AbstractThe 3D engine at the heart of PlaneShift is, by default, graphically (GPU) and CPU intensive. This text suggests ways to reduce the amount of computer resources absorbed by PlaneShift.
DescriptionMy humble configuration was (is) a three screen Linux configuration:
CPU: AMD XP2200+ (1.8mhz)
GPU: nVidia (Gainward) 6800LE (AGP) (2 screens)
GPU: TNT Riva (PCI) (1 screen)
RAM: 1.3 Gigabyte
Mobo: PC-chips K7 M848A
OS: (Linux) Kubuntu 7.10
PlaneShift ran smoothly with default settings but with the Client set to: 1024x768 windowed, on a 1280x1024 screen. I also replaced the grassy-maps with the less-grassy maps because my frame rate was impacted a little while moving around Hydlaa.
A few weeks ago my 6800LE snuffed it. When two of my screens froze I discovered that the 6800LE's fan had stopped working. Unfortunately I believe that this lead to the GPU roasting to death. Several attempts to resurrect the card with new fans have failed.
I have a couple of nVidia 4200ti graphics cards that are now about eight years old but they both support two screens. All I had to do was replace the 6800LE (RIP) with one of those cards and I was instantly up and running again. Same nVidia Linux xserver and xorg.conf.
When I fire up PlaneShift under the 4200ti... it starts. Ojaveda looks the same. The fields outside Oja look great. Creatures, buildings and frame rate all seem fine.
However at Hydlaa the problems start. Entering the Library district my frame rate really starts to struggle but I can still move. I try entering the Plazza and whap! It's all over. The frame rate is non-existent, down to perhaps one frame every two or three seconds.
Moving the mouse around the Client suffers the same problem. It is REALLY difficult to get the mouse over any menu in the bar to make Options changes.
Finally I managed to open Options and reduce the Details settings to as low as possible. This enabled me to move through the Plazza to a less intensive map; either back through the Library district, back into Ojaveda territory or through the Plazza to the Magic Shop.
Discovery: Under these circumstances, if you can point your character's view toward the sky, your frame rate immediately increases. Must have something to do with what the GPU is processing, since the sky requires very little compared to the Plazza. You will have to keep dipping the view down to get your bearings but you can navigate, slowly.
Obviously my 4200ti is not up to the job when it comes to PlaneShift but this prompted me to look into ways that I could still do some things in PlaneShift with my limited GPU capabilities.
Bottom lineWhile in Ojaveda territory, Hydlaa fields and Magic shop:
- Enable 'Adaptive distance' under: Options > Graphics > Details
- Min distance: 200
- Min FPS: 10
- Max FPS: 13
- FPS cap: 13
While in Hydlaa Plaza:
- Disable 'Adaptive distance'
- Distance: 35
- FPS cap: 13
- Set character's movement to: Dynamic follow
- Replace grassy maps.
Side effects:
On my Linux system, PlaneShift used to absorb 90(+)% of CPU cycles with default settings. With the changes shown here, PlaneShift is constantly using between 15 - 60% CPU.
To see a list of applications' resource usage, from a command line run: top
I made similar changes to a PS-Client on a Windows 2000 system. The CPU went from a constant 96(+)% down to between 30 - 70% CPU usage.
Linux window managers v Linux desktop environmentsMy goal is to use as little computer resources managing applications, making the resources available to applications that require those computer resources.
KDE and Gnome are Linux desktop environments. They don't just manage the decorations around your applications, they almost attempt to be an operating system themselves. For example, they detect when new USB hardware is plugged in to your computer and open an appropriate application for you. They have lots of eye-candy. They offer graphical user interfaces to many of the traditional command line applications. They make configuration and management of all the daemons (services) easier.
It is clear that their design and intention is to remove or make easy, fiddly or intimidating computer activities.
The downside: They are memory hogs. Any graphically intensive desktop environment, no matter what operating system, is going to be a memory hog, not to mention the impact on the CPU while it constantly monitors what is going on at the hardware levels. Then there is the GPU which has to cope with all that pretty eye-candy in additional to your applications.
Alternatives to the Linux desktop environments are the light weight window managers. Personally I use: Fluxbox
http://www.fluxbox.orgXFCE is also very popular at the moment too:
http://www.xfce.org/I am NOT suggesting that either are better than Gnome or KDE or any other window manager or environment but I can tell you, Fluxbox is not a resource hog by any means.
Obviously I am in danger of starting a flame war here. Don't bother. A flame war about window managers v desktop environments would be a complete waste of time since we all have our own preferences and reasons for using what we use.
Further Linux tweaking, for your informationThis page has some hints on tweaking memory usage on Linux.
http://lifehacker.com/software/feature/slim-down-and-speed-up-linux-333798.phpThis page describes how to use a local DNS cache on Linux for faster DNS lookups:
http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/2006/08/02/local-dns-cache-for-faster-browsing/P.S. I believe in destiny and perhaps, just perhaps the death of my 6800 was a message of sorts, sent by those in another realm: You are spending too much fracking time, playing that fracking game!! Get on with some fracking work!
