Reduced FPS Count with Each successive Mod

[frinik]

One thing I have noticed is that each successive mod in SF has reduced the FPS count.I remeber putting together user-made missions in Steel Panzer mod with no less than 120 tanks on the battlefiel;d and still getting upper twneties fps.With Beta 1.5 I had to reduce the count to about 90 to get the same fps count.Then with NTa1.3 and 1.4 it's down to 70 or so.

Is this due to the fact that the new models have 1 or 2 lods instead of 3 as in the original game?If the answer is yes then short of redoing the models in 3 lods( which nobody would wnat to do) is there another solution?( aside from buying a morew powerful rig )Even reducing the graphics settings etc does not seem sufficient.

[Kyth]

Is this due to the fact that the new models have 1 or 2 lods instead of 3 as in the original game?

Your first guess is probably correct.

short of redoing the models in 3 lods( which nobody would wnat to do) is there another solution

Ideal solution would be to re-do the models with 3 LODs. There is a way, as shown in the Barn tutorial 
Unfortunately Blender's .x export plugin is, shall I say, unsatisfactory.

[Donken]

Its easy to find out frinik if it is because of the models. Do a mission with lots of pz4 and t-34 (original tanks in stock game) and place for example 30 of them for each side. Go ingame and check fps. Then to this again but take other tanks instead. Maybe Ferdinands for germany and su152 for soviet (or something that have the same poly count as the pz4 and t-34). Then go igm and check again. But it is important that you dont change anything else like map or number of vehicles or add/delete stuff in your sf folder. Also dont use 5-6 different vehicles, only one type for each side. Doing it this way you got black/white what slows down steel fury. (new model without lods or stock models with lods) I dont think its gonna be a big difference actually. I can be very wrong but share the results if you are gonna do this

I think sf gets harder on the computer because all new added stuff in all config files etc. Just check a stock matlib file against the latest matlib file and then take commonres file etc etc. That is alot more text/data/textures to load and use then the game was made for. Just take for example all new maps, now there is maybe 15 different units for each side that the game engine need to calculate instead of stock missions when there is only 4 different units of each side.

[frinik]

Actually Donken, a while ago with Beta 1.5 vs SP mod 1.4, I did the test that you recommend to me.I just used the game's stock vehicles and Tanks and then compared with the new additions and the fps coutn was better with SP 1.4 ( about 20%).

But I think you hit the spot with your mention of all the new stuff that has been added to the various folders: textures, mission editor, common res etc.The game has ballooned beyond what the deveopers had aniticipated.

Also SF does not seem to take advantage of multi core pcs and the max number of Fps seems to be limited to 60 whereas some games can easily go into 3 digits.

This is unfrotunate because it prevents fans to make use of all fo the new models and recreate big and intense battles....

[Kyth]

Another way to check is to take the same mission with stock or pre-SPM 1.4 units and compare the FPS,  before & after installing the latest and greatest (and ultimate) updates.

That might settle the question about whether it's the new models or the new config files,