RX 480 installed as I type this... the standard MSI version that I ordered weeks ago finally arrived, Amazon would not let me cancel it. I only ordered it because for a few minutes the price dropped to less than $240 on Amazon Prime day...

So, yea... both W9100 cards will be going up on ebay as soon as I verify that I can get at least 8 monitors working with 1, or 2 if I have too, RX 480 cards. The modified cards only have 2 display ports, so I may be sticking with this one. Fan is no louder than the FirePro was... about the same amount of heat, for the little time I have had it running.

I can get it to almost hold 60FPS on all 8 instances of LFS on Rocking, it drops a little bit in the 180 curves when you can see cars on the other side of the 180. But not much...

I am still getting stuttering though... I suspect it is due to Windows Focus boost and/or the new-ish frame rate code in LFS. If I keep them all limited to 60FPS the stuttering is minimal though.

Even Google Sketchup is faster, with a complex model and shadows on. I think I may actually be able to leave shadows ON while I edit. I do not do enough complex rendering to warrant keeping a pair of $3000-$4000 graphics cards that only work when doing that.

That's nice to hear !

We still need to find the issue for the stuttering when LFS is not active though.

Steam VR test with RX 480 REF Card

Been googling for frame rate drops when window loses focus...

Almost every reply/answer/solution to whatever game or program, is related to a setting in the game itself. Some games have separate frame rate cap variables for when the window does not have focus, or is sleeping, to save power/resources.

Scawen, is there a variable for the non-focused sleep frame rate in LFS?

..

As far as I know, my CPU's are not parking right now.
Ever since I set the performance to 100%.

I also noticed for the first time my CPU are running past the max 2.8ghz, and are hitting 3.2ghz. I only noticed this recently since I installed the new graphics card, not sure if that is why though. But in the past I tried to get it to do it, but never figured it out.
Would be stupid if that is how AMD squeezes more frame rates out of their graphics cards, boost the cpu! lol


If like before, I lock all the frame rates on all 8 instances of LFS, it runs a bit smoother, but this time I can lock them at 50fps, instead of 30, and use at least 4x alias, instead of 2x, without it ever dropping below 50.

8 Instances of LFS only uses about 20% of CPU, so if it did not slow down when losing focus there is plenty more CPU to use.

..

A few weeks ago, I've taken the time to split LFS between threads, I tried one core each, two each, and three each... there was no noticeable difference. So I've not bothered to waste time doing that.. since I have to do it each time I start it up... individually for each instance, it is too much of a pain.

Above when I said my CPU are not parked was because I stopped seeing the "parked" label on the CPU tags. When I first installed win 10 they were almost all parked, after I made setting changes none of them are. Setting it to 100% is suppose to also, disable parking, and it appears to have done that.

Right now this current issue is more due to the CPU and LFS, and less due to the GPU.

I am 99% convinced the stuttering, is caused by how much difference there is between the fastest LFS window, and the slowest, which is in turn caused by LFS slowing down to save CPU resources when minimized, and giving a boost to the one that has Focus. All programs do it... I just need a way to disable it in LFS, but that will require Scawen to make some pretty big code changes.

If I lock them all at a framerate that is slow enough that they all STAY there and don't budge, the stuttering is almost gone.

So if I had more GPU, I could lock them at a higher FPS, but right now the most I can get with out it budging is 50, which is still better then the 30FPS I could get from the Fire Pro.

..

They are NOT minimized.
Just saying that is why LFS has code that slows it down... if you minimize LFS to go answer an email, there is no need for it to run full speed. But it doesn't just do it when it is minimized, it does it when it loses focus.

But in my case I need the windows that are not in focus to keep running the best they can, because of the multi-headed game setup.



They are running in borderless-full-screen-window-mode.
Or, at least tiled across one monitor if I don't have all my monitors turned on.

Windows only allows ONE window to have focus. So to run them equally I have to click the desktop, to make all 8 of them lose focus, or click on a 9th window running as server.

My next event only hired me for 4 cockpits, so, for that event I can run all 4 at 60FPS the way I have things setup now.
However, when I finally get the trailer and at least 8 cockpits setup inside it, I will need to disable the off-focus throttling.

..

Some games have a simple variable for when the program is not running with focus. It may be a sleep delay, that can be zeroed, or a max frame rate that could be increased. Or so I am learning via google...

Most of the times I saw answers for this, it was due to people wanting to stream their game online, and it was slowing down when not in focus, most of the games had an accessible variable in a config file that fixed it.

Check the test thread for patch H2. It involved the performance improvements, improved FPS limiter/display, "sleep every frame".

I have been reading some of it, that sleep is similar, but comes in play during the game, not when inactive...

I decided to try playing with Affinity again, only this time I made desktop short cuts so I did not have to manually change each one.

I also added /HIGH, apparently this actually allowed LFS To run high priority, doing it manually did not appear to change anything.

I can now run about 4 to 6 instances of LFS at 100 to 150 FPS, with the occasional burst as high as 300fps. The GPU is not yet maxed at this point, however as I add more instances, the GPU starts to peg at 100%, and the small stutteryness returns. However I can now lock them at 90FPS and still get 80-90 out of up to 8 Instances. So it is an improvement.

The boost to the focused window is not as obvious anymore, but it is still there.

Hopefully slapping a second RX 480 in the system will help...

I just fear that in non-crossfire mode, it will only use one card, and try to duplicate the signal on the other display ports.
Or in CrossFire mode, I will not be able to use the 2nd cards display ports at all.
Then there is the fact that LFS does not really use CrossFire.

I have been paying with affinity more... if it is setup right, it does help. The way I have it now, it looks like it will run at 100+ even with 8 players, as long as the number of AI is kept low.

What is odd, is sometimes one of the instances will run much faster, like one of my cores is really fast (or most of them are really slow?!)
But it does not always happen...

Does anyone know the best way to split up cores?
If I need 2 cores for 8 or 9 programs on a 2 Processor each with 16 cores, system?

The two processors are split up into 4 nodes, and I'm not sure if 0 and 1 are processor 1, or 0 and 2 is... I am assuming 0 and 1, is. I need to google more.

Right now I have it so each is using one "core/thread" on each processor, and that seemed to work best so far, but it really just takes the first one it is allowed to use, and mostly just uses that.


Also does anyone know how to get the multiplayer delay to run even smoother?
Since these are not only local, but literally the same computer, I was hoping for less multiplayer stuttering when viewing a car generated on another instance. I tried putting the network bandwidth to ridiculously high settings, and maxed out the smoothness to 12 (even though it says 6 is max), but it is still noticeable.... I will put up with it if I have to, but if I can nullify it, that would be much better.

..

Yes, I've been shopping for another PC to use...
The problem is I need to sell the one I have now to pay for the new one... and I doubt anyone wants to buy an opteron system these days.

So I have been continuing to stick it out with the Opteron system.
Works great with the 4 seats/wheels I have now...
Still have yet to do an event with it though.


I have two RX480 graphics cards, each able to run 6 monitors with MST adapters.
However, all the processing is only done on the primary card, 0% load is put on the second card, even when using monitors plugged into it.

The primary graphics card is limited to running 8 players at 100fps, which is required to ditch the stuttering problem from earlier in the thread.

Is it at all possible to force LFS to run on a specific secondary graphics card?

I know about the area in the LFS options, to change what monitor/adapter the game runs on in the next reboot, however this is not enough. If you tell it to use an option other then the primary, it runs in full screen mode on that option, and if I run another LFS on a different option, it will only display the one that is currently active, with mouse input, the rest go black. Windowed mode will not work with anything but the default/primary option.

I also cannot use CrossFire, as that would disable 6 of the monitor ports, and LFS does not make use of the 2nd card this way either.



It would be great, if I could start up the game with something like:

lfs.exe /GPU=2

Then I could run half on one card and half on the other.



Because of the above issue..
I am currently thinking of running 2 to 4 separate PC's each with 5 or 6 Players each, and an additional host PC, for the server(s), and spectator screens. At least it would save me on monitor cable Length.

Just an update for the few that care.

The graphic update to Blackwood throttled this project a lot.
I could only run about 4 instances of LFS at a steady 75FPS with medium to low graphics settings on the Opteron server.

I have recently acquired a Ryzen 1700 CPU to test out.
MSI B350M Mortar Micro ATX Mother Board, with 16BG OF 2400 Corsair 10CL ram.

With a single RX480, it runs 6 Instances of LFS at almost max graphics settings at a steady 75FPS.
All 6 Monitors are 2560x1080 21:9 at 75hz.
6 Instances of LFS only use about 3GB of GPU ram.
Each of the RYZEN CPU Cores/Threads are not even 50% used, so, no need to OC.

No Sign of the Stuttering or anything... yet, still have a few more tests to make sure.

If I try two RX480 in one machine (NOT CROSSFIRED), any instances displayed on a monitor connected to the 2nd GPU still only runs at about 50-75% the frame rate.

So, I have it all running on TWO of these systems, to get 12 Instances of LFS, 10 for Players, 1 for the Host & Spectator on one machine, And 1 just for Spector on second machine.

So far my new MSI RX480 4GB seems to be running a little better then the slightly older MSI 8GB, both reference cards, but I need to test some more to make sure.

(y) I'm still impressed you got that far by this multi-instance setup, I mean 3+ sounds to me as asking for trouble (from game programmer viewpoint), those things (OS, drivers, ordinary games) are hardly designed with such usage in mind, so nice to see it works even this well.

Also now you have a bit more fault-tolerant setup, if one PC is fried in action, you can still host 6 people to minimize damages.

SCAWEN ,

Are you still reading this thread?

I have been attempting to better-configure the Wheel buttons lately.
Unfortunately I CANNOT use the Logitech software to program the wheel buttons. Because one press on any wheel, either does it on all instances, or only the instance that has focus with the mouse. Which means it will NOT work this way.

So I am limited to only using button options within LFS itself.

If you ever get around to it, I would request the ability to add join/spectate buttons to the wheel. However, I would prefer it if it was one button for Shift, and one for J and one for S. So players do not spectate themselves while mashing buttons, unless they get 'lucky' and press the two needed at the same time. At some point, I intend to make a custom button that plugs into the shifter port of the wheel. This will be placed under the seat on the cockpit, so when someone sits down, JOIN, when they stand up, SPECTATE, so they do not leave their car in the middle of the track and walk away mid race. Although I guess, I should put some sort of timer on it, incase they want to change drivers, or maybe prevent it from spectating while in the pits. Hmm...

Trying to think of what other options I may want for buttons as well, but most of it is silly stuff for the kids to play with, turn signals, horns, siren etc...

I also noticed a potential bug, with the buttons, not major though, and I can get around it. If someone presses some buttons on one of the wheels, it works normally in that instance of LFS, but the button press is also being detected in my HOST instance that is being controlled by the mouse. This is easily noticed by using the side to side view buttons.

Not sure which wheel is doing it, but it is just one, so it may likely be the last one configured, the default, or last one plugged in, however that works behind the scenes.



I will soon have everything I need to set this all up, in its entirety. All of the last few cockpit frames, seats, wheels, headphones, computers cables etc... have been ordered. so hopefully photos/videos soon.

It should be fully operational with 10 players if no new issues appear.

Quote from SimulatorRental.com :

If you ever get around to it, I would request the ability to add join/spectate buttons to the wheel.

Sorry to interrupt but you can already do that.. Every keyboard combination can be assigned to a wheel button.

In case of join it's simply /join .. Spectate is /shift s

More info: http://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/Script_Guide

I have had no luck with scripts.

So you filled in the keybind input field with /join .. another one with /shift s .. assigned wheel buttons to this and you had no luck?

Well.. I think you didn't even tried.