Experimenting/Understanding with ASW ON/OFF

[chiliwili69]

As many of you know, Oculus uses a mechanism (ASW) to artificially generate intermediate frames when your rig is not power enough to maintain 90fps. 

Many of us fly with ASW OFF (default mode is ON) since it creates some strange effects around the propeller and reticle.

 

I wanted to analyze what is the negative part of having ASW OFF for scenes where I am below 90fps.

 

You can switch ASW ON/OFF in the Oculus Tray Tool or in the Oculus Debug Tool, but the faster in-game way is:

Ctrl+Numpad1 to set it OFF

Ctr+Numpad4 to set it ON.

 

I just land my plane (BF-109 in this case) near an hangar, stop the engine and open the cabin. Activate the ingame fps counter (BackSpace) and checked that my fps was around 70-80 when looking to the cockpit gauges.

 

Then I put my wireless keyboard on my legs and I did:

 

1.- Set ASW ON and look to your gauges.

2.- Rotate your head slowly

3.- Rotate your head quickly

4.- Translate your head (left to right to left) slowly

5.- Translate your head (left to right to left) quickly

 

6.- Set ASW OFF and look to your gauges.

7.- Rotate your head slowly

8.- Rotate your head quickly

9.- Translate your head (left to right to left) slowly

10.- Translate your head (left to right to left) quickly

 

The major difference is seen in the step 10. There is a clear micro-stuttering.

 

You can put ASW ON/OFF many times and then understand how it is affecting the visual experience.

With ASW OFF, you will see that pure rotation of your head doesn´t affect too much. This is because the point of view of the render doesn´t change with just rotation, and if you have a dropped frame, the rendered scene is the same (the rift just warp the image to the actual orientation of the rift , this is ATW)

But when you quickly translate your head, the point of view radically change in spatial position, and if you are below 90 fps, you have a dropped frame, (it means that same frame is repeated twice) and the micro-stuttering appears.

 

Conclusion, for closer objects and fast head translations, ASW definitely helps a lot.

But, since most of the time we look at distant objects and do mostly head rotations, having ASW OFF is not bad at all.

 

If the reticle/propeller bug effect will be solved, I will use ASW without doubt. But currently I prefer ASW OFF.

 

 

 

[dburne]

I much prefer ASW off and have for quite some time.

 

I get very smooth stutter free performance.

[BlznSaddles]

I'm not sure, with my rig I can tell ASW is on even when not looking through the prop/reticle and it seems choppier with it on.  As soon as I turn it off everything smooths out and runs better.  For me ASW seems like a negative altogether.

[Madmatt]

I too noticed the very slight stuttery motion in the cockpit with ASW switched off when framerates are below about 80 fps or so when looking down at guages and slowly panning my head left to right. I don't notice it just turning my head though. Thankfully, it's also not noticeable when peering through the canopy glass, or just or looking around but that's probably because there isn't as much in the foreground to gauge the motion by. Either way, if you aren't looking for it, it's not that bad.

 

On the other hand, with ASW enabled, while the gauge views are smoother you will get stuttering with the various outside flyby modes. With ASW switched off, it's smooth, but with it turned on, fast motion past the camera will display what looks like frame skipping as the ASW function tries to insert new frames and has trouble predicting the onscreen motion.

 

That is actually one of the documented downsides of ASW, quick motion of objects on the screen and Heads Up Displays are elements which don't work well with ASW. It does help to smooth out the tracking of the players viewpoint but for me, and the types of games I mostly play in VR (flight sims and racing games), I have it switched off.

 

Madmatt

Edited October 8, 2017 by Madmatt

[McDaniel]

I dont know what is wrong with me....but I play all the games at 45fps with ASW disabled...in my pov it's totally smooth!

 

McDan out

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Alcohol and weed make everything smooth. Seriously that's what I believe some users are into. Else I could never perceive how a person can be so slow (sorry McDaniel, no harm intended, just totally fuzzed out about this) that these things aren't clearly visible.

[McDaniel]

Lol no harm done...I just started again with my oculus and yes 90 fps looks better, but with 45 fps I have more headroom and never come even close, to get under 45 fps. So I never see a stutter. With 90 fps, I sometimes get under 90 and I get small stutters which kill the imersion for me.

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Hm okay. The point is that at 45fps constant, there is always motion induced stuttering.

Both always in translational movement (left to right) and always when your aircraft rotates (fast rolling barrel roll) and always of aircrafts flying by at a different velocity (relative to your vector) by more than roughly 400kph.

There is no exception to this I must add. What you are experiencing may be the transition from 90 to 45. You might want to check out the quality when doing the movements mentioned.

Edited October 9, 2017 by 2./JG51_Fenris_Wolf

[coconut]

I tend to switch between ASW on and off. On gives me artifacts, off gives me stutters. That's just the way it is, no miracle solution at the moment.

 

It depends a bit on what one does: dogfight is best with ASW off to avoid twisted sights, ground attack in twin engines isn't affected by ASW much, and there I prefer to have it enabled.

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Yeah. We would all benefit of them enabling us to disable the propeller disk rendering. Then we could go with ASW fulltime, and barely have any artifacts.

[[CPT]CptJackSparrow]

Agreed. Later I may post a thread in suggestions for a 'quality of life' VR wish list.

[OrLoK]

At the moment im preferring it off in BoX.

 

The prop wobble is just too disturbing for me.

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

You guys should try eve Valkyrie. It's with nvidia's vrworks tech. The image quality is superb due to this, they use special lightning, a low performance but very good looking superior anti aliasing tech, and many things more.

At the same time, they use various technologies that keep the performance requirements lower.

 

That IL 2 is not going this way as well is bad. I'd pay or donate for a VR patch like this. They work with dx11 as app modules.

 

Oh and one more thing, before anyone brings this up, we should not care about AMD users. AMD exist in the market with their cost leadership strategy, and thus naturally they are not into developing such technologies. It's like a Fiat driver complaining that your BMW has more technology options, and that you should wait up for him - at all times, every morning of your life.

[C6_lefuneste]

Yeah. We would all benefit of them enabling us to disable the propeller disk rendering. Then we could go with ASW fulltime, and barely have any artifacts.

 

You can disable it : https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/30556-3dmigoto-mod-vr/

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

For a 10-20fps hit. Defeats the main goal of maintaining 90fps at all times. Thanks though)

[Redeye]

I am just testing my new Rift and set evething to low and work from there. However, even when turning ASW off, the prop still creates a tearing/blurring, although it is much better. This is annoying, because aside from that I get pretty solid and fluid performance. Any takers? I run on a GTX 1080, with an i5 3.4 GHz and 16 GB ram.

[dburne]

I am just testing my new Rift and set evething to low and work from there. However, even when turning ASW off, the prop still creates a tearing/blurring, although it is much better. This is annoying, because aside from that I get pretty solid and fluid performance. Any takers? I run on a GTX 1080, with an i5 3.4 GHz and 16 GB ram.

 

How are you turning ASW off?

I have seen reports lately that since the last update or two from Oculus the key commands for this do not always work or keep it off.

 

I use the Oculus Tray Tool with a profile for BoS to set ASW off along with my SS settings, and it stays off for me and I do not get any tearing/blurring of the prop.

 

Also if your rig drops below 45 fps it can cause stutter and perhaps the blurring as well. What kind of framerates are you getting?

[Redeye]

I get relatively solid performance, often around 90 fps, with the occasional drops. The problem I found was that the ASW turned itself back off after closing the VR software, even if I set it up in the debug tool. I also use the tray tool, while I have not gotten profilies up yet, it says ASW off, when it appears that is not not the case. The L-ctrl+ numpad 1 to turn off ASW does not work for me. My temporary solution is to turn it off with both the debug and the tray tool for each session. I then get a crisp image, with pretty solid performance, although at the price of some stutters here and there.

 

Just had the Rift for 3 days, and mostly flew around cruising and testing. Had my first dogfight today in il2, and so also my first VR sickness experience:D I've read that it wears off over time though. The experience of dogfighting in the Rift was just beyond everything immersion wise...

[Nibbio]

 The L-ctrl+ numpad 1 to turn off ASW does not work for me.

 

It works only if numlock is on

[chiliwili69]

 

 

I run on a GTX 1080, with an i5 3.4 GHz and 16 GB ram

 

Just to be sure your sickenss is not related to low fps.

 

What i5 is? what RAM speed?

Do you Overclock?

Have you run the performance test? 

[dburne]

I get relatively solid performance, often around 90 fps, with the occasional drops. The problem I found was that the ASW turned itself back off after closing the VR software, even if I set it up in the debug tool. I also use the tray tool, while I have not gotten profilies up yet, it says ASW off, when it appears that is not not the case. The L-ctrl+ numpad 1 to turn off ASW does not work for me. My temporary solution is to turn it off with both the debug and the tray tool for each session. I then get a crisp image, with pretty solid performance, although at the price of some stutters here and there.

 

Just had the Rift for 3 days, and mostly flew around cruising and testing. Had my first dogfight today in il2, and so also my first VR sickness experience:D I've read that it wears off over time though. The experience of dogfighting in the Rift was just beyond everything immersion wise...

 

Try setting up a profile for BoS in the Oculus Tray Tool. Have ASW for the profile set to off. Note he has a new version out, 0.82.1.

 

Works great for me each and every time.

 

For most folks, the first couple of weeks or so are spent getting the " VR Legs". The motion sickness subsides gradually over time. I hardly even notice it now.

Edited November 19, 2017 by dburne

[SCG_motoadve]

I dont know what is wrong with me....but I play all the games at 45fps with ASW disabled...in my pov it's totally smooth!

 

McDan out

Me too and this gives me the best result, no prop artifacts, and smooth play with ASW on with 45 FPS forced.

[KookyBlimp]

Oh and one more thing, before anyone brings this up, we should not care about AMD users. AMD exist in the market with their cost leadership strategy, and thus naturally they are not into developing such technologies. It's like a Fiat driver complaining that your BMW has more technology options, and that you should wait up for him - at all times, every morning of your life.

Oh sir, you can't be more wrong.

 

Intel is FIAT.   Intel did nothing much except for cosmetical changes since  2600k.  AMD's new multicore  architecture is the BMW in 2017.  Sorry.

 

And it pays off

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/59000/amd-kicks-intels-ass-overtakes-intel-cpu-sales/index.html

 

So, please stop propaganda of "intel exclusive society". 

 

Thanks a bunch!

[SCG_Fenris_Wolf]

Lots of arrogant blahblah. Well whatever rocks your boat man.

 

I buy by result, and Intel has chips performing much better in almost every VR application. If you blame the devs of the games for single thread architecture (which you don't, but others did and had a point), so be it. I'd blame DX11.

 

But you don't even have a point.

 

Just notice that we wouldn't have that situation with AMD chips biting the dust in VR, if old AMD would actually open up support for developers and push their technologies much better.

 

But you don't even have a point.

 

 

With the words of Trump: "Get outta here, get out!" :D

Edited December 27, 2017 by 4./JG52_Fenris_Wolf