MSFS 2020 Auto FPS App v0.4.2

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

6 minutes ago, mspencer said:

So far, app is working great for me, I flew 3 flights yesterday and it's having a great impact. Was flying the CRJ, and saw occasional stutters (hung for 5s or so) - unsure if this was due to changing LODs or just the *sigh* CRJ

Did run into what I think was this app causing a hang loading MSFS twice today though. Once on loading the airplane, which I figured was probably just the airplane, and then when I restarted it froze twice while loading the main menu. The second time, once I exited AutoFPS, it took about 5 seconds to start loading again after being hung for about 10 mins. 

May be a one-off and it's certainly not something I've tried to replicate yet since it just happened but thought I would report

What's interesting about the hang ups users seem to be getting more severely now is that nothing much has changed with the app on loading a flight since the release version in that if you are in IFR mode it will preload TLOD min only once and, in later app versions with TLOD +, maybe a second time and possibly a cloud reduction if your are under your target FPS, but never all at the same time. Same as when you are exiting a flight, it just restores your saved TLOD, OLOD and cloud settings once, and it has done that since 0.4.1.

ie. There is nothing on startup and exit other than TLOD + that is different from the initial release version, so why has this started happening more frequently and severely now? (Rhetorical question- you don't have to answer!)

[mspencer 432]

37 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

What's interesting about the hang ups users seem to be getting more severely now is that nothing much has changed with the app on loading a flight since the release version in that if you are in IFR mode it will preload TLOD min only once and, in later app versions with TLOD +, maybe a second time and possibly a cloud reduction if your are under your target FPS, but never all at the same time. Same as when you are exiting a flight, it just restores your saved TLOD, OLOD and cloud settings once, and it has done that since 0.4.1.

ie. There is nothing on startup and exit other than TLOD + that is different from the initial release version, so why has this started happening more frequently and severely now? (Rhetorical question- you don't have to answer!)

It's very interesting if nothing's really changed in terms of the program... because to my knowledge the only recent update for MSFS was just the watermasking thing they pushed a few weeks ago.

That's really strange.

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

I am thinking about disabling TLOD changes below 100 ft for FPS Tolerance in VFR mode, just like it is for FPS Sensitivity in VFR mode, because changing TLOD on the ground just invites texture tearing (DX12) and/or flashing (DX11 and DX12). Not many users will use FPS Tolerance anyway, but I think @mmcmahmay have during testing. If there is no serious objection I will remove TLOD ground changes and below 100ft in FPS Tolerance VFR mode (the FPS tolerance formula will still work the same in the air otherwise) as I strongly believe it is the right way to implement it.

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

11 hours ago, mmcmah said:

That's a good point, being able to switch between them. Doing that, though, would be better if VFR to IFR switching took the currently active TLOD level as a starting point, rather than starting at the TLOD Min value. I mentioned this some pages back, and I think it's currently intended to start from TLOD Min and work its way up.

By definition IFR mode, being the old TLOD Min on ground/landing, has a set TLOD min below a base altitude, so allowing a switch from VFR to IFR on the ground to preserve a higher VFR TLOD goes completely against that and I therefore do not intend to change that behaviour. If you have TLOD Min + enabled and performance conditions are good enough you will get 50 extra TLOD, but otherwise TLOD Min is what you will get.

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

New, hopefully final, Test Version 0.4.2.6-test available here, primarily to put out the revised FPS Tolerance TLOD lock below 100 ft in VFR mode and some minor UI polish. We're nearly there!

• Modified FPS Tolerance mode to lock TLOD below 100 ft in VFR mode, to be consistent with FPS Sensitivity mode with not allowing the app to ever auto adjust TLOD on the ground or close to it, except once when setting up initial mode conditions.
• Changed status line terminology for VFR mode when below 100 ft to say TLOD Locked instead of TLOD XXX Priority which wasn't correct for this mode.
• Revised VFR/IFR tooltips to use simpler language more appropriate to the type of flight being conducted.

Edited March 22 by Reset XPDR

[Pochi 68]

Hi,

Thanks for making your app even better each day ! 

One question regarding TLOD lock on ground.

A s a user said above, when you initiate a flight, it is sometimes still not representative of your performance because you have not yetstarted all your annex app up ie FSLTL. 

In order to have a pertinent TLOD lock on ground, I guess I have to wait to start AutoFPS last ? 

 

Pierre

[Harrier77 60]

15 minutes ago, Pochi said:

In order to have a pertinent TLOD lock on ground, I guess I have to wait to start AutoFPS last ? 

Hi Pierre,

That is exactly what I do. I load into the airport with the aircraft I want, start other apps like FS2Crew & FSLTL (PSXT), and I then start AutoFPS. I do not use expert mode and I set a reasonable FPS target for my system. I then forget about AutoFPS and just fly, it works a treat!

Peter

[GSalden 4,663]

Regarding IFR flying: is it better to use Sensitivity mode or Tolerance mode, when using a high end pc ( 4090 / 13900k ) icw FG On.

I now see fps 70-220+ with FG On.

[Cpt_Piett 4,686]

6 hours ago, Reset XPDR said:

I am thinking about disabling TLOD changes below 100 ft for FPS Tolerance in VFR mode, just like it is for FPS Sensitivity in VFR mode, because changing TLOD on the ground just invites texture tearing (DX12) and/or flashing (DX11 and DX12). Not many users will use FPS Tolerance anyway, but I think @mmcmahmay have during testing. If there is no serious objection I will remove TLOD ground changes and below 100ft in FPS Tolerance VFR mode (the FPS tolerance formula will still work the same in the air otherwise) as I strongly believe it is the right way to implement it.

I’ve been switching between tolerance and sensitivity when testing 0.4.2.5. Can’t say that I notice a difference. Also I’ve changed from 5 to 3, no perceivable difference. @mmcmah may have a different experience though. But I guess this is not entirely related to what you’re talking about. Btw I thought TLOD didn’t change below 50, not 100. Anyway, I don’t have any strong opinions about doing the changes you mention.

4 hours ago, Reset XPDR said:

Revised VFR/IFR tooltips to use simpler language more appropriate to the type of flight being conducted.

This should probably make things even clearer. And in line with what you emphasized in a recent post. Not sure what the IFR tooltip is saying (not at the PC so can’t check).

Edited March 22 by Cpt_Piett

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

1 hour ago, Pochi said:

Hi,

Thanks for making your app even better each day ! 

One question regarding TLOD lock on ground.

A s a user said above, when you initiate a flight, it is sometimes still not representative of your performance because you have not yetstarted all your annex app up ie FSLTL. 

In order to have a pertinent TLOD lock on ground, I guess I have to wait to start AutoFPS last ? 

 

Pierre

If you start up in VFR mode, the app will set your ground TLOD to your MSFS default TLOD and won't change until you are above 100 ft, regardless of whether AI traffic is still loading or not.

In IFR mode, it is the same unless you have TLOD Min + enabled where it may see good performance after the first 20 second settling timer, but before your AI traffic has fully loaded in, and may bump you up by 50 TLOD prematurely. You can work around this in three ways:

1. Not use TLOD Min +, then your starting TLOD will always be TLOD Min.
2. Start AutoFPS after all your AI traffic has loaded, as you have already suggested, or
3. Quickly toggle Auto Target FPS on then off after your AI traffic has loaded, which will reset any TLOD Min + after 10 seconds settling time that may have prematurely activated and you should be good to go.

I suggest option 3 as that is the easiest to do.

[Pochi 68]

Thank you !

So if I understand well, if I want TLOD to be 50 on ground I need to set it to 50 in MSFS as well as in AutoFPS.

Currently I have 100 in MSFS and 50 in AutoFPS.

Pierre

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

4 minutes ago, Pochi said:

Thank you !

So if I understand well, if I want TLOD to be 50 on ground I need to set it to 50 in MSFS as well as in AutoFPS.

Currently I have 100 in MSFS and 50 in AutoFPS.

Pierre

If you are flying in IFR mode, then the app only cares what you have set for TLOD Min and uses that. If you are in VFR mode and you load into your flight that way, the app starts out with your default MSFS TLOD setting.

It's not that I set it specifically that way for VFR, it just that it doesn't set any TLOD on flight loading, which means you get the default MSFS TLOD setting simply because that's what the flight would load up without this app running. Perhaps I should set it to TLOD Min list I do in IFR mode?

 

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

50 minutes ago, Cpt_Piett said:

Not sure what the IFR tooltip is saying (not at the PC so can’t check).

It says "Airliner flights in complex scenery areas"

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

55 minutes ago, GSalden said:

Regarding IFR flying: is it better to use Sensitivity mode or Tolerance mode, when using a high end pc ( 4090 / 13900k ) icw FG On.

I now see fps 70-220+ with FG On.

You are better off using Sensitivity mode unless you experience notable stutters that Tolerance Mode resolves.

BTW, not all stutters come from this app. I was just in a group flight using the app and was getting terrible 10 second pauses in VR with blank screen and no sound coming out of a particular airport. I thought aha! I've found a good test spot to tune the app, so I shut down the app but then I was still getting these pauses. I rebooted my computer, didn't start the app at all and took off from the offending airport and the stutter fest was back. Somethings going on in the back end of MSFS that is messing with my mind! 🤪😆

[Cpt_Piett 4,686]

54 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

If you are flying in IFR mode, then the app only cares what you have set for TLOD Min and uses that. If you are in VFR mode and you load into your flight that way, the app starts out with your default MSFS TLOD setting

Let’s say my MSFS TLOD is 400. Will it increase above that above 50ft (or is 100)?

Not sure if everything you mention in this thread is in the readme. So I’ve added a lot to my extensive iCloud notes collection.

“It's not that I set it specifically that way for VFR, it just that it doesn't set any TLOD on flight loading, which means you get the default MSFS TLOD setting simply because that's what the flight would load up without this app running. Perhaps I should set it to TLOD Min list I do in IFR mode?”

I would strongly suggest that, as a high TLOD on ground is not needed in most situations. Then delay increases until at least 100ft AGL.

Also, I can’t see why it should matter that much what aircraft you fly in remote areas. The approach speed is of course higher in airliners. But with enough headroom the CPU impact of an airliner shouldn’t matter that much.

48 minutes ago, Reset XPDR said:

BTW, not all stutters come from this app.

So true. This cannot be reiterated enough. 

Edited March 22 by Cpt_Piett