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Dark GDK / Inconsistant frame rate issue.....

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Hawkblood
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 17:28
I have a problem that seems to be random in nature. At different points in my game, the frame rate goes down to somewhere near 30fps. The issue I have is that it's not consistant. If I move out of that scene and then move directly back in, it usually goes back up to 60fps.

It's the same scene, same objects, same everything (that I have control over)..... What's the deal?

AMD Athlon IIx4 620 2.6Ghz
4GB ram
Windows7 64bit

Has anyone experienced this? I am running in Debug mode.... would that have anything to do with it?

The fastest code is the code never written.
vitinho444
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 17:38
i just got a thing to say, nice PC xD

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Hawkblood
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 17:42
Thanks..... Any ideas?

The fastest code is the code never written.
vitinho444
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 18:39
no srry i d k why but.. think this: Does it "f**k" your game?

if no.. i think the best thing to do is moving on..
if yes.. someone help him

Learning C++
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Hawkblood
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 18:57
The reason I am concerned is because MY pc has such good specs. If I don't get 60fps on mine, then others not so fortunate will have trouble with my game being too slow and unplayable.

The fastest code is the code never written.
vitinho444
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 19:47
hum i see.. srry man.. try changing your priority in task manager to high and see the result..

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Hawkblood
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 21:26
I think it's a release vs debug issue. I've been testing it in release and I have yet to experience the same problem. This doesn't mean that I've figured out the problem; it just means I haven't seen it come up in release mode yet..... The times it came up in debug were spiratic at best.

The fastest code is the code never written.
Noley
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Posted: 23rd Mar 2011 23:39
Are you certain there was nothing different happening when the frame rate dropped so significantly ? (ie. dbText rendering in different colours - dbInk().. , etc.)
F4SHAD0
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Posted: 24th Mar 2011 00:09
I experience this alot when playing games on PC ( not DarkGDK games per se ). It's called a lag spike. They are random and spiratic lasting 1 - 3 seconds at most. It can related to internet or pc. Check this, open up task manager and check to see if you see a sudden increase in ram usage. Also, if you have the Windows 7 sidebar open, how many gadgets do you have running ( this can affect it too ). How you check to see if there is a spike in ram is to click the memory column until the arrow points down. Then, observe what programs shoot to the top of the list ( check - Show Processes From All Users). svchost should be one of the top 7 programs (WARNING: DO NOT END THE PROCESS, IT WILL SCREW UP YOUR SYSTEM). Check what program is using a considerable amount of ram, and then post back, or post a screenie. Then, again, it could just be Dark GDK itself.
Hawkblood
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Posted: 24th Mar 2011 00:12
Everything was the same for both frame rates.

The fastest code is the code never written.
WLGfx
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Posted: 24th Mar 2011 00:36
I suffer that mainly when my memory is clogged up and the HD is whirring away from time to time with the page file. Even when all objects are loaded up and nothing needs to be done to memory it still happens from time to time. I find it happens less when I have less programs running in the background. (And I usually have a minimum of 10 on the go, not including the tray icons, on a 1Gb memory).

If anything then it's a background process somewhere doing something unknown for whatever reason it feels like.

Warning! May contain Nuts!
Hawkblood
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Posted: 24th Mar 2011 02:21
I don't think it's a background issue cause it occurs during a scene change in my game. I can go to one part of my game and it's fine, then go somewhere else and fps will drop. Then leave the "low fps" area and come back to it and it will be back to 60fps with no changes in the scene- nothing loaded, nothing deleted, nothing changed..... As I said, I have not seen it when I compile in "release" mode.

The fastest code is the code never written.
WLGfx
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Posted: 25th Mar 2011 03:07
Release mode must attach itself to other services to cause the 'glitch'... I'll be looking out for that when it happens...

Warning! May contain Nuts!
Hawkblood
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Posted: 25th Mar 2011 03:42
I have not seen it in release mode.

The fastest code is the code never written.
TerryRussell
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Posted: 26th Mar 2011 00:23 Edited at: 26th Mar 2011 00:26
Hi Hawkblood.

I think you'll find that this is due to Windows doing its stuff. Although you may not be aware, Windows has a big list of things that it puts into memory. These range from your active program through to pointers to frequently used disk locations and right down to pointers to where it left its socks. (OK, I joke, but not very much).

The result is that all of your memory is actually in use (despite what Windows tells you officially). What can't be shoved into memory gets written to disk, which is very slow.

Your delays are caused by Windows reshuffling things and writing them to the disk cache as your program (and all of the other processes that are running) uses and releases blocks of memory.

Release mode requires a lot less memory than debug mode, of course.

If you're using Win7 or Vista, you can add a memory stick of course. Then some of this gets written to the memory stick instead of to the hard disk. That's a lot quicker. It can make start-up times 10-25% faster and it can reduce those lags to almost zero.

Otherwise, there's no real way around it without getting into very low-level programming.

But do make sure that you have as few processes running as possible, and that you start your programs after a fresh re-start of the PC. That's standard gaming advice, of course.

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Hawkblood
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Posted: 26th Mar 2011 17:10
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.

The fastest code is the code never written.
WLGfx
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Posted: 27th Mar 2011 15:17
I've not tried it in GDK but DBP has 'Flush Video Memory'. You could try chucking that in before setting up the scene to see if that does anything different. And if there's anything to clear out any other buffers. I did actually come across it last night a few times so I looked through the DBP manual...

Warning! May contain Nuts!
McLaine
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Posted: 27th Mar 2011 17:29
I think this is visual C++ causing it when you run a debug instance for testing from within the C++ IDE.

I get much more stable experience if I run the actual .exe files outside of the visual studio environment, debug or release versions.

It's not my fault!
Cetobasilius
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Posted: 29th Mar 2011 17:04
why dont you share the same executable or game and see if it is happening on other machines. maybe its your graphics card.

hi
Hawkblood
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Posted: 30th Mar 2011 18:50
I'll send out both when I get home.

The fastest code is the code never written.
Hawkblood
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Posted: 31st Mar 2011 04:16
Here it is

The fastest code is the code never written.
Hawkblood
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Posted: 31st Mar 2011 04:19 Edited at: 31st Mar 2011 04:22
I'll post it on my MSN.... The uploader doesn't like my zip file.

http://cid-2458a577759e47ad.office.live.com/self.aspx/.Documents/X%20Flight%20Game.zip

The fastest code is the code never written.
Cetobasilius
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Posted: 1st Apr 2011 07:50
Dude! its Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol man the game is great, and i did not have any issues on inconsistent frame rate, the game itself is great and maybe some multiplayer action would be awesome. the game runs well on my pc. my specs are 3GB DDR2667 Windows XP Pro x32, Nvidia GT240 and 2.8 GHZ Core 2 Duo, my 3 hard disks only have like 7% free lol maybe its your antivirus or other things?? very nice job on your game.

hi
WLGfx
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Posted: 1st Apr 2011 22:13
Well, I've just tried it out on my Acer Aspire 5315 laptop (I use it for benchmarking) and it runs fine. Well, that was the release mode version.

(crappy setup - single core, intel celeron, 1Gb DDR 2, Intel graphics X3100) - (major BG software running - Zonealarm, Avira, 2 wireless adapters)

I noticed the graphics glitch on the planet (when roaming in the vehicle), but I take it that it is still a WIP. So far it was only on one planet. I gave it a good run. Nice idea too. I get addicted to games like Galactic Civilizations.

Warning! May contain Nuts!
Hawkblood
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2011 23:40
Cetobasilius, thanks for the encouragement.

WLGfx, what was the "glitch" on the planet? It is still a WIP, but I have finished the planet-side stuff.... If there's something wrong, I would like to fix it.

The fastest code is the code never written.
WLGfx
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2011 02:12
The graphics were stretching from the ground plane upwards on one of the planets I was on. Not exactly sure which planet but it was to the top left of the map. It was as if your height map calcs go way off somewhere.

If setting up selection buttons are easy to implement direct on the screen I'd like to know a little more how you do that to save time on my next project if you don't mind... (The part were you right click on the crystal and you're given multiple choice). I'm still re-inventing the wheel with my particle system I'm working on.

Warning! May contain Nuts!
Hawkblood
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2011 02:55
The RightClick part is simply an interface that if true, it does a dbPickObject() to determine the object you right clicked on and if true it brings up one of my menu groups at the mouse location.

As far as the height issue, I still can't figure it out. I have seen it, but it's not consistant. It doesn't do it on every planet at all locations, so I'm not sure what it is. I am using a dbMatrix to do the terrain.

The fastest code is the code never written.
WLGfx
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Posted: 3rd Apr 2011 03:16
Well, frame rate slowing isn't an issue, I ran it before on an even slower tower I use at home for the printer. (onboard intel graphics)

Dunno what your code is for your terrain but I'm sure it'll come to you. (usually I wake up and have an amazing idea or go 'damn' that's what it is!)

You have given me an idea for the right click 'pick object' menu. Everyone is doing GUI's left right and center, so until I need one permanently I might just stick to pasting an image there for now.

Hope to see this fixed soon as well as any upgrades you have...

Warning! May contain Nuts!
Hawkblood
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Posted: 13th Apr 2011 21:04 Edited at: 13th Apr 2011 21:06
Updates will be posted at:

http://cid-2458a577759e47ad.office.live.com/self.aspx/.Documents/X%20Flight%20Game.zip

I invite comments/problems encountered.... Please do extensive testing if you feel up to it.

EDIT: I can't seem to get links to come up as links on the page!!!
I also can't seem to upload to this forum. The zip is 35.1MB!!!

The fastest code is the code never written.
Morcilla
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Posted: 15th Apr 2011 13:21
Hey that definitively reminds me of starflight, cool!

Frame rate drop may happen for many reasons, but if you say it doesn't reproduce with the release version, then I guess this is not an issue anymore.

Nevertheless, you could tell how to reach those 'slow-down' zones or where they are (planet surface, space...) so people can test this issue properly.

Looks promising so far, keep on the good job
Have you think about opening a WIP thread? You could get additional support and testers there

Hawkblood
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Posted: 15th Apr 2011 14:07
The "slow-down" occurs at random locations at random times.... I don't think it's a problem since the release version doesn't do it.

I posted it on the WIP, but people don't seem to frequent that part of the forum.

The fastest code is the code never written.

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