View Full Version : Stuttering with high end system
Does anybody besides Ark notice the stutters of death? I have good fps with all cranked up (40-60ish), but the game stutters. If I use free cam I can clearly see the ships and my boat glide ahead, then "jump" forward a little, before gliding again, over and over, at intervals at about a second. It even happens when I just pan ahead with only the sea in sight! Whats this?
ABIT AB9 Pro
E6600 Core2Duo 2,4ghz
2GB DDR2 Ram
7950GT 512MB
I tried to record it with fraps to show you, but that actually cured the stutters! What the ...? I got about 30fps with fraps running, but using this to "cure" the problem would fill my harddrives pretty fast with avi files the size of mountains.
nvdrifter
03-22-07, 09:58 AM
Stabiz, someone else posted that they set their Vertical Sync card setting to 'on', it fixed their stuttering. You might try this.
Isnt vertical sync all about screen tearing?
digitizedsoul
03-22-07, 10:13 AM
screen tears, but also buffering...
Buffer fills up... has to wait, gets emptied, doesn't fill in time etc...
Besides don't you think its coincidence your frames dropping almost 50% cures it? Sounds like buffering sync (related to vsync maybe?) to me!
Just my .02
So you mean high fps is the problem? I dont think so, as the problem gets less obvious with lower settings, and even higher fps.
I dont get this.
danlisa
03-22-07, 10:50 AM
So you mean high fps is the problem? I dont think so, as the problem gets less obvious with lower settings, and even higher fps.
I dont get this.
If digitizedsoul is correct then what you are experiencing would be correct. As I understand it the buffer that is used for vSync fills up, this is why you get the jumps. With lower settings this buffer will not fill up as quickly or at all, which is why the gameplay improves.
I'm not sure as I don't have this problem.
But it's worth a try.;)
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 12:21 PM
I have excatly the same problem using external view with micro stuttering.
I have tried lowering all the settings to as low as they could possibly go and still observe them. No change whatsoever for me no matter what I try including V sync in riva tuner always on.
I play this with settings all to max on my rig with micro stuttering no worse than on low settings.
xp home
amd 4800x2 o/c 2.8
7900 gtx 512mb
2 gig xms ram.
Spaxspore
03-22-07, 12:22 PM
runs fine on my 8800, you guys update your drivers lately?
Same problem... drivers up to date etc...... :damn:
i have it too. its a bit anoying.
I was the one who posted about the V-Sync being set to "Yes" fixing the stutters.
V-Sync "Yes" = No stutters for me. :)
Turning off V-Sync causes those slight stutters for me...almost like the card is too fast for the image, so when you move around, the image has to catch up. Turning on the V-Sync "seems" to have rectified this for me.
I was the one who posted about the V-Sync being set to "Yes" fixing the stutters.
V-Sync "Yes" = No stutters for me. :)
Turning off V-Sync causes those slight stutters for me...almost like the card is too fast for the image, so when you move around, the image has to catch up. Turning on the V-Sync "seems" to have rectified this for me.
Tried both ways and a no go.... :hmm: :damn::damn::damn:
Torcher
03-22-07, 01:34 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong. VSYNC = "yes" needs to be set in the main.cfg file of the game. Should it also be set to on in your cards setup, too?
geetrue
03-22-07, 02:44 PM
Here's a link to a man with stuttering problems on a high end system ...
http://www.maximumpc.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=57821
just a different game (supreme commander), but it might be a related problem.
Worth a glance :yep:
Correct me if I'm wrong. VSYNC = "yes" needs to be set in the main.cfg file of the game. Should it also be set to on in your cards setup, too?
I set it to "Forced" in the driver control panel as well as in the Main.cfg.
highkoo
03-22-07, 02:55 PM
Vsync has to be changed via the Main.Cfg settings found in your Mydocuments SH4 folders, use notepad to open it up and locate the line under [Video] that reads Synchronized = No and change to Yes :up:
highkoo
03-22-07, 02:56 PM
Oh and in your driver controll panel just set V-sync to Application controlled.
Still can't put my hand on this one...... tried with vsync on and off etc.... not sure where to go next as I have tried just about everything I can think of :hmm:
- Vsync (on / off)
- Updated graphics drivers
- Defraged HD
- Stopped most background programs
- Moved res up and down.....
framerates are still jumping all over the place -> studdering when using freecam/outside cam...... :damn:
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 04:01 PM
Going to try that now . Post back in a minute.
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 04:48 PM
No good made no difference for me.:damn:
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
That helped a lot..... however I have a stutter maybe ever 12 sec or so...... but no longer little ones..... Thanks for the help... not sure what is causing that other one now :doh:
I notice a fps jump from about 30 -->60 and back
Seadogs
03-22-07, 05:17 PM
Sorry to state the obvious if you already know but, the people having trouble setting v-sync are not using Vista right? If so, it's still broken in Nvidias drivers. I'll do some testing after work.
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
That helped a lot..... however I have a stutter maybe ever 12 sec or so...... but no longer little ones..... Thanks for the help... not sure what is causing that other one now :doh:
I notice a fps jump from about 30 -->60 and back
Glad it helped!
I too notice a few stutters now and then, but so far between that they are ignorable. I think it has something to do with sound, though. Seems like some responds causes a milliseconds stutter. (not sure, and I have that travel of sound thing unchecked)
Yes, I know of the Vista/v-zync issue, Seadogs (XP Pro here), but maybe some of the others use Vista?
In outise cam I am at 30 fps but sometime it drop to 1 fps and go up to 30 and down again to 1 like crazy... Sometime it stay at 5 fps and after 5-10 seconds it's up to 30 fps...
Something wrong somewhere...:-?
Happily, it doesn't happen everytime!
Got 4000+, 7900GTX, 2 gig and all drivers are up to date!
Deep Six
03-22-07, 05:58 PM
Intel Core 2 Duo 6700
Evga 680i Mobo
Evga 8800GTX ACs3 Superclocked
2 Gig Dominator Ram PC 8500 @1066 MHz
1 X 76 Gig Raptor (System disk)
1 X 250 Gig Wd caviar sata II 16 meg cache (Data/program files)
Everything on and maxed out .....Smooth as silk no stuttering. Using default Nvidia 97.92 drivers
Latest DX9c redist Dec 2006, then used the update function at DirectX website...Updated a few small files.
Creative XFi pro Fatality with latest drivers.
I'll run fraps in background later and get a few FPS shots.
Deep Six
THE_MASK
03-22-07, 06:03 PM
Hey Deep Six check the screen shots thread and look at the names on the credit screenshot .
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
For the record, I never had suttering all over the place. The stutter that was there, was not that noticable.
The V-Sync settings fixed it for me though (could have also been the defragging I did as well). Not too sure. either way, it's fixed. :up:
Well, with 1.1 installed the show-stopper is back. This time it cant be fixed by forcing one core, and the stutters are worse.
All other recent games, like Medieval 2 is running well with high settings.
I have good frames per second in SH4, thats the really annoying thing. The immersion is shot dead by ths problem.
Oh, have latest nvidia drivers, etc, etc.
Okay, tried reinstalling it on a brand new 250gig WD harddrive, since the other one (not system disk) was kind of fragged. Didnt help a bit. I get terrible slowdowns, and the stutters only go away at the lowest settings. At one point I had 3 fps for a long time in the first sub school mission. This game is unplayable for me afterthe patch.
Off to play Armed Assault, need to blow off some steam.
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 08:45 PM
I also have lost all sence of immersion with this game as it is for me .
I have all settings set from the highest possible (still gives me fraps of 40+ average) down to lowest possible settings (fraps of 100+) but this stutter is universal for me! I also have noticed an increase in the stutter since 1.1.
Armed Assault runs smooth as silk for me on very high settings and this is where I will have to stay untill this is fixed if ever? Stalker on my shelf aswell to install so not all bad news.:damn:
Latest drivers 93.71.
Defragged H/D
1.1 patch
XP Home
amd 4800x2
7900GTX 512 mb @700/1600
xms 2 gig @2-3-3-5 1t
Asus A8N 32 sli with the last bios they did for it.
Latest chip set drivers
AMD dual core optimizor.
3D Mark 05 13877.
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 08:50 PM
Just another point to prove it is not about fraps for me I noticed on max settings the ships all explode as smooth as silk for me.
They must be controlled from another task.
LOL, went back to check if resolutions had anything to do with it. Well, they didnt. Checked in task manager, SH4 was maxing out both cores at times, right at the start of the mission, and then fps went to 2.
1.1 has broken my game!
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 08:58 PM
I got a feeling that a rolled back driver might resolve it, as I once had a similar stutter on SHIII down to a bad set of drivers.
But I for one will not try it as I guarantee Armed Assault would go FUBAR.
Reinstalling 1.0 right now, just have to confirm it double. Need to know this, or I am going to cry.
Reinstalling 1.0 right now, just have to confirm it double. Need to know this, or I am going to cry.
Let me know, because I am in the same boat with you...... this has killed the Pacific for me :nope:
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 09:28 PM
I have just been going through many combinations with riva tuner and not the slightest bit of difference was found.
That was a dead end as well.
Also set back to default on everything still no improvment.
Something strange has definately happened after the patch. In the first school mission with 1.0 I get ok fluent gameplay with good framerates, also no slowdown. In 1.1 the stutters are bad, but gets better if I turn off post process and some other things, but the slowdown is still a killer. I dont know what happens somewhere out of sight, but both cores go 100% for a few seconds, before things settle down again. The frames are lower, and the stuttering worse. Nice.
Also: FRAPS CANT RECORD WITH 1.1. Crash to desktop.
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 09:39 PM
Maybe it is sound related as many of the changes in 1.1 where sound alterations .So I am going to start looking there for a while.
Everybody should definately buy another copy of SHIV so the devs have more money to continue development.
lol.
Everybody should definately buy another copy of SHIV so the devs have more money to continue development.
lol.
lol :rotfl:
Mad_Mark
03-22-07, 09:55 PM
Something strange has definately happened after the patch. In the first school mission with 1.0 I get ok fluent gameplay with good framerates, also no slowdown. In 1.1 the stutters are bad, but gets better if I turn off post process and some other things, but the slowdown is still a killer. I dont know what happens somewhere out of sight, but both cores go 100% for a few seconds, before things settle down again. The frames are lower, and the stuttering worse. Nice.
Also: FRAPS CANT RECORD WITH 1.1. Crash to desktop.
1.1 has put the Dev Debug default to enabled in main cfg file
Set all 3 to no has I read in another thread returned the performance to 1.0
Something strange has definately happened after the patch. In the first school mission with 1.0 I get ok fluent gameplay with good framerates, also no slowdown. In 1.1 the stutters are bad, but gets better if I turn off post process and some other things, but the slowdown is still a killer. I dont know what happens somewhere out of sight, but both cores go 100% for a few seconds, before things settle down again. The frames are lower, and the stuttering worse. Nice.
Also: FRAPS CANT RECORD WITH 1.1. Crash to desktop.
1.1 has put the Dev Debug default to enabled in main cfg file
Set all 3 to no has I read in another thread returned the performance to 1.0
They were on (yes) in 1.0 as well........
Chiller1064
03-22-07, 10:28 PM
Had the stutters too- but changed the Main.cfg and set the card V-Sync properties to "application controlled" and no more stuttering at all- very smooth at 1600x1200 on a GeoForce Go 7800GTX with everything turned up.
Jagged edges are something of a bummer but I really love the game so far. Nothing like watching a Maru go all wobbly and belly up after a couple well-placed fish! :up:
1.1 has put the Dev Debug default to enabled in main cfg file
Set all 3 to no has I read in another thread returned the performance to 1.0
I had the very same problem as stabiz with completely unplayable framerates. Yes, I have a *crap* system as mentioned in other threads (2.16 ghz Athlon, Radeon 9800 Pro 256 MB. and 1 gig RAM).
I received my game today...installed and installed 1.1. I figured the age of my system caused the stutters and bad frame rates.
After reading stabiz's performances in vanilla 1.0, I decided to check things for myself under 1.0. Remember, I just received the sim today and had not played it under the vanilla settings. Uninstalled SH4 and reinstalled 1.0. Performance was very acceptable at default settings for me and my ancient system.
After reading Mad Mark's post on development settings, I checked them under 1.0 and iblitz is correct, they were all on "yes" to begin with.
Installed 1.1 patch and changed the dev settings....and yes, 1.0 performance returned.
Something got hosed in the patch for the stutterings to begin. Developer settings are a fix for the moment. Hopefully, the real problem will get tracked down soon.
Thanks alot guys! Fps went to the roof with that simple edit of the cfg.
Stutters are still there, though, unless I turn off post processing. Strange with 70fps.
Oh, sorry about the ctd report on fraps, not UBI or devs fault, all stabiz.:damn: Damn soundcard-meddling, forgot about it. (forgot to disable onboard sound in BIOS) I didnt notice until Armed Assault crashed too when I tried to record.:rotfl:
So, I guess I`m okay now, except I have to go to bed soon. 6AM here, hehe.
But to sum up:
*stutters badly when both cores go at it
*less to none with one core (unless post processing is on)
*amazing game (I stand corrected, former semi-hater turning fanboy)
*thanks UBI and crazy Romanians!
FAdmiral
03-23-07, 01:20 AM
I read somewhere that the studdering was stopped by disabling the
anti-virus. Don't know if that works but sure worth a try...
JIM
Mad_Mark
03-23-07, 05:56 AM
With dev mode in CFG file set to No I got fps between 40-60 on all max settings and stuttering for a while went away then night time came and it returned?
I have now turned off envioroment effects (cloud shadows/fog and fps are over 100 always but there is still a very slight stutter if you look closely as the sub goes by.
I can live with that I guess but I am not happy at all with stutters on 60 fps! What gives?
What is killing me now with 1.1 is my dive planes no longer lower even though there is no damage!
Without the ability to dive quickly this for me is another game killer.
I read somewhere that the studdering was stopped by disabling the
anti-virus. Don't know if that works but sure worth a try...
JIM
Yeah, but that was because the cpu was maxed out on that computer right? I have tried turning off Avast, to no avail. Its not cpu-related either, since the stutters are there if you pause the game and just pan around with free cam, even if the fps are sky high.
Mad_Mark, I have the dive planes problem too.
atfcharger
03-23-07, 05:12 PM
Although I don't have a high-end system:
P4 3.0 Prescott
512 x 4 DDR 3200
eVGA 6800GT 256 MB
250 GB SATA2 drive w/Windows XP SP2
I had the same stuttering issue. I turned off all the dev settings first and saw no difference. Turned on Vsync in the cfg file and BAM! that made the difference. No stuttering. Only graphical problems I have now is trying to find the right balance between Medium and High settings to get the most out of my system. Framerate is too low on High, and I can get a few extra options more than Medium so it's test 'n tune.
Thanks for the ideas (which worked)!
RickC Sniper
03-23-07, 06:34 PM
Guys, is this normal?
I forced vsync in the main.cgf file and it SEEMS to have stopped the stutter, but it also seems to have locked my fps at 30. Why 30? My monitor is set at 60 htz refresh.
Before enabling vsync I got the stutter in external view but framerates were 50-90 fps. I thought it would attempt to sync at 60. ??
Duo Core E6600
Geforce 7950GT
Win XP home
Mad_Mark
03-23-07, 08:20 PM
Game now back in box awaiting a solution to my stuttering problem as I dont like having envoiroment setting off to partly solve it as weather is now playing up with the day light effects on the sub. And of course the no dive plane since 1.1 I have not solved either.
Back to modded SHIII and Armed Assault for me.
:rotfl:Same her, exactly the same. Armed Assault is mega!
Although a little angel called Mud helped me to get rid of some stutters by killing the volumetric fog.
Here goes the changes he made: (but make a copy of the original fx file found in shaders/volumetric fog, and dont just paste this in, it doesnt work, type in the changes)
struct PS_IN
{
float4 WSPos : TEXCOORD0;
float CSZ: TEXCOORD1;
float2 Tex:TEXCOORD2;
};
float elapsedTimeMod1000: register(c0);
float intensity: register(c1);
float3 fogColor: register(c2);
sampler3D volnoise: register(s0);
sampler depthBuffer: register(s1);
float ExpCutoff(float v,float cover,float sharpness)
{
float c=cover-v;
c=max(c,0);
c = 1 - pow(sharpness,c);
return c;
}
float4 main( PS_IN In ) : COLOR
{
//return 0.1;
//return float4(In.WSPos.xyz,1);
float4 wsp=tex2D(depthBuffer,In.Tex);
//return In.WSPos.y;
//return 0;
//return In.CSZ/50;
if(wsp.a<=0)wsp.a=1e10;
clip(wsp.a-In.CSZ);
//if(wsp.a>0 && wsp.a-In.CSZ<=0)return 0;
//else{
//return In.WSPos;
//return float4(1,1,1,0.02);
float scale=0;
float speed=0.00;
float3 windDirection={0,-1,0};
float3 t0=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0031+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 11*speed*windDirection;
float3 t1=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0037+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 13*speed*windDirection;
float3 t2=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0029+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 17*speed*windDirection;
float3 t3=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0023+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 19*speed*windDirection;
//float3 t4=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0031+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 05*speed*windDirection;
//float3 t5=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0041+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 29*speed*windDirection;
//float3 t6=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0043+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 23*speed*windDirection;
//float3 t7=scale*In.WSPos.xyz*0.0047+elapsedTimeMod1000*0. 07*speed*windDirection;
//return float4(wsp,1);
float3 v=In.WSPos.xyz-wsp.xyz;
float L=saturate(In.WSPos.y/2);
//L=1;
//return float4(v,1);
//float L=saturate(length(v)/10);
//L=saturate(dot(v,v)/40);
//L=1;
//return float4(L,L,L,1);
intensity*=L;
intensity*=saturate(1-In.WSPos.y/40);
float f=tex3D(volnoise,t0)+
tex3D(volnoise,t1*2)/2+
tex3D(volnoise,t2*4)/4+
tex3D(volnoise,t3*8)/8;
/*tex3D(volnoise,t4*16)/16+
tex3D(volnoise,t5*32)/32;
tex3D(volnoise,t6*64)/64+
tex3D(volnoise,t7*128)/128*/;
//f=saturate((f-0.2)*2);
//f*=1;
//f-=1.5;
//f=ExpCutoff(f,0.3,0.1);
//f+=saturate(1-In.WSPos.y/30);
//float brightness=0.2;
/*float a0=0.4;
float a1=0.0;
float a2=0.0;
if(f>a2)f=0;
else if(f<a0)f=0;
else{
if(f<a1)f=(f-a0)/(a1-a0);
else f=(a2-f)/(a2-a1);
}
//f=step(0.4,f)-step(0.45,f);
fogColor=float3(1,0,0)*f;*/
//intensity=1;
float alpha=pow(f,0.0)*intensity;
//return intensity;
//fogColor=0.2;
return float4( fogColor/*+brightness*/, alpha*0.0);
}
My stuttering (admittedly on a very low end system on low detail) was solved by putting "No" to the DevDebug part at the end of the main.cfg file. Nearly doubled performance in amongst big convoys.
Probably worth trying that on all systems.
Yeah, I have done that, got back the performance from 1.0. Almost.
The solution above here gave me 15-20 extra fps, so Mud knows his way around.:up:
Doesn't affect me really running in 1024 x 768 with all the effects turned off :)
No stutters at all here. Everything in-game maxed out with the 1.1 patch. :)
Johnnie
03-23-07, 09:16 PM
My stuttering (admittedly on a very low end system on low detail) was solved by putting "No" to the DevDebug part at the end of the main.cfg file. Nearly doubled performance in amongst big convoys.
Probably worth trying that on all systems.
How exactly, step by step, does one do this. Thanks.
(i) Load Notepad
(ii) Open the file C:\program Files\ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\data\cfg\Main.cfg (assumes default install path)
(iii) Go right to the bottom of this file
You'll see:
[DEVELOPING]
DevDebugEnable=Yes
DevEditEnable=Yes
MiniDump=Yes
Change "Yes" to "No"
Seems this patch was so rushed they forgot to remove debug mode code from the game amongst other things. On my system at least this dramatically boosts performance when in "busy" parts of the game.
Seems this patch was so rushed they forgot to remove debug mode code from the game amongst other things.
Just to be fair...
In 1.0, the "Yes" debug codes were present. I know...I checked. :ping:
Seems this patch was so rushed they forgot to remove debug mode code from the game amongst other things.
Just to be fair...
In 1.0, the "Yes" debug codes were present. I know...I checked. :ping:
Yes but didn't appear to work just like many other things :)
v1.0 it made no difference at all to my performance. v1.1 massive.
No doubt 1.1 caused less performance.
Mad_Mark
03-24-07, 07:02 PM
I just got in and tried the changes to the fog but it did not help with the stuttering for me .:damn:
What fps are you getting, Mad?
My fps also get cut in half with V-sync on. From 60 to 30 interior, and from 30 to 15 exterior.
Is this a bug?
I mean playing with 30fps as opposed to 15 is a BIG difference.
Yeah, v-sync eats fps. To bad I cant force v-sync, for some reason.
Burnspot
03-24-07, 11:53 PM
What I learned after doing a couple of patrols today is that under most normal circumstances, the graphics are smooth when maxed out. But, when I attacked a large convoy, the chaotic grouping of ships in a confined area brought my system to it's knees (Dell M1710, 2GB, Vista 32 w/latest Nvidia beta drivers). I was within 6k feet of the mess of ships and there was a fog layer probably about 100 feet above the fray. The game started chugging hard and eventually crashed the video.
I reloaded SH4 and deactivated "Environmental Effects", leaving everything else alone. Exited game and restarted so change would take effect, and then reloaded the save I had taken just before getting into that mess. This time around, I was able to again get the ships into a chaotic mess as I unloaded my fish, but THIS time, everything was GLASS SMOOTH and seamless. The only drawback was the loss of the transparent water and the volumetric fog. My guess is the fog is really killing things. Kinda sucks as I love the new water, but then again, I'd rather have a smooth environment for performing my mission in-game. ;)
How about giving us a choice in the Display Options to have the Transparent Water but no Volumetric Fog? Or are these two options inseparable?
Mad_Mark
03-25-07, 05:17 PM
With fog on I get 60 to 70 fps with it off I get 100 to 150 fps all other settings to max .
I will not play this untill the fog can be separatly deactivated from the transparent water.
But then again when I made those changes to the fog cfg file the fog was gone but stutter was still there so maybe its the transparent water that is giving me the stutters?
If that is the case then new Nvidia drivers is the only thing that will probably get me out of this mess as I will not play without transparent water.
Thats just me though others would get on with it.
Also no fps were gained by me when I altered the cfg file to turn off fog?
Only when I turn off envoiroment option do they go up. so i have returned cfg back the origanal for now.
On another point from earlier my dive planes have started to work again on the same save so whats that all about?
I don't beleive my v,sync is working either even with the changes made to cfg files and riva tuner.
AVGWarhawk
03-25-07, 06:15 PM
I have spoken to a friend with Duel Core processors. He said there is a fix at AMD.com. It is driver and look for the one that say FIX for GAMING. It worked for his duel core and SH4. Apparently the cores are competing to run the game.
I went to the driver page and look for the optimizer driver. It states it helps the cores resolve alot of issues concerning gaming.
Is there such a fix for Intel dual cores?
Edit: I somehow doubt thats the case, since I experience no stutters when I am close to or in port, only less fps, which is expected. Really strange this.
DaMaGe007
03-25-07, 07:02 PM
Mad Mark
There are 2 main.cfg files, one in sh4 dir, one in my documents, mabe edit both ?
just a suggestion to try
Mad_Mark
03-25-07, 07:36 PM
I to suffer have no stutters near port just lower fps aswell .
Have you also got that captain event log bug when it takes forever to open when it starts to fill up.
I already have the AMD optimizer on my pc already.
Stuttering for me coincides with my fps jumping from 50 to about 100 every 2 seconds nonstop once out in the campaign but near port outward and homeward fps go to about 40 and are stable with no stutter.
ReallyDedPoet
03-25-07, 07:57 PM
Is there such a fix for Intel dual cores?
Edit: I somehow doubt thats the case, since I experience no stutters when I am close to or in port, only less fps, which is expected. Really strange this.
What is the case with other new games currently out and this? I read some stuff on an overclocked Intel Dual-Core 6300, no issues regarding both cores affecting game-play, smooth sailing.
Mad_Mark
03-25-07, 08:18 PM
I have just changed the cfg file in my documents and turned on syncronization and put de bug all to no and started a new mission and so far my fps have now gone down to a steady 40 fps in fog with no stutters so far .Fingers crossed it may have solved it.
Mad Mark
There are 2 main.cfg files, one in sh4 dir, one in my documents, mabe edit both ?
just a suggestion to try
DaMagGe007, I love you. No, I mean it.:/\\k:
This major breakthrough in Stutter-Gate is comparable to the Moon landing.
THE STUTTERS ARE GONE!
WOHOOO! Now I have steady 40ish fps with everything maxed out, and no screen tearing as an added bonus. All the eye candy and no stutters!
This is for me a proof that there is nothing wrong with my hardware, but maybe some coding somewhere.
Mad_Mark, join me in front of the altar of DaMaGe007! *sacrifices a lamb, 2 sheep and a rhino*
So, dont have time to stand around here and chat, the Pacific awaits!
U-Bones
03-27-07, 12:08 AM
I went through all the things (except fog hack) in this thread and still could not get rid of the 1 second stutter.
AMD Athlon 64 x2 Duo +4200 2.21 Ghz, 2GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256 ddr3 (nice $99 card)
Mirrored SATA (small hit)
SB Audigy SE (cheap)
After main.cfg nodev & vsync, AMD game patch, no antivirus. various combos of settings on card and in game - it was always there when I had high settings.
As I was shutting down Museum tonight, I RESTORED (not opened) Task Manager to take a peak at the last bit of playtime demand. I was so in tune with the strobe of the stutter, that I kept on keeping the beat in task manager... and it hit me.
Turning off task manager did it for me, Everything high, smooth as silk. Confirmed by chnaging update frequency on TM, strobe matches it.
I imagine I am not the only one who has been keeping task manager minimized while feeling out the game, so I thought I would pass it along. Your nautical mileage may vary.
RickC Sniper
04-17-07, 06:00 PM
(i) Load Notepad
(ii) Open the file C:\program Files\ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\data\cfg\Main.cfg (assumes default install path)
(iii) Go right to the bottom of this file
You'll see:
[DEVELOPING]
DevDebugEnable=Yes
DevEditEnable=Yes
MiniDump=Yes
Change "Yes" to "No"
Seems this patch was so rushed they forgot to remove debug mode code from the game amongst other things. On my system at least this dramatically boosts performance when in "busy" parts of the game.
Do you change only the item DevDebugEnable to no or do you change all three of these items?
Turning off task manager did it for me, Everything high, smooth as silk. Confirmed by chnaging update frequency on TM, strobe matches it.
I imagine I am not the only one who has been keeping task manager minimized while feeling out the game, so I thought I would pass it along. Your nautical mileage may vary.
How do you turn OFF the task manager?
i think its a registry change right?
kakemann
05-02-07, 10:16 AM
I didn't know it was actually possible to turn of task manager!
How did you do that!
Disabling the task manager...
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips/WindowsXP/UserTips/Customization/EnableDisableTaskManagerinWindowsXPHomePro.html
with XP pro its pretty easy, i just turned mine off, running some tests now...
Edit... PS
Do you change only the item DevDebugEnable to no or do you change all three of these items?
Rick turn all three values to NO
Okay i smoothed things out, i have a STEADY 30FPS here, no more jumps...
so far what i did was
-Triple buffer off (vid card)
-Vertical Sync ON (in game)
-Task Manager (ultimately made no difference in my readings so i left it ON)
-main.cfg file developing entries set to No (in both SH4 and My Docs)
thanks guys, nice and smooth now, great thread. :up:
Edit, important note...
This is on an AMD939 2.8 & 7900GT with game res at 1280x1024
i was getting 4 FPS with Vertical Sync and Anti aliasing set to 8x once i dropped anti aliasing to 4x i got back up to a steady 30FPS exterior views
U-Bones
05-02-07, 11:52 AM
Okay i smoothed things out, i have a STEADY 30FPS here, no more jumps...
so far what i did was
-Triple buffer off (vid card)
-Vertical Sync ON (in game)
-Task Manager Disabled (via xp pro group policies)
-main.cfg file developing entries No (in both SH4 and My Docs)
thanks guys, nice and smooth now, great thread. :up:
Edit, important note...
This is on an AMD939 2.8 & 7900GT with game res at 1280x1024
i was getting 4 FPS with Vertical Sync and Anti aliasing set to 8x once i dropped anti aliasing to 4x i got back up to a steady 30FPS exterior views
You don't have to disable Task Manager, you just have to not run it, or exit it. I didn't even know it could be disabled via policy hehe.
I was runnign task manager a lot early, leaving it mimimized so I could watch cpu load, and so I could peek at memory usage etc. It updates its graphs every second (configurable) and I finally noticed that the pulse for graph updates was perfectly in time with my stutter. If i configured for 5 second updates, my stutter went to 5 seconds... so I turned it off and no more stutters.
You can use Perfmon instead to monitor a processes performance. You'll get accurate numbers versus using Task Manager (since drawing the UI takes some CPU time).
Sorry to raise an old thread, but I am noticing studdering issues as well when looking at ships and what not, yet Fraps shows anywhere from 60-65FPS when this is happening :nope:. My system is just fine as well, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, XFX 8800GTS, 2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM, you get the idea. I tried disabling all 3 of the devdebug stuff, still did it. Funny as well, my vysnc was already set to Yes when I opened up the file. Any ideas on what to do?
panthercules
07-01-07, 04:59 PM
Sorry to raise an old thread, but I am noticing studdering issues as well when looking at ships and what not, yet Fraps shows anywhere from 60-65FPS when this is happening :nope:. My system is just fine as well, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, XFX 8800GTS, 2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM, you get the idea. I tried disabling all 3 of the devdebug stuff, still did it. Funny as well, my vysnc was already set to Yes when I opened up the file. Any ideas on what to do?
This may have nothing to do with it, but when testing Sober's larger wave mod yesterday and today I was getting some weird stuttering/slideshow-feeling behavior, even though Fraps was indicating at least 30fps. Turned out to be my video driver Anti-Aliasing setting had somehow gotten swithched to "application controlled" somewhere along the way (no idea how - I never did that consciously) - when I set it back to 4x, my stuttering/slideshow behavior went away. Doesn't seem to be related to the periodic pulsing discussed in the posts above, but might be something worth checking.
Good luck.
enabling Vertical Sync and lowering AA setting value should smooth out the movement
whats your AA set at? 8 16X?
cappy70
07-01-07, 09:12 PM
I haven't had any stutter at all,from get go of release of the game.
Do this every day:
Clean, and clean,,did I say clean everything..........registry, broken links, recent downloaded files,startup,applications paths,file types,activex interfaces,missing links,temporary files scanners,recent files,temporary files scanner,MS-DOS short cuts,applications ID's,typed url's,drivers,fonts,unused software entries,windows shortcuts,sound schemas,typelib section,microsoft shared,quicklaunch panel links,internet explorer objects,,,,,,there's a lot of things causing problems.....
I have everything maxed out and no fixes etc,runs at over 100 fps all of the time and no stutters..
azn_132
07-02-07, 12:03 AM
(i) Load Notepad
(ii) Open the file C:\program Files\ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\data\cfg\Main.cfg (assumes default install path)
(iii) Go right to the bottom of this file
You'll see:
[DEVELOPING]
DevDebugEnable=Yes
DevEditEnable=Yes
MiniDump=Yes
Change "Yes" to "No"
Seems this patch was so rushed they forgot to remove debug mode code from the game amongst other things. On my system at least this dramatically boosts performance when in "busy" parts of the game.
Do you change only the item DevDebugEnable to no or do you change all three of these items?
When I change both Main.Cfgs, the good thing about it is it help me alot from dem stutters, but the bad side is, I cant play MP games while dem settins are switched to No.
DragonRR1
07-02-07, 04:24 AM
I don't know if this has been mentioned already but micro stuttering is often caused by a service or program using tiny but intensive bursts of CPU time. It is difficult to check for this but usually you will see some process in task manager using 1 or 2% from time to time. Try killing the process, if not essential, and running SH4 to see whether the problem has gone.
In my own experience Firefox can cause this particular problem. I don't know if this still applies because I've gotten into the habit of closing all running programs before running a game.
AVGWarhawk
07-02-07, 06:01 AM
I do not know if this will help but I downloaded a program that frees RAM. It cycles in 1000ms to free up any RAM. As a result, I was getting studdering play. Once I free up any RAM, I shut down the program to play the game. The micro studders stopped. Perhaps with these systems there is a similar program?
cappy70
07-02-07, 04:20 PM
Well,,I call them CPU "vampires" ( they cause stutter,and all kind of abnormalies) and to have as little icon's as possible down in the right corner of your screen is the golden rule.
Do the famouse: Go to Run,,write msconfig and look under Startup and Services.
The only thing I have running in services is "nvidia display driver'.
In services, check the little box below the window that is displayed ( it reads: Hide All Microsoft Services) that will turn 'off' microsoft listings of Services, because these services is normally left alone and after that box is checked one will only have none-microsoft services listed.
In the Startup, the same rule: As little as possible checked and running.
Only the important stuff like drivers etc...
azn_132
07-02-07, 08:23 PM
I just encounter the worse stutterin when I head to the nortern watas like around Dutch Harbor, FPS drop way down to 1 and in pause mode like 10-16FPS.
I do not know if this will help but I downloaded a program that frees RAM. It cycles in 1000ms to free up any RAM. As a result, I was getting studdering play. Once I free up any RAM, I shut down the program to play the game. The micro studders stopped. Perhaps with these systems there is a similar program?
This is a Bad Idea. Free RAM == wasted RAM, plus you're forcing various data to reload back into physical memory, which is a slow process.
http://www.radsoft.net/resources/software/reviews/redux/
oli123456789
07-04-07, 08:45 AM
Well if some dudes still have the problem heres the sollution it worked for me and someone else == 1st u go to start then run then u type msconfig u will get a screen popup en u go to the tab startup or something (i have dutch language so sorry) u will see alot of things and down the window it says shut everything down u push this and aal the things will be unselected then u select only ur anivir. NOW REBOOT PLZ
2nd u go to run or execute (whatever) at start en u type %temp% the procents have to be typed too u will get into a folder erase everything in it exept those who wont go
NOW UR REAY TO PLAY SH4 WITHOUT STUTTERING
hope this was a help :|\\
AVGWarhawk
07-04-07, 08:53 AM
I do not know if this will help but I downloaded a program that frees RAM. It cycles in 1000ms to free up any RAM. As a result, I was getting studdering play. Once I free up any RAM, I shut down the program to play the game. The micro studders stopped. Perhaps with these systems there is a similar program?
This is a Bad Idea. Free RAM == wasted RAM, plus you're forcing various data to reload back into physical memory, which is a slow process.
http://www.radsoft.net/resources/software/reviews/redux/
This is why I posted this. It is a nice program because you can see how much free memory you have. But, I shut it down when playing as it was creating mico-stutters. My FPS would go up and repeatedly. This was just for those that have a simular program that is running while playing. Shut it down and see if it cures the stuttering.
Lt. Staumeier
07-16-07, 01:49 PM
I seem to have identified the stutters to go with Light Shafts and Volumetric Fog. If I disable both those, the game no longer micro stutters. However, I happen to love both those effects, so I'll see if I can solve it with changing drivers.
This being on a NVidia GeForce 8800 GTS.
Lt. Staumeier
07-16-07, 02:04 PM
Hmm, never mind :down:.Stutters are back >.<
dean_acheson
07-16-07, 02:58 PM
I haven't had any stutter at all,from get go of release of the game.
Do this every day:
Clean, and clean,,did I say clean everything..........registry, broken links, recent downloaded files,startup,applications paths,file types,activex interfaces,missing links,temporary files scanners,recent files,temporary files scanner,MS-DOS short cuts,applications ID's,typed url's,drivers,fonts,unused software entries,windows shortcuts,sound schemas,typelib section,microsoft shared,quicklaunch panel links,internet explorer objects,,,,,,there's a lot of things causing problems.....
do you use a prog. to do this?
i use CCleaner, a very good program.
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
sorry for bringing this up again but ...
i need some help with this ... i have an intel core2 6400 2.14ghz
will this work with my cpu ?
Iblitz, you have a dual core cpu? If so, read on!
GREAT NEWS FROM NORWAY! Anyway, the zync thing in the cfg and/or forcing vzync did nothing for me, still stuttering all over the place. The thing that DID work however, was forcing SH4 to run on 1 cpu. Ctrl+alt+delete, rightclick on the sh4.exe (while game is running), set affinity, uncheck cpu 1 (or 0, your choice, hehe)
Now the game runs like a charm at steady 40 to 60fps with everything maxed out.:D
*sigh of relief* Now I can sit down and actually play this game, since the real show-stopper is gone.
Kinda sad that one has to do this in 2007, but hey.
PS: WOW! The forums are badly bogged down by all the SH4 captains.
sorry for bringing this up again but ...
i need some help with this ... i have an intel core2 6400 2.14ghz
will this work with my cpu ?
I dont know if it will work or not mate..I have a core2 6800 and the game runs like a charm...
right ... i wont even ask how much your system costed !
it seems to work really , not only the cpu afinity but also setting the priority to real time , i dont get those amazing frame rates everyone talks about but its stable and dont jumps around anymore, the problem is that i have to do it everytime i run the game.
also i pushed my 7300 gt to higher values and she is now going at 397mhz instead of the default 350 mhz and the memory at 435mhz instead of the default 333mhz ... curiously the temperature decreased by 2º.
right ... i wont even ask how much your system costed !
it seems to work really , not only the cpu afinity but also setting the priority to real time , i dont get those amazing frame rates everyone talks about but its stable and dont jumps around anymore, the problem is that i have to do it everytime i run the game.
also i pushed my 7300 gt to higher values and she is now going at 397mhz instead of the default 350 mhz and the memory at 435mhz instead of the default 333mhz ... curiously the temperature decreased by 2º.
Well as long as its working,too bad you have to go thru that each time you play..:down: And I wont tell you how much it cost...:D
minsc_tdp
07-17-07, 06:27 PM
also i pushed my 7300 gt to higher values and she is now going at 397mhz instead of the default 350 mhz and the memory at 435mhz instead of the default 333mhz ... curiously the temperature decreased by 2º.
If you have steady hands, look into the "volt mod" for your card. I did it on a 7900GT and the result was amazing. Have to improve the cooler first, then you up the volts, then you crank up the clocks. My first OC was similar to yours, <50 MHz increase, but after the voltmod I managed to add like another 100 MHz. It's insane.
Depending on the method there's only a very slight risk that you will damage anything - the more risk is due to the additional heat you will generate, but you should be cooling it well, testing, and monitoring the temps properly if you do this. I used a $5 trace pen from Radio Shack, which literally draws traces on a board to conduct between two points, and you need a magnifying glass but really, it's not hard at all.
Lt. Staumeier
07-18-07, 01:37 AM
With both 16 x AA and 16 x AF I get around 30 FPS on my system in open sea. In harbor and with ships blowing up it's very less :D
I run the game normally on 8xAA and 8xAF. Works very good and I have between 60-80 FPS. However, FPS is all over the place. It seems to switch between 60 and 30. Alternating back and forth, about once a second or so. It stays on 30 for a fraction of a second and immideately switches back to 60. Another second and it goes back to 30 for 1/30 of a second and back to 60. This causes the micro-stutters I see.
I've tried just about everything. Tried three different kinds of drivers and tried the game settings. I can minimize the stutters by removing Envirnmental Effects, Volumetric Fog and Light Rays. With those three off, I rarely, if ever, get the stutters. However, that's removing most of what is beautiful in SH4, so right now I put up with the stutters. *sigh* :shifty:
dougandtoni
07-18-07, 02:38 AM
I had exactly the same problem in all games. I changed the sound card and now every game is perfect. Seems like the sound card was sucking up a lot of cpu power
Lt. Staumeier
07-18-07, 06:45 AM
Interesting theory. I have a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS and I was under the impression that using a separate soundcard alleviated the CPU from doing EAX calculations and the like unlike when using the onboard soundchip and it has to do that all alone. But I'll try unplugging the SB and run solely on the onboard chip and see if that does anything. Thanks for the headsup!
Interesting theory. I have a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS and I was under the impression that using a separate soundcard alleviated the CPU from doing EAX calculations and the like unlike when using the onboard soundchip and it has to do that all alone. But I'll try unplugging the SB and run solely on the onboard chip and see if that does anything. Thanks for the headsup!
This is true a seperate sound card does run better...Check these two links..
http://www.tweakguides.com/
http://www.blackviper.com/
If you want good gaming you need to keep the system tweaked and clean.Nothing running in the backround etc. There is nothing on my system that dosent need to be there..You have to get serious about it for good performance...;)
gclarkso
07-18-07, 10:30 AM
I had exactly the same problem in all games. I changed the sound card and now every game is perfect. Seems like the sound card was sucking up a lot of cpu power
May I ask what soundcard did you change to? as well as from?
I tried with and without an pci soundcard (Audigy ZE), with no results, still stutters. They are on and off now, but I think that is because of my 8800 GTS, which replaced a 7950GT.
I have never seen this in ANY other game.
(There are reports of the same in Oblivion, but I dont play rpg`s)
cunnutazzo
07-18-07, 10:48 AM
I replaced my old x800xl with a 8800 gts 320 (asus with last beta drivers), and sh4 runs better than before with all settings maxed out, no need to reinstall XP. Never had stutters in both cases with old and newer videoboard.
gclarkso
07-18-07, 12:23 PM
I tried with and without an pci soundcard (Audigy ZE), with no results, still stutters. They are on and off now, but I think that is because of my 8800 GTS, which replaced a 7950GT.
I have never seen this in ANY other game.
I suspect a sound issue with my situation (Turtle Beach Santa Cruz) as the stutters appear during heavy explosions only. Turning off the sound acceleration within the dxdiag panel helped, but is causing a huge FPS drop (4-5...from an avg of 36) when viewing anything through the periscope. Weird. I know my sound card is ancient and was (am) hoping the purchase of something a little up to date will help.
simonb1612
07-18-07, 02:37 PM
Will a good sound card really make a difference to the overall load on the CPU? I do not know anything about them. I will buy one if the consensus is that it will make a perceptible difference.
many thanks to all the folks contributing who have made SH4 far more enjoyable :up:
Lt. Staumeier
07-18-07, 03:25 PM
Well, "perceptible difference" is very subjective. However, in some cases a separate soundcard with a decent sound processor can lift as much as 10% load of the CPU to handle sounds. This is however mostly in cases were heavy sound calculations must be done, such as range, muffling, ambience and environment (EAX for instance). In SH4 I don't expect it to do as much as 10%, but a good 6-7% is quite possible. But it's nowhere near the changes a new GFX card or CPU can do. What you get with a separate soundcard is less ambient hissing, greater sound quality, a little less CPU load and advanced sound processing effects (A3D, EAX and surround sound). The speakers do a lot to. However not for CPU load, but for general sound image. Got a 7.1 system myself, and standing at the bridge hearing the sea roar all around me is exilirating :D
Interesting theory. I have a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS and I was under the impression that using a separate soundcard alleviated the CPU from doing EAX calculations and the like unlike when using the onboard soundchip and it has to do that all alone. But I'll try unplugging the SB and run solely on the onboard chip and see if that does anything. Thanks for the headsup!
This is true a seperate sound card does run better...Check these two links..
http://www.tweakguides.com/
http://www.blackviper.com/
If you want good gaming you need to keep the system tweaked and clean.Nothing running in the backround etc. There is nothing on my system that dosent need to be there..You have to get serious about it for good performance...;)
Given I run multiple virtual machines while playing HL2/SH4/other games, no, no you don't need to turn "everything" off etc.
Interesting theory. I have a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS and I was under the impression that using a separate soundcard alleviated the CPU from doing EAX calculations and the like unlike when using the onboard soundchip and it has to do that all alone. But I'll try unplugging the SB and run solely on the onboard chip and see if that does anything. Thanks for the headsup!
This is true a seperate sound card does run better...Check these two links..
http://www.tweakguides.com/
http://www.blackviper.com/
If you want good gaming you need to keep the system tweaked and clean.Nothing running in the backround etc. There is nothing on my system that dosent need to be there..You have to get serious about it for good performance...;)
Given I run multiple virtual machines while playing HL2/SH4/other games, no, no you don't need to turn "everything" off etc.
Well sir thats up tp to you,but all the smart folks say too....:D
Well sir thats up tp to you,but all the smart folks say too....:D
I wouldn't call misunderstanding memory and process management "smart". Rather, they take perceptions of what they think is true and attempt to apply it. It doesn't work.
I guarantee anyone who advocates shutting down standard Windows services for games has not read or understood Windows Internals. Doing so is a very amateurish technique.
Marko_Ramius
07-18-07, 11:46 PM
Hi,
For those who have a Nvidia card, have you tried to turn off a thing called " Threaded Optimization" in global driver settings ? ( something related to multi-core cpu)
Maybe anything better with this, but why not try ?
Hi,
For those who have a Nvidia card, have you tried to turn off a thing called " Threaded Optimization" in global driver settings ? ( something related to multi-core cpu)
Maybe anything better with this, but why not try ?
but did you get any results ???
Seeadler
07-19-07, 12:11 PM
For those who have a Nvidia card, have you tried to turn off a thing called " Threaded Optimization" in global driver settings ? ( something related to multi-core cpu)
Threaded Optimization in the Nvida driver is/works only for OpenGL applications, SHIV is a DirectX app.
ok ...
the issue of setting afinity works for me , the problem is that every time you run the game you have to set it again , same as cpu priority
so i did a litle search and found this
setaffinity is an application for setting affinity masks on Windows processes and executables (generally files with a .exe extension). Affinity masks are only important on systems with 2 or more virtual/physical processors, like an AMD dual core or Intel HyperThreading CPU, as well as more complex setups. An affinity mask controls which of the processors in the system an application is allowed to use. For example, you can restrict an application to a single processor, or allow it to run on all of them.
so if you find it usefull get it here :
http://s1.quicksharing.com/v/5372682/setaffinity.zip.html
Marko_Ramius
07-19-07, 09:35 PM
Threaded Optimization in the Nvida driver is/works only for OpenGL applications, SHIV is a DirectX app.
You are sure of this ?
Look here : http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_6.html
@ Jmack --> I have no stutering in SH4, so i have no result on my rig to give you ;) But why not try ? this is safe ..
Edit : I can confirm this : Turning off the "threaded optimisations" can help with some stuttering and some games/appl.
I made some test this morning ; I ran 3dMark2001 and saw some kind of little stuttering, very little though .. I had some in SH3 but i thought it was normal and not big issue ( very little kind of stutter when panning the view).
I then turned off this tweak in drivers and ran 3dmark201 again --> absolutely smooth, perfect.
Thinking about it, and with information given in link above, it make sense with game who don't like multi-threading at all. Or maybe i have an AMD X24400 with "dual-core optimizer" and this doesn't work well with the driver optimisation ..i don't know.
Anyway, anyone should give it a try ..
cunnutazzo
07-20-07, 03:35 PM
Another possible advice for high end systems: when you upgrade your pc look for a right power supply first, because the last videocards and CPUs are "monsters" requiring more power. If you have an old power supply, your upgraded pc will work good in normal tasks (internet, word processing, etc), but will be a lot of problems when you play a game, bad stutters included
for what i understand the threaded optimization is for games that use openGL so for SH4 should be leave in "off" or "auto" ... in my current drivers i dont have the "auto" option so i set it to "off"
for a game based on openGL like IL2 46 or any of the il2 series it should be "on"
but il2 lets u choose the way you want to run the game openGL or DirectX
another question i have is about the page file memory or whatever is called that thing that uses the free space in the HD as memory
i set mine to the maximum value available wich was 4196
but ... i guess if the speed of access to the disck its not very good
this will afect performance ?
Marko_Ramius
07-21-07, 08:11 AM
"Threaded Optimization: Controls the use of multithreaded optimization for all 3D games on Dual Core/HyperThreading systems. The available settings are Auto, On and Off. I would strongly recommend the default option of Auto, allowing the drivers to set this appropriately for various games based on your hardware. Only turn Off for troubleshooting purposes if you believe a particular (older) game is not compatible with dual core CPUs."
I understand this is for ALL 3d games, not just openGL :hmm:
Seeadler
07-21-07, 10:19 AM
In the previous driver versions this feature was called still “OpenGL threaded optimization”. It may be possible that Nvidia also made this now for DirectX because DirectX 10 supports threadding. With DirectX9 one should not notice any difference if set to on/off/auto.
so i dont have the " auto " option for the threading optimization im using latest drivers
is this option present on the version before ? i dont remember ever to see it there.
ANYWAY about the page file memory any advice ????
well ... im shure that everybody is really happy that you can afford a system that allows you to play sh4 with no stutters and decent fps ...
now if you want to give some advice or useful idea instead of making fun with it you are welcome to do so
thanks
well ... im shure that everybody is really happy that you can afford a system that allows you to play sh4 with no stutters and decent fps ...
now if you want to give some advice or useful idea instead of making fun with it you are welcome to do so
thanks
I'm sorry I just couldnt resit doing that in a bored mood,I'm sorry:oops:..I did give some advice and was told I'm crazy..Its hard to have a system for more then just gameing..Haveing said that you have to keep the system clean and defragged you have to stop eveything that dosent need to be running when you are gaming..There are programs that will do thid for you..If anyone is interested I will post them..Even tho I have a strong system I do all of this..I can take a screen shot(maybe I'm dumb) and sow an iterior shot of the sub and I getting over 200 fps..You can make any system run better if you work at it....I hope you forgive me.....:D
ANYWAY about the page file memory any advice ????
As it relates to games, there is none. If you're hitting the page file enough that adjusting/playing with it would do anything, you're already hitting the page file too much. You'd be playing a slideshow, not a game.
Turning it off is equally useless, since those who generally do this don't understand that Windows also pages back to the backingstore (memory mapped files, like executables). In essence, you cannot disable paging. Paging is a fundamental aspect of the memory manager.
Defragging the page file, also useless. Page files are generally created contigously (given enough free contigous space upon installation of Windows). On top of that, they're written in a fairly random order in 4KB chunks (IIRC, up to 16KB). You will not be hard paging back and forth between chucks 1,2,3,etc, but rather 1,512,845,20,etc.
If you're hitting your page file hard enough that it is affecting game play, and this is something you can only identify with perfmon, the Task Manager will not tell you, then your only solution is to get more physical memory. No other solution for solving hard paging is valid.
thank so for what i understand setting it to the highest value possible doenst affect game performance ? so thats not the way to go.
maybe its time to save money to buy a new card :shifty:
simonb1612
07-21-07, 07:16 PM
two questions
firstly how do I go about checking what frame rate I am getting?
second, on the graphics options page, what are the highest settings the selection sliders on the left hand side? Intuitively setting to the far right would be the highest settings, however if you place the cursor just below the respective slide bars there are some options listed that do not make any sense to me at all :(
Once again, many thanks to all who share their knowledge and creativity :rock:
ctrl+f8 will show the fps
not shure i understand your 2nd question
simonb1612
07-21-07, 10:44 PM
firstly thank you for the fps answer.
to further explain my second question...
from the ingame menu (the pad icon, choose options, graphic settings. There is a list of options on the left of the screen "ship 3d damage" etc. When i place my cursor just below the slide bars i get the following popup
Ship 3d damage: v1:0 v2:2 v:2
Character details: v1:0 v2:1 v:1
Particles density: v1:1 v2:1 v:8
Terrain Objects Density: v1:2 v2:1 v:5
Terrain Objects LOD size: v1:4 v2:1 v:8
Gamma: v1:0 v2:100 v:50
I have know idea what these figures mean????
ahhh ... i dont get that also !!! i assume all to the right side is maximum settings !
i dont even know what LOD stands for !
and what about the normal ship maps ... so if we let it disable will they use lower than normal or higher than normal ??
Seeadler
07-22-07, 09:40 AM
i dont even know what LOD stands for ! LOD = Level Of Detail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail_%28programming%29
and what about the normal ship maps ... Normal Mapping
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping
O...K...
so ... and anyone care to explain the values ? :hmm:
Seeadler
07-22-07, 10:32 AM
O...K...
so ... and anyone care to explain the values ? :hmm:
If one selects the pre-settings low, medium, high, one sees like the sliders moved. Left is low settings, right is high settings, exception of this is only Terrain Objects LOD size here it is the opposite.
simonb1612
07-22-07, 02:05 PM
thank you Jmack and Seeadler. I am off to play with the settings.....
Nightmare
09-18-07, 06:59 PM
Giving this thread a bump:
My CRT burned up on me last month so I purchased a new LCD with a native resolution of 1680x1050. Also updated to latest NVIDIA drivers. Game loads fine, fps in the control room and conning tower are 90+ fps.
Where it gets interesting is on the bridge, either my FPS will be in mid 70's or it will dive all the way down to 5 FPS. However, if I alt-tab back to desktop and then go back to the game, my FPS will go right back up into the 70s. I tried lowering the resolution down to 1024x768 and still experienced this.
Anybody else notice this? Wondering if this is a driver bug…
My Specs:
E6600 @ stock speed
2 gig DDR2
8800GTS 320megs
Misfit138
09-18-07, 08:55 PM
Where it gets interesting is on the bridge, either my FPS will be in mid 70's or it will dive all the way down to 5 FPS. However, if I alt-tab back to desktop and then go back to the game, my FPS will go right back up into the 70s. I tried lowering the resolution down to 1024x768 and still experienced this.
Anybody else notice this? Wondering if this is a driver bug…
Yep, I'm having from time to time. It's kind of really annyoing so it would be great to get rid of it. But haven't got the slightest clue what's causing this... :hmm:
Oh yeah, and also running GF 8800 GTS 320Mb with 158.22 forceware. This problem was present with the 162.18 forceware too
FooFighters
09-27-07, 05:58 AM
I am now officialy a new member of this topic :down:
I just upgraded my PC from :
AMD 64 XP 3200+
Asus K8N motherboard with 2048GB PC3200 memory
XFX 8800 GTS 320mb GPU (nvidia 162.18 driver)
2 x 40gb IDE hardiscs
New Machine :
AMD 64 X2 6000+ (2x 3Ghz)
Gigabyte GA-M55-S3 2 x 1024 OCZ platinum PC6400 memory (4-4-4-12)
XFX 8800 GTS 320mb GPU (nvidia 162.18 driver)
1 x 160GB SATA2 harddisc
On my old rig I had some minor stuttering, not really noticable.
On my new rig I have stuttering, short screen flashes and when I attack a ship my framerate drops to 17-25FPS.
I have everything enabled, 1280*960
AA 4X and AF 16X
TM1.6 and ROW enabled.
I used this configurations for both rigs..
For me the biggest problem is hitting a merchant with a torpedo.
The framedrop is really big ! with fog 50+ -> 17-25 without fog 70+ -> 25-30
When I disable fog it gets a bit better..
I did not have these big framedrop with my old rig (just minor).. I really have no idea why ?
:damn:
New fresh XP install
New SH-IV install (with patch 1.3 only)
Strange, I have a little better frames with TMaru and ROW. 4x AA 4xAF 1280x1024, all options enabled.
C2D E6600 2,4ghz
2GB DDR2
8800GTS 320MB
FooFighters
09-27-07, 07:22 AM
Strange, I have a little better frames with TMaru and ROW. 4x AA 4xAF 1280x1024, all options enabled.
C2D E6600 2,4ghz
2GB DDR2
8800GTS 320MB
I use AF 16x.. try it tonight with 4x
You have slightly better framerate, but do you also have this big drop ?
It's really :cry:
Put some bucks in it and it runs worse..
FooFighters
09-28-07, 05:45 AM
Strange, I have a little better frames with TMaru and ROW. 4x AA 4xAF 1280x1024, all options enabled.
C2D E6600 2,4ghz
2GB DDR2
8800GTS 320MB
I use AF 16x.. try it tonight with 4x
You have slightly better framerate, but do you also have this big drop ?
It's really :cry:
Put some bucks in it and it runs worse..
Small update..
After hours of testing I found out that the main problem was caused by the new seafoam texture of the ROW mod.
When the water is calm but with fog there are no problems, a steady FPS of 60+.
In clear conditions the FPS is 75+.
I will do so more testing this weekend to see what happens..
Maybe more people have this problem ?
Stary Wuj
01-28-09, 09:15 AM
Strange, I have a little better frames with TMaru and ROW. 4x AA 4xAF 1280x1024, all options enabled.
C2D E6600 2,4ghz
2GB DDR2
8800GTS 320MB
I use AF 16x.. try it tonight with 4x
You have slightly better framerate, but do you also have this big drop ?
It's really :cry:
Put some bucks in it and it runs worse..
Small update..
After hours of testing I found out that the main problem was caused by the new seafoam texture of the ROW mod.
When the water is calm but with fog there are no problems, a steady FPS of 60+.
In clear conditions the FPS is 75+.
I will do so more testing this weekend to see what happens..
Maybe more people have this problem ?
I have stuttering and short screen flashes (very annoiyng).
Mayby You know how I can remove (change to stock - I have backup) new
seafoam texture from TMO mod? Which files are responsible?
And...... strange effect, never seen before U-boat Missions addon, when I DISABLE volumetric fog, I see (underwater only) some kind of double vision of my ship (I don't drink while using computer :D) it looks like my main 3D submarine + another one, very close to original, but much more transparent, like halo of image.
All Nvidia panel settings like before when I play long ago without add-on and with older TMO mod version.
I have so many small problems and glitches with SH4+add-on+newest Trigger_Maru, mayby I should play without big mods, but I like many "realism" improvements added via mods, especially TMO. What a pity, that all big mods have environment mods embedded inside.
Best Regards
Stary Wuj
I have similar issues (8800 gts) the environment mods murder my FR. It'll be 90 until I look at a bow splash or wake, then it literally flickers between 70-90 and 2 on the FPS meter... 70, 2, 85, 2, 90, 2, 71, 2, etc.
Tater what happens if you use V-sync?
does it go completely tango uniform?
I had a similar problem, i found that if i enabled Vsync and frame rates plummeted then it indicated one of my settings, either in game, or from the nvidia control panel were not correct. once i got the settings right, the frame rate would match the 'refresh rate' of my LCD, steady at around 60ish in control room. then when you uncheck vsync for normal game play the frame rate would stay steady at 60 give or take 10. Consequently, exterior views were steady at 30, in all directions.
in other words, enabling vsync better allowed me to trouble shoot graphics settings, clear as mud? ;)
EDITED frame rate numbers.
I'll try. It may well be since the only change in my PC was changing from my NEC CRT to a samsung LCD.
Stary Wuj
01-29-09, 05:36 AM
For NVIDIA users, worth to try IMHO.
Beside known options (V-Sync, debug mode in sim.cfg) You can try with Nvidia Control Panel - there is Maximum pre-rendered frames option (default 3).
Yesterday I change it to 8, and stuttering is almost gone, barely visible, and white, annoying flash every few minutes is completly gone.
Just to try :D I have 8800 GT and pre-physix drivers (175.19).
Remember - download NEWEST DRIVERS is not very smart idea, not always, especially for older games :yep:
Stary Wuj
Wuj, IT WORKED! thank you thank you thank you!
ive had that annoying flash for a split second on exterior views i just learned to live with it for the longest time, im so happy its gone! feels like the rendering is smoother too.
Thanks for that TIP!!
Stary Wuj
01-29-09, 01:22 PM
Wuj, IT WORKED! thank you thank you thank you!
ive had that annoying flash for a split second on exterior views i just learned to live with it for the longest time, im so happy its gone! feels like the rendering is smoother too.
Thanks for that TIP!!
I'm very happy, that I can help You :D
Info about this option:
Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames: If available, this option - previously known as 'Max Frames to Render Ahead' in old Forceware versions - controls the number of frames the CPU prepares in advanced of being rendered by the GPU. The default value is 3 - higher values tend to result in smoother but more laggy gameplay, while lower values can help reduce mouse and keyboard lag. However extremely low values such as 0 may hurt performance, so I recommend this option be kept at its default of 3 globally, and only adjusted downwards in specific game profiles. Remember, in most cases mouse lag is due to low framerates, so adjusting this option is not an automatic cure to lag issues, nor should it be the first thing you try. Finally, it only works in DirectX games, not OpenGL games.
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