[GENERAL] Other - Game has severe problems with memory leakage and clearing cache causing high RAM usage and a tank in overall system performance.

[LiquidLutetium]

PTCGO when open has severe problems with memory leakage and proper clearing of cache as well as CPU usage causing a tank in overall system performance and higher hardware temperatures which could lead to hardware damage over time. This is most evident when doing trades in the games public trades and when logging out and logging back in, but it also occurs while playing games and doing most actions on the game.

 

To start, PTCGO does not properly clear the cache upon logging out of the game. This causes severe problems as logging into the game causes large amounts of RAM usage on the client side, meaning that this will pile up with continued or repetitive logging out and logging in. I have tested this myself and found that each cycle of logging out and logging in can add anywhere between about 50 MB and 200 MB to the system’s RAM usage. This quickly piles up and causes problems with game performance as well as system performance. My game normally runs idly at about 450 MB of RAM usage- quite a decent sum but nothing too extraordinary. However, with repeated logging out and logging in, my system peaked at times around 85 percent RAM usage with PTCGO using upwards of 1,450 MB of RAM- a 1 GB increase over the previous quantity, or over 200 percent. This is not a problem only I am having- many other people have seen similar problems when playing the game for extended periods of time.

 

As well, all of the extra loaded cache and RAM usage the game does not need is not properly cleared and is only cleared on what seems to be a timer of every 5 or so minutes or when the system’s overall RAM usage reaches approximately 80 percent- a near full load of system resources. This is evidenced by the data I took given where random drops can be observed at times on a relatively even schedule and when the game reaches a certain load, the RAM will start capping and no real change is seen. This is not good, as it means that it can take quite a while (over an hour) for the game to go back to what is considered “regular” levels of resource usage, and the game only seems to clear its cache when performance is already heavily affected and the game has slow load times.

 

Furthermore, the game quickly builds up cache when making or browsing trades, particularly when browsing public trades. A full refresh (loading all trades from 0-48h) can potentially increase the RAM usage by as much as 20-30 MB, with similar results to the previous problems. This can quickly add up if a person is heavily browsing public trades and cause similar performance issues and cache buildup that takes long amounts of time to clear. The effect isn’t as pronounced if a person is just creating public trades or viewing private trade offers, but it still is evident when looking at the Task Manager over time.

 

Another thing of note is the high CPU usage during log in. This is not usually that much of a problem as it only normally reaches about 30 percent for me, but at times I’ve had CPU usage spike to near 100 percent. This is usually followed by the game freezing or crashing during log-in. I’ve had multiple other people experience similar issues, mainly on lower-end CPUs. However, this is still an incredibly high load compared to normal gameplay which only peaks at around half this usage.

 

Overall, the game has severe problems with resource usage, particularly with RAM, and it needs to be addressed. It causes various performance issues with the game itself and it can cause hardware damage over time through heavy use from such a basic game or application as PTCGO. I hope this is soon addressed as to prevent these problems from occurring in the future.

 

[00ThomasCrown00]

@LiquidLutetium I'm seeing the same thing on my brand new MacBook Pro. Just got it a month ago and it is souped up to the max.

 

If there anything the PTCGO team can do that would be great. I don't want to burn out my computer because of this so I'm not playing on it. 

[Mod_RedDragon]

Hello @LiquidLutetium,

 

It looks like this is on the Known Issues list. You can check out the current Known Issues here. 

[00ThomasCrown00]

It is only speaking to PC's on the 'Known Issues' thread not MacBook Pro's. 

[Mod_GuruLot]

3 hours ago, 00ThomasCrown00 said:

It is only speaking to PC's on the 'Known Issues' thread not MacBook Pro's. 

 

Hello @00ThomasCrown00, 

 

I'm sorry to hear this issue with the game is affecting your MacBook Pro. 

 

Since it's not on the Known Issues thread, I would suggest sending in a ticket to our CS team. 

 

You can do so by clicking this link to the support portal, signing in on the top right side of the page, then selecting the TCGO category and clicking Contact Us.

 

Hope this helps!