Basically, all interactions with the DF UI cause stutters that are very easy to see if you have a frame time graph like RTSS. Opening your spell book, bag, map, achievements, talents, etc, causes stutter nearly every time which manifests as a spike on the graph, and it is also very easy to feel these if you’re sensitive to stuttering.
It’s a problem because you’re constantly interacting with the UI so the game is always micro-stuttering, not to mention that the game itself is more stuttery because it still can’t handle dragon riding move speeds in a smooth way. I’m not even sure it’s just dragon riding, fly with a regular mount around even something like the Ruby Life Pools area, and you’ll see stuttering. I’ve heard that TWW is the same in the main city so it seems that we’ll be stuck with this stutter-fest for the foreseeable future which is pretty terrible.
The UI stutter at least, doesn’t happen with Cata classic, maybe only with the bag when it’s really full but that’s about it. What I don’t understand is why, what about the new UI or the way the game handles it is so stupidly implemented that the game lurches with a (micro) stutter whenever you interact with it?
Btw, this is not hardware-related and it happens on every build at least with fps in excess of 100, and if someone claims it doesn’t, I challenge them to make a 1-minute recording with a frame time graph proving otherwise.
Tried in both Cata and Retail, the graph shows what you’re describing, but it’s not noticeable at least on my machine. I’m very sensitive to smooth performance and I couldn’t see any micro stutters even when I focused on it.
I’m playing on a Ryzen 5 1500X from 2017 with DDR4@2133MHz. I don’t experience those stutters either.
-=EDIT=-
I forgot to mention, I have target framerate at 60fps, with Radeon Chill enabled to reduce it to 30fps when there is no action.
-=EDIT 2=-
If those stutters are barely noticeable and require you to have a meter program installed to notice it, isn’t it equivalent as them not affecting your play experience? It’s like saying that there is a framerate drop when you go from 60 to 59 fps; yes there is a drop, but it doesn’t affect your experience.
It doesn’t happen at 60 fps, I just checked. The dips are around 10-12ms, so it would only manifest at around 100+, and the higher your fps, the more noticeable these will be because because of that.
It also is noticeable without using any tools, both on my 144 and 120hz screens, I only mentioned the frame time graph because it is an objective metric that’s not affected by what my eyes see. Anyone can install RTSS/AB and see the stutters with frame rates in excess of 100-120 fps, now whether you will be bothered by them, that is indeed subjective.
Testing it while running around The Jade Forest, in the ballpark of 150 FPS, on a 144hz 1440p screen. The FPS varies based on where I am and what’s on the screen but it’s generally above 100.
The only times I notice any kind of stutter is the very first time I open a UI window (e.g. bag or talents) after logging in, but any subsequent instances of opening the same window doesn’t cause any noticeable stuttering. I’d assume the stutter on the first opening is caused by it being loaded into memory in some way.