Major Performance Issues

[Prevtzer]

Which issue? The lag issue? Or just having a 1.5GB file?

The nobody-really-cares-about one.

[Stonewolf]

Mod is unplayable for me aswell, ridiculously low fps despite good rig. Playing around with "fixes" from this thread like changing cpu affinity or game boosters did nothing or next to nothing since it's still stuttering and freezing.

I frankly don't get it, game looks like **** and runs even worse. Something went seriously wrong with those last patches.

[Boris]

Playing around with "fixes" from this thread like changing cpu affinity or game boosters did nothing or next to nothing since it's still stuttering and freezing.

Setting affinity to a single core isn't a fix, it's a method to prove the PRBF2 process is using 100% of available CPU power on a multi-core system, to avoid the deception that the CPU is underutilised.

Stuttering/freezing sounds more like a RAM issue. Try disabling VMEM if you're running over 4GB of RAM.

[Prevtzer]

Setting affinity to a single core isn't a fix, it's a method to prove the PRBF2 process is using 100% of available CPU power on a multi-core system, to avoid the deception that the CPU is underutilised.

I don't really think that worked for anybody the way it's supposed to.

[Boris]

I don't really think that worked for anybody the way it's supposed to.

Work in what way?

[Stonewolf]

Stuttering/freezing sounds more like a RAM issue. Try ....

Well, it's weird that you're guessing a solution and assuming that's a "x issue related to the rig" when it's obvious the problem is mod-side since tons of people have hilarious performance issues.

All those "tips for improving performance" posted on forums are clearly missing the point, performance doesn't need "improving", it needs fixing since it's just broken, this game/mod should be running perfectly smooth on modern comps. We don't need a "small tweak" that helps to get from 15 fps to 25, we need a fix for the mod that will get it back to running normal, 80-120 fps.

Anyway, waiting for devs to fix the mod, not going to fiddle around on my side anymore, utter waste of time when it's the mod that's just broken atm.

[Inspektura43]

Cant agree more with Stonewolf

[tankninja1]

I found this wired thing that lag accumulates. After a round or two (my FPS drops from 20-30 to 15) I need to restart my computer. After the restart it pops back up to 20-30. In the mean time try RAZOR GAME BOOSTER might help you get along until the lag goes away (boosted my FPS from less than 15 to 20-30).

Also post your system specs from the launchers support button. Might help the devs data collection to look for a common problem as some people can play fine and others play with horrid lag.

[Death!]

Well, it's weird that you're guessing a solution and assuming that's a "x issue related to the rig" when it's obvious the problem is mod-side since tons of people have hilarious performance issues.

All those "tips for improving performance" posted on forums are clearly missing the point, performance doesn't need "improving", it needs fixing since it's just broken, this game/mod should be running perfectly smooth on modern comps. We don't need a "small tweak" that helps to get from 15 fps to 25, we need a fix for the mod that will get it back to running normal, 80-120 fps.

Anyway, waiting for devs to fix the mod, not going to fiddle around on my side anymore, utter waste of time when it's the mod that's just broken atm.

I wish I could not agree with you...

[LuckyOne]

I'm thinking this has to be related to the new effects. Most drops occur when there's a lot of action (explosions/smoke/gunfire) going on. I tested it on Fallujah STD local game...

Looking towards the city from the US base I get around 35 FPS. After blowing up the transport trucks I get 20-25 and if I then pop up some smoke or fire the Humwee's .50 it drops to 15.

Changing Effects/Shadows/Lights to medium doesn't seem to affect much...

[Death!]

I'm thinking this has to be related to the new effects. Most drops occur when there's a lot of action (explosions/smoke/gunfire) going on. I tested it on Fallujah STD local game...

Looking towards the city from the US base I get around 35 FPS. After blowing up the transport trucks I get 20-25 and if I then pop up some smoke or fire the Humwee's .50 it drops to 15.

Changing Effects/Shadows/Lights to medium doesn't seem to affect much...

Those effects does not afect my FPS, but I got an old but yet not that bad GPU (GTX260). Maybe you just got a bad GPU and it affects a lot for you.

[LuckyOne]

Those effects does not afect my FPS, but I got an old but yet not that bad GPU (GTX260). Maybe you just got a bad GPU and it affects a lot for you.

I doubt it's that bad, I can get around 60 in Red Orchestra 2 & Battlefield 3. It's just PR that's having these drops when I look towards the smoke or fire...

[Boris]

Well, it's weird that you're guessing a solution and assuming that's a "x issue related to the rig" when it's obvious the problem is mod-side since tons of people have hilarious performance issues.

Sure, throw it back in my fucking face. It's "weird" that I make a suggestion to you that could help? You think everyone with performance issues is suffering the exact same problem? Given that it's apparent you don't know what the problem actually is, I'd say the only "obvious" thing here is that you don't have a clue where the problem lies, or what can be done about it. And you haven't even posted your system specs - not exactly a lot to go on, is it? All you've offered so far is to whine like a *****.

[Inspektura43]

Of course he will whine like a ***** we waited so long for 1.0 just to see how unplayable it will be

[Stonewolf]

Sure, throw it back in my fucking face. It's "weird" that I make a suggestion to you that could help? You think everyone with performance issues is suffering the exact same problem? Given that it's apparent you don't know what the problem actually is, I'd say the only "obvious" thing here is that you don't have a clue where the problem lies, or what can be done about it. And you haven't even posted your system specs - not exactly a lot to go on, is it? All you've offered so far is to whine like a *****.

Dude, the point is that the problem doesn't lie in peoples' rigs, since they, same as me, run all new games perfectly fine, it's just PR that's going crazy unplayable with 15-30 fps. Throwing random suggestions and implying that someone's a problem with their spec doesn't help anyone and it just blurrs the obvious conclusion after viewing this thread and seeing people with high end rigs having **** performance in a 8-years old game, this mod in it's current state is just broken.

It's true I have no idea what devs specifically fucked up so badly since 0.98 (last time I played PR and it was running fine back then), but releasing such buggy and clearly unoptimized in the slightest version was just a bad decision. Imho if you cant fix it ad hoc you guys should just revert it to last playable version and release it again once it's actually ready.

[AFsoccer]

Keep it civil guys.

[Boris]

Dude, the point is that the problem doesn't lie in peoples' rigs, since they, same as me, run all new games perfectly fine, it's just PR that's going crazy unplayable with 15-30 fps. Throwing random suggestions and implying that someone's a problem with their spec doesn't help anyone and it just blurrs the obvious conclusion after viewing this thread and seeing people with high end rigs having **** performance in a 8-years old game, this mod in it's current state is just broken.

It's true I have no idea what devs specifically fucked up so badly since 0.98 (last time I played PR and it was running fine back then), but releasing such buggy and clearly unoptimized in the slightest version was just a bad decision. Imho if you cant fix it ad hoc you guys should just revert it to last playable version and release it again once it's actually ready.

OK, but again, you haven't even posted your system specs. If you had done that and it turned out that you only had 2 GB RAM in there then it's entirely possible you could have encountered problems with stuttering/freezing as a consequence of mid-game disk access for game data. This isn't uncommon at all. Stuttering/freezing to me suggests a possible system hang up, not a general FPS drop/lag. One simple way to prove whether this be the case is - if possible - to disable VMEM, assuming you have enough RAM installed to be able to do that - around 2.5GB or more, depending on what graphics settings you use. Don't piss and moan because you're not prepared to hear some ideas about fixing your problems.

But sure, there's a fair chance the problem lies with the v1 mod, but that's by no means a certain, as people encounter problems for all sorts of reasons. I've had big issues with v1 too, not being able to have a decent playable game since its release running on an Athlon 64 X2 4400+, 4GB system. The apparent problem appearing to come down to a simple lack of CPU power to run the game. Being a 2-core processor though it theoretically had the potential to be able to run the game, but with the bulk PRBF2 process being single-threaded the application couldn't make full use of both cores. But this isn't apparent when you look at a performance monitor in e.g. Task Manager as these only display averaged values across the cores, with the BF2 process being rapidly switched by the system across the cores automatically to balance general load. But though it may look otherwise, it's not running on multiple cores simultaneously, it's just being sliced between them - one core at a time. So now, if you want to prove that the BF2 process is actually consuming the maximum it can, then one possible method to do that is by forcing its affinity to run on only a single core. Simple. It's not a fix; it's a useful step as a method to help diagnose where the performance problem lies.

Do you have any better ideas to offer?

Anyway, I guess I'm out of this thread now as I recently upgraded the hardware here. 96-bot offline match was laughably smooth/high-fps. So, just the online aspect to test now...

[Pyrohair]

OK, but again, you haven't even posted your system specs. If you had done that and it turned out that you only had 2 GB RAM in there then it's entirely possible you could have encountered problems with stuttering/freezing as a consequence of mid-game disk access for game data. This isn't uncommon at all. Stuttering/freezing to me suggests a possible system hang up, not a general FPS drop/lag. One simple way to prove whether this be the case is - if possible - to disable VMEM, assuming you have enough RAM installed to be able to do that - around 2.5GB or more, depending on what graphics settings you use. Don't piss and moan because you're not prepared to hear some ideas about fixing your problems.

Again, respectfully of course, you're missing the point.

This game is what? Around 8 years old? As of .98 anyone could run this mod beautifully. As soon as 1.0 came out, performance all accross the board on a wide range of machines, even higher-end machines, were having problems. The problem does not lie with the players. I love the work that the devs have done, the mod is fantastic, but in this case, the problem here is with the mod itself. Currently, the mod is sorta broken, as everyone should be able to run it fine, but there's something that the devs messed up that is causing a huge amount of problems.

Just to reiterate, devs, you guys did a fantastic job on 1.0 and we all look forward to being able to play it. I am NOT bashing the work that has been done or the game, I am merely stating how people have misinterpreted the FPS issues.

All of us here that are having problems eagerly await a fix for the issues. I've been playing for years and I don't want to be forced to stop now because no one would fix some optimization or performance issues.

[Boris]

Again, respectfully of course, you're missing the point.

This game is what? Around 8 years old? As of .98 anyone could run this mod beautifully. As soon as 1.0 came out, performance all accross the board on a wide range of machines, even higher-end machines, were having problems. The problem does not lie with the players. I love the work that the devs have done, the mod is fantastic, but in this case, the problem here is with the mod itself. Currently, the mod is sorta broken, as everyone should be able to run it fine, but there's something that the devs messed up that is causing a huge amount of problems.

Just to reiterate, devs, you guys did a fantastic job on 1.0 and we all look forward to being able to play it. I am NOT bashing the work that has been done or the game, I am merely stating how people have misinterpreted the FPS issues.

All of us here that are having problems eagerly await a fix for the issues. I've been playing for years and I don't want to be forced to stop now because no one would fix some optimization or performance issues.

What point have I missed? I know full-well v1 has caused problems for some people, people who used to run 0.981 prior just fine - me being one of them. The thing is, since v1 release there have been increased demands on system resources due to increased player numbers, increased minimum graphics options, increased visual effects, and maybe a bunch of other things, too. So, you can say "pr is just broken" all you want, but this isn't necessarily true at all; it could as well be that some systems that managed 0.981 and prior simply cannot handle the increased demands of v1. If so, does that mean that PR is broke, or does it really mean that the minimum system requirements have increased? As far as my problems with v1 have gone here, the answer appears to be the latter. But, in saying that, this is still no guarantee that there isn't still an underlying problem with v1 that's simply being masked for those with higher-power systems. The real problem though is how to deduce this (any practical suggestions?).

You also need to bare in mind that there are plenty of players playing who are apparently not having problems with it, so it's not like everyone is suffering low performance, or at least that's the impression I get.

Here's a thought that could be relevant: Why does v1 PR take so long to open to lobby, and to load maps? The difference I noticed in that respect here was obvious compared to 0.981, taking around 3 minutes just to get to the lobby, and about another 4-5 minutes just to load the map (on all low graphics settings). But, having just gotten a new mobo/cpu/mem/os here (same old GPU for now), the difference is huge. So, why the huge load time difference between the versions? Is the v1 archive data more highly compressed, needing more CPU to decompress or something? Maybe this issue could be looked into too to try to identify where the problem lies - it could be related. - EDIT: And this is using the exact same PRBF2 installation as on the slower XP system as the faster WIN7 system - no additional drive defragmentation having taken place.

FWIW, old versus new system specs:

OLD:

Code: Select all

System Information
------------------
  Operating System: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional x64 Edition (5.2.3790)
      Architecture: 64-bit
          Language: English (United Kingdom)
       Motherboard: Abit AN8 SLI Series(NF-CK804)
         Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Dual Core Processor @ 2.20GHz
            Memory: 4.00 GB
         Page File: -260100096.00 B
    .NET Framework: 4.0

Display Information
-------------------
 Display Device(s): Plug and Play Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
                    Plug and Play Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
    Driver Version: 6.14.12.9610 (296.10)
    Display Memory: 256.00 MB
     Multisampling: 2, 4
               DPI: 96 (100%)

Audio Information
-----------------
  Primary Playback: kX Wave CT4620 10k1 [9c00] 0/1
 Primary Recording: kX Wave CT4620 10k1 [9c00] 0/1
               EAX: True
           EAX 1.0: False
           EAX 2.0: True
           EAX 3.0: True
           EAX 4.0: False
           EAX 5.0: False
             X-RAM: False

Disk Information
----------------
      Install Path: D:\games\bf2pr
                    Free: 67.09 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
          Mod Path: D:\games\bf2pr\mods\pr
                    Free: 67.09 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
     Profiles Path: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\ProjectReality\Profiles
                    Free: 9.78 GB, Total: 25.00 GB, NTFS
    Update DL Path: D:\games\bf2pr\binaries
                    Free: 67.09 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
   Update Log Path: D:\games\bf2pr\logs
                    Free: 67.09 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS

Game Information
----------------
      CD Key Valid: True
    Installed Mods: bf2, pr, xpack
       Current Mod: pr
       BF2 Version: BF2 1.5
        PR Version: 1.0.35.0
          Language: english
   Debug Available: False
     Large Address: True
Supported Hardware: None

Profile Information
-------------------
      Profile 0001: boris
              Type: Online
 Last Used Profile: True
        View Intro: False
        Fullscreen: True
      Display Mode: 1280x1024@60Hz
Display Mode Valid: True
   Graphics Scheme: Low
     Multisampling: 4x
             VSync: True
   Terrain Quality: Low
   Effects Quality: Low
  Geometry Quality: Low
   Texture Quality: Low
  Lighting Quality: Low
   Dynamic Shadows: Low
    Dynamic Lights: Low
 Texture Filtering: Low
    Audio Provider: Software
    Provider Valid: True
     Audio Quality: High
               EAX: False

NEW:

Code: Select all

System Information
------------------
  Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate  (6.1.7601)
      Architecture: 64-bit
          Language: English (United Kingdom)
       Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. MAXIMUS V EXTREME
         Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz (Physical: 4, Logical: 4)
            Memory: 8.00 GB
      DIMM Modules: ChannelA-DIMM1: 4.00 GB @ 1867 MHz
                    ChannelB-DIMM1: 4.00 GB @ 1867 MHz
         Page File: -1904640.00 B
    .NET Framework: 4.0

Display Information
-------------------
 Display Device(s): Generic PnP Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
                    Generic PnP Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
   Display Mode(s): 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) @ 60 Hz
    Driver Version: 9.18.13.783 (137.83)
    Display Memory: 256.00 MB
     Multisampling: 2, 4
               DPI: 96 (100%)

Audio Information
-----------------
  Primary Playback: Speakers (Realtek High Definiti
 Primary Recording: Microphone (Realtek High Defini
               EAX: True
           EAX 1.0: False
           EAX 2.0: True
           EAX 3.0: False
           EAX 4.0: False
           EAX 5.0: False
             X-RAM: False

Disk Information
----------------
      Install Path: D:\games\bf2pr
                    Free: 48.38 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
          Mod Path: D:\games\bf2pr\mods\pr
                    Free: 48.38 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
     Profiles Path: C:\Users\User\Documents\ProjectReality\Profiles
                    Free: 5.62 GB, Total: 25.00 GB, NTFS
    Update DL Path: D:\games\bf2pr\binaries
                    Free: 48.38 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS
   Update Log Path: D:\games\bf2pr\logs
                    Free: 48.38 GB, Total: 140.00 GB, NTFS

Game Information
----------------
      CD Key Valid: True
    Installed Mods: bf2, pr, xpack
       Current Mod: pr
       BF2 Version: BF2 1.5
        PR Version: 1.0.36.0
          Language: english
   Debug Available: False
     Large Address: True
Supported Hardware: None

Profile Information
-------------------
      Profile 0001: boris
              Type: Online
 Last Used Profile: True
        View Intro: False
        Fullscreen: True
      Display Mode: 1280x1024@60Hz
Display Mode Valid: True
   Graphics Scheme: High
     Multisampling: 4x
             VSync: False
   Terrain Quality: High
   Effects Quality: High
  Geometry Quality: High
   Texture Quality: High
  Lighting Quality: High
   Dynamic Shadows: High
    Dynamic Lights: High
 Texture Filtering: High
    Audio Provider: Hardware
    Provider Valid: True
     Audio Quality: High
               EAX: True

Having played a little online/offline now I think I can say my problems are solved. Even running on a single ancient 7800GT card (because apparently the driver doesn't want to let me run them SLI), all HIGH, 4xAA, it appears to have no problem at all - almost straight 60fps (monitor refresh cap) all the time, though with a little stutter now and again (quite possibly due to lack of GPU texture memory). So, while the exact cause of people's problems may differ, it seems likely mine here was - more than anything - related purely to a lack of core processing power, resulting in some painfully low FPS at times both on and offline (bots), and player movement rubber-banding online. No GPU issue, just pure CPU (best guess). Having checked GPU-Z for GPU utilisation, whereas on the old system usage was at most around 23%, it's now hitting 100% at times quite comfortably.

[Kothra]

Most of the time, my to-lobby and map load times seem to be about the same as previous at this point (when it first released, map loading would take like 10 minutes or longer).

And I don't know if it's something I did or if it was a result of the latest update, but while I still get pretty big fps drops, I haven't noticed a drop to unplayable levels. Afaik it hasn't gone below about 25.

Still need to play more to make sure it really is actually working though.