Framerates

[Guest R_Driscoll]

For the experts out there. Over the years the framerates on FU3 seem to have got slower on my computer. When it was new, I as getting 15 fps dropping to 8 fps in built-up areas. Now all regions have dropped to 12 fps and built-up areas down to 4-5 fps. Ignoring the obvious, that its getting a bit old, I wonder what has caused this? It is almost unuseably slow now, which is spoiling my interest in running the sim. I defrag often, its a massive hard disk and has lots of other programs on it.RobD.

[adams 1]

It's time to buy new computer. When I instaled new AI, my computer almost stopped, but after a few seconds was back to almost previous framerates.B.Adamski

[Guest glidernut]

When you compair then with nouw, are you compairing like with like, ie,A standered insterlation of FU3 without any add ons THEN, and a standered insterlation of FU3 without any add ons NOUW?If this is the case, I sergest you try starting FU3 with a .bat file, with this line in thebat file,start /high FLIGHT3.exeStarting FU3 high like this givs FU3 prioraty over other programs runing in the background.You might also try that program that puts FU3s files on yor hard driv in a contiguas maner.Similer to what defragmenting dus, only beter cus it only moovs FU3 files, althow I thinkyou need a partition for that, and it also requiers a lot of trile and erer to fined outwhat FU3 files to put next to what FU3 files to get the best out of FU3. I dont think anyone has dun any reserch on this to see if the benafits are werth while.I thort this program was in the FU3 library, but Iv just been looking, and its not,I havant seen it for 2 years or more, but Im shoower knows of it if your interested. But thees things are only tinkering with the problem, what you need is an up to date high CPU speed PC with a top of the range grafix card.Go on, treet your self, I dair you.Sell the car, sell the hous, sell the wife and kids, youv gota get your prioratis right.Whats mor important than FU3?Althow if you did get beter specs, with higher framerates, most litly you would imeedeatlyset about spending your framerate buget on mor and beter models!Theres no end to it. Beter CPU speeds and grafixs cards hav dubled or trebled how well FU3 plays thees days.For me, with the latest tecnolagy, framerates hav never been so high as thay are nouw.But just as the latest tecnolagy has been pooshing framerates higher and higher,every addon has neen lowering framerates.So whats new? glidernut

[Hans_Petter 1]

Yes, we can't compare apples and oranges :-) FU3 out-of-the-box was nothing like the sim we have these days.The main thing is to have a decent processor. While 300 - 800 Mhz used to be "adequate" we would like to have at least 1.2 Ghz these days. Provided we get more of those beautifully crafted Australian models I'd say 3 Ghz :-)best regards,Hans Petter

[Guest R_Driscoll]

OK, some great comments and help there. Thanks, I really appreciate your efforts. I was trying to compare apples to apples - the default Seattle scenery was my test, and it has slowed down, so I think something is slowing the computer. I can't upgrade the computer for some time. I explained to my wife about FU3 being more important, but, well anyway, politically it would be a bad move for me at the moment to buy a pencil sharpener or a paper clip (I'm exaggerating here - we're just saving up to send one of our favourite kiddies OS). So no go. I will try the suggestions and see what I can do.As to more famous Australian models (does that make me the next Elle MacPherson? No, maybe not), just a few. I think Jon is the expert here and so many other people have stolen my job with their smart new ways of making these highly detailed models, their fancy new graphics packages. Back in my day, we hand edited every point, I lived in a shoebox in a hole in the road and thought I was lucky (etc etc). So I'm putting my feet up and flying these days (does that make sense?). Thanks again for the quick feedback.RobD.

[Hans_Petter 1]

OK, comparing apples to apples, what may have changed?First, you may have more processes running in the background. Any application you have installed may tax your system, especially so if it comes with a tray icon and quick launch. You may run "EndItALL" before you launch the sim. Alternatively, you may go Cntrl-Alt-Del and terminate any active process that you don't need to keep the OS running. Typically there may be 10-20 executing files doing their thing and you hardly need any of them. Hans Petter

[Guest Seadog]

Hi Rob,Frankly, the most common cause of a gradually slowing computer is the presence of one or more illicit programs such as spyware, adware or various forms of viruses, trojans, etc. I use antivirus programs for those kinds of threats, and also routinely sweep my computer with Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Find them here (if you don't already have them):Ad-Awarehttp://www.lavasoftusa.com/Spybot Search & Destroyhttp://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.htmlEvery friend and neighbor who has ever consulted me with the vague complaint that his computer had been acting sluggish and was just generally slow turned out to have a choking mass of junk that these programs cleaned out. Thus was entropy confronted and harmony restored.:-hah Hope that helps, Doug

[Guest Seadog]

Hi John,Good suggestion, and this is a follow-on for Rob's benefit.Although a bit pricey for a single utility (about US$50), I've just learned of a defragger that arranges files in such a contiguous, alphabetically and numerically consecutive manner. It's called O & O Defrag and is available at:www.oo-software.comI read about this program in the context of tune-up suggestions made by the (Australian) publisher of the MSFS add-on MegaScenery series of photoreal VFR scenery for FS 2004, in which the publisher claimed that arranging the scenery files in such a consecutive manner produced framerate increases of 70%. (He said 170%, but went on to say "nearly double.")The benefit attaches to files that are accessed by the program in a consecutive manner, such as scenery tiles, because the access time for the head to seek them out is virtually nil as one transits from one tile to the next, being that they are numerically sequential.In cases where programs seek files in a non-alphabetically or non-numerically consecutive manner, the best way to reduce the latency of head seek time is to partition a physical drive into multiple logical drives, because that guarantees relatively closer physical placement of the files - and then simply use an ordinary defragger such as the one included with Windows.The next most helpful suggestion is to run two hard drives, placing your (primary) SwapFile on the second one, on a different IDE (or SATA) channel if at all possible. Under XP, it's a good idea to let Windows manage that file and also to provide a small one on your C: drive and let Windows XP manage that one as well. The algorithm Win XP uses to choose between the two will favor the second, and the first is required under certain rare conditions. If using XP, be sure to use the NTFS file system and use 4kb sectors (4096 bytes). Under Win98 (&SE), one only needs the SwapFile on the second hard drive. I have no knowledge of Win2K, sorry.Hope that helps, Doug

[Guest glidernut]

helow Doug,The program I had was free, and Im soower it cum from hear, cus in theinstructions there was constant referance to FU3.You sertanly undersand this Defrag thing beter than me.

[Guest juvat2]

My experiences on slow downs with my own pc.-Big storms in Flt3 always slowed mine down, especially in heavily modeled areas. Always had to compromise fsaa. -If I use winamp and close it. It doesn't really close. Using prc view or process explorer, it's still open in the background, I have to use one those programs to close it.-Printer ques. If there's some doc's still in the printer que, I notice my pc slows alot.-Those internet speed up programs are junk(AOL's especially). Uses my pc to store tons of excess web pages for quick re-load should I go back to the sites. Major resource hog. Constantly running in the background. Difficult to remove from the start-up.-I clear on-line and off-line content often.-Along with Adaware and Spybot S&D there are 4 more must have tools that will help clean out/prevent possible rubbish.--Spyware Blaster(it's free-ware)--Bazooka (it's free-ware)--HiJackThis (it's free-ware)--Zone Alarm firewall(free-ware version)--Sygate firewall (free-ware version)-Check your Windows System Info often.-Check your start-up often, see what nasty thing may have snuck-in on your pc and has auto-installed itself in start-up.-Along with start-up, also check your autoexec and configsys and see if anythings written itself in.-Using the swap file enhancements slows down my pc. I've never had luck with them. Expecially Flt3 slows a little, and also, the "icon limit" triggers. The ai startup would only count up to 97%. I let windows control all this now.-There was a dandy free-ware tool available called Sync Fs made by a flt sim fan. Specialized in defragging hd's. Name was Chris, was the same fella looking into improving Flt3 clouds, had already made improvements to Fs2000 clouds. His "read-me" forbids me to upload it anywhere.-MsofficeXp drains my pc resources-If your running several programs at once, upgrade to at least 512mb ram.My meandering comments have probably drained your resources as well.Bye Rob and good luck with it,JimB

[Guest Seadog]

Jim,I did some Google searching and ran across a reference to Sync FS, copyright 2002 by Circle Software. The only possibility I could find for that company now publishes VFR scenery for X Plane and is athttp://www.circle-software.co.uk/php/html/index.phpbut there is no mention there of the utility. I found it listed athttp://www.usaviation.com/forums/tsl/index...details&id=8449but the link from there to the utility is dead.If the author provides any contact information, it would be worthwhile to write him and ask about sharing what appears to be an abandoned program.Doug

[Guest juvat2]

Hi,I e-mailed him earlier for the request using e-mail address from his readme for the tool. Hopefully he'll reply. E-mailed via this forum also.In meanwhile I found one of his old posts. He's user name "cornclose" or "Chris E". Was a regular here.http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...ing_type=searchJimB

[Guest Seadog]

Very interesting, JimCornclose is the handle used by one of the two moderators of the forums at Circle Software. I think we've found our man.-Doug

[Guest Seadog]

Jim-I've just now emailed him at Circle Software identifying this message thread and asking him to make the program available.-Doug

[Guest R_Driscoll]

And many thanks again. I will try the "start /high" method - I think that helps but will have to do some measuring to check. Of course in the long term I will upgrade the computer. I don't know what "EnditALL" is. Is this a utility? Sounds nihilistic.As a test I installed FU3 on a work computer (don't listen system admin!) and the framerates were great,although I was back to keyboard flying of course. And with those framerates, there are so many new things I wanted to add straight away. Sorry, what was that you said glidernut?I have all sorts of virus checkers, adware, spyware etc. I guess from what you have all said that it is the spread of FU3 files all over the disk, rather than contiguous. Since my nearest and dearest wasn't totally happy with selling the kids, I have approached the kids with suggestions about purging all of their games off the computer.Not with great success.Meanwhile I'm reading up on defragging!Thanks everyone!RobD.