VS NG performance failures

[Blue Star Line]

I have purchased VSNG on Steam and there are some big problems with the performance. I'm getting 30 fps with the same ships that I would get 90 fps on VSF Can you please optimise the sim? I have an RTX 3070Ti and 64GB of RAM so I shouldn't be getting only 20 FPS. I ran the 64-bit mod as well but it did nothing. It would really mean a lot to me and I can then use it in my videos. Attached is a photo from VSNG and VSF showing the difference Apologies but I had to compress them which is why the colour is off.

[RobNeath]

Which type of CPU are you running?

Some users are reporting AMD CPU's don't mix well with the sim while Intel CPU's work fine. I can kinda back this up as back in 2015 I had a AMD powered custom PC and the fps weren't great to say the least. Then when I switched to Intel in 2016 the fps nearly doubled, of course though this was with just VSF.

Now with my current system VSNG runs and performs better than VSF. I use the website version as with a Sim like this it's easier to modify files and no need to worry about steam reinstalling the game when it detects some files have been altered (and know issue).

I run a busy Southampton port with 5+ ships in at only 24fps but that's more than enough for me to enjoy the actual game as there are next to no stutters and it very rarely drops below that if I add more ships to the mix.

This video will give you an idea that the performance issues isn't for all users: https://youtu.be/ikt0RKBtLHM

[Blue Star Line]

I'm using an AMD CPU. However, the Fps in VSF are totally fine for me and I can get up to 90fps with this model loaded in VSF. I'm only getting 20 in VSNG. Exact same model, graphics and situation loaded up

[RobNeath]

It could be the model itself that isn't optimized for VSNG? I only have the OG Titanic that was released for VS7 years ago (with no interior working) so can't really compare it this end.
On Average the FPS for me is around 10fps less when comparing the same situation in VSF, but I think this could be because VSNG is a more detailed game in general. So VSF so in-fact run better in some areas for me.

I find it's always best to try different ships in different environments.

[Blue Star Line]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was just using this Titanic as an example. FPS across all models are significantly worse on VSNG than on VSF I'm running these tests in both programs on the same PC with several different models. I'm seeing a 50-60 FPS loss across the board with each test. I'd be totally okay with not getting a higher FPS in VSNG than VSF, heck even losing 10 FPS. But losing 50-60 makes it unusable.

[RobNeath]

Hmmm it's definitely odd.

The only thing I could suggest is seeing if a friend has a Intel CPU based PC with a similar setup to yours to see how it runs. When I say "see how it runs" I mean you actually test the game yourself on their PC. I know VSF runs well on your PC but it's a 14 year old game so it should run well lol
It's just worth a shot that's all I'm saying.

I'm even willing to use Teamviewer with you to show that mine does run smoothly

[Blue Star Line]

Well, ironically enough I have found someone with a similar build and with an Intel CPU and it is indeed Papini himself! He is getting around 90 to 110 FPS (What I was getting in VSF) I mentioned to Ilan that It must be an issue with AMD CPU's however he says that: ''I'm using DirectX which does not expose any CPU options'' So I don't really know what I can do next

[RobNeath]

I was reading online that AMD dropped all support for DirectX9 in 2020. There are also a few posts on various of websites surrounding AMD in general with DirectX both CPU and GPU and they don't always mix well with them.

I think this was one of the reasons why I chose not to get an AMD CPU (despite many people saying I should) when I upgraded back in 2020.
I've currently got a i7-9700 which is quite old in CPU terms but still backs a punch.

It's just really strange how bottle-necked VSNG is by the AMD CPU (or other way around).

[MokMok]

I was reading online that AMD dropped all support for DirectX9 in 2020. There are also a few posts on various of websites surrounding AMD in general with DirectX both CPU and GPU and they don't always mix well with them.

I think this was one of the reasons why I chose not to get an AMD CPU (despite many people saying I should) when I upgraded back in 2020.
I've currently got a i7-9700 which is quite old in CPU terms but still backs a punch.

It's just really strange how bottle-necked VSNG is by the AMD CPU (or other way around).

Does this mean that DirectX9 games doesn't run at all at AMD CPUs and AMD GPUs which have been produced since 2020? And are VSNG and other DirectX9 games also affected by any AMD Phenom II X3 which is from 2009?

[Sailorjohn]

Let's not forget that VSNG runs a much more robust engine for water graphics than VSF...displacement waves...bow splash...adjustable wave length...AI traffic...etc. That places a greater demand on processing fps, so when you compare the same scenario in VSF versus VSNG...it's apples and oranges. I sympathize with the AMD folks; I have i7 and Nvidia, and see 50-60 fps even with multiple hi-res vessels and maxxed graphics. My typical fps in VSF was somewhat higher, but not that big a difference.

[Blue Star Line]

This is a BIG difference. I even tried disabling all of the nice extra features in VSNG, and the FPS remains awful. My PC should be more than capable of handling a program like this

[RobNeath]

Does this mean that DirectX9 games doesn't run at all at AMD CPUs and AMD GPUs which have been produced since 2020? And are VSNG and other DirectX9 games also affected by any AMD Phenom II X3 which is from 2009?

No the games still work but aren't recommend which is why many AMD users have issues running games which still use older version of DirectX. If you search online it has been in the news for a while now, many asking AMD to bring back support for it. But saying that Intel dropped support for it recently, but they will still continue to work as long as you download DirectX9 from the website still.

[Blue Star Line]

I don't know though if this is what is actually causing my issue. I mean, it could be, however. Seeing that VSF in on DX9 as well and preforms perfectly, I think the issue is something else.

[Gio_avi]

One big impact on FPS of what I have observed, is when ships closing together. It seam like is a ''distance'' threshold that makes the issue. Example approaching a ship with a pilot boat (40+ FPS), ones both comes closer than approx. 100m FPS gets down to 12-13. Any ideas on why ??

[MokMok]

There is a utility which converts DirectX 9 calls to modern DirectX versions 11 and 12. It is called dgVoodoo2 and can be downloaded from http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/. See also https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/DgVoodoo_2.

Could this be a solution for running Virtual Sailor NG in modern Windows versions?

[Blue Star Line]

There is a utility which converts DirectX 9 calls to modern DirectX versions 11 and 12. It is called dgVoodoo2 and can be downloaded from http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/. See also https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/DgVoodoo_2.

Could this be a solution for running Virtual Sailor NG in modern Windows versions?

Have you tried this out? Did you have any positive results?

[MokMok]

There is a utility which converts DirectX 9 calls to modern DirectX versions 11 and 12. It is called dgVoodoo2 and can be downloaded from http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/. See also https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/DgVoodoo_2.

Could this be a solution for running Virtual Sailor NG in modern Windows versions?

Have you tried this out? Did you have any positive results?

I haven't tried this out, because I run my version of VSNG under Linux Mint 20.3 by using Wine/PlayOnLinux.

[Blue Star Line]

I tried it but I could not get it to work. I'm definitely doing something wrong though

[Blue Star Line]

There is a utility which converts DirectX 9 calls to modern DirectX versions 11 and 12. It is called dgVoodoo2 and can be downloaded from http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/. See also https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/DgVoodoo_2.

Could this be a solution for running Virtual Sailor NG in modern Windows versions?

Have you tried this out? Did you have any positive results?

I haven't tried this out, because I run my version of VSNG under Linux Mint 20.3 by using Wine/PlayOnLinux.

I tried it but I could not get it to work. I'm definitely doing something wrong though. Would be great if I could get some help on this. Especially as I upgraded my PC even further and am still getting very bad FPS for the Power-to-performance I have paid for

[hjsmuc]

I tried the tool. While it seems to improve AA with not much of a frame hit, it also produced some weird artefacts and flickering. I am afraid it is not really suitable for VSNG.

[Blue Star Line]

Since starting this thread, I have upgraded my PC further. I'm now running the simulator on a 4070Ti, 64GB of DDR5 RAM @6500MHZ and a Ryzen 7800x3D. That is pretty overkill and I'm getting extremely disappointing results with VSNG. Usually 20-30 FPS I'm now able to get 200FPS on ultra settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (With the Frame Generation Mod) Ilan has stated that apparently, the issue with VSNG is to do with AMD CPUs. If that is the case then I believe he really needs to either outline that to new customers before buying or find a solution to the problem. AMD is on the rise again and in a world where price-to-performance is everything, most users are switching over to AMD. I would really like to see Ilan look further into the matter. I have been on to him about it since the release of VSNG. He added a feature in a recent update with shadow and shader delay to increase FPS, It barely gave me any more frames and left the sims reflections looking awful. I would encourage other AMD users to also reach out to Ilan so that we can all try to get him to look into the issue properly.

[rakom]

Hi! VSNG certainly has some limitations, at least in terms of refresh rate, and it's not just related to AMD CPUs. But to continue this conversation could you make a little test? I assume you still have both VSF and VSNG installed in your computer. Start on both a new situation with no ship and no special setup (water surface shaded,...), just sea and sky. Let us know how many FPS you get.

[Blue Star Line]

Hi! VSNG certainly has some limitations, at least in terms of refresh rate, and it's not just related to AMD CPUs. But to continue this conversation could you make a little test? I assume you still have both VSF and VSNG installed in your computer. Start on both a new situation with no ship and no special setup (water surface shaded,...), just sea and sky. Let us know how many FPS you get.

In VSF with a blank ocean setting. I seem to be getting 180-200FPS (Hard to tell as it is moving very fast)

In VSNG I'm only getting around 60 FPS in a blank ocean setting.

I'm not looking to get any super FPS in VSNG. I would like to have 3 or 4 ships in a blank ocean and still get 60 fps. This is something I can do in VSF with no problem at the moment. So why do I want to move to VSNG? - Basically because of the new water features and the new shaders. Wave displacement is very cool and the new water textures look much better too.

[christianH]

CPU AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
RAM 32GB @ 5600MHz
GPU NVIDIA RTX4070

VSF
There seems to be an FPS limit built into VSF, where a maximum of 125 fps is possible for me.

FPS_VSF_1.jpg (142.39 KiB) Viewed 19006 times

VS NG
In VS-NG I get around 500fps with the settings shown, both in the download version and in the Steam version.
When I open the "Land Settings" or "Graphic Settings" window, it has little effect on the fps. If I open the "Water Settings" window, the fps reduce to around 230fps.

FPS_VS-NG_1.jpg (249.19 KiB) Viewed 19006 times

[christianH]

Below is a comparison with the sailing yacht “Swan 82 (full)” with almost the same settings.

[Blue Star Line]

CPU AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
RAM 32GB @ 5600MHz
GPU NVIDIA RTX4070

VSF
There seems to be an FPS limit built into VSF, where a maximum of 125 fps is possible for me.

FPS_VSF_1.jpg

VS NG
In VS-NG I get around 500fps with the settings shown, both in the download version and in the Steam version.
When I open the "Land Settings" or "Graphic Settings" window, it has little effect on the fps. If I open the "Water Settings" window, the fps reduce to around 230fps.

FPS_VS-NG_1.jpg

You are making better progress than me with this! Mine not looking so good

[Sailorjohn]

ChristianH, I see that you are running both the Hangsim download version and Steam version of NG. Are you able to nest both .exe files in the same NG folder, or did you have to create 2 full NG folders? I'm running latest Hangsim licensed 9.9.8, but cannot get Axe's latest 2500TEU to work properly...whereas those running latest Steam NG say it works fine for them. My 2500TEU stops accelerating at 1.2kts, unless I use Adjust speed slider to boost it to 4kts or above, where it continues to accelerate normally. Ilan couldn't duplicate the problem.

[christianH]

Hello Sailorjohn,
the Steam version and the download version each have their own folders.

If I copy the Steam files (.exe, .dll, .ini) into the download version and then start it from there, the Steam version still uses the original Steam path .

For the download version I created several separate folders from which I can start the game, e.g.:
- VS-NG_SW_Europe
- VS-NG_BalticSea
- VS-NG_Test (For testing my own vehicles and scenery)
The basic installation is only approx. 260MB in size, only the additional scenarios take up a lot of space.

So far I haven't noticed any difference between the download version and the Steam version. If there are any, I would be happy if someone would list them here. The advantage of the Steam version is that you can replace the computer more easily

Since I don't have the 2500TEU, I can't test it.

[Sailorjohn]

Thanks for your info. I just recently renewed Hangsim version...but maybe it's time to switch to Steam.

[MokMok]

The advantage of the Steam version is that you can replace the computer more easily

In the non-Steam version of VSNG you have to activate this program again after installing it on a new PC. When this happens after 2 years since the last activation, or you have reactivated VSNG three times, you have to repurchase this program in order to reactivate it.