I've been running several frame rate tests on the Test Server with the assistance of the Guide Team and some volunteers.

The Test Server is currently open to the public and would like your feedback!

If you would like to participate and provide results, please follow these steps:

1) Go to Options and:
- set your usual resolution
- turn all shadows to Off
- turn HDR Rendering On
- Make sure Generic Mode and No LOD Mode are Off
- Leave other settings at Default

2) Choose a location for your tests and write down the coordinates. Stay at this location for all tests.

3) When in game make sure Building Mode is turned Off. This setting doesn't save, so please check it before each test.

4) With your angle kept at 0.15 and camera zoomed completely out, record your frame rate in 4 directions. N, E, S, W. Make sure your mouse is hovered over the sky or ground when checking the frame rate and wait a bit so that frame rate has steadied.

This is the Baseline Frame Rate test.

5) Set Generic Mode to On and restart the game. Repeat steps 3 and 4. This is the best possible frame rate if all models were using the simplest LOD meshes.

This is your Generic Mode Frame Rate test.

6) Set Generic Mode to Off an No LOD Mode to On and restart the game.

Repeat steps 3 and 4. This is not using LOD meshes at all.

This is your No LOD Mode Frame Rate test.

7) Post the following:

- Windowed or full screen mode
- Your game resolution
- Your location
- Your Baseline Frame Rate test. N, E, S, W
- Your Generic Mode Frame Rate test. N, E, S, W
- Your No LOD Mode Frame Rate test. N, E, S, W

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LOD means Level of Detail. Each building potentially has four LOD meshes from high detail to low detail. Up close each building uses its highest detail LOD mesh. As the distance between your view point and the object increases, the engine swaps in lower detail meshes. In theory this should improve frame rate.

So far our test results indicate the following:

- LOD meshes for buildings are currently not necessary as other factors affect rendering far more than the detail of the meshes.

- Removing LODs for buildings may slightly improve loading times as less meshes load.

- Removing LODs for buildings will slightly reduce memory usage.

- Removing LODs for buildings may slightly improve frame rate as distance calculations to determine the current LOD rendered can be disabled.

If player tests confirm what I've found so far, I can disable LODs for now and optimize the rendering code accordingly.

Thanks!