Darkest Dungeon II (PPSA19591)

[JJenkx]

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Title

Darkest Dungeon II (PPSA19591)

Content version tested

01.015.000

AnyPS5 commit

main 4883171f9f with #6586 (2c98914fe4, deferred Linux runtime module starts) merged locally (merge 0bcda5b9e5). Not unmodified main: this title needs #6586.

System tested

Linux 7.2.9 (Arch), Ryzen 9 7950X, Radeon RX 6650 XT, RADV Mesa 26.2.4, GCC, Release.

Furthest point

In-game (first region, on the road)

What is shown

Continued from codex's earlier bring-up of this title, starting from its save at the Crossroads. Each run is a single fixed input script:

• Title menu, Confessions and the Crossroads.
• Party selection: the Plague Doctor (slot 4), Grave Robber (slot 3), Highwayman (slot 2) and Man-at-Arms (slot 1), each placed with left stick right, Cross, left stick up, Cross.
• Embark: from the slot row, stick up to Party Loadouts, then six steps right reach Embark ("A Grave Prognosis"). A tap of Cross does nothing there; holding Cross for 2 s embarks.
• After that comes the "The Valley" region card, then gameplay: the stagecoach on the road, with all four heroes in the HUD and "Regions 1.1, 30 leagues to Inn". The save is then written with all four heroes in the party.

The window title reports 47 to 51 FPS on the party screens and 16 to 19 FPS on the road. I did not drive the coach or reach combat.

One of eight runs crashed (segmentation fault, no message) 144 s in, while DLC hero bundles loaded. It did not happen under GDB or in the other seven runs, so its cause is unknown.

Current blocker

None seen up to the first road; 16 to 19 FPS there, not investigated.

How it was run

relinker --registry --rpath <build>/core/libs/libs --module-dir Media/Modules --module-dir Media/Plugins eboot.elf app.elf

APS5_HOST_IMPORT_MIB=16384, APS5_DRAW_CACHE_ENTRIES=4096 and APS5_PIPELINED_DRAWS=1, as in codex's runs. No PlayGo setting.

AI-assisted testing and report: yes, Claude Code.

[JJenkx]

Where the time goes on the first road. This is a diagnostic trace, APS5_TRACE_SECONDS=730:20, taken on the road after embarking, same build and settings as above; my harness redirected the log, so it is not a form-compliant capture.

• 379 presents in 20 s, frame p50 52.4 ms and p90 56.4 ms (about 19 FPS), dropped: no. The game renders at 3840x2160.
• GPU busy 36.2 ms per present on the RX 6650 XT, which caps this scene near 27 FPS on its own.
• The graphics queue worker is busy 34 ms per frame (65 %), almost all in Driver.Draw: draw_enqueued 19.5 ms and shader_compile_and_link 5.9 ms. The draw committer spends 18.2 ms per frame in Recorder.Sync.

So the road is mostly GPU-bound at 4K on this card, with CPU-side draw work on top; no single runaway phase. The 5.9 ms of per-frame shader compile and link may be worth a look with a larger APS5_DRAW_CACHE_ENTRIES, but it is a small share.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).

[JJenkx]

Update: first combat reached, same build and settings.

After embarking, holding the left stick up (4.5 s at a time, every 15 s from 725 s) drives the stagecoach along the first road. The HUD shows Stagecoach View and Roster Arrangement prompts. By 790 s an encounter starts: Round 1, the four heroes against a group of enemies, with Dismas (the Highwayman) to act and Wicked Slice highlighted in his skill bar. The battle then waits for input to the end of the run at 920 s, because I sent no combat commands. The window title reports 35.5 to 36.3 FPS in the battle.

Next would be choosing a skill and a target to see a full combat turn.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).

[JJenkx]

Update: first battle played through to victory, same build and settings. After the encounter starts, pressing Cross every 10 s from 800 s uses each hero's highlighted skill on the default target:

• Dismas uses Wicked Slice.
• Audrey (the Grave Robber) uses Pick to the Face.
• Paracelsus (the Plague Doctor) uses Incision on a "Corpse" target, with the hit, damage and crit preview shown.
• Round 2 is reached by 920 s.
• By 950 s the Victory screen ("Yours for the taking...") shows, with the loot panel (Take All / Leave Items).

No crash or driver stop through 1,010 s. Combat UI, turn order, skill previews and the victory screen all render. The window title reports 26.7 to 37.7 FPS during combat and 27.9 to 29.0 on the victory screen.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).

[JJenkx]

Update: past the first battle and on to the next road event, same build and settings.

• Loot: on the Victory screen, Cross takes one item at a time. Circle (Leave Items) asks "You will leave items behind. Still press onwards?"; Cross answers Yes.
• The road: the coach continues, with the HUD now at "Regions 1.1, 22 leagues to Inn", 8 leagues on from the start. The window title reports 18.8 to 28.9 FPS.
• The next stop: by 1,060 s the road event The Desperate Few shows (a camp of people by a wagon, with a Cross prompt), at 27.9 to 28.9 FPS.

No crash or driver stop through 1,225 s.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).

[JJenkx]

Update: the first road event works end to end, same build and settings. At The Desperate Few:

• Cross enters it. The Archive tutorial "Encounters" opens over it; Circle closes it.
• The encounter "Assist Us!" shows the party facing a family of refugees, with choice markers over two heroes.
• Left stick right selects Paracelsus ("Fondest goodbyes to my old laboratories..."), and holding Cross for 3 s confirms the choice. A tap does not, as with Embark.
• The Rewards panel follows (+100 Flame, two items). Cross takes one item at a time.

No crash or driver stop through 1,325 s.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).

[JJenkx]

Summary of how far this title gets with fixed input scripts, same build (main 4883171f9f + #6586) and settings. No crash or driver stop was seen past the start-up in any of the later runs.

1. Title menu, Confessions and the Crossroads.
2. Party: per hero, left stick right, Cross, left stick up, Cross.
3. Embark: stick up to Party Loadouts, then six steps right to Embark, then hold Cross 2 s.
4. The road: hold the left stick up to drive.
5. Battle 1: Cross on each turn uses the highlighted skill. Victory comes in Round 2.
6. Loot: Cross takes one item; Circle (Leave Items), then Cross (Yes), moves on.
7. Road event "The Desperate Few":
   • Cross enters it, and Circle closes the Archive tutorial that opens over it.
   • Left stick selects a hero, and holding Cross 3 s confirms the choice.
   • The Rewards panel follows (+100 Flame).
8. Battle 2 (at "15 leagues to Inn"): turns play into Round 2. Another Archive tutorial ("Academic View") opens in the middle of it. That is where my scripted runs stop: the timings drift too much for a fixed script beyond that point.

Frame rate (window title): 47 to 51 FPS on the party screens, 16 to 29 on the road, 27 to 38 in combat. A diagnostic trace on the road shows it mostly GPU-bound at 3840x2160 on an RX 6650 XT (comment above).

Crash: one of about 19 runs crashed at 144 s while DLC hero bundles loaded; it did not repeat.

AI-assisted: yes (Claude Code).