Question about frame drops and audio cutting out with gamecube emulation

tigerlaws · (This post was last modified: 10-08-2018, 07:01 PM by tigerlaws.)

I'm playing Skies of Arcadia and when entering a battle or pausing the game while flying. The frames can drop to as low as 3fps for just a split second and the audio will cut out.... This happens with 6x and 8x internally... if i go down to 5x with no aa it seems to not do it... if I put in MSAA 4x for example it will start again even if I lower it to 3xinternal with the AA, Now I realize this can be a cpu bottleneck.I have an i7 6700k and a gtx 1080... When I am playing the game and not pausing the game or at the start of a cut scene or fight.. I can put the graphics to 8x internal and 8xMSAA with no audio glitches getting the solid 30fps

What doesn't make any sense to me is that I can put the naive resolution of the gamecube on of 640x528 and pausing the game cans till show 3fps for 1 second, but I just don't hear any audio glitch. Can somebody explain to me why this is and if there is a work around please???? If it was a cpu bottleneck, why would the frames still go down no matter the res I put it at?

This happens in other games as well. Is there a solution?

Shadorino · 10-09-2018, 03:58 AM #2

Download the latest dev version, 5.0 is old now.
You're likely experiencing shader stutter, and the fix for that, called Ubershaders, only got implemented in a dev build a couple years old.
In the latest dev build > Graphics > General > Shader Compilation Asynchronous (Ubershaders). And tick "Compile Shaders Before Starting".
Use Direct3D 11 backend.

tigerlaws · 10-09-2018, 05:22 AM #3

sorry,I should of mentioned I am using 5.5-8804 and I have Shader compilation Asynchronous with compile shaders before starting already turned on

**JMC47** · 10-09-2018, 05:28 AM #4

The game uses a rather nifty EFB effect when dipping into battles. Perhaps your graphical settings are too high when this happens, causing lag during what is the most strenuous thing the game will do.

tigerlaws · 10-09-2018, 05:39 AM #5

I'm aware my cpu speed may need to be higher, I just don't understand why it can go from 30fps to 3 fps when going into a battle and why the same thing can happen even on 1x internal just without the audio stutter. I notice frames dropping going in and out of scenes in other games as well without the stutter.. Is this just a thing the emulator does?

Shadorino · 10-09-2018, 05:41 AM #6

Update your profile with what version of Dolphin you are running, what CPU and GPU do you have.

tigerlaws · (This post was last modified: 10-09-2018, 07:08 AM by tigerlaws.)

By turning on everything in the hacks options, I am now able to run the the game 6x 4mSaa with no stutter in the area and 8x no AA. 8x 2 MSAA still gets a tiny stutters when going into a new scene or going into the map if I keep pressing it over and over after moving around. Addng SSAA of course was worse... So, i'm assuming at this point it has to be a cpu or gpu bottleneck, unless there are certain settings in the hacks section I should leave off? Either way, Playing at 6x 4MSAA without being bothered by a stutter is much better than it was originally.

Is it generally better for performance to have all the settings in the hacks turned on? I edited my profile for my specs, but it's still nto showing under my post in the forum?