Question (not request): when is client optimisation likely?

[rickyriot 1009]

Ok, guys, before everyone jumps on me and starts shouting, "alpher", I realise this. I bought the game under the full understanding that it's early access and that it will take some time, perhaps up to a year before it's solid and I am not suddenly demanding something just merely asking a question.

 

The question is, if you haven't guessed, about client side optimisation. I realise it's a long way down the line, but I think it's a fair question as there are quite a lot of us using rigs that you would expect better performance from than we are getting. Is any client side optimisation pencilled in along the roadmap? If so, at what point would we expect to see some resources directed towards it? Or if it's not been factored in, should it be and again at what point?

I have had a look through a lot of what has been discussed already and it seems like the topic, if it has been covered at all, has been just set to one side with tweaks to setups and config files the preferred solution. The vast majority of optimisation that has been discussed has been server focussed, and rightly so. I understand the need to get that side working as well as possible. It's clear that some form of client side optimisation will need to be done.

So, in summary, I realise it could be a long way off, and I am happy to wait, I am merely looking to see what the consensus is between players (and early adopters) as well as the devs on what form the client optimisation may take (a move to Dx11, for example), when it's likely to happen and if this is part of the roadmap.

 

Thank you for any replies, I hope that my question is taken in the spirit it's offered.


 

[Andarne (DayZ) 84]

Take your pick, good sir:

NOW!

Never gonna happen!

At some point in the future (also; At some point)

We’re in pure Nostradamus territory here. We have a magic 8 ball and even it said, “Ask again later”.

In the future

This isn’t going to happen during any variety of soon you care to use. In fact, it’s pretty far out there. Not as far as ‘at some point’, we’re certainly not suggesting you book vacation time just yet, but, we’re probably talking about something that is possible within the current time line. Assuming, of course, the Mayans got it wrong and we’re still here after all that crazy ‘end of the world’ stuff.

In the near future

This is absolutely, positively, without question, a possibility. In fact, it might even be a real possibility. But as to when, we’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Soon™

No lie. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen really freakin’, like, eventually. But it will happen!

“Soon”

It’s official! We have given consideration to a possible date and we now have several possibilities!

Soon

We’ve narrowed the date down to something within the calendar year!

soon

No really, we have a date now! It’s even penciled in on a calendar somewhere!

MoreSoonerish

We have a date, and we’re probably going to tell you what that date is…soon!

Incredisoon

OK! We’re done messin’ around. We have a date, we’ve found the calendar we wrote it on, and we are going to tell you. Like right freakin’ shortly! Seriously!

Tomorrowish-esque™

This is going to happen within the next 24 hours. Give or take some random number of hours which may or may not exceed an amount equal to the number of miles between the reader and the International Date Line divided by 163.97241. Unless the person is actually standing on the International Date Line at the time of reading, in which case the world will end in a cataclysmic divide by zero error and none of this will matter anyway. This is all barring any conflicts with ‘The Schedule’, of course.

As soon as possible

Time being the slippery thing it is, this has quite probably already happened. If not, it is very likely to happen while someone is typing up the message telling you when it will happen. Assuming, that it is in fact possible.

Modifiers, adjustments, and other fun stuff.

Capitalization

As a general rule, capitalization will tip you off as to a measurement’s place in time. Capital letters denote a longer period of time than lower case letters. This applies to all uses of capitalization when dealing with time. Thus Soon is longer than soon. Like wise, MoreSoonerish, Moresoonerish, and moresoonerish are all incremetally shorter periods from longest to shortest.

TM and its uses

The notorious ™ has very specific meanings. It denotes a longer period of time than the word or phrase would otherwise represent without the addition of the ™.

Quotes

The use of quotes, like the use of TM and Capitalization has specific meaning. It is another measure of extending the noted period of time. Though it denotes a shorter extension than either ™ or Capitalization.

Combined notation

When you see a combination of modifiers (™, quotes, and capitalization) you must consider the impact of all modifiers on the base measurement. The more modifiers, the larger the expansion of time from the base measurement.

Addendum A: Spooky Stuff

It’s on schedule

This relates exclusively to a highly theoretical method of calculating time commonly referred to as, ‘The Schedule’. The Schedule is part of an emerging understanding of time called Quantum Sapience Time. Schedule Time has the amazing ability to exist, not exist, and potentially exist or not exist all at the same instant. It is only the act of observing The Schedule that forces it into a fixed state in which the normal rules of Sapience Time apply. This is commonly called “entanglement”. Entangling one’s self with The Schedule is a very risky proposition as it can lead to temporal disorientation. Especially as it does not require one to be in any physical proximity to The Schedule. Albert Einstein himself referred to this as “Spooky action at a distance.”

Addendum B: Backward Causality

We told you so

Any attempt to look back upon or view the flow of Sapience Time from a future point will amplify and enhance the predictive and pre-deterministic nature of soon. The effect of this observance is to reveal the perfect accuracy of all predictions within the fabric of the Sapience Time Continuum. In short, the act of releasing content will cause the time line to become self evident and clearly predictive of the exact moment in the future at which the release will happen when viewed from that future.

[rickyriot 1009]

Take your pick, good sir:

 

 

Basically it's expected any time from now until when Hell freezes over? ;)

I think this is what has prompted me to post the thread, there doesn't seem to be a general consensus on what client optimisation should consist of (it's a wonderfully vague term after all) and even if that is defined then the actual implementation timescale is equally open to debate.

I'm not wishing to tie down anyone to anything (well not virtually anyway!) but even if the devs or the community in general were to say, "OK, let's drop the idea of client side optimisation until August after which we will review whether we will drop it for a longer period", then I'd be happy enough with that reply. It's the not knowing that's the worst thing, that and finding endless threads of people posting their specs (8320/7770, just for completeness) with random anecdotal claims of 10FPS here and 60FPS there.

 

I'm not stupid, in relative terms of course, and I realise the devs must see that it runs like a dog (not a complaint, just an observation, don't jump on me for it!) in comparison to other titles including the mod and Arma 2 & 3, so I am sure it won't "fall off the list" as it were. There are numerous other stuff to get right first, and considering the server side deals with so much in the game it's right that it gets optimised first, I am not suggesting otherwise.

 

Edited January 14, 2014 by ricp

[DarkwaveDomina 1099]

I'd love some optimisation. Considering my machine, my frame-rate can be abysmal sometimes. Also the last few days running with my friends have been nothing but fighting desync/lag issues where, for the whole night, at least one of us can't see the other players or switch weapons.

[Dchil 829]

Most likely Beta. So a year or 2.

[rickyriot 1009]

So just to add, has client optimisation ever been mentioned for the roadmap (I say "roadmap" like it's some sort of Holy Grail) as although lots of really cool stuff have been mentioned is it just implicit that the client optimisation will be included in this?

 

Take the hunting for example, we'd all love to take down a bird on the wing with a bow and arrow, just how possible is that with the current frame rates we all get? Again, not a complaint, just a question.

[libertine 351]

There is definitely some weird stuff bottlenecking the rendering of the world and i don't think it has to.

[Vanrick 7]

My computer sucks so I blame it for poor performance. I can understand that having a powerful rig and still getting low end FPS  would piss anyone off.

The anser is: No one knows.

If you want to know what's happening from the source you can just ask Dean Hall on twitter (@rocket2guns) he sometimes answers peopls questions! That would be the best place to find out.

[weparo 613]

Well, one thing that many of you guys seem to forget : Optimization is not just some magic that you generate with time. Optimizing means that you increase efficency. Once you hit a certain point (say 90 to 99%) you can't go any further. It's just the amount of work the CPU/GPU needs to do to render a frame.

 

Now before you all go crazy ;) I'm not saying DayZ/the RV engine is as optmized as it gets!  But it is much further than most seem to think.

 

As for that "magic" bottleneck, pushing your frames down while CPU and GPU are in the 40% range. Guess who is going full speed, but still bottlenecking you? RAM!

By increasing your memory brandwith, the CPU/GPU get feed with data quicker, and have to idle less imbetween frames before the next data piece comes in. Increasing memory brandwith will  give you higher CPU/GPU usage and therefor better FPS.

 

Or you get bad FPS because the server you are playing on has bad performance, and that will drag you down.

[rickyriot 1009]

If you want to know what's happening from the source you can just ask Dean Hall on twitter (@rocket2guns) he sometimes answers peopls questions! That would be the best place to find out.

 

Honestly I would love to, but as I don't have a twitter account (yes, like the last smallpox sufferer I am Twitter-zero!) I feel I would be lost in the noise of far more involved and far better educated (on this subject) people than I.

I actually feel a bit sorry for him and feel it would be invading his already limited time to tweet as it is. I once replied to a Reddit thread, with positive feedback and in general saying "good job". He never replied but the Reddit community buried the comment so quickly it's unlikely he'll have seen it. In fact the comment on Reddit was sitting at -34 the last time I looked (about 4 weeks back) and at this rate is likely to break through the mantel, work it's way through the core and arrive on the other side of the planet near his home town, in about 6 months time.

Short answer, it would be lovely to get some feedback from him, but you feel he'd be too "scared" to give any time limits due to the piranha like veracity of social media.

[rickyriot 1009]

Well, one thing that many of you guys seem to forget : Optimization is not just some magic that you generate with time. Optimizing means that you increase efficency. Once you hit a certain point (say 90 to 99%) you can't go any further. It's just the amount of work the CPU/GPU needs to do to render a frame.

I take the point you are making, and allow me to reply with two separate answers (sneaky, but there you go, it's the Internet!)

1) I am a programmer, I am only too aware of how difficult it can be to get the simplest of optimisations done, especially so if you are working with legacy code and in an already well documented "awkward" engine.

 

2) With the best will in the World, you can't say that there is no optimisation possible on the client side. I'm not going to go like for like here, but SA is possibly one of the poorest frame rates of any title I have ever experienced. That's not meant to sound like hyperbole, nor is it intended as emotive language. It's Alpha, I accept that, it's not going to change any time soon, I equally accept that. However there is a call for optimisation. My thread isn't about demanding it is done, and done quickly, more just whether it's been factored into the roadmap and if so what forms it's likely to take.

Edit: Oops, forgot to add that I completely agree with a lot of problems originating from the server side. That needs to be given priority, which I hope people realise is a given from my comments.

Edited January 14, 2014 by ricp