New Beta Build 70709 is up!

[WillaCHilla]

New Beta Build 70709 is up!

Click here to download (http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php)

Changelog:

[70663] New: Weather config values "size" and "height" for better control over the cloud layer. Default values: size = 1.0; height = max(bright,0.6)
[70661] Improved: File handle management when more then 448 pbo was present is now more efficient.
[70651] Improved: Increased limits to prevent "Too many virtual memory blocks requested" error.
[70650] Fixed: Crash possible when loading map with older binarized format (pre 20, e.g. Schmalfelden).
[70646] Fixed: Some objects were shortly "flashing" while changing LODs.

[SASrecon]

Wow, many of the changes actually appeared on the changelog this time!
Hope we get some performance increase over 644. Gonna test a.s.a.p :)

[otreblA_SNAKE_[ITA]]

Let us know if there are performance improvements dude ^_^

[twisted]

feels better to me. last beta wasn't as smooth. less popping of objects.

[KeyCat]

Damn, I can't keep up with BIS tempo :)

/KC

[=WFL= Sgt Bilko]

Seems like they're doing a lot of tweaking of engine for OA, so adding it to beta patches here gives them instant feedback.
This probably also means that we will not see a new stable version for ArmA2 until (or just before) the release of OA.

Either way it's good for us!

[EricM]

Wow, I didn't even had time to install the previous one...

[langgis08]

... installing ...

has anyone tested already with different weather settings (cloud layer / changelog) ?
where exactly are these changes to make ?

[bensdale]

[70646] Fixed: Some objects were shortly "flashing" while changing LODs.

looks improved
But the color change while changing LODs (especially Building) is still present. It change from a darker color (without zooming) to a brighter color (with zooming).


... installing ...

has anyone tested already with different weather settings (cloud layer / changelog) ?
where exactly are these changes to make ?

Is this a fix for follow problem??
http://dev-heaven.net/issues/8072

[victim913]

For some reason I have been getting an error when trying to start the game when using the beta patch. The last one two. The last time I used beta was before the 1.05 and it worked fine before that.

The error i get now is "Error compiling pixel shader PSSpecularAlpha:0

Anyone have a clue why using the beta is causing this?

I saw another person say the same thing and their shortcut was wrong. This is mine, anything wrong with it?:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Bohemia Interactive\beta\arma2.exe" -noSplash -mod=beta;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;

Thanks

[langgis08]

just tested 70709 with this brilliant tool http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=99125

I recognize comparing the graphs a continuing better performance with each new beta-build, slightly but recognizeable :)

[InFireBaptize]

For some reason I have been getting an error when trying to start the game when using the beta patch. The last one two. The last time I used beta was before the 1.05 and it worked fine before that.

The error i get now is "Error compiling pixel shader PSSpecularAlpha:0

Anyone have a clue why using the beta is causing this?

I saw another person say the same thing and their shortcut was wrong. This is mine, anything wrong with it?:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Bohemia Interactive\beta\arma2.exe" -noSplash -mod=beta;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;

Thanks

if you search the forum you will find a solution for this. It has been also mentioned not to beta test the game with mods.

[victim913]

Regarding the helpful InFireBaptize,

I did search for others with the same issue. That is why I said that i saw another person with the same problem. In fact there were 4 or 5 people with the same problem.
And all but 1 was due to the shortcut being wrong which is why I posted what my shortcut was.

ALSO included in the readme;
"You can configure your Arma 2 with Beta Patch including other mods etc., just make make sure that:
in your ArmA Shortcut start-up Target line;etc..."

ALSO I read the "beta patch testing forum guidlines" and nowhere in the entire thread does it say that we can't test it with other mods.
In fact none of the three sticky threads mention anything about other mods.

AND in the searches I did, many others had other mods running and gave feedback as to how the beta affected those other mods.

So you don't need to tell me I am not supposed to test it with other mods, and you don't need to tell me I need to search. So either help or don't, I don't need you scolding me because you have been here longer. If you don't have an answer then don't respond. But thank you for your concern.

[sprayer_faust]

Remove the last semicolon... And don't act like a victim. :) All he was trying to say was, that you shouldn't use mods and report problems here if you encounter any during testing.

[MavericK96]

I always end up saying this too soon, but from initial flying tests this build seems a lot more stable than the last one. The amount of stutter is about the same as in 70644, which overall is worse than 70313. Mostly it's noticeable when making multiple flybys very low over a large city like Chernogorsk. Framerate also drops pretty low when doing this, whereas it seemed like it did not as much in 70313.

However, good news is that even with several flybys, where 70644 and below almost certainly would have crashed, this beta did not. So I'm hopeful that the video memory issues are getting sorted. :cool:

All of my testing so far with this beta has been done using exThreads=0.

[Alex72]

So I'm hopeful that the video memory issues are getting sorted
This has however not ever happened to anyone i know - wich is quite a few people. Is it the games fault or your settings?

Time to test this one - hard to keep up. :)

[MavericK96]

This has however not ever happened to anyone i know - wich is quite a few people. Is it the games fault or your settings?

Time to test this one - hard to keep up. :)

I guess I feel like if it's a game-specific error and not something I've ever gotten anything close to in any other game, it's the game's fault. It shouldn't really matter what settings I choose, and since the settings I use give me 30+ FPS in 99% of situations, I feel like they should be fine.

Also, a few other people have posted about the same issues, so it isn't just me.

[Alex72]

But you make it sound like its a universal problem wich i dont think it is or we would have most people see the same result. I have never crashed flying over a town so far and from those i know and from being part of bug tracking it doesnt seem like a big problem. I understand its annoying for you of course, and i dont really know what you can try to see if it can be eliminated.

[MavericK96]

But you make it sound like its a universal problem wich i dont think it is or we would have most people see the same result. I have never crashed flying over a town so far and from those i know and from being part of bug tracking it doesnt seem like a big problem. I understand its annoying for you of course, and i dont really know what you can try to see if it can be eliminated.

No, I know it's not universal, but the symptoms definitely indicate a memory leak, possibly only on Very High settings, or with Video Memory set to Default. It's super annoying to me because I can't play a game for more than an hour or so without a crash, and when I'm online trying to play Domination and fly an A-10 or something it gets real annoying when the screen blacks out and I crash the jet into the ground. I end up just getting frustrated with the game and quitting.

[metalcraze]

FPS is the same for me as it was in 1.05
Well coupled with improvements it's at least something good, compared to early 70xxx betas where I had 10-15% FPS drop

[rowdied]

For some reason I have been getting an error when trying to start the game when using the beta patch. The last one two. The last time I used beta was before the 1.05 and it worked fine before that.

The error i get now is "Error compiling pixel shader PSSpecularAlpha:0

Anyone have a clue why using the beta is causing this?

I saw another person say the same thing and their shortcut was wrong. This is mine, anything wrong with it?:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Bohemia Interactive\beta\arma2.exe" -noSplash -mod=beta;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;@<hidden>;

Thanks

Make sure your start in is this "c:\program files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2"

without the beta in there. Also why not just reuse your old beta shortcut everytime? Just rename the beta folder in arma or delete it and install the new one.

[CarlGustaffa]

... installing ...

has anyone tested already with different weather settings (cloud layer / changelog) ?
where exactly are these changes to make ?

It's in the hotfix.pbo. And, no I haven't, haven't even started the new beta yet :)

[todayskiller]

Well, same ol same ol with the FPS, 25 without exThreads and 26 with exThreads=3...but overall I'm having less white flashes or w/e.

Texture loading is still pretty bad, but overall...good improvement from the last patch (should be since it's been FOREVER since a patch =])...even though it's just the beta patch...the final patch should be really great...Good JOb BIS

[Ringhejm]

After I had install some of the latest beta, my FRAPS dont work in the game anymore. when i try to record it drop down to 2 FPS.... whitout the Beta it will record fine.

It is quite a shame that this is happening. I love to recorde.

it all startet after patch ARMA2_Build_69645

[Zipper5]

Is the problem you're experiencing like this?

tGuXltJAmtM

If so I reported it a while ago but nothing was said about it. Glad to know I'm not the only one facing this problem.

[SASrecon]

After I had install some of the latest beta, my FRAPS dont work in the game anymore. when i try to record it drop down to 2 FPS.... whitout the Beta it will record fine.

It is quite a shame that this is happening. I love to recorde.

it all startet after patch ARMA2_Build_69645

Have you tried tinkering with the exthreads thingy?
I would recommend trying exThreads=3

Also try tinkering with arma2's process priority, I find it helps to have it on high/very high.

[bhaz]

I'm getting much better performance around trees with the 70709 patch, even compared to 706, 703, performance has pretty much doubled. Is there some unmentioned note in there that could've caused this?

[Zipper5]

Have you tried tinkering with the exthreads thingy?
I would recommend trying exThreads=3

Also try tinkering with arma2's process priority, I find it helps to have it on high/very high.
That changes nothing. Believe me, I've tried many different things and the issue still persists. The only way to fix for me it is going back to 1.05, and it works completely fine when I do so.

[Ringhejm]

That changes nothing. Believe me, I've tried many different things and the issue still persists. The only way to fix for me it is going back to 1.05, and it works completely fine when I do so.

yea.... my experience to. it happed after one of the patch, because if you remove the beta everything is fine, and if you take the beta before the one I postet there is no problem. so it is something in the patch at that stage that makes FRAPS unable to run at the same time..... and if it is someting to do whit the OA, then it is something they HAVE to fix before realesing.

there are many peoble in the community that use FRAPS to record the game so they can evaluate theire preformance on the teamwork. so please fix this problem.

[MJK-Ranger]

FRAPS don't work on those latest beta patches :( I have posted it for long time ago. If you want to record with FRAPS, u will need to install an older patch. I use 63826.

Cheers

[JW Custom]

No, I know it's not universal, but the symptoms definitely indicate a memory leak, possibly only on Very High settings, or with Video Memory set to Default. It's super annoying to me because I can't play a game for more than an hour or so without a crash, and when I'm online trying to play Domination and fly an A-10 or something it gets real annoying when the screen blacks out and I crash the jet into the ground. I end up just getting frustrated with the game and quitting.

So have you tried lower your video settings?

Some people seems to think it's a right that their system should run the game with a high resolution and with max'ed out video settings!

[Protegimus]

Trees appear to have lower detail LOD's until you are closer to them - maybe this explains the performance difference some are seeing with vegetation.

Performance with 70709 in Electro is down on 70256, but better than 70313 and flickering shadows are back on buildings.

Runway lights no longer explode when you shoot them (don't ask).

MavericK96: Have you tested with only 4GB RAM?
- rule out bugs with > 4GB RAM, DIMM failure
You have two GTX 280s, are you using SLI?
XP 32bit!?

and yeah, my system spec. is quite similar to yours yet I have reduced settings in comparison for optimal performance.
I understand the higher view distance as you talk about flying, but you can probably still reduce it without impact, ref.: http://dev-heaven.net/wiki/proper-projects/PROPER_projects#Object-drawing-distance-tweak and gain performance/stability.

Protegimus

[MJK-Ranger]

FRAPS works on this beta without -exThreads=X. If u use -exThreads=X then you will run into recording problems, total lag and FPS down to 1.

This beta seems to be good on my rig and better with -exThreads=3

[armatech]

Having issues on dedicated servers where the pings show in the lobby as 56,32,104 but after game launch they jump to 1024564,1002348,1600121.

Any Clues?

[MavericK96]

So have you tried lower your video settings?

Some people seems to think it's a right that their system should run the game with a high resolution and with max'ed out video settings!

I keep explaining this, but no one seems to be listening, lol.

If I can run the game at my current settings at 30+ FPS, the game *should* be perfectly stable. Instability shouldn't be a symptom of graphical settings being too high, low FPS is the symptom for that. Sure, I can lower my settings (particularly Video Memory) to High or V. High, but I will actually lose a ton of performance, so what's the point? If the game begins to stutter to the point of being unplayable then there is no point.



MavericK96: Have you tested with only 4GB RAM?
- rule out bugs with > 4GB RAM, DIMM failure
You have two GTX 280s, are you using SLI?
XP 32bit!?


I haven't tried with 4 GB RAM, but this issue seems to be VRAM related, so I'm not sure that would help. I suppose I could try it, though.

I am using SLI, and as far as I can tell it works fine (e.g. huge performance boost when in SLI versus not)

And I know XP gives better performance, but I'm not going to revert back to a 10 year old OS for one game. Vista and 7 have been out plenty long for this game to run alright using them, like most every other game out there does. Plus I've got 6 GB of RAM, so it'd be like slashing my RAM in half using a 32-bit OS.

[Ringhejm]

FRAPS works on this beta without -exThreads=X. If u use -exThreads=X then you will run into recording problems, total lag and FPS down to 1.

This beta seems to be good on my rig and better with -exThreads=3

no it does not work. no matter what i try i can not make FRAPS to work/record whit more than 2 FPS.

It is somethibg in the ARMA2_Build_69645 patch that makes it.

it has not been fix. :(

[MJK-Ranger]

no it does not work. no matter what i try i can not make FRAPS to work/record whit more than 2 FPS.

It is somethibg in the ARMA2_Build_69645 patch that makes it.

it has not been fix. :(

Hi.

Then you should try out the beta patch 63826. No problem with that one.
ftp://downloads.bistudio.com/arma2.com/update/beta/ARMA2_Build_63826.zip

[JW Custom]

I keep explaining this, but no one seems to be listening, lol.

If I can run the game at my current settings at 30+ FPS, the game *should* be perfectly stable. Instability shouldn't be a symptom of graphical settings being too high, low FPS is the symptom for that. Sure, I can lower my settings (particularly Video Memory) to High or V. High, but I will actually lose a ton of performance, so what's the point? If the game begins to stutter to the point of being unplayable then there is no point.


It's been proven time after time that having your settings too high can cause problems eventhough it seems to run fine while it does run!

---------- Post added at 05:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:34 PM ----------


no it does not work. no matter what i try i can not make FRAPS to work/record whit more than 2 FPS.

It is somethibg in the ARMA2_Build_69645 patch that makes it.

it has not been fix. :(

Hmm it works fine for me just tested right :confused:

[Dwarden]

for fraps issues it would be best consult with author of fraps ;)

[WillaCHilla]

Yep-perhaps its an issue of a newer version of Fraps? -Build 2.9.8_7777 runs fine here.

[Protegimus]

...
I haven't tried with 4 GB RAM, but this issue seems to be VRAM related, so I'm not sure that would help. I suppose I could try it, though.


There are two reasons for this.
1. A number of problems were logged in the change log regarding bugs when system memory > 4GB, e.g.:
[59924] Fixed: More 32b overflows caused by 8 GB RAM + large VRAM

There are entries for 6GB too, so don't discount it because the example I gave quotes 8GB.

2. Ensure the problem isn't with your RAM



I am using SLI, and as far as I can tell it works fine (e.g. huge performance boost when in SLI versus not)

Purely for reference and benefit of others in the community, how about posting some information about your results.



And I know XP gives better performance, but I'm not going to revert back to a 10 year old OS for one game. Vista and 7 have been out plenty long for this game to run alright using them, like most every other game out there does. Plus I've got 6 GB of RAM, so it'd be like slashing my RAM in half using a 32-bit OS.

Just ignore the advice if you don't like it.
Vista and 7 may have been out for some time, but ArmA 2 was built on 32bit, then patched to work on the Vista platform.

If you ran that 10 year old O/S, you wouldn't be crippling your core i7 by disabling hyperthreading - maximising the performance of the system where ArmA 2 needs it most, the processor.

You have 6GB RAM and that is totally irrelevant.
ArmA 2 is a 32bit application so can address only 2GB. Anything else is for the system, a ramdrive, etc.

I have 12GB RAM, 3.6GB for XP/applications and 9GB for ramdrive - not much waste there, eh?

Protegimus

[Zipper5]

Why are those ugly moving 2D clouds from OFP and ArmA back? :butbut:

http://zipper5.armaholic.eu/pictures/ugly_skies_th.jpg (http://zipper5.armaholic.eu/pictures/ugly_skies.jpg)


[70582] Improved: Increased dynamic cloud layer visibility.
I guess that's what that meant.

Please BIS don't add these things again. The skies always looked so much better with these removed in OFP and ArmA, and it's no different in Arma 2. I think they look just as ugly as ever. :(

[MavericK96]

Purely for reference and benefit of others in the community, how about posting some information about your results.


Results regarding what? SLI vs. non-SLI? I'm not sure what you're asking for, sorry.



Just ignore the advice if you don't like it.
Vista and 7 may have been out for some time, but ArmA 2 was built on 32bit, then patched to work on the Vista platform.

If you ran that 10 year old O/S, you wouldn't be crippling your core i7 by disabling hyperthreading - maximising the performance of the system where ArmA 2 needs it most, the processor.

You have 6GB RAM and that is totally irrelevant.
ArmA 2 is a 32bit application so can address only 2GB. Anything else is for the system, a ramdrive, etc.

I have 12GB RAM, 3.6GB for XP/applications and 9GB for ramdrive - not much waste there, eh?

Protegimus

From what I hear, hyperthreading doesn't really do anything for 99% of games, including ArmA2. I have it disabled anyway because it allows me to get a massive overclock (which I would argue is more important for ArmA2) without outrageous temperatures.

I'm not trying to come off as ungrateful for the advice or argumentative, honestly. I'm just frustrated with the game and I feel like this issue with video memory is an issue with the game, period. Whether or not everyone gets it doesn't really matter, it's an issue that needs to be addressed. I'm not even blaming this on the devs, I'm merely trying to post regularly about the beta progress and my own personal testing in order to make the game better for everyone. :D

I know how to set up a computer, so there should not be any issues with incompatibility or settings/drivers, and this is apparent to me because no other games have issues on my rig but ArmA2.

Even people who don't have the "Receiving..." issue, but rather the random CTDs, with Out of Memory errors and otherwise, as well as the "minimize to task manager" should benefit from this as well, because I believe these issues to also be related to memory mapping issues.

With all that said, maybe I will attempt a dual-boot situation with XP to see how it plays out, but in all honesty I'd much rather just keep 7 for all the other features. Also, regarding ArmA2 being 32-bit...almost every application out there is still built on 32-bit. From what I understand, Windows Vista/7 are not even native 64-bit OSes, but rather have a 64-bit layer on top of the 32-bit base. I don't think ArmA2 being 32-bit on a 64-bit OS has anything to do at all with the issues I've been getting. Performance-wise, XP may be better, but in terms of stability I am not so sure.

[CarlGustaffa]

Have to agree with Zipper5 on that one. Unless some planned feature calls for it, the OFP clouds wasn't exactly on the top of my wishlist, to put it mildly :)

[Monotone]

those ugly moving 2D clouds
I've thought the improvement in changelog concerns with Weather Module...

[Ringhejm]

for fraps issues it would be best consult with author of fraps ;)

Why should I talk to those guys of the things you F*** up....

READ MY POST.

FRAPS works fine if i DO NOT USE the beta patch AFTER version 63826.
the version 63826 is the latest patch where everyting is fine. after that the Beta F*** up and will only record in 2 FPS. everything is fine if i DO NOT USE THE BETA.

That means that it is the BETA patch that is the problen and NOT FRAPS.

The FRAPS I use is an original version that is up to date, that means it is version 3.2.2 build 11496

and it works fine before the BETA

So please look in to the problem why the beta makes FRAPS un usable.

thx.

[CarlGustaffa]

No issues with fraps here. Records like a dream on the latest beta (70709). No sound though, it has never been for me. -exThreads=3 and some addons used. Could only record about 30 seconds though due to some disk space issues :)

[GossamerSolid]

Just tested fraps with the latest beta on my laptop and it still worked great. So if my lower-spec laptop can record fine, it's something on YOUR end.

[slay0rwr4th]

Well, I tried the demo, and got about 5 fps as an average, when I bought the game and with the latest official patch, I was getting a 5-15 average, and online play wasn't much better, with this beta (i tried the one just before this for only an hour and it was much improved) things are much, much more acceptable, I had no crashes, I did have some weirdness with warfare mode (games.on.net i think) but nothing that made it unplayable.
It's really starting to come to the point where it feels stable and comfortable fps wise (imo obviously)
I'm running an Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz Processor (E8400), 3gb of ram, and (my weakest point) an Nvidia 8600GT (512mb) and was getting about 20-40 as an average (online - warfare mode), now I'm used to owning p.o.s computers and struggling along at 5-10 fps single player, so being able to play ARMA II online, including lag, and my ISP being a bastard sometimes, and still getting roughly 30 had me grinning yesterday.

---------- Post added at 09:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 AM ----------

I just noticed I have the same processor as Ringhejm, I'm going to try and record some footage with fraps...

---------- Post added at 10:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:47 AM ----------

yeah I'm getting a similair problem too, no matter what graphics settings it slows to a stop, then speeds for a second or so, then stops, and repeats

If I can figure out how the youtube embed works I made a vid for you guys, I don't expect you to fix it, just find it strange.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8PUytsfbGt4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8PUytsfbGt4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Zipper5]

If it's something on our end it's very odd how it only appeared after using one of the latest betas, and how it disappears when going back to previous ones, what with the substantial changes to the engine...

[Sniper Pilot]

Nvm I fixed it, it was a problem with my problem solving :D

[Ringhejm]

If it's something on our end it's very odd how it only appeared after using one of the latest betas, and how it disappears when going back to previous ones, what with the substantial changes to the engine...

you got it right on. :rthumb:

I dont excpect them to fix it right away, just look in to it. Because if you cant use FRAPS on OA there will be some Drama about it. And since it looks like it has something to do whit the new engine optimation, they might take a look in to it.

[slay0rwr4th]

If it's something on our end it's very odd how it only appeared after using one of the latest betas, and how it disappears when going back to previous ones, what with the substantial changes to the engine...

I know, weird huh?

[h -]

FRAPS works just fine here..

[Zipper5]

Seems to be working for some and not others. There must be something in common with our setups to make it not work...

My specs:
Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz
nVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB
2GB DDR2 RAM

[SnowSky]

Heyho,

I have some problems hosting a Dedicated server with the new beta. Once the Server is loading a mission - he will stay at that point and do nothing else anymore (the system runs continuosly without any problem) - now if I close the Server - I have to kill the process.

Do you guys noticed that problem too?

[h -]

There must be something in common with our setups to make it not work...
For comparison, mine are:

Win7 Ultimate 64bit
Q6600 @<hidden>
4Gb RAM
ATI 4890 1Gb (OC'd)

[JW Custom]

Fraps works fine my end.

Specs:

WinXP Pro 32Bit
i7 Core 920
8GB Ram(i know)
GTX 285

I tried with the -exThreads=0, -exThreads=1 and the -exThreads=3 parameter and they all worked fine.

[Alex72]

Tested FRAPS as well to see how it worked and i didnt have any problems.

Win7 64bit
i7 core 930
6GB Ram
GTX 275

Tested all exThread params.

[Ringhejm]

I dont know to much about procecor.

But it seem to me that those who have more than 2 dont have any problems. ???

Can it bee some thing like that. ????

[Mosh]

The new beta (709) without any parameters (just -nosplash -mod=beta) is fine. I tried all the -exthreads= (0, 1, and 3) and works best (if even better at all) without the parameter. No noticeable difference from the last beta, which ran just fine for me also.

Also, FRAPS works perfectly for me too with this and all the betas so far.

[GossamerSolid]

I dont know to much about procecor.

But it seem to me that those who have more than 2 dont have any problems. ???

Can it bee some thing like that. ????

what settings do you have fraps on?

Full Screen/Half Screen?
FPS Setting?

I tend to do a half-screen at 25-30fps

works great and doesn't look choppy when you watch the playback, plus the file size is much smaller.

[[HUD]Dorph]

I agree with Mosh -exThreads=3 used to iron out delayed textures for me, and it dont seem to work in later patches - no exThreads parameter seems to be fine now.

[Imperator_Pete]

Working great for me, no massive leap in FPS but things just seem to run a helluva lot smoother.

i7 920
gtx 285
6gb ddr3
win7 64

[Ringhejm]

what settings do you have fraps on?

Full Screen/Half Screen?
FPS Setting?

I tend to do a half-screen at 25-30fps

works great and doesn't look choppy when you watch the playback, plus the file size is much smaller.

No matter what settings I ruyn FRAPS on it is the same.... all i can see in the moment is that all of you that dont have any problems is usesing more that 2 core.

[S-M]

Honestly enough of the Fraps crap, this is about the game, not some third party fps counter bullshit.

Get the game working 100% and if some third party program has an issue with it, well then its tough titty, you need to have a word with the 3rd party to get them to update their product.

Do the people in this thread want the BI devs to undo some of the optimized work they have done, just so somebody can use somebody elses program ?

:confused:

[jpinard]

For those of your with FRAPS problems, use a version that does not have the 30 second cache. I'd suggest trying versions 3.1.2, then 3.1.1, then 3.1.0 I've got a monster rig and though I do not have the exact issue like you're mentioning, I have seen a drop in performance with same game version vs. differing FRAP revisions. Remember BI doens't have an obligation to testing anything but ArmA itself... but the Arma videos sure help sell the game.

Also... FRAPS isn't perfect. The developer often has to make specific changes to make it work properly with some games (ex. STALKER).

[slay0rwr4th]

For those of your with FRAPS problems, use a version that does not have the 30 second cache. I'd suggest trying versions 3.1.2, then 3.1.1, then 3.1.0 I've got a monster rig and though I do not have the exact issue like you're mentioning, I have seen a drop in performance with same game version vs. differing FRAP revisions. Remember BI doens't have an obligation to testing anything but ArmA itself... but the Arma videos sure help sell the game.

Also... FRAPS isn't perfect. The developer often has to make specific changes to make it work properly with some games (ex. STALKER).

I'm yet to try gamerOSD from ASUS (not sure if it'll work on this comp as it's not an ASUS Board) but that program was generally very reliable (imo).

[sprayer_faust]

I don't like Fraps. It is an ugly name + it is commercial (and expensive for what it offers). If you are not lazy try out VirtualDub - a free simplistic video editor with an option of screen capture. Benefits and drawbacks of screen capture programs (such as vdub) versus directx hook-ups (such as fraps):
http://www.genadmission.com/vdubguide.html

Since this is already offtopic, a simple check list for vdub is under spoiler.

To avoid flickering when in arma 2 editor, run the game in windowed mode (alt+enter). Don't worry, it will only record the game if you set it correctly. Also: I was not able to get the capture hotkey to work from inside the game, so windowed mode is recommended for easier switching between programs.

You do not have to install vdub, just unpack the files and it is ready for use.
Open it up and go to File->Capture AVI... The window will switch to capture mode.
File->Set capture file
File->Allocate disk space
Device->0 Screen capture
Video->Source... (active top level window, untick remove unchanged frames)
Video->Compression [Select an encoder codec (I use ffdshow) and click Configure to configure the quality vs. speed - usually a slider. Less quality also means smaller file size]
Video->Set custom format... (pick any size that the encoder accepts, use 32-bit ARGB)
Audio->Audio input->Stereo Mix (It might not neccessarily be named stereo mix. Pick the equivalent. Whatever the option is, it is digitally listening to your soundcard. Also remember to set the volume on this output (in the control panel) to very low - anything else will result in decibel breach and therefore a horrible crackling sound in the final product.)
Audio->Compression.... (I chose CCIT - Standard A)
Capture->Settings (set framerate)
Capture->Prefferences->Hotkeys
Capture->Timing.... (I unticked Drop frames... and Insert null frames...)
Capture->Disk I/O (Set your buffer size, try not to use the whole disk buffer. Also untick Disable windows write buffering.)
Capture->Capture drives...
You can then save these settings as default at Device->Device settings->Save current...
You're done.

[simo1000RR]

Honestly enough of the Fraps crap, this is about the game, not some third party fps counter bullshit.

Get the game working 100% and if some third party program has an issue with it, well then its tough titty, you need to have a word with the 3rd party to get them to update their product.

Do the people in this thread want the BI devs to undo some of the optimized work they have done, just so somebody can use somebody elses program ?

:confused: +1, couldn't say it better myself

[Zipper5]

Honestly enough of the Fraps crap, this is about the game, not some third party fps counter bullshit.

Get the game working 100% and if some third party program has an issue with it, well then its tough titty, you need to have a word with the 3rd party to get them to update their product.

Do the people in this thread want the BI devs to undo some of the optimized work they have done, just so somebody can use somebody elses program ?

:confused:

+1, couldn't say it better myself
Wow, don't be such asses. We're trying to figure out what exactly is different about our systems so that we can determine why the more recent betas cause Fraps to screw up for us. I have the game working 100%, and I have Fraps working 100%, but combining the two causes issues. It can't be Fraps' fault either, as it is so obviously a change in the beta patches that is causing this (if you took the time to read what we're on about, which I doubt you did).

Tell me smart guys - how does one record footage of the game then? I love making movies or gameplay clips using Arma 2, and will especially want to do it when OA comes out, but if these issues persist, I won't be able to. Less PR from the community, therefore. I'm not the only one having these issues either, so that means more than just us will be complaining about this Fraps issue, just like with "that other game".

No, BIS shouldn't have to undo the optimizations, no one said that. But they can at least tell us why Fraps won't work on some systems, be it due to not having more than 2 cores in your processor or what-have-you. That way we can try to work our way around it.

Just because you're not interested in using Fraps for the game, doesn't mean others aren't. There's a whole machinima-making part of this community and if Fraps stops working for them then we have to resort to using lower-quality, worse programs which still might not work. So don't be such jerks to us, trolls. Kthx.

[Ringhejm]

This is a Beta testing thread, that means that everything this beta F*** up has to be reportet, Then BIS can see if it something they want to deal whit or not. but it still has to be mention. All the vids there are on youtube has its part of selling this game.

If it was Teamspeak that was F*** up by this Beta then you wopuld proberbly be sad about that to....

and surly it is better to have a perfect game than a laggy game that works whit FRAPS.

[EricM]

The new beta gives me the same fps with all ex-threads settings and the same as 1.05. It seems maybe slightly better with exthreads=0 (or no parameter) this time, but it feels a bit more stuttery than 70313 with exthreads=3.

It works though...

[Andersson[SWEC]]

Testing this beta with FRAPS.

Test scenario Single hummer in Chernog. Avg FPS 15-25..
Was some improvement in FPS also used -exThreads=3 and recorded
with 10-15Fps..
My rig:

AMD Phenom 9500 Quad 2.1Ghz
3Gb Ram
Nvidia 8800GT 1Gb
Wind Vista latest

[Yapab]

Tested the latest beta last night after not playing ARMA2 for a few months (Since 1.05). Gotta say I cant see any significant or noticable gains with this beta over standard or the old 0.6 betas before xmas.

Really hope they can improve peformance around buildings/towns as these are real fps killers.

I can place myself on the map next to the biggest city. If I look away from the city I get almost 50 fps... I do a 180 and look towards the city (from over 1k away) and the fps drops to 28... almost half.

The GPU also runs cooler when looking at the city so its not a GPU limit, however the CPU usage does not go up when looking at city so doesnt look like that either.... my CPU is usually at 55% even when fps drops to mid 20's (Quad @<hidden> 3.8Ghz with all 4 cores being used about 50%).

Yapa

[otreblA_SNAKE_[ITA]]

I think BIS should to improve the AI management by the CPU and .pbo loading too, (someone said "RAMDisk"?) as those are two of the biggest causes of bad performance for me

[Himmelsfeuer]

The problem is not the low FPS[compared to other FPS Games].
Its the sooo annoying textures popping up everywhere. Im allways trying to set the settings lower, but they pop up everytime. im ok with 25 steady FPS, but this is just killing the game. BIS, please look into this, its the atmo-killer NR.1 in ArmaII.

[MavericK96]

The problem is not the low FPS[compared to other FPS Games].
Its the sooo annoying textures popping up everywhere. Im allways trying to set the settings lower, but they pop up everytime. im ok with 25 steady FPS, but this is just killing the game. BIS, please look into this, its the atmo-killer NR.1 in ArmaII.

I think until (if?) the game can address more than ~2 GB of RAM, texture LOD loading will always be an issue, unfortunately.

[jpinard]

Trying to understand something. Is the -exthread command for the number of cores the game will use, or the number of threads the game uses? Installing the new beta patch as I type.

[Yoma]

Trying to understand something. Is the -exthread command for the number of cores the game will use, or the number of threads the game uses? Installing the new beta patch as I type.

If i understand it correctly: none of both.
It changes what's get threaded i think, texture loading, file acces... of course this may change the total number of threads, but probably not in the way you're thinking.
For the number of cores you can use -cpucount=4 for 4 cores...

[otreblA_SNAKE_[ITA]]

The problem is not the low FPS[compared to other FPS Games].
Its the sooo annoying textures popping up everywhere. Im allways trying to set the settings lower, but they pop up everytime. im ok with 25 steady FPS, but this is just killing the game. BIS, please look into this, its the atmo-killer NR.1 in ArmaII.
Have you tried using -exthreads=3?

[NoRailgunner]

With -exThreads=0 and -exThreads=3 the fps are about same.
With -exThreads=1 the "FPS-STAT FPS" and "FPSmm" are lower.
Benchmark 1 - there is no difference
Benchmark 2 - -exThreads=0 gives the highest result and -exThreads=3 gives the lowest.

Obeserved that the AI is still shooting on destroyed/burning vehicles, AI if shoot dead do need more time fall down, sometimes a dead body is flickering/"reincarnating" for a second, AI chatting is a bit delayed.

It looks like the AI have some more hiccups with this beta build.

[todayskiller]

With -exThreads=0 and -exThreads=3 the fps are about same.
With -exThreads=1 the "FPS-STAT FPS" and "FPSmm" are lower.
Benchmark 1 - there is no difference
Benchmark 2 - -exThreads=0 gives the highest result and -exThreads=3 gives the lowest.

Obeserved that the AI is still shooting on destroyed/burning vehicles, AI if shoot dead do need more time fall down, sometimes a dead body is flickering/"reincarnating" for a second, AI chatting is a bit delayed.

It looks like the AI have some more hiccups with this beta build.

Yeah, I have the same things with exThreads=0 and 3 on the 2nd benchmark...I get 9 with 3 and 11 with 0?

[MavericK96]

I've always gotten better performance with exThreads=0, ever since the parameter was applicable, so your results aren't surprising to me.

[JW Custom]

I haven't noticed any performance difference what-so-ever using any of the exThread parameters.

[MavericK96]

I haven't noticed any performance difference what-so-ever using any of the exThread parameters.

For me it's mostly been a difference in stutter/minimum framerate, and sometimes texture LOD swapping. In this regard, exThreads=0 has been the best overall.

[jpinard]

What are you all complaining about cloud-wise? Maybe I'm missing something, but this is the best clouds have ever looked to me (all graphic settings maxed out).

[MadDogX]

What are you all complaining about cloud-wise? Maybe I'm missing something, but this is the best clouds have ever looked to me (all graphic settings maxed out).
Agreed. I like how the clouds look now. :)

As for performance, -exThreads=3 is still the best for me with the latest beta. Not noticing any significant changes in fps, but it feels much smoother.

Regarding the Fraps issue, I recorded over an hour of footage with beta 70709 and Fraps 3.2.2 on Sunday and experienced no problems at all. There must be some special set of circumstances that is causing the huge framerate drop for some people. Some things you should have a look at:

- Is the problem remedied (partially or completely) if you reduce the game resolution before recording?

- Try out different settings in Fraps, for example recording at half-size instead of full, reducing the recording FPS to 30 or 25, locking or unlocking the framerate during recording etc.

- Are your fraps recordings being saved to the same hard drive that Arma2 is installed on? If so, try setting the output destination to a different hard drive (if you have one).

[Ringhejm]

Agreed. I like how the clouds look now. :)

As for performance, -exThreads=3 is still the best for me with the latest beta. Not noticing any significant changes in fps, but it feels much smoother.

Regarding the Fraps issue, I recorded over an hour of footage with beta 70709 and Fraps 3.2.2 on Sunday and experienced no problems at all. There must be some special set of circumstances that is causing the huge framerate drop for some people. Some things you should have a look at:

- Is the problem remedied (partially or completely) if you reduce the game resolution before recording?

- Try out different settings in Fraps, for example recording at half-size instead of full, reducing the recording FPS to 30 or 25, locking or unlocking the framerate during recording etc.

- Are your fraps recordings being saved to the same hard drive that Arma2 is installed on? If so, try setting the output destination to a different hard drive (if you have one).

I have tried many different settings. the only thing that helps is using one of the older Beta or no Beta at all.
But the look of your signature you are using a qaudcore.... is that right.
because no one whit more than 2 core have not run into this problem yet.

[Thr0tt]

This has serious stutters when using SP scenarios, massive pauses etc. When using it without it runs fine.

[jpinard]

I've done more extensive testing, and wanted to reiterate what a drastic improvement the cloud rendering is. No more blocky single layer pixels, instead beautiful puffy clouds and a moving cloud base that looks real.

If anyone is not seeing better looking clouds I wonder if it's because we have different video cards. NVidia GeForce 480 driver v197.75 - all settings maxed out, view distance 5000.

[DokiDoki]

The game still often crashes for me while trying to save with an out of memory error message. Performance is very nice though.
Now tested while playing The Chernarus Run (nice mission!) which is a bigger mission which are good candidates for saving to go wrong with.

So, good performance, bad (but slowly getting better) stability.

[Imperator_Pete]

After even more testing my CTD's have been significantly reduced!

Display driver crashes are now almost extinct and LOD loading seems increadibly faster on my machine. Flying is still pretty good but my rig doesn't seem to be able to handle flying lower at speeds > 600.

[MavericK96]

After even more testing my CTD's have been significantly reduced!

Display driver crashes are now almost extinct and LOD loading seems increadibly faster on my machine. Flying is still pretty good but my rig doesn't seem to be able to handle flying lower at speeds > 600.

What are your specs/settings? Just for reference.

[NoRailgunner]

Please BIS look at your AI and improve them eg
+ using the right ammunition for different targets eg no more wasting AT ammo on a single soldier
+ stop shooting them on destroyed/burning vehicles
+ increase the altitude or the crash detection for AI flying helicopters/planes
+ using somekind of internal (customisable?) threat-list to attack highest threats first eg AI pilots attack planes/helicopters and AntiAircraft before other targets/objects
+ add a stricter command so they do follow they teamleader regardless how the situation is
+ fix the AI switching rifle-to-launcher-to-rifle-to-launcher bug (ArmA bug)
+ fix the AI handgun/pistol bug: they are not switching back to their rifles if they have (used) their handgun/pistol (OFP bug)
+ add the command "use weapon/secondary weapon" so players dont have to wait too long on AI's mood
+ add a command so the AI can use open terrain or CQB "tactics".
+ better and clear contact reports
+ driving in convoy (5-15 different vehicles), staying on roads using speed and smoke to their advantage too

[JW Custom]

Please BIS look at your AI and improve them eg
+ using the right ammunition for different targets eg no more wasting AT ammo on a single soldier
+ stop shooting them on destroyed/burning vehicles
+ increase the altitude or the crash detection for AI flying helicopters/planes
+ using somekind of internal (customisable?) threat-list to attack highest threats first eg AI pilots attack planes/helicopters and AntiAircraft before other targets/objects
+ add a stricter command so they do follow they teamleader regardless how the situation is
+ fix the AI switching rifle-to-launcher-to-rifle-to-launcher bug (ArmA bug)
+ fix the AI handgun/pistol bug: they are not switching back to their rifles if they have (used) their handgun/pistol (OFP bug)
+ add the command "use weapon/secondary weapon" so players dont have to wait too long on AI's mood
+ add a command so the AI can use open terrain or CQB "tactics".
+ better and clear contact reports
+ driving in convoy (5-15 different vehicles), staying on roads using speed and smoke to their advantage too

Agree.

The highlighted one could be problematic due to ACE, hell even humans have problems seeing if a vehicle is detroyed/disabled :p

[NoRailgunner]

Fine, but we're talking here about BIS beta builds - not ACE's or any other addon/mod beta builds. And no the AI dont "see" like human players do they're more dealing with infos. Wild guess is that during combat the AI gunner dont get the vehicle status and keeps on shooting at it till the info is shared. Perhaps one of the issues with optimsing/tweaking A2?

[Zipper5]

I've not seen the AI engage burning or destroyed vehicles for long periods of time. What I have seen is AI engage vehicles despite their entire crew being dead. What BIS should do is have a check to see if the vehicle has a crew and if said crew is either alive or dead. If dead, they should stop engaging it. Right now they only seem to recognize it being non-operational if it's completely destroyed. Try taking an AI squad and put them against an enemy static MG and you'll see that despite the gunner being dead, the AI still shoot at the MG until it is deemed destroyed.

[NoRailgunner]

There should be also a working check if the vehicles/static weapon is abandoned by its crew/empty or not. Only a simple crew = alive or dead check doesnt help much. Perhaps its there but for some reasons delayed?

[SWT_Janowich]

The ai has an internal "attack most dangerous targets above others" since
OFP-and it works!

Just another proof that you just complain with no base.

[Zipper5]

The ai has an internal "attack most dangerous targets above others" since
OFP-and it works!

Just another proof that you just complain with no base.
We get that they attack the most important vehicle or unit first, but the issue is when that unit is technically either inoperable or no long a threat, they still engage it. Like when they shoot the gunner out of a static MG and continue to shoot at it. Whenever I include a static MG in my missions I always need a check to see if it's gunner is dead, and then destroy it manually.

[RN Escobar]

i installed this beta last night, and i have to say i think it is horrible.

When joining a server i found it impossible to play due to the stuttering and inconsistent framerates. Tried with all exThreads options and none of them were as smooth and playable as the vanilla 1.05.

I don't know if i'm missing something, but i just can't believe how much worse i found the playing experience with the beta.

Ran 3 runs of the FPSAnalyser which confirms that the betas in any configuration give a lower and more erratic framerate than stock 1.05.

Core Specs

i7-920 @<hidden> stock
6Gb DDR3 - triple channel
Ati 5870 running a 24" @<hidden> 1920x1200 (8.702.00 drivers)
Patriot TorqX 128Gb SSD
Win7 64bit

[NoRailgunner]

Nice try SWT_Janowich :rolleyes:
Your assumption of an "internal attack most dangerous targets above others" doesnt work very well. Otherwise the AI in helicopters/planes would attack their highest threat's first.
Place some vehicles, soldiers and static weapons on the ground and watch how AI in a plane/helicopter decides to engage AA threats. Then add some enemy helicopter/planes and watch it again.

Its more like the AI still isnt able to differ properly between low-medium-high threats. So my suggestion is to make a general threat-list for AI so they won't be overall wasted or wasting time + ammo on (very) low threats.

"stop shooting them on destroyed/burning vehicles" is another annoying issue with AI or status-info cueing/sharing.

[Zipper5]

Nice try SWT_Janowich :rolleyes:
Indeed. I'm quickly coming to the assumption that he just trolls all the time, given what he posts and makes threads about. Not a very successful one at that either.

Fail troll is fail.

[JW Custom]

Fine, but we're talking here about BIS beta builds - not ACE's or any other addon/mod beta builds. And no the AI dont "see" like human players do they're more dealing with infos. Wild guess is that during combat the AI gunner dont get the vehicle status and keeps on shooting at it till the info is shared. Perhaps one of the issues with optimsing/tweaking A2?

Well i mentioned it because theres really many around here who plays with ACE and would still see the problem. I'm fully aware that it's not BIS's job to make sure things works correctly with 3rd party addons :)

I haven't played without ACE for a really long time so i can't say if it still happens on vanilla ArmA 2.

I have played a lot of Domination the last few days and a couple of times i tried the beta but it always ended up with a CTD :(

[Yoma]

i7-920 @<hidden> stock
6Gb DDR3 - triple channel
Ati 5870 running a 24" @<hidden> 1920x1200 (8.702.00 drivers)
Patriot TorqX 128Gb SSD
Win7 64bit

Just a small silly question: do you have hyperthreading enabled on that i920?
If so try disabling it in bios, then try again.
I have had a personal allergy for hyperthreading ever since Intel came up with it years ago.
It should be better implemented in the "i" cpu's that have it, but i've seen massive problems with it in lots of different applications/drivers/blabla ever since it was deployed. Most of these problems were performance problems, but some were even crashes of all kinds.

This thread (http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/518995-i7-hyperthreading-negatively-impacts-gaming-2.html) has some interesting links if you want to learn some causes.

[RN Escobar]

Just a small silly question: do you have hyperthreading enabled on that i920?
If so try disabling it in bios, then try again.
I have had a personal allergy for hyperthreading ever since Intel came up with it years ago.
It should be better implemented in the "i" cpu's that have it, but i've seen massive problems with it in lots of different applications/drivers/blabla ever since it was deployed. Most of these problems were performance problems, but some were even crashes of all kinds.

This thread (http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/518995-i7-hyperthreading-negatively-impacts-gaming-2.html) has some interesting links if you want to learn some causes.

Whilst i haven't played a proper game and "felt" it it would appear that you have nailed it.

just to give you an idea of the differences, here is the same FPS benchy with HT on and HT off.

http://www.milsim-servers.co.uk/images/Screenies/fpsanalyser%20-%20HT%20differences.jpg

[MavericK96]

Whilst i haven't played a proper game and "felt" it it would appear that you have nailed it.

just to give you an idea of the differences, here is the same FPS benchy with HT on and HT off.

Nice work. Good to see some hard testing of HT on vs. off. One comment, though, I would resize your pic. They don't like pics larger than 100k posted around here. :cool:

[jdonner]

Yes, I think so too!

[mr.g-c]

Never forget to always delete your ArmA2.cfg (In "Documents/ArmA 2/") after every patch, then start the game, and set everything to default - save it and apply to your desired values.
Only then you should test if a Patch brought ANY improvements/disadvantages...

[Zipper5]

Great...11 pages with people mostly talking about some third party tool like Fraps... how helpful for the majority of members and the developers...sigh
Wtf is with you people and getting pissed off at us trying to figure out why Fraps stops working with the latest betas for some people? It goes away when switching to the older betas so it's obviously a change in the newer ones that makes it an issue and...

Y'know what, I cbf to explain it all again just because another person has decided to be ignorant. See my first post for more info. (http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?p=1634406#post1634406)

[MJK-Ranger]

FRAPS and Beta Build 70709:

- FRAPS does not work with -exthreads=3
- FRAPS works OK with -exthreads=2
- FRAPS does not work with -exthreads=1
- FRAPS works OK with -exthreads=0
- FRAPS works OK without -exthreads command

So where is the logic here??

[Zipper5]

Well, nothing changes with -exThreads=2 as only 0, 1 and 3 are accepted values for that command. But since it doesn't work with 1 (creates a new thread for file operations) or 3 (creates a new thread for texture loading) then it must be something to do with memory and Fraps dragging it way down when recording?

[MJK-Ranger]

Well, with -exthreads=1 and 3 my FPS drops to 1 FPS when i'm start recording. No HD activity at that moment.
So you are telling me i have some memory issue? Well, i play looooot of other games and use i use FRAPS too. So this is no hardware issue, it has something todo thet way those new patch are build.
But is not a problem for me, i can still play arma with my settings and have good FPS with the last beta patch and record. As i told earlier i don't see any different in performance with -exthreads=X.

I'm happy so fare with this beta, since is no point for me to use -exthreads=X, i can't see any performance boost if i use -exthreads command :)

Cheers

[Suma]

FRAPS and Beta Build 70709:

- FRAPS does not work with -exthreads=3
- FRAPS works OK with -exthreads=2
- FRAPS does not work with -exthreads=1
- FRAPS works OK with -exthreads=0
- FRAPS works OK without -exthreads command

So where is the logic here??

Logic is perfect here (other than exThreads numbering is not obvious at first sight):

-exThreads is composed of two parts: 1 (file threading) and 2 (texture loading threading). As 2 is impossible to perform without 1, specifying 2 alone does nothing. Specifying 3 causes both 1 and 2 to be used. Default is 0. This probably indicates the part interfering with fraps is the file threading. I will try to see if I can reproduce the problem on my machine.

[Zipper5]

Well, with -exthreads=1 and 3 my FPS drops to 1 FPS when i'm start recording. No HD activity at that moment.
So you are telling me i have some memory issue? Well, i play looooot of other games and use i use FRAPS too. So this is no hardware issue, it has something todo thet way those new patch are build.
No, I'm not telling you that you have a memory issue. If you looked at my previous posts you'd see I'm having the same issues. I was simply suggesting it could be something to do with memory.

Thanks for looking into this, Suma. At the end of the day, the opinions of some forum posters don't matter as much as the actions of the developer. :)

[MadDogX]

I will try to see if I can reproduce the problem on my machine.
For proper repro, note that the problem only seems to occur on dual cores (at least that's what I've gathered so far). On my quad core, Fraps 3.2.2 works fine with -exThreads=3 and the latest beta.

[Suma]

For proper repro, note that the problem only seems to occur on dual cores (at least that's what I've gathered so far). On my quad core, Fraps 3.2.2 works fine with -exThreads=3 and the latest beta.

One possible explanation for this: Fraps fully utilizes one core with a high priority while capturing, therefore if the application captured uses some additional thread doing some substantial time critical work, is is "under-scheduled" (two threads scheduled to one core).

[sbsmac]

Escobar wrote

just to give you an idea of the differences, here is the same FPS benchy with HT on and HT off.

Interesting - that is the first time I have seen some real data behind this. There is a startup parameter "-cpucount=N" that you might be able to use instead of turning off HT altogether. Eg, use -cpucount=4 on a quadcore. I'm not sure whether this would give the same performance as disabling HT - would be interesting to test.

Mr G-C wrote

Never forget to always delete your ArmA2.cfg (In "Documents/ArmA 2/") after every patch, then start the game, and set everything to default - save it and apply to your desired values.

Can you explain that one ? I don't see anything changing in the cfg file but maybe I'm missing something ?

[mr.g-c]

For proper repro, note that the problem only seems to occur on dual cores (at least that's what I've gathered so far). On my quad core, Fraps 3.2.2 works fine with -exThreads=3 and the latest beta.
This is correct! Same result here at home.


Mr G-C wrote
Quote:
Never forget to always delete your ArmA2.cfg (In "Documents/ArmA 2/") after every patch, then start the game, and set everything to default - save it and apply to your desired values.
Can you explain that one ? I don't see anything changing in the cfg file but maybe I'm missing something ?
Sure, its what we've been told sice Arma1 in this Forum and from the german support.
And believe it or not, it somehow has a effect on FPS for many people.
So when you get suddenly awful bad performance/stuttering after a patch, its worth to give it a try anyway.

[LondonLad]

One possible explanation for this: Fraps fully utilizes one core with a high priority while capturing, therefore if the application captured uses some additional thread doing some substantial time critical work, is is "under-scheduled" (two threads scheduled to one core).

Sorry for going off-topic here (related to FRAPS)

Suma,

If this is something that is already in-place then please ignore.

The FRAPS team offer complimentry site licenses to game developers - Should you wish to obtain a complimentry site licenses from FRAPs just contact them and put in a request (I'm sure they'll do the usual checks to ensure your bonafide).

Should you want a direct contact I can provide this, just PM me.

As a thank you to FRAPs we put a mention into our game credit section (I work for a games development company).

[MiBF]

Heyho,

I have some problems hosting a Dedicated server with the new beta. Once the Server is loading a mission - he will stay at that point and do nothing else anymore (the system runs continuosly without any problem) - now if I close the Server - I have to kill the process.

Do you guys noticed that problem too?
Same here.

[sbsmac]

Mr G-c wrote...


Sure, its what we've been told sice Arma1 in this Forum and from the german support.
And believe it or not, it somehow has a effect on FPS for many people.

The Cfg file is just a text file and you can read it or compare it to previous versions with any standard editor/diff-tool. If you can point to something that changes in it between patches then that would be a very good clue to what might be causing performance problems but if not I'm inclined to put this down to a bit of an urban rumour ;-)

[MJK-Ranger]

Thanks Suma for you are looking into it and the info :)
Yes.. seems to be the issue are only for Dual Core CPU's.