PrBoomPlus: Bad performance in Software mode. Help plz.

[LincolnPark96]

Hi everyone, i'm trying to run this sourceport in software mode instead of using GlBoom-Plus, and the performance is horrible in my pc for some reason, the game doesn't run smoothly compared to Gl version, seems to have fps drops randomly, no matter what maps and wads i play.

I have a GTX 1050TI, I7 7700K, and 16gb of ram, and using windows 10 64 bits.

[VGA]

Resolution? Software renderers are very sensitive to high res.

 

Also, which exact version of prboom are you running?

[LincolnPark96]

1920x1080, and i'm using 2.5.1.5 and 2.5.1.7um

[VGA]

Do you have an integrated graphics chipset? Or only the Nvidia card?

[LincolnPark96]

No, only the Nvidia card.

[seed]

Does it get better if you change it to OpenGL in the Software executable?

 

It only changes the output, not to actual GL. Anything but that and 8-bit are quite taxing.

[Spectre01]

@LincolnPark96 Hi, can you try typing "idrate", which shows performance in the top left corner, and let us know what FPS you are getting on which maps?

[LincolnPark96]

Well i type idrate and this is the numbers.

GlBoom-Plus: 3600 FPS aprox

Prboom-Plus with video mode in OpenGl: 180 FPS aprox

[Spectre01]

That sounds about right. GLBoom+ runs at ridiculous frames on vanilla or maps with simple geometry. 180 FPS is perfectly fine in PRBoom+ and should not be causing poor performance.

[Valboom]

Try 1280x720 resolution.

[fabian]

7 hours ago, LincolnPark96 said:

1920x1080

 

7 hours ago, LincolnPark96 said:

180 FPS aprox

 

What are you complaining about?

[LincolnPark96]

lol, no, it's not that I'm complaining XD, it's just that I don't get to notice it as fluid as in Gl, although it makes sense that it's due to the exacerbated FPS that the latter runs on. My ravings. Of course, it would be great if in the future it were possible to emulate the software palette in Glboom-plus. Thank you all for responding and sorry if I did sound picky.

[VGA]

Nah, it's fine! What monitor do you have (refresh rate?) and what do you mean fps drops?

 

At first I thought it was stuttering which would be very weird for your good specs. Also, if you like to try another software renderer, try Eternity. Maybe it feels smoother.

[LincolnPark96]

Well, I have a 60hz monitor, the problem I am apparently having is that the image does not seem to be going smoothly at all, almost as if it were slowing down, which seems quite strange to me for the framerate it runs at.

[wrkq]

Really stupid question to the knowledgeable ones:

Does prb do interpolation - and if yes, is it for everything including psprites (weapons, etc)?

 

I'm asking because when I was trying various traditional ports one thing that really felt odd for a little moment was the combo of smoother high fps movement vs 35fps-locked animations, especially the weapon bob.

 

[VGA]

1 hour ago, LincolnPark96 said:

Well, I have a 60hz monitor, the problem I am apparently having is that the image does not seem to be going smoothly at all, almost as if it were slowing down, which seems quite strange to me for the framerate it runs at.

Maybe the frame pacing is bad? Try toggling Vsync in the prboom options. You can also disable it in the options and force it to On or Adaptive in your display settings (of your gfx drivers)

[RottingZombie]

I have had this issue for a long time on different PC's. The PC is up to spec, but it's very choppy looking when using capped framerate for me. It reports 35fps when typing idrate, but looks way worse. Also the mouse when turning will sometimes jump forward (like it is gaining sensitivity for a second). Turning the same way again it will not happen in the same spot (hard to explain). No acceleration.

 

PRBoom plus 2.5.1.4 will run fine using gl.exe, but I'd prefer software (even with all filters off, it still looks more muted) All other ports I use (chocolate, crispy, zdoom, gzdoom, zdaemon) run capped and feel right. Maybe I will install OBS or something and try to record the issue.

 

2.5.1.7um does not exhibit this issue for me, not sure what the difference is. I'd love to know what causes and how to fix it, since I once suffered the mouse-related problem when playing Unreal Tournament on a new (at the time) PC and never figured it out. In UT, the mouse would be more sensitive if i was up close to a wall - prboom seems to do this too randomly.

 

To add more detail to the mouse issue (which feels tied to the choppiness, but i don't know), the sensitivity will feel like it's randomly changing. If i hold forward and move mouse left and right, sometimes it doesn't move (feels like a ball mouse with a dirty ball), and the sens 'feels' different depending on whether I am strafing, moving in a line, or still.

 

@LincolnPark96 did you ever figure it out?

Edited March 3, 2021 by RottingZombie

[Shepardus]

3 hours ago, RottingZombie said:

PRBoom plus 2.5.1.4 will run fine using gl.exe, but I'd prefer software (even with all filters off, it still looks more muted) All other ports I use (chocolate, crispy, zdoom, gzdoom, zdaemon) run capped and feel right. Maybe I will install OBS or something and try to record the issue.

 

2.5.1.7um does not exhibit this issue for me, not sure what the difference is.

If 2.5.1.7 does not have the issue for you, what version are you talking about that does? If it's 2.5.1.4, there's probably something about SDL1 that disagrees with your computer; that happens to many people. Versions 2.5.1.5 and beyond use SDL2. If the newer versions work fine, the solution is simply to use one of those versions; the latest numbered release is 2.6.

[omx32x]

i was having problems with it too some frame passing and studdering would happen frequentely when i opened doors with lots of enemies

gldoom works fine so i think thats a limitation of the software render in itself shame because the glboom lighting looks flat and the options that doesnt look flat are very hardware intensive on my machine on bigger maps

[RottingZombie]

18 hours ago, Shepardus said:

If 2.5.1.7 does not have the issue for you, what version are you talking about that does? If it's 2.5.1.4, there's probably something about SDL1 that disagrees with your computer; that happens to many people. Versions 2.5.1.5 and beyond use SDL2. If the newer versions work fine, the solution is simply to use one of those versions; the latest numbered release is 2.6.

 

Yea, it was 2.5.1.4.

 

26um works for me, so thanks for that. Guess I just wanted to be old fashioned. Once I added the TimGM6mn soundfont back in, everything seems good.

[LincolnPark96]

On 3/2/2021 at 11:48 PM, RottingZombie said:

 

@LincolnPark96 did you ever figure it out?

Sorry for the wait, I give up trying to use Software mode in that source port. The framerate is horrible and feels slow compared to Gl mode XD
I still have hopes that could be implemented a Software palette emulation.

[SaqCoyoy]

Just to be clear, using Prboom plus in 8bit video mode is exactly the same as using the "force software render" mode in the cfg of Crispy Doom right? Or is there a way to force software render for PR too?

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