Is it about time the devs looked at client side optimisation?

[rickyriot 1009]

Ok, so this isn't a rant. It's also not a request for assistance in improving my frame rates (which are poor for the system I have). It is a straight yes/no question on whether the devs should look at improving the performance of the client.

There are clearly lots of variables at work here. None more so than the so called change to a "new" engine. Now I appreciate it's not a "new" engine at all but just a dedicated branch that will (hopefully) involve a move away from Dx9 and onto Dx10 or 11 and obviously that will improve performance. There is also the suggestion that the client may move to 64 bit and possibly support multicore CPUs better - certainly my octacore does get used but considerably less than it could be. The server moving to 64 bit and/or supporting multicores would also help with the client performance due to the way the game relies so much on the server. I understand there is more to it than simply ticking a checkbox that says "improve client".

However, with the above taken into consideration, do we (as a community) believe that it's about time the devs took some time and resources to look into the client side rendering issue. The frame rates have improved over the last 6 months but they are still pitifully slow in general (and certainly in comparison to other similar titles). I am all for new buildings, new equipment and new weapons, but the bottom line is that these things are only worth having if we have a game that is capable of utilising them.

I don't expect miracles, I don't expect AAA performance, but I do believe that we (and I apologise for speaking for all here) deserve a little effort put into making the client perform to the basic minimum where an average rig can run a consistent 30 FPS in town.

Anyway, that's my post (and my poll). I realise I don't have an oversight on the development roadmap and while I have been involved in developing large software projects I've had no experience of DayZ and it's associated issues, but I do think that the time has come when the focus should maybe shift away from adding content and improving the basic gaming experience.

[scriptfactory 620]

The typical developer mantra is "make it run well then make it run fast." The game runs well enough for an alpha.

There are 3 things that are more important, IMO: Item persistence, loot respawn, faction identification.

[frosti 2165]

consistent 30 FPS in town.

 

 

In dreams.

[rickyriot 1009]

The typical developer mantra is "make it run well then make it run fast." The game runs well enough for an alpha.

The problem is it doesn't run well, and personally I don't think it does run well enough for an Alpha.

 

There are 3 things that are more important, IMO: Item persistence, loot respawn, faction identification.

I think you may have misunderstood my point. I am not suggesting that these things are mutually exclusive. I just believe that more resources could be used in order to bring up the client performance to a level where you can actually test the game - whereas now it's very difficult to do so properly unless you have a top of the end rig.

In dreams.

Heh, well, yes, it was just a benchmark idea.. ;)

Edited June 24, 2014 by ricp

[Caboose187 (DayZ) 3036]

No. Alpha is meant for adding. Beta will be for optimization.

[rickyriot 1009]

No. Alpha is meant for adding. Beta will be for optimization.

The problem is that you have an elitist few who are able to test all this "added" content, the rest of us deserve a little bit of a performance boost after 6 months.

[scriptfactory 620]

I think you may have misunderstood my point. I am not suggesting that these things are mutually exclusive. I just believe that more resources could be used in order to bring up the client performance to a level where you can actually test the game - whereas now it's very difficult to do so properly unless you have a top of the end rig.

 

They are currently working on decoupling the rendering engine from the "simulation engine" so to speak. This should (hopefully) give you the performance boost that you are looking for.

[OrLoK 16185]

The problem is that you have an elitist few who are able to test all this "added" content, the rest of us deserve a little bit of a performance boost after 6 months.

Hello there

 

Deserve? Alpha.

 

Rgds

 

LoK

[frosti 2165]

I mean I would love "optimization" but I don't think the game can get more optimazed then it is now.

[sloasdaylight 129]

Alphas gonna alpha. With no persistent storage, incomplete zombie patching, and a number of other issues that are far more important than in-town fps to worry about, I don't want the devs worrying about optimizing client side fps yet.

Alpha is for adding and developing, beta is for optimization and balancing.

[Max Planck 7174]

The problem is that you have an elitist few who are able to test all this "added" content, the rest of us deserve a little bit of a performance boost after 6 months.

 

I'm running dayz at 1920x1080 with an 'Athlon II X2 250' cpu and a 'HD 5770' gpu, and the game is playable. Bit choppy at times, not too pretty, but perfectly playable.

I'm fairly certain that a setup of this calibre isn't limited to the 'elitist few' as you put it.

[rickyriot 1009]

Deserve? Alpha.

I knew someone would pick me up on that. If I was to change one word would you then agree with my point?

[rickyriot 1009]

I'm running dayz at 1920x1080 with an 'Athlon II X2 250' cpu and a 'HD 5770' gpu, and the game is playable. Bit choppy at times, not too pretty, but perfectly playable.

I'm fairly certain that a setup of this calibre isn't limited to the 'elitist few' as you put it.

I have avoided stating my specs because I specifically don't want to turn this into a technical thread. I would much rather it was aimed at maybe guiding the devs into focussing a little more resource on getting the rendering performance improved. However, my setup is much higher than yours yet my DayZ is considerably choppy.

I really want to make it entirely clear to everyone that this isn't me banging my hand on the desk and demanding that everything be dropped in order to satisfy my needs, it's a suggestion that now there are more resources available to the development team, that some of those resources could be subtly shifted in order to encompass the optimisation.

[Caboose187 (DayZ) 3036]

I knew someone would pick me up on that. If I was to change one word would you then agree with my point?

No. You are not a special snowflake that "deserves" anything that everyone else is already getting

[hombrecz 832]

I thought Devs already stated that work on new renderer has started.

Once done, this should bring more FPS as well.

 

edit: bad FPS is reason why some of me buddies no longer "play" SA alpha.

One of them even gets slight headaches because the game runs a bit choppy in cities.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Hombre

[OrLoK 16185]

I knew someone would pick me up on that. If I was to change one word would you then agree with my point?

Hello there

 

I rarely pull the Alpha card, but in this case it is legitimate.

 

Yes, of course the devs are looking at opportunities to optimise at many points of the game's development, but to expect anything soon  which will affect your play (which isnt to say some jumps may be made) is rather naive IMHO.

 

The fact that one can actually "play" to me is quite astounding at this juncture.

 

IMHO you are thinking too far ahead.

 

Rgds

 

LoK

[DropBearChick 1217]

There gonna add the features first so then when they optimize they can do it knowing no new features will screw it up also as stated before the infusion engine shuold improve fps.

[theirongiant 200]

The typical developer mantra is "make it run well then make it run fast." The game runs well enough for an alpha.

There are 3 things that are more important, IMO: Item persistence, loot respawn, faction identification.

 

Very much this, you optimise finished code not code that is in flux. 

[HIHBGaming 14]

To optimize something that is changing constantly is a waste of time, effort and money. Best to have all features implemented, then optimize rather than potentially having to do it multiple times.

[daringd 88]

I'm actually kinda happy with where it is now too, sure I get pissed off with certain things like the weird glitches, the odd bit of rubber banding and all that usual stuff, but I think the same as most other people, features, features, features, then go beta and start cutting away that fat.

 

oooh that fat.

[rickyriot 1009]

No. You are not a special snowflake that "deserves" anything that everyone else is already getting

 

That is an utterly obtuse answer. It is quite clear to all that is not what I mean from this thread.

[Kaboki 62]

I am on an old 'Ivy Bridge' CPU and a GTX 680, nothing fancy and Im quite satisfied with performance even in all the cities, never really look at FPS but I think it runs smooth as any game out there now. When the alpha got released it was a laggy mess... it chugs sometimes but it has become rarer and rarer with the latest patches, nothing gamebreaking. If this game has had any progress, I would say it has atleast when it comes to performance. Adding features into the game well that's another story(painfully slow progress).

Edited June 25, 2014 by Kaboki

[rickyriot 1009]

.. never really look at FPS but I think it runs smooth as any game out there now.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion but that is just simply not true. Unless all other games perform poorly on your system as well.

[Kaboki 62]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion but that is just simply not true. Unless all other games perform poorly on your system as well.

 

Games perform very good on my system, thank you. I should maybe have phrased myself a little better, I should have said MOSTLY it runs as smooth as any other game out there. 90% of the time I play it runs smooth as butter, 10% of the time it chugs a little, but only a little and it's not gamebreaking at all and the small chugs sometimes comes out of nowhwere like suddenly in a rural area I can get a few hardly noticable chugs and other times in a big city like cherno it runs uber smooth without a single hich. You got me curious about FPS, so Im gonna take a test and go to cherno and measure my FPS to see what it really are, because it sure feels like 30FPS+ for me :D ...

 

Im not lying because what would I gain? Belive me, I can be very 'vocal' in critizing this game, VERY. Got banned last week just because of my unfair critisism of the devs and the game and it's development. So if the performance would suck I sure would have raised my opinion on that, but the performance is actually one of the few things Im satisfied with at the moment.......the painfully slow progress in other areas not so much....

And having things run smooth is very high on my list of what I expect of games/simulators...Also I run maxed settings except Post Processing, not because of perf but because having it higher than low creates blurries...

Edited June 25, 2014 by Kaboki

[sloasdaylight 129]

Games perform very good on my system, thank you. I should maybe have phrased myself a little better, I should have said MOSTLY it runs as smooth as any other game out there. 90% of the time I play it runs smooth as butter, 10% of the time it chugs a little, but only a little and it's not gamebreaking at all and the small chugs sometimes comes out of nowhwere like suddenly in a rural area I can get a few hardly noticable chugs and other times in a big city like cherno it runs uber smooth without a single hich. You got me curious about FPS, so Im gonna take a test and go to cherno and measure my FPS to see what it really are, because it sure feels like 30FPS+ for me :D ...

 

Im not lying because what would I gain? Belive me, I can be very 'vocal' in critizing this game, VERY. Got banned last week just because of my unfair critisism of the devs and the game and it's development. So if the performance would suck I sure would have raised my opinion on that, but the performance is actually one of the few things Im satisfied with at the moment.......the painfully slow progress in other areas not so much....

And having things run smooth is very high on my list of what I expect of games/simulators...Also I run maxed settings except Post Processing, not because of perf but because having it higher than low creates blurries...

This is pretty much it for me as well. I get some chug in cities initially, but after 30 sec or so it runs smooth enough for me to get into firefights without problem.