Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 30

Author Topic: [Important!] Modded System Requirements  (Read 511288 times)

Dark.Revenant

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2806
    • View Profile
    • Sc2Mafia
[Important!] Modded System Requirements
« on: November 19, 2014, 04:27:20 PM »

To play mods with Starsector, you need two things:
  • Sufficient system RAM (System RAM) - (Action required!)
  • Sufficient video RAM (VRAM)


RAM

Starsector, especially with mods involved, can use a lot of System RAM when saving or loading games.  By default, the 64-bit version of the game allocates 1.5 GB of memory for the JRE Heap.  However, this is not enough if you want to play with lots of mods.  To increase the Heap beyond 1.5 GB, you must allocate more memory.


Step 1: Verify that you are on a 64-bit operating system.  If not, you're out of luck!

Step 2: In the vmparams file, replace the text "-Xms1536m -Xmx1536m" with the memory you want to allocate to Starsector.  These numbers should be the same value.  For example, "-Xms4096m -Xmx4096m" allocates 4 GB of memory for the game.
Or
Download one of the premade vmparams files listed below.

Finish: Run starsector.exe as usual to start the game using 64-bit Java with newly-increased memory limits.  Enjoy!


How much should I allocate?
Unfortunately, an exact prediction of Heap usage isn't possible.  Here are some rough estimates:

1.3 GB Heap: The most you can get on a 32-bit OS.  Having a bunch of faction mods will cause crashing, especially when saving the game.  Avoid using DynaSector.

2 GB Heap: This is good enough for perhaps two or three medium-size factions (e.g. Blackrock Drive Yards, Scy Nation), but is liable to crash when saving the game if you use more than that.  If you have only 4 GB of System RAM, this is the best you can do.

3 GB Heap: Sufficient for a mix of a couple large factions (e.g. Interstellar Imperium, Shadowyards) and several medium-size factions.  Don't go overboard, though.  Recommended for people with 6 GB of System RAM.

4 GB Heap: Most combinations of mods will work with a 4 GB heap; only some of the craziest configurations (a dozen or more factions, plus Nexerelin and DynaSector) will overload this.  Recommended for people with 8 GB of System RAM or more.

6 GB Heap: Even if you activated every single mod at the same time, 6 GB would still be enough.  Not recommended unless you have a ton of mods, and you happen to have 12 GB of System RAM or more.


What if I don't have enough RAM?
That's okay.  Most of the System RAM requirements from mods are the result of additional markets and fleets in the game world.  You can add factions without increasing the number of markets or fleets by using Nexerelin's Random Sector feature.  Just set a sector size appropriate to your machine, and you can add as many factions as you can fit within that limited-size sector.

Edit by Thaago: Below is a snippet of a post by Tartiflette, with links to premade vmparams files made by MesoTronik.
How much ram you can allocate is determined by your system specs:

- You should never exceed 8GB or you will experience stutters, freezes or even crashes.

- If you are closing other applications, especially ram-hungry ones like Internet Browsers, you can allocate as much ram as Total System Ram MINUS 2GB
 
- If you keep your browser and other applications open, you should only allocate HALF of your Total System Ram

- 32BIT SYSTEMS CANNOT ALLOCATE MORE THAN 1.3GB OF RAM

If you can allocate 1.3GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/1300-meg/downloads/vmparams
This should be OK for a handful of faction mods plus your QoL mods and ship packs.
 
- If you can allocate 2GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/2-gig/downloads/vmparams

- If you can allocate 3GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/3-gig/downloads/vmparams
By that point you can have a decent sized mod list of 6+ factions and/or ship packs.
 
- If you can allocate 4GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/4-gig/downloads/vmparams
This should be safe to use if not all at least a large amount of mods.
 
- If you can allocate 6GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/6-gig/downloads/vmparams
Your computer should be able to handle every current mod you throw at it.
 - If you can allocate 8GB:
https://bitbucket.org/MesoTroniK/8-gig/downloads/vmparams
WARNING: SOME SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS THAT SHOULD ALLOW 8GB CAN EXPERIENCE STUTTERS AND FREEZES WITH THAT AMOUNT. If that is your case, fall back on a 6GB allocation. This much allocation is currently safe to run an arbitrary number of mods.

VRAM

Starsector can use a lot of VRAM (video memory) because all of the game assets are uncompressed sprites that are (by and large) always loaded into your video card.  If you aren't running mods, you can squeeze by with just a 512 MB video card.  However, this is not enough if you want to play with mods.


How much VRAM do I need?
First off: if you run out of VRAM, Windows (and probably most other operating systems) will claim some System RAM to use as emergency video memory.  This can cause slowdowns, decrease stability, and - most importantly - eat up the memory you allocated to Starsector for your mods!

So, you should always avoid using more VRAM than is actually installed on your video card.  Fortunately, we can gauge how much VRAM each mod needs.  Refer to the data below:

Estimated VRAM Usage

(Note: none of these figures except Unknown Skies counts the Unknown Skies shared textures)
Starsector 0.9.1a: 413.5 MiB (approximately)
GraphicsLib 1.4.2:  267.4 MiB (not including ~97.5 MiB for various shader buffers, depending on settings & resolution)
    small ripple:   207.4 MiB
    no distortions: 182.1 MiB
    no shader maps:  85.4 MiB
    fully disabled:   0.1 MiB
Tyrador Safeguard Coalition 1.6.1c: 259.0 MiB
    no shader maps:                 186.9 MiB
Ship and Weapon Pack 1.12.4: 203.5 MiB
    no shader maps:           57.6 MiB
Exigency 0.7.2:     194.2 MiB
    no shader maps: 180.7 MiB
Interstellar Imperium 2.4.0: 191.1 MiB
    no shader maps:           71.2 MiB
Shadowyards 0.9.1 RC3: 164.8 MiB
    no shader maps:    100.7 MiB
ApproLight Plus 0.3.7 RC2: 146.2 MiB
    no shader maps:        122.1 MiB
ApproLight 0.8.4 RC1: 144.9 MiB
    no shader maps:    98.8 MiB
Tahlan Shipworks 0.3.16: 124.6 MiB
    no shader maps:       88.5 MiB
Dassault-Mikoyan Engineering 1.18a: 123.4 MiB
    no shader maps:                  54.5 MiB
Blackrock Drive Yards 0.9.5: 119.5 MiB
    no shader maps:           62.4 MiB
Unknown Skies 0.42: 117.5 MiB
Junk Pirates / PACK / ASP 3.4.0: 104.2 MiB
    no shader maps:               63.4 MiB
Underworld 1.5.0:   100.4 MiB
    no shader maps: 29.9 MiB
Sylphon RnD 0.9.10: 75.3 MiB
    no shader maps: 56.2 MiB
Seeker 0.3:         74.4 MiB
    no shader maps: 46.3 MiB
Scy Nation 1.60:    63.1 MiB
    no shader maps: 50.9 MiB
Knights Templar 0.9.8f: 59.4 MiB (not including shader buffers)
    no shader maps:     40.1 MiB
Karlsson Heirloom 0.12: 49.5 MiB
    no shader maps:     31.8 MiB
Legacy of Arkgneisis 1.7.1: 45.4 MiB
    no shader maps:         31.7 MiB
Mayasuran Navy 8.3.0: 41.7 MiB
    no shader maps:   39.7 MiB
Kadur Remnant 3.1.2: 40.6 MiB
ICE 0.4 RC3: 36.3 MiB
Tiandong Heavy Industries 1.2.1a: 33.3 MiB
    no shader maps:               15.6 MiB
Vayra's Sector 3.1.5: 31.7 MiB
Diable Avionics 2.51: 31.2 MiB
    no shader maps:   20.2 MiB
Outer Rim Alliance 0.88: 26.8 MiB
    no shader maps:      16.4 MiB
Xhan Empire 1.7:    21.2 MiB
    no shader maps: 13.8 MiB
Metelson Industries 7.2.2: 21.2 MiB
Torchships 0.11:    20.2 MiB
    no shader maps: 10.4 MiB
Kingdom of Terra 0.9.5: 19.7 MiB
Vayra's Ship Pack 1.1.4: 16.2 MiB
Disassemble Reassemble 1.6.9: 13.4 MiB
Upgraded Rotary Weapons 1.41: 7.5 MiB
    no shader maps:           4.5 MiB
Luddic Enhancement 1.2.1f: 6.5 MiB


Add to this about 200-500 MB depending on operating system, video drivers, Starsector's render buffers, screen resolution, number of monitors, other applications, etc.  Typical users will see around 550 MB of VRAM usage with vanilla alone, and about 1070 MB with GraphicsLib and Ship/Weapon Pack enabled.  With lots of mods enabled, it's not uncommon to see 2 GB VRAM required for Starsector.


What if I don't have enough VRAM?
Aside from strategically removing mods based on the amount of VRAM you'd save (see the above table), disabling GraphicsLib features can save a lot of VRAM.  Setting "useLargeRipple", "loadSurface", "loadMaterial", and "use64BitBuffer" to false can save big, especially if you're running a lot of mods that use shader maps, at the cost of some visual fidelity.



Having other problems?  Visit the Mod Troubleshooting Guide!
« Last Edit: February 09, 2022, 08:00:38 PM by Thaago »
Logged

Abradolf Lincler

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 193
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2014, 06:31:10 PM »

I tried this and it Didnt work so I then then tried alternative B and it didnt wont work. :-\
Logged

Abradolf Lincler

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 193
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2014, 06:50:22 PM »

Never mind. found out what i was doing wrong thanks for the post it helped!
Logged

Aereto

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 278
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2014, 05:51:47 PM »

I appreciate that you were able to point out the one important tip. I recalled that it's instructions were muddled with rest of the threads in the modding section.

With it being stickied, hopefully those who seek a larger memory capacity can be pointed here.  :)
Logged

Cromodus

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 44
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2014, 05:15:00 AM »

IT WORKS!

My "presumed lost" save is back, and it loaded faster than ever.

Thank you sir!
Logged

k2arim99

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 14
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2014, 05:35:35 AM »

i only two gb of ram :(
Logged

Frost

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2014, 01:16:46 PM »

I don't have a starsector.bat file...... :-\
Logged

Frost

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2014, 01:47:15 PM »

I used an alternative and it simply does not start, the launcher just does not start
Logged

Debido

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 1183
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2014, 02:07:10 PM »

I used an alternative and it simply does not start, the launcher just does not start

You edited the vmparams and tried to use the normal launcher? That won't work.

I don't have a starsector.bat file...... :-\

[Starsector Directory]\starsector-core\starsector.bat
Logged

Frost

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2014, 05:58:20 PM »

I used an alternative and it simply does not start, the launcher just does not start

You edited the vmparams and tried to use the normal launcher? That won't work.

I don't have a starsector.bat file...... :-\

[Starsector Directory]\starsector-core\starsector.bat


I uh replaced the jre file and then edited the vmparams which of course did not work and uh the .bat file is just not there
Logged

Dark.Revenant

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2806
    • View Profile
    • Sc2Mafia
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #10 on: November 29, 2014, 06:30:14 PM »

First of all, which operating system are you using?
Logged

Frost

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2014, 04:09:16 AM »

First of all, which operating system are you using?

what do you mean by operating system?, because I honestly have no clue
Logged

ValkyriaL

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2145
  • The Guru of Capital Ships.
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2014, 04:16:05 AM »

Omg....
Operating system is for example windows 7, 8 or Linux, which one does your computer have?
Logged

Sleeeper

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 27
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2014, 05:07:02 AM »

It may help to tweak Java so it uses less RAM when loading saves.
I'm using -Xms3g -Xmx3g -Xmn64m -XX:PermSize=96M -XX:MaxPermSize=96M -XX:-UseGCOverheadLimit -XX:+UseParallelOldGC
It can load any save with all mods, at the cost of a bit of lag in first 1-2 fights when game is launched (after those it runs smooth).
More ram is of course better but i only have 4gb on board.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2014, 05:11:25 AM by Sleeeper »
Logged

Frost

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Can't Load Saves? Use 64-bit Java! (Instructions Inside)
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2014, 11:50:53 AM »

Omg....
Operating system is for example windows 7, 8 or Linux, which one does your computer have?

I feel absolutely *** anyway, I see what you did there...
Windows 7
Logged
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 30