Prepar3D setup guide from Nick N

[niyoko 7]

Nick's post is very interesting and the methodology he uses for his testing looks sound. Thank you for posting the link Vernon. :smile: ​ 

My biggest take away from Nick's post is his advice on what to look for in a good flight for testing. FSXMark had a good flight that could be loaded for a standardized benchmark for FSX, but I haven't tried to duplicate it in Prepar3D quite yet. I think I'll try re-tweaking my sim from Nick's suggested KSEA location. There is seemingly no magic bullet for getting the best performance from Prepar3D, but I think that having a good base to test from would help point us in the right direction for tweaking our own settings.

[GSalden 4,657]

Most of his "new" recommandations are from Michael ( RIP) as I did a 6 hoursession with him about 7-8 years ago...

Michael ( FS-PS ) called it "System Unification".

 

Everything he then advised me to do I have written down and I have still his guide....

[David Roch 1,982]

Wow, so sorry to read that Gerard.

I was not aware that Michael passed away.

He also spent two hours on MSN long long time ago, tweaking my computer.

A fantastic person indeed.

RIP my friend.

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Well...geez...after reading Nick's take...I just totally deleted my NVI  P3D profile.  Gone...

 

I just set up his limited tweaks...and that's that....lol.

 

I do use HT, and so added my Affinity mask from my FSX.

 

Done...no more tweaking/twacking of v2.4......just flying...

[vgbaron 3,627]

Many people have been preaching the same - P3D needs little or NO tweaking at all generally. I have found that the more you tweak, the worse it can get.

 

Also, remember, Nick sets up his system to HIS PERSONAL preferences. His guide is a starting point that will give you a solid base with acceptable performance. If you LIKE HDR - turn it on. I've been following his advice for years but it's not set in stone.

 

If you set it up according to his exact specs and like the way it performs - that's perfect! If you need more eye candy ( Nick really sees the eye candy as useless) and are willing to put up with the performance hit - go for it.

 

Like ANY guide - it is just that -  a guide from a knowledgeable person but each system will react differently. If you can grasp the CONCEPT of what he is saying, then you will be able to modify and adjust to your specific needs.

 

Nick calls it balancing your hardware, Michael called it system unification - bottom line - whether you do it by accident or intentionally - when you find the "sweet spot" in P3D - you will know it and be happy.

 

 

Vic

[Driver170 42]

Well said VIC

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

THANK YOU, for posting Nick's recommendations...and thank you NICK...for posting them!

 

I have always used settings with NVI and P3D v2.4....and could only get in unlimited, around 30 FPS

 

I deleted the P3D profile entirely from NVI...and then set up Nicks few settings...  

 

Just look at my FPS performance now...:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

I have NEVER obtained, ever....anything close to the FPS performance and smoothness in P3D, since I tanked NVI entirely for P3D, and adjusted the .cfg as per his recommendations. He was so right....performance skyrocketed...into the 70's FPS!!!  My P3D performance on my system, has never seen this...

 

....gawd...maybe I should also do this for FSX-boxed!!!!!!

 

Post Edit:  I am so P/O'ed right now....for ALL THESE MONTHS, I have been actually shooting myself in the FPS/Smoothness foot, by having an P3D NVI profile setting in place.   I just maxed everything out, including water...and look how gorgeous the scene is...and at what new FPS I am getting....high 50's in this scene...and oh....NO MORE STUTTER....

 

If you could see the Happy Dance going on here.....looks like I am going to be flying my 'brand spanking new'  P3D v2.4 all night long...just like the Richie song...  All you folks think of me tonight...flying P3D at 50-80 FPS full out....with the soundtrack in the background  LOLOLOLOLOL

 

Big Cheers...and Merry Christmas to myself...from Nick....

 

 

 

 

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

With the thickest fog and cloud...I am right at the locked (experimenting with unlimited and limited FPS performance...) 33 FPS...and do not go below.  I have never seen FPS/P3D performance like this...since adopting all of Nick's suggestions...wow.

 

 

Here is North Bay Ontario, city and shoreline, post Nick's settings and recommendations...47 FPS in unlimited. Before, I was lucky (with the sim maxed out...) to get 24 steady out of this type of dusk/city scene:

 

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Well...thanks to the O.P. for this thread.  This thread has given me a 100 percent performance increase..and basically, has given me a totally new sim experience.  

 

Thanks again...I would have never known such performance in P3D, was a few .cfg settings away a' 'la Nick...and his recommendation of giving NVI the boot...

 

Ses

[Peter Webber 339]

I think there will come a subtle promotion of GEP3D/UTX....subliminal advertising...read carefully. :wink: Read the promotion of products...every season we get these 'specialists' who really only want to promote their own interests....guys and gals...let's just fly....this nonsense is starting all over again...i've heard the 'wow's,etc since FS2004 days wrt tweaks..

[Poppet 710]

Had a good read through it now,  i would never of thought of un-ticking and ticking certain box's like that. I have changed my sliders as well.   Just goes to show how big and complex the whole thing is.  

That was only the introduction so more to come as well  

[cmpbellsjc 2,963]

Wow, so sorry to read that Gerard.

I was not aware that Michael passed away.

He also spent two hours on MSN long long time ago, tweaking my computer.

A fantastic person indeed.

RIP my friend.

I didn't know you weren't aware. I was surprised as well. It was back in Sept 2012. I had just spoken to him nto long before that and had no idea he had cancer. I had done a setup with him back in 2008 and it was well worth the money. I was totally shocked when I heard that he had passed away. He was a good guy and passed way too young.

 

There's a thread in the In Memoriam section that mentions it http://www.avsim.com/topic/385092-michael-greenblatt-fs-has-lost-an-icon/#entry2467272

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

I think there will come a subtle promotion of GEP3D/UTX....subliminal advertising...read carefully. :wink: Read the promotion of products...every season we get these 'specialists' who really only want to promote their own interests....guys and gals...let's just fly....this nonsense is starting all over again...i've heard the 'wow's,etc since FS2004 days wrt tweaks..

Really Peter?   

 

I went from no more than 30-32 max throughout all the P3D's that I owned with NVI tweaks, and some .cfg tweaks...(post Nick thread)...to double those FPS figures now.   Yes...yes...wow.

 

Oh, and the sim looks as good as it did with anything before I started to fiddle around with his suggestions, this morning.

[Cargostorm 151]

You dont even need that anymore, when you start the sim in scenario, bottom left you have your grafic setting, make them and save under the name you like. Start the sim chose the one you want, no rebooting or anything needed. Select and go.

An even better way is to use the nice little App 'Simstarter' which allows you to make profiles for different scenarios (e.g. IFR, VFR, NIGHT), and many other things. Genious tool - and for free!

Look here: http://aviation.pero-online.de

[Potroh 14]

I think there will come a subtle promotion of GEP3D/UTX....subliminal advertising...read carefully. :wink: Read the promotion of products...every season we get these 'specialists' who really only want to promote their own interests....guys and gals...let's just fly....this nonsense is starting all over again...i've heard the 'wow's,etc since FS2004 days wrt tweaks..

Absolutely well said Peter!

 

Innocent folks who enthusiastically sing the "wow song" just don't realize that they get higher frames or better performance just because they have TURNED OFF a bunch of new features of the new sim version!

They have no shadows, no HDR, no traffic, no reflections, minimal shadows, etc. - all because an expert who earlier openly debated how much he disliked P3D - suggest to do so.

 

The "wow singers" more or less fly an FSX now, but they realize nothing of it... very strange and sad at the same time...

 

Potroh