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Full set of issues on Windows 7

Graphics issues like: bad framerates, weird colors, OpenGL errors etc. Bad graphics ar usually the result of bad graphics cards or drivers.
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Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby derei » Fri Jul 14, 2017 2:14 pm

Hy,

Just found this simulator, downloaded it and tried to use... but then encountered loads of issues.

My Config:

DELL Precision M6800

CPU:Intel I7-4900MQ @2.8GHz

RAM: 8GB

GRAPHICS:
gl-vendor:ATI Technologies Inc.
gl-version:4.5.13476 Compatibility Profile Context FireGL 22.19.171.257
gl-renderer:AMD Radeon HD 8950 (also known as AMD FirePro M6100)
gl-shading-language-version:4.50
AMD drivers ver. 17.6.2 (last stable release at this moment)

OS: Windows 7 Pro X64

FlightGear Version: 2017.2.1
SimGear Version: 2017.2.1
OpenSceneGraph Version: 3.4.0


Now the issues:
-graphic issues as you can see in the attached link by the end of the post: menus disappearing randomly, text not visible in some menus; tutorial text choppy, random, overlapping and parts missing...
Overall graphics quality extremely bad even with everything set to minimum.
I set everything to basic, tried to track down ATI problems (using the wiki), no success so far.

-controller issues - I have a (cheap) Xbox 360 Controller that I would like to configure, but I can't because there is no 'js_demo.exe' where the game was installed. In fact, there is no 'win32' folder at all in /bin location. The left joystick of the controller works (can control the Ailerons and the Elevator) and the L/R triggers work for the engine (accelerate/deccelerate), but that's about it. All other buttons are non-functional and I would like to use the controller to its full potential.
-in windows (and games where I tested it), the controller works okay. I was even able to configure and use it in GoogleEarth Flight Simulator.

-couldn't find "Preferences.XML" file (i wanted to enable multithreading, as instructed in the wiki) - wiki seems very outdated, by the way... looks like it was addressing an older version of the program.


I would greatly appreciate some guidance on this matter.
If I can output any report/debugging, please let me know how I can do it and i will be happy to provide you with any info you require.

Images: http://imgur.com/a/ACFik

Thank you very much.
derei
 
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby Parnikkapore » Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:28 pm

AMD.... That graphics card always create problems. Switch to Intel HD graphics...

Also, you can enable multithreading on the Additional Options box. It's on the bottom of the Settings window.
There are free alternatives to (almost) every program you encounter. You just have to find them.
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby Richard » Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:32 pm

Flickering text is a known problem with AMD hardware - the best workaround is to use debug->cycle gui (which fixes the menus and some of the other text).

Controller: see Input\Joysticks\Microsoft\xbox-360-controller.xml probably in %APPDATA%\flightgear.org\Input\Joysticks\Microsoft\xbox-360-controller.xml - the usual techinque is to use the File -> Joystick configuration to set something (as this forces the file in %APPDATA% to be created, and then to edit this XML file). The wiki has articles about how to do this, but it's largely quite obvious - especially if you look at the other examples in \program files\flightgear\data\input\joysticks

preferences has been renamed to defaults.xml - however you can also do this with the parameters (either command line or from the launcher). On my R9-290 I have to disable vsync (and throttle the frame rate to 60) [1]

--prop:/sim/rendering/vsync-enable=false
--prop:/sim/frame-rate-throttle-hz=60
--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=CullThreadPerCameraDrawThreadPerContext

Normally you'd want to turn on Atmospheric Light Scattering from the rendering dialog, and advanced weather from the Environment->Weather (you have to do this step everytime you start FG).

Overall the scenery isn't as good as some of the good commercial offerings for FSX/P3D - however in places, especially with OpenStreetMap buildings it gets quite good; and FlightGear's scenery is especially nice in the Swiss Alps.

The 8950 should give you a reasonable frame rate (base on looking at http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AM ... 897vsm9101)

---------------------------------------
[1] http://chateau-logic.com/content/deferr ... erformance
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby Thorsten » Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:44 pm

Overall graphics quality extremely bad even with everything set to minimum.


That's probably why it's called 'minimum'. :mrgreen:

wiki seems very outdated, by the way... looks like it was addressing an older version of the program.


With a 3-month release cycle, it's easy to outdate things. The wiki relies on users (such as ultimately you) to be up to date, and this doesn't always work.

however in places, especially with OpenStreetMap buildings it gets quite good; and FlightGear's scenery is especially nice in the Swiss Alps.


Yeah, I've always liked the Alps...

It's nice where it had personal attention by someone with fine-tuned textures etc., it's not so nice where it's default out of the machine. Again, relies on the community to step up and improve e.g. textures.

In addition to the Alps, some nice regions:

Alaska:

Image

Mexico, Sierra Madre:

Image

Norway, Fjordlands:

Image
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby derei » Fri Jul 14, 2017 10:06 pm

Thorsten wrote in Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:44 pm:
Overall graphics quality extremely bad even with everything set to minimum.


That's probably why it's called 'minimum'. :mrgreen:


I meant "performance quality" - my bad. I was expecting the simulator to go smooth with minimum settings, to show properly what it had to display, instead of menus disappearing, text being choppy, and other problems... Anyway, I got a set of suggestions to try, from Richard. Thanks!
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby derei » Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:25 pm

Richard wrote in Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:32 pm:Flickering text is a known problem with AMD hardware - the best workaround is to use debug->cycle gui (which fixes the menus and some of the other text).


cycle-gui seemed to solve (most of) my problems... i was even able to run Rembrandt + 3D Clouds once I changed the gui... which puzzles me totally ... I never encountered any program before with such a weird behavior.
There still are some rendering issues, but I believe those are part of the program and can't be tackled... I will still have to play with settings.

As for the controller, I was able to start configuring mine from the xml file. I noticed that trying to configure it from the simulator's menu doesn't work, but once I apply configs in .xml and refresh joysticks, the config appears in the menu.

My next step is to find best configuration combination. I found how to execute multiple commands when one button is pressed, but I couldn't find how to make two buttons pressed at the same time to execute one command. I'm using the bumpers to control Elevator Trim, but as I can't see any visual indicator of trim's status, I thought to have a combo for resetting the trim (both bumpers pressed at once to reset elevator trim position). Do you think is possible?
derei
 
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby Thorsten » Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:28 pm

I never encountered any program before with such a weird behavior.


It's not so much FG as the AMD graphics drivers, NVIDIA works flawlessly.
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Re: Full set of issues on Windows 7

Postby Richard » Sat Jul 15, 2017 4:07 pm

Usually you'll find that most things can be tweaked with FlightGear; there is a lot of what would be hard wired in other simulators that is defined inside XML or Nasal files and can be adjusted, from the aircraft, the GUI, the input, menus etc.

The problem with AMD rendering is somehow related to the bitmap based font that is used by default; it doesn't affect nVidia and I've spent many hours trying to track it down. It is probably something related to the OpenGL state that works differently (and possibly incorrectly) on AMD. It could also be something inside one of the shaders; the flickering is dependent on the rendering settings and also what is in the camera view.

For the controls normally there would be a trim indicator visible in the cockpit; if not you could use gui.popupTip(sprintf("Elevator trim %f", getprop("/controls/flight/elevator-trim")); it's your binding do with it what you want.

for dual buttons to do something it would have to be on release; something like (and this isn't tested).

<button n="4">
<desc type="string">dual-button-command</desc>
<repeatable type="string">false</repeatable>
<binding>
<command type="string">nasal</command>
<script type="string">
<![CDATA[
setprop("/controls/button-1-pressed",1);
]]>
</script>
</binding>
<mod-up>
<binding>
<command type="string">nasal</command>
<script type="string">
<![CDATA[
if(getprop("button-2-pressed"))
do_something()
// possibly do some other logic that doesn't require both buttons pressed
setprop("/controls/button-1-pressed",0);
]]>
</script>
</binding>
</mod-up>
</button>
<button n="3">
<desc type="string">dual-button-command-2</desc>
<repeatable type="string">false</repeatable>
<binding>
<command type="string">nasal</command>
<script type="string">
<![CDATA[
setprop("/controls/button-2-pressed",1);
]]>
</script>
</binding>
<mod-up>
<binding>
<command type="string">nasal</command>
<script type="string">
<![CDATA[
if(getprop("button-1-pressed"))
do_something()
// possibly do some other logic that doesn't require both buttons pressed
setprop("/controls/button-2-pressed",0);
]]>
</script>
</binding>
</mod-up>
</button>
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