The default BGE tics is 60Hz, can be changed with bge.logic.setLogicTicRate(some_number)
Is it incorrect to say this is 60 beats per second?
If the game logic or CPU load gets heavy, do things slow down from the otherwise constant rate?
Is there a limit to the number of actuators which can be processed in a single tic?
Yes, it is 60 logic ticks per seconds
Yes, it can slow down
No fixed limit, it is dependent on the computer.
As with every game engine,logic is supposed to be independently threaded then produce whatever it has calculated to that buffer.
Blender’s does the opposite. Your framerate = the logic tic rate, therefore if your pc is lagging, it will process everything slower, not just graphics, which will cause a scene’s time speed to change.
Thanks both. So while tics are at a rate of 60 ticks per second, this can slow down in rare occasion (overload), making the statement that “it is 60 ticks per second” untrue in the “don’t quote me on that” sense. Gotcha. :eyebrowlift:
This is correct, though it may be good to point out that the BGE can only attempt to execute this fast. There is not guarantee it will be able to calculate everything it needs to in 16 ms. Also you should note that the logic tic rate is ignored if the Use Frame Rate option is unchecked (under the Render -> System tab), though Bullet still seems to use 1/logic tic rate as its time step.
Obviously things will have to slow down. What the BGE does is sacrifice frame rate first before slowing down logic and physics. By default, up to 5 logic tics and 5 physics tics can be executed between frame renders, so your game can drop down to 12 fps (1/5 of your target tic rate) before your logic and physics will suffer.
I wouldn’t really be worried about the number of actuators. They only need to be evaluated when they are activated, and their operations are relatively simple. Sensors should be your primary concern in terms of logic performance. “Heavy” sensors like Radar and Near can take up a fair amount of time, especially if you have high-poly physics objects in your scene.