foibles

For those using MSFS2020 on a PC, will internet access be required for each session in order to use the sim? Or, for those who have the hard drive space and are able to download a particular region, will it be possible to run the sim while offline, after the initial install?

I am confused about which flight sims require Steam VR to be able to run with the Samsung Odyssey. Part of that confusion seems to be related to whether FlyInside is being used, but I am not sure. So, now that I have a Samsung Odyssey: Are there any flight sims that can be run with just the Odyssey and Windows Media Portal? Which sims require FlyInside? For which is it optional? Which sims require Steam VR? For which is it optional? I haven't ever used Steam. I have only used stand-alone sims in the past (such as FSX, X-Plane).

Uh oh. Tedious and time-consuming does not sound like something I would be interested in if there is an easier way, unless that extra work comes with some other huge benefit.

Eggzman, something somewhat like what you describe happened to me in the past (it's been over 2 years). It left me wondering exactly how Microsoft decides when to require a re-activation. I wonder whether the agent you spoke with flipped a switch that allowed you a certain number of activations without needing to re-contact customer service. By the way, when you did you PC upgrade and reinstalls, did you use the same Windows as before, or did you acquire and activate a new Windows installation. Could that factor be playing a role in how MS deals with FSX activations? Here's a past post of mine on a related topic: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/405057-reinstalling-fsx-perplexing-behavior/

I thought I read somewhere that Microsoft was no longer supporting the original, non-Steam version of FSX, and I took that to mean that it is no longer possible to activate non-Steam FSX installed from discs. However, I was able to activate my own non-Steam FSX after a reinstallation last week. (It had previously been installed on the same computer, so not sure what to make of that.) So, is Microsoft still activating non-Steam FSX versions or not? And if they are, have they announced a date after which they no longer will continue to do so?

I have seen a few mentions of FSEarthTiles (or FSET) across the internet in discussions related to Tileproxy, but I don't really know much about it. I am interested in using one or the other for FSX (maybe P3D). For those who have any familiarity with both of these photoreal scenery approaches, what are your impressions of how they compare? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each relative to the other? (Or if you aren't familiar with both but know of articles or discussions covering both, can you point me to them?)

Just a note for anyone who has just installed Tileproxy and cannot get it to work. There are many threads on the internet discussing this error message: "proxy user: ERROR connecting to filter port: 0x80070002" Almost all of them say that the problem is due to a Windows conflict involving Tileproxy drivers not being properly authorized, and the typical suggestions for resolving the conflict involve various ways of disabling Windows' checking of whether the Tileproxy drivers are signed (for example, by installing and running a program called Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b). In my case, the error had nothing to do with Tileproxy driver signatures. I was trying to set up the Tileproxy data files on a ramdisk. I used the ramdisk software's default settings when creating the ramdisk, which set the files cluster size at 4kb. As I subsequently discovered, 4kb is too small for Tileproxy files, so that choice kept Tileproxy from working. When I changed to a cluster size of 16kb, I stopped getting the "proxy user: ERROR connecting to filter port: 0x80070002" message. So, don't assume that if you are seeing a Tileproxy error connecting to filter port 0x80070002 message, it must be due to a problem with Windows' driver signatures, even if that is the most common cause of the error message.

How is the speed with this new version in P3D version2 vs in FSX?

I think I know the answer to this, but I'll ask anyway and hope to be pleasantly surprised by the answer. :rolleyes:

So, does the way that autogen buildings pop up in P3D appear basically the same as with FSX? Or has it improved? I'm considering a switch from FSX. Autogen popup has been the main annoyance in FSX, and one of the things holding me back from switching. If the buildings autogen popup effect has improved, I'd be much more inclined to transition. If it hasn't improved, I think I will continue to wait, since I've already invested a lot in addons and other equipment for FSX.

lol

How does FSX perform with a high overclock of a single core in a multicore cpu (such as 3770K) - vs leaving all cores at stock speeds vs a mild overclock of all cores?

You cannot just uninstall it like any other program. That would leave junk behind that could be a problem later. If you want to completely uninstall, you need to do a few other things. Try looking at these: http://support.precisionmanuals.com/kb/a87/how-to-uninstall-and-reinstall-fsx http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?18349-UnInstall-FSX

There is another major drawback to OEM Windows, though. You can only install it on one build. If you decide to upgrade your CPU and motherboard at some point, Microsoft treats that as a new computer and won't allow you to reinstall your original OEM Windows. You'd have to buy a new copy of Windows. Retail Windows costs a lot more, but you can reinstall it on a new build.

If you're patient, it's better to build your own. Doing it is a lot easier than most people think. You'll know exactly what parts are installed and get exactly the ones you want. You can avoid all the crapware that gets installed on factory-built computers. You'll save a lot of money. I usually buy parts from Amazon. I've signed up for their shipping program which lets me save on shipping fees and I can get orders delivered from them within 1 - 2 days, they usually have very competitive prices, and they have good return policies. For stuff I can't get through them I generally go with Newegg.

A few other things you can try. Are you using an NVIDIA GPU? If so, go to NVIDIA control panel. Try "Set up multiple displays" or "Surround configuration." There should be an option for identifying and activating displays. Alternatively, in Windows, depending on the version you are using, you may be able to prod the system into DETECTing the second monitor under the Display settings. (If none of that works, and the hard restart suggested above doesn't work -- I recently found I needed to clear the motherboard's CMOS and reapply the motherboard settings to get all the monitors detected after changing the GPU.)

What do you mean when you say you want one monitor for your windows screen? Do you mean for the airplane's front window view? Or do you mean Windows operating system? I'm pretty sure GTX 570 can be used to drive two monitors. Your card has three options (two DVI connectors and one HMDI) for connecting to monitors. There are videos on youtube describing how to setup multiple monitors. , for example, shows one way to connect dual monitors for FSX, using Window's own settings. (The guide in the video shows how to display a gauge on a separate monitor from the main monitor. If you're trying to display the plane's front window view, you could move a Window containing the plane's front window view to the other monitor instead of the gauge used in the example in the video.)Another way to do it is to use the NVidia control panel software that is available from NVidia and controls the video card's settings.

Thanks for that. I really wish more flight sim software developers would start making videos along those lines and including them in the "getting started" or how-to material they provide with their products.

I believe the default values (assuming unmodified by any addon software) are 1.0 (1.0 = 100%; so if you change to 1.5, you are increasing the value by 50%)

Don't forget how they decide to price it. If the $50 version disappears and the only options left are $300+, that would have a very significant, detrimental effect. For all we know, they may decide at some point to price it primarily for commercial users -- $1,000 plus. (It might even at some point become a time-limited license to use, for which you would need to periodically pay a user's fee/subscription, like with antivirus software.) Well, in my case it's an issue of why would I buy now, as a new user of P3D, if they are going to come out with a much better product in just a few months that I would have to reach into my wallet again in order to get. If 2.0 is basically a slightly improved version of 1.4, then it might make more sense for me to just buy now and not bother waiting, especially since they may bump the price for 2.0. But if 2.0 is a major improvement over the current version, and it is not backwards compatible, there's no point in me getting 1.4 now.

If you take the same basic GPU card, but one version has 50% higher number of CUDA cores than another, will that higher number make any perceptible difference in FSX or P3D performance? If so, what will the difference be?

Kael, yes, you can use a 4th panel just for gauges (and maps or whatever). WidevieW allows you to network multiple computers, each running its own display (or displays). Each computer in the network has to have its own copy of FSX, though, and should also have its own copies of whatever addons you are using. I've just started seriously playing with it (in demo mode currently). I've got three identical 23-inch panels running off a single GPU from one computer for a panoramic view. A second, less-powerful computer is running the fourth monitor, a 25-inch, which I am using for gauges and plan to use for maps and other programs when I get around to installing them. I haven't installed addons yet, so not sure how that will go. I'm planning to see whether I can get satisfactory results just installing scenery addons on the computer that's showing the panoramic display, in order to save money. It costs about US$40 if you decide to buy it. The author stresses that it's not worth using the software for just gauges because displaying gauges doesn't put that much of a strain on a computer's system, but, so far, to me this kind of set up seems to be one of the better options, short of spending another small fortune.

Nobody? I figured with as much testing as FSimmers do, somebody would have lookde into this. Here's one discussion Google coughed up. Some calling it "snake oil" and others swearing by it (that is, swearing that enabling the HPET table speeds things up).