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Anxu00

Settings for frustration free flights with any aircraft?

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Hello all,

 

After almost a year of trying to setup FSX to get the highest Fps with the most graphics details I have now given up on that goal. Now I fly with no road traffics, 15-20% AI, Autogen at normal level, texture resolution at 4096, water at low2x, 1024 clouds texture, use the lowest settings for ORBX, so far so good, but I have not done any flight longer than 2 hrs. I would like to know from the community of people who have the same line of thinking as I do what other things I should also do to make sure that I can fly longer flights without CTD, OOM.

 

Thanks in advance.


Vu Pham

i7-10700K 5.2 GHz OC, 64 GB RAM, GTX4070Ti, SSD for Sim, SSD for system. MSFS2020

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You will need to give more details than that.

There is a CTD forum which can give you more pointers


Jude Bradley
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ATC: Yeah, it's OK. He's not hungry.

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I have followed the FSX SW/HW guide. I have HIGHMEMFIX, UIAutomationCore.dll etc. I do not have CTD in mid flight, yet. I am interested in users sharing what else they have done to optimize for a frustration free flight, especially long flight. Here is my current settings:

 

1. No road traffics

2. Boat/Leisure crafts: 10/15%

3. GA/Jet AI: 20%

4. Max details, max grid resolution

5. Land details: max

6. Max texture res. 7 cm

7. Grid resolution: 5 m

8. Extreme dense in scenery complexity

9. Autogen: normal

10. REX cloud texture: 1024

11. Max texture resolution: 4096

 

 

Several in this forum have said to turn the sliders down. I would like to know more about the specifics.

 

Thanks


Vu Pham

i7-10700K 5.2 GHz OC, 64 GB RAM, GTX4070Ti, SSD for Sim, SSD for system. MSFS2020

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Guest

Do you have FSUIPC installed? The free version if you don't have the payware one? That solved most if not all CTD's on my PC. It has an inbuilt anti-crash feature.

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From my experience, what is most likely to give you CTDs is a bad combination of lots of different addons that all rely on various additional dlls, some of which don't seem to like each other too much.

High settings may give you OOMs, but your settings sound reasonable to me, except maybe the extremely dense scenery complexity (depends a bit on where you fly).

And if you're able to fly for 2hrs without any problems, you should be able to fly a lot longer, too(Sh** happens, though).

I might be wrong here, though.

 

Regards,

Flo

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Your settings look pretty good to me for general-purpose. They look similar to what I use.

 

For OOM, hopefully you have this fix applied: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947246

 

OOM is greatly affected by LOD_RADIUS and also by where you are flying and what sceneries and other addons you are using. I use the Save button in the settings window to create custom settings profiles for different situations, eg for flying GA in remote areas versus Airliner between complex airports. For GA between small airports in non-dense areas you can have much higher scenery settings (and even some road traffic), but for Airliners between big cities and complex airports it's reasonable to have lower settings. I use a larger LOD_RADIUS (6-7) for GA and a smaller one (around 4-5) for complex Airliners.

 

I turn mesh complexity/resolution down until I stop getting the "bouncing airplane" problem.

 

I'll assume that you lock frame rate at 30. Locking the frame rate determines your per-frame CPU budget. Adjust the sliders so you can maintain that frame rate. If your system can't maintain 30, you might need to set a lower target frame rate and possibly force vsync if you have screen tearing.

 

Regarding traffic, you don't say if you're using a traffic addon. Default FSX traffic is very resource-hungry. I use MTX and turn down the eye candy, that way I can have a good amount of traffic without a lot of resource hit. Traffic is a heavy resource hitter as you noticed.


Barry Friedman

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Did you check out Paul's Software and Hardware guide pinned at the top of this forum? It provides a lot of excellent guidance on FSX settings/tweaks. There's NickN's 'Setting up FSX and Tuning It' guide - http://www.simforums.com/forums/topic29041.html too. I have been successful in following the guidance in these three guides and I read them frequently as they are all kept up-to-date with the latest guidance. Remember the guides are only guides and do not contain mandatory settings. What settings I have may not necessarily work on your system. I wish there was common settings for everyone but there really isn't that eliminates CTD's, stuttering, the blurries, or other anomalies).

 

My fsx setting are similar to yours and I get great graphics most of the time. Sometimes I will see fps down to near the single digits but I know exactly what's causing it.... a combination of real weather, commercial aircraft, commercial airports, and commercial sceneries/textures I really like and I want to run during one of my sessions. Maybe I'll have Shade, XPAX, ProATC-X, GSX, and AES running in the background too. A combination will bring most systems close to crashing if you are not careful. One has to also look at display driver settings too. Trying to set them to the max will bring down FSX all by itself. I know that if I want to enjoy FSX, I have to keep the sliders down to a reasonable level as well as the display settings. Be careful of tweaks. They work for some but not for everyone. Run maintenance on your computer at least weekly. I use a program called Advanced System Care (freeware and payware for advanced functions). I also check for new drivers at least weekly using a program called Driver Scanner (payware if you want to use it; freeware just to find out if any drivers are out-of-date). I run Windows Update regularly too. Keeping your system up-to-date and clean is a must as malware and old temporary files can really clog up a system and subsequently cause crashes.

 

You should make sure you have Microsoft Visual's C++ 2005, 2008, and 2010 installed with all updates. MSV's are used by developers to make sure you product was installed properly. They are not backward compatible so you need them all. They are installed with the developer's software program/addon if it is not already installed but they must be kept up-to-date as each version is constantly updated. Microsoft.net framework programs must also be installed. FSX requires version 1.1 thru 4.5 to be installed. You can check the versions installed by going to C:\Windows\Microsoft.net\Framework\(versions installed). You can also use the tools at the following link to verify proper installation - http://blogs.msdn.com/b/astebner/archive/2008/10/13/8999004.aspx. Dotnet is used by developers to make sure their program/addons run the way they want the program to run to include managing memory for the program. Versions of dotnet are not backward compatible.

 

Be careful with anti-virus programs too. These programs have a mission to make sure no evil person tries to destroy your computer system. Sometimes they have false-positives and quarantine FSX drivers, gauges, and security programs. It's up to you to make sure your anti-virus program knows that a fsx program is safe. Look in your quarantine folder to make sure you didn't quarantine something needed to run FSX or your computer system.

 

I think looking for other people's fsx settings is dangerous and only creates more frustrations for you. That's why you should never exchange FSX.cfg's with anyone. That's why you should also delete old fsx.cfg's if you ever decide to uninstall and reinstall FSX. Consider the old fsx.cfg as corrupted and start fresh. If you can't find a proper setting or tweak in one of the guides I referred to above and look to others for assistance, you will have nothing but frustrations with FSX.

 

Whenever using commercial stuff, be careful. Not all of it is framerate friendly. When you get a CTD or OOM, understand it is not FSX, it's how you set up FSX, your display settings and your computer system. And, when you do get a CTD or OOM, let us know up in the CTD Forum and we'll try to find a fix.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Best regards,

Jim


Jim Young | AVSIM Online! - Simming's Premier Resource!

Member, AVSIM Board of Directors - Serving AVSIM since 2001

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Important other links: Basic FSX Configuration Guide | AVSIM CTD Guide | AVSIM Prepar3D Guide | Help with AVSIM Site | Signature Rules | Screen Shot Rule | AVSIM Terms of Service (ToS)

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Have you tried stability tweaks such as HIGHMEMFIX=1 under [GRAPHICS] in FSX.cfg and UIAutomationCore.dll in the FSX root folder?

 

Is the UIAutomationCore.dll tweak necessary for XP?

 

Slim

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Is the UIAutomationCore.dll tweak necessary for XP?

 

No. Not needed, not even valid.

 

Scott

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Your settings look pretty good to me for general-purpose. They look similar to what I use.

 

For OOM, hopefully you have this fix applied: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947246

 

OOM is greatly affected by LOD_RADIUS and also by where you are flying and what sceneries and other addons you are using. I use the Save button in the settings window to create custom settings profiles for different situations, eg for flying GA in remote areas versus Airliner between complex airports. For GA between small airports in non-dense areas you can have much higher scenery settings (and even some road traffic), but for Airliners between big cities and complex airports it's reasonable to have lower settings. I use a larger LOD_RADIUS (6-7) for GA and a smaller one (around 4-5) for complex Airliners.

 

I turn mesh complexity/resolution down until I stop getting the "bouncing airplane" problem.

 

I'll assume that you lock frame rate at 30. Locking the frame rate determines your per-frame CPU budget. Adjust the sliders so you can maintain that frame rate. If your system can't maintain 30, you might need to set a lower target frame rate and possibly force vsync if you have screen tearing.

 

Regarding traffic, you don't say if you're using a traffic addon. Default FSX traffic is very resource-hungry. I use MTX and turn down the eye candy, that way I can have a good amount of traffic without a lot of resource hit. Traffic is a heavy resource hitter as you noticed.

I was not aware of the "bouncing airplane" , what is that and why does have a liink to mesh ? I do have frame limit by FSX at 30. I am also using MyTraffics X. I have the registered version of FSUIPC. I will lower my scenery complexity down from extreme. Tonight or tomorrow I will do a 4 hours flight and see.

 

Did you check out Paul's Software and Hardware guide pinned at the top of this forum? It provides a lot of excellent guidance on FSX settings/tweaks. There's NickN's 'Setting up FSX and Tuning It' guide - http://www.simforums...topic29041.html too. I have been successful in following the guidance in these three guides and I read them frequently as they are all kept up-to-date with the latest guidance. Remember the guides are only guides and do not contain mandatory settings. What settings I have may not necessarily work on your system. I wish there was common settings for everyone but there really isn't that eliminates CTD's, stuttering, the blurries, or other anomalies).

 

My fsx setting are similar to yours and I get great graphics most of the time. Sometimes I will see fps down to near the single digits but I know exactly what's causing it.... a combination of real weather, commercial aircraft, commercial airports, and commercial sceneries/textures I really like and I want to run during one of my sessions. Maybe I'll have Shade, XPAX, ProATC-X, GSX, and AES running in the background too. A combination will bring most systems close to crashing if you are not careful. One has to also look at display driver settings too. Trying to set them to the max will bring down FSX all by itself. I know that if I want to enjoy FSX, I have to keep the sliders down to a reasonable level as well as the display settings. Be careful of tweaks. They work for some but not for everyone. Run maintenance on your computer at least weekly. I use a program called Advanced System Care (freeware and payware for advanced functions). I also check for new drivers at least weekly using a program called Driver Scanner (payware if you want to use it; freeware just to find out if any drivers are out-of-date). I run Windows Update regularly too. Keeping your system up-to-date and clean is a must as malware and old temporary files can really clog up a system and subsequently cause crashes.

 

You should make sure you have Microsoft Visual's C++ 2005, 2008, and 2010 installed with all updates. MSV's are used by developers to make sure you product was installed properly. They are not backward compatible so you need them all. They are installed with the developer's software program/addon if it is not already installed but they must be kept up-to-date as each version is constantly updated. Microsoft.net framework programs must also be installed. FSX requires version 1.1 thru 4.5 to be installed. You can check the versions installed by going to C:\Windows\Microsoft.net\Framework\(versions installed). You can also use the tools at the following link to verify proper installation - http://blogs.msdn.co...13/8999004.aspx. Dotnet is used by developers to make sure their program/addons run the way they want the program to run to include managing memory for the program. Versions of dotnet are not backward compatible.

 

Be careful with anti-virus programs too. These programs have a mission to make sure no evil person tries to destroy your computer system. Sometimes they have false-positives and quarantine FSX drivers, gauges, and security programs. It's up to you to make sure your anti-virus program knows that a fsx program is safe. Look in your quarantine folder to make sure you didn't quarantine something needed to run FSX or your computer system.

 

I think looking for other people's fsx settings is dangerous and only creates more frustrations for you. That's why you should never exchange FSX.cfg's with anyone. That's why you should also delete old fsx.cfg's if you ever decide to uninstall and reinstall FSX. Consider the old fsx.cfg as corrupted and start fresh. If you can't find a proper setting or tweak in one of the guides I referred to above and look to others for assistance, you will have nothing but frustrations with FSX.

 

Whenever using commercial stuff, be careful. Not all of it is framerate friendly. When you get a CTD or OOM, understand it is not FSX, it's how you set up FSX, your display settings and your computer system. And, when you do get a CTD or OOM, let us know up in the CTD Forum and we'll try to find a fix.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Best regards,

Jim

Hi Jim, I did follow the guide. I will check it again. Most guide is for pushing FSX to the max settings without artefacts etc. I am trying to go the other way to have a good sim experience. There just too many areas with variation in resource demand. I think I will start with the slider on the left first and work it up.

 

Thanks


Vu Pham

i7-10700K 5.2 GHz OC, 64 GB RAM, GTX4070Ti, SSD for Sim, SSD for system. MSFS2020

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I was not aware of the "bouncing airplane" , what is that and why does have a liink to mesh ?

 

You'll know if you have it. Your plane and other vehicles at the airport will bounce up and down as FSX progressively recalculates ground altitude. Some people get it and some don't. When I see this I take it as a sign I need to reduce mesh complexity.

 

See: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/383833-jumping-fsx-aircraft/


Barry Friedman

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Most guide is for pushing FSX to the max settings without artefacts etc.

 

Not the guides I suggested. Word Not Allowed has a guide that pushes FSX to the limits both in the FSX.cfg settings and in the display driver settings. He did turn all of the AI settings off (boats, ships, cars, all AI, airport vehicles, GA, etc.) and that helped him to gain in other ways. I think most of us here would like to have all of our settings turned on so you need to compromise. NickN's and PaulJ's setting are definitely not at the extreme levels. Just try their configurations. They work for me.

 

Best regards,

Jim


Jim Young | AVSIM Online! - Simming's Premier Resource!

Member, AVSIM Board of Directors - Serving AVSIM since 2001

Submit News to AVSIM
Important other links: Basic FSX Configuration Guide | AVSIM CTD Guide | AVSIM Prepar3D Guide | Help with AVSIM Site | Signature Rules | Screen Shot Rule | AVSIM Terms of Service (ToS)

I7 8086K  5.0GHz | GTX 1080 TI OC Edition | Dell 34" and 24" Monitors | ASUS Maximus X Hero MB Z370 | Samsung M.2 NVMe 500GB and 1TB | Samsung SSD 500GB x2 | Toshiba HDD 1TB | WDC HDD 1TB | Corsair H115i Pro | 16GB DDR4 3600C17 | Windows 10 

 

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I have several command files (AKA batch files) that I use depending on the situation. These files switch between several fsx.cfg, dll.xml, and exe.xml files that I have specifically tweaked and stored. The tweaks I use are mainly based on *******' suggestions with some ideas from Nick N. and others mixed in. I have spent countless hours testing various settings and have settled on a set that I can switch around depending on what I'm doing at the time.

 

The main one I use for most long-haul flying in any plane has the following settings:

1. 4% car traffic

2. Boat/Leisure craft: 4%

3. GA/Commercial AI: 50% (I like a lot of company)

4. Medium on all sliders

5. Land details: max

6. Normal scenery complexity

7. Normal Autogen

8. TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD: 1024

9. LOD_RADIUS=4.500

10. UsePools=0, FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.33 (default), CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3, CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=8, LOD_RADIUS=4.5

This configuration delivers stability and smoothness with both short and long flights. Over time, I have come to realize that serious flying is not all about maximum graphics.

When I have my maximum batch loaded, I get stutters which aggravates me during final approach. I only use this set for showing friends what FSX is capable of. It is not useable for daily flying IMO. Also, depending on the length of the flight, my plane and scenery start disintegrating and I'm lucky to get the plane back on the ground (sometimes FSX either locks up or just shuts down on descent). I fly with FlyteLine and it sucks to lose the flight if FSX crashes!

 

When I fly carrier ops, I have another set of files which turns on TacPack and AICarriers.exe, and uses the same fsx.cfg as above. I need smoothness when I'm trapping.

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You'll know if you have it. Your plane and other vehicles at the airport will bounce up and down as FSX progressively recalculates ground altitude. Some people get it and some don't. When I see this I take it as a sign I need to reduce mesh complexity.

 

Ah yes that bouncing around. I have wondered about that, but I thought that it is another FSX craziness.

 

Now I know I need to adjust my mesh setting. Thanks

 

The main one I use for most long-haul flying in any plane has the following settings:

1. 4% car traffic

2. Boat/Leisure craft: 4%

3. GA/Commercial AI: 50% (I like a lot of company)

4. Medium on all sliders

5. Land details: max

6. Normal scenery complexity

7. Normal Autogen

8. TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD: 1024

9. LOD_RADIUS=4.500

10. UsePools=0, FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.33 (default), CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3, CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=8, LOD_RADIUS=4.5

Thanks. I will try that.


Vu Pham

i7-10700K 5.2 GHz OC, 64 GB RAM, GTX4070Ti, SSD for Sim, SSD for system. MSFS2020

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