Linux Mint 22 Wilma, Cinnamon edition: Poor performance at startup, slow Loading Sprites, etc.

[1WheelDude]

I decided to try Factorio on a linux based OS so I could enjoy the seamless autosave feature it has. But, I'm having terrible performance problems and long loading time. At game launch, the game is taking a long time at "Loading Sprites". The main menu has poor FPS and when I launch my Space Age save that I started on a Windows OS, everything is choppy.

I've ran the Driver Manager to ensure I have the latest drivers and checked the AMD website to see I'm on the appropriate version. Any one else having this issue?

System Info:
https://pastebin.com/Xh9kDnvy

Factorio log file:
https://pastebin.com/twVD4fyb

[AntoninKyrene]

Which CPU/GPU?

I had very similar problems with Wilma Cinnamon and LDME 6. I am working with the 7840U / 780M, which Linux Mint just does not like no matter how I configure it…but zero issues in Windows on the same platform. That made me think we are dealing with an issue with the kernel or GPU drivers…

(NOTE: Problems on LDME 6 were expected given its longer update cycle…)

[bjornp]

Can you check if the issues also occur for a version pre 2.0? Since version 2.0 + DLC I have quite bad performance on Linux with frequent drops <30 FPS where I would never hit below UPS (which limits the FPS) before the update. It also noticably slows down the rest of my system to the point where it takes many seconds to open a terminal.

On a Intel i7-1260P CPU with built-in GPU, 48 GB RAM and 3440x1440 @ 144Hz display, for me.

[AntoninKyrene]

I tested with v1.1.110 on Wilma - it wasn't much better, certainly not what I would call playable over a good night's session, but nothing like...it was v2.0.8 at the moment. That was dreadful.

Testing included a 7480U / 780M and an 8700G for both versions. I also have a 7840HS / 780M running through an RX 7600M XT on OcuLink - I will be testing that one tomorrow. I will also be testing on a 5700G, because I still think it's the Phoenix platform not having mature drivers yet, and the 5700G ran Factorio flawlessly for a long time.

What I don't have right now is a more modern and more traditional ATX/MATX/ITX platform with cards and slots. All of my 'current' machines are AMD offerings from MinisForum, so we are working in a much more customized universe with far fewer BIOS updates and tweaked GPU drivers.

[Gorthunk]

I had the same problem after the Space Age update (which I did not have in the base game beforehand). The game was not using my GPU. I fixed it by setting "DRI_PRIME=0" In the Steam launch options.

Normally people say they need to set "DRI_PRIME=1" so I'm not sure why for my particular case I needed to set it to 0, but trying both options is worth a shot. This might be an AMD vs. NVIDIA difference.

[AntoninKyrene]

There is no combination of hardware that seems to produce a pleasing result with Wilma. That's four different systems (across two CPU generations) with six different GPU options. I think it's now worth testing on the previous version, and possibly another flavor of Linux.

I run Factorio on a (any) machine in its purest form: OS with most-current updates and the game itself - nothing else. You cannot get more "vanilla environment" than my setup...

-AK