecompression a blessing AND a curse for boredom.

[Sailor Steve]

(Felt like throwing in a Sailor Steve magnet. ;) )
You can't fool me. I just won't answ...




D'OH! :damn:

[fithah4]

I read through the thread and didn't see any mention of your saves during the 6 hour game play. I am not using the Nav Map mod but:

I have also done long extended play and saved game several times with Stock , RFB, and RFB with RSRD and had same thing happened. I just chalked it up to my rig not able to handle long play and graphics, with many saves. :oops:

[fireftr18]

Do realize that with extreme high time compression it becomes very unlikely you meet anyone on the sea. You are sort of making short hyperjumps through the world. The other units also until one happens to enter deep in your 3d environment. With sometimes catastrophic results if they are enemy. But most of the time you may actually jump across the other's waypoint track completely bypassing them. Timecompression a blessing AND a curse for boredom.

Yes, that's why I only use it to go from Hawaii to Midway, Midway to near the patrol zone, and Brisbane to the Solomons. Other than that, I'm usually close enough with the map that the lower tc is more than adequate.

[Arlo]

I'm running a pretty nice card and I'll still get 'stutters' (nothing debilitating) in open seas. I used to just ignore them and within a second or two they pass. After backspacing when experiencing a micro-stutter I went to radar and there was a contact. I closed in for a kill. Shoulda looked at the flag closer. It was also a 'two ship' contact. Two US small freighters.

[Wolferz]

I'm running a pretty nice card and I'll still get 'stutters' (nothing debilitating) in open seas. I used to just ignore them and within a second or two they pass. After backspacing when experiencing a micro-stutter I went to radar and there was a contact. I closed in for a kill. Shoulda looked at the flag closer. It was also a 'two ship' contact. Two US small freighters.


Hey! Friendly fire isn't! Murphy's laws of combat operations:timeout:

[Wolferz]

Excessive time compression is always hazardous to my health. It's the planes. But it's ok to order ludicrous speed in open water if your tubes are empty and you aren't interested in meeting any surface contacts.

The sim is very processor intensive though. It's not only monitoring your sub, but every other asset on the map and can slap your CPU silly at higher TC settings.
Perhaps a shiny new Cray would be the ticket?:03:

[Arlo]

Well, I radio in every 12 hours religiously. Command has never appreciated that tendency in me.