Grid rendering change for Mac users to test

Technical Support & Bugs
1

We’ve prepared some grid and grid numbering performance improvements for 3.4.8. The difference on Linux is massive, and on Windows isn’t noticeable (but wasn’t bad to begin with). We’d like to know what difference you see if any on a Mac.

If you have a Mac, please try the VASSAL-3.4.8-SNAPSHOT-grid_drawing-2c111f012 build with a module that has a grid or grid numbering which is drawn over a map:

vassalengine.org/~uckelman/tmp/

Load a module which draws a grid or a grid numbering (e.g., Liberty Roads, VG Vietnam 1965-1975) and check how scrolling around performs in comparison with 3.4.7, and let us know if you see a difference.

2

I tried this using MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016) and the Sixth Fleet Module.

At normal or reduced zoom it is hard to spot a difference in the module (not a huge map though); also, some level of caching appears to kick in once you have scrolled around the map completely - at which point, you notice no difference at all.

To be sure I was seeing a difference, I first had to zoom in; 160% worked.

  1. Vassal 3.4.7;
    I can clearly see the grid numbering rendered before the map and the delay is very noticeable.

  2. Vassal 3.4.8 snapshot;
    Still a noticeable “stuttering” as new parts of the map are rendering but it seems faster, maybe even twice as fast. Also the numbering appears with the map which probably helps perception. Certainly no worse and it wasn’t that bad before, at least in this module.

Mark

3

Thus spake marktb1961:

  1. Vassal 3.4.8 snapshot;
    Still a noticeable “stuttering” as new parts of the map are rendering
    but it seems faster, maybe even twice as fast. Also the numbering
    appears with the map which probably helps perception. Certainly no
    worse and it wasn’t that bad before, at least in this module.

Thanks for testing. What do you mean by “stuttering” here?

–
J.

4

It seemed to me as though the map was being painted onto the screen in sections, judging by a very slight delay between areas appearing on screen. That was not a change from the previous behaviour and, if anything, less so.

Mark

5

Thus spake marktb1961:

“uckelman” wrote:

Thanks for testing. What do you mean by “stuttering” here?

It seemed to me as though the map was being painted onto the screen in
sections, judging by a very slight delay between areas appearing on
screen. That was not a change from the previous behaviour and, if
anything, less so.

Ok. That’s exactly what’s happening. Map painting happens in 256x256
tiles, and tiles which aren’t in the image cache yet can’t be painted
until they’re finished loading.

–
J.