Need a bit of advise about the sim "lag" that shows up.

[voidster]

I found that I was suffering in a similar manner when in the walled towns. What has mostly fixed it for me was lowering the particle count.

 

OLD

[Particles]

iMaxDesired=750

 

NEW

[Particles]

iMaxDesired=250

 

Doesn't have any noticeable effect on the wildlands or dungeons, but it definately made visits to Whiterun less painfull. I have noticed that the game engine leaks memory MUCH less now too.

 

Hmmm...worth a try, thanks! :)

 

edit: well its taking longer now. I can run through several areas and interiors before it starts to act up. Its an improvement. Starting to sound like a memory issue. With the 1.4 patch coming up maybe it will address some issues. Seem to be a lot of crash fixes and such listed in it.

Edited January 19, 2012 by voidster

[flobalob]

Quite likely. Just for the sake of argument (and because I'm a bit anal, and a Software Test Analyst) I did a test, monitoring the Mem usage of TESV.EXE with task manager on my other screen. It went like this:-

 

Mem usage in {}

 

Started in Mzulft, facing Boilery door {632,656K}

Proceded through Boilery to Aedome Door {754,096K}

at this point I was almost over-encumbered so I headed back

Facing Exit door to Skyrim {742,868K}

Exited, now on main map about to fast travel to Whiterun {744,324K}

Arrived Whiterun - curently nightime {900,104K}

Smelted ingots from scrap & rested, so I could sell/store stuff, visited Adriene's, Belethor's, Breezehome now leaving {949,604K}

Fast travel to Mzulft - Still on main map {885,868K}

Travel through Mzult back to where I started {877,656K}

Quicksave/Quit/Restart/Quickload (645,312}

 

This implies to me that one visit to Whiterun managed to leak approximately 232,344K. Of course some of that memory may very well be re-used upon a return to Whiterun/other walled city. But thats still a BIG chunk of memory to leak.

 

Maybe this will leak back to Bethesda (Pun intended)

[voidster]

Quite likely. Just for the sake of argument (and because I'm a bit anal, and a Software Test Analyst) I did a test, monitoring the Mem usage of TESV.EXE with task manager on my other screen. It went like this:-

 

Mem usage in {}

 

Started in Mzulft, facing Boilery door {632,656K}

Proceded through Boilery to Aedome Door {754,096K}

at this point I was almost over-encumbered so I headed back

Facing Exit door to Skyrim {742,868K}

Exited, now on main map about to fast travel to Whiterun {744,324K}

Arrived Whiterun - curently nightime {900,104K}

Smelted ingots from scrap & rested, so I could sell/store stuff, visited Adriene's, Belethor's, Breezehome now leaving {949,604K}

Fast travel to Mzulft - Still on main map {885,868K}

Travel through Mzult back to where I started {877,656K}

Quicksave/Quit/Restart/Quickload (645,312}

 

This implies to me that one visit to Whiterun managed to leak approximately 232,344K. Of course some of that memory may very well be re-used upon a return to Whiterun/other walled city. But thats still a BIG chunk of memory to leak.

 

Maybe this will leak back to Bethesda (Pun intended)

 

good testing there :)

 

overnight i ran a full mem test on the ram, ran a full Chkdsk and everything passed.

 

Ive managed to find a balance. I can go for over an hour now before the framerate glitch hits. it never occurred inside somewhere (breezehome, any tavern, dragonsreach or dungeons) its always outside or in a main city. When it starts its like the whole sim is on a choppy slomo.

 

its the best i can do at the moment and for now its acceptable. Good thing about all this is i learned a lot about how to manually configure the ini files, plus managed to get decent frame rates and detail at the same time. Not bad for a 3ghz dual core machine. Also i left that GridsToLoad setting alone. If i go above 5 thats when i start to get insta CTD's and such after a few minutes.

 

hope the next patch fixes more things than it breaks.