100% CPU while running openttd

[Pajarico]

Hi, i'm on linux and when i run openttd it eats my CPU no matter if i run it windowed or fullscreen, the speed of the game seems normal and smooth but every 5 seconds pauses for a moment (i guess is when the cpu hits the peak value of 100%).

[Moriarty]

Does it still use 100% when full animation is turned off? That's the single biggest CPU user in my experience (short of full-speed which makes a point of using 100% of your CPU (that's how it works ))

[CruDeLioS]

Are you using timidity for the midi files? That's most probably the cause... Try disabling music (start the game with "-m null") and see if cpu usage drops...

[Pajarico]

CruDeLioS tried your tip and tried compiling openttd without timidity support, same result.

Moriarty i can't find that option, where is it?

[Sionide]

Click on this icon, then go to "Full Animated" and "Full Detail"

....

[Pajarico]

Click on this icon, then go to "Full Animated" and "Full Detail"

"Full Animated" disabled and "Full Detail" enabled and now it uses around 20%. Is that common rule, it's me or is a possible bug?
I've an amd64 +3000 and 1GB RAM.

[Moriarty]

20% is an improvement.

That is most likely a bug, or weird hardware stuff. My slower amd2600 with 512mb ram runs at less than 1% CPU usage an instance of OTTD (with full animation off).
Maybe it's the 64 bit stuff. Don't know.

[Jango]

actually, i had the same problem. Running in Linux with a 3200+ AMD 64 CPU.

I'd recommend that first you check 'top' to ensure that it is OpenTTD using up the CPU instead of X. You may find it's actually X.

If so, this suggests an SDL bug, imo.

I assume you are running a 32-bit Linux distro. I've compiled SDL/X and OpenTTD in 64-bit and the problem is not there. If you have enough Linux experience, I recommend getting Gentoo AMD64, if not, then try something else like SuSE 9.x for AMD64.

[Pajarico]

Thanks to you both.

Jango I'm running Gentoo in pure 64 environment. Everything is compiled from scratch, SDL, X (xorg-6.8.1.901 actually) and openttd included.
I'm starting to suspect that this has something to do with composite extension or maybe with composite manager (i'm using xfce4 that comes with its own manager).
I'm going to compile xfce4 without composite enabled and see what happens. If that doesn't work i'll compile xorg without composite and see what happens (again ). I'll post results.

Jango, tell me if you are experiencing this problem now. And tell me if you are using composite in X and in window manager (for shadows and transparenncies).

I'd recommend that first you check 'top' to ensure that it is OpenTTD using up the CPU instead of X. You may find it's actually X.

You were right :
-X: 95%
-openttd: 2%

Greets

[Observer]

I have an AMD64 3200+ also. Im a big fan of gentoo, but this is the only pc left in my room still running windows..
Im planning on installing gentoo64 anytime soon... I would not like for any of this cpu misbehaviour to happen here, so Im awaiting your results with much interest.
Just wanted to let you know.

[Celestar]

You might want to install better graphic drivers.

Celestar

[Pajarico]

Compiled xfce4 without composite, same result, maybe a bit faster. The problem is when i try to scroll the screen.. is bloody slow

You might want to install better graphic drivers.

I'm having trouble with nvidia drivers (specially 6629)

[Jango]

pajarico, i think you might find my reply inadequate. I've never used composites, and I can't tell you which versions I'm running, and I've only been using gentoo for a few days.

Basically my system is set up:

Latest stable gentoo xorg
Latest stable gentoo xfce4
Latest stable gentoo sdl
Latest stable gentoo nvidia-glx / nvidia-kernel

I'm using DRI and GLX extensions within xorg, and I've not tried Xinerama yet, although I almost certainly will.

[Pajarico]

My system:
Latest unstable xorg
Latest unstable xfce4 (4.2.0, but not a single crash since it went out)
Latest stable gentoo
No nvidia-glx / nvidia-kernel

All the stuff to make binaries (gcc, binutils, ld...) is stable too. My CCFLAGS are very simple (-O2 -pipe).

I've disabled composite in xorg.conf but to no avail.
Does anyone know of a game in sdl? Just to check if is a sdl problem or a x problem...

[dominik81]

Frozen Bubbles is SDL.

[Pajarico]

Frozen Bubbles is SDL.

Tried frozen-bubble, is slow as hell. Again same problem, X eats my CPU.
The game is playable but when there are many elements in the screen the cpu rises inmediately to ridiculous high values.
Exactly the same as in openttd, is playable but when there are lots of traffic it turns slow.

I'm going to ask in gentoo forums, to see if this is generalizated.

[Pajarico]

Please, read this (specially devs) and tell me what do you think:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=286730

[Celestar]

SDL_CALL SDL_Delay(1);

does he mean that part?

I'm running a full game at around 30% on my notebook, with CPU running at minimum clock speed (500MHz) and a totally crappy shared memory "card".

Celestar

[Jango]

i only saw it on the 64-bit processor. And I only had the problem when i was running sdl/X/openttd in 32-bit mode.

I don't think that suggests a code problem.

[Darkvater]

It also works just fine on Windows when run with the SDL library. Not that anyone wants it, but just to show that it is not the SDL-noobness problem that that guy blindly suggested on the gentoo forums.