Optimizations for Low-End PC's

[Zenta]

Scrap Mechanic is great, but not all computers have screens wide, or tall enough, and it can also eat up a lot of memory, causing major FPS lag.

I suggest adding a "Safe Mode" where it will set all graphics, effects, render distance to the lowest possible settings, and the resolution to 800x600, like every other game supports for Low-End PC users.

The Lowest resolution provided isn't good enough, just make the UI fatter and the text bolder, nothing flashy.

Just something to think about, since lots of people with lower end computers are buying this game, and getting a refund is out of the question if you've been trying to play and optimize it the best you can while looking up ways to make it a lower resolution by force for the past 2 hours.

Just think about what the gamer needs, not how pretty it looks, playability is more important than how good it looks.

I don't judge games on how they look, only on how they make me feel when I play them, and if FPS is bugging me, that puts the score down dramatically because the devs neglected to consider low end PC users.

My screen is wide enough, just not tall enough, and my fps drops. So, yeah.

[Zenta]

Okay so, apparently the FPS thing is common, but still, lower resolutions will fix that and I'd be able to play without getting annoyed by low FPS when I build a medium sized vehicle.

[Sloppy McFloppy]

Originally posted by Zenta:

Okay so, apparently the FPS thing is common, but still, lower resolutions will fix that and I'd be able to play without getting annoyed by low FPS when I build a medium sized vehicle.

The game isnt even out yet, calm your ♥♥♥♥.
You signed up for problems when you bought the BETA.

[DarthGizmo]

Holy cow Sloppy chill bro. all your posts are quite negitive. OP I agree that FPS issues need be addressed. but that is why it is in EA. For us to find and tell about bugs and problems. I would add my pc specs just to give the devs more ideas on what pc's people are tring to run their game on.

[Zenta]

The game was gifted to me by a friend, my PC specs are as follows;
Processor; AMD A4-5000 APU with Radeon HD Graphics 1.50 GHz
RAM; 6 GB
System Type; 64-bit OS x64 based processor
Using Windows 10.

It's a HP Laptop, nothing flashy or expensive, just a typical laptop.

[^èa†èr^]

this game is not resource hog. its on a engine that looks like cartoons. one of the fasted FPS i own. have to frame limit it.

post SPECS: i bet its some hardwware setting

[DaveDunno]

With DirectX12 on the horizon, and other Early Access games dropping DX9, Windows XP and other low specification support entirely, I think it's easy to say a Lowering of system requirements on most Early Access games, especially physics based building games which require a lot of processing power, is not likely going to happen, in fact as the game progresses I can imagine an increase in system requirements, regardless of optimization and requests.

Technology changes and progresses, low system requirement games are a niche market, easy to come by, so my advice purchase games which your system meets the specs for or upgrade your specs.


Also fun fact: XP users and DX9 users are actually a very small minority of Steam users. Valve published the figures of how many people use what, Win 10 is hugely popular with 8 and 7 close in tow..

So "lots of people on low end computers" are genuinely in the minority.

As I said earlier, purchase games that your system can run or upgrade your system.

[Zenta]

Then a mandatory refund is in order, there's no room for games I can't play in my library.
Don't act superior, allowing lower resolution doesn't impact the game at all, it only expands it to more players, if a *cough* highly advanced game such as this can't handle having 800x600, then there's a problem with it.

They said the same thing about Robocraft, but I got them to bring 800x600 back, and now they're in constant motion adding new and better stuff, not to mention how fast it is for everyone now, not just the 800x600 users, so maybe you could do without the condescending attitude and feel a little compassion for us lowly peasants who would rather eat and have lights than a fancy computer.

[DaveDunno]

Robocraft are running a free to play business model which relies on them being as available to as many people as possible to increase the chances of purchases of bit garages, cosmetics etc.
Scrap Mechanics is a game being produced to target the most common selling points of a pay to play game, it's got nothing to do with superiority or me trying to offend you.

Glad you're opting for a refund over risking a loss of money for something you won't play too, please check recommended requirements in future as minimum requirements are often as they're named, the bare minimum for a game to be playable, which oft means it'll be laggy and low quality and still heat up some lower end systems, it is rather rude and obnoxious to try and pressure developers to change their game based on a purchase you knowingly done for a system below what they advertised the game to though, so I find it funny that you think I'm trying to make you feel inferior...

Side note: Maybe my use of English makes me sound more rude than intended, sorry it that's the case.

[Zenta]

Whether it's F2P or not, the fact remains.

[DaveDunno]

Originally posted by Zenta:

Whether it's F2P or not, the fact remains.

The fact remains that there are more people who are on higher end systems and these numbers are publicly available to all developers and not every business practice revolves around making everything as openly available.

The fact also remains that you should have check requirements and understood the game would not run, or would run poorly if you were below them.

[boxman]

Originally posted by Zenta:

Okay so, apparently the FPS thing is common, but still, lower resolutions will fix that and I'd be able to play without getting annoyed by low FPS when I build a medium sized vehicle.

When it comes to slow down with bigger builds then that is nearly all dependent on your cpu, so lowering resolution would do little to nothing in that case.
And from the specifications you posted you have a very low end cpu that has worse performance than even my phenom 2 from 2009.

[S.M.L. Chief Engineer]

Dropping the resolution is only part of the battle, aspect ratio seems to play a big part as well in my testing. Also when you drop the resolution the text can become so tiny its nearly impossible to read.
So for any kind of low end optimization the current build or next build would need:
1 A Debug Mode for us beta participants to better help the developers.
2 A way to Maintain aspect ratio no matter what physical resolution of the actual hardware.
3 Enlarge the in game chat.
4 Allow for a way to lock in a stable build.
5 A way to role back updates.
6 A way to reset player location to a non default location.
7 A way to disable all active automation in the AppData Roaming settings text file.
8 A last resort setting in the AppData Roaming settings text file that would delete all blocks. below the maps floor boundary.
9 An option in the settings text file that deleted all parts that occupy any location where two or more blocks occupy the same space as each other or any ground space below walk mesh.

[Zenta]

With this logic, all new gen games shouldn't support anything less than the max res.
Forget it, nobody with higher end computers would understand the struggle, or the development of a game, ask a dev, they'll say the only issue for lower resolutions is the UI (user interface)
but there's ways around it, ask Mark (creator of Robocraft) that's the only reason why it didn't have 800x600 for a while, until I asked.

Game devs want to get their game out to as many people as possible, not just the rich kids, but the people who would prefer to have a meal every day than to get the highest score.

And again, this game was "gifted" to me, so I didn't check the specs, I can play the game, but my screen isn't tall enough, but it is wide enough, have you ever seen a laptop in your life? They're quite odd looking, being short and fat.

This topic has become irrelivant, the only people responding are those who have computers that can handle anything, and want to pick on lower end pc users, it's pathetic really to think that some 15 year olds think they understand game development.

Low res does not impact the overall performance, it only helps low end pc users. That's it.
That's all it ever did.
Soon as we finish developing our game, we'll explain the process in full detail. See you then.

[Max]

Zenta, you are partially correct but there has to be a limit as to how low a resolution. Just to try out the UI I went to 1024x768, from that the UI hardly even fits on the screen anymore, its safe to say that at 800x600 it would not.
In some games UI scales with res, in others it does not, actually not scaling is a good thing, this keeps UI elements at the same scale across resolution changes otherwise things might become too large or small to see.

Resolution can have a huge impact on the game, in SM I range from ~60fps at 2560x1080 with every setting on and at max to 270 fps with low res and everything off or at low.
From 60 - 270 fps is hardly a "small impact".

From your specs you will have trouble playing pretty much any new or complex game, it would be worthwhile investing in a better build, your budget in mind of course.

It does not need to be that high end either, a 4th gen i5, 8GB RAM and GTX 960 will already be quite good although I would personally start with an i5-4690 with 16GB RAM and a GTX970, with that you could play pretty much any current game and new games for another year or two at 1920x1080 with everything on mid-high and at good framerates.

Good luck.

[The Rock God]

Originally posted by Zenta:

The game was gifted to me by a friend, my PC specs are as follows;
Processor; AMD A4-5000 APU with Radeon HD Graphics 1.50 GHz
RAM; 6 GB
System Type; 64-bit OS x64 based processor
Using Windows 10.

It's a HP Laptop, nothing flashy or expensive, just a typical laptop.

That doesn't even meet the minimum system requirements. It's also extremely low end, and not just by modern standardds. My 8 year old Dell laptop is more powerful than that. Perhaps you should look into buying an 8 year old Dell?