Trying to get optimal graphic settings for SP and MP?

[kksnowbear]

My day's fine thanks.  Always a good day when I can offer accurate advice that may be helpful to people who actually want help, and who appreciate correct input.

@Gil80: Hopefully you benefit from the comments that are actually helpful and directed at your request for advice.  It would be great to hear back about whether the BIOS setting makes any difference (and also if your BIOS is updated).

Best of luck with it.

Edited November 8, 2024 by kksnowbear

[Gil80]

On 11/5/2024 at 11:12 PM, slughead said:

I would also enable ASW. It will only drop into it when needed. Without it, the whole image will be a judder fest when your machine can't keep up with the frame time. Yes, you will see some ghosting of fast-moving aircraft; it's a trade-off.

Should I set it to 45 or adaptive? Also, do you mean that if I limit my fps to 72, but the CPU/GPU can't keep up, it will drop to 45 immediately? will it do it as soon as it goes from 72 to 71 fps?

 

4 hours ago, kksnowbear said:

Incidentally, have you updated the BIOS on your motherboard?  It is possible it was changed in a later BIOS version - the most recent on the Gigabyte website is dated December 19 2023.

I'm on the latest BIOS version, and as you rightfully stated, Gigabyte didn't see fit to make a bespoke BIOS for this board. But, aren't the PCIe lanes share bandwidth with NVME drives?

Regardless, I doubt I'll see significant improvements with the Auto settings and I hate it that I need to take the textures from HIGH to LOW even with a 16GB Vram.

I was really surprised to see judders when doing a flyover supercarrier in SP mode... I don't know why most of the load is on the CPU and not the GPU in this case.

 

I'll jump in game later and report my findings as well as report on my frametime.

Thanks again for everyone for sharing from their knowledge to help with a better gameplay experience.

[slughead]

Set it to adaptive and it will drop to half your frame rate when it can’t maintain the frame rate.

[Gil80]

16 hours ago, LucShep said:

all I can suggest is the Shadows mod in my signature

sorry, but I don't see any signature. do I need to enable something in my forum profile to see it?

 

[kksnowbear]

57 minutes ago, Gil80 said:

But, aren't the PCIe lanes share bandwidth with NVME drives?

Not the ones we're discussing - that is, the PCIe lanes that are affected by 'bifurcation' in the BIOS settings are 16 lanes, directly from the CPU, and used in the 'primary' slot (usually for a graphics adapter), or are split between the first couple slots (so as to allow for high-bandwidth storage on 8 lanes, or even splitting the 16 CPU lanes between two GPUs).

Of course, in your board, there is no second slot, thus making the BIOS setting to bifurcate the CPU's 16 lanes kind of....well, stupid, it seems to me.

I looked over the manual, including the part describing storage, and there's nothing I could see that indicates sharing of the storage lanes with the others.  If it's doing that, it's not mentioned anywhere I can see.  You can/should use simple apps (typically available from the drive manufacturer) to make sure each drive is using the appropriate number of lanes/PCIEe revision.  (If you'll tell me the manufacturers of the drives you have I can help you do this).

The 11700K CPU has 20 total PCIe lanes which are available to the motherboard designer/user: 16 for the PCIe slots (as above, and which can be split depending on motherboard), and 4 others for storage.

The storage slots (M.2; NVMe is technically a protocol as opposed to a drive type or slot) will get PCIe lanes of their own.  Typically the total number of lanes for storage is comprised of those provided by the chipset, and those from the CPU.  In your case the CPU has four gen4 lanes available to storage in one slot (front side of board); the chipset provides four gen3 lanes to the second slot (back side of the board).  Per the manual, p.8:

(Incidentally, the slot on the front of your board is Gen4, thus twice as fast as the one on the back which is Gen3.)

As I mentioned earlier, it may not be likely that the GPU having 8 lanes vs 16 will make the difference, but it might/it does vary, and it doesn't hurt anything/is best at 16 anyhow.  Since there's no other physical slot, the lanes would simply be wasted by bifurcating via BIOS setting - the only physical PCIe slot on your board (for the GPU) will lose 8 lanes, which (it would appear) will not be used by anything else.  I could be wrong, but I don't see any way for any other device to use those lanes, since there is no physical slot (or space for one).

57 minutes ago, Gil80 said:

I don't know why most of the load is on the CPU and not the GPU in this case.

This is among the reasons I said earlier that even the best of hardware currently will not eliminate all the performance issues DCS is known to exhibit at times, especially in VR.

Edited November 8, 2024 by kksnowbear

[slughead]

17 minutes ago, Gil80 said:

sorry, but I don't see any signature. do I need to enable something in my forum profile to see it?

 

Go to your profile (click on your avatar), then account settings, signature, then enable view signatures.

[Joch1955]

The texture setting is central. I have a 3070ti with 8GB of VRAM and with terrains textures/textures set to “high”, the game will often use up all the VRAM which will kill my FPS. This is an issue especially with the F-14 on the Syria and Afghanistan map. With terrain textures set to “low” and other textures to “medium”, total VRAM usage in the included single and instant action missions drops to 5-6 GB for the F-14 and 4-5 for the F/A-18 even on Syria and Afghanistan. The visual quality difference between low and high textures is barely noticeable.

Edited November 8, 2024 by Joch1955

[Gil80]

17 hours ago, LucShep said:

2) The shadows for terrain objects are also a problem because, while it "beautifies" the image at distance, it does put a heavy toll on the hardware - even if set at "Flat".
Shadows are still intensive tasks in any game, and in DCS with them at such long distances, for a gazillion of trees, bushes and etc, it can be a problem.  
If you're one of those that "can not live without Terrain Shadows!" then all I can suggest is the Shadows mod in my signature (it may or not help, do not hope for a miracle).

I am about to try this mod. What settings would you suggest for VR, considering my spec in my OP?

[LucShep]

2 hours ago, Gil80 said:

I am about to try this mod. What settings would you suggest for VR, considering my spec in my OP?

Sure, give it a go and follow the few instructions in it. But, again, do not expect miracles.

Suggesting settings for VR is complicated because each person has their own perception of things (of stuttering/hitching, and of desired details), it becomes subjective.
What might be good for me may not be for you, and vice-versa.

But, for me and my system (and similar), these have been "non-negotiable" for VR:

 

 "Terrain Textures"  - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (this is important to avoid stuttering in VR, no matter the system - as I previously explained)

 "Terrain Object Shadows"  - - - -  OFF  (very important to avoid stuttering in VR; "Flat" or "Default" to be used only if performance is outstanding and smooth in all situations)

 "Clouds"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (this is to avoid impact on GPU usage and VRAM; Set at "Standard" should also be okay, but avoid higher settings)

 "Visib.Range"  - - - - - - - - - - - -  MEDIUM  (good enough detail that doesn't bog down performance too much)

 "Forest Visibility" - - - - - - - - - -  100%  (so at max, this will balance/mask the tree-popping by the limited "Medium" Visib.Range, not a problem if with Terrain Shadows OFF) 

 "Forest Details Factor"  - - - - - -   0.4  (this is a LOD switch for forest related details; always avoid more than 0.5, as it impacts performance ) 

 "Scenery Details Factor" - - - - -   0.4  (this is a LOD switch for scenery related details; always avoid more than 0.5, as it impacts performance )

 "LOD Switch Factor" - - - - - - - -  1.0  (this is the main LOD switch for all details, decrease for more performance; do NOT increase over 1.0)

 "Civil.Traffic"  - - - - - - - - - - - -   LOW  (this setting is really no big deal for immersion and just consumes CPU cycles - maybe even consider it at "OFF")

 "Water"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    LOW (easiest sacrifice (IMO); MEDIUM may be an option (if perf. allows it); "HIGH" best avoided - adds complex reflections and does impact)

 "Shadows" - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  MEDIUM  (good enough detail for cockpit that doesn't bog down performance - maybe try the Shadow mod in my sig and reduced it to LOW)

 "Clutter/Grass"  - - - - - - - - - - -  1000  (nice enough detail for that, usually doesn't bog down performance)

 "Preload Radius"  - - - - - - - - - -  75000  (perfect for 64GB of RAM, more than "90000" the loading times become long and impacts RAM + pagefile)

 "Chimney SMoke Density" - - - -   1  (this is the number of chimneys smoking in a radius; at minimum is best also for lower repetition pattern)

 "Anisotropic Filtering"   - - - - - -   8x  (you don't need more than this in DCS, be it for VR or 2D screen, and can impact performance)

 "Lens Effects" - - - - - - - - - - - -   Flare  (clean and natural sun flare effects; If you dislike the effect, change to OFF) 

 "Heat Blur"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (no need to use more than this, higher settings can impact performance with no benefits on image; OFF could also be considered) 

 "Motion Blur" - - - - - - - - - - - - -  OFF  (of no real importance for a flight-sim; OFF avoids creating ghosting (or adding even more) on objects) 

 "Depth of Field"  - - - - - - - - - - -  OFF  (huge impact on GPU usage; avoid enabling it at all times, no matter the system, be it 2D or VR) 

 "Wake Turbulence" - - - - - - - - -   OFF  (this particular setting is found under "Gameplay" settings - can greatly impact performance with more aircraft ingame).

 

Edited November 8, 2024 by LucShep

[Gil80]

21 minutes ago, LucShep said:

 "Terrain Textures"  - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (this is important to avoid stuttering in VR, no matter the system - as I previously explained)

 "Terrain Object Shadows"  - - - -  OFF  (very important to avoid stuttering in VR; "Flat" or "Default" to be used only if performance is outstanding and smooth in all situations)

 

21 minutes ago, LucShep said:

"Shadows" - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  MEDIUM  (good enough detail for cockpit that doesn't bog down performance - maybe try the Shadow mod in my sig and reduced it to LOW)

Thanks for the details respone. I will try these exact settings.

However, and while you did mention "no matter the system" - I have to ask, doesn't the optimized textures powershell script helps in that regards to set the terrain detail to high?

Same question for the shadow mod - if using it, why not  "Terrain Object Shadows"  - Flat or Medium and Shadows at Medium/High? Am I confusing the script to allow for better performance without sacrificing quality with something else?

I know, I won't expect miracles, as you stated... just curious about the degree these mods help with keeping nice graphics by compressing, without losing performance.

[LucShep]

11 hours ago, Gil80 said:

However, and while you did mention "no matter the system" - I have to ask, doesn't the optimized textures powershell script helps in that regards to set the terrain detail to high?

It's not the same thing for Maps (terrain) textures as it is for Core and Mods original content.
Those use a single set of textures, but the Maps have their own "HIGH" and "LOW" textures, so makes no sense to resize textures of Maps (IMO).
Meaning, for now it's better to leave those as is and just set "Terrain Textures" to LOW - doing that you basically end up with same result as if you'd "optimize" them.

 

11 hours ago, Gil80 said:

Same question for the shadow mod - if using it, why not  "Terrain Object Shadows"  - Flat or Medium and Shadows at Medium/High? Am I confusing the script to allow for better performance without sacrificing quality with something else?

I know, I won't expect miracles, as you stated... just curious about the degree these mods help with keeping nice graphics by compressing, without losing performance.

That Shadow mod in my sig atempts to ensure best quality of Cockpit shadow (I can't use a cockpit in DCS without shadows, looks horrible), while reducing the number of cascades, or "resolution steps within ammount of distance" if you will, for the external shadows (i.e, all those outside of your cockpit, so of your own plane and every other object outside), which reduces CPU utilization for them - therefore slightly increases performance.

Notice that you have shadows in other objects, such as other aicraft, vehicles, buildings, very long etc, which are not included in the "Terrain Shadows".
Those usually belong in the "Shadows" setting, as does your own cockpit shadows as well (yes, should be a separate setting... but isn't!).
Hence why the mod was created.
It achieves the best of both worlds (IMO) - great cockpit shadows, no matter what setting you use for the externals shadows (with increased performance).
And that's why, with it, you can set the "Shadows" setting at LOW and it still looks good.

It's set at 4096 pixels for the shadow resolution no matter the setting. 
But you can also edit it, with notepad++ or any other text editor, and adjust the shadow resolution as you wish (for some, 2048 may be better for VR, instead of 4096).

It does not affect Flat shadows, if you intend to use that setting (for the Terrain Shadows).
And, of course, if you ever resort to use "Shadows" set at OFF (i.e, no shadows at all, as I see some DCS VR youtubers do! ) then it obviously makes no sense to use that mod.

Edited November 9, 2024 by LucShep

[Qcumber]

1 hour ago, LucShep said:

Sure, give it a go and follow the few instructions in it. But, again, do not expect miracles.

Suggesting settings for VR is complicated because each person has their own perception of things (of stuttering/hitching, and of desired details), it becomes subjective.
What might be good for me may not be for you, and vice-versa.

But, for me and my system (and similar), these have been "non-negotiable" for VR:

 

 "Terrain Textures"  - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (this is important to avoid stuttering in VR, no matter the system - as I previously explained)

 "Terrain Object Shadows"  - - - -  OFF  (very important to avoid stuttering in VR; "Flat" or "Default" to be used only if performance is outstanding and smooth in all situations)

 "Clouds"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (this is to avoid impact on GPU usage and VRAM; Set at "Standard" should also be okay, but avoid higher settings)

 "Visib.Range"  - - - - - - - - - - - -  MEDIUM  (good enough detail that doesn't bog down performance too much)

 "Forest Visibility" - - - - - - - - - -  100%  (so at max, this will balance/mask the tree-popping by the limited "Medium" Visib.Range, not a problem if with Terrain Shadows OFF) 

 "Forest Details Factor"  - - - - - -   0.4  (this is a LOD switch for forest related details; always avoid more than 0.5, as it impacts performance ) 

 "Scenery Details Factor" - - - - -   0.4  (this is a LOD switch for scenery related details; always avoid more than 0.5, as it impacts performance )

 "LOD Switch Factor" - - - - - - - -  1.0  (this is the main LOD switch for all details, decrease for more performance; do NOT increase over 1.0)

 "Civil.Traffic"  - - - - - - - - - - - -   LOW  (this setting is really no big deal for immersion and just consumes CPU cycles - maybe even consider it at "OFF")

 "Water"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    LOW (easiest sacrifice (IMO); MEDIUM may be an option (if perf. allows it); "HIGH" best avoided - adds complex reflections and does impact)

 "Shadows" - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  MEDIUM  (good enough detail for cockpit that doesn't bog down performance - maybe try the Shadow mod in my sig and reduced it to LOW)

 "Clutter/Grass"  - - - - - - - - - - -  1000  (nice enough detail for that, usually doesn't bog down performance)

 "Preload Radius"  - - - - - - - - - -  75000  (perfect for 64GB of RAM, more than "90000" the loading times become long and impacts RAM + pagefile)

 "Chimney SMoke Density" - - - -   1  (this is the number of chimneys smoking in a radius; at minimum is best also for lower repetition pattern)

 "Anisotropic Filtering"   - - - - - -   8x  (you don't need more than this in DCS, be it for VR or 2D screen, and can impact performance)

 "Lens Effects" - - - - - - - - - - - -   Flare  (clean and natural sun flare effects; If you dislike the effect, change to OFF) 

 "Heat Blur"  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  LOW  (no need to use more than this, higher settings can impact performance with no benefits on image; OFF could also be considered) 

 "Motion Blur" - - - - - - - - - - - - -  OFF  (of no real importance for a flight-sim; OFF avoids creating ghosting (or adding even more) on objects) 

 "Depth of Field"  - - - - - - - - - - -  OFF  (huge impact on GPU usage; avoid enabling it at all times, no matter the system, be it 2D or VR) 

 "Wake Turbulence" - - - - - - - - -   OFF  (this particular setting is found under "Gameplay" settings - can greatly impact performance with more aircraft ingame).

 

 

I am surprised you need such low settings considering your system specs. Have you tried changing any of these since the recent updates? 

[LucShep]

13 minutes ago, Qcumber said:

I am surprised you need such low settings considering your system specs. Have you tried changing any of these since the recent updates? 

I did.
It's again the subjective aspect of "perception and preferences".
Maybe it's just that I'm more sensitive to micro-stuttering than others - and I think I've tried everything.

The main problem for me is, being spoiled for so long with a modified DCS 2.5.6. It works in VR significantly more performant and absolutely smooth at 170% HMD resolution, MSAA 4x and all (yes you read that right).
It becomes a huge downgrade to get back to latest 2.9x (or any version of DCS after 2.5.6) and having to set it at 100% HDM resolution, and always some micro-stuttering creeping in (hence such settings).

Edited November 8, 2024 by LucShep

[Qcumber]

10 hours ago, LucShep said:

Maybe it's just that I'm more sensitive to micro-stuttering

That's a good point. It's all about getting the right balance. I have some microstutters in some situations. Not too bad but I might try dropping landscape textures to low again to see what it does.  

For me I find that pushing centre resolution (QVFR) to the equivalent of about 3500 pixels and MSAAx2 gives me the right balance. 72 fps with some GPU headroom. 

Edit: dropping landscape textures to low makes no difference for me in terms of performance but does not look very good (tested on Normandy 2 map, 109, "Defence of Amien Glisy").

Edited November 9, 2024 by Qcumber

[Gil80]

@LucShep I want to try these mods for testing how they may improve performance in my case, but I'm a bit confused with the order of installation.

Using Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 + CGTC 2.84.1 + dcs-texture-optimizer

1. It took my PC about 2 hours to compress the textures. At the end I got a TMP and MOD folders.
2. Given the CGTC 2.84.1 mod and Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 are already enabled, then:
   1. Where do I copy the dcs-texture-optimizer Mod folder to?
   2. Should it be on a mechanical HDD or keep it in the same driver where DCS is installed (NVME)?
   3. I assume it will overwrite the CGTC 2.84.1 textures, so how can I use them together?
   4. Will it overwrite Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11?

[LucShep]

10 hours ago, Gil80 said:

@LucShep I want to try these mods for testing how they may improve performance in my case, but I'm a bit confused with the order of installation.

Using Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 + CGTC 2.84.1 + dcs-texture-optimizer

1. It took my PC about 2 hours to compress the textures. At the end I got a TMP and MOD folders.
2. Given the CGTC 2.84.1 mod and Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 are already enabled, then:
   1. Where do I copy the dcs-texture-optimizer Mod folder to?
   2. Should it be on a mechanical HDD or keep it in the same driver where DCS is installed (NVME)?
   3. I assume it will overwrite the CGTC 2.84.1 textures, so how can I use them together?
   4. Will it overwrite Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11?

First of all, I'm not sure you're accustomated with mods in DCS.
If you are then pardon me (and ignore) the quote below.
 

Quote

If you're not accustomated to DCS modding, then I'd strongly recommend you to use a mod manager.
I personally recommend OVGME. That said, there are many happy users with Open Mod Manager. Use whichever of the two you prefer. 

Basically what these do is to have a dedicated mods folders with separated folders inside for each respective mod.
All inside a drive/folder location of your preference, and pointed (by your request) to your DCS main installation, or your DCS Saved Games.
(some mods go to main DCS installation, others to DCS Saved Games)

Then you can select and install mods separately, and revert everything should that need ever come.
Basically, what a mod manager does is it copies the mod content (of each mod you activate separately) and it creates original backups of everything that is being replaced/changed.
Yes, this it will increase used disc space, but at least you'll have backups to revert to if necessary.
Much better for when something goes wrong (conflict, or bug, or if simply disliking the mod), and not have to make a long winded clean/repair of DCS (or reinstalling it all over again!).

Now, as for your questions....

2.1
It's been months since I used it, but IIRC, it puts all resized textures inside a .Mod folder, itself with folder structures inside just like the DCS main installation ("Bazar", "CoreMods" and "Mods" folders, with all the resized textures inside). 
I would not recommend copy/pasteing its content to the game. Instead, use a mod manager, and then "activate" that Mod folder, pointed to the main installation folder of DCS.

2.2
I use all my mod manager files on an HDD (yes much slower but far more practical for mod activation and original backups placement).
Mainly because NVME space is dear to me. There is no need to have the mod manager files on same drive as the game.

2.3
Yes, it may overwrite files and then it may become a mix of all things wrong.
You can use them together, but make sure to leave the CGTC mod for last.

2.4
No, it won't, no problem there.
The Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 is just a modified Shadows config, which none of those mods aproach or touch.
Install it first or last, won't matter.


I'll finish with an advice that you'll often see repeated....
Whatever you do to change stuff (which you should, modding is amazing at times), always make backups, and even better if you use a mod manager.
There are literally thousands of files in the game (it's friggin huge as you've noticed) and it's not funny at all when things go wrong (and at times they do).

Edited November 9, 2024 by LucShep

[Gil80]

2 minutes ago, LucShep said:

recommend OVGME

I already use that, but then I read that I need to use SLAM for symlink... and that got me confused.

[LucShep]

10 minutes ago, Gil80 said:

I already use that, but then I read that I need to use SLAM for symlink... and that got me confused.

I didn't use that.

What I did was to separate the mod in parts, instead of just one huge folder.

You'll notice that inside the .Mod folder there is (or at least when I used it there was) "Bazar", "CoreMods" and "Mods" folders

I created three folders in OVGME mods folder...

• "BAZAR_Texmod"
• "COREMODS_Texmod"
• "MODS_Texmod"

...then copied/pasted the "Bazar", "CoreMods" and "Mods" folders inside those respective folders in OVGME, and activated them... Done.
(note: it may take quite a while for each, make sure to have the disc space as well for OVGME mods and backups).

Edited November 8, 2024 by LucShep

[Gil80]

9 minutes ago, LucShep said:

created three folders in OVGME mods folder...

• "BAZAR_Texmod"
• "COREMODS_Texmod"
• "MODS_Texmod"

That's a great idea! I'll give it a go.

Say, if you keep these mods on a HDD, doesn't the game load slower?

[LucShep]

9 minutes ago, Gil80 said:

That's a great idea! I'll give it a go.

Say, if you keep these mods on a HDD, doesn't the game load slower?

Nah, the OVGME folder where you put the mods to be activated is just an "archive base" (and why it doesn't really matter in what drive it is located).
When activating a mod, its respective modded files go into your game (in your NVME) replacing old/original ones, and OVGME creates backups of those, in case you later wish to revert. 

Edited November 8, 2024 by LucShep

[Gil80]

5 hours ago, LucShep said:

Sure, give it a go and follow the few instructions in it. But, again, do not expect miracles.

Suggesting settings for VR is complicated because each person has their own perception of things (of stuttering/hitching, and of desired details), it becomes subjective.
What might be good for me may not be for you, and vice-versa.

 

On 11/6/2024 at 7:19 PM, slughead said:

Hmm. I don’t think turbo mode completely breaks AWS. Have you tried with it on? I have it on and it switches into AWS when necessary.

OK, so I gave these suggestions a shot.

What I did was:

1. Used the suggested settings by @LucShep
2. Used the Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 mod
3. Used dcs-texture-optimizer mod
4. Enabled ASW Adaptive
5. QuadViews is used via OpenXR API but I push the circle to the outmost area of the view, about 90% and render at 1/2.

null

I tried the usual supercarrier flyover and Caucasus map.

 

Observations in SP mode:

1. Stil judders when doing flyovers, but with noticeable improvements using @LucShep settings.
2. Repeating No.1 with textures set to high and shadows on medium - there are more judders, and I can see the CPU Thread graph is noisy. Frames drop from 72 to about 50~60 for a second and then back again to 72.
3. In Caucasus map, it is quite smooth even with textures set on high + shadows on med + terrain object shadows on flat. fps was 72 to 70 most of the time
4. Frame time shows 13.

 

Observations in MP mode:

In Caucasus map, settings are as in No.2 above. During flight, at 7K ft, a sudden fps drop to 36fps, and I believe this is where ASW kicked in... but it never got back to 72. Even after I exited the server and started a new game. Only if I relaunch DCS, I'll get my 72 fps back.

 

I'll try to stick to LucShep's settings, as it's hard for me to give up on eye-candy graphics   and next I'll try the CGTC addon.

 

P.S. - the in-game statistics show the Vram usage at about 8GB for the Caucasus in MP mode and about 6GB in SP mode. However, looking at MSI Afterburner GPU Vram Usage is maxed out. I can only attribute it to the crap that Windows run.

 

Edited November 9, 2024 by Gil80

[LucShep]

1 hour ago, Gil80 said:

 

OK, so I gave these suggestions a shot.

What I did was:

1. Used the suggested settings by @LucShep
2. Used the Shadows_Reduced_Impact_v2.11 mod
3. Used dcs-texture-optimizer mod
4. Enabled ASW Adaptive
5. QuadViews is used via OpenXR API but I push the circle to the outmost area of the view, about 90% and render at 1/2.

 

P.S. - the in-game statistics show the Vram usage at about 8GB for the Caucasus in MP mode and about 6GB in SP mode. However, looking at MSI Afterburner GPU Vram Usage is maxed out. I can only attribute it to the crap that Windows run.

The VRAM numbers difference may come from one value (the lower one) being the VRAM usage, and the other (the much higher one) the VRAM allocation.
It just seems then that MSI Afterburner still calls them both the same name (has done for years, wrongly so) but you can change the name on the wrong one and correct it. 

In your RTX4070Ti Super, you have a 16GB VRAM buffer, available to be allocated and used (Nvidia explains more of this here).

Don't worry about VRAM allocation, it's normal that it gets close to total of VRAM in the GPU (‘I want it in case I need it’). With DCS, it will always be allocated as much as possible.

Now, the other one, the VRAM usage (the actual one in the in-game statistics you mention) is the one to be worried about, and DCS likes to eat a truck load of it....

If the VRAM usage gets to that point that reaches the total VRAM limit of your GPU, a purge is atempted, causing a noticeable performance hitch while the current scene is reloaded into memory. And it then (in panic mode) goes to consume your RAM, and then your Swapfile/Pagefile if there isn't enough RAM (which can go 40GB+ usage on its own in MP).

Neither RAM (best case) or Swapfile/Pagefile (worst case) will be anywhere near the speed of dedicated VRAM on the GPU, and assets load much, much slower then.
And then if you add the fact already mentioned in this thread, that DCS swaps a lot, the big textures inside the .ZIP files, being extracted and then swaped, etc......

Things can become extremely problematic (a nightmare of stuttering only fixable by quitting the game to desktop), and why high-end 16GB(+) VRAM GPUs and 64GB of fast RAM, along with a strong CPU and game on a good NVME drive, are so desirable for DCS. And also why those "optimized textures" mods got so popular.
Hopefully, all that is far more controlled there now.  

PS: for a real test of performance, I'd suggest a higher detail module and map (Tomcat, Phantom, Apache, Chinook, Hind, etc, on Syria, Sinai, Afghanistan, Kola, etc). 
Those will push a LOT more than the default Frogfoot (or even the Hornet) on Caucasus, guaranteed.

Edited November 9, 2024 by LucShep

[zbysiek]

19 hours ago, LucShep said:

I know mate but, while that's valid, I'm hoping for the author to improve it (it's still not there IMO).
 

 

The project is on backburner due to the recent changes that ED made regarding texture streaming, as of now i don't recommend using any 3rd party mods, DCS is just too unstable on it's own right now. I'm gonna return to in in a couple months when they fix the stability for everyone.

[LucShep]

1 hour ago, zbysiek said:

The project is on backburner due to the recent changes that ED made regarding texture streaming, as of now i don't recommend using any 3rd party mods, DCS is just too unstable on it's own right now. I'm gonna return to in in a couple months when they fix the stability for everyone.

Yeah, the ever changing aspect of DCS, it's both a boon and a bane. 
And unfortunately, as always, mod projects become part of the "collateral damage" with the changes from updates. 

Ultimately, with Taz's absence since earlier this year, and like with his mod project before, yours has been a solution for a long time neglected aspect.
Many thanks for keeping at it. 

Edited November 9, 2024 by LucShep

[Gil80]

19 hours ago, LucShep said:

The VRAM numbers difference may come from one value (the lower one) being the VRAM usage, and the other (the much higher one) the VRAM allocation.
It just seems then that MSI Afterburner still calls them both the same name (has done for years, wrongly so) but you can change the name on the wrong one and correct it. 

In your RTX4070Ti Super, you have a 16GB VRAM buffer, available to be allocated and used (Nvidia explains more of this here).

Don't worry about VRAM allocation, it's normal that it gets close to total of VRAM in the GPU (‘I want it in case I need it’). With DCS, it will always be allocated as much as possible.

Now, the other one, the VRAM usage (the actual one in the in-game statistics you mention) is the one to be worried about, and DCS likes to eat a truck load of it....

If the VRAM usage gets to that point that reaches the total VRAM limit of your GPU, a purge is atempted, causing a noticeable performance hitch while the current scene is reloaded into memory. And it then (in panic mode) goes to consume your RAM, and then your Swapfile/Pagefile if there isn't enough RAM (which can go 40GB+ usage on its own in MP).

Neither RAM (best case) or Swapfile/Pagefile (worst case) will be anywhere near the speed of dedicated VRAM on the GPU, and assets load much, much slower then.
And then if you add the fact already mentioned in this thread, that DCS swaps a lot, the big textures inside the .ZIP files, being extracted and then swaped, etc......

Things can become extremely problematic (a nightmare of stuttering only fixable by quitting the game to desktop), and why high-end 16GB(+) VRAM GPUs and 64GB of fast RAM, along with a strong CPU and game on a good NVME drive, are so desirable for DCS. And also why those "optimized textures" mods got so popular.
Hopefully, all that is far more controlled there now.  

PS: for a real test of performance, I'd suggest a higher detail module and map (Tomcat, Phantom, Apache, Chinook, Hind, etc, on Syria, Sinai, Afghanistan, Kola, etc). 
Those will push a LOT more than the default Frogfoot (or even the Hornet) on Caucasus, guaranteed.

 

Again, thank you very much for the detailed explanation and the time you took to write it. Much appreciated!!!

 

Have you ever noticed a difference in graphics quality when switching Terrain Textures from High to Low? With the dcs-texture-optimizer and the CGTC - Caucasus retexture?

 

Update: Had a MP game with 20 people, Syria map. Within 10 seconds of gameplay on the ground, I got from 72 to 36fps. The strange thing is I got it while ASW was disabled. 

Why is that?

Edited November 9, 2024 by Gil80