Framerate Benchmark

[Guest Richard_H]

Seeing the debate about framerates in this thread:http://ftp.avsim.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboa...orum=DCForumID8I wonder if there is (or we should create) a benchmark test scenario so that framerate claims can be compared legitimately.For example, we could have the "Meigs Standard". Something like:- Default Meigs- Default Cessna 172 on the active at 36- Display Scenary/Aircraft Sliders maxed. All boxes checked.- Performance - Resolution 1024*764*16, Target Framerate Unlimited, Sliders maxed, boxes checked, Trilinear Filtering.- Realism - Hard- MS Default Clouds Broken - that defaults to 5/8 cumulus from 5000' - 8000'- Visibility Unlimited- Summer / Day SettingsOnce fired up, switch to External View (ie hit S 3 times on entry). Wait for the camera angle to settle down.Shift Z for the frame rate, and print screen for the proof.You should get something like the shot below. Yep - I using a 400Mhz Compaq Armada E500 laptop, Rage Mobility Card, and 320Mb RAM :).Anyway, the beauty of this is that the set up is pretty much the standard initial set up when you enter FS - you just have to max everything out and make a few tweaks to the weather. Also, I guess FS9 will have this as the default setup too. We would have to state which version of FS we using when the time comes.Thoughts?RichardPS Avsim, please don't scrap this 'cos of the shot, I'm trying to make a point here.

[Guest B1900 Mech]

Good Idea! Here's Mine.

[Guest FPSFREAK]

How's this...Just something to prove a point.

[Guest Richard_H]

Seems to work with a totally different system. But where are your aircraft on the ramp? You should get a whole line of them with everything maxed.

[Guest]

Hi Richard,Unfortunately, that wouldn't work very well. As you can see, there are already differences in setup with just one reply: the zoom setting, resolution, ini tweaks, etc. (from what it looks like).The only real way to do an apples to apples comparison is with a benchmark that is setup exactly the same between systems. Unfortunately, there is none in FS. There used to be a project to do exactly that with FS at a sim site, but it seems to have fallen off the radar.What is needed is for FS9 to include its own built-in benchmark like most other games today - one that controls all variables. Sadly, this has been taboo in the sim genre for some reason (I have my ideas), that is: until Comanche came along. FS desperately needs this functionality in the next version, not just for us FS or hardware junkies but to give the sim genre and FS in particular a much wider focus on the extremely popular hardware sites. Until that happens, sims will always stay a declining niche genre. And that hurts us all.To benchmark FS properly today, you need a lot of time and some specific tools: FRAPS to get minimum, average and maximum frames, a set of recorded flights to play back bench specific general situations and scenery, the exact same addon list (or revert to stock FS which is hard to do for many with hundreds of addons - unlike most FPS type games), an included .ini file that keeps settings exactly the same across all systems and a custom front end scripting utility that runs specific video card settings. Thats a pretty tall order for most in this hobby, even if all the pieces were in place.What you suggest doesn't hurt of course, but it just won't be apples to apples - pretty much defeating the purpose.Take care,Elrond---Not enough bandwidth to display this signature! Don't reformat hard drive? (Y/N)

[Guest Richard_H]

Valid points as ever, Elrond,Few of us have the time or inclination to set up such exhaustive test conditions for true benchmarking.Which is why I still think my suggested approach (OK Benchmark may be too strong a word), would go someway to alleviating some of the extremes that we come across when claiming framerates. Paul's examples in the other thread exemplify my point. If FPSFREAK's screenshot had been of the "Meigs Standard" or whatever we choose, more credence may have been given to the claim, if you get my point.Happy to drop it, it's just a suggestion. What do others think?Richard

[Guest]

I notice you're not using anti-aliasing, anios-tropic filtering, I have mine all maxed to 4X AA/8X AF/32Bit colours @ 1024x768. I am using Chris Willis FS Sky World SE with ActiveSky wxRE.Anyways enough jabbering.

[Guest FPSFREAK]

I just joined so bear with my ignorance. Exactly what is the 'Miegs Standard"?. That screenshot was taken at 1024x768x32/6X AA/2x AF. All sliders except for weather were set to max. I'm all for a simulated Benchmark for Flight Sims. Maybe I'm reading into the post but is there something in your point you want to make but won't come out and say it. I was just trying to proving a point about being able to carry 50+ FPS. I took the shot while flying as this is surely a more intensive test than sitting idle on the runway. No offense to those who used that as the situation.Come on guys, with all the brilliance on this forum we need a group to get together and work on this.Any suggestions on settings that maybe I could have changed?Bobby

[Guest Richard_H]

I did have AA / AF on - suspect is is a limitation of the Rage Mobility. 16 FPS is impressive given your sub 1ghz, sub 512 Mb RAM machine. Goes to show what a decent graphics card can do (GeForce 4 Ti4200).

[Guest Richard_H]

No offense taken. Meigs Standard - I made it up today :). Read my first post. Basically, it is a simple way of having a very similar environment to test FPS's for all users. Elrond makes it clear that this is nowhere near a clinical Benchmark Test. However, it provides some form of relative assessment. I am not trying to establish a killer environment to challenge your system. At the moment, I am just trying to guage support for this. If people believe it is too unscientific - then so be it. However, in the absence of anything else...Bobby, why don't you follow the guidelines in the first post, and show us what your Framerates look like?Richard

[Guest]

There is a very nice FS2002 benchmark program in th AVSIM library by Maurizio Losso.http://library.avsim.com/search.phpSearchT...=Root&Go=SearchI've found this to be an excellent tool for tuning my system. I can change resolution, increase the level of AA or anisotropic filtering, change the in-game settings, or whatever -- and the program will give me some hard data on the effect of this change (rather than just eyeballing the fps counter). When the benchmark has run, there is a very nice graph that shows the average sustained rate and all of the peaks and valleyes.The benchmark comes with an autopilot flight in a heavy over New York, but you can just as easily set up a flight in your favorite plane in your favorite area so that the results are reflective of your normal flying. Or, maybe set up a worse-case scenario like flying on approach to LAX at night with thunderstorms. Once you run this benchark and make some adjustments as appropriate, you'll have a very good idea of where to set your max fps slider (mine is at 23).As someone eles mentioned, comparing fps between systems is really difficult. There are just too many variables. Not only do we have video card settings, resolutions, all of the in-game sliders, but things like the AI slider will have different results for people who have installed custom AI flight plans and AI aircraft. Then there is add-on scenery. custom clouds, it just goes on and on.Nevertheless, it would be fantastic if MS offered a benchmkark utility in Century of Flight. Something like the Unreal Tournament benchmarks would be great. This would allow the hardware sites to integrate this benchmark into their reviews (increasing the visibility of the product), and it would give each of us a good, standardized litmus test for what happens when we change hardware or make a setting adjustment.In the meanwhile, I recommend the benchmark program in the link above. It's a great little tool, and has allowed me to quit staring at the fps counter.

[Guest]

16FPS is pretty good, but it gets better, I had a few programs running in the background, actually CFS2 (lol), It is suppose to be 512MB ram but the Ares I have is not coming up as 256, trading it in for Acer saturday.

[Guest FPSFREAK]

Rich, Glad you didn't take offense. LOL This is Meigs set up to exactly what you stated. The only difference is I'm running 6X AA and 16X Anis. Also running 8 Lights.(You said all sliders maxxed LOL) No its not 50 FPS and before someone posts it's not 75 LOL. But for what I want it more than puts a smile on my face. I'm going to try that other benchmark mentioned in this thread.Bobby

[Guest Stamatis]

http://library.avsim.com/search.phpSearchTerm=benchmark&CatID=Root&Go=SearchWhen I click on the provided url I get a "page not found" error message.Stamatis

[Guest]

Hi Stamatis,This one should work:http://ftp.avsim.com/library/esearch.php?D...atID=fs2002utilAnd thanks for the heads up mackenson. With a few more files added to it, this indeed could be an excellent benchmark for 02.Take care,Elrond---Not enough bandwidth to display this signature! Don't reformat hard drive? (Y/N)