[Linux] Major Graphics and Playability Issues with Latest Update!!!

[geekmasterflash]

Hello, there is a major problem with the latest update on Linux. I am very excited about having a launcher finally but the game is now unplayable.

Check out this screen shot of my GPU temperature gage:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a...creenshotfrom2014-06-30120147_zpsb995b538.png

The huge spike before was from a failed launch attempt, where the game slowed to a crawl at the point where I selected a start date and ruler. Now check out my temp gauge with a far more graphically intense game:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a...creenshotfrom2014-06-30121210_zpsc5a12bd3.png

Since photobucket seems to make the image too small here is what it shows:

Crusader Kings is pushing my graphics card to 81+ Celsius while Skyrim is coasting at a cool 31.

I am using no mod, and it's not always unplayable but it does seem to always push my graphics card to extreme heat for no discernible reason.

No other game does this, and the card passes stress tests without heating up this much.

System:

CPU - AMD FX-9590 8 Core CPU (5.0 Ghz)
GPU - MSI N660 TF 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 2GB
GPU Driver - nvidia 331.38
Memory - 16 GB of DDR3
OS - Ubuntu 14.04 (Gnome Classic Desktop)

Game version: 2.1.5 ORUU (EQEG without mod active)
DLC: All DLC, but I used the new launcher to disable Sunset Invasion
Mods: Only one, which is my Celtic Culture mod, which does not change graphics aside from a few flags. To test, I disabled it and still had the same problem

 

[geekmasterflash]

I went to test if this was something specifically with my set up, so I tried on another machine with these stats:

CPU - AMD Phenom X4 (3.8 Ghz)
GPU - Nvidia GeForce 8400GS
GPU Driver - nvidia 331.38
Memory - 4 GB of PC133
OS - Ubuntu 12.10 (Gnome Classic Desktop)

Game version: 2.1.5 EQEG
DLC: All DLC, but I used the new launcher to disable Sunset Invasion
Mods: None
----------------

Same thing happened, my temperature gauge gave warning and it was hovering around 79 c. Granted this system is FAR less powerful, but I think you guys need to address this as these temperatures could easily brick a card/computer.

 

[geekmasterflash]

I saw some people complaining about crashes on Windows as well after reading through the forums. I threw a temperature monitor on my windows box and I am seeing the same thing there. Something with the new update is causing (at least) Nvidia cards to work excessively hard.

 

[AndrewT]

When you say "with latest update" you mean 2.1.5 only? 2.1.4 was OK in this respect? Or what?

It's not uncommon for EU4 and CK2 to push GPUs more than more graphically-intense games, because we push many calculations off the CPU to the GPU (which does them faster). But 80c is up there, I agree.

I'm well aware of heat issues when I diagnose problems, but we have not seen a new wave of them in later versions, just about the usual number I'd say. If you could test your rig with older beta's that would be informative.

 

[leftguard]

I have an NVidia card on 64 bit Windows 7, and while I'm not sure how to monitor my temperatures (other than listening for the fan), I can confirm that the game appears to be struggling to process graphics.

It's made my current game all but unplayable, as my liege the Emperor of Britannia keeps waging wars with the nearby HRE. The game has run perfectly up until today, but now, when he raises his troops from all over England, everything becomes extremely laggy. Sprite movement becomes very jerky, and scrolling the map while these troops are raised is almost impossible. Note, there were some troop sprites moving as normal beforehand - the increased number seems to have overloaded things.

Needless to say, I'm parking my game for the time being, in the hope that this is something that can be resolved.

 

[geekmasterflash]

The current update that brought in the start menu for the Linux and Mac machines, 2.1.5 is what I am talking about.

I downgraded to 2.0.4 and the max temp hit was 54c, I let 2.1.5 run for 40 seconds and I am getting 94c now.

Graphics card in question has a system blower on it as well as water cooling. Nothing makes my card this hot, and if it's getting this hot on my rig I can only imagine what it's doing to other people.

 

[AndrewT]

I have an NVidia card on 64 bit Windows 7, and while I'm not sure how to monitor my temperatures (other than listening for the fan)

install

GPU-Z http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ and
CPU-Z http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

or SPEEDFAN http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

 

[AndrewT]

The current update that brought in the start menu for the Linux and Mac machines, 2.1.5 is what I am talking about.

That was introduced in one of the betas for 2.1.5, I forget which one exactly. But did you ever run 2.1.4? What temps did you get there?

 

[geekmasterflash]

Apparently the 2.1.5 update happened last night at some point, and since then I have seen the problem. Steam doesnt seem to let me pick to go back to 2.1.4, it's not an option on the OPT-IN screen. The next option is 2.0.4, however I have had no problems at all until 2.1.5, I believe 2.1.4 is fine, but I can't roll back.

 

[Groogy]

You haven't given what the base line for temperature is on either Windows or Linux, which would be helpful to know.
Also you are running Ubuntu with another desktop environment than originally provided by Ubuntu, I myself run with Gnome 3 so that shouldn't be any problem but since you are running the classical one, please ensure you don't have anything like Compiz running in the background. Also please verify that it is running with the Nvidia drivers and not the generic ones or Novoue(or whatever the community based project is called). How did you install the drivers?

Also I am pretty sure that if there were a CK2 based problem, it existed ever since India was released and not since 2.1.5.

Also try to run Portal 2 or any other Steam Linux game that is GPU intensive to see what happens then.

FYI: Keeping around ~70C degrees should not gauge a warning, being around that temperature is normal for lower end computers and the components should withstand that.

Edit: Is that Skyrim in Linux? How in the name of Hel are you playing that on Linux? Isn't the graphics then run through software renderers instead?

 

[Jepaan]

This seems similar to an issue I'm having. Which program do you use to monitor, and what is your CPU usage? I have a very high usage in the menu of the new version, along with a GPU resting temp of 88 degrees with a very steep incline, compared to a normal of 56.
In 2.0.4 the CPU usage is almost non-existent and the GPU resting temp is 66 degrees with a much slower incline.
This is also a nVidia card, but with a newer driver (337.25).

 

[geekmasterflash]

@Groogy:

Base resting temperature of my card on Linux is 31c. The same for Windows.

I can confirm that it's using the correct driver from Nvidia. I installed it from command line from the Ubuntu repos. When I kill compiz and replace with metacity, the same issue is present so it's not a compiz problem.

All other games do not show this same issue. I wouldn't post this here unless it was only happening with CK2.

It doesn't keep around 70c, it's going well over into the 80s and 90s. Might even get into the 100s if I let it run for more than 40 seconds.

Yes, that is Skyrim. It's being run through WINE and not, it's not being rendered in software. It's being rendered by the card.

If you enable direct draw and give WINE the specs of your card, WINE will interpert the game's DirectX commands and send them as OpenGL commands to your card, thus letting you render with the card instead of your memory/CPU. This is something WINE has been able to do for close to a decade.

 

[geekmasterflash]

@Jepaan:

I am using Psensor to monitor my temps and cpu usage.

 

[geekmasterflash]

Alright, to satisfy the question if it really is CK2 causing the massive jump in heat here are more screen shots.

Today it pretty hot, usually my baseline is 31c. Today it's about 40~.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/hotouttoday_zps50992cbe.png

This screen shot shows the system idling with nothing running. The current temp is 38c, and the max is 55c.

Now for a benchmark for when it's not idle. Since the devs don't think WINE can push rendering off to the card here is a Linux native game, Team Fortress 2.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/TF2_zps036800e8.png

The max temp reached is 70c, current temp at time of the screen shot is 66c

Here is the game Forced, another Linux native game.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/forced_zps5bb4bcef.png

The max temp reached is 70c (hold over from TF2), current temp at time of the screen shot is 58c

Now here is crusader kings, with the 2.0.4 patch (currently 2.1.4 is unavailable via steam)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/oldpatch1_zpsb1964a1b.png

The max temp reached is 70c (hold over from TF2), current temp at time of the screen shot is 47c

Now the new patch (2.1.5).

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/newpatch1_zps0c52f030.png

The temp rises to 83c before I even start the game. At that point I kill it because it was still rising and on a troubling curve.

Can we please stop saying it's my machine and start looking into what the problem with the new patch is?

 

[geekmasterflash]

And since it will be asked: Compiz if off for all of these tests. This was with metacity.

 

[geekmasterflash]

And to put as fine a point on it as possible:

Here is a screen shot of the temperatures during the Heaven Benchmark stress test. The max temp reached on the test is 76C.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/stresstest_zpsddc41b55.png

 

[geekmasterflash]

And since it was specifically requested, here is Portal 2 (Linux Native version)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/geekmasterflash/portal2_zpsb4e9386c.png

Temperature: 54 c

 

[leftguard]

Just to come back on my comment in this thread, it looks as though my particular graphics seizures were not caused by the patch, but purely by the huge numbers of units that suddenly appeared throughout the map, when my emperor went to war. I've since played on and declared independence - the resulting loss of visible map areas, has everything running normally again. Hope you get your problems resolved.

 

[geekmasterflash]

Nice, just 4 minutes ago I got pushed an update on steam. Now my heat isn't breaking 60C and there is no more studdering. I think you fixed it guys.

Thank you!

 

[Jepaan]

My issues are still there, will probably make a new thread when I get around to it, since it's apparently not the same issue :/.