Stutter

[Cody]

I've been running r5639 for a couple of days, and have noticed a very slight stutter (during combat/explosions, mostly) that I haven't seen before (recently, that is).

I've been tinkering with my gfx card settings for weeks (now on r5674), but I can't rid the game of this stutter. It happens several times per voyage, and isn't only during explosions/combat. In effect, the game freezes for a split-second. Any ideas about which particular gfx setting may help in curing it - it is becoming very irksome.

[Svengali]

Does it happen without OXPs?

[Cody]

Does it happen without OXPs?

Heh... I was in the process of selectively disabling OXPs when I saw your post, so I switched to strict mode and the stutter is still present. The odd thing is that it's not nearly so noticeable in the 1.77 deployment version, with more or less the same OXP set. Nor was it particularly noticeable in earlier versions of trunk. It's either a gfx driver thing (though I've tried several driver versions), or a gfx setting that I've missed/screwed-up. I'll keep tinkering, and await the next gfx driver release.

[another_commander]

The odd thing is that it's not nearly so noticeable in the 1.77 deployment version, with more or less the same OXP set. Nor was it particularly noticeable in earlier versions of trunk. It's either a gfx driver thing (though I've tried several driver versions), or a gfx setting that I've missed/screwed-up. I'll keep tinkering, and await the next gfx driver release.

Before blaming the drivers, ensure that it is not something related to Oolite itself by reloading one of the earlier trunk revisions that did not exhibit the stutter. If that revision stutters, then it is probably drivers, if not, then it is probably something with the game. As a further test, I can send you a deployment executable of the latest trunk to compare side by side with the nightly that stutters noticeably.

[davcefai]

Have you eliminated the possibility that some other program is momentarily hogging the CPU? For example a Mail program checking for new mail.

You could try:

1. Timing the frequency of the stutters. If they occur at regular intervals then there is a good chance that an external program is doing this.

2. Run KSysGuard in Linux or Task Manager - <the graph, forget what they call it>. You may get a CPU usage spike whenever the game stutters.

I am often wrong but this is a possibility you could do well to investigate.

Another thing: Have you tried updating the Graphics Drivers?

[Cody]

Another thing: Have you tried updating the Graphics Drivers?

<chortles> Yeah... and rolling-back to previous drivers too.

@another_commander: I'll be about that when the caffeine levels in my bloodstream have been restored... thanks.

[Cody]

While running several versions of Oolite hoping to remove this damn stutter, I came across this Fer-de-Lance. He and his pals had caused me pain (damaged NEU and other kit), so I saved him for last, intending to atomise him close-up and personal. But when I hove-to, so did he - and he remained thus, twitching around but not moving. When I applied a little thrust, so did he, when I hove-to again, so did he - rinse and repeat many times. Eventually, I moved away a little and he came to life - but he didn't live very long! Rather odd behaviour, so I thought I'd mention it.

[UK_Eliter]

Well, he's not one of mine, i.e. not a ship added by my Fer-de-Lance 3G OXP . .

[Cody]

Oh I know whose Ferdie it is (Griff's) - it was it's behaviour that puzzled me.

Some of you may recall my long-running battle with ATI/AMD gfx drivers - well, Nvidia have got me going now. They released a new beta driver yesterday, so I installed it, hoping it might help with the stutter. No such luck - but during several uninstall/install processes, I checked Win 7 updates and was offered an MS approved Nvidia gfx driver from earlier this year (version 311.06), which was not generally released by Nvidia, it seems. So I tried it out - and it has improved things somewhat. I did a little digging and read (somewhere) that this driver version had been optimised for Tomb Raider <sniggers>, and seemed to be more stable than later drivers. It's certainly an improvement, and runs the gfx card cooler too (a lot cooler at times), especially using the adaptive power management setting. <grins happily>

[UK_Eliter]

Cody, I am having troubles with drivers too . . ATI ones . . But that's not really the topic of this thread, I suppose. Glad something worked for you, though.

[Cody]

Cody, I am having troubles with drivers too . . ATI ones . .

Ask away - someone may be able to help.

[UK_Eliter]

Cody, I am having troubles with drivers too . . ATI ones . .

Ask away - someone may be able to help.

Right then! Although perhaps there is no way around the problem, and, maybe, it's not that much of a problem.

My setup: fanless ATI Radeon 5570 graphics card - on Windows 8 64-bit, with 4gig RAM, and old chipset, and an old 2.6 GHz quadcore intel processor. The card was made by ASUS. My monitor is an old but I think decent flat-screen by EIZO, running, for Oolite and desktop, at 1920 x 1200, which is the monitor's default resolution. There doesn't seem to be a custom ASUS driver for my setup; so I am using the latest vendor-inspecific ATI driver.

The problem(s): the card seems adequate for 2D and 3D (Oolite) stuff; I get 30-60 FPS in Oolite. My 2D did seem a bit slow; but it's better now that I've used a BIOS modification tool to change the card's clocks and voltages. However, the card still rates much below what it should - some 40% below what the card is billed as - in the 'Passmark' benchmark program (and for both 2D and 3D). But probably this is because I am using the card on a PCI '1.0a' rather than '2.x' slot. So I am wondering whether there's anything I can do to improve performance. Also, occasionally I have received 'not responding' messages when installing the ATI driver and at other times. Still, those errors may have disappeared now that I've changed the clocks and voltages. (I haven't been in the new setup for long enough to tell.)

The real solution, I fear, is to (1) get a new motherboard and/or (2) switch to Nvidia. But - as to 2 - I want a fanless card, and it's hard to get speedy fanless ones (and one has to worry about power supply, even, I've found, to the levels of the various 'rails'; I have an OCZ 600watts powersupply - and no dedicated graphics power connector).

[Cody]

But probably this is because I am using the card on a PCI '1.0a' rather than '2.x' slot.

Yep, that is a problem... and I don't know of any way around it (apart from a new mobo).

[UK_Eliter]

I can add that I've had some stutter in Oolite 1.77, too.

[davcefai]

Maybe I can help:

Nvidia DO make fanless cards - mine is an 8600 or 8800 (can't be fagged to check) PCIe fanless. No extra power required and I have no complaints with performance. (60fps when I launch from Lave without any saved games loaded.)

That said please note that I am running Debian Linux on a 2 core AMD. The Linux OS puts less strain on the system.

If you're running your ATI card in a sub-optimal slot then it's only fair to expect some problems. I assume that you do not have a PCIe 2.0 slot on your motherboard.