Discussing Fly!2K

[RandallR 444]

The only thing left that may help you performance-wise (outside of a new computer with a real video card) :-) is to adjust your texture slots. Try the following settings within your VCF (you'll need to turn-off read-only, change your settings, then reset read-only whenever you make changes to the file):====================================0 // Texture Count 32 (0=default)0 // Texture Count 64 (0=default)999 // Texture Count 128 (0=default)0 // Texture Count 256 (0=default)====================================This places three of the texture slots to their absolute minimum. The "0" settings force default minimums that are actually:--32 for 32x32 textures = 128kb--48 for 64x64 textures = 768kb--224 for 128x128 textures = 14.3MB--32 for 256x256 textures = 8MBThis means that at the bare minimums, you would need about 23MB of video memory to get off the ground to handle most of the types of scenery and graphics in Fly! With your AGP bus hopefully loading some of those textures into system RAM, in this case, almost 15 MB, you are able to Fly! Normally this would be a bad trade-off, as you want most of the graphics running out of the video card with a minor amount running through the AGP Aperture Gate, which by comparison, is slow. The only thing that may be helping you here, is that because you don't have a video card to begin with, the video chip is probably accessing the system RAM for video to begin with, so there may be no lag.You'll note that I've recommended a setting of 999 for the 128 texture slot. This is a special setting that takes whatever video memory is left, and applies it to one of the most important areas.If these settings make things worse rather than better, reset to your original settings and let me know what they were. I'll post one more group to try, but you may be maxed out right now. I will follow this post with another to list software and patches you should get (some of which you appear to already have) to maximize your Fly!2K experience.

[RandallR 444]

Macflyer,It sounds like you've already found some of the good add-ons and enhancements - here's the old list I used to recommend, which may include some items you weren't aware of. Whatever you do, be sure to get the patch and update the default aircraft!Here's the old list:==========================Fly! comes with some of the patches and updates built-in. With that in mind, remember that you are at the version 1.01.87 level.Included with Fly! 2K are the following items: Sky! and Infometar. Load these programs - they are excellent! Both Sky! and Infometar have new versions out - you'll find them right here at Avsim.com. When you install Sky!, you also add new textures to all the runways and taxiways in Fly!, so one thing you definitely won't need is the update: Runways.Next I would download the following:--Ground Control. Replaces the Fly! generic scenery with far better generic scenery.--Sky! updates and additions - check the File Library--Patch (VERY IMPORTANT) - the SDK 1.01.88 (User) or (Developer) upgrade. Without this patch, you won't be able to enjoy many of the latest and greatest add-ons for Fly!, including the following:--ALL of Rob Young's fantastic flight models and updates to the default Fly! aircraft. Want your flying to feel and perform like the real thing? Get all of these, and make certain they're the latest versions.--Flyscripts! This scripting program opens up all kinds of possibilities for adventuring, ATC, you name it - in fact, it spawned:--C4TO (Cleared 4 Take Off). This great program has changed the rather bad ATC of Fly! (at least it had one) to a very liveable one. In order to have the latest combo do the following: Install the first versions of Flyscripts! and C4TO. Then install the update for Flyscripts! followed by the update for C4TO and you'll be in business!--Download all of the great scenery (geographic and some airports). The majority of these are on Avsim. Great stuff here, whether satellite or Terrascene.--Check out some of the other aircraft! Because of the complexity (and accuracy) of Fly!, aircraft are not easy to make. I would give special mention to: the Embraer 120, Rob's Learjet, a fantastic Mooney Ovation and Citabria, etc.Even with the advent of Fly II, there's great stuff for the original Fly!.========================================I Hope that some of this is helpful.

[Macflyer 2]

Thanks for the list Randall,I only updated the Cessna so far, I got .88 and I updated some of the other stuff.Let me tell you:the feeling of flight is back again!!!The air is moving, the plane is riding on it; it is fantastic.There is a lot of potential in Fly2k and I am digging for it.But I have to optimize my texture slots still to see if it makes a difference.Thanks so far for your help

[Macflyer 2]

Sorry Randall,I didn

[Guest DSandberg]

>Included with Fly! 2K are the following items: Sky! and>Infometar. Load these programs - they are excellent! Both Sky!>and Infometar have new versions out - you'll find them right>here at Avsim.com.I would be remiss not to mention that NOAA apparently changed their FTP site address recently, which unfortunately has broken the automatic METAR download feature in InfoMETAR. I have not yet been able to do any work on an update to address this, although I intend to. The current version of InfoMETAR can still be used for now, if one is willing to take the extra step of downloading METAR files manually.David Sandberg

[RandallR 444]

Thanks for that reminder, David. Manual downloading works fine - before you fly, go to http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/metar.shtml and download from the "Files" section in the middle of the page. Open the file in Infometar to set your flight path and parameters, then save it in the Metar folder for Fly! to use.Also, considering your texture slot situation, you needed a minimum of 23 MB to use the defaults. If the "999" parameter is to have any value, try increasing your cache above 23MB to see if you get better performance.

[Macflyer 2]

>>Included with Fly! 2K are the following items: Sky! and>>Infometar. Load these programs - they are excellent! Both>Sky!>>and Infometar have new versions out - you'll find them right>>here at Avsim.com.>>I would be remiss not to mention that NOAA apparently changed>their FTP site address recently, which unfortunately has>broken the automatic METAR download feature in InfoMETAR. I>have not yet been able to do any work on an update to address>this, although I intend to. The current version of InfoMETAR>can still be used for now, if one is willing to take the extra>step of downloading METAR files manually.>>David SandbergWow, good to see that a developer of a great tool is still around. I immed. fell in love with infometar and its random feature. Therefor I am not missing much the download function for now. I also like to be able to thin out the data to not have too drastical changes every few miles.To Randall: I set the cache to 32 MB. I don

[Macflyer 2]

another observation:whenever I enter default scenery during a flight, I freeze after a short while.I had this test flight, KSFO-KLAX. I am using a terrascene file around the Bay I rendered myself 2 days ago with terrascene. No probs here. but when I leave tthe terrascene file during flight I had said problem.Trial & error showed that I have no problems with freezing anymore when I turn off mipmapping in the vcf file.While terrascene doesn

[Guest DSandberg]

>Wow, good to see that a developer of a great tool is still>around. I immed. fell in love with infometar and its random>feature. Therefor I am not missing much the download function>for now. I also like to be able to thin out the data to not>have too drastical changes every few miles.Awesome - I'm glad you're enjoying using it!David Sandberg