None really, you're right, and I really don't like FPS's Jean Luc but it came with my new sound card and I actually like it.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/44488.gif

Elite,I have some old experiences in a sort of real life way to the game. Don't ask me I will not tell.(good guy side)http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/44489.gif

>What>are the alternatives?Maybe the alternative would be to actually push the envelope a bit more. Microsoft invented DirectX yet FS9 takes no advantage of Directx 9 code. Also video card in FS9 handles only the mesh scenery, why not let it handle all other scenery 3D objects ?. It has beeen chronic problem with FS series that CPU has been overloaded - and while other game producers are quick to tap phenomenal power of recent video cards (or recent hyperthreading) - MSFS is stuck in the 'middle ages'.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

:-) forgotten to add these are coop rooms: 8 against 40 terr... !The latest Raven Shield is so immersive!

talk about hitting the nail on the head. couldn't have said it better myself. right on Michael! happy flyin, fm

I hope Microsoft makes FS 2006 for the XBOX II, so our hardware upgrade will only be a few hundred bucks... Of course the XBOX II specification will have to support USB and external monitors, and / or HDTVs. You may need a computer to create a disk with A/C you want to fly etc.And EVERYONE will have the same FPS?? WHAT A CONCEPT... And depth of clouds and scenery will be by choice, not by hardware limitation.Course it will take the FUN out of the sheer waste of time experimenting tweaking hardware and your configuration files... Now you will be able to fly!If you have an XBOX or PS2, you notice that the games are awesome and they work the same everytime you fire them up! No corrupt registries, and glitches to deal with.Of course a good portion of the AVSIM posts will disappear, since they are graphic card, CPU OS related.. etcBarry

Larry, you seem to lead a charmed life! As I recall you also didn't see the dynamic blurred textures in FS2002 (they plagued me all the time). I was happy to find that the blurred textures were pretty well completely cured in FS2004. The auto gen problem is genuine. I believe it's caused by a class of autogen objects that have ridiculously large visibility distances. Microsoft really should fix this, or give us the info so we can fix it ourselves. But I have a horrible feeling that, like dynamic blurred textures, we will have to wait for the next version for a fix.... But apart from one or two minor problems (and I regard the autogen problem as far less serious than the blurred textures), I regard FS2004 as a superb simulator that can often be stunningly beautiful. And even on my old machine (800 Mhz P3 with an original GeForce 1) it ran surprisingly smoothly with good frame rates. Best regards, Chris

I really believe we have all felt a little burned out on flight simulation at some point. I'll tell you my secret, it's the friendships and sharing I have found in the flight sim comumnity. There are some of the best people anywhere who come here. Sure there have been a few I wished I had never met but overall I have gained some incredible friendships and even some I consider as my family. For this I am always in debt to the sim. My simming world would be a dark place without sharing everything that I enjoy and seeing friends sharing in my joy. Cheers..[h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/196432/winglets_lg.jpg

Welcome to the world of Apple - failed!>I hope Microsoft makes FS 2006 for the XBOX II, so our>hardware upgrade will only be a few hundred bucks... Of>course the XBOX II specification will have to support USB and>external monitors, and / or HDTVs. You may need a computer to>create a disk with A/C you want to fly etc.>>And EVERYONE will have the same FPS?? WHAT A CONCEPT... And>depth of clouds and scenery will be by choice, not by hardware>limitation.>>Course it will take the FUN out of the sheer waste of time>experimenting tweaking hardware and your configuration>files... Now you will be able to fly!>>>If you have an XBOX or PS2, you notice that the games are>awesome and they work the same everytime you fire them up! No>corrupt registries, and glitches to deal with.>>Of course a good portion of the AVSIM posts will disappear,>since they are graphic card, CPU OS related.. etc>>Barry>>>

I think you are comparing Apples with Oranges (pardon the pun)...And Microsoft behind it..I think it would be very successfulBarry

LOL, thanks Mark......Tony

"I believe it's caused by a class of autogen objects that have ridiculously large visibility distances."The vector objects (telephone poles, high voltage towers etc.) have a very big visibility distance (20-30 miles). They cause a noticable hit on FPS but I don't think they are the real problem. The xml objects have the same visibility as normal autogen. However, there are supposedly two types of visibility settings for objects: one for when the objects are "captured" (at this point, they begin taking up CPU resources, RAM etc.), and one when they actually become visible (displayed). The problem is with the former. Objects are loaded normally, but not released until you're very far away from the objects. The actual objects dissapear from the scene, but they are not released by the sim until you're 30 miles out or so."But I have a horrible feeling that, like dynamic blurred textures, we will have to wait for the next version for a fix...."Which removes much of the "fun" from playing the sim... :("But apart from one or two minor problems (and I regard the autogen problem as far less serious than the blurred textures), I regard FS2004 as a superb simulator that can often be stunningly beautiful."Yes, the blurry textures were annoying. However, I was able to fix the blurry textures almost completely in FS2002. I only occasionally got a blurry square but it cleared up within seconds.So far, I have not found a fully functional fix for the autogen problem in FS2004. If nothing can be done even when the SDK's are out, and Microsoft does not release a patch, I will not be able to fully enjoy FS2004.

I don't think this is a matter of waiting for hardware to "catch up". Simply deleting a 50kb .xml file tripples my framerate yet with no real reduction in scene complexity (the mesh is still there, the haze, the clouds, most of the 3d objects etc.). I can't believe that MS would develop a sim with fast food houses that cut the framerate to a third just to "push the envelope".

FS2004 is a wonderful flightsim if:- you avoid the autogen bug (simple);- you only install FS2004 certified add-ons (careful, some "certified add-ons" do install empty Texture folders where they don't belong and kill your framerates);- use the latest FSUIPC;- in case of a Radeon graphics card, use the Omega enhanced leaked drivers from Dell.In my case, I have also installed a second copy of Windows XP on a seperate partition to make sure there's nothing else that causes problem. On an Athlon 2700XP with a Radeon 9500pro and 1GB RAM, all sliders to the right and autogen off, I never get less then 15FPS even at very dense and busy airports.Last advice: I use the Fokker50, Dash-8 (Fanda) and RealAir Cessna 172 exclusively. The Dash is the most amazing given its complexity - yet with almost no impact on FPS! Combine this with the Real Germany photorealistic scenery and German Airports 4 and the only thing that reminds you that this is a sim and not real is your wife entering the flight deck on final :-) (see other thread for more details).Regards,MichaelP.S: FS 2004 is actually the first version of the sim that did not make me upgrade my hardware immediately to get it going in the first place.

Hi Michael,where do I find your complex Dash 8?ThxTFT