Nameplates and FPS

[Hupp]

I am just curious why displaying name plates can cause a 90% reduction in FPS. Currently I can go to fleet or any crowded area and drop from 60 fps to 4.3 fps by displaying friendly name plates. This is in an area with less than 20 people.

 

Specs: I5-2500k @ 4.3ghz; 16gb DDR3. 2 SSDs (1 for OS, 1 for Swtor) and SLI 980GTX.

 

Is there any update on these UI FPS problems?

[Jerba]

Is there any update on these UI FPS problems?

No, unfortunately this is an engine limitation of the Adobe Scaleform UI they are using. If you compare SWTOR's nameplates to nameplates in other MMOs, they are way superior here - we get an anti-aliased font with a small black border around each letter, which ensures the nameplates can be read in any environment, no matter if the background is dark or bright. Unfortunately, this comes with a huge performance hit.

If you've ever tried opening a window with lots of text - like a 500 guild member list, then opening the Who list and the codex window at the same time, you'll see the font begin to blur. Just an engine limitation, don't expect a fix anytime soon.

 

Whenever you get into any important boss fights, like 24-manning a world boss, make sure to turn off the nameplates on friendly players (as well as turning down graphics, turning sound and combat logging off), that way you still have an acceptable framerate. If you want a lag-free MMO, this is the wrong game for you.

[Hupp]

Yeah I've been playing since launch and it never used to be this bad. It seems like it's worse now. I was especially taken back when tried out a few other mmos and my system my system was chugging along nicely at 100+ at all times.

It's just crazy to think displaying names can take this game from playable to an unplayable state.

I appreciate the response.