Parts packs and system performance

[Leafbaron]

I just had a question about parts packs and system performance, not really related to any mods in particular so i don't know if this should be in the section or another. Basically, I have all of near future installed, OPM, MK2 expansion, OPT, MRS, and the MK4 parts pack, until recently i had EVE plus para sci high which reduces the effects of eve. Building craft with x number of parts makes me run in a slowed time rate so i uninstalled EVE and para sci high and my performance in buttery smooth again. However, I don't think ill be using near future parts except for construction so i was wondering if removing parts packs has that much influence on system performance.

[Sharpy]

Part packs increase RAM usage, and load times. As long as you have enough RAM they don't degrade performance over time as long as the modules are 'pluginless' (so no new game mechanics, like life support or manufacturing).

Craft with a large number of parts (any!) degrade gameplay performance as number of physics calculations and complexity of rendered scene grows.

That means you may actually save up on your performance using larger mod parts instead of a large number of stock parts. My Minmus mining base would slow down to a crawl when all 32 stock drills operated. Meanwhile, my Gilly base, at comparable ore input from one Terravore from Mining Expansion barely 'blinks yellow' sometimes. Yes, due to use of mods my game loads good two minutes (vs some 30s of 'pure stock'), but the variety doesn't cause in-game performance impact; just individual part count does.

 

[Leafbaron]

Thanks for the reply @Sharpy! 

[Sharpy]

Let me add: if you ARE short on memory, then the performance impact is absolutely dreadful. It's hard to miss though - it doesn't "degrade somewhat", it's a jump from "occasional hiccups" to "game grinds to a halt every few seconds".

[Leafbaron]

Definitely not short on memory as my game does not come to a grinding halt. Instead of running in green. or even flickering between green and yellow its a solid yellow until i get into space (with EVE and para Sci) and this was with my 18 ton SSTO that when equipped with a payload is only in the order of 70 parts. very manageable, and as i said without EVE i run in green all the time. I suspect that outer planets add a lot to the taxation on my system. However I don't really wanna give that up even if i won't be going there for a long....long time. 

[KerikBalm]

If memory is a problem, you can always add parts that share a  texture or model with a stock part to reduce or nearly eliminate the impact.

Example: I with a cfg file in the kb range, I added an electric fan based on the goliath turbofan (scaled down to 1.25m with 1 line in the .cfg file)

Spoiler

 

[Sharpy]

Two pretty important mods to help with part count in your vessel:

 

The first one allows you to pack a single larger part instead of a bunch of small ones.

The other allows to create 'weldments' - combine a bunch of parts into a single part.

Example of their use:

301 parts. Had it been without Ubiozur's Welding, the count would be about twice as much, and hopelessly 'floppy'.

The whole 'cargo rig' in the middle is a single, huge weldment composed of two MK4 bicouplers, and lots and lots of MK3 fuel tanks tweakscaled to 1.625m diameter.

And the orange tank drones utilize 'integrated controls' - reaction wheel + probe core + battery. Unfortunately due to Ubiozur's Welding's limitations, the part count goes far up due to myriad of small solar batteries which can't be bundled and keep operating 'omnidirectionally', and a lot of RCS thrusters which when bundled, would operate as single thruster, making rotation impossible. I could have increased the engine size instead of packing eight of them though.

And that thing right behind the cockpit? "Supercore". Mk4 core + 2 large reaction wheels + huge batteries + monoprop tanks + RTG + KIS lockers + antenna + xenon tank. All in a single part.

Generally, without the payload, the craft is about 25 parts. Without Welding, it would be closer to 100, primarily due to huge number of MK3 cargo bays.

[Vanamonde]

Tech question moved to the tech subforum.