1.2.8 FPS Tweaks - what can I do?

[Raven Morpheus]

Hey all

 

I was doing the 1st mission of the Huey campaign last night and for the most part my frame rate was what I consider "playable" for DCS World (on average I probably get 25-30fps, but when I got to the end it became rather unplayable (it dropped to something like 12fps) and probably contributed to me crashing the bird...

 

...so I'm wondering (apart from hardware upgrades which may or may not make a difference, as I've read even people with top end rigs struggle) what fps tweaks I can make to improve overall fps in 1.2.8.

 

Here's my specs -

 

AMD Phenom II 955 x4 @ 3.2ghz

Sapphire ATI 5870 1GB

8GB RAM 1333mhz

1TB HDD @7200RPM

Win 7 64 bit

2 monitors running at 2820x1440 (one is a portrait 19" LCD TV with native res of 1440x900, the other is a 21" 1080p TV) - I get no significant increase in fps by changing to 1 monitor @ 1920x1080, nor do I get any significant increase in fps by lowering resolution, I've tried 1 monitor @1280x720 and it adds perhaps 5fps.

 

I already run the game in slightly tweaked settings I've cobbled together based on advice from various threads, most of which pertains to older builds, but things have changed with 1.2.8 and files like modellod.txt (apparently a big culprit for low fps) no longer exist it seems, nor do the LandLod settings in Graphics.cfg (now Graphics.lua), so I'm wondering where the content of those files has gone and if they can still be tweaked.

 

TIA

Edited July 21, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[The_Nephilim]

Hey all

 

I was doing the 1st mission of the Huey campaign last night and for the most part my frame rate was what I consider "playable" for DCS World (on average I probably get 25-30fps, but when I got to the end it became rather unplayable (it dropped to something like 12fps) and probably contributed to me crashing the bird...

 

...so I'm wondering (apart from hardware upgrades which may or may not make a difference, as I've read even people with top end rigs struggle) what fps tweaks I can make to improve overall fps in 1.2.8.

 

Here's my specs -

 

AMD Phenom II 955 x4 @ 3.2ghz

Sapphire ATI 5870 1GB

8GB RAM 1333mhz

1TB HDD @7200RPM

Win 7 64 bit

2 monitors running at 2820x1440 (one is a portrait 19" LCD TV with native res of 1440x900, the other is a 21" 1080p TV) - I get no significant increase in fps by changing to 1 monitor @ 1920x1080, nor do I get any significant increase in fps by lowering resolution, I've tried 1 monitor @1280x720 and it adds perhaps 5fps.

 

I already run the game in slightly tweaked settings I've cobbled together based on advice from various threads, most of which pertains to older builds, but things have changed with 1.2.8 and files like modellod.txt (apparently a big culprit for low fps) no longer exist it seems, nor do the LandLod settings in Graphics.cfg (now Graphics.lua), so I'm wondering where the content of those files has gone and if they can still be tweaked.

 

TIA

 

 

WEll I was on a Quest too find Tweaks for 1.2.8.. well low and behold the most FPS Killer I had found was the following.

 

1. Mirrors turn them OFF.

2. Shadows on High try medium on High Big FPS Killer..

 

 

Here are My Current Settings yielding good results.. most times way above 35fps..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also since DCSW is CPU Dependent I would look into Overclocking your CPU..

here are my System specs for comparison:

 

1. Intel I5 3570K @4.5ghz..

2. Asus P8Z68-V/Gen 3

3. Corsair XMS 8gb DDR3

4. Corsair Force 3 SSD 180gb

5. eVGA 590GTX OC to 696mhz..

6. Rocketfish 7.1 Soundcard..

7. 3 Acer x1261P PRojectos at 3072x768 Resolution..

[Raven Morpheus]

Thanks. I have scenes, civ traffic, water, visib range, and shadows on LOW, heat blur is off as is MSAA and HDR and textures are on HIGH.

 

I also have mirrors turned off, and no cockpit shadows.

 

Still doesn't make much of a difference, 10-15 fps at the most. No good if like last night I drop to 9-12 fps when over an airport (like at the end of the 1st UH-1H campaign mission)!!

 

 

So, editing the .lua/.cfg files would be better, and I'm sure there's more to tweak than just what I've tweaked in options.lua/graphics.lua (stuff like structures = {20, 10000}; under the Medium heading), but half of what people used to tweak (such as LandLoD values, or values in modelLOD.txt) to get better fps has been removed or moved to somewhere that I'm not aware of?!

Edited July 21, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[shagrat]

Your Video card has 1GB RAM to handle all object textures, which could result in big fps hits. Also AMD video drivers no longer support DirectX9. Not necessarily means it won't work, just they may not be optimized and degrade performance. Try starting from scratch with everything off or set to low and add settings until you get considerable fps hits to identify your best options. I guess sacrificing HDR could give you some boost. Next best thing will be upgrading your video card and you should consider a NVIDIA. Also see that it has a minimum of 2GB Video RAM.

In any case try to wait until EDGE is integrated later this year because it may change a lot on CPU/GPU usage...

[diveplane]

hopefully the new dx11 game engine will be a big boost for everyone, finally get away from ancient dx9.

 

meantime u need to reduce fancy effects for now to gain decent frame rates.

 

shadows are a big frame reducer, and incockpit.

also current dx9 lighting effects are a hog, these can be turned off in advanced options.LUA

[Poneybirds]

The flood lights in the cockpit are pretty expensive in terms of fps. At least they are for me when in the A-10C.

 

The biggest hit for me however is looking at an airport. Somebody suggested it might be caused by the static models of bigger airplanes and such standing around there.

It's like they are not scaled down in detail even though they are very distant.

 

Maybe somebody else can shed some light on this?

[Godzila]

Try changing all 3 lodMult values in "graphics.lua" to "lodMult = 0.3;"

Some models are just too detailed and bring FPS down.

 

Don`t research too much on this topic, because EDGE may change some things.

[diveplane]

The flood lights in the cockpit are pretty expensive in terms of fps. At least they are for me when in the A-10C.

 

The biggest hit for me however is looking at an airport. Somebody suggested it might be caused by the static models of bigger airplanes and such standing around there.

It's like they are not scaled down in detail even though they are very distant.

 

Maybe somebody else can shed some light on this?

 

yes this as well LODS,

 

but over all it was a good move ED decided to change this engine and upgrade it, current dx9 engine is starting to show its age, and lagging performance , some modules later I think will become more complex,

require the newer dx11 engine for performance and newer effects.

 

so I say roll on the new simulator engine quicker its implemented the better for everyone and most users with a dx 11 video card.

[Weltensegler]

Clearly your video memory imho.

DCS needs close to 1GB per HD resolution and you try to feed twice as much into it.

You need at least 2GB vram on your graphics card for your current monitor/resolution setup.

[doveman]

I have a 2gb 6950 running one 1080p monitor and I have similar problems, so I wouldn't waste your money upgrading your card for now.

[Raven Morpheus]

I don't have the money to upgrade anyhow so no chance I'll be wasting my money.

 

I found a full graphics.lua and also terrain HIGH.lue in another thread and borrowed the settings in those (sorry, I can't recall which thread it was or who posted it), and I just did the 1st mission on the Huey campaign again (I get the feeling I'm doomed to keep repeating it because I can't land...) and from take off I was getting a good 30fps average and it was "playable"...

 

...I got to the airport at the end of the mission and boom, fps drops to 9/10 fps just as I approach the airport. So, definitely a problem with the airport - and I've read in other threads this is a common issue.

 

Real shame because it takes me 90 minutes or so to reach that airport and I have "playable" fps all the way up till that point. Still, I probably couldn't land even if I had decent fps - I still have problems descending and getting into to a hover (Vortex Ring something or other)...

Edited July 22, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[shagrat]

Ok. So I would recommend to take the instant action mission with the weapons training where you start on a FARP and train landing approaches. The key is not trying to hover high above the pad and descend, rather slow down and get very low before reaching the pad and slowly hover there in ground effect. If you manage that try to descend and slow down so you reach the pad just before entering ground effect.

[Godzila]

I tried the mission now. It is static Hueys which cause problems. Two of them are so demanding as everything else there, and there are more of them. I tried mission editor, but I couldn`t find them:huh:

If you could change them to UH-60 also parked there you would probably have normal FPS. One parked UH-60 has 10% FPS demand of one parked Huey.

 

You can land somewhere so you don`t have parked Hueys in your field of view. Or you can change the mission in editor, but I don`t know exactly how. Just change them to anything else except Mi-8 or Huey.

[Raven Morpheus]

Ok. So I would recommend to take the instant action mission with the weapons training where you start on a FARP and train landing approaches. The key is not trying to hover high above the pad and descend, rather slow down and get very low before reaching the pad and slowly hover there in ground effect. If you manage that try to descend and slow down so you reach the pad just before entering ground effect.

 

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm doing, coming down from a height. I did manage earlier to work out that I need to be coming down whilst still moving forward, like a glide slope in a fixed wing plane on landing, but I couldn't get it right and just ended up in one of those vortex ring situations and dropped like a stone. No such problems with the Ka-50 though, that's a dream to fly, probably because of the autopilot settings - I use all 4 (but could probably just get away without the altitude hold), although I did somehow manage to turn them all off once today in a mission and noticed the difference is staggering.

 

I'll have a go at that instant action mission though.

 

I tried the mission now. It is static Hueys which cause problems. Two of them are so demanding as everything else there, and there are more of them. I tried mission editor, but I couldn`t find them:huh:

If you could change them to UH-60 also parked there you would probably have normal FPS. One parked UH-60 has 10% FPS demand of one parked Huey.

 

You can land somewhere so you don`t have parked Hueys in your field of view. Or you can change the mission in editor, but I don`t know exactly how. Just change them to anything else except Mi-8 or Huey.

 

 

Interesting, I thought it might be something like that, for that mission at least. I'll see if I can have a dig around in the ME but I doubt I'll have any luck as I've never used it before. Might just be worth getting rid of them altogether...

 

BTW where are you supposed to land on that mission, it's not very clear in the brief or in-flight scripted "chat", I assumed on the runway?

Edited July 22, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[shagrat]

Nope!!! There are several FARP pads north of the Airport! The second pad from west to east is the one you're supposed to land on. The one behind the Mi-24 Hinds...

[Godzila]

Yes, they were hidden. I am not good with ME. I will change hueys to something else and post it in the evening to try.

[Raven Morpheus]

Nope!!! There are several FARP pads north of the Airport! The second pad from west to east is the one you're supposed to land on. The one behind the Mi-24 Hinds...

 

Hmm interesting. I need an X marks the spot type of marker then because I didn't spot them last night, or the night before, and I pretty much circled the entire airport, albeit at about 1000ft and upwards.

 

That really should have been made clearer in the brief, the in-flight dialogue, or maybe even on a page on the kneeboard. But I suppose that's why the guy says to let the Hinds go first. If I could get down low enough and get into a hover I guess I could try to watch where they go...

 

Yes, they were hidden. I am not good with ME. I will change hueys to something else and post it in the evening to try.

 

:thumbup:

Edited July 23, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[Godzila]

Mission is in attachment

 

For testing FPS I suggest you delete waypoints and move closer to your landing site. With my testing FPS came from (limited) 30fps to 20fps around congested areas. With Hueys it came to 10fps.

 

Report your fps before/after

en_UN-Pilot_01 - test.miz

[Raven Morpheus]

Thanks Godzila.

 

That works fine for me, well as fine as any other parts of the game work for me in terms of framerates.

 

I'm now getting 20-30 fps over the airfield. Not great obviously but no worse than I get elsewhere, and certainly not as low as 9 fps.

 

EDIT - I opened the mission and went a little further than Godzila to see if removing some of the misc. structures, the Hmmv's, and IFV's would help and I also removed the UH-60's, presumably what were the UH-1H's, prior to Godzila's edits. It seems to have given me a couple of fps, but nothing I'd call significant. Anyway I put the mission into the Campaign, as a shortened version with me starting just a little way from the airport as I am sick of doing the transit route as it's easy, and I finally managed to land a Huey! Woo!

 

Also one thing I noticed when I looked in the mission editor is that the mission options are set to enforce Scenes and Civ traffic as High. I set them to Low but I don't think that made a difference, I don't really know what that options panel does to be honest.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[shagrat]

Civ traffic low = no trains, less cars, still there are a few cars/trucks going around.

[Godzila]

Problems are with bad models. Some old models got corrupted with converting from old models to new. It makes no sense disabling everything or playing with low settings when there are 20 bad old models.

 

The other problem is new models and their LOD settings. It seems that game engine is able to manage up to ca 1000 models in view. If you have complete airfield taking 600 of that and 3 Hueys with 300 each you know where is the problem. UH-60 is 45 objects, Huey is 300, Ka50 ca 250, Mi8 ca 280. And they get drawn pretty far.

 

There are severeal topics about this. I always wanted to make a mod to atleast delete old bad models, but never really gotten into it.

[Raven Morpheus]

Yeah I think all the UH-1H campaign missions will need editing at the airbase (assuming you take off/land at the same one for the entire campaign). I just did mission 2 and at the end I was getting 19 fps and the controls seemed to lag for me, causing me to crash the helo!!

 

Funny thing is though that on take off I'm getting "playable" fps (about 25-30, or even as much as 40) from that airbase on mission 2!?!

Edited July 26, 2014 by Raven Morpheus