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Trance104

Shadows enabled drops frame rate to ~20 FPS

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I just built a beast PC and am surprised that I can't even turn on shadows without a huge framerate drop (even on low).


 


Is this a bug or is this a Java limitation?


 


Here is my current setup:










 

I already have the GPU's which are 2x 980s


 

Is there something that I'm doing wrong? :P

Edited by Trance104
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This is a long running issue.


rest assured, It's the same for me. I can go from 50fps to 20 fps in no time, without warning, and without moving, while i have medium settings.


Then on other days I can push my ATi AA/Anisotropy up to max, without a frame dropping.


 


I don't think it's java's fault, or a bug, more the legacy code that still runs this, and the way it was done. Times changed, so demands changed, I would be suprised if the devs aren't already working on a plan to refactor the stuff. Best for now is, be patient and hang tight. I saw news about java 8 being the thing now, and I know there's possibility for concurrency/multithreading changes, so let's hope.


 


If anyone else has ideas on shadows, let me know too. I just have "Objects And Houses" on for now, it's tolerable, but not great.


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Thanks for your detailed response. My best guess is that it's running on the main thread of the CPU along with everything else that Wurm computes on there. I don't think Wurm utilizes much of the GPU's power. I'll check out Speccy while playing Wurm when I get home tonight :)


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The developers have said they're working on a major update of the rendering engine that will update it (and presumably improve some performance issues). This has been ongoing for quite some time behind the scenes, and I haven't seen news of when it might be ready. Code Club is a small outfit, and getting major changes out the door can take some time.


 


Wurm's old code is both a boon and a burden .... it doesn't play nice with a lot of hardware, but it would be difficult (if not impossible) to port the game into UE4 or something like that because of how malleable everything is. You can drop a nail in this game, and it stays there for weeks on end.


 


Sorry to say low-end specs might help. This was linked to in another thread:


 


http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/63471-configuring-the-client-looking-nice-while-running-on-low-settings/

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The developers have said they're working on a major update of the rendering engine that will update it (and presumably improve some performance issues). This has been ongoing for quite some time behind the scenes, and I haven't seen news of when it might be ready. Code Club is a small outfit, and getting major changes out the door can take some time.

 

Wurm's old code is both a boon and a burden .... it doesn't play nice with a lot of hardware, but it would be difficult (if not impossible) to port the game into UE4 or something like that because of how malleable everything is. You can drop a nail in this game, and it stays there for weeks on end.

 

Sorry to say low-end specs might help. This was linked to in another thread:

 

http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/63471-configuring-the-client-looking-nice-while-running-on-low-settings/

Dude, I missed that info, but it is great news.

Yep, I can totally see how complex the codebase must be, the fact that you can drop that nail and itll be there, is what makes this as sandbox as it is. Worth the pain.

The rendering engine is probably a MASSIVE undertaking, and I am confident java8 is going to play a big role in it. Patience is a virtue.

 

besides, having it in UE4 etc, would just not be wurm...

Thanks for sharing.

 

PS: i went crude shadows, and medium om tiles, with medium reflections... getting my 40 cap now. If that helps anyone :)

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Here's the last news on the render engine:


 


As “premium,†paid accounts have tended to increase in recent years, with ups and downs, “the lion part of revenue is invested back into development,†Svensson says. “This helps us as we can then employ external consultants to speed up specific projects like an update to our graphics engine.†The renderer will remain in Java but go into the shop for an extensive work-over – the code, a featherweight download for an MMO, is sometimes blamed for the “hitching†problems experienced by players and low frame rates.


 


Svensson says there are “inherent strengths and weaknesses in using Java as a base for our game. Weaknesses we are always working to overcome.†Strengths include compatability across OSX and Linux, effectively any platform that plays nice with Java and Open GL. Portability should only expand. In the engine revamp, which has “been in development in the background for quite some time,†according to Svensson, there will be “much more efficient rendering, more realistic handling of light sources and shadows, to name some things.â€


http://www.milwaukeemag.com/2014/10/16/wurmandthefutureoftinkering/


 


So it sounds like the engine work is actually being done out of house.


Edited by Tipper
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