A tip for a higher framerate

iso250

Hey there.

I installed the game the other day and have been playing around with the graphics settings quite a lot. I've stumbled across a trick that has boosted my frame rate and I hope it can help others, too.

When I set the game to Ultra settings, the game got a little choppy so I set V-Sync on. This resulted in the FPS consistently dropping to 30. What I do now is I hide the dock, set the game to maximised and the press the maximise button (green plus on top left of window) so the game expands to cover the space where the dock was.

I understand that this means having the grey menu bar at the top of the screen, however I have been able to keep the game on ultra, improve the water reflection setting to ultra, have V-Sync on and extend the visibility range to 70 with the frame rate hovering between 55 to 60. The lowest it has dropped to was 45 for a split second.

My specs are:

New Mac Pro
6-core 3.5GHZ
16GB RAM
Twin D700 cards

Vote +1 for a 64-bit client!!!

Moonraker

Hi @iso250, Nice to have some tips especially from a user with the new Mac Pro.

On Vertical sync (Vsync) The reason for what you describe is that the Mac client has true Fullscreen mode (PC does not currently) so Vsync works in that mode. The issue is that ESO uses double buffering Vsync which effectively will cap your framerates to a value relative to the monitor refresh rate Hz.

For my iMac with a refresh rate of 60Hz it means that anytime it drops below 60 FPS (which with Ultra-High settings it's mostly less) it will drop down by half of that rate so 30 > 15 etc. and cap at that rate so whatever you do it wont go above it unless it's consistently above 60 FPS+

For Vsync to operate it has to be true Fullscreen mode. Once you use a Maximised windowed/ Windowed mode the games Vsync does not work and it is the displays own Vsync which means there is no double buffering or capped FPS and why you see what you do.

You can read more about how it works here in this post, where it states;

Essentially this means that with double-buffered VSync, the framerate can only be equal to a discrete set of values equal to Refresh / N where N is some positive integer. That means if you're talking about 60Hz refresh rate, the only framerates you can get are 60, 30, 20, 15, 12, 10, etc etc. You can see the big gap between 60 and 30 there. Any framerate between 60 and 30 your video card would normally put out would get dropped to 30.

This is why, unless you get consistent 60+ FPS, Vsync = OFF always.

Vsync also uses more memory for the two buffers which is not good for the Mac client currently which has a memory issue (crash after a period of play) which is another reason not to enable it.

I find that I only get tearing when my FPS goes over 60 FPS so I tend to up Shadow Quality from Medium (I set it down in Ultra-High default) to keep it there.

It's also possible to cap the FPS to help with this or for controlling heat etc via settings I believe.

You can also set the windowed size in UserSettings.text at:

SET WindowedHeight "xxxx"
SET WindowedWidth "xxxx"

iso250

Hi there.

That's really strange as when Vsync is OFF I get shearing, regardless of whether I'm in full screen or windowed/maximised. It does cap my frame rate at 60 but I'm not really bothered by that.

With the RAM leak/issue/crash, with Vsync on I usually get a good three to four hours before it crashes and I have to relaunch.

Moonraker

iso250 wrote: »

Hi there.

That's really strange as when Vsync is OFF I get shearing, regardless of whether I'm in full screen or windowed/maximised. It does cap my frame rate at 60 but I'm not really bothered by that.

With the RAM leak/issue/crash, with Vsync on I usually get a good three to four hours before it crashes and I have to relaunch.

Depends a lot on settings. If I set mine to Medium/ Low it's hitting ESO 100FPS cap but I prefer the visuals and anything between 35-60 is fine with me.

Vysnc doesn't work in windowed so it's probably just the graphics card.

iso250

Have you tried maximising the window and upping the graphics? Did it work for you? Anyone else?

Moonraker

iso250 wrote: »

Have you tried maximising the window and upping the graphics? Did it work for you? Anyone else?

I always have the Window maximised and Ultra-High (shadow medium) and there is little difference in FPS in Fullscreen or Windowed for me.

it's only going to cap your FPS to 60 if you get FPS consistently over 60FPS which with higher settings is unlikely except in dungeons or interiors.

Vsync does use more memory so will impact memory crash but again depends on the location etc.

iso250

Oh, I meant has anyone found that maximising the window and upping the graphics setting given a higher FPS. Vsync is not a part of that question.

As an example (regardless of Vsync) I get higher FPS with maximised window on Ultra settings than I do with fullscreen on High settings.

Karnaugh33

I have the opposite. I was messing around with the settings last night, and both windowed and maximized made my FPS go down quite a bit. Low 30s to about 15. Vsync off for both.

Moonraker

Karnaugh33 wrote: »

I have the opposite. I was messing around with the settings last night, and both windowed and maximized made my FPS go down quite a bit. Low 30s to about 15. Vsync off for both.

Seems quite a bit. Perhaps the resolution of the native display. But it can make a difference depending on computer and card. 50% is a lot though. For me it's around 2-3 FPS at most.

I also find a difference of the same in first v third person view.

Karnaugh33

Moonraker wrote: »

Seems quite a bit. Perhaps the resolution of the native display. But it can make a difference depending on computer and card. 50% is a lot though. For me it's around 2-3 FPS at most.

I also find a difference of the same in first v third person view.

Ahh sorry. I forgot to mention I have my display mirrored onto the tv, MBP closed clamshell. I'll have to test it on the machine's display tonight.

Moonraker

Karnaugh33 wrote: »

Moonraker wrote: »

Seems quite a bit. Perhaps the resolution of the native display. But it can make a difference depending on computer and card. 50% is a lot though. For me it's around 2-3 FPS at most.

I also find a difference of the same in first v third person view.

Ahh sorry. I forgot to mention I have my display mirrored onto the tv, MBP closed clamshell. I'll have to test it on the machine's display tonight.

OK then that can alter things Interested to know how it goes.

Deimos

Moonraker wrote: »

...
On Vertical sync (Vsync) The reason for what you describe is that the Mac client has true Fullscreen mode (PC does not currently) so Vsync works in that mode.
...

Mac client doesn't have a true fullscreen mode! I am on retina MacBook Pro and making a screenshot of the game creates an image with resolution of 2880x1800 (desktop resolution), when in game settings say 1440x900. A true fullscreen mode would have created an 1440x900 image...

Moonraker

Deimos wrote: »

Moonraker wrote: »

...
On Vertical sync (Vsync) The reason for what you describe is that the Mac client has true Fullscreen mode (PC does not currently) so Vsync works in that mode.
...

Mac client doesn't have a true fullscreen mode! I am on retina MacBook Pro and making a screenshot of the game creates an image with resolution of 2880x1800 (desktop resolution), when in game settings say 1440x900. A true fullscreen mode would have created an 1440x900 image...

It is true Fullscreen because that is the only way that Vsync will work (see links above) I suspect that it's just how it handles the specific difference with the Retina screen i.e. that it takes the MBP native resolution rather than the in game resolution for the screenshot.

You will notice that setting the screenshot type from the default BMP in the UserSettings.txt to say JPG does nothing on a Mac. I asked before and the Mac client sets the screenshot format within the actual client instead and why it is a .png like a default screenshot.

Deimos

Moonraker wrote: »

Deimos wrote: »

Moonraker wrote: »

...
On Vertical sync (Vsync) The reason for what you describe is that the Mac client has true Fullscreen mode (PC does not currently) so Vsync works in that mode.
...

Mac client doesn't have a true fullscreen mode! I am on retina MacBook Pro and making a screenshot of the game creates an image with resolution of 2880x1800 (desktop resolution), when in game settings say 1440x900. A true fullscreen mode would have created an 1440x900 image...

It is true Fullscreen because that is the only way that Vsync will work (see links above) I suspect that it's just how it handles the specific difference with the Retina screen i.e. that it takes the MBP native resolution rather than the in game resolution for the screenshot.

You will notice that setting the screenshot type from the default BMP in the UserSettings.txt to say JPG does nothing on a Mac. I asked before and the Mac client sets the screenshot format within the actual client instead and why it is a .png like a default screenshot.

I used the default OS X screenshot key combination cmd+shift+3 and not the ESO's one. Anyway, when playing ESO, it doesn't change your screen resolution to match in game one, which doesn't make it a true fullscreen.

viktorcodeneb18_ESO

Deimos, it is a fullscreen mode nonetheless. Otherwise, it would’ve been a borderless window at screen resolution, which it isn’t. We know that from the difference in VSYNC behaviour in windowed vs. fullscreen, as iso250 correctly stated.

I didn't try playing in maximized windowed mode yet for long periods of time, but I will.

BTW, can we request devs to introduce fullscreen borderless window mode? I mean, what chance do we have to be heard?

granty2008cyb16_ESO

i have a sapphire r9 280x 3gb graphics card with 8 core liquid cooled cpu 24 gig of ram 800w psu running eyefinity on 3 23 inch monitors at res 5760 x1080 i can play battlefieald 4 on ultra and get nothing below 60fps and highs of 100fps yet on eso i get 30fps and drops as low as 15 sometimes anyone else have this problem with this card ?

kristofferstrutzenblad16_ESO

My tip to you: Install Windows and it will feel like a brand new game! The difference is so big I can't describe it in words. You have to try it for yourself.

Cheers!

iso250 wrote: »

Hey there.

I installed the game the other day and have been playing around with the graphics settings quite a lot. I've stumbled across a trick that has boosted my frame rate and I hope it can help others, too.

When I set the game to Ultra settings, the game got a little choppy so I set V-Sync on. This resulted in the FPS consistently dropping to 30. What I do now is I hide the dock, set the game to maximised and the press the maximise button (green plus on top left of window) so the game expands to cover the space where the dock was.

I understand that this means having the grey menu bar at the top of the screen, however I have been able to keep the game on ultra, improve the water reflection setting to ultra, have V-Sync on and extend the visibility range to 70 with the frame rate hovering between 55 to 60. The lowest it has dropped to was 45 for a split second.

My specs are:

New Mac Pro
6-core 3.5GHZ
16GB RAM
Twin D700 cards

Vote +1 for a 64-bit client!!!

Deimos

viktorcodeneb18_ESO wrote: »

Deimos, it is a fullscreen mode nonetheless. Otherwise, it would’ve been a borderless window at screen resolution, which it isn’t. We know that from the difference in VSYNC behaviour in windowed vs. fullscreen, as iso250 correctly stated.

I am sorry, but at least on retina Mac, it's not a fullscreen, but a borderless window. My FPS doesn't change with or without VSYNC, in windowed or fullscreen... Also, changing resolution in game does nothing, it always using desktop resolution (screen resolution is 2880x1800, but the game runs at 1440x900 with doubled pixels, resulting in a more jaggy edges, which screams for AA.)

viktorcodeneb18_ESO

Ah, but here’s the trick: to support 2880x1800 or any other retina resolution for that matter, the developer has to indicate that he’s ready to work with high resolution. This is done to prevent OpenGL games that are already out there to dramatically lose performance on retina-enabled Macs. Working with high resolution requires massive drawing code optimizations, so it has to be tested thoroughly first. Otherwise, OpenGL defaults to pixel doubling, which you see in ESO.

I hope developers will include optional retina support at some points, and the other goods OS X provides, like higher OpenGL revision as the default minimum.

Deimos

viktorcodeneb18_ESO wrote: »

Ah, but here’s the trick: to support 2880x1800 or any other retina resolution for that matter, the developer has to indicate that he’s ready to work with high resolution. This is done to prevent OpenGL games that are already out there to dramatically lose performance on retina-enabled Macs. Working with high resolution requires massive drawing code optimizations, so it has to be tested thoroughly first. Otherwise, OpenGL defaults to pixel doubling, which you see in ESO.

I hope developers will include optional retina support at some points, and the other goods OS X provides, like higher OpenGL revision as the default minimum.

I tried setting my screen resolution to 1x1 (no scale) at 2880x1800 and game defaults now to 2880x1800 too, I can now select (and it works) any resolution up to 2880x1800, which looks awesome of course, but have horrible FPS even in character selection screen. The thing is, UI is now crisp and clear (also very tiny), because it uses full 2880x1800 independent of game resolution you select in options.

Anyway, I would not use that mode because even if I set in game resolution to 1440x900 to get same FPS as before, UI is clear, because it's rendered at 2880x1800, but the game itself now looks very blurry, I rather have crisp graphics with jaggy edges by running the game as it meant to be.

viktorcodeneb18_ESO

Fullscreen mode still doesn’t work well with VSYNC after 1.1.2 patch (FPS is gutted big time). I’m getting used now to play in a window. Better having menu on top of the screen at all times than have my eyes suffer from screen tearing.

Moonraker

viktorcodeneb18_ESO wrote: »

Fullscreen mode still doesn’t work well with VSYNC after 1.1.2 patch (FPS is gutted big time). I’m getting used now to play in a window. Better having menu on top of the screen at all times than have my eyes suffer from screen tearing.

As mentioned above that is due to the double buffering method of Vsync they use ie capping to refresh rate. Not sure how it is in PC now with true fullscreen but maybe related to the bad memory issue reported on PC client since update.

jgw_ESO

Slightly off-topic, but relevant if you're trying to get decent performance on OS X:

VSync works fine, afaict, but the real issue on Retina MacBooks is the inability to change the resolution at which the game is rendering (the in-game setting has no effect whatsoever). You need to drop the resolution in the "Displays" preference pane to at *most* the default resolution (oddly described as "best (retina)").

See my comment near the end of http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/102165/cant-put-fullscreen-mode for more detail.

keto3000

This is my first MMO gaming experience ever. I have a late model 2012 21.5 iMac w/2.9 ghz Intel Core i5; 8 GB memory; Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 512 MB; running Mavericks OS X 10.9.3. It is still in excellent, "like new" condition.

I played a few beta ESO sessions this past February for first time and was hooked!

The game graphics on default high settings are fine and all looks great, however, I also get some game crashing after a few hours of play and lag issues running the zones and PvE content.

I just recently started PvP in Cyrodil and find the game laggy and often crashing in the middle of battles, especially the intensive keep fights.

I'm not computer savvy, so I just now learned how to view my FPS in-game. It is way too low ( ~19- 20s fps, occasionally in the low 30s if exploring and no battles).

I lowered settings to MEDIUM and barely notice much difference.

Help! do I need to purchase a new setup or is there any workaround to help me with this current hardware?

Moonraker

keto3000 wrote: »

This is my first MMO gaming experience ever. I have a late model 2012 21.5 iMac w/2.9 ghz Intel Core i5; 8 GB memory; Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 512 MB; running Mavericks OS X 10.9.3. It is still in excellent, "like new" condition.

I played a few beta ESO sessions this past February for first time and was hooked!

The game graphics on default high settings are fine and all looks great, however, I also get some game crashing after a few hours of play and lag issues running the zones and PvE content.

I just recently started PvP in Cyrodil and find the game laggy and often crashing in the middle of battles, especially the intensive keep fights.

I'm not computer savvy, so I just now learned how to view my FPS in-game. It is way too low ( ~19- 20s fps, occasionally in the low 30s if exploring and no battles).

I lowered settings to MEDIUM and barely notice much difference.

Help! do I need to purchase a new setup or is there any workaround to help me with this current hardware?

The Mac client has a known memory issue which causes the game to crash over time. In PVE typically 2-3 hours but in PvP with big battles nearer 25-45 minutes. It is noted in the revised Known Issues sticky in this section;

Frequent Mac Client Crashing:
Could be due to the game client slowly leaking memory over long play sessions.
Memory usage can be significantly reduced by turning textures down to medium or by turning the graphics settings down to medium.

source

Currently there is nothing you can really update to remedy this memory issue except where installed RAM is minimum adding some more may help a bit otherwise it is just waiting for fixes to the issue and adjusting settings to reduce the crash frequency, as noted in the Known Issues.

You iMac unfortunately has a weak graphics card which is the minimum for ESO with 512MB VRAM. Combined with the iMac screen size means it is not good to drive modern 3D games and will require reducing settings down.

I suggest to set to Medium then switch Shadows OFF and reduce other settings and test to get the best balance for performance and visuals as best you can.