I know I have posted like 2 billion topics here

 

But I just have a question. I have a high end system (i5-2500K @4.4ghz gtx 560ti 8GBRam). One of my absolute FAVORITE things about FSX is the road traffic. Highway traffic.

 

Everyone has been telling me "Oh turn it off!!!" "Fps killer!!!" Will it really affect the performance (studders, frames, smoothness) that much if I turn it on?

 

Not to 100%, but just a little bit, like 20% or so.

I turned it up to 100% and saw little or no affect on performance. Try it on your system! I lowered it back to 10% as I see no reason to have it higher.

 

Best regards,

Jim

Even for me, with a low-end system, no effect at all with 10%.

You could try and put your slider at 20% and then see what happens, seeing we don't know anything about your computer or FSX set up. If you don't like the results you can always move the slider back down. The test will take about a minute.

I turned it up to 100% and saw little or no affect on performance. Try it on your system! I lowered it back to 10% as I see no reason to have it higher.

 

Best regards,

Jim

 

Thanks for such a quick reply Jim!!!

 

One thing that has been pondering me for awhile, is why don't developers utilize and create a unique addon, and fix the errors on road traffic, and make them better? Like improve cars, and make it so they actually have routes, and don't just re-spond, etc....

 

You could try and put your slider at 20% and then see what happens, seeing we don't know anything about your computer or FSX set up. If you don't like the results you can always move the slider back down. The test will take about a minute.

 

Will do that right now

Maybe no loss in FPS, but RAM usage is higher with a road traffic @ 10-20%, I tested it. And when FSX break the 2gb barrier, least what I need is road traffic.

My system is I7-2600 and I run REX and UTX. I have vehicle traffic enabled to about 50% and do not notice any speed issues whatsoever. I routinely fly into and out of airports where I have installed highly detailed add-ons. The only issues I have had with highway traffic are vehicles streaming across RWY 11/29 at KSTL. There I am using the Newport St Louis megascenery and a downloaded scenery enhancement that adds the 11/29 runway, which is new since the release of FSX.

I've tested this fairly thoroughly, and higher percentages of traffic do indeed lower FPS. Those for whom it isn't affecting performance may have room to spare above their frame lock rate, or may not be flying with demanding scenery/aircraft. If you keep it between 10-20%, you'll see plenty of traffic, and it shouldn't hurt frames much.

It is all cumulative - no single thing will cripple FSX, but at some point, one straw will break the camel's back.. So, make your own trade-offs..

If you keep it between 10-20%, you'll see plenty of traffic, and it shouldn't hurt frames too much.

My system is I7-2600 and I run REX and UTX. I have vehicle traffic enabled to about 50% and do not notice any speed issues whatsoever. I routinely fly into and out of airports where I have installed highly detailed add-ons. The only issues I have had with highway traffic are vehicles streaming across RWY 11/29 at KSTL. There I am using the Newport St Louis megascenery and a downloaded scenery enhancement that adds the 11/29 runway, which is new since the release of FSX.

 

These posts contradict eachother.

 

I will test it out, at 100% first, then at 50%, then at 20%, and report back!

One thing that has been pondering me for awhile, is why don't developers utilize and create a unique addon, and fix the errors on road traffic, and make them better? Like improve cars, and make it so they actually have routes, and don't just re-spond, etc....

 

This has already been discussed in length here at AVSIM. Aircraft AI already is a framerate killer (and I'm positive about that). If you set up car plans where cars travel a certain route and the cars are enhanced with HD textures, you would be looking at a really poor running FSX. Already, FSX has car and airport vehicle traffic at airports and that's a framerate killer too. They travel certain routes within the airports and these mainly come from addon developers. It's nice to have vehicles that look like cars and truck traffic running especially when pulling your aircraft up near a fence separating the airport from the outside. Back in the olden days with FS9, we had lights only that looked like car and truck lights going by. As I recall that was from some freeware developer. So FSX is actually a move up from previous versions. Maybe someday a developer, like Orbx/FTX can incorporate car and truck traffic inside their small towns they build (if they haven't already!). I know they already have people moving around which provides a bit more immersion into the product. Perhaps that's what you were talking about but with other addon developers too.

 

Best regards,

Jim

It's nice to have vehicles that look like cars and truck traffic running especially when pulling your aircraft up near a fence separating the airport from the outside.

 

It's even nicer when you're flying a helicopter about 50 feet above the roadway. I've been amazed at some of the stock FSX road vehicles, with lots of detail and even specularity. Of course, not all traffic gets rendered in such high detail and you get boxes, but when it works right, it works very well.

 

Hook

It is all cumulative - no single thing will cripple FSX, but at some point, one straw will break the camel's back.. So, make your own trade-offs..

 

So true, everything you see in FSX will affect your performance, you just need to find what works for you and your machine. I have road traffic at 20%, but it also depends on where you fly and the amount of roads with traffic. if i am flying over a small city 20% is nothing, but downtown L.A. and 20% is quite a bit, LOL.

 

one of the biggest FPS hogs I cannot run without is shadows, yet so many have them turned off which I could never do. Luckily my system handles them ok.

Road traffic will suck fps, but as Michael says, it depends on where you fly. If there are no roads with traffic it won't affect performance! Try it out over large cities like Tokyo, Seattle or New York and you will see the effect.

I have no performance problems with car traffic, but as I either fly GA in ORBX regions (i.e. mainly on the countryside),or airliners (at altitudes where I won't see any cars at all)I don't see any reason to set the sliders higher than say 25%.

 

Regards,

Flo