Trying to get a handle on AS and FS9 wx settings

[Guest mkuebeler]

That is, settings that effect how weather is depicted which in turn affects frame rates. I just upgraded to a better performing system and I'd like to try pushing the envelope a bit more than I have been. :) Although I think I understand the settings individually, I would like to better understand the various interactions between settings.Starting with AS, it seems like the most important settings there are Supression Range and Maximum Visibility + Enforce Visibility Limits. I still have Max Vis at the default 59nm, and Enforce Visibility Limits is enabled. Now if I understand the manual, if visibility is less than 59nm, say 40nm, that's as far as you can see anything in the FS world (and is that slant range or horizontal range?). However, if visibility is over 59nm, it is limited to 59nm. Now, how does this relate to the FS9 display setting of Sight Distance? As I read the help file for FS9, this is the distance at which objects are drawn when visibility is set to maximum. If maximum visibility is enforced to be 59nm, is there any point in setting Sight Distance much higher than that?Cloud Draw Distance seems relatively straightforward, and appears to max out at 80nm. The current AS manual states that this setting should match the supression range, although that does not seem possible. As I understand supression range, no weather stations within that range get updated, so as long as you can't see beyond the supression range you should't see the weather conditions suddenly change due to a weather update. Now, if Cloud Draw Distance is less than max visibility, and visibility is between cloud draw distance and max visiblity, does this mean you will see cloudless sky in that band between the cloud draw distance and maximum limit of visibility?So, it seems as if some of these settings may be constrained by others, and what you want is supression range to be higher than maximum visibility, and max visibility less than cloud draw distance. Assuming I want to try to get maximum cloud draw distance of 80nm, should I be looking at increasing maximum visibility and sight range to also be 80nm?Mark Kuebeler

[JSkorna 137]

Hi Mark,Keep max. vis. at 59. Set cloud draw and sight distance to 60. Any more vis. and you'll get unrealistic vis. conditions in FS.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg

[flightsimmer747 0]

Hi Jim just curious to why draw and sight at 60mi should this be increased on more powerful systems or is it better to leave at 60mi regardless of system to make active weather more realistic?p.s. i've been battling with the best setting for this and have yet to get one this may be it!!!Thanks!

[JSkorna 137]

Hi Joe,It's because if your max. vis. is 59, you are not going to see anything beyond 60 anyway so why make your computer work harder than it has to? You still should get smooth cloud draws.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg

[flightsimmer747 0]

Makes sense thanks!

[Guest mkuebeler]

I tried this and it sort of looked OK (need a few more flights to get used to it). I don't think it affected my FPS at all, although I have it locked at 25, so maybe the extra processing power was put to use closer in. On the bright side, with nearly complete overcast the FPS pretty much stays near 25 except for occasional 3-5 seconds periods of dropping to the teens. I assume FS9 is doing something intensive at these times, but I was not really watching to see what the pattern was.However, I guess I just don't understand what that max vis setting is doing after all. With sight distance set higher than 60 you can definitely see terrain, but no clouds, beyond the point where you can see with sight distance set to 60,. The lower sight distance results in a somewhat more visually appealing view in that the clouds don't just stop out in the distance when you know they probably continue much further.Now, is there something magical about the max vis setting of 59nm? I will have to look back at earlier posts about this. I may try upping it to 79nm, with clouds and sight distance set to 80nm just to see what happens. :)Mark Kuebeler

[JSkorna 137]

Hi Mark,At 60 the vis goes to unlimited. Sight distance is explained better in FS. It limits when objects besides clouds are drawn.As far as your settings, the beauty of AS and FS is that you can adjust the settings any way you like. Some like a far away haze look. Others want to try to see forever. Some like that sharp horizon, while others prefer it blended a bit. You find the best settings for you and go from there!Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg

[Guest mkuebeler]

>At 60 the vis goes to unlimited. By this do you mean that visibility limits of 60 or higher fail to limit visibility at the specified range? Mark Kuebeler

[JSkorna 137]

Right. That is why we recommend 59.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg