Firefox add-on: DownThemAll

[Bino]

Just FYI, this Firefox add-on makes it very quick and easy to grab all the AH skins at once...

http://www.downthemall.net/

[Skuzzy]

I strongly discourage installing all the skins.  It is quite easy for them to overwhelm the resources of any computer system.

If you like losing a sure kill because your system suddenly pauses while it loads multiple skins at one time, then go ahead.

You certainly cannot preload all the skins as there is no version of Windows which will allow the game to use more than 2GB of RAM.  With this next batch, we are now well over 3GB of memory needed to load them all.

[Bino]

Sorry, Skuzzy, I'm puzzled: the "skins" directory in my AHII install now consists of some 900 files, totalling only 540 MB.  Are the skins expanded in memory when in use by the program?

[Skuzzy]

Absolutely.  Each skin for any given object takes about 3 to 5MB of RAM.

The skin only represents what the skinner has actually changed in the default skin.  It does not represent the entire skin for the plane.

[Xasthur]

So, deleting all the skins for aircraft that I rarely see (such as the Ki 67, the Ju 8-s and the like) will help with stutters?

Or will it only make a difference if I start trimming the lists of skins available for the aircraft that I'm actually seeing on my screen in-game?

 

[RumbleB]

Never had any stutters, my pc is getting 1.5 years on its neck now. Running all skins, hires pack, AA, 1900x1200.

What any pc's are we talking about exactly? My system would be worth what, 700 dollars today.
I suppose it's high end compared to other AH players, but midend compared to players of other games and in general.

[Skuzzy]

Then you have not run into multiple planes with different skins at the same time, for the first time.  It would be impossible not to have a stutter, unless your frame rate is so low it masks the stutters, but then you would be looking at another set of problems.

It is impossible to access the hard drive for very long without causing a stutter.  It is imposssible to have all the skins (over 625 now) preloaded without swapping occurring and each time that happens it would cause a pause in the game.

There is also a good chance your connection, to a busy arena, could timeout if you attempt to preload too many skins.

[RumbleB]

I have solid 60 at all times. 100 meg fiber optic connection. I doubt I'll ever be in an area where 625 players are flying every single different plane with every single different skin. I don't get stutters on titanic tuesday in the massive furballs so I assume there's not any other situation which can get more intense than that.

Hypothethically, I'm sure if a situation where people were using every single different skin and plane it might make me stutter. A hypothetical situation that will never happen isn't going to make me change my setting of enjoying a lot more variety (on the planes I shoot down . The game is always very solid, I think if someone has a good gaming PC they shouldn't worry about limiting their skin amount.

[Motherland]

I've had all the skins installed since I got a subscription and I've never had a stutter from it. I get occasional stutters from puffy ack, first time I shoot etc. but never from planes entering my area.

[Skuzzy]

The problem is you guys are promoting something that will and does cause me a lot of support issues.

It's just like custom sounds.  No one with an onboard sound chip has any business using custom sounds.  Yet, there are those who will inevitably come in here and swear they cause no problems whatsoever, even though the issues are easily quantified.

Due to this very thread, I am already getting a high number of complaints from players who are loading all the skins and having a lot of problems.  "So and so has a slower computer than mine and he says he is having no problems".  Subjective statements like that kill me.

The problem with PC's is the same exact hardware can run the game very differently depending on a hundred other external variables.  How many of you running an HP with Vista and more than one RSS feed running and playing the game?  I have to deal with those guys.  Now they see this thread and go, "Hey they are not having any problems, so it is a no-brainer.  Load em up!".  Then call/email me when the game runs horribly.

That is what these types of threads do for me.  They increase my workload substantially and frustrate many players.  So I forewarn anyone doing this is setting themselves up for problems.  That way, when they do have problems, and many (if not most) will, they are somewhat prepared.

[Wedge1126]

The game itself seems to promote installing all the skins since there's a very user friendly check box in the hangar to automatically download them. If this is not recommended, then I find it questionable that this option is so prominently displayed in the game's user interface.

[RumbleB]

The problem is you guys are promoting something that will and does cause me a lot of support issues.

Might want to disable that check button which downloads all the skins. 99.9% of people who have all skins installed will have downloaded them all from the site or ingame. There is no warning there. Most of the people don't even read the forums let alone specific skin threads. They do what I did when I was new in aces high, checked that button.

If this is causing you a substantial increase of workload you need to sort out whats actually causing almost everyone to download all skins. Better than laying the blame on loyal customers.

For the sake of the thread if someone wonders:
I run Windows XP Pro SP3. No antivirus or other clutter apps.
Quadcore Q6600 @ 3ghz. 8800 GTS 320mb. 4Gig pc6400 ram.  nvidia Driver version forceware 177.70
1900x1200 all bells and whistlers, all skins. Never any stutters, flown through packed titanic tuesdays.

If you have an identical system with Win XP not Vista, chances are you might not get any stuttering. If you do, delete some skins.

[Skuzzy]

Not laying the blame anywhere.  It's a matter of providing accurate information to people.  It is a matter of trying to stop players from being frustrated to the point they give up and quit.  No one has fun when players get frustrated.

The option to download the skins is just that.  It is an option.  It is off, by default. It was assumed (I know) if people turn it on and the game starts playing badly, they would turn it off.  Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

What you did in that last post Rumble is the right way to state it and I, for one, appreciate it.

[Urchin]

Just to clarify - if we have all of the skins downloaded but then we click on "disable other players skins" will we still stutter?

[Skuzzy]

That turns off the loading of the skins Urchin, so if the stutters are skin induced, it should stop them.  I would take it one step further and remove them from the Aces High II 'cache' folder as well.