V-Sync and Animation Smoothness Test

[Cody]

... it was because you liked it and not because you had actually broken your 1.80 Deployment installation, right?

Aye, that is correct - it seems I'm addicted to trunk (with added V-Sync, of course).

[Getafix]

Thank God! Now I can fall asleep in peace...
I had just entered my tent (camping) when I started checking for news about vsync testing.
Seeing your post, I opened a terminal app on my cell phone to start publishing the binaries for you.
I'm glad that I don't have to complete this task... very tricky on the small screen of an LG P500.

Anyhow, I'm happy you liked it (a_c will be more happy!).
Thank you for trying it, man!

[Bangbangduck]

I downloaded the test file 2 days ago. Initially didn't seem any benefit for me, Still using a satalite pro with crunchbang wheezy 1Gb RAM, but having updated today and run trunk for 3 hours it seems much improved. rarely having any jitters now.

Only the BGS hyperspace conduit animation jitters a bit to start with, after a delay between zero and actually initialising the visual/audible elements gradually smooth out until complete. I assume this may be down more to my poor laptop struggling with the next 'arena' being set up during the trip rather than any major issue with the game. That said it is running much better deffo.

BBD

[another_commander]

@BBD: You are running Windows if I recall correctly?

@All reporting: Can you please give us your gfx card details and OS when you give us feedback? Just would like to know which cards we are seeing improvements on and whether Linux sees improvement too. Thank you.

[Cody]

I'm running Win7 Ultimate 64-bit on an nVidia GTX 550Ti SC 1GB (there is a new nVidia WHQL driver available - 340.52 - which I'll install tonight).
Within a couple of weeks or so, I'll have a new machine with a much improved nVidia gfx card - I'm looking forward to running Oolite on that.

[Bangbangduck]

Hi Cmdr.

I'm a linux man!

VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RS780M [Mobility Radeon HD 3200] Radeon driver in use

Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.2.60-1+deb7u1 x86_64 GNU/Linux (Crunchbang Wheezy)

AMD Sempron™ Processor for Notebooks SI-42
clock speed : 2.1 GHz
2nd level cache : 512KB
with 1Gb Ram

I'll have a bash on my main PC with the v sync test as soon as I can and let you know the score there it has my preferred Nvidia card in it. Old but still bloody good .

BBD

[Getafix]

I downloaded the test file 2 days ago. Initially didn't seem any benefit for me...but having updated today and run trunk for 3 hours it seems much improved. rarely having any jitters now...

Have you replaced the oolite.app/oolite after updating to the latest trunk?
If not, then the test-file has been replaced by the latest trunk.

[Bangbangduck]

You know.........When I typed the above I wondered if someone was going to tell me it would have been over written by the update........

BBD Currently looking like a total knob I'll try again and 'see' if there is an improvement

[Getafix]

Don't worry... I have just walked out from the room of shame having silenced an alarm raised to a_c,
while v-sync testing, as I was reporting to him the "Entities" figure instead of the FPS figure.

[Cody]

... as I was reporting to him the "Entities" figure instead of the FPS figure.

<sniggers> Oh man, that's a cracker!

[another_commander]

Cody, during your test sessions, do you notice any screen tearing with the V-Sync test exe? What monitor frequency are you running it on?

The same question goes out to everyone else testing this build, except Getafix, who has answered it already in the dev mailing list.

And as a general suggestion to those giving this a go, please try to not be influenced by the responses you might read here. Do your tests as if you knew nothing about anyone else and don't let any placebo type effect (e.g. "ah, everyone seems to be seeing improvement, I think I see it too!") distort your perception of what you are seeing. Try to be as objective as possible and run repeated tests alternating between standard trunk and v-sync test to be sure that any difference you might be seeing is really there.

[Cody]

Cody, during your test sessions, do you notice any screen tearing with the V-Sync test exe? What monitor frequency are you running it on?

No, I've not noticed any tearing as yet (except when nVidia's V-Sync is disabled), and my monitor runs at 75fps.

Good point about the placebo effect, Admiral - and I have been alternating.

[another_commander]

No, I've not noticed any tearing as yet (except when nVidia's V-Sync is disabled)

So, if I understand you correctly, if you set nVidia's v-sync to application-cotrolled or off and run the test exe, it has tearing even if the exe caps the FPS to the monitor refresh rate? What happens in this case with the standard trunk exe? Any tearing present with nVidia's vsync settings in off/app-controlled?

This is a very important point in the test. We really need to understand whether the artificial vsync works correctly or not and to do that we need to see how it performs without interference from the graphics card drivers.

[Cody]

So, if I understand you correctly, if you set nVidia's v-sync to application-cotrolled or off and run the test exe, it has tearing even if the exe caps the FPS to the monitor refresh rate? What happens in this case with the standard trunk exe? Any tearing present with nVidia's vsync settings in off/app-controlled?.

I'll have to run more tests, which I'll do tonight. The nVidia CP has four V-Sync options: on, off, app-controlled, and adaptive - I'll try them all.

[mossfoot]

Just for the record I never did solve my v-sync problem on my Chromebook from way back... I just had to learn to live with the window setting instead of full screen