20 minutes ago, Cpt_Piett said:

I started another session on the ground. TLOD Base set to 50 and the app adjusts it up to 350. This didn't happen on approach though. 

I had enough headroom for at least TLOD 200. 

I would then say that starting on the ground, TLOD+ being forced on and cranking TLOD to the max (if headroom is available) is working as advertised and confirmed by three people now.  On your approach it did not seem to work as advertised and might be a bug.

My request is that TLOD+ not be forced on when using FPS Cap.  I'm sure that's any easy one for @Reset XPDR.

 

25 minutes ago, rjack1282 said:

My request is that TLOD+ not be forced on when using FPS Cap

I agree, as TLOD tends to go too high i.e. no headroom for panning around. Also, especially when flying airliners at large airports, I usually run into problems during takeoff roll and initial climb out. 

Other than that, I'm a huge fan of the new FS Cap mode. Previously I've used FPS sensitivity, but it's nice to cap FPS for various reasons: sim runs more smooth, GPU doesn't need to run at 99% all the time (I'll probably save some money on electricity lol). 

I've noticed that TLOD goes higher than TLOD Top. E.g. currently at AGL 8000ft, TLOD Top set to 800, and actual TLOD is 950. Not sure if this is intended or not. 

Some further testing with FPS Cap. It works really well when flying GA. With the Fenix though, it sets TLOD too high, so there's not much headroom. Sometimes the FPS stays below the FPS cap. Is FPS adjusted based solely on an altitude band?

Edited January 11, 20251 yr by Cpt_Piett

Thanks everyone for the feedback on the new FPS Cap mode. The most concerning comment, which has come from a few of you, is the request for TLOD Base + not be forced on when using FPS Cap, particularly on the ground, as TLOD Base + is fundamental to FPS Cap working.

The idea in non-expert mode FPS Cap mode is that  on the ground it initially sets your TLOD quite low at 25% of default TLOD then works its way up to the highest TLOD it can achieve while still maintaining a 15% FPS headroom. It then applies this extra TLOD amount across the entire TLOD altitude schedule. If at any point the FPS dips below your target by a very small tolerance, that extra TLOD amount is progressively backed off until you are locked at your FPS cap again. Overall this should be giving you the highest TLOD your system can achieve while maintaining the FPS cap. If have used Auto TLOD configured the same as FPS Cap this way for 4 months of VR flying with a 40 FPS cap and it has worked wonderfully on my system.

What I am getting from the feedback is that external views are stuttering, even with this 15% FPS headroom being maintained, which is a little puzzling. One thing I am thinking is that this stuttering could be just a one off because of the higher TLOD being achieved and the scenery to the sides and behind the aircraft has to load because it is not already cached, which is just how MSFS manages the scenery and is a side effect of higher TLODs, regardless of whether you set them yourself of AutoFPS does.

Options I am considering to resolve this stuttering are:

1. Require an even higher FPS headroom than 15% by backing off TLOD extra twice instead of once so that more headroom is available to overcome stutters.
2. In non-expert mode, limit auto FPS Cap to VFR mode only so that IFR ops are conducted as they always used to.
3. Limiting the TLOD Base + extra steps to either a set number or to a lower TLOD amount than the current TLOD default value that is currently used.

Let me see what I can come up with.

1 hour ago, Cpt_Piett said:

Some further testing with FPS Cap. It works really well when flying GA. With the Fenix though, it sets TLOD too high, so there's not much headroom. Sometimes the FPS stays below the FPS cap. Is FPS adjusted based solely on an altitude band?

TLOD, not FPS, is based solely on an altitude band. In FPS Cap mode, FPS is used to determine whether TLOD Base + can be added or removed so the idea is that you set your TLOD Base and Top low enough so that your FPS cap is ALWAYS achievable without any TLOD Base + being active. In non-expert mode I can enforce this but in expert mode you are in control.

What your screenshot is telling me is that your TLOD top is set too high because you are not meeting the aforementioned requirement of being able to achieve your FPS cap with no TLOD Base + in play. Unlike the other automation modes, TLOD Base + gets added across the entire altitude schedule, so you can still achieve a higher TLOD top than what you set if conditions are favourable so don't feel like you are missing out by setting TLOD Top lower than what you are used to.

For your flight above, I would suggest TLOD Base of 50 and TLOD Top of 200, which will start with a range of 50-200 but can go as high as 200-350 with favourable conditions.

19 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

One thing I am thinking is that this stuttering could be just a one off because of the higher TLOD being achieved and the scenery to the sides and behind the aircraft has to load because it is not already cached, which is just how MSFS manages the scenery and is a side effect of higher TLODs, regardless of whether you set them yourself of AutoFPS does.

This is certainly possible. I've noticed that the FPS can change by 20-30 FPS by changing between different cockpit views, and also going from cockpit view to external view. It's probably impossible for AutoFPS to take into account such huge FPS variations. 

8 hours ago, Harrier77 said:

Thank you, I thought so. I was just interested in seeing the results comparing native FG, LSFG, and both. From my limited tests so far I get the best results with both. I have adjusted the target FPS to a reasonable value and the app is working well.

The other issue with detecting multiple FG types is that in-game FG becomes inactive when MSFS loses focus whereas LSFG is active all the time, so then it becomes complicated to display what is really happening. eg. if Native FG (NFG) is on (ie. 2X) and LSFG is set to 2X, then when MSFS has the focus you are getting NFG 2X and LSFG 2X to give you NFGActiveLSFG 4X, but when MSFS loses focus it becomes NFGInactiveLSFG 2X. The FPS target would also have to be called something like NFGActiveLSFG Target FPS. As you can see, this would be very ugly and confusing, which is why I left this FG combo well alone.

9 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

For your flight above, I would suggest TLOD Base of 50 and TLOD Top of 200, which will start with a range of 50-200 but can go as high as 200-350 with favourable conditions.

Got it. It was a very demanding flight performance wise, from Washington to NY. It makes sense to reduce TLOD Top in such a situation. 

43 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback on the new FPS Cap mode. The most concerning comment, which has come from a few of you, is the request for TLOD Base + not be forced on when using FPS Cap, particularly on the ground, as TLOD Base + is fundamental to FPS Cap working.

The idea in non-expert mode FPS Cap mode is that  on the ground it initially sets your TLOD quite low at 25% of default TLOD then works its way up to the highest TLOD it can achieve while still maintaining a 15% FPS headroom. It then applies this extra TLOD amount across the entire TLOD altitude schedule. If at any point the FPS dips below your target by a very small tolerance, that extra TLOD amount is progressively backed off until you are locked at your FPS cap again. Overall this should be giving you the highest TLOD your system can achieve while maintaining the FPS cap. If have used Auto TLOD configured the same as FPS Cap this way for 4 months of VR flying with a 40 FPS cap and it has worked wonderfully on my system.

What I am getting from the feedback is that external views are stuttering, even with this 15% FPS headroom being maintained, which is a little puzzling. One thing I am thinking is that this stuttering could be just a one off because of the higher TLOD being achieved and the scenery to the sides and behind the aircraft has to load because it is not already cached, which is just how MSFS manages the scenery and is a side effect of higher TLODs, regardless of whether you set them yourself of AutoFPS does.

Options I am considering to resolve this stuttering are:

1. Require an even higher FPS headroom than 15% by backing off TLOD extra twice instead of once so that more headroom is available to overcome stutters.
2. In non-expert mode, limit auto FPS Cap to VFR mode only so that IFR ops are conducted as they always used to.
3. Limiting the TLOD Base + extra steps to either a set number or to a lower TLOD amount than the current TLOD default value that is currently used.

Let me see what I can come up with.

Hopefully the following makes sense: In FPS Cap mode, let me deselect TLOD Min + and have the app hold my TLOD Min up to Alt TLOD Base value.  At the Alt TLOD Base Value, FPS Cap mode kicks in and takes it from there until I cross my Alt TLOD Base value on landing.  At that point we switch back to TLOD Min value.

I can hold my FPS Cap at my TLOD Max value when on the ground, however, I get bad stutters when panning around.  This has been a plague since day one MSFS and why, prior to your amazing app, I could only use a TLOD of 80-100.  Almost as soon as the wheels are off the ground, those panning stutters basically go away and is why I set Alt TLOD Base to 200' and TLOD Max to 200.  My TLOD Min is 50.

10 minutes ago, rjack1282 said:

Hopefully the following makes sense: In FPS Cap mode, let me deselect TLOD Min + and have the app hold my TLOD Min up to Alt TLOD Base value.  At the Alt TLOD Base Value, FPS Cap mode kicks in and takes it from there until I cross my Alt TLOD Base value on landing.  At that point we switch back to TLOD Min value.

I can hold my FPS Cap at my TLOD Max value when on the ground, however, I get bad stutters when panning around.  This has been a plague since day one MSFS and why, prior to your amazing app, I could only use a TLOD of 80-100.  Almost as soon as the wheels are off the ground, those panning stutters basically go away and is why I set Alt TLOD Base to 200' and TLOD Max to 200.  My TLOD Min is 50.

I think I understand what you are asking for on the assumption that you are referring to using the expert mode setting. If so, then the original AutoTLOD mode with TLOD Base + unchecked works as you want up to Alt TLOD Base. Of course you do not get TLOD Base + activating above Alt TLOD Base, but you can still set your TLOD Top and Alt TLOD Top to something your system is always capable of achieving with your FPS cap and you effectively get what you want.

See how that goes but I will also think about whether I could repurpose the otherwise locked and unchecked TLOD Top + checkbox in FPS Cap mode to do what you ask, ie. have TLOD Min + only active above Alt TLOD Base. Let me think about it some more.

7 hours ago, mpo910 said:

+1 Here. Tested it and I also asked myself, is TLOD Base + intended to be forec "on"? I can´t eliminate the "check"

Are you referring to non-expert or expert mode because if the latter you can choose Auto TLOD automation method, which is what FPS Cap is based upon, and have TLOD Base + unchecked? When you do this however, you no longer get presented with a target  FPS as there is nothing enabled to control TLOD should performance conditions be better or worse, which is what TLOD Base + offers. Therefore, when using Auto TLOD without TLOD Base + checked make sure your TLOD Base and TLOD Top are ALWAYS achievable within any FPS cap set on your system.

Edited January 11, 20251 yr by Reset XPDR

16 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

Are you referring to non-expert or expert mode because if the latter you can choose Auto TLOD automation method, which is what FPS Cap is based upon, and have TLOD Base + unchecked? When you do this however, you no longer get presented with a target  FPS as there is nothing enabled to control TLOD should performance conditions be better or worse, which is what TLOD Base + offers. Therefore, when using Auto TLOD without TLOD Base + checked make sure your TLOD Base and TLOD Top are ALWAYS achievable within any FPS cap set on your system.

Ok. Thanks for clarifying. I will try it agein when I am back at my PC. But, THANKS for these wunderfull apps you have developped! It´s amazing how many pages this forum dedicates to your work! Just really great!

Regards

Marcus 

0.4.4.3-test3 is now available for download here.

Test3:

• Changed maximum TLOD on ground in FPS Cap non-expert mode to be 50% in lieu of 100% of your default TLOD.
• Special note to those trying out FPS Cap expert mode is be very conservative and make sure the TLOD Base and TLOD Top are ALWAYS achievable within your FPS cap with how you fly. TLOD Base + can work up from these values with favourable performance conditions but does not go below them.

Sadly I really look forward to testing this but my 2020 version would not load at all today.  I will use your new test version tomorrow in 2020