[IMPROVED] YMML low frame rates

[Virtualwombat]

Hi folks,

         I can't seem to get reasonable frame rates with YMML.

I have tried using the FSX native mode, and have turned off every option except Airside runway and taxi lights. My best framerate is still only 14.0/s. I do not see much difference at all changing screen resolution; the range is only 1.3 fps when changing from 1024 x 768 to 1920 x 1200.

Other settings are AA= 4X Mulltisampling, AF =16, LOD radius = med, Complexity = 100, Mesh res = 10 m, text res.= 15 cm, water = low 2x, scenery complexity = ex dense, Autogen = normal, ground shadows = off, special effects detail = high, weather = min, traffic = 0%, road vehicles = 13%.

My system is reasonably capable, as listed in my sig. I can run FT's Kai Tak at 25 fps comfortably and maintain 30 fps away from cities.

Any ideas on what other settings I could try?

Cheers,

Noel.

[John Venema]

Noel, hang in there mate, we'll work with you to find the sweet spot.

However, you can't compare Kai Tak to YMML in terms of performance. FT use very low resolution textures for that airport and their total texture footprint is a small fraction of what you see in YMML. Like chalk and cheese.

[Martin Henare]

To compare I get the same performance with Ft's St Maarten with the same settings as YMML

[John Venema]

I'll be honest with you Noel, 14-16 FPS is not half bad for YMML. Just don't expect the same FPS as you're getting at YLIL or YMLT, or OZx airfields - they are a fraction of the texture load size as YMML.  On my laptop at least, I find 14FPS to be smooth enough for approaches and all movements around the airport.

Try also changing complexity to 95 and mesh to 76m (yes it contravenes the manual but please try it), and autogen to sparse (you won't lose all the airport trees if they are enabled in the CP). Set Road vehicles to 9% (that's my setting). FTX road traffic behaves differently to default FSX road traffci.

The only other thing I could suggest is perhaps the latest set of nVidia drivers?

[Virtualwombat]

Thanks for the suggestions John.

I can get 20 fps with framerates set to unlimited, but only 14 fps with FSX locked at 30 fps. It's the first time I have experienced this with FSX, although I have read that others have found the same thing with other packages in the past. As always with FSX, autogen is the killer and I can get 23 fps with autogen off. I already have the latest nVidia drivers. I guess the small difference I see in framerates between high and low screen resolution means my system is limited by CPU rather than by the video card, so I'm betting I'll get better results with Nehalem next year.

Cheers,

Noel.

[John Venema]

I always run with Frames set to unlimited Noel, I've never locked them since FSX-SP2. I get very little blurries, particularly if I keep my HD defragged.  Try autogen at sparse, you'll still get decent frames.