A couple of little tweaks I found useful...

[bobcat999 8,444]

For those fed-up with the overdone icing effect, including me, when I just happen to graze a cloud and completely freeze the screen (flight over then for me normally!).

Go to keyboard settings and search for 'toggle'.  Expand all of course, and make sure it shows 'unassigned' as well.  If you scroll down you will find 'TOGGLE WINDSHIELD DEICE'.
I assigned this to the i key (for ice), as that doesn't seem to be currently taken.

If your screen gets iced up, you can then just press ' i ' in the sim, and within about 20 seconds, the ice will melt off - flight recovered!  I actually set it back and do it all over again as I am loving this so much!  

Credit for this tip goes to the following site - which is well worth a read, and actually developed one of the pretty good tree mods a few weeks ago.

https://www.flightsimulator.blog/2021/01/10/disable-windshield-icing-effect/

Note, I only searched for 'toggle' in the keyboard editor.  When I typed the whole phrase in it didn't show on mine, but I might have miss-spelled it.

Also, if you want to, you probably know icing can be set in sim from the menus to airframe effect, or visual only.  (Strange how they don't have a completely off setting!).  Anyway, I have mine set to visual only and then use this little tweak - works great! 

 

Next, I just did this little tweak on scaling.

I have a 4k monitor, so I set resolution to 4k.  However, because I only have a 1080Ti, I have to set it to 70% scaling.  On this setting, I easily hold 30 fps (on the stable auto-overclock setting, which I have only just found!  ).

The problem with 70% is my GPU on power and usage is only on about 85%, and my instruments look just a little bleary.  However, if I push up to 80% scaling, everything is sharp, but my GPU tops out at 100% usage and power in some circumstances, causing frame drop, and (I have found) clicking noises through the audio when the power spikes keep hitting 100%.

I was thinking, what if I could do 75%?  That would be about optimum for my card.

So I went into user config and put primary scaling to 75%.  (while in there, try altering Shadows - Size 4096, this will give you nicer, crisper cockpit shadows without bringing your machine to a crawl!).

Anyway, I started the sim, expecting it not to work, and sure enough, the slider read 80%.  However, when I calculated the pixel count, it showed 2880 (3840 at 75%!).

It looks like the slider can only show 70 or 80%, but nothing in between - the user.cfg will do it for you thought!.

I now have a sharper display, but with GPU at about 95% on both usage and pwer draw - just about optimum, it looks superb, and still hanging onto my precious 30 fps! 

 

So if you are on the edge of 30 fps like me, and just can't find that perfect scaling factor, give this a go!

All tweaks at your own risk of course, so back-up the user.cfg file if unsure (takes seconds).

Also, if you move those specific scaling or shadow sliders in sim, you will have to go back into the user.cfg and set it again, as the sim cannot save those settings from the interface by default.

Happy flying! 

PS.  If anyone knows what 'secondary scaling' does in the user.cfg, please let us know!

Edited January 16, 2021 by bobcat999

[nosaj_armstrong 10]

Great tips! They do work!

I have the same video card as you with a 4K monitor as well. I’m not sure if you’re experiencing this but I notice what i would describe as “graininess” in the sim. I have everything set to ultra so wondering if you had any ideas on how to improve that. This may be normal but thought I’d ask for ideas 

 

cheers and thanks again!

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

28 minutes ago, nosaj_armstrong said:

I have everything set to ultra so wondering if you had any ideas on how to improve that. This may be normal but thought I’d ask for ideas 

 

Ultra does not maximise everything there are quite a few LOD settings etc you can windup manually.  Just go through the settings and see which ones "go to 11" so to speak.

The main LOD can go way past 200 by editing the config files I think you can get it up to 800.

Also INSTALL THE LOD TREE DISTANCE FIX - huge difference

Another tweak some people do on higher res monitors is edit the config files and turn off sharpening, this gives a more natural look and eliminates some of the annoying flicker you get with mesh fences and so forth.

[bobcat999 8,444]

43 minutes ago, nosaj_armstrong said:

Great tips! They do work!

I have the same video card as you with a 4K monitor as well. I’m not sure if you’re experiencing this but I notice what i would describe as “graininess” in the sim. I have everything set to ultra so wondering if you had any ideas on how to improve that. This may be normal but thought I’d ask for ideas 

cheers and thanks again!

No problemI  Yes, the graininess is a bit of a thing unfortunately.  In the clouds in particular if that is what you mean.  Asobo are aware, but them fixing it means potentially lowering performance at the moment.  It only happens in a certain light and I ignore it for now.

DX12 may solve a few graphical problems (clouds / blocky reflections etc.), and then I think Asobo will try to mop up the other issues after that. 

Edited January 17, 2021 by bobcat999

[nosaj_armstrong 10]

2 hours ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

Ultra does not maximise everything there are quite a few LOD settings etc you can windup manually.  Just go through the settings and see which ones "go to 11" so to speak.

The main LOD can go way past 200 by editing the config files I think you can get it up to 800.

Also INSTALL THE LOD TREE DISTANCE FIX - huge difference

Another tweak some people do on higher res monitors is edit the config files and turn off sharpening, this gives a more natural look and eliminates some of the annoying flicker you get with mesh fences and so forth.

I modified the Sharpen by setting it to 0 as you indicated. 

 

Where did you get the INSTALL THE LOD TREE DISTANCE FIX. I have one I am using with file name fsblog-trees-lod-fix. Is that the one you recommend?

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

2 minutes ago, nosaj_armstrong said:

I modified the Sharpen by setting it to 0 as you indicated. 

 

Where did you get the INSTALL THE LOD TREE DISTANCE FIX. I have one I am using with file name fsblog-trees-lod-fix. Is that the one you recommend?

there are two ... I am not sure which is better

https://www.flightsimulator.blog/2021/01/05/increase-trees-draw-distance/

https://flightsim.to/file/5318/vegetation-draw-distance-fix

 

 

[Turpentine 375]

Good job @bobcat999! Funny thing is, I happened to find out about the windshield de-ice trick when setting up my Honeycomb Bravo yesterday. I can finally fly the Mooney on a cloudy day in Montreal during the winter!

Great find on the render scale at 75%. I also play in 4k (but with a 2060S) and sometimes I do wish I could set render scaling to 75%. I will try this one asap.

Edited January 17, 2021 by Turpentine

[Turpentine 375]

oh wow, that shadow trick makes a huge difference for the cockpit shadows... thanks!

[Axis3600 50]

Thanks for your advice !

I'm afraid to go up to 4096 for the shadows I only have 1080 ...

And I already have the mod for the distance of the trees which makes me lose about 2 fps ...

For the shadows it must hurt the CG there must necessarily be a loss of fluidity, right?

[bobcat999 8,444]

Just now, Axis3600 said:

Thanks for your advice !

I'm afraid to go up to 4096 for the shadows I only have 1080 ...

And I already have the mod for the distance of the trees which makes me lose about 2 fps ...

For the shadows it must hurt the CG there must necessarily be a loss of fluidity, right?

Don't be afraid, why not just try it. You can set it back easily by moving the slider back to 2048 in sim if you want to put it back. It takes seconds.   

On my 1080Ti, it doesn't significantly affect performance (I can't actually measure any drop in fps), but 8192 started to drop fps by a little I thought (can't prove it - just felt it).   But I would expect this, as doubling the size actually quadruples the workload on the gpu.  I found 8192 wasn't much better than 4096 anyway, even on my 4k display, so 4096 is optimum for me.

Like I say, nothing to lose by giving it a go.  You will find some shadows still have a fringe occasionally, but these ones aren't affected by this setting unfortunately.

[Axis3600 50]

I'll try when I'm home to see if it takes a bit on the performance ...

I had tested for trees that removed a little fluidity but hey the immersion is still much better with this mod.

So I can't wait to see with the shadows at 4096

[fakeflyer737 991]

I can't find the tree LOD fix, is it freeware? 

[Axis3600 50]

2 hours ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

there are two ... I am not sure which is better

https://www.flightsimulator.blog/2021/01/05/increase-trees-draw-distance/

https://flightsim.to/file/5318/vegetation-draw-distance-fix

 

[Nyxx 6,993]

Bob, since I am flying North USA I thought I would add your De-Ice as a key.

Wow great tip and works so well it was -8, I dont mind the aircraft iceing up and it becoming noticeable diffrent but the window screen you would think IRL would be able to keep less Iced up.

Worked great. Thank you.

and parked up.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Nyxx

[warbirds 555]

Are you changing Primary Scaling 1.000000 to .75000000 ?