Not smooth FPS with 2.4 (bad game play experience)

[ender.saka]

Nexuiz 2.4 suffers of really bad FPS performances.

FPS can variate from 800 to 20 FPS in a fraction of a second, on my computer (a Mac), but I have friends with the same problem on totally different machines and I tolked online with some players having exactly the same problem.

2.3 did not give this problem.

My specs are:

Mac Pro; CPU: 2 * Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3 GHz; RAM: 4 GB; GPU: ATI Radeon X1900 XT, PCIe, 16x; VRAM: 512 MB.

Mac OS X 10.4.11 with bundle ATI drivers.

Monitor: Apple Cinema Display, 1680x1050, 32-bit color. Though, generaly I use windowed mode at 1024x768 to have the ability to switch to the desktop (it is my need). But I do not think it affects a lot performaces, because 2.3 did not change almost anything when I tried fullscreen.

I will try to actiavate v-sync, that keeps FPS fixed to abot 60. But with 2.3 I noticed that enabling v-sync resulted in a lot of problems for gameplay. I had hard times to kill other players, as if FPS actualy affected also network and caused lag: lots of frags lost, errors, "highlander" players. Disabling v-sync gave as the result a more balanced gameplay: I was finally able to target another player and actualy kill him.

I want to underline once more that I am not the only player experiencing this problem. Many PC users have the same problem. So, please, consider the possibility that this is not caused by Mac OS X.

Thanks.

[rufsketch1]

turn off client side prediction. it's in the input tab in the options menu.

[ender.saka]

I already did it. Nothing changed.

I get just a little more benefit if it set effects to LOW preset.

Tried OpenGL Shaders, and sometimes it seems to be a little faster and smother but Text and Interface is messed up (unreadable).

I disabled also VertexBuffer, but nothing changed.

In the rare cases that I am able to reach 800 FPS, I become "highlander".

[morfar]

You can try this:
Turn on client-side movement prediction again and type cl_netinputpacketsperserverpacket 4 in console (shift+esc) and press Enter.

But this will not fix your fps issue. 20 to 800 fps seem like a big diffrence. no idea how to fix that.

[ender.saka]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try it.

Though, I guess that all this problems are also related by something with the network speed.
I can't be totally sure of the following, tough I noticed that, when some players come in, server/client comunications performances drammatically low down.
In particular I loose response to bullets hiting other players. I am sure I hit them because I see where bullets go, and I know where I aim, though they don't register. I can say this because in 2.4 there is a sort of sound that play when you hit someone.
This result is accompained (graphically) by the lower FPS.
Seeing these 2 effects at the same time made me think that they are connected.

[rufsketch1]

i think someone else in your house is just using the internet as you're playing... your symptoms seem typical of that. fluctuating fps would be normal if you look at something extremely graphics intensive, like a high poly count, alot of lights and shadows or high texture resolutions, and look at very simple non graphics intensive things back to back...

[pvt.Johnson]

I am getting terrible fps on my intel imac as well, do you play with the opengl 2.0 shaders enabled?

[ender.saka]

I tried to enable the shaders 2.0, pvt.Johnson, but I got just a little benefit, and GUI is messed up and unusable most of the time. I cannot read chat messages and top list, and all the text on settings panes disappeared.
My girlfriend has an iMac too and has the same problems.

rufsketch1, I should say that some of my friends, with same band, keep open eMule downloading while playing and have no problems. And I play Unreal 2004 without any problems on the same internet connection.
And, finally, FPS is bad (not allways, but often... more often than 2.3) even if I disable all graphic intensive effects.

I play also World Of Warcraft (some of you probably know it) and it often show really complex scenes, full of players (more than 8 players and really large scenarions) and a lot of effects. I play it with all effects and advanced features at full quality, 1680 x 1050 (Apple Cinema Display 20" resolution), but if I disable v-sync frame rate keeps stable at about 120-130 FPS. Though I usaly enalbe v-sync, because I dont like screen tearing or flickering caused by updates, and WoW keeps stable at 60 FPS.
Never had anymore problems with WoW from when I bought my last Mac Pro. Previously I played it often on Windows or Linux (with Wine), on a PC machine, and had a lot of bad FPS performances in areas really full of people, like Orgrimmar. Though never had problems in other areas.

[esteel]

Hmm i would like you take a look at the current 'hotfix' that will soon be released as Nexuiz 2.4.1 to see if it helps or makes things worse ..
http://forums.alientrap.local/viewtopic.php?t=2824

[Wings]

Ok, I think I've been having the same problem, which the hotfix has fixed. If i used vertical synch, i got 60fps, but the game felt "laggy" (playing the single player mode). If I unchecked vsych, the game seemed fine...