Newbie questions

[Guest MacD]

Hi allI'm brand new to FSX, although had some good times using FS9 a few years ago, so know a bit about the basics. However, no doubt I'm going to be asking some seasoned folk some dumb questions over the next few weeks, so apologies in advance :( I've just installed the Deluxe Edition and all seems to be running very nicely, although a bit slow at the large airports. Great elsewhere though. I've seen reference to updates SP1 and SP2 but not sure A. If they're there to cure any bugs, or B. If they make the sim run faster? Do they provide much improvement over the installation? I'm running on a Q8200 with a Radeon 4650, if that makes any difference.Also, even though I'm only up and running an hour or so, I'm already fed up not having real airlines AI traffic :( . I still have my old FS9 traffic files and AI aircraft somewhere on CD. Can I load these in FSX or is the software totally different? I've seen mention of commercially available add-ons for FSX AI and wondered if any of these are any good? I used to use Project AI planes and flightplans in FS9 which suited my purpose, but that site still seems to be focussing on FS9 rather than FSX. Any guidance for a speedy and realistic populating of my skies would be greatly appreciated!

[Highmike 68]

Hi Mac, and welcome to AVSIM,Feel free to ask any questions you like, we all enjoy discussing FSX in every detail.SP1 was released not long after the initial launch of FSX back in '06 in order to correct some performance issues which users were having. There were a lot of complaints about performance on a lot of user's rigs. Among corrections were support for multi-core CPUs and the resizing of some scenery textures.SP2 was released quite some time later so as to add some performance gains and also to add some of the long promised and much anticipated DirectX 10 graphics functionality. It turned out to be a DX10 preview only on the day, and not much of the functionality was included in the release.Both service packs are worth getting, SP2 especially because most developers are producing add-ons with specifically SP2 compatibility which may not work on an installation including only SP1. If you choose to install SP2 then you'll have to install SP1 first, and both of these on a fairly pristine FSX installation. However, there is an expansion pack called FSX: Acceleration which installs both service packs at once, and adds some aircraft and a lot of scenery.I know very little about AI add-ons other than that the old FS9 favourites are simply not compatible.I hope this helps.

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

The default FS X ai traffic files are probably one of the biggest drags on performance. And perhaps the principal reason why everybody gets such lousy performance in the vicinity of large airports. This is because the default traffic file uses the default airplanes. These airplanes have changed a lot since FS 9 - they are much more detailed and use many more and much larger textures. The result is that having 20 or 30 of these airplanes in the sky at the same time will use proportionately more resources than the equivalent FS 9 airplanes.So, one of the first rules for improving performance, before even bothering with all the "tweaks", is to remove the default ai traffic file. There are numerous replacement files available that have the advantages of using airplanes that are not as resource-intensive and having realistic flight plans whereas the default file does not.Unfortunately, most of the replacement traffic files in the freeware category are for FS 9. They will work without any problem, except that they will prevent the default FS X traffic file from working. However, as seen above, this is not a problem at all.Best regards.Luis

[Guest Erich22]

So, one of the first rules for improving performance, before even bothering with all the "tweaks", is to remove the default ai traffic file. There are numerous replacement files available that have the advantages of using airplanes that are not as resource-intensive and having realistic flight plans whereas the default file does not.Unfortunately, most of the replacement traffic files in the freeware category are for FS 9. They will work without any problem, except that they will prevent the default FS X traffic file from working. However, as seen above, this is not a problem at all.Best regards.Luis

I must have been under a rock for the past year. How do I remove the defalult AI traffic and what are some recommended replacement files?Thanks.

[Guest avalon]

Make sure you defrag right after installing SP1, then fire up the sim before you install SP2, then defrag again. Use a good quality defragmenter like Ultimate defrag or O&O.

[lliaudais 2]

I must have been under a rock for the past year. How do I remove the defalult AI traffic and what are some recommended replacement files?Thanks.

Erich,The default traffic - like in FS9 - is the file in Scenery\World\scenery\trafficAircraft.bglYou can disable it by moving to a non-scenery folder or just rename it and leave it where it is. (as in trafficAircraft.bgl.org)I continue to use ALL my FS9 traffic (including Ultimate Traffic) just copied directly over from FS9.The World of AI traffic packages are highly regarded and free so it is well worth looking into.Loyd

[scott967 62]

there are many aircraft and flightplan packages available for FS9, that will work in FSX. There might be some texture problems in SP2 though. There is a freeware AI tool, AI Flight Planner, which can be used to convert fs9 traffic bgl files, or the txt versions commonly called traffic tools sets, to or from FSX format. Alternatively, there are payware setups which provide ease of install. If you want to learn more about AI, I recommend the alpha india group site forums. Since PAI changed hands (and most of the forum archives disappeared), this seems to be the best place for technical info/help.scott s..

[Art_P 6]

The WOAI traffic for FS9 will work in FSX, and there is a new WOAI installer that gives you this option. There are also tools (AIFPC) for converting flightplans for FS9 to FSX. WOAI aircraft will not utilize the movable jetways and baggage handling equipment like the FSX aircraft, but this in itself will help performance at large airports in a big way.

[brucek 38]

The WOAI traffic for FS9 will work in FSX, and there is a new WOAI installer that gives you this option. There are also tools (AIFPC) for converting flightplans for FS9 to FSX. WOAI aircraft will not utilize the movable jetways and baggage handling equipment like the FSX aircraft, but this in itself will help performance at large airports in a big way.

Aren't there lines to comment out in the AI aircraft.cfg that prevent the jetways from working, therefore making performance better?Thanks, Bruce.

[Geofa 108]

Aren't there lines to comment out in the AI aircraft.cfg that prevent the jetways from working, therefore making performance better?Thanks, Bruce.

Good question Bruce. I could care less about jetways myself...

[Guest MacD]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I've now installed SP1 and SP2 and I think it is running a bit smoother. And I've copied the FS9 traffic file across too and it works great. Weirdly, when I check the Direct X option in graphics all the textures disappear, whereas the native FSX models look fine. Is that something to do with "old technology"? It's no big deal though as checking Direct X slows my machine down a bit too much at the busy airports anyway

[Guest MacD]

OK, I've now gone through most of the tweaks to the FS.cfg file as suggested by the many. Some made a difference, others didn't, but I've definitely gained a few FPS in the process. And experimenting with the sliders has led me to what I think is my optimum settings (for watching, at least). I have all sliders, but the water effects, to the right and even at UK Scenery's free Gatwick Airport with full AI I'm getting between 9-15fps. I find the thing that makes a big difference is light bloom... wow, but doesn't it look nice. After two days I still haven't made a flight, just taking in the views! I guess I'll have to slide things back a bit when flying in to the majors, but so far I am really happy. At the smaller airports I'm getting 20+.One query for anyone who knows about these things: is there a command for the FS.cfg file that will allow me to adjust the rate of panning left and right in the virtual cockpit? I find the default is just a bit too slow for my liking.

[Art_P 6]

One query for anyone who knows about these things: is there a command for the FS.cfg file that will allow me to adjust the rate of panning left and right in the virtual cockpit? I find the default is just a bit too slow for my liking.

Not in the FSX.cfg, but in the Cameras.cfg, there are entries for PitchPanRate and HeadingPanRate under [CameraDefinition.002] for the virtual cockpit.

[Guest MacD]

Not in the FSX.cfg, but in the Cameras.cfg, there are entries for PitchPanRate and HeadingPanRate under [CameraDefinition.002] for the virtual cockpit.

Thanks!