Prepar3d: settings and news

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speedbird591
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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by speedbird591 »

Here's a workaround for the lack of VFR AI in Prepar3d. To recap, the problem is a bug which resets the line in the config file that reads IFROnly=0 to a random number whenever you make a settings change.

Until LM resolve the problem, if you want GA AI during your session:

Put a shortcut to Prepar3d.cfg on your desktop. Before starting P3D, open the config file and reset the line to =0 then start the sim and fly with traffic. Even if you change the settings during your session the config file won't be redrawn until the next start. Allegedly. I haven't tried it yet as I'm at work but it sounds reasonable.

Ian :)

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Paul K
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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by Paul K »

Thankyou, Yoda. ;) :lol:

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by speedbird591 »

Paul K wrote:Thankyou, Yoda. ;) :lol:
Rubbish idea it was. Work it did not Image

In mitigation, I read it on a forum. I've just tried it and when I changed the weather the AI disappeared and IFROnly=68347930.

So wait for LM we must ...

Ian :)

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by speedbird591 »

The latest news from the P3D front line Image

The 'Estonian' migrator tool (that creates a virtual FSX folder and fools reluctant installers that P3D is FSX) has been updated to v1.6. The main purpose of the update is because some people found a problem with some Aerosoft and other products reporting that a version was already installed (e.g. in FSX) and would not allow another installation (or uninstallation). It's to do with registry entries and this new version addresses and solves the problem.

http://www.flightsim.ee/

More and more people have been reporting Out of Memory errors and Fatal Errors (G3D errors) on several forums. These aren't new, they happen with FSX and the accepted reason appears to be the same for both sims. The fact that they are 32 bit programs and can only use a little over 3Gb of memory irrespective of how much you have on your PC. It appears that the focus is moving to P3D simply because more 'power-users' are moving to that sim. The common factors seem to be running memory hungry aircraft over detailed scenery with the display sliders well to the right. For instance, if you're flying a PMDG 747 over ORBX Seattle area you're unlikely to get as far as Vancouver before experiencing an error. I've certainly experienced a few crashes with my Captain Sim aircraft (with maxed sliders) but it's not specific to any particular aircraft or area. It's just the memory load involved and it's because modern hardware and add-on software has finally overtaken the capability of the simulator.

So what to do? Well, we've pushed it to the limit so we now need to back off a bit to achieve reliability. Firstly, Peter Dowson has discovered how to anticipate the most common G3D crash and the latest version of FSUIPC (free and paid) will prevent the crash and will autosave if you ask it so that if it does crash you don't lose the flight. He's been working with LM and has kindly given them the necessary code which they will incorporate into a later version of Prepar3d. Second is the Microsoft HotFix that optimises the memory usage (which I provided a link to earlier in this thread). Thirdly is the old FSX tweak, the HIGHMEMFIX=1 entry in the Graphics section of the config file. Those fixes will make sure that your memory usage is optimised but if you still get memory problems there's nothing for it but to start backing off the display sliders a little until the crashes stop.

I've started to notice the shader problem with FS9 aircraft in P3D that Ben was getting on the Viscount. I noticed it on the 1-11 the other day in cloudy conditions. I did find a post on the P3D forum that did state that they had changed the shader and aircraft shadowing in later versions and that this would affect older models - so it's definitely another instance of development taking precedence over backward compatibility and will be a consideration for many on this forum who will not want to move to a simulator which won't fully support their favourite models. On the other hand, I love flying the 1-11 in P3D, even if the white does sometimes look a bit dark from outside. I just won't bother taking screenshots in those conditions as it looks fine from the inside :lol:

Ian :)

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by Scorpius »

Hi Ian :hello:

Thanks for the info, have downloaded and installed the Estonia fix although I had not experienced any problems. Now trying the memory fix but again don't have a problem yet.

The only time I see any difficulty is when I close it and then the PC tells me P3D has crashed. :dunno:

Thanks again

Nev

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

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Scorpius wrote:The only time I see any difficulty is when I close it and then the PC tells me P3D has crashed. :dunno:
Hello, Nev. I haven't come across that yet on the forums but I'll let you know if anybody else mentions it. I've got the main forums bookmarked on my iPad and browse through them now and again when I should be doing tickets :lol:

Ian :)

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

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Glad it's not just me that hates doing tickets................ :rant:

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by Paul K »

Thanks for the latest headlines, Ian. I'll update the eastern migrant this weekend, along with a load of other things such as this..

http://www.venetubo.com/fsx.html.

It did wonders for my old FSX installation.

Still haven't linked Plan G over a network to P3D. Still haven't updated FSUIPC. Still have aircraft and scenery to install. I'm way behind schedule, but keep the info coming. Its hugely useful to have it all here in one place. :cheers:

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by speedbird591 »

Hi Paul. Glad you've found this thread useful. I thought it was easier to keep all the P3D stuff together as it kept popping up all over the place and it was then difficult to find the relevant post when somebody asked a question. I got into the habit of browsing the main forums a few weeks ago and now just pop in for a browse from time to time to see what's occurring! The most useful and active P3D forums seem to be the official one, Avsim and ORBX although there are others. So anything new I pick up, I'll post it here.

I see you are itching to start tweaking! I've been doing a bit for a couple of weeks, including the link you posted above. It found that my config file was pretty much OK so I left it. But I have made some tweaks following Kosta's advice and they were already in my file.

Kosta has just published his latest, updated software and hardware guide for FSX/P3D so you may want to read it before you start. http://kostasfsworld.wordpress.com/fsx- ... are-guide/

There are only a few tweaks that he suggests for P3D as it runs quite well out of the box. His main suggestions are for Nvidia Inspector and he has used the same profile for both sims so I've done the same and I'm very pleased with it. One piece of advice that he gives is to scrap an external frame limiter and set the internal to 30. Combined with his full screen vsync tweak it makes quite a difference provided you've balanced the sim to give a healthy 30fps in most situations anyway. I've only just done this so I need to have a longer look at it before finalising.

I'll PM you over the weekend with my settings so you can compare.

Ian :)

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Re: Prepar3d: settings and news

Post by speedbird591 »

Further news about FS Recorder in Prepar3d.

The developer has said that it's the newest version that won't work in P3D but that the older v1.3 should work with limited functions. I installed it yesterday and had a very quick run and it seems to work OK. I haven't tried out the 'Play as Traffic' function yet but the basic playback is fine.

As it can be installed anywhere on the PC and it finds FSX itself, I ensured that the virtual FSX folder was enabled with the Estonia tool. Otherwise it would find the 'proper FSX' and not P3D.

Ian :)

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