Small spike/lag/freeze in every 15 minutes

[jongizombie]

First of all, it's not the game, it's Steam itself with users owning large libraries.

Steam.exe writes this file

...\Steam\appcache\appinfo.vdf

every 15 minutes, and mine is about 30 MB. The files is affected by how big user's library and how many Steam games installed on user's computer. My Steam account has 5k games, and this I/O writing is "crumpled down" in less than a second, causing freezes/lags.

I found the same symptoms around Steam Forums:
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/617328967242852033/
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/discussions/0/1649918058721807911/

I moved my Steam's installation folder to SSD from HDD, and the game still has lag when it happens, but little bit better than before. I'm going to ask Steam support about this issue.
If anybody else in here has quite large library on Steam, you could encounter this issue too. I think getting a fast storage device is the only way to fix it for now...

Plus, from the second link above, it also affects network I/O, so if you don't have a decent internet speed, it will be a problem too. This may not really affect SRXD gameplay for now though. But, when the multiplayer is real in the future, oh, Valve...

[jongizombie]

I've done some replies back and forth with Steam support about it, and unfortunately, there is no fix to this issue for now.
If I don't play competitive games, it's not really a problem, but when every frame matters...

[jongizombie]

Two ways to avoid it:
1. Check the update interval of every 15 minutes, and avoid playing at that exact second of the spike.
2. Get a clear account without dirty amount of games, and play.

[jongizombie]

How to reduce the file size and Steam.exe's attempts to update the file:
- Only install the games you play, and remove all the others.
- Remove all the complimentary free apps from your account.
- Hiding the app won't help, the file's size and the updating interval depend on how many apps you have on your account and how many Steam apps installed on your computer.

[jongizombie]

How to clear the file and re-download in case of changing accounts and other reasons:
Steam -> Settings -> Downloads -> CLEAR DOWNLOAD CACHE

[AnAmazingGuy]

I have the same issue where my PC will lag / freese for 3-5 sec each 15 minutes because of ...\Steam\appcache\appinfo.vdf.. Even when not playing any game, as long as steam is online; this is VERY frustrating.. My steam library isn't even that big (<200 games) and most are uninstalled. Steam have its own dedicated SSD (6GB/s Sata port) and PC is i9-9900k 32 GB ram.. Network connection is 1 Gbps up/down so WTF !? Tried clearing download cache..

[jongizombie]

I thought the issue was resolved with the game's few updates so far. It might be related to Unity engine itself. Try keeping your driver, OS, Steam, and game updated as latest as possible.

My local HDD/SSD storages are very old, almost 10+ years old. Besides this 15 minutes appinfo.vdf update issue, I sometimes have frame drops for loading some effects like note missing, scratch ending firework, background effects, etc for single time per gameplay. I'm thinking to buy a new m.2 SSD connected via PCIe when the price is good.

It's sad to know this issue is still affecting other players, especially even thinking of your highend machine. I will try to raise up this topic again in the game's Discord server if I find the same problem again when I play.

[ThreeSon]

As the problem has now reappeared after being fixed a while ago, I can confirm that having a fast SSD does nothing to alleviate the freezes.

[Salem]

Good to know it's not just me having this issue. It happens intermittently but it happens, in general, once per song. I have it on an SSD and my Steam library is huge (on a 4TB SSD with a ton of games installed) so I am not sure if it's related.

[ThreeSon]

Publicado originalmente por Salem:

Good to know it's not just me having this issue. It happens intermittently but it happens, in general, once per song. I have it on an SSD and my Steam library is huge (on a 4TB SSD with a ton of games installed) so I am not sure if it's related.

I can't see how many games you own on Steam, but if it's less than a few thousand or so, then you are likely encountering a different problem. To know for sure, you should load up a different game along with a frame time graph (RivaTuner Statistics Server works well for me), and just let the game run at the main menu. The problem the OP is referring to will cause a significant frame time spike exactly once per 15 minutes, if your library is large enough.