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Some input lag optimisation tips for WA

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Jengu:

* Run the game in exclusive fullscreen. Alternatively, you can disable desktop composition if you are using Windows 7.[1]
* Disable Wait for vertical sync.
* Disable Assisted vertical sync. I had this option enabled for a long time until I realised it was causing stutter and the occasional lag spike.
* Use your native desktop resolution.
* Set your monitor refresh rate to a multiple of 50Hz if you can (50Hz, 100Hz, 150Hz, 200Hz).[2]
* If you are using D3D9 rendering, choose Direct3D9 (CPU). It is not as efficient as Direct3D9 (shader) but the latency is slightly lower.
* If you have an Nvidia graphics card, set Maximum pre-rendered frames to 1 for Worms Armageddon.[3]
* Enable Game Mode if using Windows 10. Make sure it is enabled both globally and for Worms Armageddon.[4]
That's all I can think of for now. Some people have trouble with tearing but it hasn't been a problem for me on my computer. Let me know if you can think of anything to change or add.

[1]Spoiler! ViewRight-click Worms Armageddon (desktop shortcut or executable) > Properties > Compatibility > Disable desktop composition
[2]Spoiler! ViewUsually requires a gaming monitor. Right-click desktop > Screen Resolution/Display settings > Advanced settings/Display adapter properties > List All Modes
[3]Spoiler! ViewNVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D settings > Program Settings > Select Worms Armageddon > Maximum pre-rendered frames
[4]Spoiler! ViewSettings > Gaming > Game Mode > Use Game Mode
Run Worms Armageddon > Windows + G > Settings > Use Game Mode for this game

gentoo:
All Windows above XP are all awful for input lag, I have no idea why and have been trying to find an explanation since Vista came out. I don't think I've tried game mode on Windows 10 so it could be interesting to test.

I even run a completely stripped dedicated version of XP just for WA, with basically nothing but sound, graphics, and network, and I can boot into it straight to WA in about 10 seconds.

I've never played much with the other graphics modes then D3D9 shader, is CPU really less latency? Did you test it by feel? I always try to get it as low as I can in general by changing the BIOS settings for least latency, stripping the OS and changing kernel parameters, misc reg tweaks, nvidia settings, running PS/2 on the keyboard if available, using good mouse with overclocked sensor and low latency switches + weight reduction, using a CRT monitor with 150hz / whatever res - refresh suits the game best. For WA, all this is sort of a waste if your keyboard keys are 2x slower in response than another keyboard, so I "modded" a second keyboard just for rope key of which I tap the bare membrane.

Don't get me wrong, in terms of feel my setup feels amazing. The mouse feels like it's mechanically connected to my monitor (being a CRT) and everything is completely instant and smooth as glass, but I do it just to take hardware / software limitations out of the skill equation for self satisfaction. Most people who are miles better than me play on a shitty laptop or don't even think about latency or whatever.

Jengu:
CPU rendering resulted in smoother gameplay on an older computer with high DPC latency caused by Nvidia drivers. The difference shouldn't be noticeable on most systems.

I am surprised at how much effort you went through to reduce input lag. It would be interesting to see how much latency is added by each system component starting with the keyboard firmware.

It is possible to make a keyboard that adds only 0-1 ms of delay but from what I have read most keyboards add greater than 10 ms of delay. The only real way around this is to build your own.

Deadcode:
gentoo, if you've gone to that much trouble to minimize input lag, you're going to like some new features in the upcoming WA 3.8.0.

There is a DirectDraw 8-bit (hardware) mode, which on my Windows XP installation yields framerates upward of 900 fps with a normal (1920×696) map. I have found this to have lower input lag than anything else. I don't use it though, because it makes minimization and unminimization slow. I use Direct3D 9 (shader).

Assisted v-sync now has some configurable parameters (via the registry). Once fine-tuned correctly, it works quite well with vsync disabled, with "vsync off + assisted vsync on" yielding smooth updating with less input lag than "vsync on + assisted vsync off".

And... there is a really big new feature, which among other things, reduces effective input lag in all modes. I'll give a hint: It reduces average input lag by 10 milliseconds.

AFAIK there is no reason to use Direct3D 9 (CPU) unless Direct3D9 (shader) either doesn't work on a particular GPU or has glitches, neither of which has ever been reported. (This applies both to 3.7.2.1 and the upcoming 3.8.0.)

When I did a test with WA a while back using my video camera in 240 fps slowmo, with D3D9 (shader), I found keypresses to have about 42 ms of lag (from pounding a key fast/hard to seeing the effect on-screen), frontend hardware mouse cursor to have about 27 ms of lag (from suddenly shoving the mouse to seeing the effect on-screen), and in-game mouse cursor to have about 40 ms of lag. This is with an Northgate OmniKey Ultra2 keyboard plugged into the PS/2 port, and USB mouse.


--- Quote from: Jengu on December 08, 2017, 09:04 AM ---CPU rendering resulted in smoother gameplay on an older computer with high DPC latency caused by Nvidia drivers. The difference shouldn't be noticeable on most systems.
--- End quote ---
That is very interesting. I had never heard of this before.

gentoo:
Nothing to do with Vulkan is it (your hint)?

I have tried directdraw in the past but couldn't really test it for latency as it was so choppy it was unplayable in comparison to D3D.

Looking forward to an update. Thats a nice keyboard with what I read white alps, I recently sold a Das 3, and a Dell AT102W with black alps.

Have you ever tried the HHKB? Its been my daily driver for years, the layout and feel is absolutely godlike for any type of use, ironically except for WA due to lack of dedicated arrows unless like me you use WASD to move.

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