FTX Global

[Orlaam 306]

So after much fence-sitting and indecisiveness, I went ahead and purchased FTXG.  I was getting tired of the ridiculous bright tan color in the desert, along with lower autogen and trees.  It was between GEX and FTX.  Still think both have pros and cons.  Regardless, my question....

 

I am not as picky as most in terms of perfect coastlines, roads, et cetera.  I think that only so much realism can be inserted without degrading performance too much.  As it is, with my focus being on high quality complex aircraft, I can't justify making the world that perfect.  As it is, in the aircraft I have now, the FTX has likely induced a slight slowing and stutter, especially into the freeware GA airports.  I flew into KDVT, my "home" airport, which looks so much better now; however, I noticed some stuttering.  Any way I can improve this?  I have pretty much thinned the sim out and tuned it right, so I doubt it, but I'm asking either way.  I didn't update my ORBX libraries since the latest seems to be an issue for some.  My road traffic is off, vehicles at airports are low, AI is WOAI (30% airline, 50% GA), other sections:

 

[TERRAIN]
LOD_RADIUS=6.500000
MESH_COMPLEXITY=100
MESH_RESOLUTION=23
TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=29
AUTOGEN_DENSITY=3
DETAIL_TEXTURE=1
WATER_EFFECTS=4

 

 

D3D10=0
TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=2048
NUM_LIGHTS=8
AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=0
AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=1
COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=1
LANDING_LIGHTS=1
AC_SELF_SHADOW=0
EFFECTS_QUALITY=2
GROUND_SHADOWS=0
TEXTURE_QUALITY=3
IMAGE_QUALITY=0
See_Self=1
Text_Scroll=1

 

BLOOM_EFFECTS=0
SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=1
TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=160
UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30
WideViewAspect=True
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_SURFACE_SCALAR=0.9 //Runway Lights
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_VASI_SCALAR=0.9 // VASI Lights
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_APPROACH_SCALAR=0.9 // Approach Bars
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_STROBE_SCALAR=0.9 // Strobes

 

 

Also, I noticed as I flew out of KLAS that the airport is mixed between grass and desert textures.  How to fix this?  Possible?  I don't own any add-on airports because I'm worried about performance.  Notice the mix at LAS in the background.  The FTX textures are so much better than default though.  More houses, trees, and nice night lighting.  I'm happy overall.  :smile:

 

 

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

Two things to set you straight.

 

First FTX Global is just a texture replacement for the stock ground textures and are the exact same size as stock textures, so they can't decrease performance. However, if the textures are annotated for more autogen objects per texture sheet then the increase in autogen could make it feel like the performance is worse. But without autogen coming into play, the Global or GEX textures perform the same as the default textures as they are identical sizes and compressions. If you have a mechanical hard drive you might want to defrag it after installing Global. If you have an SSD then try turning the autogen down to see if that helps.

 

On the second point about the textures being mixed, that comes down to the land class product or lack of land class product being used. You'll need to get OLC US when ORBX releases it or use another land class product until then. What you see is not a fault of Global.

[Orlaam 306]

I'm aware that it mainly just replaces textures.  I have heard that it places objects in different places depending on certain area, but regardless, it does have higher autogen.  Most of the stutters I get are into their freeware airports, so that is obviously a product of their custom objects and enhancements.  It's on an SSD, so if needed I could lower autogen I suppose.

 

My concern with landclass is once again performance.  I could've swore it decreased in FS9, so I removed it.  Any consensus on that?  And any LC that reigns supreme in all areas?  FWIW, I don't recall mixed textures at LAS before, but either way, I want to try and improve that issue.

[Pugilist2 878]

I am waiting for the Orbx US Land Class to get released which should not be to much longer.  I have not installed FTX Global because I predominately fly in the southwestern US and it makes the cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix look way too green.

[Dominique_K 10,133]

 My concern with landclass is once again performance. /..../ And any LC that reigns supreme in all areas?   

 

If the LC map replaces (in an extreme example) desert textures by dense urban textures, the autogen may have an impact on lower machine. Everything being equal, it has no impact. 

 

No LC product covers the whole world. 

 

Europe (including Russia and Turkey) is now covered by OrbX OpenLC EU. Alaska and Canada by an other OpenLC product. Both are pretty good. 

 

Yet another OrbX OpenLC product will soon be released to cover the USA, Mexico and part of the Caribbean. I expect the same level of quality if not more.

 

For other parts of the world, you have to rely on old products, like those from Scenery Tech. Their Indo-Pacific is not bad for where I mostly use it (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea), their Asia is mediocre. Africa and Sth America I don't have.

[Orlaam 306]

Well I can wait.  I just couldn't take that ridiculous desert textures.  They were simply too tan and cartoonish.  A darker tan/grey color and I probably wouldn't have cared.