BETA PATCH v1.06.17582 - May 05, 2012

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by 335th_GRAthos

Volksieg, it does not make sense,

One day it works great, 24hrs later performance is crap!
Something must have changed and wejust do not know what caused it.

Maybe Steam re-installed old files again?

ATAG-Keller made a suggestion to those having crash-to-desktops in the new patch:



The other advice I will offer is to watch carfully your VRAM % utilisation. They said that the new patch loads many more things into the RAM (VRAM?) in order to avoid stutters &fps drops if these things would be loaded when required. This sounds like an increase of VRAM requirements (which is hopefully compensated by the tone-down of the other graphics).
Maybe that people with small VRAM (<1Gb) reach the limit much faster than 1c expected... [ASSUMPTION]
When my 1,3Gb VRAM becomes full I have a 50% drop in my fps.


~S~

My steam client reverts back to automatic updates every time i launch the sim. Every time i exit the sim i have to right click on the CoD icon, go to properties and tell it not to auto-update. Maybe that happened to Volksieg as well and now he has files from both versions? If so, that could cause problems.

Originally Posted by Luftwaffepilot

I can't understand how a patch (no matter if beta or even alpha) with a rewritten graphics engine can show the same issues (CTDs, stutters (caused by clouds, grass, particles, ...)) like before the so highly praised "major graphics rewrite". This sim is not showing any progress.

See, the "no matter alpha or beta" is actually far from no matter, it's the crux of the matter in fact. Alpha usually means internal testing.

In other words, trying out things to see how they work (or not) before deciding which solution to implement. After deciding which is the best way to do things, then it goes ahead to implementation and public testing (this is the beta), then the final tweaking is done and released through the final version.

So, to all whom it may concern (and not just the poster in the above quote)...

This patch is not the patch that was meant to cure everybody's problems. It's the patch they would be running internally in their offices and trying things out just for the sake of seeing what works best. What does this mean? Simply put, it's a test of available solutions, not the best possible implementation of the solution deemed optimal.

A large part of this community has been asking for more involvement in the internal workings of the sim's development and that's what we got. Software development however follows specific development cycles. We used to be seeing the end result, we have moved to getting access to beta testing and now we have an alpha. It's like we're practically in their offices testing this thing with their programmers now. In other words it's work, not play.

And because i know someone will ask the obvious, "why should i work for free then after buying the sim?" the answer is already there. Nobody has to. Installing this alpha patch and taking part in the process is a completely voluntary and optional process.

If people want to beta test they should beta test, if they want to take part in an alpha they should, if they feel ripped off when getting involved with the development of the sim they should just sit back and let other members of the community do it. No harm done either way.

What is definitely not ok though is ignoring what this patch really is, attaching our own personal wishlist to it and then using its non-fulfillment as grounds for complaints. This patch is not gameplay material, it's code testing, plain and simple.

It's work, not play. If people were happier with the previous version or don't want to put in the work they are free to do so: right click on your CoD icons in Steam, select properties, verify cache integrity and that's it. You're back to the previous version.

But please, if you don't want to work, at least allow those that want to do so. You are going to benefit from their testing as well, so let them find and report those bugs you can't be bothered to.

If some don't want to take part in the testing process they are free to do so. What they cannot do is sabotage the work of others who are willing to sacrifice their personal free time to test a buggy alpha release, so that the rest of you can actually fly a corrected version some day. Otherwise, if some don't want to help and also sabotage those that try to help, they will only have themselves to blame when no further improvements are forthcoming.

It's like a dog biting the feeding hand. People's patience is running thin for sure, but it's running thin both ways. Go for a walk, have a beer and let the rest of the community test this thing so that you can someday fly it too.