GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

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If you want help you're going to have to provide lots of info. Like what is your hardware, what is your operating system, what version of GZDoom/LZDoom/whatever you're using, what mods you're loading, how you're loading it, what you've already tried for fixing the problem, and anything else that is even remotely relevant to the problem.

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MattFright
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GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

I've had this issue since GZDoom 4.4.0 where, sometimes, VERY rarely, it would completely softlock my OS seemingly at random (more on that later) in a way that i could not possibly revert it, completely irresponsive and stuttering the last sound that played (like it would during a bluescreen) until i force it to shutdown. This has happened in all sorts of different wads, mods and so on, the times that i can remember most precisely were when i was playing TNT Revilution with Supercharge and that happened near the plasma gun secret in MAP04, but also at some point in Carnage Galore 3, a few different places in Faithless, and even my own maps.

However, i think this bug has nothing to do with specific wads so that last bit of info might be irrelevant (though still listed them in case i'm wrong), and the reason i think this is the case is that i noticed that this seems to happen more easily the lower the framerate i am getting (so fancy post-processing, high resolutions, mods, UDMF maps and so on all seem to have this happen way more often than if i'm playing vanilla/boom maps, which i do play pretty often but almost never get this during those).

Three things to note that might be important:
-This only ever happened to me with the OpenGL renderer and Vulkan renderers, but not the OpenGLES renderer (though that could just be because it's new and i've only been using it for a few months). Can't speak for Softpoly or just Software because i don't ever use those.
-This never actually happened to me in LZDoom if that's any help.
-In around 4 years or so of using this laptop, i've never had this happen with anything other than GZDoom, or in a very recent case with Cruelty Squad (where it happens constantly in the second level). No other game or software aside from those two has ever caused me this issue, so i doubt it has to do with my actual hardware, even if not many people experience this other than myself.
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Enjay
 
 
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by Enjay »

It sounds like it might be that your graphics processor is getting too hot when running mods that make it work hard. I know you said it's a laptop, so I assume that you don't have two screens or anything, but might you be able to run some software that keeps an eye on your temperatures to see what they are running at while you are playing? If you don't already have something, Speccy might do. https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy The problem is, you'll need to keep it visible (which is why I mentioned the two screens), especially if your machine locks up and needs to be rebooted when the problem happens.
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MattFright
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

I actually do have an old second monitor i can use for this, so i'll give that a try. Though, i also doubt that that's the problem, because even GZDoom in combination with UDB in my maps with thousands of linedefs and fancy UDMF features don't heat up my laptop as much as, say, the game Hades, which has never caused me any bluescreens or softlocks in over... 100 or 200 hours of play by now?

Anyways i'll do that and report my results here after some testing, in case that really is the culpirit, though i have my doubts.
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Nash
 
 
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by Nash »

I suppose some easy ways to test the "laptop is overheating" theory is to test maps like Nuts (10k monsters) or Okuplok (20k monsters!!!), with heavy gameplay mods loaded on top... :')
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MattFright
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

Just did some tests on my UDMF map that was getting the most of these, and while the CPU does add +20ºC to my CPU, 70ºC shouldn't be anywhere near enough to cause a hard crash like that, especially when (like i said before) other games heat it up sooo much more to no problems whatsoever.
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Enjay
 
 
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by Enjay »

Yeah, 70ºC isn't that hot for a GPU under load (I think 80ºC is considered a general ball-park not to go above, but different GPUs tolerate different temperatures). Sorry for the wrong steer. At least it seems like that's eliminated.

I take it you've eliminated other things that could be running in the background? That doesn't seem too likely either because I don't see why they would only cause problems with GZDoom and with certain renderers.
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Rachael
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by Rachael »

Overheating is most definitely not something I would rule out. 70 is enough to cause a hard crash in some cases, it depends on how the manufacturer configured things. The way you said things with heavy shaders are more likely to cause this to happen, makes overheating even more suspect, actually.

Memory can also overheat too, but it's less likely.

One thing you can try is downloading MSI Afterburner and turning your clock speeds all the way to minimum, and see if it helps. Be careful using such a utility though - and heed its warnings.
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MattFright
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

I'm just not really getting why GZDoom specifically would crash Windows so hard as to not even prompt a bluescreen, while any other game/app that gets the CPU just as hot if not even hotter never did anything of that sort in about 4 years of using this laptop... Or why I could for example play Ar Luminae, which tanks performance HARD on any low end machine like mine, and by random(?) luck not get any OS crashes of the sort even after a few hours of continuous play.

I don't really want to risk using that app when i don't know much of how hardware works at all either though... So i think i'll just stick to GZDoom under the GLES renderer from now on since i've never had that crash my OS in such a way, as far as i can remember anyways (whether that's actually related or not, though, could be anyone's guess)
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by Graf Zahl »

Do you have VSync enabled? If not, try that. Running GZDoom uncapped with high frame rates can put your GPU under serious stress.
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MattFright
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

Will do. Hopefully that fixes the issue then
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MattFright
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Re: GZDoom sometimes completely softlocks my OS (Windows 10)

Post by MattFright »

Nope. Just happened again despite the VSync. Thankfully Windows didn't have to revert things too far behind like it's done before or i'd have lost hours and hours of progress on a map i'm working on...

I've said it before but i really doubt it's a "you're running it too well" or "running it too poorly" and by extension not entirely related to performance, so i don't think any possible solutions related to that will help me here.
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