Improve visibility of server-side performance metrics

[Erth Paradine]

Request:
Add TPS as a performance metric; splitting server performance metrics away from network performance metrics.

Currently:
FPS = client-side rendering (e.g. GPU) performance
PING = combined network and server-side performance metrics

Result of proposed:
Provide players with a more clear illustration of lag causes: is it truly an issue server-side, or is the lag caused by a client's network connection (e.g. high latency or packet-loss)?

Suggested Method:
StarMade already has the concept of server ticks; extrapolate this value out, and make it visible client-side. For instance, how many ticks is a particular entity consuming?

Rationale:
Right now, ideal lag levels are a crap-shot: aside from acquired experience, admins don't have a good idea of what they're aiming for, what works OK for a busy server, etc. Simply working to avoid high millisecond related log entries, without a good grasp upon their overall impacts, can be quite a frustrating process.

With a TPS value visible client-side, everyone now has better visibility of possible lag causes, and most-importantly, if a server is overloaded/underpowered. It also provides for a metric upon which admins can begin targeting performance-wise.

Continuing to report the current co-mingled application/network metric "ping", would enable players and admins to contrast values against "TPS"; as a means of comparing server-side performance vs network connectivity.

TPS would also help reinforce a point, that when players connect from half-way across the globe, lag is at least in part due to their connection choices: this means players are less likely to blame "StarMade" for being awful, and instead to shift their attention towards the laws of physics...more readily encouraging the player to choose a closer server.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

I wish we could have a pop-out window for all stats (client and server ), while you are in game.

 

[Erth Paradine]

I wish we could have a pop-out window for all stats (client and server ), while you are in game.

A unified pop-out, which does not concatenate application and network performance metrics, would be wonderful. A complement to this, would be log entries with similar information, so that admins can monitor players programatically...for instance, to log and trend each player's performance metrics, for both short and long-term references.

However, in the meantime, admins can use F7, and all players can use F1. Even if F1 shows a mixture of server/client metrics...it can sometimes be helpful. F7 is also only sometimes helpful, as misleading entries tend to get stuck in that window.

I'd also love to see Recognized - /add_admin_allowed_comand implemented, and then server operators given the option of enabling F7 for all players.