Jim, do you always have FSX road traffic on?

 

I really would love to, but around airports with big highways surrounding the area, it really creates a performance hit.

 

You know just in a city area, not at all.

 

What is your performance with road traffic?

Hi Scarlett,

 

You definitely should not have a performance hit. Your system is much better than mine and I have no problems with cars. I use to think it was a problem but recently I increased it to 100% and saw little or no hit on performance. Ships and pleasure boats I did see a hit but not much. Personally, my major performance hit is autogen so I have it off. It's not too bad though at the normal setting. I'm buying the MSE V2 scenery and photoscenery does not need autogen. The MSE developers have included some buildings in the NYC and Chicago areas. If anything, I would use it for all of my FTX/Orbx scenery. Recently I moved my LOD setting from the default max 4.5 to 9.5 just to see if I could crash my system. I also have Texture_Max_Load at 4096 (HD) so I'm really stressing the system. Still, I got 45 fps near cruise level between Chicago and St Louis but fps were down in the FSDT KORD area. But it was fluid enough for me to continue with my flight. I did receive one CTD though and that was with AS2012 enabled. That program seems to cause more crashes and I think it's because it has to contact the servers for updates and constantly making sure the software is not pirated. It's happening about 15 minutes into the flight so pretty sure it's updating the weather. It happens even in static mode too but still think the software is using its security features.

 

Not sure why you would have a performance hit with cars. Try 100% and see if you can crash your system. When it's at 100% it seems like the fps are even higher as if it opened up a valve.

 

Best regards,

Jim

 

 

but recently I increased it to 100% and saw little or no hit on performance.

 

Very very weird. I'll test it out on 100% soon, but last time I had it set on, I set the slider to 17%, just like my AI traffic. Fps were fine at most airports. But what really became bad was around Flightbeam's KPHX, because there is major highways going around the entire airport.

 

Do you have that addon? If not, try going to an addon airport with highways all the way around it. (Like KORD) Check your average Fps, write it down, than turn off traffic and check your fps again.

 

Do the same with the 16% or 17% on the slider, than 100% and see what you find. I am very curious.

 

 

Personally, my major performance hit is autogen so I have it off.

 

Completely turned OFF? I haven't tried it to this extent, but I certainly never go above normal. Maybe your turned "Off" autogen is giving you more fps that is just taken away again by the cars, so you really 'think' your fps aren't changing because of the cars?

 

 

Still, I got 45 fps near cruise level between Chicago and St Louis but fps were down in the FSDT KORD area.

 

I also have 4096, but I han't really experimented with it. Fsdreamteam sceneries auto set it to 4096 I know that. What did your Fps dip down to?

I've heard of some others with low FPS around KPHX so there may be a texture there that is taking up memory. I remember ImagineSim released KIAD a few years ago and FSX would down to 2 or 3 fps when looking at the runway lights on Runway 12. ImagineSim finally fixed it but it took a lot of complaints.

 

Autogen is completely turned off. It is a known framerate killer. If you look at one of the Orbx/FTX manuals, they have suggestions for the autogen slider based on the specs of your computer. They admit it is a killer on frames. I could have it turned up to the max (and I have done that) but I really don't need it anymore with photo scenery. Orbx/FTX scenery is another thing and that scenery looks good with autogen. There is a tweak in the Terrain section that provides autogen but only a certain amount of trees and buildings will be rendered in a cell:

 

TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=4500

TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=3000

 

I was in the PMDG 737 at KORD and the fps will dip down into the one digits but then shoot back up to 20. There is a lot of stuttering when I taxi to the runway but it is fluid enough it doesn't bother me and, if I go to a windowed mode view, fps will shoot up into the high 20's and 30's. A couple of years ago and with my old machine, my system probably would have crashed or froze up or made it so unbearable, I would have give up some eye-candy. I have DX10 turned on too and that is suppose to provide better performance (some say it doesn't but DX10 does work better in FSX).

 

Best regards,

Jim

and the fps will dip down into the one digits but then shoot back up to 20.

 

I assume this is with Car traffic to 100%?

 

What are the Fps like without car traffic at all?

I assume this is with Car traffic to 100%?

 

No. My car traffic is at 10. This happened when my Texture_Max_Load=4096 and my LOD was at 9.5. I had car traffic up to 100% at FSDT KLAX and I also had MegaSceneryX So Cal installed. Just sat on the freeway and, instead of 20 cars coming at me, there were hundreds all around me. But it didn't hurt the fps. I really don't worry too much about FPS. They will go up and down no matter what. I just don't like it when the aircraft and movement around my world gets so sluggish it takes the fun out of using FSX..

 

Best regards,

Jim

So what is your car traffic at *currently*?

I0%. I've never had it higher than that for any period of time. It provides some resemblance of traffic. Back in the FS2002 days we didn't have car traffic and someone came up with an idea of having lights moving across the land to resemble car traffic. Microsoft picked up on that idea in FS9/FSX. Just completed a flight from Chicago to St Louis and it got real ugly because I closed AS2012. I wanted clear skies. AS2012 warned me it would get ugly when I reached various weather stations. No one should ever turn off their commercial weather program, REX or AS2012, or modify it during a flight as the weather engine will make things get nasty. My PMDG737 would not go faster than 295 when the speed was set at 335. Evidently it was thinking there was a strong headwind. Then, while descending to the airport, a haze like cloud cover covered the ground but it was all boxes as it could not figure out what it needed to render. Had telephone poles and some roads sitting on top of the haze. This is the first time I've ever cancelled weather during a flight and now I can see why so many people are having weird scenery and unexplained crashes. I won't be doing that ever again.

 

Best regards,

Jim