Xenon_Slayer wrote:We'd of course be interested in the FPS changes people see, mod or not.
Well, I no longer run FRAPS or ShadowPlay, or anything of the sort, but simply go by the subjective experience (isn't it what it's all about, at the end of the day?
) In any case, my first impressions (after a few days of X3AP game time in previously started games, and just over a week game-time in a fresh game) are overall very positive.
X3TC: The game has always run smoothly on my rig, and even in the later game for the most part, but now it runs ultra-smooth in the early to mid game, and smooth with very few hitches or slowdowns of any sort in the late game. Even in battles flying a Deimos using IBLs and PSGs vs 4 Qs using GCs and what-not, and a number of assorted Xenon fighters also buzzing around, the action was butter-smooth and thus more immersive and more fun. The same in battles with more and larger opponents (= more guns = more bullets and stuff...). The only time I managed to get a significant slowdown was firing multi-PSG at Xenon stations (not sure whether it's specific to them, or applies to stations in general - I suspect the latter, and likely due to some complex hit geometry calculations.) Performance in Kha'ak pink mist sectors isn't quite 100% smooth, but also significantly improved (since what I've read indicates the improvements are primarily to objects in motion, I wasn't expecting much change here.)
X3AP: I've had little time to test in X3AP yet, and furthermore as I despise Steam, I think I updated incorrectly (am I correct in that I am going to have to roll back the previous standard .EXE, update via Steam, then overwrite the .EXE with the NoSteam version? If so, I kinda skipped steps 1 and 2, hoping that since it was mentioned that this is an EXE-based update, I might be able to get away with it...); also, the games I tested with had been started previously, so it's entirely possible that some bloat or whatever may have previously developed and hung around - I don't really know. However, I did already notice a performance improvement in War Sectors, although I'm not 100% sure; the battles were moderately large, not massive, but I'm fairly sure that everything was running significantly smoother. I guess the true litmus test will come once I'm done with my current X3TC game, and I update AP properly and start a new game, and get to the battle at the South of Interworlds, when the Commonwealth fleet attacks that initially invulnerable Tokyo - I should be able to tell for sure how it compares then.
Additionally, I spotted some (as far as I can tell) undocumented back-ported improvements to X3TC's 'GoD'.
All in all, thanks EgoSoft - this makes for a nice Xmas prezzie!