Is this a graphic intensive game?

[Splatsch]

ORIGINAL: Alvaro Sousa

Be sure to blow out the GPU fan. They can get dirty. Don't know if that helps

Yeah I know [:D] I'm doing a usual yearly cleanup to avoid too much dust But thanks still for the tip

Well, Unity is a game engine which easily makes computers heating I noticed (at least old computers like mine)(especially when there's 3D/shaders involved). I think it's by default, it's a not well optimized game engine (but it's only a supposition).
And uncapped FPS is a real issue too for overheating. So the two combined...
But I'm used to having to cap FPS manually (or even reduce FPS to numbers like 30FPS) to be able to play some new games without overheating needlessly my computer.

May I ask you, what are differences between the graphical quality proposed ? Are there differences excepted capped FPS ? (or maybe you don't know, and it's not a problem )

In case it could help, here are my specs :
Windows 7 64-bit
Intel Core i5 2300 @ 2.80GHz
12,0 Go Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz
1535MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
Screen resolution 1920x1080

[AlvaroSousa]

Use the simple setting on the display choice.

WarPlan doesn't use fancy graphics or shadowing. It only uses the Alpha texture.

Is this the only game you are having a problem with?

[Splatsch]

Okay (but I'll have to cap it manually at 60FPS).
Btw, maybe it's not the same issue than for Radagy : I don't have my graphic card working that much, only it heating because of uncapped FPSs.

Okay ! Even if I don't know what "Alpha textures" are I must say XP

Depends of what you call "having a problem". For me, when it happens, I know that (over)heating of my computer is usually due to my very old/low specs (10 years old computer here), and because of games requiring more and more high specs (too related because of less optimized modern games). Uncapped FPS is one of the first things I look at
And I noticed that recent games made with Unity are more prone to overheat easily (even often without something visually "intense").
My usual solution in games, Unity's one or not are first going disabling options I don't really need in visual options, cap/reduce max FPS, and eventually reduce resolution if it doesn't affect too much quality. But I can't play every recent game with my config, and it's normal
I only regret that optimization of games is less crucial nowadays :/ (but this asks for lot of work)

[Doolan]

Sorry to resurrect a two-week old thread, but I seem to have a very similar problem.

Running WarPlan on a Macbook Pro with Intel Iris graphics – Windows 10 through BootCamp. Sure, not a gaming rig by any means, but the results are still somewhat puzzling.

First off, GPU load reaches 100%... on the main menu, and doesn't budge from there. It actually goes down considerably (to the mid 30 or 40%) once the game starts and while the enemy turn is playing, which I would say is decidedly odd. It then goes up to 100% again when the turn report pops up. As Radagy points out, setting graphics quality to "Fantastic" actually helps quite a bit, while "Simple" makes things worse.

I could be wrong, but it seems that the three moments where the GPU usage jumps to 100% (main menu, turn report, player's turn) have one thing in common, and that's floating windows. It's just a wild stab in the dark, though.

For reference, WitE / WitW / WitPAE, Command Ops 2, the DC series, Flashpoint Campaigns or Strategic Command don't have this effect (the fans are not audible in fact, and the laptop remains downright cold). Not even Europa Universalis or Hearts of Iron tax the GPU nearly as much, which is strange, as both are 3D games.

As soon as I get some free time I'll try installing it on my desktop computer and giving it a spin to see what happens with a different GPU. The game looks decidedly interesting, and I'd love to be able to play it on the go.

Cheers!

[AlvaroSousa]

When the WarPlan screen comes up, not the Matrix loader, try using the Graphics Quality set to "simple"

Also look at the emulator for windows and see if they have some graphics setting.

[Doolan]

ORIGINAL: Alvaro Sousa

When the WarPlan screen comes up, not the Matrix loader, try using the Graphics Quality set to "simple"

If we're talking about the config screen in the picture I attached, I already did – and the result is actually worse than at "Fantastic", surprisingly.

Also look at the emulator for windows and see if they have some graphics setting.

I'm not using any emulators. I have a separate partition that I boot Windows 10 from. Boot Camp is just the name of Apple's assistant / wizard / partition tool to install Windows without messing up the main OSX partition.

The only reason I bring this up as possibly an issue specific to Warplan is that no other game in the Matrix catalogue seems to do this. And the fact that it happens even in the main menu, shooting GPU usage to 100% with no map or units on screen, is even weirder. The funny thing is that the game actually runs very smoothly and scrolls like silk – it just makes the computer hot as hell and the fans sound like a jet liner taking off. [:D]

[AlvaroSousa]

Let me post on Unity forums see if they have a solution. Give me exactly what mac, os, and windows 10 dohicky you are using on the mac.

[Doolan]

Of course! Thanks a lot for dedicating so much time to this issue.

It's a Macbook Pro 13, Mid-2014 with 8 Gb of RAM and Intel Iris 5100, running Windows 10 Pro. Using Boot Camp, meaning it's booting in Windows 10, not using emulation or virtualisation.

For reference, War in the West in game (with the map and units on screen and so on) hovers at around 4 to 6% in both CPU and GPU usage, with Steam running in the background.

[AlvaroSousa]

I posted. Hopefully someone will respond.

[Doolan]

So, now that WarPlan is out on Steam I decided to give it another go, this time using the FPS counter in the Steam overlay.

I now think Splatsch hit the nail on the head. The higher graphics settings (Fantastic, for instance) seem to use VSync, or at least they were capping at 60FPS (my screen refresh rate) when I played after I told the Intel drivers to override the game settings. However, the "fastest" setting is uncapped and happily goes to 200+ FPS. I believe this is the main cause of the overheating. In fact, it has been mentioned of the new LnL Tactical Digital (also made in Unity and also cooking some GPUs unnecessarily) but Wars Across the World (another Unity wargame) caps at 60 and runs cool as you like.

[AlvaroSousa]

Well this gave me a direction. Do you have a super fast high FPS monitor? It could be the Vsync is matching the monitor and using 100% GPU setting. Something I looked up today for Unity based on your post. I'll see if I can do something internally.

[AlvaroSousa]

I believe the frame rate of my monitors is 60fps but some players have 240fps. Unity runs at the speed of your monitor. It could be some of you have this super high quality monitor but your graphics card just can't go that fast and Unity is pushing the limits.

So what I am going to do is test different frame rates and see what works. I want the lowest that is invisible to the naked eye so as much CPU time can be given to processing.

It will very likely be set to 60fps which is what I am running at. I don't play 3d super games. I get vertigo when I do.

I learned something new today.

[PDiFolco]

Could you add a refresh rate setting in the screen res menu, with 60 default ?

[AlvaroSousa]

That is a Unity control mechanism I can't adjust. I am doing it in game hardcoded when you load it. No one ever needs more than 60 for this game. It won't make a difference. I am hoping this is what is causing the problem.

Has to do with the auto-VSync for monitors I suspect.

[Ventura1976]

I'll just add that I'm finding the same thing when I choose fastest over fantastic. The fastest setting shoots my GPU usage way up, and causes my fans to start humming. I'll just also mention that even after forcing the game to render from my 2060 RTX via the NVIDIA Control Panel it *still* insists on using my onboard video. It's listed as GPU 0 vs GPU 1. The odd thing is when I choose fantastic I can force the refresh rate through the NVIDIA Control panel to cap at 144 (the refresh rate for my monitor) which doesn't make much sense since it's claiming that the device it's using is my onboard video. I'm not sure what to make of all that, and it's a bit baffling.

Anyhow long story short I found the same thing that others have earlier in the thread, and the fantastic setting is the better choice to save your GPU from unnecessary overuse.

[AlvaroSousa]

This was not choosing simple. None of it changes anything in the game that's why I default it to simple.

Also are you using Beta or official?

The beta introduces fixing the frame rate at 60fps. Which I tested on my PC at 20, 30, 40 and it does work and set.

[Ventura1976]

ORIGINAL: Alvaro Sousa

This was not choosing simple. None of it changes anything in the game that's why I default it to simple.

Also are you using Beta or official?

The beta introduces fixing the frame rate at 60fps. Which I tested on my PC at 20, 30, 40 and it does work and set.

Hello there, thank you for the reply. I am still using the official version. Another poster did link me to the beta patch, and I'll have to give it a shot. I was just wanting to add data for you in case it helped.


Also a bit off topic, but I want to say that it's my understanding that you're the lone dev on this game, and I just want to say it's outstanding. I love it, and you've done a great job with it!

[AlvaroSousa]

Thanks a lot for your support. Took 6000 hours from start to sales = 3 years of full time work.

I Don't like cookie cuttering other games. I like to make something of high quality and take my time. I feel that retains longer value for players and profit.

Strategic Command is another series which did a really good job. That is where I started designing their last 2 expansions.