Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

Lag due to June's new Lighting system

«1
Well that didn't last long. We were finally given 64bit, and "hey, go have big fun, knocks yourselves out." But now my GTX 970 and 16GB of ram, on a ship shape rig, has to be turned down to lowest Lighting settings to end the atrocious lag on larger lots with many windows.

And I'm not talking modern glasshouse mansions either. A typical mansion, with plenty of window, but not overdone, then boom, lag.

My graphics card and rig has no earthly business with low settings on anything the pc gaming world currently has out there.

So is it back to playing shotgun bungalows, or pushing the boat out on medium two-up, two-down nuclear family lots of supreme repetitive boringness?

Now to go explain to NVidia what TS4 is doing to their 970, and see if they can keep a straight face. Though I seriously doubt this is due to the lighting effect itself crippling the graphics card. Just the way the game is handling the data from all those windows.

Switching it off works for now. But if this is not addressed or explained, I will be seeking a full refund thanks to the new UK laws that protect me from software companies who cannot ever deliver the product they promised.

I haven't even patched to the latest 1.21. Need I bother? Dare I hope for lighting settings miracles after I do?

Comments

  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    If this lag is just hitting now, pull out your Screenshots folder. If you have very many, they currently cause lag.
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • rosemowrosemow Posts: 163,519 Member
    edited July 2016
    Hello

    Try removing your screenshot folder and see if that helps the issue .

    Try playing in offline mode and see if that helps the lagging issue.

    Sometimes having a large amount of items in the sims inventories and household inventory can cause lagging issues. Remove some of the items from the inventories and see if that helps.

    Do you have cc/mods in your game? If you do, move your mods folder to the desktop. Then start the game and test to see if the issue is still there.

    Try resetting your sims 4 folder and see if that helps. To do that, move your sims 4 folder ( that is in Documents -Electronic Arts - then the sims 4 folder is there ) to the desktop. Then start the game, and a new sims 4 folder will be generated. Exit the game and then copy back the "options.ini" file and the "saves" , "screenshots" "tray" "custom music " and "mods" folders from the desktop sims 4 folder to the new sims 4 folder, replacing the new generated file/ folders with the old file/folders from the desktop sims 4 folder .

    Try turning off origin in-game and see if that helps
    http://sims4.crinrict.com/en/2014/09/deactivate-origin-in-game/
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    No, it's been hitting since last month when it was first introduced. I only mention it now because I see nothing in the patch notes regarding lag and lighting. Screenshot folder is empty anyhow.
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    You might want to wait for @phoebebebe13 and @chesterbigbird then. They've been helping with support on the newer cards. I've not noticed other reports of lighting lag on them, though.
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    I've tried all of those. I'm a dab hand at keeping any game in the Sims franchise in good shape. But this is something else. Yes, I have mods. Yes, I make mods for this game. This is a technical issue beyond anything I can currently do on my end to clean it up.

    Thanks for your advice, but this is what I too advise others to do over at MTS, and then some. I just cannot end the lag on large lots due to the new lighting.
  • egwarhammeregwarhammer Posts: 5,752 Member
    I had to laugh at @rosemow asking @coolspear if he had mods. :) Only like a million of them... :)

    coolspear1 welcome to the forums. :) Hate that it's to report a problem with your game, but thrilled to see you post here! <3

    http://modthesims.info/member.php?u=3040413 (coolspear1's MTS members page... LOTS of modding goodness :) )
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    hello to you too, egwarhammer. Nice to meet you here.

    Have you experienced the lag on large lots with a fair amount of windows?
  • egwarhammeregwarhammer Posts: 5,752 Member
    coolspear wrote: »
    hello to you too, egwarhammer. Nice to meet you here.

    Have you experienced the lag on large lots with a fair amount of windows?

    I have only default houses and I haven't played a lot this week, just patched this morning and loaded it up long enough to make sure nothing blew up. (So far so good.) So to answer your question, I haven't had that issue here... yet.

    And my screenshots folder in game is empty, I use onedrive with printscreen to keep mine. So I would never have made that connection, either. (There's no connection there, as is the case with several bugs here... LOL!)

  • JagwithtudeJagwithtude Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited July 2016
    I had to laugh at @rosemow asking @coolspear if he had mods. :) Only like a million of them... :)

    coolspear1 welcome to the forums. :) Hate that it's to report a problem with your game, but thrilled to see you post here! <3

    http://modthesims.info/member.php?u=3040413 (coolspear1's MTS members page... LOTS of modding goodness :) )

    I did too EG :D like this is Coolspear, he not only has mods, he makes them and they're good ones too
    "If you could read my mind, I'm pretty sure you'd be traumatized for life"

    Join us on Discord for help with MC Command Center @ Discord https://discord.gg/TKp3GqE
    The latest version of MCCC 3.9.6 go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/mc-command-3-9-6-15332977

    Rrkznuy.jpg?4


























  • egwarhammeregwarhammer Posts: 5,752 Member
    lilonesub wrote: »
    I had to laugh at @rosemow asking @coolspear if he had mods. :) Only like a million of them... :)

    coolspear1 welcome to the forums. :) Hate that it's to report a problem with your game, but thrilled to see you post here! <3

    http://modthesims.info/member.php?u=3040413 (coolspear1's MTS members page... LOTS of modding goodness :) )

    I did too EG :D like this is Coolspear, he not only has mods, he makes them and they're good one too

    And his description pages are largely epic reading. :) Even if you don't want the mod, you may get a kick out of what he writes for it. I always enjoy his posts. Interesting person, for sure. <3
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    You guys! I came here somewhat unhappy, but you've managed to chirp me up no end. Thanks. Now I feel like a right meanie for some of my opening comments. >:)
  • JagwithtudeJagwithtude Posts: 1,452 Member
    coolspear wrote: »
    You guys! I came here somewhat unhappy, but you've managed to chirp me up no end. Thanks. Now I feel like a right meanie for some of my opening comments. >:)

    Well, this game has not been fun, you know all too well what happened with the June 2nd patch and thanks for your NO Auto Mods, I have a few of them in my game, no more going to the bar to make drinks for my sims :) and your insect spawners, I don't collect them but have them in every yard...
    "If you could read my mind, I'm pretty sure you'd be traumatized for life"

    Join us on Discord for help with MC Command Center @ Discord https://discord.gg/TKp3GqE
    The latest version of MCCC 3.9.6 go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/mc-command-3-9-6-15332977

    Rrkznuy.jpg?4


























  • egwarhammeregwarhammer Posts: 5,752 Member
    rosemow wrote: »
    I am sorry. I hope that I didn't hurt you by asking about the mods/cc.

    I shouldn't have put it the way I did. I wasn't meaning to make YOU feel bad, @rosemow ... I'd never want to do that to you. <3

    Out for work, back in the AM. Hope all have a great night!
  • rosemowrosemow Posts: 163,519 Member
    rosemow wrote: »
    I am sorry. I hope that I didn't hurt you by asking about the mods/cc.

    I shouldn't have put it the way I did. I wasn't meaning to make YOU feel bad, @rosemow ... I'd never want to do that to you. <3

    Out for work, back in the AM. Hope all have a great night!

    Hello
    I hope that your workday goes well. :)
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    rosemow wrote: »
    I am sorry. I hope that I didn't hurt you by asking about the mods/cc.

    No, not at all. You were just being very helpful. 9 times out of 10, that sound advice will do the trick. Nothing to be sorry about at all. You couldn't possible know all the tricks I've tried.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    coolspear wrote: »
    Well that didn't last long. We were finally given 64bit, and "hey, go have big fun, knocks yourselves out." But now my GTX 970 and 16GB of ram, on a ship shape rig, has to be turned down to lowest Lighting settings to end the atrocious lag on larger lots with many windows.

    And I'm not talking modern glasshouse mansions either. A typical mansion, with plenty of window, but not overdone, then boom, lag.

    My graphics card and rig has no earthly business with low settings on anything the pc gaming world currently has out there.

    So is it back to playing shotgun bungalows, or pushing the boat out on medium two-up, two-down nuclear family lots of supreme repetitive boringness?

    Now to go explain to NVidia what TS4 is doing to their 970, and see if they can keep a straight face. Though I seriously doubt this is due to the lighting effect itself crippling the graphics card. Just the way the game is handling the data from all those windows.

    Switching it off works for now. But if this is not addressed or explained, I will be seeking a full refund thanks to the new UK laws that protect me from software companies who cannot ever deliver the product they promised.

    I haven't even patched to the latest 1.21. Need I bother? Dare I hope for lighting settings miracles after I do?

    did you add the game to nvidia control panel and use vsync? . Running your fps too high can cause lag and stutter.

    aa03762d-0b8a-48ab-a6cf-9eca2c446f24_zpsr3imjd8n.png
  • chesterbigbirdchesterbigbird Posts: 8,581 Member
    coolspear wrote: »
    Well that didn't last long. We were finally given 64bit, and "hey, go have big fun, knocks yourselves out." But now my GTX 970 and 16GB of ram, on a ship shape rig, has to be turned down to lowest Lighting settings to end the atrocious lag on larger lots with many windows.

    And I'm not talking modern glasshouse mansions either. A typical mansion, with plenty of window, but not overdone, then boom, lag.

    My graphics card and rig has no earthly business with low settings on anything the pc gaming world currently has out there.

    So is it back to playing shotgun bungalows, or pushing the boat out on medium two-up, two-down nuclear family lots of supreme repetitive boringness?

    Now to go explain to NVidia what TS4 is doing to their 970, and see if they can keep a straight face. Though I seriously doubt this is due to the lighting effect itself crippling the graphics card. Just the way the game is handling the data from all those windows.

    Switching it off works for now. But if this is not addressed or explained, I will be seeking a full refund thanks to the new UK laws that protect me from software companies who cannot ever deliver the product they promised.

    I haven't even patched to the latest 1.21. Need I bother? Dare I hope for lighting settings miracles after I do?

    What cpu do you have?
    Have you tired ending non essential background tasks while playing?
    Have you monitored the fps? have vsync enabled?
    i7 6700K
    16GB hyper X fury
    MSI GTX 1080
    MSI gaming M5 mobo
    Evga 750 supernova
    Corsair hydro h110i GT
    Corsair obsidian 750D
    500GB SSD
    6TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
    LG 34" ultra wide


  • DeKayDeKay Posts: 81,472 Member
    I don't have any crazy lags in my game. It feels quite the same to me before and after that patch. I used to play on medium setting for lighting but bumped it to very high just to take advantage of the update (I also spammed my sims' house with those large windows LOL) and I don't really see any huge performance issues. I'm playing on a 960m by the way, so I don't see why you have the problem. But have you removed your mods and test to see if it's still lagging? Maybe some of the mods you have are broken.

    Also, how is the game like on other normal lots with smaller houses?
    My Top Song of the Day: Fancy Footwork by Chromeo
    FwDXXd5.gif
  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz

    PC gamer for years. Keep background processes to bare minimum as a matter of course.

    Vsync always on, screen tear without it. Game was set to default fps prior to new lighting, but messing about this month it is currently set to 60fps. Usually hovers about the 30 mark with Lighting setting on max, despite the game lag on large lots.

    TS4 exe (and TS4 64bit exe) is on Nvidia 3D panel. Was application controlled, tried Adaptive. No joy.

    All fans and temps are healthy levels. Except graphics card fan now is hyper for the first time ever if Lighting settings are on high. (As reported on this site by other players since new Lighting system.)

    All other PC games on ultra settings, Witcher 3, Dragon Age Inquisition, Stellaris, and all are still super smooth hours on end.

    TS4, empty Mods folder, large lots, lagged to death. I even did a recent clear out of my SSD drive, taking off a bunch of lesser played games to make more room. Uninstalled and reinstalled TS4 in the process, hoping it would also clear the lag. Nope.

    Large lots only. Lighting on high only. Only since introduction of new lighting system. Other than that TS4 is running problem free.
  • chesterbigbirdchesterbigbird Posts: 8,581 Member
    coolspear wrote: »
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz

    PC gamer for years. Keep background processes to bare minimum as a matter of course.

    Vsync always on, screen tear without it. Game was set to default fps prior to new lighting, but messing about this month it is currently set to 60fps. Usually hovers about the 30 mark with Lighting setting on max, despite the game lag on large lots.

    TS4 exe (and TS4 64bit exe) is on Nvidia 3D panel. Was application controlled, tried Adaptive. No joy.

    All fans and temps are healthy levels. Except graphics card fan now is hyper for the first time ever if Lighting settings are on high. (As reported on this site by other players since new Lighting system.)

    All other PC games on ultra settings, Witcher 3, Dragon Age Inquisition, Stellaris, and all are still super smooth hours on end.

    TS4, empty Mods folder, large lots, lagged to death. I even did a recent clear out of my SSD drive, taking off a bunch of lesser played games to make more room. Uninstalled and reinstalled TS4 in the process, hoping it would also clear the lag. Nope.

    Large lots only. Lighting on high only. Only since introduction of new lighting system. Other than that TS4 is running problem free.

    I had the 970 before the new lighting, and it had fps drops and some lag. The game before the new lighting was cpu heavy.. so maybe now it's both cpu and gpu heavy.
    Looks like you have done everything the gamer does as fas as trouble shooting, That leaves the game which i know is pure rubbish in terms of being optimized. It performs poorly even with those people that have a 980ti.
    I am buying a new rig next month with a GTX 1080.. so we will see how that goes. :/
    Have you monitored the cpu and gpu usage with a program like hwmonitor?
    What 970 do you have?
    i7 6700K
    16GB hyper X fury
    MSI GTX 1080
    MSI gaming M5 mobo
    Evga 750 supernova
    Corsair hydro h110i GT
    Corsair obsidian 750D
    500GB SSD
    6TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
    LG 34" ultra wide


  • coolspearcoolspear Posts: 25 Member
    I am buying a new rig next month with a GTX 1080.. so we will see how that goes. :/
    Have you monitored the cpu and gpu usage with a program like hwmonitor?
    What 970 do you have?

    GTX 970msi

    That 1080 looks tasty. I was reading up on it over on the Nvidia site earlier today.

    Haven't tried the hwmonitor. How much of a difference would that make in terms of what the game reports with fps on to what hwmonitor would report?

    I strongly think this is a data problem with the game producing too much info from too many windows all at once, than it is a lighting effects issues.

    The one thing I have not done is actually rip out all the windows of large lots to see if it ends or even reduces the lag. Think that'll be my next test next time I'm in game.

  • DeKayDeKay Posts: 81,472 Member
    hwmonitor displays the temps of your PC when you play the game.

    You should try to remove those windows if you have time cuz it doesn't seem like a hardware issue on your part.
    My Top Song of the Day: Fancy Footwork by Chromeo
    FwDXXd5.gif
  • chesterbigbirdchesterbigbird Posts: 8,581 Member
    edited July 2016
    coolspear wrote: »
    I am buying a new rig next month with a GTX 1080.. so we will see how that goes. :/
    Have you monitored the cpu and gpu usage with a program like hwmonitor?
    What 970 do you have?

    GTX 970msi

    That 1080 looks tasty. I was reading up on it over on the Nvidia site earlier today.

    Haven't tried the hwmonitor. How much of a difference would that make in terms of what the game reports with fps on to what hwmonitor would report?

    I strongly think this is a data problem with the game producing too much info from too many windows all at once, than it is a lighting effects issues.

    The one thing I have not done is actually rip out all the windows of large lots to see if it ends or even reduces the lag. Think that'll be my next test next time I'm in game.

    Hwmonitor will report temps but also usage of the cpu gpu and hdd.
    It's a good idea to look at the usage so you know what the game is heavily using, when i was playing a couple months back it was using more cpu and SDD then graphics card.
    I would be interested in knowing what exactly it is using when you have this lag. My guess it's cpu.
    Remember that program needs to be left open when playing so you can get the MAX usage and temps.
    Your problem is probably not hardware related.. However a a game like this (un optimized.) can create havoc for the hardware.
    i7 6700K
    16GB hyper X fury
    MSI GTX 1080
    MSI gaming M5 mobo
    Evga 750 supernova
    Corsair hydro h110i GT
    Corsair obsidian 750D
    500GB SSD
    6TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
    LG 34" ultra wide


Sign In or Register to comment.
Return to top