Footprints cause massive FPS drops
My game normally runs at 75 fps, but on worlds where footprints can be left (or during winter) the fps drops to 40-45 if I move the camera in the direction of the footprints. During the winter it's w...
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@ImMichiee That is fascinating. If you don't mind, I have a few questions. First, how are you limiting your in-game framerates? I can see that your monitor runs at 75 Hz, which is the why, but I'd like to know the how: the AMD graphics control panel, the in-game setting (vertical sync, with the other graphics settings), or a third-party tool? How does fps behave if you lift the limit entirely? I realize you wouldn't want to play like this long-term, but testing in one game session won't do any damage.
Additionally, please change the post processing setting, with the other graphics settings, to whatever you're not using, restart the game, and see whether it makes a difference. Please also post a screenshot of the settings you're using in-game, for reference.
AMD also offers a newer driver for your graphics card, so it's worth installing that to see whether it helps. If not, you can roll back through the Windows Device Manager.
@puzzlezaddict Thanks for your answer, I limit my fps with the AMD graphics control panel, if I don't limit the fps I get more than 120, but as soon as footprints start to be generated on the ground (by townies or any animal) fps drops anyway.
I turn off post processing and it improves a bit, not much really, it drops to 45-50 fps. I've also tried things like:
* V-sync on/off
* Change graphics options one by one
* Fullscreen, Windowed Fullscreen, Windowed (Fullscreen works best for me)
* Remove mods (I don't have many)
* Delete the Electronics Arts folder
* New game
* Enhanced Sync from AMD graphics control panel
* AMD Freesync on/offSomething that I've noticed is that if I pause the game, the fps increases to 75, but when I press play, they drop again. This is the settings I use in-game (It's in Spanish so Alta means High - Muy Alta means Very High)
@ImMichiee Thanks for the info. Just to clarify, because I'd like to include as much detail as possible when I flag this issue, does the fps still drop to the same level when you'd disabled all forms of fps limiting? As in, does fps drop to 40-45 (or 45-50 with post processing disabled) even when the game is running at 120 otherwise?
Did uppdating the graphics driver help at all?
I'd also like to see how your graphics card is performing in these moments. The easiest way is with an hwinfo log. You can download hwinfo for free from here:
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/
You don't need to install anything; just choose the portable version, unzip it, and launch it from Downloads or wherever you like. If you do want to install, be sure to click the button for hwinfo itself, not for lansweeper.
Restart your computer, launch hwinfo but nothing else, and click the button that's a sheet of paper with a + icon to start logging.. At the same time, please start a timer, like the stopwatch on your phone, so you can keep track of how long you've been logging the info. Wait five minutes, then open the EA App or Origin, then Sims 4, and play in a world that doesn't include any footprints. Please play for ten minutes there, and move the camera around or travel to different lots to get some variety. Then travel your sim to somewhere with snow or sand and do the same. Let me know exactly when you made the transition from no footprints to footprints, relative to when you started the logging, so I can match the data with the switch.
When you're done, click the same button to end logging, then upload the log to the third-party filesharing site of your choice and link it here. Please leave it in .csv format, or create a .zip file if you're using OneDrive, and don't open the log until you've uploaded it; otherwise its format may change enough that my log reader can't process it.
Just to be clear, hwinfo reports extensively on your hardware, in particular the various components' sensors, but it doesn't capture any information about software or any personal data.
@puzzlezaddict Yes, the fps drops anyway, with post processing off it only improves a bit but still feels too stuttery. Updating the graphics didn't fix the problem either.
I did the steps exactly as you told me, so I hope I did it right. I had the program open for 5 minutes and then I opened the game, I was in Willow Creek, Windenburg and San Myshuno, moving the camera around. After 10 minutes I went to Mt. Komorebi and waited for the townies to start walking and leave their footprints in the snow, at about 16 minutes the fps started to drop and I kept moving the camera until the end of the log.
Please let me know if you need me to repeat the process or something.
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