Massive Complex FPS Blues Solved, Introducing the Rock

[AramDol]

It occurred to me that systems with 50+ asteroids render at a very high frame rate, and that as the only slow part about a complex is when you're looking at it, and that the Egosoft programmers would be doing visibility testing.

Here's the front of the first prototype rock station, all nice and shiny. I put the solar panel(s) on the front so I can see how powerful the complex is.

[ external image ]

Here's the back, showing all the bits that customers don't need to be seeing or more importantly flying drunkenly into.

[ external image ]

I discovered this by on a hunch putting the asteroids infront of a much larger complex, and noticed a significant, but not significant enough improvement. This is the first station I've built with this principle.

Next step will be to make a geodesic dome of asteroids and fill the complex inside it.

HTH

TL:DR - cover your complex in rocks, for more FPS.

[Nanook]

Wrong forum. Moving to Main X-Universe forum.

[TTD]

So, if you stack all the 'roids as a wall, and build your complex "behind" it, you effective reduce FPS slowdown ?

Am I reading this right?

[GCU Grey Area]

I use a similar approach myself, though in my case it's mostly a matter of aesthetics, intended to hide as much of the ugly complex tubing as possible, rather than primarily to optimise FPS.

Main difference with my approach is that, rather than hide the stations behind the asteroids, I embed them directly into the surface of the asteroids. I generally position them so that only about the top 2/3 of each station is visible. I leave enough visible so I can see what each station is, while concealing most of the CCK tubes inside the asteroids. What little remains of the CCKs tends to look like support structures anchoring the stations to the asteroid & doesn't look too bad at all. For complexes with more than one asteroid I often place the larger stations so they intersect with 2 (or more) asteroids to give the impression of a rigid support structure locking the asteroids into place. I do get the customary banging sound during construction, due to all the intersecting stations, but as long as I don't wait a ridiculously long time before connecting them they're in no real danger of being damaged.

Suspect the approach might have a positive impact on FPS, due to all the polygons that are hidden inside the asteroids, but no idea of the magnitude of the difference. Don't really have the time it would take to build the same complex twice (i.e. once in the conventional manner, then a 2nd time using the embedded stations approach) which would be needed to test it properly.

[darth_adversor]

I use a similar approach myself, though in my case it's mostly a matter of aesthetics, intended to hide as much of the ugly complex tubing as possible, rather than primarily to optimise FPS.

Main difference with my approach is that, rather than hide the stations behind the asteroids, I embed them directly into the surface of the asteroids. I generally position them so that only about the top 2/3 of each station is visible. I leave enough visible so I can see what each station is, while concealing most of the CCK tubes inside the asteroids. What little remains of the CCKs tends to look like support structures anchoring the stations to the asteroid & doesn't look too bad at all. For complexes with more than one asteroid I often place the larger stations so they intersect with 2 (or more) asteroids to give the impression of a rigid support structure locking the asteroids into place. I do get the customary banging sound during construction, due to all the intersecting stations, but as long as I don't wait a ridiculously long time before connecting them they're in no real danger of being damaged.

Suspect the approach might have a positive impact on FPS, due to all the polygons that are hidden inside the asteroids, but no idea of the magnitude of the difference. Don't really have the time it would take to build the same complex twice (i.e. once in the conventional manner, then a 2nd time using the embedded stations approach) which would be needed to test it properly.

You mentioned this to me once before in another thread...I really need to try this.

Interesting idea OP. Maybe I'll give it a shot on my next complex.

[ahddib]

Whenever I have had a factory inside an asteroid or another factory they eventually blow themselves up from rubbing. If you fly close enough you can actually hear the collision sound periodically.

[willyshop]

Whenever I have had a factory inside an asteroid or another factory they eventually blow themselves up from rubbing. If you fly close enough you can actually hear the collision sound periodically.

I don't remember how it is in reunion, but in TC and AP when you join them in a complex collision detection between stations in the complex is turned off. I've currently got about 50 microchip fabs on top of each other. While I was building it only took a couple minutes for their shields to drop. now I can stay in the sector all day if I want.

[Timsup2nothin]

Whenever I have had a factory inside an asteroid or another factory they eventually blow themselves up from rubbing. If you fly close enough you can actually hear the collision sound periodically.

I read on this forum that once they are complexed together their collision with each other is turned off.

Edit: So a search yields numerous threads where this is mentioned as having 'changed in a patch somewhere along the line'. It isn't mentioned in the change logs for the patches I have, but I have the 'fast track patches' rather than all the individual patches and there's a lot of 'other additional changes' in the change logs.

Coincidentally I did a test today because I installed a 'tubeless' mod and I stuck two stations fully together, which I thought would be an aestetic requirement with said tubeless mod. Once the complex hub was connected the stations both regenerated their shields, so I know this has changed.

[ahddib]

if this is truly has changed it is a drastic improvement as always starting to see my stuff blow up after all the hard work play sing and having to load an old save.


I love this forum.

[Timsup2nothin]

if this is truly has changed it is a drastic improvement as always starting to see my stuff blow up after all the hard work play sing and having to load an old save.


I love this forum.

Load a game, set two factories right on top of each other, hook them together. Whether they blow up or not don't save. Harmless experiment. I can't guess what patch did it, but it's definitely done.

[Flybye]

This does make perfect sense as the engine will render the rocks first that are covering the factories.


You could always make things look pretty ugly by saving at a station outside the complex sector, going out of game, going back in selecting 640x480 resolution, reload, fly back into complex sector, and I'm sure FPS will be a bit higher.

[Infekted]

In the case of really really big complexes, if you build them beyond viewing distance (~60km by default), then bring the complex hub to where you want it by building a "bridge" with pairs of stations just under every 20km, you can achieve the same thing.

[TTD]

From TC onwards, you just need to connect the factories.
If using the 'riod system, build a mine on it first then connect with the first factory.
If you are quick enough, you can place 5 factories and link them. If the hull drops too far, jump OOS until they are back to 100% , then continue connecting.

Check out my "Ramblings of an Argon Nephew" (page 13), in Creative forum and linked in the X SuperBox Bonus material, for more details.

[Mazz]

Wow! Just came back to the game after a rather long break.

THis is absolutely fantastic! I detested building complexes, but this embedding into asteroids trick sounds phenomenal!! Going to try it out ASAP

EIDT: Thanks so much for this

As I still do not know how to resize images
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uvv0 ... n00002.png

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uBYL ... n00005.png