idlesleep confusion

[DYSUKKER]

I found a line in the Steam qzconfig.cfg file - seta com_idleSleep "1" . Does this cvar turn on
or turn off idlesleep ? I though idlesleep led to lag between the mouse and monitor or vid card.

[_nucle0n]

In most cases, on most computers, having com_idleSleep enabled (1) leads to dropped frames and very unstable fps, thus making it harder for you to aim and harder for people to aim at you (you will warp). A few people don't experience this problem, but most people do, and it's usually really bad.

This "feature" was implemented when QL standalone was first released, with the goal of making the game not waste CPU resources when idle (i.e. if you just leave the game running with the match browser open). Unfortunately it also causes the CPU to go into lower power modes while you're actually playing the game.

Set com_idleSleep to "0" and forget about this annoying "feature".

[DYSUKKER]

thx agent smith. I will add seta com_idlesleep "0" to my cfg file. Btw , how does if feel to be pwned by Neo ??

[FlashSoul]

I can't agree with the "most people" used here since it doesn't fit with my experience but whatever. You should keep the default value unless it creates problems. See it for yourself before you let your CPU run wild!

agent smith : it's not just for the "browser mode". QL spends most of its time idling/sleeping on modern hardware in pretty much every situation.

[_nucle0n]

Originally posted by FlashSoul:

I can't agree with the "most people" used here since it doesn't fit with my experience but whatever. You should keep the default value unless it creates problems. See it for yourself before you let your CPU run wild!

agent smith : it's not just for the "browser mode". QL spends most of its time idling/sleeping on modern hardware in pretty much every situation.

I honestly don't know anyone who gets solid/stable fps with idleSleep enabled. All of the competitive players I know have idleSleep off and their PC's power settings set to "performance" rather than "balanced". Most people I know are on Intel + Nvidia. I'm curious to know what your setup is, because I do know there are some people who don't have a problem with idleSleep.

[n00kie]

For max gaming performance it's always recommend to turn off any CPU saving features like EIST, Cool’n’Quiet etc.

[FlashSoul]

My laptop is intel+intel (crappy integrated chipset) and my desktop is intel+nvidia. Some people just hoped into the bandwagon of com_idlesleep 0 because that's how Q3 worked, other players did it and it was presented as the possible solution to any kind of different feeling they had. I mean, it can't hurt, for sure. But think of the planet! :p

[_nucle0n]

Originally posted by FlashSoul:

My laptop is intel+intel (crappy integrated chipset) and my desktop is intel+nvidia. Some people just hoped into the bandwagon of com_idlesleep 0 because that's how Q3 worked, other players did it and it was presented as the possible solution to any kind of different feeling they had. I mean, it can't hurt, for sure. But think of the planet! :p

All I can say is... All of the people I regularly talk to experience unstable fps with idleSleep enabled. I certainly do on my system. It was the case when I had a gtx770, two 970s in SLI, and it remains an issue with my single 970 I'm now using. But ultimately this is just another testament to the fact that there is all kinds of buggy ♥♥♥♥ with this game that can't be explained.

As for the 'planet' or whatever, I assume this is some reference to co2. I mean, I heard the devs say something to that effect before, but I couldn't tell if they were serious. Where I live very little power comes from coal anyway. Either way, the planet will be just fine, even if a few coastal cities end up under water. =]

[Patrol1985]

Originally posted by FlashSoul:

You should keep the default value unless it creates problems. See it for yourself before you let your CPU run wild!

This is the most sound advice to be followed. I asked devs about it and they told me to leave it at default UNLESS it's causing problems. Turning it off will generate unnecessary heat from the CPU.

[_nucle0n]

Originally posted by Patrol1985:

This is the most sound advice to be followed. I asked devs about it and they told me to leave it at default UNLESS it's causing problems. Turning it off will generate unnecessary heat from the CPU.

LOL. Because they won't acknowledge that on a large portion of PCs it causes dropped frames. It means there are a ton of noobs out there who don't even know how to check the stability of their frame rate, warping unnecessarily as a result of this 'feature'.

[cbr]

I dont know when it started but today I noticed that I was running on 111-114fps only.... the visuals were quite un-smooth also so I tested a lot of video settings but nothing helped --> checked the internet, found this little "com_idlesleep" cvar, set it to 0 and BINGO: everything feels smooth again.
thanks internet!

[AnimatedGirl™]

Great it even improved my aim ability TX a lot to lwf just saying me this trick

[Aluminum^1Haste]

Originally posted by FlashSoul:

I can't agree with the "most people" used here since it doesn't fit with my experience but whatever. You should keep the default value unless it creates problems. See it for yourself before you let your CPU run wild!

agent smith : it's not just for the "browser mode". QL spends most of its time idling/sleeping on modern hardware in pretty much every situation.

Weird statement FS.
com_idlesleep 1 has caused slow performance on every computer I've owned. From the 4770k all the way up to the 12700k, also on Ryzen 2700X all the way to 5800X cpus.

Whatever it was originally made for, it causes issues now.

[Aluminum^1Haste]

Just tested this now, on Asylum, which is a small map, with 8 players.

com_idlesleep "1" - avg 245fps, with drops down to 211fps.
com_idlesleep "0" - avg 250fps, with drops down to 248fps.

This is on a 12700k with running at 5.2Ghz.