Micro-stutters while driving in Project Zomboid Build 42.13.1 (unstable) – normal behavior?

[glad bough]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to try Build 42, so I installed the unstable 42.13.1 version and initially used quite a lot of mods.

However, I’m experiencing constant micro-stutters while driving vehicles. It feels like many small stutters that create a strong sensation of poor fluidity when driving, and occasionally I also get bigger stutters / freezes.
I can notice some stuttering while running as well, but it’s much more noticeable in vehicles.

To rule out mods, I completely disabled all mods, tested again, and the stutters are still present.

I recorded a short gameplay video to show the issue more clearly:
https://youtu.be/jA5C7f66DLM?si=PMORiJNWUr03bGYK

So my question is:
Is this normal behavior for the current unstable build, or could something else be going on?

My PC specs:

CPU: i7-13700KF
GPU: RTX 5090
RAM: 32 GB DDR4 3600 MHz (4×8 GB)
Java: Oracle Java 25
OS: Windows
Game installed on M.2 SSD

I’m aware this is an unstable build, so I’m mostly trying to understand if this kind of stuttering is expected right now, or if others are experiencing the same thing.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[vestal wind]

Can't see the video, it's private. I used to have stutters and suspiciously low fps (considering my specs) when playing on Windows too. I haven't found source of the problem, but switching to Linux solved it for me. Not much help, just sharing my experience

[unreal zenith]

Does it only happen when exploring new areas or even when running in a circle in already explored areas?

[glad bough]

Sorry about the video! I’ve changed the link and it should be working now.

I did several back-and-forth runs on the road shown in the video, and the stutters never stopped.

[jade vigil]

yes it happen, my pc is stronger than yours besides the gpu and it still happen even on mostly vanilla/extremely extremely light mods

if you zoom out farthest it will do it, if you keep moderate zoom it will be mostly fine. seems problem with zomboid no matter what

[wind wasp]

Have you allocated more RAM to the game in the projectzomboid64.bat and .json files? Default is only like 3g

[glad bough]

Yes, I already tried setting it to 12 GB, but it didn’t change anything.
And when I had mods installed, I was using the “Multi-CPU Enhance” mod, which modifies a lot of things, but it didn’t make any difference either.

[unreal zenith]

Can you share your logs.zip file found in %UserProfile%\Zomboid?

[glad bough]

I’ll do that in a few minutes. I’m going to reinstall the game on another M.2 drive to make sure I have a clean installation.

[unreal zenith]

There arent any issues with the game from the logs, and I cannot really see any issues in the video either

I was watching the video and there is maybe one stutter I noticed, driving can have higher stutters due to loading new areas quickly, though yours is probably the least stuttery video I have seen from any similar issues reported

Does it also happen when walking?

[glad bough]

Actually, it’s not the “big stutters” that bother me, since they are relatively rare and probably related to map loading.
It’s more during driving: I feel like there are a lot of very short micro-stutters, which gives the impression that movement isn’t smooth at all.
It’s less visible in the YouTube video because of the lower FPS, but when I look at the environment in the video, I can still see that the movement isn’t fluid.
That said, as I mentioned before, it might just be the game’s “normal” behavior.

It also happens when I’m running, even if it’s less noticeable.
I don’t remember having this kind of fluidity issue back when I was playing on B41.

[unreal zenith]

You can try enabling the profiling by pressing K, it should show the in game FPS

Stutters should show up there

Or use an external FPS graph, like RivaTuner

[glad bough]

I’ve just run some tests with RivaTuner and noticed that the 1% low and 0.1% low values are quite poor, which could explain the stuttering I’m experiencing while driving.
I also capped the FPS at 100 on the way back, and despite more stable FPS, the 1% and 0.1% lows remain poor and the stuttering is still present. https://youtu.be/Vd7kRcIM1g0

[unreal zenith]

Do you have any antivirus software? If yes, can you add an exception to it for this whole folder in
%UserProfile%\Zomboid
Some anti-viruses check the Zomboid files constantly, which can cause such stutters when loading map areas

[glad bough]

I don’t use an antivirus software

[unreal zenith]

Are you on Windows? Since that has preinstalled Windows Defender

[glad bough]

I had forgotten this thing even existed 😅 I’ll test it later and let you know.

[glad bough]

I just tested with an exception in Defender and there’s no difference.

[unreal zenith]

I can suggest forwarding it as a bug in that case, however since it specifically is about driving stutters, then that is already something that will be improved

If the stutters happen in other situations, that would be a better report
https://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/43261-read-here-first-bug-reporting-guideformatting

[glad bough]

Mainly while driving. It also happens when I’m running, but in a less noticeable way. In my opinion, it’s just the game having trouble loading tiles quickly. I guess I’ll simply stop playing and wait for B42 to progress toward a stable version. Anyway, thanks for your time.