FGU Memory Leak

[BushViper]

I'm making this post against my better judgment, but at the request of one of our moderators.

My problem is that my players and I experience a level of lag/slowdown that makes FGU unplayable after awhile during our sessions. I say "awhile" because the slowdown doesn't seem to follow a pattern. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes three.

We play 5e, FGU, DM and 5 players. My computer is a monster relative to the system requirements for FGU.

I've been reading and researching about performance issues for some time now, but it's become particularly pressing because two of my players find it so irritating they're wanting me to switch to Foundry. I don't want to do that so I am desperately looking for help, but I don't want band-aids or duct tape; I want the base problem looked in to.

Anyway, the research points to the chat memory leak that others are experiencing. Those that are dismissive of the report that the issue is an extreme corner-case that no 'normal' user will ever encounter are, well, patently wrong.

The extreme die-rolling scenario is simply an easily reproducible example of the problem that will literally crash FG, but what I, and many others, are experiencing isn't as extreme as a crash, but there is a consistent and dramatic slowdown in performance. Tokens stutter and move like they're in molasses, pressing buttons get no or a very laggy response, maps won't zoom in/out, etc., etc.

I think the problem is far more common than people realize, but it's particularly evident for power-users that use a lot of extensions that dump a lot of information in to the chat window that isn't normally there. The extra information provides a similar (though not as extreme) environment to rolling 10k dice.

Anyway, it's real. FGU definitely has a memory leak (or some other, but similar, broken resource management issue) and it needs to be examined.

[Zacchaeus]

Can you post the campaign folder.

[BushViper]

Can you post the campaign folder.

I'm reading about how to do that, but I will as soon as I figure it out.

[Moon Wizard]

The challenge is that while we have heard of some people that are encountering lag after a few hours, we have not been able to get any good information about what is causing the issue. While I would definitely want to make sure that we get your campaign files; I do not have the ability to run all the same extensions and sessions that you do in a meaningful way. (because I don't know their code nor how to use the extensions). Have you tried playing without the extensions and get the same problems?

So, it would be great to get information about the state of the tabletop at the time that the slow down is occurring. (i.e. which windows are specifically open? what was the general flow of play for window usage?)

Also, it would be good to get information about the scenario in progress, in terms of testing a few scenarios.
When the slowdown occurs, can you try a few things:
* Have one player shutdown FGU completely and restart/connect from scratch. Do they see the same slowdown after rejoining, or only the people that didn't reset?
* Have the GM close all IMAGE windows. Does the GM see the same slowdown after re-opening only the current map? Do the players still see the same slowdown after this test?
* Have the players close all IMAGE windows. Do they see the same slow down after re-opening the single map window in progress?
* Have the GM close all windows. Does the GM see the same slowdown after re-opening only the current map and combat tracker? Do the players still see the same slowdown after this test?
* Have the players close all windows. Do they see the same slow down after re-opening the single map window in progress?
* Does having the GM shut down and restart the session fix the slowdown when the players reconnect?

Regards,
JPG

[Moon Wizard]

Also, are you sure it's a memory leak that is causing the slow down? Are you running the Windows Task Manager when this is occurring? What are the numbers when the campaign is first opened? What are the numbers when the slowdown is occurring?

Thanks,
JPG

[BushViper]

I've been aware of the problem for months, but I got completely fed about two sessions ago and started paying a lot more attention to the problem and began trying numerous things to fix/mitigate the problem. One of my players (who is in tech) even said that it behaves like a memory leak. However, I don't have any notes or definitive information I can pass on, yet.

My session isn't until Thursday (12/2), but during that game I'll take meticulous notes and try each of the suggestions in your post. At least then we'll have a better foundation to work from. Though, I am extremely confident it's a memory leak. It behaves like one and gets relief from the same practices that address memory leaks (i.e. completely closing the program).

Also, I spoke with Zacchaeus in Discord earlier and agreed that I need to run a session without my extensions to get a comparative result. Though, I've already conceded the point that I think the problem is likely due to the sheer amount of chat information that the extensions (collectively) produce. The Stealth Tracker extension alone produces a ton of chat data that gets compounded by each entry in the combat tracker.

[Moon Wizard]

I'm definitely not arguing against the fact that it may be a memory leak; but I don't want to assume without data. It could also be a network loop or other ongoing process buildup, not just memory. I just want to get more data, and see if we can't get more detail. (i.e. if closing image windows only resets issue; then we only need to look at images; etc.)

Regards,
JPG

[seansps]

I have the exact same issue you are describing, however, I use less extensions (and don’t use any that dump a lot of chat data like you describe.)

So there is definitely an issue. I will try to gather data as well after my next session and report back if I find anything.

[LordEntrails]

I have the exact same issue you are describing, however, I use less extensions (and don’t use any that dump a lot of chat data like you describe.)

So there is definitely an issue. I will try to gather data as well after my next session and report back if I find anything.

If you use Windows Performance Monitor during your session, it will capture a log of your system during play. I would think capturing the metrics of CPU, RAM, disk I/O, and graphics card/video would be what you want to capture.

[seansps]

If you use Windows Performance Monitor during your session, it will capture a log of your system during play. I would think capturing the metrics of CPU, RAM, disk I/O, and graphics card/video would be what you want to capture.

Agreed. I’m running on MacOS however, so I’ll have to just take screenshots of RAM and CPU utilization from Activity Monitory when I notice it happening. (I’ll gather logs, as well.)

If there is a better tool for MacOS to collect metrics, I’ll use that- I’ll look around for some.