From 150FPS to 7 FPS? What?

[NeN]

And I'm talking about being in the Van.


Edit: After around four complete reinstalls, audio tweaks, various other tweaks and so forth, I am 99% sure that this is a CPU issue.

Edit:

I've been slightly busy last night, and had time to pinpoint the issue in my particular case.
Anyone else experiencing these exact FPS drop manifestations, and if yes please write down your experience and the CPU model which you use.
Thanks!

Originally posted by Nenaraz:

I've tested the sound settings under Windows 10 OS, and have tweaked to the point where I can conclude that sound settings aren't the issue for FPS drop.

The FPS drop in my particular case happens in a very rhythmical way, on each 7-10 seconds.

Post-patch or post-atmospheric patch (refers to the latest implementation of the atmospheric patch).
Post-Fix (refers to the fix that happened some time after the introduction of the atmospheric patch)

Test:

- Bleasdale Farmhouse
- Heavy rain
- FPS ranging from 250 on highest, and drops to 2 on the lowest.

If I stand still, looking at the VAN door:
- Each time it happens, the CPU utilization drops from being utilized around 60% all the way to 30% or so, and FPS drops from 120 to 40 for a few moments like 2-3 sec, then returns normally. Both Fraps & Steam Overlay can show this happening FPS-wise, live.

If I move the mouse around in circles whilst standing still:
- FPS can drop all the way to 2, meaning that it becomes a slideshow for a few moments, before it goes back to normal FPS range.


- I've concluded that this isn't connected to any graphical manifestation, as GPU utilization remains still throughout the process. Variations are not greater than 3% which makes it a negligible factor for the test.
- I've concluded that this issue isn't connected to any sound manifestation, as the issue remains with three different sound Outputs and ten different sound settings on two different sound drivers (as I've 2 soundcards). I wasn't lazy, and I've tested it thoughtfully.
- I've concluded that heavy rain doesn't directly affect the performance, and that there is an evident improvement in terms of the atmospheric manifest even under the Heavy Rain (followed by thunderstorm). Aside from the rhythmical FPS drops, nothing else happens. The atmosphere itself isn't necessarily the issue post-fix, and I can only assume that this will get better.



If anyone else has some time to test a bit, just to see the FPS fluctuations irregardless of the GPU settings, that'd be amazing!

Some notes:
- You have to be the host.
- It needn't be a multiplayer game.
- Not the newest map.

Thanks!

[PDBskittles]

I agree, there's zero reason weather effects should even be in this game other than to ♥♥♥♥ your framerate over . At least give us an option to disable it . It serves zero purpose..

[g]

After the update, I had a problem that the game was crashing, then I reinstalled Windows and the game stopped crashing, reinstalled the game for the first time - it didn't help, messed with the drivers and reinstalled the game for the second time - it worked, the fps became about 40-60 fps. Previously, I could play at maximum 60 stable fps without drawdowns and freezes, but now what? 40 ♥♥♥♥ his fps at can be said to be minimal.
PC specifications: AMD Radeon HD 7870 ghz edition
intel i3-2100
8 gb
:(

[NeN]

It's a problem with the code somewhere, as the game isn't really that VRAM intensive, nor needs a lot of GPU power to push certain things.
The problem is the atmospheric manifest, as it severely reduces the performance irregardless of how strong the PC is. This needs an urgent optimization.

[Poltergeist]

Originally posted by Pedobear Skittles:

I agree, there's zero reason weather effects should even be in this game other than to ♥♥♥♥ your framerate over . At least give us an option to disable it . It serves zero purpose..

That's not true. The fog serves the purpose to make you see less, the wind and rain make you hear less and both increase the tension by playing. Well, for the snow your point is vaild though.

[Kou]

Originally posted by Poltergeist:

Originally posted by Pedobear Skittles:

I agree, there's zero reason weather effects should even be in this game other than to ♥♥♥♥ your framerate over . At least give us an option to disable it . It serves zero purpose..

That's not true. The fog serves the purpose to make you see less, the wind and rain make you hear less and both increase the tension by playing. Well, for the snow your point is vaild though.

Snow clips through the ceiling and makes people think there's ghost orbs when there's not lol

[PÁRKÁNY]

Snow makes the map overall colder (especially the new map).

[NeN]

The new and interesting mechanics of the game aren't the main issue here, though.
Their optimization is lacking, which creates a severe choppiness during the gameplay, which only increases once the ghost decides to do anything.

This wasn't an issue before the update, so the only real culprit is the atmospheric changes or, rather, their animations that are unoptimized properly code-wise.

[Tigertail5000]

I have a Ryzen 7 3700x 16gb DDR4 3200mhz and RTX 2060 and I'm getting fps hitches aswell, especially in weather effects and right before something is going to happen. I think it might be bad optimization.

[Kaisoku]

I suspect there are audio issues as much as video. My game hitches a moment for some new sound goes off (sometimes it's a ghost effect, almost always with lightning), at least for the first time it runs.
It didn't use to do this, so I'm wondering if there were some audio changes as well that might be hampering things.

I recall a game (Dead island I think), where the sound of one of the character's heels clicking on certain surfaces caused the game to stutter and drop to single digit framerates. It was soundcard specific, and changing drivers (until a fix came out) solved everything.

I think they've got quite a bit of optimization to consider still, and it is very likely not just video processing.

[Antiparras]

Ryzen 7 5800X, 32GB RAM, RTX3080 and m.2 disks... Down to 2fps in the hall, room. When starting a new solo mission, me alone, in the van it goes to 7fps, before freezing for 10 seconds. What's going on?

[NeN]

I sincerely hope that sound processing isn't the issue here.

Originally posted by Kaisoku:

I suspect there are audio issues as much as video.

I thought at one point that it might be the issue, but I wasn't able to reproduce the error in a controlled environment.
I haven't tested the Sound variations, like reducing them from 32bit to 24bit or even 16bit in relation to not using DAC.
Sound can be a potential problem that causes hiccups, and might very well be a problem as the sound changes after leaving and re-entering the van itself. However, the CPU wouldn't be going absurdly high and in relation to the weather alone. Looks like a leak somewhere...
To mess with the sound and FPS, one can enter and re-enter the van several times over, though I do not advise it as it can fry something on lower PCs :))
However, as far as I'm aware, the moving clouds do not produce a sound.
Personally, I'm using an exterior ASUS sound card with a DAC, and it was issue in very old games and during some recordings. Nothing that changing to 24bit or 16bit can't fix.
I will try that out, but I doubt that it will solve things.

[WumboWise]

I was able to fix my framerate and stuttering problems by simply uninstalling the game, deleting the steam folder for Phasmophobia and then reinstalling. Make sure you back up your save data if you are not using the cloud save function. My framerate has been rock solid ever since.

[warb]

There are lots CPU spikes in this game. I think it's the camera system and AI that need some optimisation. It's way worse in VR for some reason.

[Van Doom]

i7-4790K (oced 4,5 GHz allcore) + ASUS Z87-C + Aorus Extreme GTX 1080TI + 16GB 2400MHz DDR3 RAM, + SSD-MX500 playing in 4K UHD/ vsync: OFF on ultra without any trouble.

Since the patch 0.4.1 the game runs better with lower heat on the cores. The only issue i have is a heavy workload by leaving the truck each time, solo and multiplayer.

[MahouKurein]

I used to play this easily, I have a medium gaming PC, now I can't play It anymore, this is disgusting.