Disabling simulation on vehicles and server performance?

[Tobias Solem]

One of the issues that tanks client as well as server-FPS is lots of vehicles being present on the map, and since there are physics applied to all the vehicles, the issue is compounded for every added vehicle. 

So here's my shot in the dark: What if we would disable simulation on all the vehicles in ARMA3 up until the point they were unlocked? Would that not work?

 

If that would increase performance, perhaps we could accept the oddities (like vehicles not exploding when being locked, stationary and fired upon for example)?

 

What did I not think of?

[Silens]

Epoch already does this based on if players are near a vehicle or not. It is the reason some vehicles explode when you get near them.

[vbawol]

Epoch has has a Vehicle simulation handler for a long time now, without it 150+ vehicles would cause client fps drops with even just one player. The problem is that the more players there are the more simulated vehicles as well so eventually you will not be any better off if most of the vehicles are near players.

[Tobias Solem]

Well, what about removing it on player-presence and putting it on unlock?

 

That way the player amount wouldn't play the same role, but vehicles that actually are unlocked and used.

[Darth_Rogue]

If you disable simulation on locked vehicles then  all locked vehicles will become indestructible.  

[Tobias Solem]

Aye, I'm aware. But you know as well as I that there are performance issues with this mod, perhaps this can help? :/

[Darth_Rogue]

I'm willing to make some sacrifices in order to gain some performance, yes.  But having locked vehicles be indestructible certainly has the potential to cause all sorts of exploits and player issues.  That's probably one thing that shouldn't be messed with.  Just my 2 cents.

[Kroenen]

Whatever the solution to this, the exploding vehicles I reckon is a bigger issue. It seems when the simulation is enabled, this causes all manner of exploding vehicles to the point where most of our regular players don't see the point in owning a heli when they just randomly expire for no reason. I haven't seen any major fps issues with 170 vehicles, but then again, my server is rarely, if ever, above 20 players at a time.