Feedback Significant memory utilization.

[Sadrith]

Greetings! First and foremost, I'm loving the game. I hadn't played at all since alpha or beta until just the other day, and I'm kicking myself for that, because Embers Adrift is a breath of fresh air in many ways.

That said, I noticed some interesting resource utilization issues tonight. Specifically, the Embers Adrift binary seems to be gobbling up between 19.5 and 21GBs of my RAM. That's a LOT of RAM!

When I asked about it in /w chat, I was told that this was highly unusual, and that I should post about it here. I've attached a basic screenshot showing some numbers from Windows Task Manager.

Is this, in fact, normal? Thanks in advance!

 

[Sadrith]

After maxing out the Thread Count option in Gameplay Settings to 15, my memory utilization has dropped to <6GBs, while my CPU utilization seems to be peaking in the low-to-mid 20% range.

Edit: I think the default value was set to 5.

Edit 2: I've noticed some CPU spikes into the 70% range here and there, but they seem to be very short-lived. The game is running buttery smooth with that slider maxed.

 

[Undone]

Greetings! First and foremost, I'm loving the game. I hadn't played at all since alpha or beta until just the other day, and I'm kicking myself for that, because Embers Adrift is a breath of fresh air in many ways.

That said, I noticed some interesting resource utilization issues tonight. Specifically, the Embers Adrift binary seems to be gobbling up between 19.5 and 21GBs of my RAM. That's a LOT of RAM!

When I asked about it in /w chat, I was told that this was highly unusual, and that I should post about it here. I've attached a basic screenshot showing some numbers from Windows Task Manager.

Is this, in fact, normal? Thanks in advance!

That is very odd. Was that memory usage after a long play session? The game typically runs at 6-9gb depending on settings from my testing.

 

[Sadrith]

That is very odd. Was that memory usage after a long play session? The game typically runs at 6-9gb depending on settings from my testing.

I had only been online for an hour or so when I noticed it last night. As of right now, with a freshly rebooted machine, just logged into the game, I'm sitting at around 13.9GBs. It's very odd, and I've been unable to find any rhyme or reason to it.

I'm running the game in Full Screen (Windowed/Non-exclusive), at 4k@120Hz, with all graphics settings dialed up to max, if you think that's relevant.

 

[BigDamage]

Scalability in HDRP | High Definition RP | 14.0.10

docs.unity3d.com

 

[BigDamage]

oh, very pretty

sandstorms in Grimstone Canyon ....

 

[Undone]

I had only been online for an hour or so when I noticed it last night. As of right now, with a freshly rebooted machine, just logged into the game, I'm sitting at around 13.9GBs. It's very odd, and I've been unable to find any rhyme or reason to it.

I'm running the game in Full Screen (Windowed/Non-exclusive), at 4k@120Hz, with all graphics settings dialed up to max, if you think that's relevant.

Would be curious to see what your memory footprint looks like at 1080p, 60hz, and/or DLSS. It's not surprising that running the game maxed out like this is eating up some cpu+gpu time and I guess it's not all that surprising that it's eating more memory if everything is maxed. Humanoid textures can be a big memory sink if there are a lot of humanoids around.

Scalability in HDRP | High Definition RP | 14.0.10

docs.unity3d.com

We've been working with HDRP for over a year now and have done many may many optimizations.

oh, very pretty

sandstorms in Grimstone Canyon ....

I think Raph's package is a little late for a project such as ours. I'd much rather use Unity's built in volumetric solution (which we do) as it is guaranteed support at least for the life of the engine version. Aura2 quickly stopped being supported and I'm not ready to take that kind of risk again.

 

[Sadrith]

Would be curious to see what your memory footprint looks like at 1080p, 60hz, and/or DLSS. It's not surprising that running the game maxed out like this is eating up some cpu+gpu time and I guess it's not all that surprising that it's eating more memory if everything is maxed. Humanoid textures can be a big memory sink if there are a lot of humanoids around.


We've been working with HDRP for over a year now and have done many may many optimizations.


I think Raph's package is a little late for a project such as ours. I'd much rather use Unity's built in volumetric solution (which we do) as it is guaranteed support at least for the life of the engine version. Aura2 quickly stopped being supported and I'm not ready to take that kind of risk again.

I'd be happy to get you that data tomorrow. If there is anything else you'd like me to try and/or include, just let me know.

 

[Undone]

I'd be happy to get you that data tomorrow. If there is anything else you'd like me to try and/or include, just let me know.

I guess the real question is: does the memory footprint grow considerably? Or does it grow, then shrink, then grow again but remain relatively "stable"?

 

[Sadrith]

I guess the real question is: does the memory footprint grow considerably? Or does it grow, then shrink, then grow again but remain relatively "stable"?

It hasn't behaved like a memory leak from what I've observed. It has grown, then shrank a bit, then grown a bit, and gone back and forth over time, depending on where I am, how many models are on screen, what else I'm "looking" at, etc. Memory utilization was far lower last night when there were hardly any other players around, and much higher throughout the day today while playing in a group, fighting large groups etc.

Also, for reference, I've attached a screengrab of my graphics options.

 

[Undone]

It hasn't behaved like a memory leak from what I've observed. It has grown, then shrank a bit, then grown a bit, and gone back and forth over time, depending on where I am, how many models are on screen, what else I'm "looking" at, etc. Memory utilization was far lower last night when there were hardly any other players around, and much higher throughout the day today while playing in a group, fighting large groups etc.

Also, for reference, I've attached a screengrab of my graphics options.

you get decent performance with that?! I can only assume a 4090 or something? impressive!

 

[BigDamage]

It hasn't behaved like a memory leak from what I've observed. It has grown, then shrank a bit, then grown a bit, and gone back and forth over time, depending on where I am, how many models are on screen, what else I'm "looking" at, etc. Memory utilization was far lower last night when there were hardly any other players around, and much higher throughout the day today while playing in a group, fighting large groups etc.

Also, for reference, I've attached a screengrab of my graphics options.

I envy your resolution.

Please youtube it so I can envy it even more.
So jealous right now.

 

[Sadrith]

you get decent performance with that?! I can only assume a 4090 or something? impressive!

I do! It can get a tad bogged down when zoning, but otherwise it's great!

My specs are:

Ryzen 7 5800X3D @ 4.449GHz
32GBs DDR4-3600 RAM @ 16-19-19-39
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition (2205 MHz/2655 MHz Core/Boost clocks) on v551.86 drivers.
Running Windows 10 22H2

 

[Undone]

I do! It can get a tad bogged down when zoning, but otherwise it's great!

My specs are:

Ryzen 7 5800X3D @ 4.449GHz
32GBs DDR4-3600 RAM @ 16-19-19-39
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition (2205 MHz/2655 MHz Core/Boost clocks) on v551.86 drivers.
Running Windows 10 22H2

DLSS can sometimes work miracles. One day Unity will upgrade the DLSS version of their engine so we can get it working even better for you all

 

[BigDamage]

Would be curious to see what your memory footprint looks like at 1080p, 60hz, and/or DLSS. It's not surprising that running the game maxed out like this is eating up some cpu+gpu time and I guess it's not all that surprising that it's eating more memory if everything is maxed. Humanoid textures can be a big memory sink if there are a lot of humanoids around.


We've been working with HDRP for over a year now and have done many may many optimizations.


I think Raph's package is a little late for a project such as ours. I'd much rather use Unity's built in volumetric solution (which we do) as it is guaranteed support at least for the life of the engine version. Aura2 quickly stopped being supported and I'm not ready to take that kind of risk again.

Not questioning your knowledge and experience, posting that for others.
In fact, Unity should be asking you questions, I don't see any other game that has pushed the boundaries like yours.

You are the Neil Armstrong of Unity HDRP MMORPG's.
Hopefully one day it will be recognised.

 

[Sadrith]

DLSS can sometimes work miracles. One day Unity will upgrade the DLSS version of their engine so we can get it working even better for you all

It's truly amazing. The difference it makes in some games is astounding (I'm looking at you, CP2077). I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks can do when Unity adds DLSS 3.5.x support. What you've done so far is outstanding.

And if you'll allow me to gush for a moment, my friends and I (all veteran MMO gamers, going back to the days of Meridian 59) absolutely love Embers Adrift. We've only been playing for a few days, but your game has us grown adults seriously contemplating taking PTO to stay home and play with their friends this week, despite having major projects kicking off, or suspense dates around the corner.

We haven't had this kind of fun in many years.

I'm off to bed (big project kicking off tomorrow...), but I'll get you that data on performance at 1080p@60 w/ and w/o DLSS some time tomorrow. Thanks again for everything, and have a fantastic night!

 

[Undone]

It's truly amazing. The difference it makes in some games is astounding (I'm looking at you, CP2077). I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks can do when Unity adds DLSS 3.5.x support. What you've done so far is outstanding.

And if you'll allow me to gush for a moment, my friends and I (all veteran MMO gamers, going back to the days of Meridian 59) absolutely love Embers Adrift. We've only been playing for a few days, but your game has us grown adults seriously contemplating taking PTO to stay home and play with their friends this week, despite having major projects kicking off, or suspense dates around the corner.

We haven't had this kind of fun in many years.

I'm off to bed (big project kicking off tomorrow...), but I'll get you that data on performance at 1080p@60 w/ and w/o DLSS some time tomorrow. Thanks again for everything, and have a fantastic night!

Thank you for the kind words. It means a lot to us; I'll make sure to pass it along to the rest of the team!

 

[Sadrith]

Ok, I'm sorry I took so long to get back to this one @Undone

I have a very interesting result: My memory utilization seems to vary wildly, and it seems to happen regardless of my graphics settings.

Yesterday, at 4k@120, max settings, I was sitting at a mere 4.8GBs of memory usage in a full 6-man party, in the Exile camp in Northreach. The same held true when we went into CV2..

Right now, with the exact same settings, but solo, staring off into the landscape in Northreach, I'm at 11.99GBs.

If I drop my settings down to bare minimum, 1080p@60, my memory utilization remains unchanged. This is wild.

The attached screenshots show my memory utilization at minimum settings.