Advanced (Multi-Threaded) Physics Warp

[waterlubber]

I must say right now that KSP's physics timing is one of the best I have seen in games of its type. Space Engineers, for example, has huge simspeed issues, and other games just kill fps.

KSP does not do that. It even lets you adjust the ratio of physics.

But I have a suggestion.

Unity 5/1.1 will bring multi-threaded physics into the scene. Since we're already diving the different things (i.e thermal, patched conics, and aero) into different threads, I have a suggestion to make on this matter.

Here's an example of what I mean:

The numbers are indicating the current limiter. Here, orbital calculations are slowing down the game drastically, because they have been set to an accurate setting. Part physics used to be causing lag, however, accuracy was turned down because the craft was not burning it's engines.

There are four threads in this image. Each is adjustable in "physics accuracy"--this is currently what is edited by the current physics-warp system. Additionally, there will be a "target" physics rate. This will be controlled by the regular physics warp. For example, let's say you had a craft with a very laggy thermal system. You could lower thermal physics accuracy, and get a large performance boost. Or, when experiences bugs when executing burns, for example, increase part and thermal accuracy. Planes at cruising speeds could do with less thermal and orbital accuracies. SOI transitions can boost orbital. The entire system would allow for performance on various core counts and PC specs, and, with a powerful computer and right adjustments, allow for x8, x16, or possibly even x32 physics warping!

Edited September 13, 2015 by waterlubber
Made title more interesting

[clivman]

40x physics warp is already possible with a stable craft, but if it makes it more accurate and non-bendy i am all for this idea

[KrazyKrl]

This makes no sense. Each of those 4 calculation "pools" are already running in separate threads. And simulating physics in a chain of rigidbodies is not that simple of a matter; because every rigidbody is affected by the others.

The main performance boost in the next Unity version, are just outright PhysX upgrades in the Unity engine itself.

As for lowering the accuracy, that's a very bad thing to do. All sorts of weirdness starts to happen, as rounding errors can compound on themselves. I.e. continuous "close enough" temperature measurements could arbitrarily heat or cool parts through no outside cause.

[waterlubber]

This makes no sense. Each of those 4 calculation "pools" are already running in separate threads. And simulating physics in a chain of rigidbodies is not that simple of a matter; because every rigidbody is affected by the others.

The main performance boost in the next Unity version, are just outright PhysX upgrades in the Unity engine itself.

As for lowering the accuracy, that's a very bad thing to do. All sorts of weirdness starts to happen, as rounding errors can compound on themselves. I.e. continuous "close enough" temperature measurements could arbitrarily heat or cool parts through no outside cause.

That's what physics warp currently does. Lowers accuracy. Cuts corners. And I know they're running in seperate threads--that's why this is good. One of them running at 1/4 speed will have to force the rest down, because they can't be desynced. When others have the capability to run x10 except, say, thermal, then warp thermal and nothing else.