OPEN release notes 2/25/09

[Edward Edgemenace]

Observations about the New Memory Management

With the TEST release 2/21 and the open release 2/25, there is a new style of memory management implemented within the game. When all the fast memory on your computer is used up, POTCO memory management cleanup starts (no noticeable delay when it is in operation.)

For me: Dual core P4, 1GB + 1GB swap file.

The first time starting POTCO on OPEN today, memory utilization jumped to 1.47 GB.

Closing POTCO returned me to 330 MB used. (Firefox using about 90-100 MB to be here.)

Starting POTCO again jumped to ~550 MB.
Selecting a pirate and landing on Port Royal jumped to ~850 MB.
Launching ship and zooming compass out, jumped to 0.98 GB.
Sailing once around the map edge, gradually increased to 1.04 GB (1.07 GB) used. <--- indicating the new memory management is at least partly working.
Landing at Tortuga/Abassa, jumps to 1.09 GB (1.11 GB) with "typical" Abassa type slowness only at first.
Going to wildwoods then returning to port of call jumps memory utilization to 1.14 GB (1.12 GB) with sudden, massive slowdown in all movement, as Windows starts to take over with its memory mismanagement. (Swapping to swap file.)
Entering Kings Arm then returning to port of call stabilizes at 1.14 GB but all movement is subject to windows swapping lockups (seconds at a time.)


Pretty positive development. But because of residual leaks, the POTCO memory management eventually gets usurped by Windows memory management, at which point, gameplay deteriorates.



Restarting same test with "Aggressive memory conservation" checked:

Just Firefox running (windows says 18 processes): 330 MB.
Login screen (launcher1.exe running): 390 MB.
Login to pirate selection screen: 681 MB (658 MB.)
Note: still defaulting to single-CPU mode incorrectly.
Select pirate, land on Tortuga: 777 MB.
Idle on social beach for 10 minutes: 850 MB (846 MB.)
Launching a ship and zooming compass out: 844 MB (847 MB.)
Teleporting to Port Royal: 903 MB (870 MB.)
Entering shop and returning to port of call: 896 MB (880 MB.)
Teleporting to PDF: 959 MB (914 MB.)
Going to launch a ship from dinghy, press shift then ESC: +~10 MB.
Repeating Shift + ESC about a dozen times: 1.05 GB (1.03 GB)
Launching ship and zooming compass out: 1.08 GB (1.06 GB.)
Sailing out to Mariner's Reef (essentially so herky-jerky as to be unplayable): 1.09 GB (1.07 GB.)
Landing at outcast: 1.12 GB (1.14 GB.)
F7 + Exit game (return to desktop - erm, wait, it didn't now): 345 MB.
Exit launcher1.exe: 329 MB.

Overall, not nearly as bad with "Aggressive" as it has been recently, but nowhere near as smooth as it used to be in June/July 2008 with aggressive turned on.

Unable to start a second or third or fourth pirate concurrently now. (It "starts" but both pirates slow down too much to be able to take a single step in any direction, in under 5 minutes.)


For these initial observations, overall I think they are finally at least trying. That in itself is simply fabulous. But it seems like maybe 30-40% of the game objects are currently subject to recycling: the rest get added and just stay added no matter what. I still believe that they should flush all stale objects on scene changes.

The fact that they are looking at memory management at all, is just fantastic. Very encouraging. And not a moment too soon, with all the texture additions in Port Royal and Tortuga.