What changed with June 25 maintenance that cause worse performance?

reazea · July 9

Did ZOS think we wouldn't notice that right after a server maintenance on 25 June that there was an appreciable decline in performance?

What did ZOS do that caused the performance decline and why, after two additional maintenances, has the performance not recovered?

@ZOS_Kevin

Performance, even during vengeance, has been horrible. What did ZOS do to the servers and can it please be reverted?

Anysra · July 10

I am absolutely certain that ever since this update, the FPS counter showing “120” does not actually feel like a true 120 FPS to my eyes. I’m convinced there’s something unusual going on with the game’s performance. At first, I assumed it was an issue with my own PC, but after reading similar complaints here on the forums and on Reddit, it’s clear that many others are experiencing the same problem.

NoticeMeArkay · July 10

Anysra wrote: »

I am absolutely certain that ever since this update, the FPS counter showing “120” does not actually feel like a true 120 FPS to my eyes. I’m convinced there’s something unusual going on with the game’s performance. At first, I assumed it was an issue with my own PC, but after reading similar complaints here on the forums and on Reddit, it’s clear that many others are experiencing the same problem.

If you're unsure wether or not the FPS counter the game provides is stating the correct information, you can always use your graphics cards software to get another fps counter on screen to doublecheck.

sarahthes · July 10

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

Anysra wrote: »

I am absolutely certain that ever since this update, the FPS counter showing “120” does not actually feel like a true 120 FPS to my eyes. I’m convinced there’s something unusual going on with the game’s performance. At first, I assumed it was an issue with my own PC, but after reading similar complaints here on the forums and on Reddit, it’s clear that many others are experiencing the same problem.

If you're unsure wether or not the FPS counter the game provides is stating the correct information, you can always use your graphics cards software to get another fps counter on screen to doublecheck.

They have stated in the past that the fps meter is referring to server frames.

SaffronCitrusflower · July 10

reazea wrote: »

Did ZOS think we wouldn't notice that right after a server maintenance on 25 June that there was an appreciable decline in performance?

What did ZOS do that caused the performance decline and why, after two additional maintenances, has the performance not recovered?

@ZOS_Kevin

Performance, even during vengeance, has been horrible. What did ZOS do to the servers and can it please be reverted?

I noticed this myself, and like the OP, I can put an exact date and time on the degradation.

ZOS, you did something with the June 25th maintenance that is having very negative impacts on performance.

Any chance this change can be reverted? Or is it something to do with new content and we're stuck with yet another performance hit that we're never going to recover from?

@ZOS_Kevin

Sluggy · July 10

sarahthes wrote: »

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

Anysra wrote: »

I am absolutely certain that ever since this update, the FPS counter showing “120” does not actually feel like a true 120 FPS to my eyes. I’m convinced there’s something unusual going on with the game’s performance. At first, I assumed it was an issue with my own PC, but after reading similar complaints here on the forums and on Reddit, it’s clear that many others are experiencing the same problem.

If you're unsure wether or not the FPS counter the game provides is stating the correct information, you can always use your graphics cards software to get another fps counter on screen to doublecheck.

They have stated in the past that the fps meter is referring to server frames.

I'm certain they have never said that. You are probably getting something confused or conflated. It's trivial easy to verify this statement is false anyway.

L_Nici · July 10

I do not know what they did, but I know how it affects me.
I can be very sure to me it happened after the last update, because in Vengeance PvP where 200+ players were on the screen my CPU just chilled at 30% (I know some experienced issues there already, I did not though), after Vengeance ended even small groups of people spiked my CPU randomly from 30% to 100% for 1-2 seconds resulting in a rapid frameloss, going down from the usual 100 to 10 and then just back up like nothing ever happened. That never happened in usual PvP before either, there the latency was the issue, never my frames or CPU, now its frames AND latency.

Friendly-assasin81 · July 10

Since the last update i have had fps going from 100 to 15 randomly in auridon vulkelguard. Before the update i had 100fps and maybe a drop to 90fps with lots of people. In pvp i get 10-15 fps with lots of players around me after the update. Before the update i had a drop to about 45-50fps with large ballgroups around me.

PC:
OS: Windows 11 Home 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5 12400F
RAM: 16,0GB Dual-Channel DDR4
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
Storage: 931GB KINGSTON SNV3S1000G (SATA-2 (SSD))
Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. PRIME H610M-A WIFI D4 (LGA1700)

exiars10 · July 10

NoticeMeArkay wrote: »

Anysra wrote: »

I am absolutely certain that ever since this update, the FPS counter showing “120” does not actually feel like a true 120 FPS to my eyes. I’m convinced there’s something unusual going on with the game’s performance. At first, I assumed it was an issue with my own PC, but after reading similar complaints here on the forums and on Reddit, it’s clear that many others are experiencing the same problem.

If you're unsure wether or not the FPS counter the game provides is stating the correct information, you can always use your graphics cards software to get another fps counter on screen to doublecheck.

Nah, the latest Steam update added really good and customizable overlay performance monitor

.

Versalium · July 10

Not only the performance, but also a massive sound lag. The sound very often comes after action was made. And when it finally comes, it is often ends abruptly anyway like it realizes that it was late.

The issue got a bit better, but it still there and annoying. I'm almost getting used to doing lockpicking in silence. That's not right.

Friendly-assasin81 · July 11

After some testing today there is no difference between The setting Low on all graphics and high graphics.
Im on 16 fps in keeps on both settings in cyrodiil with ballgroups around. This wasnt that much of a problem before the update/patch because that was 45-60 around the same ballgroups.

Guessing ill stick to battlefield 5/2042/1 on full graphics until its fixed....

Desiato · July 11

sarahthes wrote: »

They have stated in the past that the fps meter is referring to server frames.

Do you have a source? Because the fps reported by the game client corresponds with external fps meters and the max fps can be controlled by a client setting. So that doesn't really make sense. Like when I change the max fps for the client to 180 fps, that's not changing anything on the server. I have to think there's a misunderstanding there.

With all that said, fps is a value derived from frame time and frame time polling isn't completely accurate. It misses some kinds of performance issues which some call microstutter.

This is the reason that to truly quantify performance, developers have to use a tool like nvidia's FCAT:

GPU performance is often calculated by running benchmark games and recording the average Frames Per Second (FPS) using FRAPS or a similar tool. Unfortunately, many significant performance implications can be missed using this traditional method. We've found that the data reported by FRAPs doesn't match what you see on screen and feel in the game. So, in 2011, NVIDIA engineers began work on a new way to examine GPU performance in far greater detail.

These efforts resulted in FCAT (Frame Capture Analysis Tool). Measuring performance as it's delivered on a monitor, FCAT identifies dropped frames, runt frames, micro-stuttering, and other problems that reduce the visible smoothness of the action on-screen—even when running at sixty frames per second and above as reported by FRAPS. This in-depth examination of performance has helped us to fine-tune the last two generations of our graphics hardware while in development, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.

Note, this isn't an end-user tool as it requires video capture by a separate device.

Here is a more in-depth explanation for those interested:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/6862/fcat-the-evolution-of-frame-interval-benchmarking-part-1

They have a hardware device that does this now, but I forget what it's called.

The point is that fps reported by our pc only tells part of the story and it misses many forms of micro stutter. so one can have 200 fps with no apparent problems reported by conventional benchmarks, yet still experience performance issues.

I think I'm highly sensitive to microstutter and have noticed it frequently in eso recently.

Friendly-assasin81 · July 12

After more testing. There is next to no difference between with addons and without. I gained 10fps in pve and nothing in pvp.

L_Nici · July 12

Somehow it seems to get worse for me. At first it only happened in PvP, now I even get it in cities, if there is a few players. Seems to happen in the moment, when they load in.

reazea · July 12

reazea wrote: »

Did ZOS think we wouldn't notice that right after a server maintenance on 25 June that there was an appreciable decline in performance?

What did ZOS do that caused the performance decline and why, after two additional maintenances, has the performance not recovered?

@ZOS_Kevin

Performance, even during vengeance, has been horrible. What did ZOS do to the servers and can it please be reverted?

Every time they put up the PTS overall game performance suffers noticeably. I think that's it, but they very well have made other server side changes to accomodate Solstice and other new content, which would also be par for the course.

They just keep spreading the game thinner and thinner over the same limited server resources and performance keeps declining as a result. It's pretty simple and obvious really.

ZOS seems to think that the players won't notice this trend or must not have the background to see what's going on.

MercilessnVexed · July 13

Man. I thought it was just me. I figured I needed to improve yet another thing on my PC. Boy am I NOT glad to see that it's a whole big issue for a lot of people. I would much prefer it just be me. ZoS... what did ya do now? LOL

Nemesis7884 · July 13

Also noticed worse perfornance, delays and a lot more disconnects after the last really long maintenance....
Maybe either some cost saving measures on the servers or already preperations for midyear pvp?

TheMajority · July 13

performance has been so terrible lately, so much skipping and jittering and graphical lag that shouldnt be there

Nemesis7884 · July 13

just got disconnected again; honestly i cant play a single day now, not even for an hour without a disconnect...

TX12001rwb17_ESO · July 13

I remember being able to stand in a group of a dozen people without any issue, now my game is stuttering when only a few people are on screen and this is something that occurred very recently.

Radiate77 · July 13

Well guys, guess it’s time for Vengeance overland. 😂

virtus753 · July 13

reazea wrote: »

reazea wrote: »

Did ZOS think we wouldn't notice that right after a server maintenance on 25 June that there was an appreciable decline in performance?

What did ZOS do that caused the performance decline and why, after two additional maintenances, has the performance not recovered?

@ZOS_Kevin

Performance, even during vengeance, has been horrible. What did ZOS do to the servers and can it please be reverted?

Every time they put up the PTS overall game performance suffers noticeably. I think that's it, but they very well have made other server side changes to accomodate Solstice and other new content, which would also be par for the course.

The PTS is always up except for the occasional maintenance. The most recent big update only hit PTS on July 9, so it is hard to imagine the PTS would have caused performance problems that started two weeks before that.

Resresi_Willowwind · July 13

I sometimes have a massive lag when changing zones now.

HedgeHugger · July 13

Not noticing much difference on my PC, but if I use my Legion Go there is frequent reloading when travelling around. For instance, 3 reloads in the town of Wayrest, between the wayshrine and Fighters Guild!.

RaygunGoth · July 13

+1 to much of the above, and likewise: I thought it was just me for a while, so thanks for the reassuring thread if nothing else!

The issue seems intermittent, but definitely at its worst in high-population/duelling areas like Vivec City and Vulkhel Guard as described above. Audio will stutter, framerates will plummet, and more often than not my client will crash outright. Curiously, I had almost no issues during the Vengeance campaign, even when hundreds of us would be tearing up Chalman simultaneously.

I've metaphorically been tearing my hair out trying to reduce various graphics settings – especially particles and character detail, as they looked to be the main cuplrits — but one trip back to Vulkhel Guard will tend to prove that isn't the issue. And this despite the game running very nicely indeed on 'ultra' settings prior to the launch of Update 46. Similar to Friendly-assasin81: this has proven to be the case even after I had disabled all add-ons, or reinstalled a bare minumum of only those reported as being up-to-date.

By this point I have gone so far as reinstalling the game and my OS; on at least one occasion the client has also asked me to submit a crash log report. Is there anything else we can/should do to report what is (at least in my case) a game-crashing dive in performance?

PC/Steam:
OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro x64
CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K
RAM: 64GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super
Storage: Samsung MZ7LM480HCHP-00003 (500GB SSD)
Motherboard: ASUSTeK Prime H370-Plus

EDIT: I forgot to add: I've also gone as far as deleting the ShaderCache.cooked and user settings files (as recommended by a Bethesda support article) and resetting graphics options to what NVidia reckons is 'optimised' several times during this diagnosis process, but to no avail.

CatoUnchained · July 13

They did something during the June 25th maintenance and there has been a very noticeable decline in performance, an increase in lag and reduced frame rate ever since. I didn't change anything on my video card and have the latest drivers, but even frame rate is bottoming out now. It's crazy bad in PvP and even pretty noticeable in PvE, especially immediately after changing zones.

Performance just keeps getting worse over time, never better except for the few weeks immediately after we got new servers.

This is not an issue on our end. It's all on ZOS' server end. Why don't they do what they have to know by now is the primary cause? If they don't know the cause is that's even worse than if they do and are choosing not to fix it.

Finedaible · July 13

No idea what happened but towns and populated areas definitely see fps dips. Never had this issue, at least not in several years.

freespirit · July 13

We just had this subject come up in one of my guild chats, interestingly people on older machines(PC) running Win10 were seeing less problems than those on far superior rigs but running Win 11.

I myself have had a few problems but usually that is when these forums are on fire with server problems being reported, outside of these times I am not seeing any major difference. My PC is on the way to being classed as a "potato" and I run the game on settings that I adjust accordingly, many are still ramped right up some are actually off.

Is Win 11 still not playing nice with ESO and apparently some other games too?

CatoUnchained · July 13

freespirit wrote: »

We just had this subject come up in one of my guild chats, interestingly people on older machines(PC) running Win10 were seeing less problems than those on far superior rigs but running Win 11.

I myself have had a few problems but usually that is when these forums are on fire with server problems being reported, outside of these times I am not seeing any major difference. My PC is on the way to being classed as a "potato" and I run the game on settings that I adjust accordingly, many are still ramped right up some are actually off.

Is Win 11 still not playing nice with ESO and apparently some other games too?

I have issues since June 25th maintenance and I'm running windows 10.

spartaxoxo · July 13

I have too. Thought it was something wrong with my machine.

LPapirius · July 15

reazea wrote: »

Did ZOS think we wouldn't notice that right after a server maintenance on 25 June that there was an appreciable decline in performance?

What did ZOS do that caused the performance decline and why, after two additional maintenances, has the performance not recovered?

@ZOS_Kevin

Performance, even during vengeance, has been horrible. What did ZOS do to the servers and can it please be reverted?

I don't know what they did, but June 25th was the day they did it. If ZOS can tank performance with a single maintenance like this then they're just as capable of improving performance with a single maintenance as well.

I'd sure like to know what they did to cause the degradation, but ZOS knows what they did, and could revert it if they wanted to, and they're not reverting the change despite the very significant performance decline.