FalconAF

Well, I'm a bit confused now too. The screencaps show the new settings being used with the VFR mode selected. Are these new options ONLY for the VFR mode? Or are they for IFR mode too? Do they only benefit the VFR mode? Would I possibly want to use them in IFR mode? Neither the above posts nor the readme explain that.

But this is one of the "variables" issues that @Restore simply won't be able to make a "one size fits all" app for to make everybody happy. I could (and do on several occasions just for fun) hop in the F18 Hornet (or the F22 Raptor freeware from Top Mach Studio) and go "VFR Ground Hugging" at Mach 1 with my hair on fire. Through places like the Grand Canyon, the Swiss Alps (it's fun buzzing LOWI at 100 AGL and 700kts), or even the Mt Everest areas (the Lukla airport canyon area, etc). Obviously these would be VFR flights and could (would) have a constantly changing AGL value for the airplane. Which would send the AutoFPS app into spasms if I used unrealistic TLOD values for the hardware I was using. Heck, even over a flat desert terrain with no OLOD objects to display, at Mach 1 at 100 ft AGL the "terrain" being displayed can get "blurry" simply because the sim may not be able to keep up loading it in front of you fast enough anymore, regardless of the TLOD setting. So what does "really pushing the limits" mean in our cases? Would you be pushing them more than me? Or vice-versa? All I'm saying is that anybody could find a way to "break the app" if they tried hard enough. But that would not be a "negative" against what the app can really do for most people's flying experiences when used the way it was intended by @Reset. I honestly don't think @Reset intended his VFR mode to be "very low altitudes" at 365 knots (or Mach 1 either). If I'm wrong about that, I'll stand corrected. (PS - Testing positive for COVID sucks. And I can't tase my hot wings anymore for now 🥺)

OK. No, I'm not trolling. But Michael, your original post did contain two different questions. You said that yourself again only a few posts above: "Anyway this was about night performance in general and settings effecting that the most." You also said you were seeking solutions for a "Low end PC". Many different people have tested AutoFPS to achieve FS performance improvements using many different computer configurations. Some are using a regular monitor, some are using VR headsets, and all the different configurations of these things effect the results. I offered a possible solution for you, because although I first tested it on my more "state of the art" computer, out of curiosity I also tested it on my old 1080Ti GPU computer too. It works fine in achieving what you are trying to do. When configured properly it will stop trying to render graphics that you really don't need during night flying scenarios and will increase the graphics that would enhance your night flying experience. So I'll quit posting to this thread from now on. Have a good day and enjoy your simming.

For those of you experiencing stuttering and large FPS changes during high(er) altitude cruise flight, I have to ask a question. Are you switching back and forth between cockpit view and an external view a lot? That can cause swings in FPS due to the changing rendering requirements of the 2 different views that need to be displayed on your monitor (interior Cockpit View vs an Exterior Camera View). Also, simply panning the scene can do the same thing, especially in a full exterior view. With a very high TLOD setting trying to display an full outside view, just panning the outside view can cause your computer to have to load and display new data that wasn't already in your computer's memory (this is a common problem for older less robust computers running ANY graphics intensive software). So if your chosen values are set too high (or just "incorrectly") in EITHER or BOTH MSFS and the AutoFPS GUI window, that can make AutoFPS have to keep adjusting TLOD, OLOD, and even the Clouds quality constantly. If that happens AutoFPS won't be able to compensate for it and provide a "steady chosen FPS" result. Your chosen FPS rate may be unobtainable, with your TLOD, OLOD, and Clouds values making CONSTANT swings up and down by AutoFPS trying to maintain a steady FPS it can't achieve. But that would NOT be because of any flaw in the app itself. Folks, the bottom line in ANYTHING in this type of scenario is that if the MAJORITY of the people say something is working right, and a small MINORITY of the people are saying no it doesn't, the usual finding is that the minority is doing it wrong somehow.

IF that was true for EVERY user of MSFS2020 or the AutoFPS, then EVERYBODY would be reporting it. But that simply isn't the case and NEVER has been. Yes, there are isolated times when the MS servers may get overcrowded, etc, or there are "network problems", but EVEN THEN not EVERY user around the entire world experiences the things you are describing. Time and time again, the real problem with MS Flight Simulators "running poorly" over the entire history of the products has been the USER using improper or unrealistic settings in the simulator or "utilities" for their own computer's capabilities (and failure to do routine maintenance of those computers to prevent bloated computers from causing the sim to run poorly). What no one wants to "talk about" over and over again is complaints from users that it's the SIM or an APPS fault, only for other people to discover the users REAL problem was being created by themself in the way they use the sim or apps (or take care of their own computer). The AutoFPS app WORKS. Even Asobo recognizes that in the official MSFS2020 forum (not openly, but they have stated that the results that something LIKE AutoFPS produces ARE beneficial in using the simulator). It's the same darn thing Asobo INCLUDED in the XBOX version of MSFS2020...the user just can't ACCESS it in XBOX to make manual adjustments with it, which was probably intentional so Asobo wouldn't get swamped with complaints about the XBOX MSFS2020 "running poorly" because the XBOX user screwed up the settings themself. And for the same reason, IF Asobo ever included a similar AutoFPS capability in this or a future PC version of Flight Simulator, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was a simple "One Button Click to turn On or Off" (as Asobo themself described how easy it would be to include it in the PC version), so the user COULDN'T change the individual settings of it. Heck, too many users screw up their FS already by using the Graphics sliders in unrealistic and improper settings for their own computers. Asobo wouldn't want their forums filled with complaints about the sim "not running correctly" because the USER used wrong settings for any similar AutoFPS capability. So "One Button...On or Off"...would be the SMART thing for them to include. Heck, even then they wouldn't take away the slider settings in the Graphics section of the sim, so users could STILL screw it up themselves any time they wanted.

This is exactly the type of "documentation" I was referring about when I was discussing "Teach from the Known to the Unknown" in the AutoFPS thread. First, your narrative explanation defines what the acronyms on the GUI mean relative to the actual settings in the MSFS Graphics settings sliders, then there are actual example pictures from the sim that show how and when to use them (and the results) for different flying scenarios and the "wants" the user wants to achieve at the time. If you could make the post above into a PDF document someone could download, I'm sure it would be very beneficial for many, many new (and even current) users of the application. Maybe even get @Reset to link the PDF as an additional recommended download to enhance the Readme file download information. Great explanations! 👍

Now THAT'S just BEYOND tyrannical. Somebody should spank you.

I recall seeing a post not long ago about other people having bandwidth problems recently in European areas and actually getting the "Bandwidth Too Low" message and getting disconnected from the MS servers. If there are server fluctuations that bad AutoFPS WOULD be jumping through hoops trying to establish a baseline FPS value. I had it happen to me once yesterday but I was flying in the U.S. area at the time. But I still maintained a steady 30 FPS while AutoFPS just readjusted my TLOD and OLOD settings on the fly. So getting disconnected from the MSFS server may have something to do with your flight and FPS instability. The sudden FSLTL injections might do it also if they increased the processing and rendering requirements that quickly. You would get an initial FPS drop that would (probably?) stay low until a lot of those FSLTL AI's got out of required processing range. You could ask the developer in the other thread. He's still requesting and answering any questions/reports of "strange" stuff that may be happening with the new final version.

I just saw you posted in the app's thread you completed the flight and the app worked fine. Did your 60 to 20 to 60 FPS variations resolve themselves? It shouldn't be doing that if you have the right values input to the app's GUI boxes. That large of "gap" between your FPS means something is wrong with your settings. Were you using the "Auto Target FPS" mode, or the "Use Expert Options" mode?

Sorry, but 1080p is hardly "high detail" by today's standards. I was using 4K resolution on my 65" Curved Samsung UHD TV and getting consistent 30FPS with TLOD and OLOD settings in the 400's on my "test" computer using AutoFPS with a 1080Ti. All the people who report "It isn't working" have simply been found to be using it wrong. They MUST read the readme and UNDERSTAND how it works so they don't ask it to do things it simply can't do. If the frame rates are fluctuating between the 60's and the 20's, it is set up incorrectly. WAY incorrectly. That said, if you are happy at 1080p, then you are right. You don't need AutoFPS.

ROFL! Actually, a good beta tester WILL have a tyrannical approach to beta testing sometimes. It can be the things the developer never considered a user might try to do with the app that might be discovered then. So once in a while the beta tester may..."I'll bet ya the developer never thought anybody would try THIS! Let's see if it breaks the program!!!" 😆 Note: It's better to have a good relationship with the developer before you try that, though. 😀

ESET is most likely blocking it and downloading a "protected" copy of it. There should be a way in ESET settings or notifications to tell ESET to ignore its concerns and download it "as is". If not, just turn off ESET then use EDGE to download it (like Bob said). Then Edge will offer you to "download anyway" after EDGE warns you about the file. After you download the good copy then you can turn ESET back on again (but you'll probably STILL have to tell ESET to ignore it when you try to run it...set an Exclusion in ESET for it).

Ah, OK, I understand now. Are you using a MSFS beta now? The AutoFPS developer only updates the app for current non-beta MSFSs. If you are using a beta that might cause issues too. EDIT: I didn't see your above post about VSYNC 50% refresh rate until after I posted this. Looks like it may be working for you better now? Edit 2: There's a series of questions the developer is answering about using VSync (or not) with the latest version. It starts on the bottom of Page 3 of the thread I linked for you in my first post to this thread. I don't know what your computer's specs are or what FPS you may be aiming for, but I was able to get a steady 30 FPS when I tested it on my old 1080TI GPU dinosaur machine. (I just used that computer as a test bed for the app...I run my MSFS2020 on a much more capable computer).

If you're referring to the new MSFS2024 version, Asobo personnel already indicated there would "probably" be something similar in MSFS2024 to what the current AutoFPS does. One of them actually said something like, "It's already included in the XBOX version of 2020. I don't know why we didn't think of doing it in the PC version." Duh! 😏

That's probably your problem with it. You don't need to use VSYNC with it. In fact, all the beta testers discovered that can actually interfere with the app. Try it disabling VSYNC in the MSFS Graphics section and see what happens. Just set your FPS in the APP'S FPS window for what frame rate you can normally get, then let the APP maintain that FPS by adjusting you TLOD, OLOD, and Cloud setting. Unless I'm misunderstanding you, the "old lod reset version" was made by the same developer of this new AutoFPS, and the developer himself actually says the old lod reset version should not be used anymore. If you can't get the new AutoFPS to do what the old lod reset app does (and a whole lot better) you are still doing something wrong with it. Initially the app can be confusing for a new user. You really, REALLY need to read the Readme file and if needed ask questions in the forum post I referenced. Once you get YOUR settings for YOUR computer dialed in, you won't be disappointed unless your expectations and associated setting choices are way too extreme for your hardware. Note: I edited my original (first) reply to you to better clarify a couple things. But STILL examine the Readme in its entirety.

0.4.2. Geez! Brain Dump. I need a vacation!!! 🤪 (I went back and changed my other posts to say v0.4.2. Thanks!)

I thought it was Leo looking at you saying, "He set his TLOD to WHAT???" (No offense intended Cpt_Piett 😉 ) PS - The new full release version works like a charm. I'm sold on it and would buy you a cup of coffee if able. 👍

You won't need it anymore with the v0.4.2 AutoFPS. The "Expert" mode option included with it will allow you to do basically the same things automatically, even on an "old low end PC" that would struggle to maintain 30 FPS in MSFS2020 (I tested it on one of my older PCs I still have from many years ago just for grins and giggles. Can you say 1080Ti GPU? 🤪 With a motherboard that can't be upgraded to Windows 11? 🤣). As long as you keep your expectations rational...ie - don't try Ultra Clouds at a payware JFK with 150 AI parked everywhere you'll be fine. Just stay reasonable and you will be able to maintain 30 FPS with "High" clouds, fewer AI, etc. Regardless of the computer capability, you still have to select settings that the computer can reasonably handle.

Try the AutoFPS v0.4.2 full release from yesterday. It's a total game changer for MSFS2020, and Asobo has even taken positive notice of it in their official forum. I've tried it for the past several beta releases and the current non-beta full release works wonders for MSFS2020 performance. Yes, I use it for night flights in just the way you are asking about. For night flights just tell it to use a reduced OLOD (Object Level Of Detail) setting than you would during daytime flights. You don't have to reduce any SLIDER settings in the MSFS2020 Graphics settings page for OLOD or TLOD (Terrain Level of Detail) from your normal choices that you would want for daytime flights. AutoFPS will also automatically manage your CLOUDS level of detail setting from what you set it for in the simulator. Once you "learn" all the possible combinations of settings with the AutoFPS app (it's simple...just start the app and type in your chosen values in the GUI window that opens on you screen) for different flight environments you could just create you own "cheat sheet" to remember what settings work best for you and your computer hardware for different flying conditions, then enter those values before you start the flight in MSFS. For night flights, you "normally" would want to reduce the LOD of OBJECTS (OLOD) on the ground, unless you are buzzing someplace like New York City at 1000 feet. This can increase your FPS significantly if you are using "older" hardware. AutoFPS will automatically reduce OLOD (the "detail" of ground objects) for you as you climb after takeoff, and will also reapply your higher OLOD setting as you descend for landing (so your ground objects will start rendering at a higher LOD again as you get lower). And if necessary it will reduce your TLOD as a "tradeoff"...but that makes perfect sense as the lower you get the "less far" you really need to see details of ground TEXTURES (the TLOD setting). You can manually choose at what altitude(s) you want these things to happen using "Expert" mode, or use the "easy" "Auto Target FPS" option to select a reasonable result for you automatically. Note you can ALSO use "Auto Target FPS" AND "Expert" mode at the same time, but I'll let you read the README file for more info on that. And it does a whole bunch of other things to automatically improve your sim performance at a given FPS rate you tell it to maintain. Stops stuttering, scenery texture tearing, etc. Link to the new thread for the (new full) version of the app posted yesterday: MSFS 2020 Auto FPS App v0.4.2 - Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) - The AVSIM Community (NOTE: READ the Readme file using the link in the first post of the thread BEFORE you install it or try to use it, just to avoid confusion.

OK, my bad on the interpretation of it. A "Hazard of Written Communications".

You're welcome. I wouldn't be doing it unless I thought the app was worth it to begin with.

C'mon, G. Your first 2 items above are great feedback. The third one implies that anybody "reviewing and submitting" inputs about software documentation are just nit-pickers. We are "beta testers" just as much as somebody who tests and submits inputs about how the actual software "runs". I'm testing the documentation and submitting suggestions on how to improve it and make the overall product experience for the end user easier. It's no different and no less important than what anybody else has contributed about the app.

NOTE: The below is intended to be a respectful response, as was stated in the quoted post above. And as I previously mentioned, I have 2 teaching degrees. One of them is in Instructional Systems Development (Google it if you don't know what it entails). Basically, I WRITE instruction manuals, entire lesson plans for courses of instruction (which is another way of saying "How to teach someone using methods and terminology that will not confuse the student", and do Quality Control reviews of said products produced by others. Granted, I'm not a lawyer (but I have interacted with many of them during my 7 years as a First Sergeant in the Air Force), but I'm also not in a courtroom trying to nit-pick the instructions on the side of a medicine bottle because my client didn't follow them correctly and now I want to sue the manufacturer for almost killing my client. In any case, somebody could ALWAYS say what @Reset says in the app will STILL leave some people in a confused state. For instance, if he did use his ideas of "VFR (GA aircraft)" and "IFR (airliners)", I'd guarantee you there would be some users who would end up asking, "Wait. I'm flying my GA Citation jet on an IFR flight at FL410 in weather with no clouds! I'll be a GA aircraft conducting an IFR flight in VFR weather conditions though! What setting should I use then?" The bottom line is that in order for anybody to use the app, they have to be able to "figure out" HOW to use it. They have to be TAUGHT how to use it the way the developer of it INTENDED for it to be used. And in order to do that (especially in a case like this where there can NEVER be enough room on the GUI itself for a detailed explanation of the GUI buttons themselves), there needs to be a "reference pointer" for what the GUI button's name is actually saying. That's what the pop-up box should do...say something like "See item ## in the User's Manual). In the case of THIS app the pop-up shouldn't try to explain anything about what the button will CAUSE to happen if chosen. There simply isn't enough room there in this app's case to do that. We can agree to disagree. But this isn't a court case. Nobody is going to try to sue anybody else if someone chooses the "wrong button" here. And if the "product" does contain a User's Manual that does explain the purpose of the buttons, it's up to the user to READ that included documentation. There's nothing a developer can do if the user refuses or is too lazy to "RTFM". @Reset: The "dot-list" is a good choice (the real name for them is Bullet Statements). It's less intimidating to someone than encountering a large multi-sentence paragraph with multiple "explanations" in different sentences. Having said that, whatever you choose there will STILL be some people who will get confused by it. It's the nature of the beast when "teaching", so there will always be some users who will still ask questions. When that happens is when you have to try explaining it in a different way than you explained it to the person or people who did understand it the first time. Press on. You have created an outstanding app that I'm sure the flight sim community will also see the benefits of (probably 😉) in the next version of MSFS. Asobo isn't stupid (although I do have to chuckle when they included the ability in the X-Box version, but then said, "Well, we never thought of doing it in the PC version." 🤪

@fppilot (said): "I reversed each and every step of the FG hack except the DLSSG flag in UserCFG.Opt. I just missed reversing that to 0. It currently sits at 1." I'm thinking there may be a mis-communication going on with the above. So......just to make sure.... @fppilot: Your last post (copied and pasted above) SAYS your UserCFG.Opt DLSSG flag is STILL set at 1. It NEEDS to be set to 0 (zero) to solve your issue. You must do that MANUALLY by opening the UserCFG.Opt file and making the change yourself. Have you done that yet?

Just finished a flight EHAM to EGLC with the latest 14Mar241000Z. The included "Added automatic cloud recovery TLOD increase to non-expert mode" fix by @Reset solved the "constantly toggling between cloud quality decrease and recovery" I experienced with the previous version. Everything else seemed to work flawlessly also (but I'm not using super high settings...just the "default" ones shown in @Reset's GUI pics).