cpu consumption

[hawk66]

Hi,

don't know if that was discussed before or if I have over-read this in the doc (wouldn't be the first time ):

Even if Winspmbt(CD-version) is idle, it consumes ~25% of the cpu(quad-core)...any reason for this...perhaps the used libraries to bridge that DOS-coding to Windows?

Might be a slight problem if you try to play that game on a netbook since it consumes more power than necessary...

[Wdll]

It plays fine on a netbook with an Atom @1.6

But seriously, if you don't have one, don't buy one, buy a proper laptop, netbooks SUCK (the life out of you with their slow performance)

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by hawk66

Hi,

don't know if that was discussed before or if I have over-read this in the doc (wouldn't be the first time ):

Even if Winspmbt(CD-version) is idle, it consumes ~25% of the cpu(quad-core)...any reason for this...perhaps the used libraries to bridge that DOS-coding to Windows?

Might be a slight problem if you try to play that game on a netbook since it consumes more power than necessary...

That is because it is a game and not some office application.

Games are in a tight continuously running game loop, using idle time to do things like the palette cycling that does "moving" smoke, and redrawing the map several times a second to allow for animations. They are usually not very cooperative with other applications (ours allows a short amount of sleep time to allow office apps some CPU).

Office applications are in a wait state for the user to actually do something most of the time (type a key, press the mouse).

Games therefore assume they own the machine - you have started the thing in order to play the game, not do work !. If you actually are not doing something in a WP package, it is effectively doing nothing other than occupying RAM. Most games are always doing something that uses CPU, even if the end user is not focussed on the game window at the time.

Cheers
Andy

[dmnt]

I work as a programmer in the software industry and often write multi-threaded applications and I have noticed the same that the other gamers above.

I wonder if there is no "sleep" or "wait" periods within the game? I'm running winspmbt on a single core machine and it then naturally takes 100% of the computing time available for it. Not that it's a big problem, but while drawing maps for the game the responsiveness of other windows could be better if it didn't.

Is there any wait loop where the software could sleep() for couple of milliseconds or possibility of yielding by sleeping 0 milliseconds whenever there's "nothing to do". Of course I understand that the base program was written at the ages when CPUs were never idling but working in a busy loop and there was no multitasking. All computers wait at the same speed - maybe there's a place somewhere for this little sleep routine?

[Imp]

A question here why is it really needed I have 2 computers & one is pretty basic yet it does not impact much unless I have several things going & then the important stuff gets priority & seems unafected. The other is a high end computer & is always used with multiple applications heavy streaming from internet etc & it does it no problem.
This is a game & apart from little time waster type games its the only game I have owned that is both stable enough & does not hog all the resources to allow you to multitask even on a budget machine. This is a bonus not a prequiste most games you play them period or get huge slowdown & instability.
I wish all aplications were as rock solid as this game.

As a thought it works seamlessley & there is probably no downtime. Change windows & hotkeys stop perfectly yet the game continues working away in the background. Multiscreen & you can do stuff on one monitor while watching the other sides turn making it great for work just get your boss into it, only possible because it is so stable.

[hawk66]

the main issue is that the game consumes a lot of cpu usage when it is idle, which reduces the time until my netbook must visit its power station .

But this is not a complain at all...the code is older than a decade and for sure not changeable regarding this matter.

If you write (new) software today, you have to take mobility into account (android/ipad os as an example)...BTW winspmbt2 running on android (tablet pc) would be just cool

[gila]

This game uses very little CPU compared to the newer games.

I've got an 7 yo dell XP,still runs fine to SP.

Tried Combat Mission,not long ago and it moved slower than my granny on walker with one leg hobbled