I have started doing some night flights on VATSIM and find I cannot taxi properly because I can't see a thing. The 2D panel shows almost zero taxi lights and I cant tell if there is any difference between on or off. The VC is a little better but still extremely porr and I have to darken my room and turn all the lights out just to have a chance. I am sure it can't be this bad in a real 744.Is there anyway to increase the brightness of the lights? I tried the lights from X-Graphics (part of ASX) but it made no difference at all. Had a look at some of the configure files but cant spot anything at all. I don't mind increasing from real life values as at present I can't taxi to save myself due to this.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

John, I don't intend to oversimplify, but have you tried the monitor's adjustments? True, they are dim but they are there.

>John, I don't intend to oversimplify, but have you tried the>monitor's adjustments? True, they are dim but they are there.That would make everything else extremely bright and would over-power the taxi lights. The lights for the runways and taxiways are fine, it is just trying to find my way there to the correct one. Offline it makes no difference but Online I try and stick to what taxiways I am told to use. I have used other planes that are nice and bright and I would like to get that even at the expense of realism if required so I can see. I hate sitting in the dark with my lights out just to taxi.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

You have a valid point here. PMDG respond please?For now, I would use your landing lights. Nobody is going to know anyway.

>>I have started doing some night flights on VATSIM and find I>cannot taxi properly because I can't see a thing. The 2D panel>shows almost zero taxi lights and I cant tell if there is any>difference between on or off. The VC is a little better but>still extremely porr and I have to darken my room and turn all>the lights out just to have a chance. I am sure it can't be>this bad in a real 744.>Is there anyway to increase the brightness of the lights? I>tried the lights from X-Graphics (part of ASX) but it made no>difference at all. Had a look at some of the configure files>but cant spot anything at all. I don't mind increasing from>real life values as at present I can't taxi to save myself due>to this.>>John Veldthuis> Just for craps and giggles, which lights do you have on while taxiing? Do you have the nose wheel lights on, next to the landing lights on the overhead panel?- Jake

I have tried them all with all variations to try and get better lighting including having landing, taxi and turn lights on.Not much difference at all. When landing I never see the landing lights on the tarmac either like you do with others.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

John:May I suggest you look at your graphics card settings? I found the stock landing lights over bright (took out almost all the detail) and I use Nick's Light Fix 2 - this helps with the taxi and landing lights, as well as proper strobe function etc.Just search for Nick's Light Fix here at Avsim......let me know if this helps at all. I'm a bit nonplussed as most prior complaints were about the lights being unrealistically bright!Best-Carl F. Avari-Cooper BAW0225http://online.vatsimindicators.net/980091/523.png

Hi John,Recently I had the same situation, no taxilights and landinglights during nighttime on every airplane in FS9. I reinstalled aircrafts like the B-744 and B-767 L-D without results.After thinking what I had done with FS, I realised that it could be from a freeware landclass package (I don't remember which). But after searching a few days, I found that the spotlight.bmp was overwritten. Because I use the freeware xenonlights in FS9, I compared the file in the fs9/texture map and my zipfile and I saw that the file had a different size. I replaced the file from the zipfile and all lights are OK now. Maybe you installed one or another program that changed your spotlight.bmp too. Do like I did and check it.Hope it helps,PeterBelgiumFlightsimulator is not a simulation, it's a way of life ....

>>I have started doing some night flights on VATSIM and find I>cannot taxi properly because I can't see a thing. The 2D panel>shows almost zero taxi lights and I cant tell if there is any>difference between on or off. The VC is a little better but>still extremely porr and I have to darken my room and turn all>the lights out just to have a chance. I am sure it can't be>this bad in a real 744.>Is there anyway to increase the brightness of the lights? I>tried the lights from X-Graphics (part of ASX) but it made no>difference at all. Had a look at some of the configure files>but cant spot anything at all. I don't mind increasing from>real life values as at present I can't taxi to save myself due>to this.>>John Veldthuis>>http://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.pngHi John,If you are using FSX, and installed FSX SP2, this is a side effect. I was on FSX SP1 until about a month ago, flying the 747x, and the LDS 767. After the upgrade to FSX SP2 (NOT Acceleration), my taxi and landing lights went very dim for both planes.I checked around, and this seems to be a common issue, as MS tweaked with light bloom for SP2, and thus, screwed other things up.I'm looking for replacement lights because at their current levels, they make it very hard to see.Any suggestions?Thanks,John

>If you are using FSX, and installed FSX SP2, this is a side>effect. I was on FSX SP1 until about a month ago, flying the>747x, and the LDS 767. After the upgrade to FSX SP2 (NOT>Acceleration), my taxi and landing lights went very dim for>both planes.>>I checked around, and this seems to be a common issue, as MS>tweaked with light bloom for SP2, and thus, screwed other>things up.>>I'm looking for replacement lights because at their current>levels, they make it very hard to see.Aha. I was thinking it may have something to do with it. I last used my taxi lights under RTM version and never under SP1. However I do have SP2 installed. May have to start searching again.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

Okay I have finally fixed my lighting problems. The issue was with the spotlight.bmp in the textures folder. When I looked at this in a viewer it looked pathetic. I tried several times to get XGraphics to update the file and use its one but it did not for what ever reason. I took a look at some of the spotlight.bmp files in the XGraphics directories and finally renamed the original and copied over the best looking one and then fired up FSX and wow, I can see again.Not sure why XGraphics is not doing its thing.John Veldthuishttp://www.virtualpilots.org/signatures/vpa475.png

Glad I could help you. Have nice flights.PeterBelgiumFlightsimulator is not a simulation, it's a way of life ....

hey guyshave been stewing on losing my lights for a month or so.. uninstalled everything reinstalled it all and still no luck... finally got on the forum and hey presto replacing the spotlight.bmp file from a backup worked!tks heaps... :) i can now "see" when on the tarmac..cheers and happy new year!N