PSA: Do NOT use Opengl, MASSIVE increase in CPU usage compared to DirectX

[Desmond]

I have been launching the game with Opengl since Day 1 as I saw some posts in the past saying it runs better than DirectX. The game has always had some annoying micro-stuttering for me even though I have a pretty powerful rig for this game (an I7 8700 with a G1 970). I look at the CPU usage and two of the threads are always at over 90% with constant frametime spikes. I was like, okay, this is an old game powered by an ancient engine, there's nothing more I can do.

Today I happened to realize I haven't really put DirectX to the test, and bam the difference is night and day. The two threads are now between 20-40% and the game is silky smooth. No frametime spikes at all.

I had a much weaker CPU back in the day which is an i5 4570 and game was unplayable in cities because of bad framerates. I'm surprised why this doesn't get much attention, if any, considering how many ppl have been complaining about bad framerates and poor optimization in this game casue this one change can really help out older rigs. I know Opengl might work better for some but devs should really give more info about Opengl so players can decide which one to use instead of just giving us the options. Some like me who are not familiar with these could not get the best experience possible as a result.

[Ryu]

OpenGL isn't included so much as an option, rather, it's there so that the game will run on Linux and Mac where DirectX isn't present.

[Nono54Fr]

Originally posted by desmond dosh:

I know Opengl might work better for some but devs should really give more info about Opengl so players can decide which one to use instead of just giving us the options.

They did.

Q: The game fails to start or the visuals are corrupted. What can I do?

A: First of all, please update your video card drivers. If it still doesn't help, open the Windows Start menu in the bottom left corner of your desktop, select All Programs -> Euro Truck Simulator 2 -> Troubleshooting, and try running OpenGL and DirectX options in turn (these options are also available when starting the game in the Steam version). You may also try the "Safe mode" option as the last resort, which will reset the graphics settings in-game to minimum. Then, if the game launches successfully, you can adjust the video settings manually through "Advanced settings" to what you believe is a safe setup. If none of these options work, the sad conclusion is that your computer is simply unable to support the game. Please, check that your PC meets the minimum system requirements and in case you pass, try sending us a bug report (see below).

[Bobby]

Using an I5-3570k i get a far,far smoother framerate with OpenGL than DirectX *and* a better graphical experience -smoother lines;cables/fencing/pylons and the like. GeForce EVGA GTX1060 SC 6GB. My wife's gameplay experience is likewise with a completely different rig.
No matter what settings i use with DX i cannot get a better graphical experience than with OpenGL.
Different horses for different courses, as they say

[wim1234]

i also use opengl , it works better for me.

[Michael M.]

Since patch 1.32 I have to use open gl because directx doesn't work anymore (game freeze after start and only ALT+TAB works to end the process).
Same bug with ATS. ATS and ETS run great with open gl.
Before patch 1.32 everything was fine with direct x and I did never ever had a crash with both games. ...strange thing because steam couldn't find any broken files, and I have no mods installed, just payware dlc.
Other direct x software runs fine, dxdiag shows no problems as well.
Maybe there is hope for a future patch that "repairs" directx again. Before this huge patch everything was fine.... very strange

[kaki_gamet]

@Michael M. - SCS is moving toward DX11, won't come back. In your profile you wrote a lots but not your OS : ) As you there are other players that had to switch to OpenGL them too.

[Capt.Cliff™]

I use opengl on my junk & I do believe it performs better than DX.