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Speeding your load times and Increasing your framerate

By Lieuallen

The new Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix mod claims to reduce the game's loading time (the Holy Grail we all wish for) if you use Ploppable Asphalt+. I decided to test this. While I was at it, I thought I'd test the Mini FPS Booster and FPS Booster mods, too, since they claim to increase the framerate (the other Holy Grail).
Being a scientist (and because I think I'm funny), I decided to write this very scientific experiment up as a draft Master's thesis in Cities: Skylinology.
If you use Ploppable Asphalt+, or want to boost your FPS, you should read this paper.

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Created by

Lieuallen
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Category: Modding or Configuration

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

9 Jan, 2022 @ 3:28pm

12 Feb, 2022 @ 3:26pm

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Guide Index

Overview

Abstract

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusions

Discussion

References

Comments

Abstract

The Effect of the Mini FPS Booster and FPS Booster Mods on Cities:Skylines Load Times, RAM Usage and Frame Rates, With and Without the Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix Mod
by Warren Lieuallen, D.V.M., Ph.D.
pre-publication draft, Master's degree in Skylinology

Abstract:

Comparsions of Cities:Skylines game loading times, RAM usage and frames per second (fps) were made using the Mini FPS Booster or FPS Booster mods. These comparisons were repeated with the addition of the Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix mod, and were then repeated with an empty map.
The Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix mod produced dramatic decreases in game loading times (with a slight decrease in framerate), and should be used by just about everyone. The Mini FPS Booster produced good results, while the FPS Booster produced slightly better framerate results at the cost of a significant increase in game loading times. Although each user's experience may be different, for me the best compromise is a combination of Mini FPS Booster and Ploppalbe Asphalt+ Loading Fix mods.

Materials and Methods

Computer: Dell Optiplex i7-3770, Crucial M500 480GB SSD, 32MB G.Skill RipJaws RAM, EVGA GTX 970 SC
Test System: Cities:Skylines 1.13.3-f9, with roughly 70 mods and 1700 assets

Load a saved city which uses 8 squares of the Swamplands map and has roughly 64,000 cims; fully zoom in to 2 different neighborhoods to get the average fps very unscientifically (using FPS Display mod). Record results using neither mod, then Mini FPS Booster, then FPS Booster (using no limiter and the required Patch Loader mod). Repeat using Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix. Repeat using empty Reynold's Harbor map.

Results

January 8, 2022:
No Boost = 2:27 load time (15.5/ 18.7GB); 15fps; 70 mods and 1660 assets
Mini FPS Booster = 2:27 load time (15.5 / 18.8 GB); 22fps; 71 mods and 1660 assets
FPS Booster = 4:12 load time (15.7 / 18.9 GB); 25fps; 72 mods and 1660 assets

January 9, 2022 (Added Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix):
No Boost = 1:17 load time (15.6 / 18.9GB); 15fps; 71 mods and 1701 assets
Mini FPS Booster = 1:17 load time (15.7 / 19.0GB); 18fps; 72 mods and 1701 assets
FPS Booster = 3:04 load time (15.8 / 19.1GB); 22fps; 73 mods and 1701 assets

January 9, 2022 (empty map)
No Boost = 0:59 load time (15.3 / 18.5GB); 28fps; 72 mods and 1701 assets
Mini FPS Booster = 0:59 load time (15.3 / 18.6GB); 35fps; 72 mods and 1701 assets
FPS Booster = 2:37 load time (15.3 / 18.6GB); 75fps; 73 mods and 1701 assets, small LoD problems with railway turntable

February 12, 2022 (empty map)
FPS Booster = 1:34 load time (20.3/23.6GB); 65fps; 80 mods and 2517 assets (see comments below)

Conclusions

These results are only applicable to my computer system (which is admittedly not the most cutting-edge, high-powered system you'll ever see); your results WILL vary. But, these results should be useful for comparative purposes.

The Mini FPS Booster mod caused no change in game loading time, a very slight increase in virtual memory usage, and a 47% increase in fps (15 increased to 22fps). The FPS Booster mod caused a 71% increase in game loading time (2:27 increased to 4:12), a slight increase in RAM and virtual memory usage, and a 67% increase in fps (15 increased to 25fps).

The Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix mod caused a 48% decrease in game loading time (2:27 decreased to 1:17). With this mod loaded, the Mini FPS Booster mod caused no change in game loading time, a very slight increase in RAM and virtual memory usage, and a 20% increase in fps (15 increased to 18fps). The FPS Booster mod caused a 139% increase in game loading time (1:17 increased to 3:04), a slight increase in RAM and virtual memory usage, and a 47% increase in fps (15 increased to 22fps).

When an "empty" (New Game) map was used with the Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix mod, the Mini FPS Booster mod caused no change in game loading time, a very slight increase in virtual memory usage, and a 25% increase in fps (28 increased to 35fps).The FPS Booster mod caused a 166% increase in game loading time (0:59 increased to 2:37), a slight increase in virtual memory usage, and a 168% increase in fps (28 increased to 75fps).

Discussion

Mini FPS Booster claims to produce a 5 to 15% increase in framerate(1). Under these testing conditions the framerate increase was 20 to 47%, with no change in loading time. These results are very impressive, as the gains come with no discernable "cost".

FPS Booster correctly acknowledges that each system will be different(2). Under these testing conditions, the framerate increase was a whopping 67 to 168%, with a 71 to 166% increase in loading time. This is the best framerate achieved, but at the cost of the prolonged loading time.

Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Time Fix claims to decrease the game loading time(3). Under these testing conditions, the decrease was a very impressive 48% when using Mini FPS Booster, but only 27% when using FPS Booster. However, this mod caused a decrease in the framerates produced by both FPS mods (an 18% decrease for Mini FPS Booster, and a 12% decrease for FPS Booster).

Because the results with FPS Booster were much less than hoped for, a brand new "empty" map (Reynold's Harbor) was loaded and the framerate was then significantly higher (75fps). As assets are used and cims increase, this fps apparently cannot be maintained. Once your city grows to 64,000 cims, FPS Booster struggles to maintain an edge over Mini FPS Booster (25 vs. 22 fps, or 22 vs. 18 fps with Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix). In addition, this map includes a train railyard with a turntable. At certain angles and zoom levels, the turntable contained small black boxes which I believe are an LoD glitch. This glitch only occurred when FPS Booster was used.

On my system, I will choose to use Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix for the dramatic decrease in loading time, and Mini FPS Booster for the increase in framerate. I don't feel that the additional 3-4fps produced by FPS Booster (and Patch Loader) is worth the overhead of 2 additional mods. Apparently my system has always had 15fps, and I've been happy with it (the very definition of blissfully ignorant!). To cut my loading time in half, and increase my framerate by 20% sounds really good to me.

References

1. Steam Workshop (Mini FPS Booster)
2. Steam Workshop (FPS Booster)
3. Steam Workshop (Ploppable Asphalt+ Loading Fix)

6 Comments

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Sasquatch 19 Jun, 2022 @ 12:48pm

Interesting. I may drop the FPS booster to see what happens. I hover right around 30 FPS all the time. But every so often something weird happens and I drop all the way to 4 FPS and get stuck there. Loading time is my priority also.

Lieuallen [author] 12 Feb, 2022 @ 3:22pm

It's more than a month later, but I finally got around to retesting FPS Booster. Unfortunately, I don't have time to completely re-do all the testing, and the results are no longer comparable because I've added a few mods (up to 80 now) and a number of assets (up to 2517 now!). And I've upgraded to the new 1.14.0 version.
Nonetheless, I reloaded the empty map and my loading time with FPS Booster was 1:34 (a significant improvement). Memory usage was 20.3GB and 23.6GB virtual (no doubt due to the extra assets). My guesstimated fps rate was 65, but it varied from 55 to almost 80.
So, my overall conclusion remains: FPS Booster produces a dramatic increase in framerate, at the cost of some increase in loading time (but not as much as I first thought). Give it a try -- you've got nothing to lose!

Lieuallen [author] 14 Jan, 2022 @ 4:13am

No fps limiter was used in FPS Booster, since I wanted to see what the maximum fps would be. My monitor's refresh rate is 60Hz; the reported 75 fps was the rough average between the two sites I observed.
Don't get me wrong --- I think FPS Booster is a marvelous accomplishment. But, on my system, it consistently caused an increase in loading time. But as I stated, others' results might be different.

Krzychu1245 12 Jan, 2022 @ 12:46pm

Dear author,
what mod settings have you used for testing FPS Booster (missing info in Methods ).

To achieve best results and no difference in loading speed you have to:
- disable all cooldown options especially 'loading screen',
- fps limiter
- disable v-sync .

Basically limiting fps in any way while loading savegame or starting new game will increase loading time . I noticed 75fps as a max which may suggest either fps limit, v-sync enabled(fps limit equal to monitor refresh rate -> 75Hz) or both.

There is nothing in FPS Booster that could slow down loading, even better, there is a chance it will speed up that process a little bit since your sysyem will be able to hit slightly higer fps while loading.

CaptConfuzed 11 Jan, 2022 @ 3:33am

Thanks, I've been wondering what works best. I've been using FPS Booster and my system takes around 20 minutes to load into the game... That said, I do have a crazy number of mods and assets on a fairly average system

Enginerd 11 Jan, 2022 @ 2:53am

just make sure you put these results in the workshop page for each of these

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