Killzone Shadow Fall: Threading the Entity Update on PS4
- 1. Killzone Shadow Fall: Threading the Entity Update on PS4 Jorrit Rouwé Lead Game Tech, Guerrilla Games
- 2. Introduction • Killzone Shadow Fall is a First Person Shooter • PlayStation 4 launch title • In SP up to 60 characters @ 30 FPS • In MP up to 24 players @ 60 FPS • Gameplay logic has lots of • Branches • Virtual functions • Cache misses • Not suitable for PS3 SPU’s but PS4 has 6 x86 cores
- 3. What do we cover? • What is an Entity? • What we did on PS3 • Multi threading on PS4 • Balancing Entities across frames • Performance issues found • Performance results achieved • Debug tools
- 4. What is an Entity?
- 5. What is an Entity? • Base class for most game objects • E.g. Player, Enemy, Weapon, Door • Not used for static world • Has Components • E.g. Model, Mover, Destructibility • Update at a fixed frequency • 15, 30, 60 Hz • Almost everything at 15 Hz • Player updated at higher frequency to avoid lag
- 6. What is a Representation? • Entities and Components have Representation • Controls rendering, audio and VFX • State is interpolated in frames where entity not updated • Cheaper to interpolate than to update • Introduces latency • Always blend towards last update
- 7. Movie
- 9. PS3: 1 Entity = 1 Fiber • Most time spent on PPU • No clear concurrency model • Read partial updated state • Entities deadlock waiting for each other yield fiber resume fiber Time PPU SPU 1 SPU 2 Entity 1 Entity 2 Entity 3 Entity 1 Animation Ray Cast Entity 2
- 10. PS4: 1 Entity = 1 Job • No fibers • Entity updates as a whole • How to solve race conditions? Time CPU 1 CPU 2 CPU 3 Entity 1 Entity 2 Entity 3 Entity 1Animation Ray Cast Entity 2 job
- 11. • Make update order explicit: Strong Dependencies Missile MissileMissile LauncherMissile Launcher Soldier Time Soldier strong dependency
- 12. • No (indirect) dependency = no access • Works two ways: Weapon can access Soldier too • Create dependency has 1 frame latency • Global systems need locks Non-dependent Entities can Execute Concurrently Soldier1 Weapon1 Time Soldier2 Weapon2 CPU 2 CPU 1 Soldier1 Weapon1 Soldier2 Weapon2
- 13. • A few entities cause huge bottleneck What about this? Time Soldier1 Pistol1 Soldier2 Pistol2 Bullet System Soldier1 Pistol1 Soldier2 Pistol2 Bullet System
- 14. Non-exclusive Dependencies • Access to ‘Bullet System’ must be lock protected Soldier1 Soldier2 Bullet System non-exclusive Time CPU 2 CPU 1 Soldier1 Pistol1 Soldier2 Pistol2 Bullet System Barrier Pistol1 Pistol2
- 15. Weak Dependencies • 2 tanks fire at each other: • Update order reversed when circular dependency occurs • Not used very often (< 10 per frame) Time Missile2Missile1 Tank1 Tank2 Missile2Missile1 Tank2 Tank1 Missile1Missile2 or weak strong Tank1 Tank2
- 16. Non-updating Entities • Entity can skip updates (LOD) • Entity can update in other frame • Do normal scheduling! Entity1 Entity3 Entity1 Entity2 Entity3 Time not updating
- 17. Summarizing Dependencies Strong Exclusive Weak Exclusive Strong Non-excl. Weak Non-excl. Symbol Two way access ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Order guaranteed ✓ ✓ Allow concurrency + + ++ ++ Require lock ✓ ✓
- 18. Referencing Entities • Dev build: CheckedPtr<Entity> • Acts as normal pointer • Check dependency on dereference • Retail build: Entity * • No overhead! • Doesn’t catch everything • Can use pointers to members • Bugs were easy to find
- 19. Working with Entities without dependency • ThreadSafeEntityInterface • Mostly read only • Often used state (name, type, position, …) • Mutex per Entity • Send message (expensive) • Processed single threaded when no dependency • Schedule single threaded callback (expensive) • Everything can be accessed
- 21. Scheduling Algorithm • Entities with exclusive dependencies merged to 1 job • Dependencies determine sorting • Non-exclusive dependencies become job dependencies • Expensive jobs kicked first! Missile Missile Launcher Tank Bullet System Pistol Soldier Missile Tank Bullet System PistolSoldier Job1 Job2 job dependency not updating weak non-exclusive strong
- 22. Scheduling Algorithm – Edge Case Entity1 Entity3 Entity4Entity2 non-exclusive exclusive job dependency Entity1 Entity2 Entity3 Entity4 Job1 Job2
- 23. Scheduling Algorithm – Edge Case • Non cyclic dependency becomes cyclic job dependency • Job1 and Job2 need to be merged Entity1 Entity3 Entity4Entity2 non-exclusive exclusive Entity1 Entity2Entity3 Entity4 Job1
- 24. Balancing Entities Across Frames
- 25. Balancing Entities Across Frames • Prevent all 15 Hz entities from updating in same frame • Entity can move to other frame • Smaller delta time for 1 update • Keep parent-child linked entities together • Weapon of soldier • Soldier on mounted gun • Locked close combat
- 26. Balancing Entities – In Action Time in even frame (sum across cores, running average)
- 27. Balancing Entities – In Action Time in odd frame (should be equal)
- 28. Balancing Entities – In Action Civilian @ 15Hz update even frame
- 29. Balancing Entities – In Action Civilian @ 15Hz update odd frame
- 30. Balancing Entities – In Action Flash on switch odd / even
- 31. Movie
- 32. Movie
- 34. Performance Issues • Memory allocation mutex • Eliminated many dynamic allocations • Use stack allocator • Locking physics world • R/W mutex for main simulation world • Second ‘bullet collision’ broadphase + lock • Large groups of dependent entities • Player update very expensive
- 35. Cut Scene - Problem • Cut scene entity requires dependencies • 10+ characters in cut scene creates huge job! Civilian 1 Cut Scene Civilian 2 Player Camera
- 36. Cut Scene - Solution • Create sub cut scenes for non-interacting entities • Master cut scene determines time and flow • Scan 1 frame ahead in timeline to create dependency Civilian 1 Cut Scenenon-exclusive Sub Cut Scene 1 Sub Cut Scene 2 Civilian 2 Sub Cut Scene 3 Player Camera
- 37. Using an Object • Dependencies on useable objects not possible (too many) • Get list of usable objects • Global system protected by lock • ‘Use’ icon appears on screen • Player selects • Create dependency • Start ‘use’ animation • Start interaction 1 frame later (dependency valid) • Hides 1 frame delay!
- 38. Grenade • Explosion damages many entities • Creating dependencies not option (too many) • ThreadSafeEntityInterface not an option • Need knowledge of parts • Run line of sight checks inside update • Uses scheduled callback to apply damage
- 40. 5000 Crates Performance Results - Synthetic 100 Soldiers 500 Flags Level Counts Dependencies Max Entities in Job SpeedupNumber Entities Updating Entities Number Humans Strong Excl Strong Non-Excl 5000 Crates (20 µs each) 5019 5008 1 12 4 13 2.8X 100 Soldiers (700 µs each) 326 214 105 212 204 19 4.2X 500 Flags (160 µs each) 519 508 1 12 4 13 5.2X 6 cores!
- 41. Performance Results - Levels Level Counts Dependencies Max Entities in Job SpeedupNumber Entities Updating Entities Number Humans Strong Excl Strong Non-Excl The Helghast (You Owe Me) 1141 206 32 71 23 20 4.1X The Patriot (On Vectan Soil) 435 257 44 199 107 15 4.3X The Remains (12p Botzone) 450 128 14 97 44 18 3.7X The Helghast The RemainsThe Patriot
- 42. Game Frame - The Patriot
- 43. Game Frame - Global Time 18 ms
- 44. Game Frame - Global CPU 1 (main thread)
- 45. Game Frame - Global CPU 2
- 46. Game Frame - Global CPU 3
- 47. Game Frame - Global AI Physics Entity Update VFX & Draw Barrier
- 48. Game Frame – Entity Update Fix Weak Dependency Cycles
- 49. Game Frame – Entity Update Prepare Jobs
- 50. Game Frame – Entity Update Link and Order Jobs
- 51. Game Frame – Entity Update Execute Jobs
- 52. Game Frame – Entity Update Single Threaded Callbacks
- 53. Game Frame – Entity Update Player Job
- 54. Game Frame – Entity Update Player Entity
- 55. Game Frame – Entity Update Animation
- 56. Game Frame – Entity Update Capsule Collision
- 57. Game Frame – Entity Update Player Representation
- 58. Game Frame – Entity Update OWL (Helper Robot)
- 59. Game Frame – Entity Update Inventory
- 60. Game Frame – Entity Update AI Soldier
- 61. Game Frame – Entity Update Cloth Simulation
- 62. Game Frame – Entity Update Cut Scene
- 63. Game Frame – Entity Update Sub Cut Scenes
- 64. Game Frame – Entity Update Cheap Entities (Destructibles)
- 65. Debug Tools
- 66. Debug Tools • Dependencies get complex, we use yEd to visualize!
- 70. Conclusions • Easy to implement in existing engine • Game programmers can program as if single threaded • Very few multithreading issues