FFX optimizing msaa upscaler

[Clouds]

Ok here's what this thread is about. The game runs perfect in general But i love to play around with settings and test out what works good and what not, thats one main reason why i love pcsx2!

Anyway, i'm using the pcsx2 beta r1888 with one of the latest gsdx versions r2320, and played with 3x scale without slowdowns (I'm about 12h into the game @mushroom valley blubb) so far.

So today the idea came up, trying msaa again, in an older gsdx version (i think the one that came with the pcsx2 beta 1888) that produced some graphic glitches so i turned it off again. But now it works flawlessly! And to my astonishment the game kept running at full speed with msaa=4.
Untill i summoned Ifrit and started using Fire spells. At the end of the spell when the flames wear off there is a very short slowdown to ~30fps for like 1-2secs. Then i used Ifrits limit attack and there is one point where he charges and shoots those 2 fireball-like things at the enemy. At that point the game slowed down instantly to about 7-15fps and returned back to normal speed after the balls exploded. Additionally i noticed the same thing happening with the gravitas spells.

So my conclusion is, there is some kind of graphic effect going on at those times that cause these major slowdowns.
I tried several settings:
4x scale -> game is not running at full speed
3x scale, no msaa ->no slowdowns
3x scale, msaa2 ->minor slowdowns@ifrit/gravitas scenes ~35fps
3x scale, msaa4-8 ->major slowdowns@ifrit/gravitas scenes ~10fps
2x scale, msaa2-8 ->no slowdowns
high internal resolution (1536x1248), msaa2-8 ->same slowdowns as 3x scale

here's my pc:
-Phenom II X3 @ 3,2ghz (no VU cycle stealing, other speedhacks are turned on, but have absolutely no effect on the slowdowns described above)
-ATI Radeon 4850 @gsdx r2320 dx10 hardware
-4gb Ram
-Win7 32bit

The question is, are there any known effects that cause those slowdowns, or is there any way to work around them? Are there any specific settings or versions you can suggest? Like gamefix_skipdraw ?

Of course the game looks awesome just with the 3x scaler alone compared to native ps2 resolution, but here's the thing: with 3x scaler and 4x msaa it would start to look perfect on my 19" monitor like a game that would have been adapted to the pc. And thats exactly where the slowdowns start to get annoying.

greez

[Koji]

Known issue, you can try the manual skipdraw option but I don't think it will work with that issue. Also, remember that MSAA and scaler are both still fairly early options and both have some extra overhead.

[Clouds]

Known issue, you can try the manual skipdraw option but I don't think it will work with that issue. Also, remember that MSAA and scaler are both still fairly early options and both have some extra overhead.

So at least there is hope for the future

which skipdraw value should i use? I know that i have to use =4 for the fog in GoW but does a list or something exist that tells me which number does what?

[E] Good News! Naturally i started with gamefix_skipdraw=1 and it worked^^ 100% gamespeed with 3x scaler 8x msaa. <3<3 still wondering about the skipdraw values and what they exactly do though cheer!

[rama]

No, it's different for each game and effect.
What the option does is detect problematic textures, then skips the next x draw calls.
One such draw call could be an image, a triangle, a sprite or whatever.
So if you skip enough calls, your characters will start loosing their heads and stuff

Anyway, I can guarantee you that there'll be more slowdowns along the way.
I'd avoid msaa in favor of smooth gameplay, without fear of those slowdowns.