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AMD-vid. card friendly terrain data inis
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VonS, in Thirdwire - First Eagles 1&2
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By VonS
Recently I had an opportunity to re-install FlightGear (stable ver. 2020.3.19) on my 2013 Mac Pro and was pleasantly surprised - with no crashes, decent FPS for the most part, and various other improvements that were incorporated over the years. I had dabbled briefly in FlightGear a couple of times before (around 2013, and again around 2020) - but eventually removed the flight simulator from my hard drive on both of those occasions.
Since my particular setup(s) are with dual AMD video cards, I thought I would post some (illustrative) tips below, as well as representative pics of the sim when at best, or very good, settings. I will this time around keep FlightGear on my hard drive - makes for a good, free flight simulator.
For command line entries and tips that should be plugged into the "Additional Settings" option of FlightGear, see the info. immediately below. Make sure to remove the info. included in brackets if copying the commands into the relevant settings section.
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--prop:/sim/gui/current-style=0 (better GUI style for AMD cards)
--prop:input/mice/mouse/mode/button[2]/binding/value=2 (gets rid of horrible mouse-as-yoke feature that sometimes automatically turns on)
--prop:/sim/rendering/photoscenery/enabled=true (gives more photo-realistic scenery whenever possible; to be fully implemented in later FG versions)
--prop:/sim/rendering/hdr/envmap/update-continuously=false (disables continuous siphoning and updating of terrains, to enable seconds command below)
--prop:/sim/rendering/hdr/envmap/update-rate=5 (terrain refresh rate set in seconds; good values are 5 or 10, for minimal stuttering)
--prop:/sim/rendering/max-paged-lod=1300 (stock max paged LOD no. is "200"; recommended is not to exceed about "1900" on AMD)
--prop:/sim/rendering/plod-minimum-expiry-time-secs=60 (stock min expiry time is "180" secs.)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=DrawThreadPerContext (should improve multithreading capacity, at least slightly, and add a few extra FPS)
--prop:/sim/rendering/database-pager/threads=12 (stock thread rendering no. is "4," with more threads improving ave. FPS; set as per your CPU threads no.)
--prop:/sim/rendering/vsync-enable=false (force disables vsync to improve FPS)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multi-sample-buffers=true (this is anti-aliasing; set to false to disable and remove entry immediately below it)
--prop:/sim/rendering/multi-samples=2 (anti-aliasing value; lowest is 2, also good is 4; avoid 3)
--compositor=Compositor/HDR/hdr (modern rendering pipeline for better graphics details and shaders; rarely breaks scenery; still mostly experimental on AMD vid. cards)
--units-meters
--disable-splash-screen
--disable-horizon-effect
--enable-distance-attenuation
--enable-specular-highlight
--enable-clouds3d
--fog-nicest ("nicest" improves look of fog with more subtleties while "fastest" makes fog appear and disappear more quickly; no real impact on AMD FPS)
--shading-flat ("smooth" apparently improves look or depth of shaders; preference is for "flat" since I have not noticed difference in quality on AMD)
--texture-filtering=2 (this is anisotropic value; lowest is 1; also good is 4 or 2; avoid 3)
--bpp=32 (can also use 24 but have not noticed an FPS improvement with 24; would say 32 is better for FPS overall)
--terrain-engine=pagedLOD
--lod-levels=3 2 5 3 1 (also good is 4 3 6 4 2 for best visual quality on AMD but still mostly FPS-friendly; recommended is 3 2 5 3 1 for balance between visual quality and solid FPS)
--lod-res=2 (default is 1; also good is 3; avoid any other values besides 2)
--lod-texturing=raster (better than "bluemarble" as far as I have been able to test, with smoother loading of textures)
--lod-range-mult=3 (default is 2; also good is 1; avoid all other values besides 3)
--enable-texture-cache
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On a broader note, it's important to tweak the rendering, shaders, and LOD range settings in FlightGear - to get the best experience on your AMD video rigs (be it a dual or single AMD setup).
The frequencies, by the way, on my dual FireProD700s have been OC-ed, via MSI Afterburner, from a clock/memory of 850/1370 to 1024/1380 MHz.
Be sensible with the rendering options - particularly with the maximum number of scenery and aircraft tiles - anything above a value of 1900 or so is both useless and an FPS hit. (The scenery/aircraft tiles no. may also be set via the relevant command line entry indicated above in this post.)
Take note as well of cloud density and visibility values. Anything beyond a visibility of 35 km or so is questionable since it does not widen further the cloud carpet but is, once again, an FPS hit.
Pic 1 - Sensible/Best Rendering Choices for AMD Video (in FlightGear)
Next we look at the shader options that also require careful thinking and tweaking. Take note that "landmass," "urban," also "water" - give different visuals if they are set to the maximum level (of five). I personally prefer how the landscape/terrains look with those three settings at a value of four - with crisper graphics - but tweak according to taste. Also worth noting is that I always run the LOD value on my rig(s) at "-1," via the excellent little program "ATISetLod" that is available under the top post of this thread.
Pic 2 - Sensible/Best Shader Options for AMD Video (for crisp and fairly realistic graphics)
Also important is to tweak the LOD range settings to get a good balance between visual quality and decent FPS, with no stuttering or crashes. Focus in particular on the maximum distances for the detailed, rough and bare scenery ranges - I decided eventually on cutoffs of 3, 17.5 and nearly 45 km. Other cutoffs worth considering are 2.5, 15, and 40 (or so) km, as well as 3.5, 20, and 50 km. Anything beyond the latter values will, again, most likely not make much of a difference with the visuals but will contribute a noticeable FPS hit. Take note also of the "high detail" and "AI/MP interior" values. I'm getting good results with values of 250 - 260 pixels for those options; also good are values of 300 (or so) pixels. Those two values may be tweaked to taste, for the most part - but, again, be sensible since they may impact on FPS.
Pic 3 - Sensible/Best LOD Range Values for AMD Video
Last, let's not forget to tweak our custom FlightGear profile (in our AMD settings panel) as best we can, to minimize stuttering, pausing, or crashes. Take note in particular how the shader cache is set to "On," not to "AMD Optimized," and how, even though I have enabled CrossFire mode, frame pacing is set to "Off" (which eradicates stutters on my rig in FlightGear - had tried with frame pacing "On" and was not pleased with the results). If you have only a single AMD video card, experiment with leaving the CrossFire option on (set to "AFR compatible"), or turning it off entirely. (NOTE: I have not noticed any FPS downgrade with anti-aliasing set to 4EQ and edge-detect, anisotropic value at 8, and tessellation at 16. Tweak to taste obviously.)
Pic 4 - Good AMD Settings for a Custom FlightGear Profile
Recommended also, if having any instability with FlightGear on AMD video, is to stick with the "Pro" variant DLLs (drivers) for AMD, instead of the consumer/Adrenalin ones. I particularly like the ver. 19.x.x Pro series of drivers, as well as the venerable ver. 17.x.x ones (the latter of which I have installed on the 2013 Mac Pro). To find links to the Pro 19.Q3 DLLs (the last version of the Pro DLLs to support CrossFire, by the way), see this page.
Below follow several representative pics with the settings illustrated above applied - FlightGear provides a nice selection of aircraft with usually very good monoplane FMs, especially for tricycle-gear (small) civilian aircraft such as Cessnas, also for airliners like the (classic) Boeing 707. For multi-wing contraptions on the other hand and more realistic/historical FMs for biplanes, triplanes, and the odd multiplane, the gold standard(s) remain heavily-modded First Eagles 2 and RoF, as well as recent iterations (UE edition onwards) of the excellent WoFF series.
Happy flying,
Von S
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By VonS
Hi All,
Have been doing a bit of tinkering lately with my FlightGear install (see this thread for more info.) - and results are pleasing enough in what is a free, open-source flight sim. Managed eventually to get accurate photo-scenery working in FG, which is a noticeable improvement over the stock (dated) scenery that has been available in that sim for years on end (see pic. below for photo-scenery at work in FG, in this case in the Mesopotamian/s. Iraqi area; the Alb. D.I is a re-skin and FM-overhaul of a model done by Lester Boffo).
On a hunch, I then converted a bunch of the photo-tiles from FG (stock format is DDS) to BMP format - so that they become visible in the FE2 terrains folder - and it does indeed work - but would require careful, aesthetic choices regarding what tiles to replace in the terrains folder, such as farms, cities, deserts, etc. - for best cohesion and not too many jarring disconnects between tiles.
Nice to see that stock trees and buildings are populating over the satellite/ortho-terrains too, in FE2. Photo-scenery is simply an improved "satellite" carpet that covers the stock scenery and terrain framework in FlightGear - and by extension works the same way in the ThirdWire sims but requires manual conversion to BMP format and manual placement in the terrains folder (perhaps the DDS format would work too, but I didn't bother tinkering with the various settings/text files this time around in the terrains folder).
The other good thing about FlightGear is that it is fully under the GNU GPL (General Public License; i.e., "copy-left" license) - so there are no copyright problems that I know of if one borrows such ortho-scenery for FE2 too (haven't bothered to test with SF2). And if working on such a terrain swap as a personal project - that is of course even simpler.
A few representative pics. below with just a few ortho-scenery tiles placed over Stephen1918's upgrade of the Mesopotamian theater for FE2. Results look pretty good, particularly when flying higher up, and I haven't noticed any FPS drop with the photo-scenery tiles loaded. Some old tiles are still in place in the pics., for comparative purposes. Any empty areas are where I didn't bother to load tiles.
Anyway - I hope you find this post interesting - it's perhaps the "cheapest" way of upgrading tiles across the various theaters available for FE2.
If I find enough free time I might tinker further with this side-project; will post comments if the results prove particularly successful.
Cheers & good flying,
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By VonS
View File Tweaked Flight Models and Realism Pack for FE2
Hello Fellow Fliers of First Eagles 2,
Version 11.0 of the FM/Realism Package for FE2 contains approximately 220 WWI aircraft types and sub-types, for your (virtual) flying enjoyment. For detailed installation instructions, please check over the main "Read Me First" file that is included, as well as several older (pdf) files and that cover aircraft performance info., tips, etc., across all previous versions of the FM update package.
A great many thanks go out to Peter01 and Ojcar, also TexMurphy, for making most of those flight model files to begin with. Also a great thanks goes out to Stephen1918, MontyCZ and Laton for providing lots of beautiful planes and skins that go with those great flight models, to NBell for the many hitbox improvements provided for the planes, also to VonOben, Mike Dora and Crawford for many helpful suggestions, and to the A-Team by SkunkWorks for allowing me to tweak a few of the FMs for their models too. And of course a very big thanks goes out to Geezer for several fantastic, high-quality models that were produced for FE2.
What I've done is tinkered with the data files further. Modifications in all cases, to a greater or lesser extent, include data under the following sections:
(a) MissionData
(b) FlightControl
(c) AIData
(d) Sound
(e) AircraftData
(f) Engine
(g) Crew
(h) Internal Guns
(i) Control Surfaces
(j) Landing Gears
(k) Fuselage, Nose, Tail, Vertical Tail, LeftStab, RightStab, Rudder, Left/Right/Inner/Middle/Outer/Tip Wing components
Enjoy and happy flying!,
Von S
NOTES: For several of Geezer's latest aircraft and my FMs for those aircraft (Nieuports, Pfalzes, etc.), which are not included in this package, please see the relevant post located towards the bottom of page 25 of the "New Aircraft" thread for FE2, on CombatAce. Also see relevant posts on pages 26, 27, and 28 of that same thread for Geezer's "early beta" collection that contains the Breguet XIV, Junkers J.I, and other updates, including performance info. for some of those aircraft types.
DISCLAIMER: All Von S mods., for FE2, SF2, also WOFFue/pe/bh&h2, as well as for RoF (United Ed.), are subject to the CombatAce "freeware" terms of agreement. Mods. may be shared with others, included on other media devices, also modded further, providing that original documentation and/or credit is included, and providing that the mods. remain free to use. Von S mods. shall not be sold, resold, etc., and Von S takes no responsibility for injuries or fixations that may result from flying heavily tweaked FMs or from attempts to enjoy real flying without aid or instruction from a qualified flight instructor.
Submitter VonS Submitted 10/16/2015 Category Flight Models
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By VonS
Hello Fellow Fliers of First Eagles 2,
Version 11.0 of the FM/Realism Package for FE2 contains approximately 220 WWI aircraft types and sub-types, for your (virtual) flying enjoyment. For detailed installation instructions, please check over the main "Read Me First" file that is included, as well as several older (pdf) files and that cover aircraft performance info., tips, etc., across all previous versions of the FM update package.
A great many thanks go out to Peter01 and Ojcar, also TexMurphy, for making most of those flight model files to begin with. Also a great thanks goes out to Stephen1918, MontyCZ and Laton for providing lots of beautiful planes and skins that go with those great flight models, to NBell for the many hitbox improvements provided for the planes, also to VonOben, Mike Dora and Crawford for many helpful suggestions, and to the A-Team by SkunkWorks for allowing me to tweak a few of the FMs for their models too. And of course a very big thanks goes out to Geezer for several fantastic, high-quality models that were produced for FE2.
What I've done is tinkered with the data files further. Modifications in all cases, to a greater or lesser extent, include data under the following sections:
(a) MissionData
(b) FlightControl
(c) AIData
(d) Sound
(e) AircraftData
(f) Engine
(g) Crew
(h) Internal Guns
(i) Control Surfaces
(j) Landing Gears
(k) Fuselage, Nose, Tail, Vertical Tail, LeftStab, RightStab, Rudder, Left/Right/Inner/Middle/Outer/Tip Wing components
Enjoy and happy flying!,
Von S
NOTES: For several of Geezer's latest aircraft and my FMs for those aircraft (Nieuports, Pfalzes, etc.), which are not included in this package, please see the relevant post located towards the bottom of page 25 of the "New Aircraft" thread for FE2, on CombatAce. Also see relevant posts on pages 26, 27, and 28 of that same thread for Geezer's "early beta" collection that contains the Breguet XIV, Junkers J.I, and other updates, including performance info. for some of those aircraft types.
DISCLAIMER: All Von S mods., for FE2, SF2, also WOFFue/pe/bh&h2, as well as for RoF (United Ed.), are subject to the CombatAce "freeware" terms of agreement. Mods. may be shared with others, included on other media devices, also modded further, providing that original documentation and/or credit is included, and providing that the mods. remain free to use. Von S mods. shall not be sold, resold, etc., and Von S takes no responsibility for injuries or fixations that may result from flying heavily tweaked FMs or from attempts to enjoy real flying without aid or instruction from a qualified flight instructor.
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