I think you will find AITM (Traffic Mover) would randomise the flightplans.txt file you already have in seconds........

RayI am a sucker for eye candy, that is why I keep the static aircraft. Maybe if I delete the static craft I could bump my scenery complexity to maximium. I will give it a shot for deleting the static aircraft and use unlimited for my fps. My guess starting early evening will decrease my fps. I am already streching the limit of my P4-2.4gig. I assume your experiment did not include static aircraft? I do not know if there is one file for static aircraft. I think I have to uninstall - reinstall EGLL to delete static planes since they give you a choice on install.. If anyone knows of one file sure would like to know what it is. I have been going back and forth on lock and unlimited. Sometimes I think I get more stutters in the unlimited but then again I can lock at 20-25 fps and experience similar stutters. I come to the conclusion my computer has feelings of its own and likes to tease me on the locking the fps and unlimited. Each day when I start FS9, I have no idea how it will behave. Happy takeoffs and landings at EGLLCarl

I took the plunge (after making a backup of my traffic.bgl) and I'm very pleased with the outcome. Using EGLL Pro I now have the following Ai aircraft showing for the given percentage setting...Ai% Aircraft100 107 90 104 80 98 70 85 60 77 50 66 40 56 30 40 20 29 10 13 0 0Looks like Thomas Molitor has come up with the goods once again. I've checked a few other airports and the proportions also look good there.Thanks for a very useful tip!Cheers,

Hi Carl,Well statics are okay but they never move so have limited value. If you remove them you will free up parking gates for Ai aircraft and those do move and add to the realism.I have identified the BGL for static aircraft at EGLL. I can't remember the precise name because I've turned off my other PC but it's named something like EGLLSTAT.BGL. Rename it to EGLLSTAT.BG#. Use any character as long as it's not identified as a BGL file otherwise FS will continue to use it.My tests last night would have included the statics as I wasn't aware at the time there were any.Have a look at my reply further up. I've used the randomiser utility in Thomas Monitor's Ai Traffic Mover (v2) and it's evened out the bunching. You can download it from here www.molitor-home.de/fs/aitm/Keep experimenting with the limiter. Fs9 is a lot more intelligent than previous versions and Microsoft wouldn't put it there for no good reason.Cheers,

Ray,You got my curiosity up so I decided to do some more experimenting with my machine. Wanted to share all this data I have collected for everyone

Oh man, something really went south on my chart. I appolgize. Tried to export excel spreadsheet and that is what I got.Will try to fix tomorrow in case anyone is interested.Carl

Hi Carl,despite your data not making through as an Excel spreadsheet I managed to read it okay.Removing statics seems to give you a couple of frames. Good.On the topic of setting the frame rate limiter to unlimited I suggest you try a flight and see what you think then. I've been really pleased with frame rates in the 30s and 40s once airborne when they previously stayed locked at 25. The psychlogical impact is signifcant. It's like you have a new faster machine.I've recently bought Active Sky v5 and that has made a significant improvement to performance. Cloud textures have been simplified but you wouldn't know it to look at them and this has helped performance markedly.So, after 2 days of analysis and a modified traffic.bgl I'm now a lot happier about FS9 :-)All the best,

For anyone that maybe interested FPS findings using AI and static aircraft at EGLL

Tried the chart with "word" still didn't work. So I quit. Better to fly than to make charts.

I can read your chart ctiger no prob.,Its cool to compare two different systems testing similar conditions. From what i see your findings generally support Ray's original tests i.e significant FPS increase from 100 to 90 to 80% AI and minimal increase below 80%.The only thing i would mention is when i get too close behind one of these heavies, boy does my system stutter!CheersDan :)

Ray, please check your PM's.

I use UT for my AI traffic and I fly with 100% AI traffic since I play just as much for the the eye candy and realism as the flying itself. I also had major frame rate problems flying out of EGLL, often dropping to 2 FPS, especially when using the Spot View. Instead of dropping my AI percentage, I decided to see if using different AI models would work. It took me quite a few days to switch away from the UT (i.e. PAI version 1) AI aircraft models, to using a combination of mainly AIA and EvolveAI models (sorry FSP - you're 777 models are beautiful but the frame rates are still a killer)that have much lower poly counts and more LODs than the UT defaults. Having replaced nearly all the aircraft and repaints to be normally found at Heathrow, and keeping all other display options the same, I now get about 15 FPS on the ground, going pretty much straight up to 19 FPS once in the air (I have FPS locked at 20). The added benefit to this is not only frame rates, but also that the repaints on these models look much better than the ones included with UT anyway, so I win all round.If you want realistic flight schedules and want to invest the time, then I would definitely suggest changing AI aircraft models before you consider reducing your AI percentage.

Nice thread.It would be interesting to carry out a similar exercise with that other recent excellent freeware AI package (which shall remain nameless but has nothing to do with pdf files. ;) )It seems to have much less impact on frame rates even though the AI aircraft are more detailed.

>Nice thread.>>It would be interesting to carry out a similar exercise with>that other recent excellent freeware AI package (which shall>remain nameless but has nothing to do with pdf files. ;) )>>It seems to have much less impact on frame rates even though>the AI aircraft are more detailed. >>John:Couldn't agree more regarding said package. Following a very recent re-install of FS, I was trying to decide on an AI package. I chanced it, skipped all the payware AI traffic packages I have, and installed the freeware package you mentioned.I couldn't believe it. I've now been flying with this hassle-free package and it looks like I have airports filled with payware-quality commercial planes taxiing and flying around.I will *never* go back to a payware package as a result. I know there's some conflict with all the various PAI/EAI/etc. aircraft artists and having their models used without permission, so I don't justify what our Pacific friends did in creating this package. But one thing is for certain: it installs with complete ease the best of the best without the mammoth headache of doing it oneself.Kudos to the folks who originally pointed out the package 'that has nothing to with PDFs'. It completely cured my AI woes.

Craig,See your PM. Feel free to continue the discussion here. We're a friendly bunch (well most of us are ;-) )Cheers,