Request "no fixed time step" option - sustained 42 FPS and 100% CPU load

[ThreeSon]

For details of the problem see here.

EDIT: If you are also having this problem, try going to Properties -> Betas and select the "dev" option. Thank you to Morah_Knaeckae for noticing this.



I have an identical issue with Capsized as with several other 2D games, including Bastion and A.R.E.S. The A.R.E.S. developer recently created a fix by including an optional "no fixed time step" executable to launch the game. Could the developer of Capsized please also include this option? I am unable to play the game without it. I don't believe it would be much work, as the A.R.E.S. developer was able to implement the fix in about a day.

Here is the hardware I'm using. I'm not sure which component is causing the problem - I've heard from others with the same GPU who have been able to play without issues. If there is anyone else here who has the same configuration as me, please let me know if you are also encountering this problem:

Win7 Pro 64-bit SP1
i7 3770K @3.5 GHz
EVGA GTX 680 (337.88)
Acer 60 Hz LCD monitor w/ DVI connection
16 GB RAM

[Wrazor666]

Have the same issue =/ sadly this was never fixed.

It happened on my i7 920 system with 460 SLI and later on with 570 SLI still 42 fps.

On my current rig it still happens:
Win 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
i7 4770K @3.9 GHz
Gigabyte 780 SLI (337.88)
Dell U2713HM 60 Hz, dvi connected
16 GB RAM

Just checked when I had my first achievement for this game, it was back in apr of 2011.
So I don't expect any updates from the dev.

[ThreeSon]

I believe the developer is at least aware of the issue, according to this post from a thread about the same problem (now fixed) in A.R.E.S.

It would be quite frustrating if they do not issue a fix, as it appears to be a very simple job based on results from other developers. The A.R.E.S. dev issued a patch just a day after they indicated they were aware of the problem. Similarly, I sent an email to the developer of Antipole[www.desura.com], a game that developer had not worked on in several years. The next day he emailed an executable that fixed the problem completely.

I think the Capsized dev will issue a patch eventually, since as computers get more powerful soon almost no one will be able to play the game without it.

[Wrazor666]

Would be great if they fixed it, would love to play the game in normal speed @ 60 fps.
Never finished it because of this issue.

[Morah Knaeckae um die Eckae]

I do hope the dev's are looking at this. I really enjoy the game and Solar Fields' soundtrack is very much spot on for this setting. The graphics are really nice. Too bad about the 100% CPU usage and 42-44 FPS in-game. The lowered framerate makes the game hard to play properly. I believe this is a common problem for XNA games. I had the same problem with Bastion; and Dust: An Elysian Tail had the same problem as well, before it was patched. Transistor also had this problem (as with Bastion, it is solved by adding the command "-nofixedstep" in Steam's launch options). So, no fixed step does indeed seem to be the key to solving the problem. Dev's: please implement the no fixed step option for us who experience this problem, so that we, as well, can enjoy this game!

Specs:

i7 3770K @ 4.4 GHz, 2 x GTX 680 (disabling SLI doesn't help), 32 GB RAM, Win7x64 SP1

EDIT: Looks like this will be fixed in the next update, according to the "Next Update / Achievement Fixes" thread. Nice!

[Morah Knaeckae um die Eckae]

No update for the game yet, apparently, but I tried the beta version of the game called "dev" (game properties -> "Betas" tab). The game runs at a constant 60 FPS now with no tearing. Haven't noticed anything odd about this version either. Played through the first three levels. So this is how the game is supposed to run!

[ThreeSon]

Originally posted by Morah_Knaeckae:

No update for the game yet, apparently, but I tried the beta version of the game called "dev" (game properties -> "Betas" tab). The game runs at a constant 60 FPS now with no tearing. Haven't noticed anything odd about this version either. Played through the first three levels. So this is how the game is supposed to run!

This appears to work for me as well. Using the "dev" beta version of the game results in a smooth 60 FPS. Hopefully it will be integrated into the main branch soon.

[Babouinator]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Originally posted by Morah_Knaeckae:

No update for the game yet, apparently, but I tried the beta version of the game called "dev" (game properties -> "Betas" tab). The game runs at a constant 60 FPS now with no tearing. Haven't noticed anything odd about this version either. Played through the first three levels. So this is how the game is supposed to run!

This appears to work for me as well. Using the "dev" beta version of the game results in a smooth 60 FPS. Hopefully it will be integrated into the main branch soon.

just tried the game and i have the CPU and fixed framerate problem as well. The "dev" version doesnt seem to be working for me. Was this "-nofixedstep" launch option implemented ?

[ThreeSon]

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

This appears to work for me as well. Using the "dev" beta version of the game results in a smooth 60 FPS. Hopefully it will be integrated into the main branch soon.

just tried the game and i have the CPU and fixed framerate problem as well. The "dev" version doesnt seem to be working for me. Was this "-nofixedstep" launch option implemented ?

After you selected the "-dev" beta option, did the game re-download all the files? It's about 530 MB of download needed after you switch to the beta.

I just tested it and it's definitely still working - 48 FPS on the main branch, 60 on the beta.

[Babouinator]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

just tried the game and i have the CPU and fixed framerate problem as well. The "dev" version doesnt seem to be working for me. Was this "-nofixedstep" launch option implemented ?

After you selected the "-dev" beta option, did the game re-download all the files? It's about 530 MB of download needed after you switch to the beta.

I just tested it and it's definitely still working - 48 FPS on the main branch, 60 on the beta.

Yes it did. The only difference that i noticed was that i had to bind all the controls manually. But i was still capped at 50 fps with some stuttering and one of my threads at 100% :/

[ThreeSon]

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

After you selected the "-dev" beta option, did the game re-download all the files? It's about 530 MB of download needed after you switch to the beta.

I just tested it and it's definitely still working - 48 FPS on the main branch, 60 on the beta.

Yes it did. The only difference that i noticed was that i had to bind all the controls manually. But i was still capped at 50 fps with some stuttering and one of my threads at 100% :/

That is strange. What video card do you have? It definitely sounds like a problem with fixed time step but I don't know why it wouldn't work for you.

[Babouinator]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

Yes it did. The only difference that i noticed was that i had to bind all the controls manually. But i was still capped at 50 fps with some stuttering and one of my threads at 100% :/

That is strange. What video card do you have? It definitely sounds like a problem with fixed time step but I don't know why it wouldn't work for you.

I have a GTX 1070. Yeah this problem is very similar to what all you guys have.. I tried to install manually XNA 4.0 but it didnt do anything either.

[ThreeSon]

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

That is strange. What video card do you have? It definitely sounds like a problem with fixed time step but I don't know why it wouldn't work for you.

I have a GTX 1070. Yeah this problem is very similar to what all you guys have.. I tried to install manually XNA 4.0 but it didnt do anything either.

One possibility is the XNA version you installed. I don't which version Capsized was developed with but it might require an earlier version installed like 3.1 or 3.0. I have 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 4.0 all installed on my pc. So maybe that makes a difference. You can get 3.1 from here[www.microsoft.com] and 3.0 from here[www.microsoft.com] if you want to try installing them first.

Another possibility could be the default Nvidia settings you have for applications. In your NV control panel, make sure Vsync is set to "use the 3D application setting" and preferred refresh rate is set to "application controlled."

If these don't work then my only guess would be that a recent Windows 10 update may be messing with XNA applications somehow, although that's unlikely.

[Babouinator]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Originally posted by FULL SAFARI:

I have a GTX 1070. Yeah this problem is very similar to what all you guys have.. I tried to install manually XNA 4.0 but it didnt do anything either.

One possibility is the XNA version you installed. I don't which version Capsized was developed with but it might require an earlier version installed like 3.1 or 3.0. I have 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 4.0 all installed on my pc. So maybe that makes a difference. You can get 3.1 from here[www.microsoft.com] and 3.0 from here[www.microsoft.com] if you want to try installing them first.

Another possibility could be the default Nvidia settings you have for applications. In your NV control panel, make sure Vsync is set to "use the 3D application setting" and preferred refresh rate is set to "application controlled."

If these don't work then my only guess would be that a recent Windows 10 update may be messing with XNA applications somehow, although that's unlikely.

XNA 3.1 was automatically installed with the game. I read in a dev's post that the base game is on 3.1 and that de DEV version is on 4.0 (thats why you have to download the whole game when you switch between them) so I assume that i cant really do more regarding this.

I also tried to mess a bit with the NV settings but i dont remember exacly what i did. I'll give a try to your solution ! Thanks !

[ThreeSon]

Yeah I am really sorry I'm not more help here. I know how frustrating this frame rate bug is, and it shows up in a lot of games. I would also be interested if you encounter the same problem in other XNA games that have since been patched by the developers. I can't see your list of games in Steam, but a good example would be Bastion, or A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda if you own them.

[Babouinator]

Originally posted by ThreeSon:

Yeah I am really sorry I'm not more help here. I know how frustrating this frame rate bug is, and it shows up in a lot of games. I would also be interested if you encounter the same problem in other XNA games that have since been patched by the developers. I can't see your list of games in Steam, but a good example would be Bastion, or A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda if you own them.

I played bastion and i don't remember having such a problem. I think it ran smoothly. At the moment i'm no super willing to play Capsized because of this problem. It's a shame because the game seems really nice !