2.7.8. Default and Off terrain shadows also render Flat shadows.

[Boosterdog]

When selecting Default, the game renders both the default terrain following shadow and the "flat" option shadow at the same time. 

 

test.miz DxDiag.txt

dcs Log.log

Shadow Fault 2.7.8

Edited November 29, 2021 by Boosterdog

[Hiob]

That could be correlated to the fact that some people have suggested, that default shadows give them better performance than flat shadows.

Should be moved to general bugs imho!

Great finding!

Edited November 29, 2021 by Hiob

[Flappie]

Testing now.

[Flappie]

Reproduced and reported!

Many thanks. This might explain the 2.7.7/2.7.8 perf drop.

[Hiob]

2 minutes ago, Flappie said:

 This might explain the 2.7.7/2.7.8 perf drop.

And might also explain, why some people (like me) never experienced it in the first place. Because I never use default shadows, both for performance reasons, but mostly because I don't like the flickering.

[Boosterdog]

Just now, Flappie said:

Reproduced and reported!

Many thanks. This might explain the 2.7.7/2.7.8 perf drop.

Thanks Flappie. I dont think it will personally as the fps doesnt return with shadows off or flat, but I guess it could change something deeper I suppose. To add, I did the same test using the other shadow options in combination. I appears that the higher the option selected for shadows, the less obvious the effect but I put this down to the split distances of the cascades. I presume the processing of the cascades is a constant however (that is to say the lower res cascades remain a "thing" even when the higher res takes over on screen) so perhaps there is some hit. Time will tell.  

[speed-of-heat]

@Flappieit might explain some of it... but i run with terrain Shadows off... 

[Boosterdog]

11 minutes ago, speed-of-heat said:

@Flappieit might explain some of it... but i run with terrain Shadows off... 

Yup - its a thing but probably not "the" thing. 

EDIT - STANDBY ONE....... (see post two below this- shadows "off" is the new "flat")

Edited November 29, 2021 by Boosterdog

[Hiob]

Every puzzle piece counts and may hint to an underlaying issue. So I choose to be optimistic!

[Boosterdog]

22 minutes ago, speed-of-heat said:

@Flappieit might explain some of it... but i run with terrain Shadows off... 

@Flappie - you may also want to test that and add to the report that Terrain Shadows OFF does not, in fact, turn the shadows off anymore but to the FLAT setting. 

Below is an image from the same miz as above in 2.7.8. The Terrain Shadows have been set to "off", FXO and Meta 2 deleted and machine rebooted. 

dcs.log

Edited November 29, 2021 by Boosterdog

[speed-of-heat]

nice find!

 

[Flappie]

I'm not sure we're right about this Flat/Default shadows mixup being a global issue: so far, I only see this bug with the TV Tower static on top of a mountain. Do you have other examples?

Edited November 29, 2021 by Flappie

[Boosterdog]

1 minute ago, Flappie said:

I'm not sure we're right about Flat/Default shadows being a global issue: so far, I only see this bug with the TV Tower static on top of a mountain. Do you have other examples?

I can have a look but I can tell you the issue isnt there in 2.7.6. 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Boosterdog

[Boosterdog]

@Flappie You are right . Its a "edge" case. I cannot reporoduce the issue on map objects or the other static objects that I have placed. Something has certainly changed btween the versions in some respects but, as you say, its not global. I do not know why it should only affect an individual item. The TV tower shadows seem to behave in all sorts of odd ways in 2.7.8. I placed it on a slight incline with the sun casting its shdow on a downward gradient and the were no other shdows in the true side but blocky ones on the sun side!

Anyhow - its not the catch I though it may hav been.

Apologies to everyone for the false hope. 

[Flappie]

It's OK to feel optimistic.

Maybe the devs will find something in the core thanks to this bug report. You never know.