• Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:

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What options and settings do you want in DTG Flight Simulator? (Official Discussion)

DTG Martin

DTG Martin

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unitedkingdom
Greetings virtual pilots,

Welcome to the options and tweaking thread! As part of our continued effort to understand the needs of the flight simulation community we are back again with another discussion thread. This week, we want to take a deeper look at how you set up FSX, what tweaks you apply, and what elements that you would like to have control over.

We know that modifying and tweaking your simulator is a key part of the hobby for some simmers. Everyone has their own personal preferences and customises their experience accordingly. For some of you, it is all about maximising your framerate. Some of you seek to improve the overall performance of your simulator. For others, the focus is being able to run as many add-ons as possible. We are eager to understand what options you require to achieve the desired effects (and what those effects are).

For the upcoming Dovetail Games Flight Simulator, we are looking at ways we can streamline your experience, while giving you access to all the features and options you need to sim the way you want. Our goal is for you to spend more time flying and less time tweaking.

In order to do this to best of our ability, we have a few questions we would like you to answer:
  • What are your thoughts about tweaking and optimising your simulator? Do you see it as key part of your hobby, or do you consider it an annoyance which results from the age of FSX? Would you like to see a new flight simulator with a similar number of options as FSX, or would you prefer not to have to tweak your sim at all?
  • What is your primary focus when your tweak your simulator? For example, have you set it up to focus on performance, graphics or load times?
  • How have you gone about achieving this setup? What tweaks have you applied?
  • Many players modify their FSX config files. Have you done this? What have you changed? What values are you using? What difference do these changes make to your experience? (See below for more on this)
  • Have you modified any other files in your FSX setup? If so which ones and how have you changed them? How does this affect your setup?
  • Are there any tweaks or modifications that you would consider standard or essential? Are there any must-read guides you would recommend we check out?
  • What is important to you in terms of in-game settings? Are there certain settings in FSX that you use regularly? Are there any settings that you never use? Are there settings missing that you wished were included? Are there settings that you wish were different or had more options?
Please note that for the moment we are only focusing on the settings found inside the core simulator. That means settings in main FSX simulator, and not settings in add-ons.

Finally, it would also be a massive help to us if we could collect examples of your FSX config files. We can then compare them and see what exactly you are editing. If you have a few minutes to provide an explanation of your edits too that would be fantastic. If you would like to help us with this please email your config files to dtgflightsim@dovetailgames.com

Martin
 
I'd like an option to use local time when setting up a flight, regardless of default settings. Friday Harbor is the other side of the world from me and much of my flying is in the UK: I shouldn't need to tell FSX it's not 1.55am here, thank you.
 
hairyspin said:
I'd like an option to use local time when setting up a flight, regardless of default settings. Friday Harbor is the other side of the world from me and much of my flying is in the UK: I shouldn't need to tell FSX it's not 1.55am here, thank you.
Click to expand...

Exactly the kind of thing we need to know.

More like this please.

- Martin
 
I didn't know developers actually flew in the sim! I just use the standard settings. From my experience, the less tweaking the better. But as I indicated, I hardly ever use the FSX as intended.
 
In the SimObject search path, I added a folder outside of the FSX directory. I don't make a habit of reinstalling FSX but its nice to know I won't lose all the addons if I do. I believe LM have followed this type of practice with P3D v3.
I also used a SimConnect.ini file to specify a folder where its log files go. As a developer, this is important to me.
Please ensure that all commands can be assigned to game controller buttons/keys or keyboard keys. In FSX, some are not listed in the UI, thus forcing a workaround - typically a key capture in a gauge or module.
When FSX first hit the streets, people immediately moved all the sliders to their maximum values and were dismayed an/or outraged when their experience turned into a slide show. You should expect the same thing if your product pushes current hardware as hard as FSX pushed 2006 hardware. I've often thought that Microsoft should never have bothered with all those sliders. Pour a few whiskeys into some of the former ACES people and they might say the same thing. :duck:

Doug
 
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OK, strictly from a developer's point of view... Logging with SimConnect is an all or nothing affair. If I want to see what my gauge is doing, I get to see what FSUIPC (and everything else) is doing as well. That can greatly reduce the value of the SimConnect log file. The only option available right now is to manually edit the dll.xml and/or exe.xml files to disable the addons that are cluttering up the SimConnect log file. It would be really handy if I could disable the logging for those items I wasn't interested in, without disabling the addon altogether. This could be done either in sim, or through an entry in dll.xml.

Doug
 
FSXA can use textures up to 4096x4096 if set in the config, but this gets reverted to 2048 if we subsequently make any other changes. I'd like to think DTG Flight Sim will let us make a preferred resolution 'stick'.

Dick, sooner or later a developer "has" to actually fly in the sim – for research purposes, of course... :confused:
 
This doesn't fall as a tweak but I'd like to see the 65k vertex draw call barrier broken.
 
  • What are your thoughts about tweaking and optimising your simulator? Do you see it as key part of your hobby, or do you consider it an annoyance which results from the age of FSX? Would you like to see a new flight simulator with a similar number of options as FSX, or would you prefer not to have to tweak your sim at all?
I think for any PC game tweaking options are vital. The range of graphics cards and processor setups is so vastly different that a one size fits all option will lead to a lot of complaints from users who are used to these settings in other games.
  • What is your primary focus when your tweak your simulator? For example, have you set it up to focus on performance, graphics or load times?
As an aircraft developer my main focus when developing is load times. This means no autogen, minimum texture resolution etc all so it can load as fast as possible. For actually flying smoothness is my primary concern and good framerates.
  • How have you gone about achieving this setup? What tweaks have you applied?
Just change them as I need them in the settings.
  • Many players modify their FSX config files. Have you done this? What have you changed? What values are you using? What difference do these changes make to your experience? (See below for more on this)
I've tried fsx config tweaks but in my experience they have never provided any real benefit so I now use a clean fsx config.
  • Have you modified any other files in your FSX setup? If so which ones and how have you changed them? How does this affect your setup?
I have made changes to the controls/standard.xml setup. You can add in additional key commands (via Event_IDs) here that you can't access with the FSX menu system. I also use the setup options on my Joystick to provide additional control of FSX parameters. For example, using the mouse wheel on my throttle control to adjust elevator trim.
  • Are there any tweaks or modifications that you would consider standard or essential? Are there any must-read guides you would recommend we check out?
nothing I can think off although I'm sure some people could make an argument that FSUIPC be considered essential.
  • What is important to you in terms of in-game settings? Are there certain settings in FSX that you use regularly? Are there any settings that you never use? Are there settings missing that you wished were included? Are there settings that you wish were different or had more options?
Shadows, autogen, draw distance, antialias settings etc. there is a world of graphics settings that are not available in FSX and which should be included in any modern PC game. It would be nice to adjust the shading levels/adjust contrast/colours. I know people use mods like SweetFX or ENB series to apply these effects and it would be nice to have the same in game. Also the FSX Water Configurator is another utility for modifying the water display.

I think advanced animations is always ON as it no longer makes a difference to performance (at least with SP2). There might be one or two other graphics settings that no longer are necessary as the performance hit is neglible (aircraft casts landing light for example).

I could add that from a layout point of view having aircraft realism settings and other settings in different menus is a bit confusing.
 
Howdi,

Nice of you to show so much interest in our daily worries.
- I am afraid tweaking is a necessary evil because not everybody has the same hardware. So I would prefer to continue being able to tweak when needed.
- My tweaks aim at finding a balance between performance, graphics and load times whereby steady 30fps are my prime concern (it should be primarily about flying not about admiring the country side. That is where maybe a train simulator would come in:) and that said, that is something that is missing in FSX as is the number of animated people).
- Only done some few (basic) changes in the fsx.cfg like HIGHMEMFIX and some more changes to my graphics card settings.
- In the FSX setup (and of course in the FSX.cfg) I added some extra entries like 'AI aircraft' and ' miscellaneous' and I have done some changes to the dll.xml to improve/change the models.
- Most commun setting changes in-game (I guess) are time, season,weather and load previous or saved flight. That could be better like in P3D.
I doubt that most of us do not fly. We should (at least I do and not only because I like it but also) because when you make an addon scenery and want to make sure that you have not made any mistakes, you would have to fly there, get in touch with ATC, run approaches, follow taxiway and gate instructions, check whether runway and taxiway signs are correct, etc. You would also want to check (in a user aircraft) the AI behavior at your airport and make sure AI does not bump into your 'derrière' or runs you over (just to name some reasons).
So much for my :twocents:.

PS: get rid of the ambient music because although you turn it off in-game, it keeps running if you do not set it to off in the fsx.cfg
 
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Yes I fly in the simulator. Sometimes the flying gets in the way of the developing. Having enough control of the game to adjust it to your computer and preferences is necessary in my opinion. I'm one who hasn't made many tweaks to the config because I've never seen much improvement by doing so. My adjustments are similar to Roby's. HighMemFix and adjustments to the graphics settings.
Ed
 
DTG Martin said:
So does no one here actually use FSX for flying?
Click to expand...
I can only speak for myself as a hobbyist developer. With limited computer time I spend on average 80% development the rest flying.
I make very few tweaks to my simulators primarily to see what the end results will be for my aircraft development. I have a mid range system so I want my models to work as well as possible on my un-tweaked system in the hopes that they will work well on any low end systems for those who may acquire my models. I don't know if that makes any sense nor should I even care about it but I do want others to enjoy what I release without having to make changes or tweaks to accommodate them.
 
And that boils down to what I said because I have a mid range system as well (quad core i5, 3.2GHz, 8GB RAM, Nvidia Geforce 650 GTX-Ti with 1GB RAM).
 
Having all possible visual and performance variables available in the config file would be a good start. No more adding extra lines that a third party user found by dissecting the core simulator libraries (e.g. Highmemfix pre FSX:SE, AffinityMask, SwapWaitTimeout, etc...).

A documentation of all variables in the config file (including valid value range) and hints or tooltips regarding slider settings, check boxes, etc...in the UI would also help and avoid spreading false information as happened with a number of FSX.cfg variables.
 
DTG Martin said:
Greetings virtual pilots,

Welcome to the options and tweaking thread! As part of our continued effort to understand the needs of the flight simulation community we are back again with another discussion thread. This week, we want to take a deeper look at how you set up FSX, what tweaks you apply, and what elements that you would like to have control over.

We know that modifying and tweaking your simulator is a key part of the hobby for some simmers. Everyone has their own personal preferences and customises their experience accordingly. For some of you, it is all about maximising your framerate. Some of you seek to improve the overall performance of your simulator. For others, the focus is being able to run as many add-ons as possible. We are eager to understand what options you require to achieve the desired effects (and what those effects are).

For the upcoming Dovetail Games Flight Simulator, we are looking at ways we can streamline your experience, while giving you access to all the features and options you need to sim the way you want. Our goal is for you to spend more time flying and less time tweaking.

In order to do this to best of our ability, we have a few questions we would like you to answer:
  • What are your thoughts about tweaking and optimising your simulator? Do you see it as key part of your hobby, or do you consider it an annoyance which results from the age of FSX? Would you like to see a new flight simulator with a similar number of options as FSX, or would you prefer not to have to tweak your sim at all?
  • What is your primary focus when your tweak your simulator? For example, have you set it up to focus on performance, graphics or load times?
  • How have you gone about achieving this setup? What tweaks have you applied?
  • Many players modify their FSX config files. Have you done this? What have you changed? What values are you using? What difference do these changes make to your experience? (See below for more on this)
  • Have you modified any other files in your FSX setup? If so which ones and how have you changed them? How does this affect your setup?
  • Are there any tweaks or modifications that you would consider standard or essential? Are there any must-read guides you would recommend we check out?
  • What is important to you in terms of in-game settings? Are there certain settings in FSX that you use regularly? Are there any settings that you never use? Are there settings missing that you wished were included? Are there settings that you wish were different or had more options?
Please note that for the moment we are only focusing on the settings found inside the core simulator. That means settings in main FSX simulator, and not settings in add-ons.

Finally, it would also be a massive help to us if we could collect examples of your FSX config files. We can then compare them and see what exactly you are editing. If you have a few minutes to provide an explanation of your edits too that would be fantastic. If you would like to help us with this please email your config files to dtgflightsim@dovetailgames.com

Martin
Click to expand...
Hi Martin
These are a few tweaks i add to my fsx cfg file
In the graphics section
[GRAPHICS]
HIGHMEMFIX=1
ForceWindowedVsync=1
TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=4096 (1024 or 2048 can be used
MultiSamplesPerPixel=8 (DX10 ONLY)
MultiSampleQuality=8 (DX10 ONLY)

[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask=255 (http://www.gatwick-fsg.org.uk/affinitymask.aspx?SubMenuItem=hardware)
[BufferPools]
Poolsize=0///this sends data from the CPU to the GPU (FPS needs to be locked for this to work) fps for me is locked at 30
RejectThreshold=131072 (this number can also be changed to suit pc specs
UsePools=1 (same as Poolsize)

[Display]
TextureMaxLoad=27
TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=40 this number can be changed to 80, 90, 100
WideViewAspect=True
UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30

[Main]
FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.22
DisablePreload=1 (This disables preloading the default flight)

[SCENERY]
SmallPartRejectRadius=4.0 (try these aswell see which number works best for you (Recommended choices are 2, 3 and 4)
MAX_ASYNC_BATCHING_JOBS=4 (tells FSX the MAX number of threads that can be used for autogen batching)

[TERRAIN]
LOD_RADIUS=6.500000 (Sharper distant textures) 5.500000 or 4.500000_can also be used
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=1000
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=800 (maximum setting for each item is 6000)


Here are some settings for
[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask
For 2-core 4-thread CPU
15=1111 = ALL 4 cores
14=1110 = last 3 cores (cores read from back to front)
7=0111 = first 3 cores
3=0011 = first 2 cores
1=0001 = first core

For 4-core 8-thread CPU
255=11111111 = ALL 8 cores
254=11111110 = last 7 cores
252=11111100 = last 6 cores
127=01111111 = first 7 cores
63=00111111 = first 6 cores

For 6-core 12-thread CPU
4095=111111111111 = ALL 12 cores
4094=111111111110 = last 11 cores
4092=111111111100 = last 10 cores

Nvidia Inspector settings
Regards
Ian
Nvidia Inspector.JPG
 
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