Launching games is slower with current master branch skin

[mdeguzis]

Steps:

1. easiest system to replicate this on is mupen64plus
2. Testing with Mario Kart 64.
3. RCB launch fine on confluence and the current skin in the master branch
4. Mario Kart 64 launches in good speed, as always with confluence.
5. With latest skin changes, Mario Kart 64 is show-stopping slow with performing saves/loads, and in random spurts.

Let me know if you need any logs. I can confirm this is with the skin/RCB theme changes / and or python code. Maybe the animation in the center before the game launches, not sure. I can provide straces, logs, whatever you need. For now, I will have to revert to the previous static version of your skin until I can confirm this is fixed for me.

Thank you for all your work.

[chrisbevan]

Hmm.. Not sure what's going on there. A log would be useful though if you can send one through?

[mdeguzis]

What would you like strace, xbcm.log? stderr/stdout from launching XBMC? I've noticed after swapping in an Nvidia GT640 into the tower, it was fine.

Using your new master branch:
http://slexy.org/view/s2cN5goM6Y

Using the previous version I have before the makeover:
http://slexy.org/view/s21NlWDgpq

I honestly think it has something to do with extra assets you have put into skinning RCB. Maybe it be the spinning wheel or graphics or something. I can tell the list actually loads slower too.

Here is a video
http://youtu.be/kwo9SGxQhYA

Video is unlisted as well in my account. You might have to turn up your audio, since I had to collect the audio via my webcam since it was a remote session of a PC next to me. Sorry about that. If you need an strace or something let me know, but testing between confluence and your new changes on older hardware will give you an idea.

[chrisbevan]

Thanks - i'll take a look at this.

My initial impression is that this is graphics card related. If i'm not mistaken, N64 emulation demands OpenGL support, so just to confirm, with the NVidia GT640 in place, does the problem stop with the latest Maximinimalism?

In terms of what I can do, If anything, my reskin of RCB uses less graphics resources than the original.. That spinner does cause a CPU bump however, which might conceivably have an impact if the N64 emulation is all being dumped on the CPU. I'll try an animated gif in the next update and let you know when it can be tested.

Cheers, Chris.

On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 10:43 PM, mikeyd notifications@github.com wrote:

What would you like strace, xbcm.log? stderr/stdout from launching XBMC? I've noticed after swapping in an Nvidia GT640 into the tower, it was fine.

Using your new master branch:

http://slexy.org/view/s2cN5goM6Y

Using the previous version I have before the makeover:

http://slexy.org/view/s21NlWDgpq

I honestly think it has something to do with extra assets you have put into skinning RCB. Maybe it be the spinning wheel or graphics or something. I can tell the list actually loads slower too.

Here is a video

http://youtu.be/kwo9SGxQhYA

Video is unlisted as well in my account. You might have to turn up your audio, since I had to collect the audio via my webcam since it was a remote session of a PC next to me. Sorry about that. If you need an strace or something let me know, but testing between confluence and your new changes on older hardware will give you an idea.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/chrisbevan/skin.maximinimalism/issues/33#issuecomment-51264575 .

[mdeguzis]

The problem does stop with the latest Maximinimalist using my GT640. Hmmm, then I am not sure, in any case, I love the work, and the new look. Though you said N64 emulation, like many of the emulators I use, has OpenGL in use, but works faster on the older skin. I can also, when I get home, let you know the graphics drive the intel chipset was using, but I know it worked fine. This is likely a small gripe, as said in the video for new computer users, just something I noticed when testing my "lower end" spectrum hardware.

[chrisbevan]

No worries. In any case, that spinner is ridiculously resource heavy and i've been meaning to update it anyway..

Chris.

On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 12:50 PM, mikeyd notifications@github.com wrote:

The problem does stop with the latest Maximinimalist using my GT640. Hmmm, then I am not sure, in any case, I love the work, and the new look. Though you said N64 emulation, like many of the emulators I use, has OpenGL in use, but works faster on the older skin. I can also, when I get home, let you know the graphics drive the intel chipset was using, but I know it worked fine. This is likely a small gripe, as said in the video for new computer users, just something I noticed when testing my "lower end" spectrum hardware.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/chrisbevan/skin.maximinimalism/issues/33#issuecomment-51324476 .

[chrisbevan]

Give the latest commit on my staging branch a whirl - see if that doesn't fix things up a bit.

Note i've had to remove the console label on the game listings until I can work out with the RCB folk what's causing it to go awry.

[mdeguzis]

Awesome, thank you Chris. I'll try this when I get home tonight. Yea, I ended up removed that code for the console label too in my past testing.

[chrisbevan]

Cool. I also widened the game title to take up the extra space in the same hit.

On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 8:31 PM, mikeyd notifications@github.com wrote:

Awesome, thank you Chris. I'll try this when I get home tonight. Yea, I ended up removed that code for the console label too in my past testing.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/chrisbevan/skin.maximinimalism/issues/33#issuecomment-51384823 .

[mdeguzis]

Just tried the latest zip download of the staging branch.

Speed wise with emulators like Mupen64Plus, it is still just as slow. Don't let folks like me deter you from using this new cool look, as I said, I rather like it. Below is some chipset/graphics information that may help at all if you wish to continue looking at my performance issues:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
    Subsystem: Dell Device 027f
    Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 50
    Memory at fe800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
    Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
    I/O ports at ec90 [size=8]
    Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
    Capabilities: <access denied>
    Kernel driver in use: i915

The i915 kernel driver, if i recall right, is derived from the xf86-video-intel package. Maybe some of the open drivers are not up to snuff with whatever this new look is utilizing. You have one of the best looking RCB themes for a given xbmc (yea yea...kodi) theme. Keep it up.

The console labels are still there on the games. Thank you for fixing the images on the right so they display in the correct aspect ratio for the cartridge or disc, that is very apprecaited. Do you plan to display a few bullet points about the game .nfo files beneath the image similar to the old RCB? I can do this myself, as I somehow figured this out with absolute x and y values, rather than columns, but can you possible make the console names 18 characters wide? A system like Game Boy Advance, seems to take up the most space width wise. I honestly think you have plenty enough space in the center colum for the main title, but that is just my opinion of course, and no indicitive of your vision. Since I have learned a little on where to adjust things, I can always do this myself, if not standard pratice, so no worries there.

[chrisbevan]

Cheers, will keep an eye on it and make improvements where I can!

Chris.

On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 11:29 PM, mikeyd notifications@github.com wrote:

Just tried the latest zip download of the staging branch.

Speed wise with emulators like Mupen64Plus, it is still just as slow. Don't let folks like me deter you from using this new cool look, as I said, I rather like it. Below is some chipset/graphics information that may help at all if you wish to continue looking at my performance issues:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) Subsystem: Dell Device 027f Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 50 Memory at fe800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M] Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M] I/O ports at ec90 [size=8] Expansion ROM at [disabled] Capabilities: Kernel driver in use: i915

This i915, if i recall right, is derived from the xf86-video-intel package. Maybe some of the open drivers are not up to snuff with whatever this new look is utilizing. You have one of the best looking RCB themes for a given xbmc (yea yea...kodi) theme. Keep it up.

The console labels are still there on the games. Thank you for fixing the images on the right so they display in the correct aspect ratio for the cartridge or disc, that is very apprecaited. Do you plan to display a few bullet points about the game .nfo files beneath the image similar to the old RCB? I can do this myself, as I somehow figured this out with absolute x and y values, rather than columns, but can you possible make the console names 18 characters wide? A system like Game Boy Advance, seems to take up the most space width wise. I honestly think you have plenty enough space in the center colum for the main title, but that is just my opinion of course, and no indicitive of your vision. Since I have learned a little on where to adjust things, I can always do this myself, if not standard pratice, so no worries there.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/chrisbevan/skin.maximinimalism/issues/33#issuecomment-51406569 .