Implement to set games priority to low

[Dr.Penicz]

Is it possible to implement something that sets the games priority to low usually?!
It is said that high priority makes the game have some problems.
I tried it and my ping grows to stellar highs. Furthermore other players start to lag/warp and it all feels like having more latency (...like with the high res. timer, hmmm...).
To me it seems logical that setting it to low would be best for the game then..
So I wonder if setting the priority would be possible for the devs already. I guess most players don't care about the games priority..
And again everyone using the same priority makes it fairer..

[Shoozza]

You mean like in task manager?

[Dr.Penicz]

f12!

[Shoozza]

I'm not sure how changing priority settings affects soldat for most players and I would like to avoid experiments.
There is probably a way to make any program run with low priority on startup which you could use.

[Dr.Penicz]

Setting it to low seems to be a usual trick for most online-games to reduce the ping. Seems to be a general problem with windows. Actually I got that idea from some other game and thought I'd try it with Soldat too..
Try it yourself. Set the priority to high, and then to low and watch the ping both times. For low priority my ping becomes lower and more constant as well (no big spikes etc.). I do that for a long time now, and I never experienced any problems, as far as I can see...

It should be possible to use some batch-file for that. But I don't think they support icons ...not really a problem, just looking ugly.
I think it is a good idea to change the priority, and you doubt that it will work for everyone. So in case we both are right, what about shipping something like a batch-file (possibly with an icon) with Soldat and advising the user to use it in order to have a lower ping?!
So having an alternative way to start Soldat, and only use the 'normal' one, if problems really occur..

[Blacksheepboy]

Oh, I think the solution would just to set it manually.. It doesn't really affect multiplayer for everyone.

[Mighty]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/83361-priority-level-set-applications-processes.html try that (Option two)

[Dr.Penicz]

I think setting it manually is not a solution, but a workaround... Did you try it, blacksheepboy? I don't know how it is for everyone, but I'd say as long as it is no harm, it is a cure...
If others would have a lower ping, wouldnt that also affect my game as well?? I imagine the whole game having less latency, or maybe even less eats, the more people having a lower ping..

The hint given in that link would be what you could write into that batch-file.
I know it is possible to start programs out of other ones. So it should be possible to write a soldat-starter (a separate .exe), which has a nice icon and only does what the batch-file would do. I think even I could do that.. Any interest?!

[Dr.Penicz]

Da FUUUUQUUUEEE!!! This is the third try! If an error occurs, in this forum my whole text is gone!!!

I just built a quick & dirty solution:
It is just a .bat-file starting soldat.exe with low priority (if you don't trust me, rightclick it, select "edit" and see yourself) and a shortcut to that file for the soldat-icon (I hope the icon is still there on your pc).

You have to put that .bat-file inside your soldat-folder, where the soldat.exe lives.
The only dirty thing is that you have to edit the shortcut's target-path (= the .bat-file's path) to match your soldat-folder (mine is "C:\Games\Soldat167" as you can see). -> Rightclick the shortcut + select "properties" & change the target etc. to your path.
If you use a firewall and it asks you, you of course have to do the same, you did with the soldat.exe.
AND:
In case you want to create your own shortcut, or the shortcut has no soldat-icon anymore:
Rightclick the "SoldatLowPing.bat" + click "create shortcut" -> rightclick the shortcut + select "properties" -> click "select symbol", or "change icon", or whatever that is called -> select the soldat.exe + choose the soldat-icon -> accept everything & you should be finished.

At 1st glance it seems to work for me. The taskmanager shows low priority for Soldat now. ...Why didn't I try that earlyer...

A not-so-dirty solution: Use a program to convert the .bat into an .exe including the soldat-icon....

Nooo: Not only that I can't upload he shortcut, the forum won't let me upload the .bat either... So I bundled the two files into a .zip... I hope now it works (3rd try)!

Anyways, I'd like to hear some feedback! Is the shortcut-icon still there?

[15th_account]

It is said that high priority makes the game have some problems.

[weasel word][citation needed]

Considering your computer couldn't handle the high resolution timer either I'm guessing your hardware is just too strained to run Soldat at normal priority. Giving Soldat less CPU quotas would then allow other components of your system to do their thing, especially junk like anti-malware software that inspect traffic and running processes.

[Dr.Penicz]

Don't ask me where exactly I picked it up. I think it was in a forum for some other game..
How can giving less CPU-time to a process make that process be faster!? I have enough ram, and there is not much more running in the background than the antivirus. And the backgroundprocesses are idle most of the time!
When the antivirus or whatever does something for a few seconds while I play, I directly notice that (FPS). So there really is a contrast..
The games FPS are usually normal and it's reacting fast enough..
I have to have an eye on it, but I think the CPU-Load isn't that high at all..

Yes, the pc soldat is running on really is a crutch! But it can run older games like Oblivion, or something like Worms, or its free pendant Hedgewars, without any problems.
What are the requirements for Soldat btw.??
All I know is that the pc is at least twice as good as the one I had, when I started with Soldat (v1.3.1). And I definitely remember that I had no problems playing on a filled 32-players server back then. Now, apart from not having any filled 32-players servers, I sometimes get stutterers on a filled 16-players server... I wonder what's the reason for that!?
And no, I'm not the only one with that issue. I've had some talk with someone else in the game about that..

The thing with the hi-res. timer: That was rather untested by me. To be honest, now I only play with it being activated! The games performance does not seem to be affected. Only the eats are. I'm now sure that I eat more. And that's ..yummy... It feels like playing the old Soldat (the one before I made a break). Apart from the eats, it sometimes takes a little to have a kill registered, but it seems the game does not make so many mistakes (yet this is just a feeling and needs more testing).
I guess you know better how, why or when eats occur. If so please tell me, so that I know what to look for...

The only thing I can do now, is ASKING PEOPLE TO TRY SOLDAT WITH HIGH AND LOW PRIORITY AND REPORT BACK THEIR FINDINGS!!!

[Blacksheepboy]

To give a program more priority, per say, more than "normal" is well.. simple in concept. For instance I run Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) on a higher priority so it's not treated as every other program and isn't reduced when another program demands attention. Putting it to lower priority would mean it's lower on the totem pole in terms of demand. So it wouldn't necessarily mean Soldat uses less resources -- only unless other programs demand a lot of attention.

I just built a new computer. Even giving Soldat "realtime" or "low" priority would do nothing.

I think Soldat is a weird program. I tried recording it with OBS it on a fairly capable computer (well, okay, an i3-550) and it began to crawl... maybe I should have used Fraps.

Yeah, whatever, depends on your computer's specs. Oh, and you should post what settings your running Soldat with. I can't gather from what you're saying, but are you getting a lot of lag or just a lot of ping?

[Dr.Penicz]

Even giving Soldat "realtime" or "low" priority would do nothing.

Does it mean you tried it, or you think so?? That "would" confuses me..

I think Soldat is a weird program.

Absolutely! I'm trying to get these things together as well...
I think when setting priority to high my ping suffers (I don't know why..), and by that I get these warps.. ..maybe.
I guess that recorder-software can be seen as being realtime as well. When I play, the only realtime-software is Soldat itself.

[Blacksheepboy]

Maybe the high ping is the client taking a long time to respond to the server due to a client-side slow down. I used to have these details more down-pat..

Oh, I've messed with priority settings before, and now that I have a fast CPU, it would do nothing because it can still juggle everything. Lower priority doesn't mean "slower," it means limit that program when another program demands attention and if the CPU can't handle both at the same time.

I really don't know all the internals of a CPU, so my explanation is probably wrong, but that's my reasoning behind other things and it might apply.

[Adam]

Soldat's been lagging since 1.6.1

[smiluu]

Marathon speedrunners usually set the priority of their games to HIGH, in order for the loading screens to load faster. I can't quite understand how changing a game to low priority would give similar results, but can't you already do that with Soldat anyway?