Slow, lumpy graphics

[Commander Philthy]

Hi everybody,
Got myself reacquainted with Oolite about four years ago. Was thoroughly enjoying it until one day the graphics went very slow and 'lumpy'. Mainly during combat with groups of pirates, but also when exiting space stations, but only when facing the planet. Once the planets out of view its fine, which I find odd. At first I thought I'd overloaded the computer with too many oxps,or something but I got so fed up with it I deleted the lot and re-downloaded the game, but it was still the same. This suggested to me that my laptop was at fault, but That was a couple of years ago and the laptop has been exorcised of virus' a couple of times since and Iv'e downloaded the latest version of Oolite with no oxps but it's still the same. Grrr.

I still suspect the laptop, but perhaps one of the boffins on here could shed some light on it. Thanks guys and keep up the good work.

Commander Philthy

S.S. Hawkwind

[another_commander]

Can you post a Latest.log so we can have some information about the system setup?

[Reval]

Welcome back, Commander.

This is in all likelihood a problem with your graphics driver: either it's way out of date, become corrupted, or it's no longer present. I experience exactly the same symptoms running Oo on our ancient laptop - low FPS, almost static when facing planet etc. We have no drivers either.

Recommend doing a search for the latest drivers for your graphics chip, and, if found, update/reinstall them.

[Commander Philthy]

Hmmm,
Thanks for the quick replies. Reval, it sounds like a trip to the computer shop for me. I have a real love/hate relationship with computers. I'm better with machines that have moving parts.
Another_Commander, Whats a Latest.log, and how do I do it?

Thanks.

[another_commander]

Another_Commander, Whats a Latest.log, and how do I do it?

It is the game's log file. You will be able to find it under <OoliteInstallFolder>/oolite.app/Logs if you are on Windows.

[Commander Philthy]

Is this it? It was under 'latest log'

Opening log for Oolite version 1.90 (x86-32) under Windows 10.0.19041.630 64-bit at 2020-11-22 13:32:40 +0000.
Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU B830 @ 1.80GHz 2 processors detected.
Build options: OpenAL, new planets.

Note that the contents of the log file can be adjusted by editing logcontrol.plist.

13:32:41.259 [display.mode.list.native]: Windows native resolution detected: 1366 x 768
13:32:41.404 [joystick.init]: Number of joysticks detected: 0
13:32:41.413 [rendering.opengl.version]: OpenGL renderer version: 1.1.0 ("1.1.0"). Vendor: "Microsoft Corporation". Renderer: "GDI Generic".
13:32:41.413 [rendering.opengl.extensions]: OpenGL extensions (3):
GL_EXT_paletted_texture, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_WIN_swap_hint
13:32:41.437 [rendering.opengl.shader.support]: Shaders will not be used (OpenGL extension GL_ARB_shading_language_100 is not available).
13:32:41.487 [searchPaths.dumpAll]: Resource paths:
Resources
../AddOns
13:32:42.765 [shipData.load.begin]: Loading ship data.
13:32:43.855 [startup.complete]: ========== Loading complete in 2.75 seconds. ==========

[Reval]

Thanks. I'm sure another_commander will tell you - as he told me in no uncertain terms - that your OpenGL drivers are outdated and too low to display Oo at its best advantage. Again, it'll be a question of sourcing them (Google) for your particular motherboard/PC.

I do wish you better luck than I had.

[Cody]

Can't search properly, or test, due to eyesight problems, but this page may help.

[another_commander]

Thanks. I'm sure another_commander will tell you - as he told me in no uncertain terms - that your OpenGL drivers are outdated and too low to display Oo at its best advantage. Again, it'll be a question of sourcing them (Google) for your particular motherboard/PC.

I do wish you better luck than I had.

This. Your OpenGL driver is the generic Microsoft one, which runs OpenGL in software emulation. Installing the proper graphics driver for your system is the solution.

[Commander Philthy]

Ok, thanks guys.

All sounds too much for me. I'm away at work next week, then down to the computer shop to get it sorted. While I'm there, does anyone any other recommendations for me?

While I'm here, Is there a big difference between the 32 bit and 64 bit version. I presume the 64 bit is smoother, faster, better, but uses more brains in the computer. Which is ok if your computer is up to it. How do I know which will work best on my laptop?

Thanks for all your help,
Commander Philthy

[another_commander]

While I'm here, Is there a big difference between the 32 bit and 64 bit version. I presume the 64 bit is smoother, faster, better, but uses more brains in the computer. Which is ok if your computer is up to it. How do I know which will work best on my laptop?

The difference is in memory limitations. The 32-bit version can handle up to 2 point something GB of RAM. This will work in most cases, but in the past we've had people loading their game with hundreds of resource-intensive OXPs and maxing out their computer's memory usage to what a 32-bit application can handle. The 64-bit version does not have any such issues and you can effectively run Oolite with every OXP there is out there and it will still go. Other than that, there is no real practical difference. Performance might be slightly better on the 64-bit version but I doubt that it will be measureable.

Most PCs made after around 2010 will have 64-bit processors, which allows you to run the 64-bit version of the game. But if you are not certain what CPU you have and don't plan to run with every OXP under the sun loaded, then the 32-bit version should be just fine.