Hi again!

 

I recently upgraded my PC with a new video card  (Gigabyte Geforce GTX 650Ti), which is very good.

 

But, I get stutters in my FS2004; just instantaneous, a little jerky stutters when I use AI traffic and

 

follow the AI planes around airports. It feels that something is putting a brake on the sim now and then.

 

I checked all settings; in the sim and used the Nvidia Inspector for settings.

 

So, does anyone know what could cause the stutters; like antivirus, etc.?

 

I also use the FS Autostart to uncheck unnecessary service functions.

 

I use Windows XP Home Edition with a good hardware setup;  Intel 3.4 gHz, 3 gig RAM.

 

I would appreciate tips and advice.

You hace the traffic explorer window open when watching AI's? This window open causes a sign. performance loss.

 

Checked the Alphatextures?

 

Defragged HDD?

 

Checked AI with ACA2005?

 

Too many possibilities there are...!

Hi!

 

and thanks for reply.

 

Checked Alphatextures??  How do I do that?

 

Hans Hermansson

Sweden

Hi!

 

and thanks for reply.

 

Checked Alphatextures??  How do I do that?

 

Hans Hermansson

Sweden

Download this file from the library here, works for FS9 and FSX. Easy to use (I can ;-) ) just read the read me: dxtfixerx.zip 

If you download ACA2005 it will give you full AI that allows you to compare "apples to apples" and will confirm if the problem is the particular AI you are using. If at an airport with traffic you had stutters and then with ACA2005 (freeware) you have as much or even more traffic without stutters, you have two probabilities...

 

1. You need to dxtfixer to make sure your AI textures do not have DXT3 files without light maps.

 

2. You may also have some AI files with missing planes in your aircraft file. That will cause a stutter as the CPU frantically searches through all your files to try to find the aircraft that is being called up by the file and which can't be found. The answer to that is to try to isolate the probable files (a tedious process of loading a few at a time and seeing if the problem happens) and then decompile them with TTtools and a traffic program like yRoute. That will tell you what aircraft are missing. Either put the missing aircraft back in your folder or redo the schedule so another aircraft that you do have is substituted.

 

3. Defrag your drive

 

Quite a lot of time involved but once you have the hang of it, it's not too bad and the results will be totally worthwhile

 

Ian

 

2. You may also have some AI files with missing planes in your aircraft file. That will cause a stutter as the CPU frantically searches through all your files to try to find the aircraft that is being called up by the file and which can't be found. The answer to that is to try to isolate the probable files (a tedious process of loading a few at a time and seeing if the problem happens) and then decompile them with TTtools and a traffic program like yRoute. That will tell you what aircraft are missing. Either put the missing aircraft back in your folder or redo the schedule so another aircraft that you do have is substituted.

 

While I don't agree that missing AI can cause stutters, after all AI is just another form of scenery that FS indexes so FS knows instantly what planes you do and do not have, there is a much faster way to do that using AI Flight Planner.

 

AIFP is to TTools what ADE is to Afcad2, newer, more complete and actively supported.

 

Download it here- http://stuff4fs.com/open.asp?JS=TRUE under "User Applications".

 

regards,

Joe

Hi again guys!

 

and thanks for your replies and your time; really appreciated.

 

Of course I'll try what you recommend and suggest.

 

Thanks again!

 

Hans Hermansson

Sweden

Hi Joe

When I was having stuttering problems at several major airports with AI on and smooth peformance with it off, I tried every fix in the book. Then someone suggested I try the now freeware ACA2005. I found that at those same airports, with massive AI traffic, I had stutter free flying with high fps. I then went through all my traffic files and fixed those that had missing aircraft and as soon as that was done, I had the same great performance as ACA2005 with far better AI models. It was only a few files but the effect was enormous. There is no other logical explanation for the "before" and "after" effects... It was not a small difference or "placebo effect" - it was a gain of 30 or more FPS and from a slide show to smooth performance.

Thanks for the link - that is an excellent site and some great tools....

Cheers

Ian

While I don't agree that missing AI can cause stutters, after all AI is just another form of scenery that FS indexes so FS knows instantly what planes you do and do not have, there is a much faster way to do that using AI Flight Planner.

 

AIFP is to TTools what ADE is to Afcad2, newer, more complete and actively supported.

 

Download it here- http://stuff4fs.com/open.asp?JS=TRUE under "User Applications".

 

regards,

Joe

When using ACA 2005, which settings you suggest I choose in the find error tab?

 

Thanks

 

Carlos

Thanks Ian for the reminder about ACA2005.  At Gatewick I always had this 757-200 without a texture and I could not find it to save my life.  I used ACA2005 and within seconds I found my answer.  I fixed it and now I don't have to search for it or sit and wait for it to take off so I could figure out what airline (it was Dallo Airlines).

 

Mike

Sorry to but in:

 

Hanse:  "I also use the FS Autostart to uncheck unnecessary service functions."

 

Is this a separate utility or built in to fs9?

 

Thanks and carry on

Sorry to but in:

 

Hanse:  "I also use the FS Autostart to uncheck unnecessary service functions."

 

Is this a separate utility or built in to fs9?

 

Thanks and carry on

It´s a separate util by Ken Salter (IIRC) - but beware: you really have to know what you´re doing!

When using ACA 2005, which settings you suggest I choose in the find error tab?

 

Thanks

 

Carlos

ACA2005 isn't a utility so it won't help you identify the particular problem. ACA2005 is a comprehensive AI traffic program that will fill your skies with AI of every kind. You would want to remove (save) all your previous AI aircraft and traffic files so when you install ACA that's the only AI you have.

What this will do is give you a chance to see how your computer handles dense AI which is low poly and contains no mistakes. For example, with FSDT KDFW I was getting frame rates in the teens. When I used ACA instead, I had an airport packed with aircraft and frame rates in the 60's. What that told me was that the problem was either the aircraft I was using or the traffic files.

 

I then removed ACA2005 (the models are not up to current standards) and began fixing my original AI files.

 

I fixed the textures of those AI aircraft by eliminating all DXT3 textures that didn't have alpha channels - that helped a lot. But the fps and stuttering were still unacceptable. So by the process of elimination I described earlier, I went through my traffic files a few at a time until I identified the ones that were causing problems. In each case it was a file that used an airplane that was no longer in my aircraft folder. The denser the traffic, the worse the problem became. (major areas like New York, London, Washington DC area etc...)

 

I either found the missing paint or aircraft and reinstalled it or assigned those flights to other aircraft and then elminated the problem aircraft from the traffic file "aircraft" list. Once the file was "clean" (no missing aircraf) I recompiled them with TTools and once I was done, I was getting the same FPS (60's) at KDFW I had got with the ACA2005 experiment, using all the best AI models that are now available - AIA, AIG, AIM, TFS etc.

 

The difference was HUGE - I went from a slide show at places like KDCA, KDFW etc to smooth performance with FPS in the 50-60 range at 100% traffic. And I have a LOT of AI traffic!!!

 

Good luck

Ian

Ian,

 

Just curious, was that on the computer listed in your profile specs?

 

regards,

Joe

 

PS. ACA2005 is Aircraft Analyzer, maybe you're thinking of MyTraffic?

Thanks Alexos.. Found it.. Ill have a look with caution.