I actually noticed this during beta 4, but it was the first time I noticed buildings, on my new laptop, so I thought they just needed some optimizing, which would be done for the release.
I get a constant max framerate (limited to 90 in my case, for example) over all the map, on a bare ground, units for example are ok. But as soon as a small 3D object enters the field, it decreases. A tree in the corner? 45 fps. A city (not a big one, just the first settlement) visible? 15 fps.
I tried to change the various settings, deactivated soft lighting, AA, shadows, resolution, it's still doing the same. It works good on the cloth map, without a problem, though, as there are no such elements.
Now I would understand such thing on my older laptop, but I'm surprised to see this on the new one. Specs:
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60GHz (8 CPUs), ~1.6GHzMemory: 8192MB RAMVideo Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
So I'm guessing there is somehow a problem with drivers (though latest ones from ATI), or at least some incompatibility somewhere. Because the objects are nice, the cell shading effect too, but it's hardly something to bring this computer to its knees.
ps: I understand that a game like this doesn't need to run at 90fps. But 15-20 is actually unpleasant on the long term.
Edit: To make a complete (more or less) analysis, I tried at a high and low configuration, similar effects:
LOW Settings:
- Video Configuration
- Over a city: 20 fps
- Without objects: 138 fps
HIGH Settings:
- Over a city: 18 fps
- Without objects: 80 fps
So it doesn't seem to be related to the video settings. I also tried windowed, same.
It is really related to these 3D objects, as shown by these two other screenshots:
- Full zoom, empty ground: 99 fps
- Same place, just a bit higher to have one tree in the view: 29 fps
So far, the only thing which seems to improve performance is to force the game to run only on one core (physical one, so two virtual cores on Core i3/5/7), as suggested by thebigJ_A in this answer.
It should be the other way around, clearly, so maybe it's giving a hint on where the problem could be. Note that this doesn't solve the performance problem, there is still a big decrease on framerate when passing on cities, but less than when the game is authorized to run on all cores. I noticed however that doing this since the 1.05 version makes the sound choppy, probably because it was expecting to run on a different core to begin with.
It seems i was a little wrong, there is a Hal HWVP line at the beginning, but there's also SWVP line. I'm posting complete log. At the bottom you see error lines which infinitely repeated when drawing scene. I have cut the log, otherwise it would be too long.
[5024] ImpulseMini: Version 558 (Registry)[5024] ImpulseMini: Minimum version '166'[1748] D3D9 Helper: Enhanced D3DDebugging disabled; Application was not compiled with D3D_DEBUG_INFO [1748] D3D9 Helper: Enhanced D3DDebugging disabled; Application was not compiled with D3D_DEBUG_INFO [1748] Direct3D9: (INFO) :======================= Hal HWVP device selected [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (INFO) :Using FF to VS converter [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (INFO) :Using FF to PS converter [1748] [5492] D3D9 Helper: Enhanced D3DDebugging disabled; Application was not compiled with D3D_DEBUG_INFO [5492] Direct3D9: (INFO) :======================= NullRef SWVP device selected [5492] [5492] Direct3D9: (INFO) :Using P4 PSGP [5492] [5492] Direct3D9: (INFO) :Using FF to VS converter in software vertex processing [5492] [1748] [08-25-2010 19:55:14 418] [1748] ImpulseReactor version 1.10.14[1748] [1748] InitializeMultiChannelIRC with default channel #elemental[1748] [1748] [08-25-2010 19:55:18 808] [1748] GetPlayerDataByID: 0 not found[1748] [1748] [08-25-2010 19:55:19 320] [1748] CVPIsAppUpdateRequired[1748] [1748] [08-25-2010 19:55:19 631] [1748] loading file C:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Elemental\ImpulseReactor.xml[1748] [1748] Installed version: 1.05.016[1748] [1748] Latest version: 1.05.016 (server 1, beta 0)[1748] [1748] D3DXCreateText: GetTextMetrics failed. Probably no font selected[1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) :Stream 1 size is too small [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) rawIndexedPrimitive failed. [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) :Stream 1 size is too small [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) rawIndexedPrimitive failed. [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) :Stream 1 size is too small [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) rawIndexedPrimitive failed. [1748] [1748] Direct3D9: (ERROR) :Stream 1 size is too small
I used that MSI Afterburner thing to check on my GPU usage. It's not zero, but it's not very high and the inverse of what it should be. Looking at fog (highest FPS) it's at 60, looking at the cloth map (good FPS) it drops to 40, and looking at a 3D city (abysmal FPS) it drops to 35.
I also looked at my CPU cores on the task manager. If I set it to use one CPU, it maxes it and ignores the other one, giving me 50% total usage. If I set it to use both, it splits the work unevenly and doesn't fill either all the way up, resulting in a combination that is STILL no higher than 50% total usage. Performance is identical in either case.
Also, nobody ever mentioned this, so I'll ask again because it really seems odd: is it normal for my debug file to have almost a thousand warnings about leaks? Is anybody else seeing that? It mostly refers to limbs and clothes and stuff, so it would explain why cities in particular are problematic. (EDIT: Actually that's not true, terrain leaks too.) Here's the pastebin one more time:
http://pastebin.com/sdLAbbQz
http://pastebin.ca/1924764
I get a tone of leak warnings too.
Same issue with these specs:
laptop
Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
8600M GT 256MB+256MBVRAM
2 GB RAM
game runs very choppy at any settings, FPS doesnt really change
both GPU-Z and Afterburner tell me that my GPU runs on 0%
my debug.err:
http://pastebin.ca/1925260
Ok, so I took a look at my debugg.err file...and it's HUGE w/ all kinds of "leak" warnings, and warnings of things not being found. My debuff.err can be found @ the link below. I should mention that I had to trim it down a little bit to get it accepted on pastebin, but I only erased a couple lines that were repeated more than twice consecutively.
Also, as I was perusing the log I found the following line close to the top:
Debug Message: GFX-THREAD: DISABLED
I have no idea what it is referring to, or if it has anything even remotely to do with the problem we are having, but I found it interesting and figured it couldn't hurt to post it.
My debuff.err can be seen @ http://pastebin.ca/1925264
Ok I did some more experimenting, here's what I have seen so far.
Fresh Campaign starts at 100-200 fps.
The moment I build the first town I drop to 14-25fps.
If I am zoomed out far enough that none of the villagers show in the towns, my GPU has 0% load.
If I zoom into the point where I can see villagers, my GPU has 25% load, zoom back out back to 0%. FPS does not change, remains 14-25fps.
If I zoom out to cloth map, my GPU load goes to 40% and my frames hit 150-200 fps.
If I enter the tile editor, and do nothing but look at the blank green field, my GPU load jumps to 43%
If I enter a tactical battle, my GPU load increases to 40% and my frames hit 90-100.
Hope this info helps solve this problem, because something is definitely wrong.
And for good measure,
Intel 2.8 QC
ATI 5800 2GB
4GB RAM
Clean system, up to date drivers. Tested on all graphics settings with same effects.
This is so frustrating
At least they have read the posts and know that we are all seeing the same issue and getting the same errors in our debug logs. I bet we see a patch in the next few days to fix this hopefully.
Any update from the Stardock guys on this one?
This issue is keeping me (and many others) from playing this game because the framerate becomes unplayable after a while...
Have you guys at least been able to reproduce this issue on one of your machines?
FYI be careful with the debugger tool. My print out showed my driver being a year old when its the newest nvidia one that came out in july.
Going to check and verify this when i get home. Let you guys know what i find.
Just thot I'd also like to point out some things i found which may or may not help:
When first loading the game at the load screen, my fps is like 2200
Also after it loads, and goes to the menu screen its still like insane at 2200, so I would assume the vid card is being accessed.
Now after It hits actual in game, bam down to 15-70fps ( yah i know old news)
these are all with limit frame rate off
If i turn on limit frame rate to 60, my loading screen and menu screens all lock to 60fps...so i dunno if that may help but i really want to play
It seems all other screens but the in game stuff all respond to user input of the video settings....
i7 quad core 3.6ghz
6gb ram
crossfired 5770's
Here is my debug file. http://pastebin.ca/1925413 The new CAT 10.8 drivers do not help with the FPS on my computer.
Hey guys,
So fyi to nvidia users. The auto update thinks the july 2009 driver is the latest for my 260M fyi.
Here is a new debug file. Even after updating the graphics card im getting some major fps issues.
http://pastebin.ca/1925418
Win 7 64 intel quad 2.8 4 gig ram ATI 4870 1gig,Same problem as everyone else i have the ,1.05 patch but on the 3D map if ther are ANY buldings town citys ETC,the game chugs ar 5-11 fps,graphic setting doesnt make any difference.
Here is my debug file.
http://pastebin.ca/1925427
You can be sure this is being investigated as a priority.
I've been getting the same low frame rate issues. What I have noticed in my case however is that the frame rate appears to drop off mainly when moving the camera around using edge scrolling. Most notably when going past towns. However if I stop over a town I notice that all the animations etc run smoothly. This led me to believe that it may be more of a resource loading issue as the camera moves into an area with a greater density of models. Depending on how the content system works in their graphic pipeline the draw event may be stalled waiting for the objects to fully load.
Quite randomly I therefor decided to mess around with the camera movement options and found that things improved for me when I turned the Edge Scroll delay right down to Zero. There is still some notable slowdown when passing over towns however but it is more of a syrupy feel than my previous jarring stutters I was getting.
Of course this may not be the exactly the same issue as everyone else but I do get the same leak warnings in my debug file.
Thanks... please update when you've got some answers...
This is because you just don't notice the difference with small animations. Scrolling is a big animation and therefore it shows more. Use a program like fraps and you'll see that when over cities, your FPS are under 20
I just want to confirm what was said earlier:
It appears that if any part of your city is visible, it stops using the GPU. Scrolling so that the city is out of view and voila! GPU usage goes up again. Going to the cloth map also reactivates the GPU.
The only time the GPU usage spikes up momentarily when the city is in view is when zooming in/out and the various LOD levels are activated, but then it goes back to software mode.
Specs:
AMD Athlon 64x2 5000+
2 GB Ram
Windows XP Media Center Edition
ATI Radeon 4870
Well, I hope this helps them get underway on a fix. We seem to have pretty well found the common issue and provided reproducible examples. Now lets hope that this is something they are really focusing on and get a fix quickly. I am really hoping that I will be able to play by the weekend.
I am curious though, do you guys have a test machine that you are able to recreate this issue on, or are you simply going off of our accounts?
Im on the same boat
Gtx 8800
Intel 2Quad core 2.66GHz
3gb ram
latest nvidia driver
Windows Xp
I just want to add my name to the thread, the performance is terrible and everything I do feels choppy and sluggish, this game feels like it is just starting the beta test, right now if I could get a full refund I would do it in a heartbeat. I sincerely hope future patches fix this game because the ideas behind it are great, execution is terrible.
Just dittoing that I've got the same problem. At first I thought it was my sub-par machine (T9300, 8600M, 4 GIGs RAM), but I've turned all the settings way down and it's obviously some sort of coding problem. Like everyone else, my machine speeds when there isn't a city on screen. Upon starting a new game I'm getting very fast speeds, but as soon as I build a city it drops to 15-25 FPS.
I love this game, so I'm hoping they fix it soon!
Im having the same performance issues here are my specs:
Processor: Intel (r) Core (tm) 2 duo pc T5270 @ 1.40ghz (2cpus)Memory: 2038 RamVideo Card: Mobile Intel (r) 965 Express Chip FamilyOperating System: Microsoft windows xp home edition (5.1, build 2600)
here's my debug err : http://filebin.ca/kmerx
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