ScoreDoom v1.99r3B

[NovaDragon]

Yeah it still seems like it lags even withough the monster and artifact addons. Maybe something with the Gzdoom version? Ill try downloading the other one on the link you posted and see what happens.

[BilboHicks]

Yes it is possible I suppose that it is the version of gzdoom I am using. I hate to sound demanding, but since I cant really test for lag properly, I was wondering if you or DavidB1000, could also see if it happens on vanilla gzdoom1.0.29 which you can grab here: http://grafzahl.drdteam.org/gzdoom/arch ... 1-0-29.zip (I would be surprised if it does)

Could you also post your machine specs; CPU, memory & video card when you post again?

I'm thinking that its something to do with how zdoom's console code I'm calling is jiving on older PCs with all those console/HUD messages I'm sending due to the way the double shotty does damage.

[DavidB1000]

I don't have an older PC! Mine makes yours look old and slow. So, I don't know why I still get lag in this mod. I don't even know if it would be Gzdoom.
I'm just wondering about your computer, if it doesn't show up lag at all, that's weird. Mine has 2 gigs of ram, it's a dual Core processor that rates somewhere about 5.66ghz, it has a Geforce 8600 GT. Hmm, what else do I need to add?
It can run Oblivion, and Crysis.
I'll let Novadragon do the testing. If it turns out it's yours, it's time for a code optimization, or switch to Score Zdoom.

[NovaDragon]

Well tested out the regular gzdoom and everything works fine. The other version of scoredoom you posted still seems to lag and like we said, its usually after a few levels unless its a massive level testing. My computer is a laptop so its specs aren't really high but my dads computer crushes doom 3 without a problem and it still lags on that (just not as noticeable as on my laptop.)

[BilboHicks]

Cheers guys.

Wierd. The fact that the lag is only/mainly on the SSG makes me think that the code which prints damage points to the console is the problem/bottleneck and needs to be optimized. Just odd how it depends on the level size and after a few levels in (typically larger levels, so still not convinced its due to memory leaks.)

I'm planning to first make these messages low priority to see if that fixes it, if not, I'm going to try and implement an alternative damage points console (activated by a console var), which will queue up the damage points messages to the console over a tic, and then either at death, or the next tic there will be line like "+10 +5 +15 +10" as one console message. I have the pseudo-code down, and it should work even for multiplayer. I will upload the betas and update the thread, if and when I get the fixes in. Fortunately 'real life' have been casual for me lately, so I've had some time to look into this more.

[BilboHicks]

*EDIT: Before you try what I suggest below, go into your <yourusername>-zdoom.ini file and lookup con_notifytime and set it from 3 to 0 and see if that helps. If it does, move it up to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 etc... This controls the (damage ) messages which result directly onto the main screen. Any damage messages not on the main screen will be rendered when you pull down the console with '~'.*

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I uploaded a simple test for the lag bug, and its not considered a fix by a far stretch. I have a feeling this should work lag free though. Firstly you need to initially boot scoredoom/gzdoom by starting a wad like Ultimate Doom, close it, then in the <yourusername>-zdoom.ini set the line sd_altconsole=true from false.
This test will limit the amount of damage scoring writes to the console to 2 per tic. If you can test in MP, all the better, but no problem if not. It should be 'fine' for mp.

http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html

cheers. If this gives lag, I'm truly stumped.

[BilboHicks]

DavidB1000, I may owe you an apology I think I finally found the problem, and it is memory related.
After looking at my source code at lunchtime, I'm thinking it could possibly (actually probably) be my code whereby I'm effectively allocating 32k to 48k from the process-heap everytime a new level is started. I forget to free the process-heap memory in the function doing the allocation, so that means that 32k to 48k gets taken from the game process everytime a level is started & restarted. Thats why I orginally thought it wasnt a memory leak, since the size of the program is staying the same (but really the heap-space available to the rest of the game is decreasing.) Doh!
So it sort of makes sense that the game would lag after several levels. I do not typically play more than a few levels at a time, before quiting, so thats probably why I also havent really seen lag. Though I'd be lying to say that I have never seen the game slow down once in a while (but I attributed that to other processes running )

I hope to have a new beta version out very soon with this fix in.

[DavidB1000]

The oldest programmer axiom, if you're certain it's not a bug in your code, it is.
That and 99 bugs in the code, take one out, recompile, 236 bugs in the code.
Just add some powerup later on that increases the speed of weapons like the rage rune, and we'll call it even.
Or new weapons, that would be nice.
Oh, possibly a listing in the credits?
Don't worry about it too much. At least the lag is less noticable at the moment.

[BilboHicks]

Hehe. Yeah, its been 'bugging' me this problem. After reading about allocating process-heap memory, I may have it wrong, as I gather the heap-size should increase, not stay the same, which would indicate a memory leak. Eitherway, the code needs to be fixed, so hopefully that will fix the lag issue.

[BilboHicks]

ok, got 2 new betas to try out.
The first one is just the fix for the allocation bug I was talking about. Ideally, I'm hoping this will fix the lag...

http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html

If not then I have another beta... if this doesnt fix it, then I promise, I will not ask you to play any more betas! deal?

http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html

edit: btw, I also promise you credits in the mod
..Since this bug can take a while to show up, its well deserved.

[NovaDragon]

Lol sweet i really hope we got that bug squashed! I don't like to make a big deal about it, it just got hard when your trying to blast a cyber to hell then the lag occurs and a rocket ends up in your face! Im at school right now so i should be able to test it when i get back or sometime after work tonight and Ill let you know what happens. Im sure you got it figured out though and thanks a bunch for taking the time to help us out!

[BilboHicks]

Lol sweet i really hope we got that bug squashed! I don't like to make a big deal about it, it just got hard when your trying to blast a cyber to hell then the lag occurs and a rocket ends up in your face! Im at school right now so i should be able to test it when i get back or sometime after work tonight and Ill let you know what happens. Im sure you got it figured out though and thanks a bunch for taking the time to help us out!

Yeah there are 3 betas to test as well as that con_notifytime var.

Just some tips on how to go about testing...
I would wait to try all 3 betas first before setting the con_notifytime var to be smaller.

The first one I would test is beta3: http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html
since I'd prefer to go forward with this build ideally.

If that doesnt fix it, then beta2: http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html , then beta1 if you feel like it: http://files.filefront.com/gzscoredoom1 ... einfo.html Though frankly, if beta2 doesnt fix it, I dont expect beta1 to, so dont worry about trying beta1. I would then try beta3 again with the con_notifytime set from 3 to 0, and see if that fixes it. If it does, then set the value to 1.5 or something.

Thanks for taking the time, regardless if it is fixed or not, I will add you to the credits for the help!

*EDIT: The Beta3 link above had the wrong exe in it, so I re-uploaded. The proper beta3 will have the oldskool damage messages for the shotgun and s-shotgun.
Nova, David, I left you guys a PM*

[DavidB1000]

I'll give it a whirl a little later today. I'm getting distracted by Beyond the Sword mods.

Played a little now with Community Chest 1, and so far I'm liking it. I see the major change with the Supershotgun is now large numbers instead of small ones. I was kind of wondering how I hit 120 points with it.

Oh, a hillarious moment earlier, I was lucky and with the chainsaw, grabbed a quad damage bonus, and gibbed an imp! I didn't even think it was possible to do that with the Chainsaw at all. That's awesome!

Extreme Death chainsaws...what next, Supershotgun of splatterness?

Oh, and some of the monsters you added are kind of annoying. Mostly the mech ones, and the alien queen that replaced a manucubus and it had a lot more health and shot fire.

[NovaDragon]

I just did a relatively thourough test on it by warping to map 32 and fighting cyber replacements. Beta 3 i tried and still had the lag bug. But I am happy to announce that Im pretty sure you finally squahed it in beta 2 because i fought about 5 cyber bosses (with god most just to test lol) with the ssg and there was no lag whatsoever. So whatever it was that you changed in 2 got rid of it. It still lags a bit fighting hellsmiths and apprentices but thats because of there attacks and thats just my computer lol

Either way I want to thank you very much for that and Im definatly gonna have hell of alot of fun playing Alien vendetta and Hr now without the lag! Congratz, you killed my worst enemy

[BilboHicks]

Thanks very much guys. That beta2 does not report the actual damage scoring properly in some situations (though the score-hud does), but at least it confirmed what I expected with the console bottleneck. I hope to get this fixed in the next release.