Parky

If that PCI-e slot on your motherboard is 16x (and chances are it is) I've got a suggestion for you. First of all check to see if the PCI-e slot is in fact 16x capable. If it is, take a look around for a Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5670 1Gig card. You should find one for under 100 bucks quite easily. This card draws it's power straight from the PCI-e slot. No supplemental power cables requred. Your 400 Watt PSU should be able to handle it without a problem. I don't think your CPU is the first bottleneck right now, and neither is your RAM. It's that POS Nvidia 8600. Those cards run like a broke-dick dog. Basically, they're a pile of crap.....regardless of the surrounding hardware. Not sure if the card upgrade will solve you CTD issues....that problem could be a result of something elsewhere in your system. Nonetheless.....I can assure you this upgrade will put an end to your pissy frame-rates.

I still have a BFG 8800GTX O/C 2 sitting on a P5B Deluxe board, in a case with less than stellar cooling properties. My experience with that card has been similar. Runs hotter than Hell unless I ratchet up the fan speeds qute a bit. Nvidia is full of s**te when they tell you the card will run at 90C with no issues. Mine starts to throttle back once it gets up into the low 80's. Much higher than that and you'll actually start to see artifacting. Simple solution for me was to use Riva Tuner to run the fan @ about 70% while in 3D. Same thing applies to my GTX280.....the 285's are known for the same thing as well. Neither card will get much past 70C under load as long as the fans are adjusted properly. Nvidia's drivers are notoriously horrible for controlling fan speeds when left on "Auto". Come to think of it, ATI's efforts aren't really any better. The only drawback to cranking up the fan speeds is the additional noise. They do make quite a hum, but it's a cheap solution and it works. Besides, I'm usually wearing a pair of Sennheiser 350's if I'm gaming. Not only is it an amazing headset in general, but it's noise-cancelling abilities reduce any ambient noise to the point you're pretty much oblivious to it.....and yes, that would include the wife's yapping as well.

Sounds like you've got it pretty much sussed.....but on a side note, really good advice from Morris with regard to Driver Sweeper. It's saved my bacon more than once. A must-have utility for both ATI and Nvidia useres as far as I'm concerned. Just be careful you don't uninstall your chipset drivers with it.....lol.

I'm always a bit confused when I hear about all these "complications" people encounter with Windows 7 64-Bit. From my experience, as long as you set yourself up as Administrator and dummy down the UAC, you shouldn't run into any problems at all. I've been running both the 64 and 32-Bit versions for quite some time now. Haven't had any problems with either version that couldn't be very easily solved.....and those problems I can count on one hand, minus my thumb, my ring finger, my pinky finger and my driving finger.Glad it's worked well for you, UK.Cheers,Parky

I have a feeling you may have somehow ended up with a DNS Server Proxy address in your TCP/IP settings in Windows. There's also a possibility that your problem lies in your router settings, but I doubt that.For now, try this:1) Go into "Network Connections"2) Select your broadband connection (assuming you are on broadband)3) Select TCP/IP Properties4) If you see an IP address or two in "Use the following DNS Server Address", write that info down (just in case).5) Now change that setting to 'Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically'You may have to reboot for those changes to take effect. See if that solves your problem. If not, change those settings back to the way they were, phone your ISP and yell at 'em.Cheers,Parky

Outstanding.....and very well deserved!! Cheers, Parky

Interestingly enough, here's a direct quote from some chap (Jason) over at RoF. It more or less expresses his attitude with regard to the smaller flight-sim/combat flight-sim development community in general... "What we need is support from the community at large, no matter who your favorite developer is or what you like or don’t like about our products, ALL flight sims (assuming the product works halfway okay) deserve your support. The number of serious sim developers can be counted on one hand. The big publishers don’t give a rip about flight sims and the big retailers really don’t care either. This community is small enough to where we need to support each other. Combat flight sims are the most difficult kind of PC title to make, and it enjoys the smallest market share, the math doesn’t add up does it? Be kind to your fellow simmer and sim maker, the sim you save may just be your favorite." Frankly, I think it's an attitude that could be of benefit to everyone.....developers, modders, enthusuiasts in general, and end-users alike. Admirable to say the least... Cheers, Parky

I just ordered the blonde chick at the end of the clip.......the one that knows a good joystick when she.........oh, nevermind.

Any particular reason you feel that way?? What if Winder was to announce that OBD had agreed to a merger with Rise of Flight and the goal was to incorporate BHH's historically correct campaign, it's flyable aircraft and their skins and all those other goodies into RoFs engine/flightmodel/damage-modelling system. How would you you feel about that?? It's never going to happen, but I know how I'd feel about it.......however, I'll leave that to your imagination. (Now THAT ought to open up a can of......something.....lol) Cheers, Parky

Thanks for that bit of info, Red. I'll have to give compatibility mode a whirl and let you know if I can detect any difference on my systems. The only real problems I've encountered was with the ATI card (Sapphire 5970) in Win7 64-bit. Was seeing some black terrain tiles once in a while, but since updating to the 10.6 drivers I haven't experienced the same glitch. I do have to use D3D Overrider in order to get V-Sync working, but other than that, the game runs quite nicely. It also runs pretty flawlessly on my older system with Win7 32-Bit and an XFX GTX280/OC with the latest Nvidia drivers.....basically no issues. Can't hurt to run a test though, and your findings my help someone else out if they're seeing oddities or hurting for performance. I'll let you know how it goes at my end. Thanks again, Parky

Mike, This is taken from the FAQ on the main site. Read through it carefully and apply whichever fixes apply to your specific condition. Q8. My rudder pedals seem to be reversed? -OR- How do I configure my CH Pro rudder pedals to run in OFF? -OR- I get odd changes in controls in flight, and I have rudder pedals and a twist joystick? A8. For some reason if you use more than one controller (rudder pedals, joystick with rudder twist or some other combo or your pedals they are reversed in cfs3/OFF please read through this answer for tips: If rudder is reversed: You need to change the following entries in your CFS3.XCA file located in C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_LOGON_NAME\Application Data\Microsoft\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields (where C: is the drive letter where your XP OS is installed, change if not on C:) Make a backup first! In Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft store this in a different place. Search for the file under folder in C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_LOGON_NAME\Application Data\Microsoft\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields) The folder may be hidden so set your Windows explorer to show hidden files and folders (Open My Computer, Tools menu, Folder View set it there). In the Mine.xca file: <Device Type="yourstick"> <GameMode Name="Player"> <Axis ID="X" Action="Set_Yaw" SCALE="-64"Nullzone="3"/> All you do is make the original entry into a negative number (see example above) and the pedals will work properly. If you still have problems then try this: Sometimes the pedal entry in the XCA file will be as "Rudder Axis"- by deleting that entry and then putting in a new Y-axis line (with the negative value in "Scale") that should fix it. Other issues with rudder pedals causing throttle to change instead, you need to change the throttle assignment in your config settings when in game (press Esc, Controls to get there). Stop the joystick from using throttle Z axis in control panel, controllers, or in game config settings. (Also if you have pedals and a twist joystick with a twist action for rudder too they will clash. You can also go to controls and find the joystick z-axis rudder assignment and delete that mapping, then save your config as "Mine") If you still have issues try editing the DEVICES.XCA file in CFS3WW1 Over Flanders Fields folder. >>>>> ....-OR- you get odd changes in controls in flight, and I have rudder pedals and a twist joystick? If you have a combination of controllers (Rudder pedals, twist Joystick etc) you may get clashes on various axis of control. Toe brakes working the elevator/ailerons etc (can happen with for example Saitek X52 and Rudder pedals and twist joystick) So go to your "Mine.xca" file via My Computer, C drive (default anyway) browse to /Documents & Settings/<your name>/application data/microsoft/CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields (XP) or C:\Users\<YOUR USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields (VISTA) Open it with notepad and under the rudder pedal section down the bottom delete the following. <Axis ID="X" Action="Set_Bank" Scale="64" Nullzone="36"/> <Axis ID="Y" Action="Set_Pitch" Scale="64" Nullzone="36"/> If like me you also have a twist stick and your rudder is still working on that at the same time then delete the following in the joystck section of the same file. <Axis ID="Rudder" Action="Set_Yaw" Scale="64" Nullzone="36"/> Save the file, (change file type to *.* first) then save as Mine.xca (i.e. NOT Mine.xca.txt). If you still have problems with clashes etc here's some advice from Fortiesboy in our forum: Note this is from our forum in 2009. Slightly edited here to help readability. Thanks to Fortiesboy for the original post >>>>>> That didn't help, but you are using two controllers to fly OFF (example here X52 and CH pedals) then : Press pause in flight, and press Esc key, finally get to Controls. Under Configuration, you should select Mine. OFF ( unlike CFS3 itself) does not , and cannot, use any other configuration, so you must only use the Mine one. You say your pedals show up as the main controller. This is OK. The Controls have to pick one of your controllers and it happens to show the pedals as the main one. Under Joystick type, you should find a button next to the pedals controller which if you click it will then select and show the X52 Now, staying with the pedals you will see the list of functions, usually the first is the aileron axis .yes? If that has X or anything under the Control column, then select it and delete it using the Delete Assignment tab at the bottom. Do the same for all other Axes- elevator, throttle EXCEPT the Rudder Axis. This you should select and then use Add Assignment to add the pedals! -( You normally are asked to move the pedals to assign it ) Now go back to Joystick type and select the X52. Look at the Axes in that and assign the aileron and elevator and throttle axis to your X52. Look at the rudder Axis and make sure that is blank, if necessary use the Delete Assignment button at the bottom. Now at bottom right there is a Save Config As tab. Use that to Save your file . YOU MUST save it as "Mine" as before, without the quotes. (file is saved as Mine.xca) Now you should be OK. In essence what you have done is allocate things to the appropriate controller, Ailerons, elevator and throttle to the X52 - with no rudder instruction, and Rudder to your pedals- with no aileron, elevator or throttle instruction. Before, these may have been duplicated and confused the sim. The CH Pedals are associated with Mine, and FF is associated with my X52 Saiteck FCSystem. I then select FF and X52. Still not sure? See forum post here Cheers, Parky

Hmmmm.....that's odd. I can run it in both Win7 32-bit and 64-bit without using any compatibility modes at all. Maybe I'm just special.... Wether or not it'll run on a bootcamped partition with Windows is entirely another question. My guess is if you can get CFS3 for PC installed and working in that environment, you should be able to get OFF to run as well. How well it would run is anyone's guess though.... Cheers, Parky

This is just too good......sorry.....had to share it. A lawyer and a senior citizen are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that seniors are so dull that he could get one over on them easy. So the lawyer asks if the senior would like to play a fun game. The senior is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists saying that the game is a lot of fun. " I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5. Then you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500", he says. This catches the senior's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game. The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from the Earth to the Moon?' The senior doesn't say a word, but reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer. Now it's the senior's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?' The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he can find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows; all to no avail. After an hour of searching, he finally gives up. He wakes the senior and hands him $500. The senior pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep. The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the senior up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?' The senior reaches into his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep. Cheers, Parky

Couldn't help but notice the blonde chick at the end of the clip knows a good joystick when she sees one....

Most FS2004 add-on aircraft will work in FSX. Sometimes it requires a bit of "tweaking" to get them installed and working correctly. There are some pretty good tutorials out there that will help you overcome most issues. One aircraft I really enjoy flying in FSX is the Real Air Spitfire. It's redesigned specifically for FSX compatibility, costs a couple of bucks, but well worth the asking price. Cheers, Parky

It does......but only if you have some decent add-ons for it. Genesis or FS Global for mesh, Ultimate Terrain, Ground Environment Extreme, Real Environment X, My Traffic (or something similar) would pretty much be "must have". Without those, as far as I'm concerned, FSX out of the box looks like a total pile of crap. Mind you, we should be used to that by now. Cheers, Parky

Mike, Glad your pedals are enroute. As far as that +/- stuff is concerned?? I didn't know it even existed up until about a week and a half ago. Interesting format though, and I can see how it would lend itself to a certain amount of "abuse". That's all I'm gonna' say about it. Mostly, I just come here to exchange ideas, a bit of humour, hopefully pick up a helpful tip now and then, and leave it at that. Make sure to report back.... Cheers Mate, Parky

I'll field this one for you, Al. Nope......that adjustment is not possible with the MSFFB2 and I own 5 of 'em......I'm not sure about your Sidewinder 3. Didn't know they even made one....I'll assume that was a typo? Cheers, Parky

Al, As I recall, when I posted a picture of my setup here, you commented that you had the same desk. Well....you know that lower shelf that sits right in front of your feet? The Saiteks sit up on that shelf quite nicely and extend to their full range of motion without any interference from the back-panel, and without having to butcher anything at all. If 6'0" and 190lbs is small in stature, then you've been hangin' around for too long with my buddy Chuck, who's down in Arkansaw. He's 6'7" and 360lbs.......which does make me feel a bit diminutive. Cheers, Parky

Unless you've got some kind of top level military secrets on your HD, wouldn't it be a whole lot easier just to enable UPnP?? It may not work for you, but it's certainly an option to consider. Failing that, just do a quick google for "CFS3 multi-player ports" You may also have to allow access via your OS firewall, probably for OFF Manager...and possibley CFS3.exe? Cheers, Parky

And soooooo...... All this talk about rudder pedals (I too have been flying without them for years) kind of had me thinking maybe it was time to take the leap. Was walking through Bestbuy and spotted some Saiteks on sale (open box discount) and snapped 'em up. Ran me $100 after taxes, which ain't all that bad I figure. Got 'em home, hooked 'em up, disabled the twist function on my MSFFB2 and the toe-brake stuff, and took to the skies in my favorite mount (the TripeHound) for some quick combat. OMFG!!......I need to learn how to fly again, and almost from scratch it would seem... The first thing I noticed was just how lacking the MSFFB2 had been when it came to rudder response (Uncle Al has mentioned this more than once in the past.....now I know what he was talking about). The second thing I noticed was how I keep twisting the freakin' joystick at the same time I'm applying rudder with the pedals. Makes me feel like a complete moron. Can't seem to disassociate myself from that twist thing without giving it a great deal of concious effort....it's getting easier with time though. The third thing I noticed (after about 3 or 4 hours of of some rather ugly crashes and getting my arse kicked by some DIII's) is just how much more effectively I can whip that Tripe around in a turn when I get it just right. Absolutley amazing difference it makes with the pedals. Sir Mike.....you opened up this can, and I'm really glad you did. I've got news for you though. You're gonna' be looking at a bit of a learning curve.....and it's not quite as shallow as some of these guys have made it sound. You're gonna' be humbled at the start. Humbled, confused and frustrated probably, but stick with it. It takes some getting used to, and I'm far from comfortable with the entirely different feel of the controls, but as time passes, I'm really starting to enjoy the added immersion it brings to the table. Well worth the investment.....you won't be disappointed. Almost right up there with TrackIR in terms of the enhancement factor, and that's saying a lot. I'm eager to hear your initial impressions... Cheers, Parky

Shouldn't he be armed with a monkey-wrench instead of a tire-iron???

Will do...... Cheers, Parky

I've never had the slightest problem with it, but a friend of mine who just happens to be a Rabbi, refuses to attempt it even on one leg. Cheers, Parky

That was just clumsiness at the keyboard. Really it was......honest. What he meant to say was that he'd slammed a window on his spectacles, which is a shame actually, because he's virtually blind without 'em.....;) Btw Eric, Thanks kindly for the clarification. There was no explanation needed, and certainly no need for any kind of apology. We all appreciate the efforts you put forth to make this a comfortable and enjoyable environment for all concerned. It goes without saying that you and the other mods do an outstanding job and it really doesn't go unnoticed. Cheers, Parky P.S. (Welcome back, Al)