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Massive PC PlanetSide 2 performance update released today.

https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/pu01-patch-notes-11-12.157453/

Performance

General:

Refactored game rendering to better utilize multiple CPU cores. The same has been done for UI rendering.
Optimized the CPU cost of some purely aesthetic physics objects
Added adaptive complexity levels for physics simulations based on current client performance
Disabled redundant physics processing between remotely-simulated vehicles
Improved simulations between complex compound shapes, primarily vehicles
Sound emitter optimization
Numerous optimizations have been done to remote character processing to reduce the cost of per-player processing.
We found that players getting in and out of vehicles was causing some performance issues. This has been addressed and is working as expected, now.
Audio asset clean-up
Added a frame rate smoothing option. (This is on by default and trust us, you probably want this. It will make your frame rate smoother and reduce spikes. Your FPS counter will show as lower overall, but that’s not a bad thing.)
Adjusted the default graphics settings. (If you push Reset to Default, it will set the graphics settings appropriate for your system.)

FX:
Vehicle debris pieces updated
All bullet impacts optimized

Animation:

Implemented new scatterblend node to provide more fluid third person movement and a performance improvement
Reorganized the networks to eliminate redundancies and reduce the overall network size
Created level of detail version of the third person network. This allows code to switch to less expensive version of the network based on how far away the player is from the camera. This provided our largest performance improvement at approximately a 50% improvement for network processor time.
Consolidated the number of active nodes and pass downs in the network. This simplified the network and insured that costly additive nodes were only active when they were necessary.
Removed state machines that could be replaced with blend trees. Blend trees are more efficient than state machines.

Art:

Optimization pass on First Person arms
Improved usage of textures on various vehicles
Optimization pass on Ace Tool and Ammo Pack

Memory:

Fixed several client crashes (We’re not done with these and should have more coming soon.)
Fixed a few client memory leaks (Not done here either. Still investigating some memory optimizations to help with crashes related to memory.)

UI:

Overhead indicator system overhauled for performance
The HUD, Centralized HUD, as well as the health and shield bars have been redesigned with a new look to increase performance
Fixed Scaleform garbage collection spikes
Optimizing UI advance processing
Faster communication between AS3 and C++/LUA
Faster subsequent map load times
Faster retrieval of localized strings
Platoon UI optimizations and polish
Player kill notification revamp
Kill spam notification revamp
Fixed various existing and potential memory leaks
UI HUD Updates:

Minimap optimizations: more logic in C++ e.g. alpha updates such as fading and blinking instead of AS3 tweening, throttling via time slicing, recon indicator updates, recon motion dart detects enemies properly on the minimap, fixed AMS exclusion radius not appearing properly, increased default zoom level
Compass optimizations: controlled directly from C++
Weapon info optimizations ( bullet count, reload warning, blinking etc )
Vitals optimizations and revamp ( health, shield, etc )
Facility info / squad list will show when minimap is expanded if screen height >= 1080
Fixed issue with sunderers not showing ‘gives ammo’ or ‘gives repair’ icon within 100m
Now show the HUD facility indicator when you are inside a region but outside of the facility radius
Fixed issues with HUD indicators blinking in when they first initialize
Optimized Indar:

Reduced ecosystem masks
Reduced polycount on most environment objects
Reduced occlusion calculations from most environment objects
Reduced texture usage on some environment objects
Removed redundant objects, replaced with visually similar ones
Adjusted LOD distances

Non Performance

Highlights:

No more double loading screens
Changed recommended server calculation to improve faction balance
AI turret should no longer shoot itself
AV turrets and their projectiles should no longer disappear in large fights
Numerous client focus and cursor fixes such as preventing windows from appearing above the client in full screen windowed mode and the Windows cursor appearing on loading
We’ve disabled GPU particles until further notice. (Due to some our optimizations, GPU particles don’t work quite right and we need to spend some time to fix them up.)

General:

All spawn timers are now the same at 15 seconds. Previously the spawn timers would scale based on location or type from 14-18 seconds, with the majority of spawns being at 18 seconds.
Squad deploy will no longer drop pod players into the center of a bases. It will instead spawn the player at the closest hard spawn point to the squad leader, which includes facility spawn points, deployed Sunderers, and squad spawn beacons
The Infiltrator’s recon dart will now send found enemies to the minimap of all allies in a 150m radius. Previously this tool had a range limit of 50 meters
Increased the drop speed of drop pods. They now accelerate as they approach the ground. Collision damage multiplier reduced to account for the higher pod velocity.
Reduced the horizontal movement speed of drop pods so they land closer to their origin points
Improved look of bullet hit impacts in low settings
Fix to sending tells across servers
Improved particle effects on vehicle deaths for TR and NC

World:

Amerish sky settings have been shifted 12 hours. If you don’t like the onset of evenings on Indar or Esamir, Amerish has bright sunny skies waiting for you
Indar lighting slightly darkend at dawn and dusk
Some outposts on Indar received minor gameplay adjustments.
Zurvan Amp Station has had its secondary spawn room removed and now resembles the other amp stations
Dahaka Amp Station now has gate shield generators
Indar Lattice Additions:

The Crown <-> Crossroads Watchtower
Vanu Archives <-> NS Secure Data Lab
Quartz Ridge Camp <-> Indar Comm Array
Ceres Hydroponics <-> Galaxy Solar Plant
Crimson Bluff Tower <-> NS Material Storage
Benson Construction <-> Alkali Shipping

UI:

We've renamed the Indar Warpgates to geographical names. So you will now see the "Indar Northern Warpgate" instead of the "Indar TR Warpgate"
The squad list now has icons for players inside MANA turrets or Drop Pods
The Flash and Harasser mini-map icons have been made more distinct from each other
Enemy vehicles will no longer show an occupancy count

Bug Fixes:

Fixed shotgun pellet count tooltip. Instead of saying, "The amount or pellets each time the shotgun fires" the tooltip now says, "Single-shot Pellet Count / Pellet Spread"
Added 1x sight for VS Eridani SX5G
Fixed an issue where Resupply and Repair Sunderer icons would not display when within 100 meters of the vehicle
Fixed an issue where The Smoke Screen Utility tooltip on the loadout menu has a different duration value than the cert rank for Sunderers
Fixed gravity lifts in the Frostbite Harbor spawn rooms to function correctly
The AV turrets at West Highlands Checkpoint should no longer be floating
Fixed floating turrets at West Highlands Checkpoint and The Stronghold
Removed erroneous painfields around Indar
Fixed an issue where the two projectiles would sometimes be visible when firing the Recon Detect Device when only one was fired
Fixed issue where lower ranks of Sunderer Proximity Repair could not repair Sunderers that had a higher rank equipped.
Depot Bundles and store items have had a pass to ensure correct faction usage is written in their descriptions
Fixed cases where the player’s corpse wasn’t removed from the world after declining a revive
Regions that cannot be captured will no longer show up as reinforcements or instant action spawn points
Removed the visibility cap on rockets and placed explosives. They should always show in heavy battles now
Players can no longer use the quick action menu to track enemy players
Fixed the player standing from crouch in third person when shot while holding certain items
Fixed the Striker not animating in first person after firing
Glass added to cockpit of Mosquito
 

GameSeeker

Member
This is a good sign. It means they are getting ready for the PS4 version. The PS4 optimizations will help the PC players and allow the PS4 to look good and have a solid framerate.
 

RE_Player

Member
This is a good sign. It means they are getting ready for the PS4 version. The PS4 optimizations will help the PC players and allow the PS4 to look good and have a solid framerate.

It's a win/win for both platforms and their fan base. Some people are writing off the PS4 version but I bet there are so many console players not used to a free to play game of this scale and quality. I can see it having an active community throughout PS4's life.
 

shandy706

Member
I jumped on there a couple nights ago and had to wait on a 1GB+ update.

Looks like I might be in for another one...will check it out this weekend.

I still don't know what the fuck to do in that game.

Going by all the public rooms I've joined....neither does anyone else. Haha

I like going off on little trips around the map...killing enemies as I wander aimlessly. Honestly, I don't really play the game much...doesn't keep my attention, but it's fun for a random log-on here and there.
 

Valnen

Member
My problem with this game is that the action is so unfocused. You can't just pop on and get the instant satisfaction you can get from a game like Battlefield or Call of Duty.
 
This game still needs cross platform play if it wants to have a high player count because the last time I played it the game seemed dead. I've logged in over 100 hours into it since the beta and I stopped playing because of the extremely low numbers.
 
My problem with this game is that the action is so unfocused. You can't just pop on and get the instant satisfaction you can get from a game like Battlefield or Call of Duty.

Pretty much why I only log on during outfit operation times. Luckily for me that's every night at 7PM.
 

Metalic Sand

who is Emo-Beas?
They should fix the gameplay now and add more things to do. It's just a giant MMO tug of war, So boring. I actually bought in on the alpha too :/
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
They should fix the gameplay now and add more things to do. It's just a giant MMO tug of war, So boring. I actually bought in on the alpha too :/

Yeah my issue is I never feel like I actually win (or lose) anything.

I just push someone into a corner and then they inevitably break out because there's no win condition or tangible reward for doing well.
 

kiguel182

Member
I still don't know what the fuck to do in that game.

When I used to play the game I just teleported to one of the conflict points and would try to help my team defend/attack.

Around 100 people shooting at each other with medics and vehicles passing by is one of the best experiences I've ever had playing a fps.

I had to stop because my performance was horrible, I might re download again and try it until this isn' released for the PS4.
 

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
The only reason I don't play this game is the performance was so bad.

But, now that the comfy couch PS4 version is dropping in a few months, I'll never play this on PC.

If only this patch came out a year ago.
 
Pretty excited. I probably won't play tonight because I bougt a guitar/Rocksmith last week and have been trying to get an hour or two in every day. I've shelved the game for the past two weeks to play BF4 and that game just doesn't do it for me. Planetside 2 really is the better game.
 

Qassim

Member
Best way to play this game is to join a platoon in your server. Platoon leaders at this point in the game generally are pretty good at sitting back and commanding.

I had one of the most impressive online experiences a few months ago, probably 150 - 200 people all in various vehicles just rolling through base to base just taking it over, with the commander asking certain groups of people to go off and defend under attack bases.
 
Initial impressions: frame rate is definitely improved. Getting steady 60 fps cruising in mosquito on medium settings, 1080p. Running an i7920@4ghz with an aging 4890. Typically my average is ~40. So notable improvement. Swaying my decision to buy some triple station cash this holiday.

I don't like some of the UI changes though. New reloading circle is nice, undecided on health/armor bars but definitely don't like how names are displayed now. They're..almost blurry? Hard to see player names at a distance. Don't understand why they changed that.
 

Gaz_RB

Member
One step closer to the PS4 release, which I hope is sooner rather than later. Game could be a heavy hitter for Sony.
 

Tacitus_

Member
Cool, will have to check it out again.

My problem with this game is that the action is so unfocused. You can't just pop on and get the instant satisfaction you can get from a game like Battlefield or Call of Duty.

See that Instant Action button? Click it.
 
Yeah my issue is I never feel like I actually win (or lose) anything.

I just push someone into a corner and then they inevitably break out because there's no win condition or tangible reward for doing well.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.
 

GodofWine

Member
I boot this up like two times a month and download about 3000 terabytes of updates and never get to actually play..tonights update oughta be a hoot.

I do really like the game, and am only messing with it on my pc (avg at best laptop) until ps4 version drops.
 

shandy706

Member
One step closer to the PS4 release, which I hope is sooner rather than later. Game could be a heavy hitter for Sony.

They need to put a lot of work in for it to be heavy hitter.

I spent hours in battles a while back and felt like neither side accomplished anything. It's why I only played it for a short time.

I recently went back to it though....just to screw around. Hopefully the launch of the PS4 motivates them to deliver a better game.
 

lethial

Reeeeeeee
Played a lot of this game but got a little bored of grinding out points for upgrades. Awesome game when you're on a good team\platoon and shit though.
 

Ianan

Member
Tried it today and unfortunately the performance increase is very very minimal on my end.
I play all medium at 1080p with AO off.

Got an i7 3770k, 8Gb of Ram, SSD and a Nvidia 670. About 20-25fps in big battles still.
 
Tried it today and unfortunately the performance increase is very very minimal on my end.
I play all medium at 1080p with AO off.

Got an i7 3770k, 8Gb of Ram, SSD and a Nvidia 670. About 20-25fps in big battles still.

That doesn't really make sense. I had a very similar system (7970 instead of a 670) and I was playing at highest settings at 1440p and I never dropped below 30, even in Biofarms. And that was pre-patch.
 
Hopefully it makes my game run better. I can run it at high settings in 40 fps when there arent very many people nearby, but during a large battle it drops to sub 20 fps.

I might just get a ps4 instead...
 

Ianan

Member
That doesn't really make sense. I had a very similar system (7970 instead of a 670) and I was playing at highest settings at 1440p and I never dropped below 30, even in Biofarms. And that was pre-patch.

Hmm, could be something to do with my computer then. I'll look into it tomorrow, might be time for a re-format.
 

Ryoku

Member
That doesn't really make sense. I had a very similar system (7970 instead of a 670) and I was playing at highest settings at 1440p and I never dropped below 30, even in Biofarms. And that was pre-patch.
i7-3770k@4.5GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX7704GB
In huge battles, I'd rarely go below 43 at 1440p/max. I tested out the PTS last week, and during a decent sized fight at the crown (24-48 total), I did not drop below 80, and even went up to 120 at times, hovering around 90-100.
 

Tablo

Member
Considering performance update 2 is aimed at low end dual core systems, I wonder if the surface pro 2 could run it all on low at a smooth framerate... Looking forward to seeing someone test that.
 

PatzCU

Member
They should fix the gameplay now and add more things to do. It's just a giant MMO tug of war, So boring. I actually bought in on the alpha too :/

Yep. I really wanted to like this game but there is currently no point to playing besides shooting people and chasing the other team around in circles.
 
i7-3770k@4.5GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX7704GB
In huge battles, I'd rarely go below 43 at 1440p/max. I tested out the PTS last week, and during a decent sized fight at the crown (24-48 total), I did not drop below 80, and even went up to 120 at times, hovering around 90-100.

Yeah, the game was always super-CPU bound but no one with a 3770 should have ever gotten under 30FPS. I'm stuck at work, so I haven't played post-patch, but on the PTS I had gotten an extra 15-20 FPS without breaking a sweat.
 

Cronox

Banned
Tried it today and unfortunately the performance increase is very very minimal on my end.
I play all medium at 1080p with AO off.

Got an i7 3770k, 8Gb of Ram, SSD and a Nvidia 670. About 20-25fps in big battles still.

I've got nearly the same config (differences are 3570k and 16 gigs of ram) and my frame rate was always a consistent 35-40 since launch, in big battles. Everything on high except blur and shadows, 1080p.
 
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