The Settings Sliders.

[ColR1948]

I've recently migrated to FSX from FS9, I have added some scenery here and there some looks fine others nothing to shout about, but what some scenery packages say is set the sliders like so, then another will tell you to set them different, then you find posts on the internet where people who are supposed to be experts tell you to set them another way for best results.

 

Yes I know different graphics cards don't all behave the same but let us say for example I set them like the first scenery recommends and I get to the new airport I just installed and they recommend different settings, do I pause the sim to change them... No not really, so I have to play around till I find a happy medium.

 

When I first installed FSX it seemed to run OK but since I've played around with all these different recommendations I've notice now I have started getting the squares in the scenery for time to time. Again you go online to find the cure and get told to turn this off or on and another says do this or that, I have even seen posts where uninstalling FSX and reinstall again, I don't fancy that.

 

I saw a thread a while ago where someone was having a problem and was told to uninstall FSX and start over, luckily the next poster said don't do that all you need to do is this etc, then the person having the problem posted back saying thanks that cured it, just think if he had taken the previous advice and not seen the later post.

[evm]

Afraid that is just how it is. FSX is an open platform with dozens of parameters that can be adjusted. As all those parameters are somehow linked together and nobody can say which effect has what cause. So you end up with hundreds of opinions, but no golden bullet, no clear path or advice. With all the addons out there, there just is no clear baseline except the vanilla reinstall - and even that one gives different results on different systems too.

 

With that many variables, you would have to ask every person how his sim is set up in every detail, not just twiddling some sliders. And then you would still be guessing. What worked for one system might not work on the next...

 

If you start tweaking FSX in earnest, you will have to stay away from the sliders anyway. FSX resets some of the most interesting variables back to default, once you press "OK" in the settings window.

 

To cater for the different slider settings needed there are tools like "SimStarter". You basically set up whole sim profiles with different slider settings, and the SimStarter configures these for you before starting up FSX.

[mallcott]

In your case, just save the different settings as presets in the menu, and select as needed

[ScatterbrainKid]

I've recently migrated to FSX from FS9, I have added some scenery here and there...

 

My advice to newcomers is DON'T add anything til you've had FSX for weeks or months so you feel comfortable with it and have got experience of juggling the sliders etc, THEN you can start thinking about adding stuff.

I mean, if you start dating a beautiful woman you wouldn't try to make her wear a Wonder Woman outfit for you until you've at least got to know her well enough.

I've had FSX for about 7 years and it's so beautiful straight out of the box that all I've added in all that time is a strip of southern england photoscenry and some planes.

But seeing as you've already started adding stuff, play around with the slider and button settings to find a happy medium like you said..:)

 

PS- as regards conflicting advice from simmers, take care with advice about tweaking your files inside FSX, because its like a labyrinth in there and you might never find your way out out unless you unwind a ball of string as you go.

Only start tweaking as a LAST RESORT if the sliders and buttons don't do the trick.

[il88pp]

Advice about airports is usually the scenery detail sliders. They reconfne those, because then you see the details they wanted you to see. But you can set whatever you want.

 

Create a balance. Find settings where the sim runs smooth. No stutters.

Then, if you want to see more autogen airplanes, reduce something else, like clouds for example. Or scenery detail.

 

That way you keep it balanced, the framerates stays high, and the sim is flyable.

 

Concider that the people that recommended the settings could be using slow prop planes. If you fly a fast jet the framerates suffers and you could never use those settings.

 

I change at least one or two settings every flight. Often during the flight.

For example:

[il88pp]

For example: Clouds.

If you set them to 120nm when at a big airport, the framerate will suffer and the sim is unplayable.

 

So there I set then to 20 nm. I cant see then further away anyway.

 

But at cruise altitude, 28.000 ft, I can set them to 100 nm without any problem. Looks much better.

 

Then, while descending, I set them to 60 or 40 nm. So the sim is flyable on approach.

 

You can adjust the settings in flight, directly from the menu bar.

That way you can find out exactly what the effects are.

--Btw, in each settings menu is a different "Info" button. Worth clicking and reading well.

[Mithras]

I agree with malcott, use a number of settings saved on FSX like I do. One for airliners, one for bush flying, one for ga flying over cities and twoms, all require different graphical emphasis and you can lower those parameters that fon't affect you.