Extreme lagg with multiplayer

[BRT]

Hi

When i go on multiplayer and there are more than about 5 pilots around, the frame rate goes down crazily to about 0.2fps average and at best times 1 or 2fps.

i may just have a slow internet connection.

what is your average framerate when there is lots of other pilots around?


thanks

[Johan G]

Where are you when that happens, and what aircraft do you fly?

I can't simply fly around KSFO a busy day or anyway near the 2.4.0's F-16, because my FlightGear almost freezes up completely... (get two F-16s near and it does)

[someguy]

Yes, it all depends on what aircraft are in view. It helps to delete the big offenders from your Aircraft folder, the planes with excessive detail, starting with the C172P, the F16, and all jet airliners. When you start lagging suddenly, figure out what just came into view, then nuke it.

Or just fly elsewhere. But then you might as well simply disable MP entirely.

[Johan G]

I have sometimes wondered if one could use AI models instead of full-featured models with internals etc. But that's just a thought... In essence I have no idea how to do it.

[AndersG]

I have sometimes wondered if one could use AI models instead of full-featured models with internals etc. But that's just a thought... In essence I have no idea how to do it. :|

That is already supported - you just need to provide an AI model with a path below AI/ matching that of the main model file. However, it is not without problems (dual control, maintenance etc).

/Anders

[BRT]

Thanks, i would rather not delete my aircraft though

is there detailed instruction on making a simple AI model a multiplayer pilots?

[AndersG]

Thanks, i would rather not delete my aircraft though :D

is there detailed instruction on making a simple AI model a multiplayer pilots?

Not that I know of. What you could do is to simply copy the main aircraft 3d model XML file to the same path under AI/Aircraft/<aircraft>/... then you could update the path inside to still load the 3d model from the real aircraft directory (with a number of ../../../) and remove any references to instruments. That will prevent the AI model from loading any instruments which will save you some texture memory and rendering effort. There might be some very old threads around about this from a few years ago.

If some particular aircraft is problematic as a MP/AI model and you don't care about not seeing it (as a MP/AI model) you could just add an empty (possibly just containing <PropertyList/>) 3d model XML file for it below AI/Aircraft/... . (The path below AI/Aircraft/ must match exactly the path to the 3d model XML for the full aircraft below Aircraft/ - that's how FG finds out that the AI variant exists.)

/Anders

[Johan G]

What you could do is to simply copy the main aircraft 3d model XML file to the same path under AI/Aircraft/<aircraft>/... then you could update the path inside to still load the 3d model from the real aircraft directory (with a number of ../../../) and remove any references to instruments. That will prevent the AI model from loading any instruments which will save you some texture memory and rendering effort.

Ah, ok. Maybe I could try that. It would, as you mentioned, be a maintenance nightmare. What I had in mind was rather to have a big, bunch of low-poly models as AI models, and only display the MP models when they are really close, like within a few hundred feet. Kind of a LOD thing.

[someguy]

There is a bunch of stripped models in the AI/Aircraft folder, but they're apparently ancient and don't match up with many aircraft in current use. No one seems to provide AI models with their new aircraft anymore, and a low-poly 777 won't be much help when all the newbies are doing aerobatics in a 777-200ER, which FG thinks is a completely different airplane. Same with "c172" v. "c172p." The concept gets an "A," but the implementation gets a "D-" because low-poly models are not automatically installed in the right place when you drop a new toy into your Aircraft folder. Of course, that's what open-source is like, all chiefs and no Indians...and it's churlish to complain about free software.

You don't actually have to delete the bloated models. Just zip them back up and FG will ignore them. Or move them to an "Aircraft (disabled)" folder.

[Johan G]

No one seems to provide AI models with their new aircraft anymore...

What? They did in the past? To bad they don't today, it would be really helpful.

I'll keep that in mind if I ever start modelling.

The concept gets an "A," but the implementation gets a "D-" because low-poly models are not automatically installed in the right place when you drop a new toy into your Aircraft folder.

That's pretty much expected behaviour.

You don't actually have to delete the bloated models. Just zip them back up and FG will ignore them. Or move them to an "Aircraft (disabled)" folder.

Moving them to a "Aircraft (disabled)" directory isn't such a bad idea.

Hmm. It seems that I hijacked this topic a bit. I'm sorry for that BRT.