[SOLVED as of 42.2 / AMD] Performance dropping from smooth to stuttering

[Mikołaj]

When I launch the game, my framerate is inconsistent. Sometimes it's max 60 fps, other times it's in the 100s or reaching the cap of 240. As I continue to play, it starts dropping into double digits, often below 50fps, all the while frametime keeps getting worse and game starts stuttering often.
There's multiple other ways to cause this behaviour:

1. Alt-tabbing
   
2. Going from game to main menu and back into the game
   
3. Sometimes after changing any of the settings

Other performance related things I noticed that might be of relevance:

• Even after my performance has already bugged out, if I enter a basement the game runs way better.
  
• There were times when my performance bounced back from double digits to high 100s after bugging out, but I haven't been able to replicate it. One time was after alt-tabbing, another was when changing resolution from 1440p to 1080p and the game moved itself to secondary monitor and back again.
  
• The game uses up all of GPU and RAM at all times.

Logs: https://gofile.io/d/KyRwXy

[Beard]

The logs show various game install issues and other errors.

Can you try doing a full reinstall?
First, uninstall the game, then go to "Steam\steamapps\common\ProjectZomboid" and make sure there are no leftover files or folders there.
After that, go to “C:\Users\%UserProfile%\Zomboid” and delete everything there except the “Saves” folder.
Then just install the game again and see if that helps.

[Mikołaj]

Originally posted by Beard:

The logs show various game install issues and other errors.

Without seeing the errors, I assume that the install issues are ProjectZomboid64.json and InventoryItem.class not validating due to manually editing -Xmx to 8gb and applying community drainables java fix for 42.0.x respectively. I remember that 3 errors happened during that session from the logs, and each of them was when trying to fix a shovel with duct tape.

Originally posted by Beard:

Can you try doing a full reinstall?

Done.
This is my 3rd clean install of B42. I did one before I moved to unstable, then another when trying to troubleshoot this issue on my own, and now again, to no results.


Maybe worth mentioning, I have no cursor until I enable "Lock cursor to window" UI setting.

Below are the logs. Most recent instance, I reproduced the issue by leaving to main menu and back.
https://gofile.io/d/6WJOSP

[Beard]

Yeah these latest logs look fine, does the issue happen in Fullscreen / Borderless / Windowed modes? Does changing the Vsync setting affect this? And do you perhaps have AMD Chill enabled?

[Mikołaj]

Happens in all 3 modes, regardless of resolution. Vsync makes no difference. Not using Radeon Chill or limiting resources to the game in any other way.

Drivers are up to date, ran the game with 2nd monitor unplugged, excluded PZ related folders from windows defender and firewall, tried multiple combinations of different in-game, AMD/Radeon, and Windows settings (stuff like the high dpi scaling meme that never works in any game etc).
Other OpenGL games run perfectly fine and I had no issues in B41 other than its regular subpar performance.

[Beard]

Interesting, since you said that the GPU + RAM get maxed out, what happens if you limit the FPS to 60 or 30? Does the usage drop and stabilize the game?

Addiitonally, can you make sure that you have the pagefile set to Automatic in your Windows?
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-manage-virtual-memory-pagefile-windows-10,36929.html

[Mikołaj]

Yep, pagefile's on auto.
Limiting fps produces the same results. Only difference is that before the stutter begins, if my fps is capped at 24, the periods where GPU util is at 0% are longer, whereas normally it's more volatile, like so https://i.imgur.com/dMvBtDw.png

[Beard]

That is the weirdest graph in a capped situation. It looks like the GPU is basically heavily downclocking and then clocking to the max again. The graph should basically be straight if your FPS is capped so the GPU usage is below 100

Can you try going to your Windows Control Panel and change your Power Options from "Balanced" to High Performance to see if that helps?

[Mikołaj]

Originally posted by Beard:

Can you try going to your Windows Control Panel and change your Power Options from "Balanced" to High Performance to see if that helps?

That's already what I've had it set to. Regardless, I tried each power plan and it made no difference.

[Beard]

I havent found too much about the stuttering like that, but as far as I am aware, AMD does allow to you set a minimum clock, you could try testing that if upping the minimum fixes it?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/zwjja8/does_rx6000_series_have_downclockstutter_problems/

[Mikołaj]

I tried it just now and there was no improvement.
However, I found out that weather changes (at least rain and fog) are yet another way to trigger this problem.

[Beard]

Hm, not sure I can suggest much else, you could try doing a factor reset when you reinstall your drivers? There is a checkmark for that when installing them.

[Mikołaj]

Could you rephrase that please? I'm not sure what you're suggesting that I do.
And could you elaborate on the factory reset? Do you mean the 'Reset This PC' Windows feature?

[Beard]

When you install an AMD driver, there is an option to Factory Reset its settings, you can see it when you open the installation file after downloading it.

[Mikołaj]

That option was greyed out so I just did a typical DDU driver reinstall.
Unfortunately, the issue persists. At this point I'm fairly confident that this is a bug with optimization rather than something that I can fix on my end.

[Beard]

I cannot really reproduce it on my AMD machine, and even on a laptop with an integrated card the game works perfectly fine.
You can report it as a bug though to see if other testers can reproduce it:
https://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/43261-read-here-first-bug-reporting-guideformatting