Always downloading Shader Pre-Cache

[Dmitry Vorobyev]

So, for example, i'm playing System Shock Remake and i noticed several times that game downloads pre-cached shaders. I don't get it. Valve is constantly updating the package, or what? Why can't it download just one time and that's it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not against this procedure. I'm just trying to understand why system always return to the game that already downloaded smth. And every time the size is different.

[Owl Boy]

Yes, its constantly updating. When you choose to use shared shader cache, you are also uploading your shader cache at the end of each play session (only the new stuff, which is near 0 after your first couple times playing) to Valve. When someone uploads shaders that are more optimal or werent present before, they are added to the shared cache and you get that as an update when that occurs.

[Dmitry Vorobyev]

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation!

[deaddoof]

What update channel are you using?

[DarkEmpire]

So far i have read/heard
That upcoming major update will fix this and that it is no longer necessary
I think it was 3.5 patch

[Dmitry Vorobyev]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

What update channel are you using?

ordinary one, non beta

[borsdy]

got my deck about a week ago, os version 3.5.7 oled

filled up my drive with games and whehever I switch it on it ranges from a a few hundred megabytes or freakin' gigs of downloading. concerning

[Sleisa]

I still have the same problem. Is there a solution in sight. Just a pain in the ass most of the time

[Boblin the Goblin]

Originally posted by Sleisa:

I still have the same problem. Is there a solution in sight. Just a pain in the ass most of the time

You can turn off the cache pre-load in the settings in desktop mode and then clear out and leftover cache files.

[Sleisa]

Originally posted by SlowMango:

Originally posted by Sleisa:

I still have the same problem. Is there a solution in sight. Just a pain in the ass most of the time

You can turn off the cache pre-load in the settings in desktop mode and then clear out and leftover cache files.

Thanks I do that for the moment

[RSebire]

The steam deck is as stable as jelly.
If you think firmware 3.5.7 is bad, you should have tried firmware 2.0

[Pidi]

Originally posted by Dmitry Vorobyev:

So, for example, i'm playing System Shock Remake and i noticed several times that game downloads pre-cached shaders. I don't get it. Valve is constantly updating the package, or what? Why can't it download just one time and that's it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not against this procedure. I'm just trying to understand why system always return to the game that already downloaded smth. And every time the size is different.

Maybe this could help in my other post:

I don't know if I'm in the right place here, but it's also about the performance of verified games:
For a few weeks now, I've noticed that verified games start to stutter after a certain game progress of 60-90% despite shader updates (despite installation on an internal SSD and enough storage space).
This means that even 80% of the verified games no longer run smoothly at the end of the game, no matter how low the graphics settings are reduced. The shader updates/shader downloads also become smaller once the game progresses to a certain extent; in some cases, no shader cache updates are downloaded.
Could it perhaps have something to do with the fact that shader updates have generally been smaller since the last updates?
If so, why aren't old shader files deleted from the start of the game (after all, it's unlikely that you'll start the game over and even then the first shader update data could be re-downloaded)? Do you have the same experience that at the end of a verified game, the performance drops significantly and various games can no longer be played smoothly?
The following games are very noticeably affected by this:
Doom (2016): Game progress from 85%
Shadow of The Tomb Raider: Game progress from 60%
Gylt: Game progress from 80%
Forgive Me Father: Game progress from 60%
Resident Evil Village: Game progress from 60%

Note: If this is actually the case, the Steam user ratings or feedback at the beginning of the verified games,
unfortunately no longer be meaningful.

The system for rating/feedback of verified games,
This should then only be rated by Steam users when they complete the games.

All games were installed on the internal SSD for performance reasons. No game or system updates were carried out while playing so as not to affect performance.
I would be happy if you could provide feedback on my objective observations.
(Note: The Steam Deck is the only gaming device that has to download shader files so that games of all ages can run smoothly, which is due to the extremely low shaders of the graphics unit. Unfortunately, I cannot explain why the Steam Deck has extremely few shader units) .

[Owl Boy]

Originally posted by Pidi:

Originally posted by Dmitry Vorobyev:

So, for example, i'm playing System Shock Remake and i noticed several times that game downloads pre-cached shaders. I don't get it. Valve is constantly updating the package, or what? Why can't it download just one time and that's it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not against this procedure. I'm just trying to understand why system always return to the game that already downloaded smth. And every time the size is different.

Maybe this could help in my other post:

I don't know if I'm in the right place here, but it's also about the performance of verified games:
For a few weeks now, I've noticed that verified games start to stutter after a certain game progress of 60-90% despite shader updates (despite installation on an internal SSD and enough storage space).
This means that even 80% of the verified games no longer run smoothly at the end of the game, no matter how low the graphics settings are reduced. The shader updates/shader downloads also become smaller once the game progresses to a certain extent; in some cases, no shader cache updates are downloaded.
Could it perhaps have something to do with the fact that shader updates have generally been smaller since the last updates?
If so, why aren't old shader files deleted from the start of the game (after all, it's unlikely that you'll start the game over and even then the first shader update data could be re-downloaded)? Do you have the same experience that at the end of a verified game, the performance drops significantly and various games can no longer be played smoothly?
The following games are very noticeably affected by this:
Doom (2016): Game progress from 85%
Shadow of The Tomb Raider: Game progress from 60%
Gylt: Game progress from 80%
Forgive Me Father: Game progress from 60%
Resident Evil Village: Game progress from 60%

Note: If this is actually the case, the Steam user ratings or feedback at the beginning of the verified games,
unfortunately no longer be meaningful.

The system for rating/feedback of verified games,
This should then only be rated by Steam users when they complete the games.

All games were installed on the internal SSD for performance reasons. No game or system updates were carried out while playing so as not to affect performance.
I would be happy if you could provide feedback on my objective observations.
(Note: The Steam Deck is the only gaming device that has to download shader files so that games of all ages can run smoothly, which is due to the extremely low shaders of the graphics unit. Unfortunately, I cannot explain why the Steam Deck has extremely few shader units) .

You have an extreme misunderstanding of how every element of what you spoke of works. Shaders are bricked together, its difficult if not impossible for a game or Steam to know exactly what level each shader is used on and dynamicly delete them as they are no longer needed. The size of the pre-cached shaders is incredibly small and so there is no benefit to deleteing the "unused" shader cache. The deck also is the only device to use shader cache because of how it works. Its emulating almost every single game it is playing. It doesnt NEED the shader cache, but having it helps speed up rendering while it has the monumental task of taking every last CPU and GPU function call meant to run on Windows code and translating them in real time to Linux code. And theres no magical location at which games suddenly stop working. You found a place that had a lot going on at that moment and caused lag and just assumed the rest of the game would be like that.


Do not comment when you have not a single clue what it is that you are talking about. You are misinforming others.

[Pidi]

Originally posted by Dastardly Potion Seller:

Originally posted by Pidi:

Maybe this could help in my other post:

I don't know if I'm in the right place here, but it's also about the performance of verified games:
For a few weeks now, I've noticed that verified games start to stutter after a certain game progress of 60-90% despite shader updates (despite installation on an internal SSD and enough storage space).
This means that even 80% of the verified games no longer run smoothly at the end of the game, no matter how low the graphics settings are reduced. The shader updates/shader downloads also become smaller once the game progresses to a certain extent; in some cases, no shader cache updates are downloaded.
Could it perhaps have something to do with the fact that shader updates have generally been smaller since the last updates?
If so, why aren't old shader files deleted from the start of the game (after all, it's unlikely that you'll start the game over and even then the first shader update data could be re-downloaded)? Do you have the same experience that at the end of a verified game, the performance drops significantly and various games can no longer be played smoothly?
The following games are very noticeably affected by this:
Doom (2016): Game progress from 85%
Shadow of The Tomb Raider: Game progress from 60%
Gylt: Game progress from 80%
Forgive Me Father: Game progress from 60%
Resident Evil Village: Game progress from 60%

Note: If this is actually the case, the Steam user ratings or feedback at the beginning of the verified games,
unfortunately no longer be meaningful.

The system for rating/feedback of verified games,
This should then only be rated by Steam users when they complete the games.

All games were installed on the internal SSD for performance reasons. No game or system updates were carried out while playing so as not to affect performance.
I would be happy if you could provide feedback on my objective observations.
(Note: The Steam Deck is the only gaming device that has to download shader files so that games of all ages can run smoothly, which is due to the extremely low shaders of the graphics unit. Unfortunately, I cannot explain why the Steam Deck has extremely few shader units) .

You have an extreme misunderstanding of how every element of what you spoke of works. Shaders are bricked together, its difficult if not impossible for a game or Steam to know exactly what level each shader is used on and dynamicly delete them as they are no longer needed. The size of the pre-cached shaders is incredibly small and so there is no benefit to deleteing the "unused" shader cache. The deck also is the only device to use shader cache because of how it works. Its emulating almost every single game it is playing. It doesnt NEED the shader cache, but having it helps speed up rendering while it has the monumental task of taking every last CPU and GPU function call meant to run on Windows code and translating them in real time to Linux code. And theres no magical location at which games suddenly stop working. You found a place that had a lot going on at that moment and caused lag and just assumed the rest of the game would be like that.


Do not comment when you have not a single clue what it is that you are talking about. You are misinforming others.

I'm sorry that you didn't understand my request. The topic about performance corresponds to objective experience and does not require understanding.
I don't want to discuss this with you either because you couldn't offer any useful information or solutions (and vulkan shaders can be downloaded on windows and are needed because the steam deck has not enough shader units).

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by Dmitry Vorobyev:

So, for example, i'm playing System Shock Remake and i noticed several times that game downloads pre-cached shaders. I don't get it. Valve is constantly updating the package, or what? Why can't it download just one time and that's it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not against this procedure. I'm just trying to understand why system always return to the game that already downloaded smth. And every time the size is different.

Just disable shader cache. Its problem not worth that much for System Shock Remake. Do you have some other demanding game where it will shader hitch

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by Pidi:

(and vulkan shaders can be downloaded on windows and are needed because the steam deck has not enough shader units).

Very confusing statement. Even if the steam deck have infinite shader units, the shader unit will need wait for shader code to compile. Its pretty fundamental to how GPU work. GPU drivers are just compilers on both Windows and Linux.

Shader cache is a feature to save the CPU usage in the compile stage.