Dear ArenaNet, please optimize the game engine

[Radiancee.6537]

So, you probably know where this is heading, but I believe this issue shouldn't get out of focus, especially by ArenaNet. Guild Wars 2 is an incredible game, and I'm a big fan. However, there's one persistent problem that has become increasingly apparent over the years: the game's performance.

You could throw an i9 14700k paired with an RTX 4090 at this game, and you'd still experience drops below 30 FPS. The issue isn't that the game has to handle an excessive amount of calculations. The real problem lies in the fact that the engine only utilizes 30-40% of the hardware and, more importantly, barely taps into the GPU's potential and underutilizes the benefits of multi-threading.

It's a positive step that ArenaNet has transitioned to DirectX 11, but the engine itself is in dire need of an overhaul. A game that's over 10 years old shouldn't strain modern high-end hardware like it does. Just imagine how incredible it would be if the game fully embraced the capabilities of today's hardware.

Certainly, expecting an entirely new engine would be unrealistic. Similarly, it would be unrealistic to expect Guild Wars 2 to fully leverage 100% of modern hardware overnight. My concern is simply that ArenaNet makes optimizations to eliminate bottlenecks here and there, providing a smoother experience for the game in certain situations. Even 10 FPS more in crouded places would be kitten awesome.

Edited January 4 by Radiancee.6537

[Randulf.7614]

They are constantly working on it bit by bit - I don't think it needs bringing into focus by us if I am honest, since it always be in focus. It's just a fact of life that they only have finite resources, time and ultimately may not want to risk the years of work to do it and fixing game breaking bugs a major overhaul would bring

We know they are constantly work on improvement to the tech side of thing. Here's one of their tech blogs to show improvements are never out of focus, but also that not everything is doable:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/inside-arenanet-chromium-embedded-framework-in-guild-wars-2/

I'm sure in a perfect world most of us would want to see better performance (I wouldn't say no, but it's not a high priority of mine to see implemented). But overhauls are long, expensive and risky. I'm pretty sure they discuss options internally every week. I would like to see more regular tech blogs though. I thought the above one was interesting.

[Radiancee.6537]

Yes, I'm aware that they are working on improvements (which is great!), and I've also read that blog. However, they then released Amnytas. While other maps are running smoothly (especially Path of Fire maps, which look absolutely stunning), some newer maps are performing poorly (Seitung, Kaineng, Kaineng Overlook, Amnytas, ...). It seems we are facing some optimization issues lately

7 minutes ago, Randulf.7614 said:

I would like to see more regular tech blogs though. I thought the above one was interesting.

I agree; having more of those blogs would be awesome since they are genuinely interesting.

Edited January 4 by Radiancee.6537

[Randulf.7614]

Perhaps, but I think I would prefer if they dialled back on how they design their maps. Maybe its too many effects or assets, but given how immensely difficult an engine overhaul is, I'd expect them to take the simpler route and be a little less aesthetically ambitious. Given that Amnytas is an ambitious look without much reason to be from a gameplay pov, I'd think they could change their design approach going forward to help combat the performance issues.

[Radiancee.6537]

 

Sure, I agree with you to some extent. However, there are many issues that could be addressed through optimizations. Let's continue using Amnytas as an example: too many objects are loaded, even those that are not currently visible to the player. Just optimizing the culling process could significantly improve the performance.

[LSD.4673]

Judging by the quality of maps we've had in EoD and SotO, this poorly optimised stuff is the new standard -- replete with clipping errors, recycled assets and painfully repetitive copy-pasting.

[Jianyu.7065]

I'm throwing an i5 12600k and a 3060ti at this game and I'm not seeing drops in the 30s or below.

[Mistwraithe.3106]

Multi threaded programming is hard. It’s easier today than it has ever been because of improved libraries and language features but it is still about the hardest development challenge, particularly if working within an engine which wasn’t built for it.

They need to keep working on it but it’s going to take time.

[Toa Acrinn.9067]

14 hours ago, Jianyu.7065 said:

I'm throwing an i5 12600k and a 3060ti at this game and I'm not seeing drops in the 30s or below.

I'm using a pretty generic laptop from at least a few years ago, and I'm also running smoothly. Maybe OP should doublecheck their game/computer settings, make sure they aren't running too many things...or maybe their internet's just not that good, lol

[Radiancee.6537]

On 1/5/2024 at 11:57 AM, Toa Acrinn.9067 said:

I'm using a pretty generic laptop from at least a few years ago, and I'm also running smoothly. Maybe OP should doublecheck their game/computer settings, make sure they aren't running too many things...or maybe their internet's just not that good, lol

A stable gigabit fiber connection should be good enough. You didn't really understand what I was trying to say, so let me explain a bit more.

I'm referring to specific scenarios such as the Tarir drop-down or the Wizards Tower on Ultra Settings. In particular, Amnytas and the Wizards Tower got some optimization issues (broken culling system) compared to other maps. In theory, any modern hardware should (and I emphasize - should!) be able to handle these settings, including the highest character limit and quality settings.

While Guild Wars 2 typically runs very smooth, the game's engine falls short in fully using the capabilities of newer hardware. This becomes particularly evident in densely populated situations, where modern hardware should, and can, handle it effortlessly. Yet the engine fails to use these provided capabilities. While the game generally runs smoothly, anyone can verify this by using a performance overlay. Needless to say, there is still room for improvement in terms of optimization.

The issue with GW2, like many older games, is that it doesn't effectively leverage the GPU's capabilities. It heavily depends on the CPU (shadows for example) and, moreover, doesn't make efficient use of multiple cores and threads.

Fully rebuilding the game to meet new standards is likely not possible and unrealistic. Prioritizing smaller optimizations and, most importantly, addressing issues like the broken culling in Amnytas, becomes crucial.

Edited January 6 by Radiancee.6537

[Bladestrom.6425]

I would imagine anet are perfectly aware of performance issues in the newer maps and are prioritising optimisation alongside new content, the latter of which is a much greater priority in customer eyes.

[LSD.4673]

On 1/5/2024 at 10:57 AM, Toa Acrinn.9067 said:

I'm using a pretty generic laptop from at least a few years ago, and I'm also running smoothly. Maybe OP should doublecheck their game/computer settings, make sure they aren't running too many things...or maybe their internet's just not that good, lol

Ah yes, i hate it when my internet throttles my frame rate. I tried linking up another router in CrossFire but it just disconnected me.

[enigmatic.3576]

On 1/3/2024 at 5:32 PM, Radiancee.6537 said:

You could throw an i9 14700k paired with an RTX 4090 at this game, and you'd still experience drops below 30 FPS. The issue isn't that the game has to handle an excessive amount of calculations. The real problem lies in the fact that the engine only utilizes 30-40% of the hardware and, more importantly, barely taps into the GPU's potential and underutilizes the benefits of multi-threading.

That would be untrue considering that I exceed that with a 4070

[Nekos.3649]

8 hours ago, LSD.4673 said:

Ah yes, i hate it when my internet throttles my frame rate. I tried linking up another router in CrossFire but it just disconnected me.

looooooooooooooooooooooool

[SouthPaw.9705]

Just out of curiosity, has anybody ever been able to play (at least 30FPS) if you set both character models limit and character model quality to both highest settings? It eats framerates!

I understand you are talking about optimization and with a Ryzen 5600 combined with an RX580 I should be able to rock a lot more settings but what matters most to me is a constant framerate.

This is where EOD and SOTO come into question, because i get massive dips in these maps almost constantly 10-20FPS. I can't say for certain (and i'm probably worng) but I think the newer maps use higher resolution for all terrain and NPC characters.

Finally, when the Lunar New Year event was active last year I was getting still framerates on Tequatl! I had never seen that before, world bosses were seriously affected. Sometimes it's bad coding in updates that disrupt other codes. Once the New Year event finished I was back to my usual framerates, no problems since.

Edited January 7 by SouthPaw.9705