Factory Defaults for Graphics Settings

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DaddyRabbit

New member
I am a new G4 user and have really enjoyed it. In the last couple of days I have experimented with some of the Graphics settings in an attempt to get things a little smoother but seems I have screwed something up. Now my background has a shudder to it and training videos that previously works have garbled audio.

Flying the standard Spacewalker at the Evergreen field I am getting about 10-12 FPS. Which sounds low based on threads that I have been reading Not sure what the FPS was previously since I just started checking the FPS value once I began trying to fix the problem.

Is there a way to revert all of the settings back to Factory Defaults to rule out that I did something wrong there?

I would think my hardware is sufficient.

Pentium Dual Core 3.4GHz
4Gb Ram
Vista 32bit
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
Dell 3007 WFP monitor (2560x1600 native)

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm not entirely sure but I think there is a a default setting for the graphics in G4. As for the 7300 series card, that is the low end of the mid range series cards. It should run G4 at default setting with a high enough fps to get smooth graphics (in single payer but not in a multi-player session) but you may want to turn down or off stuff like shadows, particles, and foliage density to get a smoother image. Then it might run smooth enough to possibly get into a 4 player multi-player session. You might want to invest in a better graphics card like the 8800GT. That card works very well for the money.
 
My experience has been that you get the best performance if you use the same graphics mode in the program as you have your computer set up for when just the desktop is showing.

You get a better frame rate if you can set your refresh rate higher, too. I am using 1152 X 864 X 75 hz and getting fine results with the built-in video on a 3Ghz Gateway. I know I would get better results with a gaming video card, but I stick to a single plane and photo-fields for the most part, and all is sufficient for my purposes.

When you start up the G4, there is a little button called "additional functions" ( I believe ) and if you select that, you will see "reset to defaults". This will put you back at the settings which the program will run with. You can tweak from there if you wish, but at least, you should have everything working.

Good luck ! Jim
 
On the Evergreen photofield with everything turned on, with the Yak54 sitting on the runway, I get 35 fps.

On the Flight School, with particles, nametags, and details turned off, and the plane sitting on the runway, I only get 11.

On Joes garage, I can squeeze out around 18-22 depending on where the plane is in the air. A lot depends on how much detail in the surroundings has to be written to the screen by the program.

On water scenes, I have to step everything down to pretty much minimum detail. Still am only seeing around 10-15 fps with water scenes.

Just like watching silent vs sound motion pictures, you really don't get smooth motion until you get past 20-25 fps. That is why the photo-field is so much more satisfactory for just learning how the plane handles.

This certainly is not ideal, but probably typical of what you are going to see with motherboard based video drivers. After all, you are only getting 128mbytes of shared ram with that setup, typically.

Hope this helps. Jim
 
Those numbers are barely acceptable to fly with.... At least 60+ for complete smoothness... I would seriously chuck out that Integrated graphics... And get a Proper Video card. 8800GT for $160, what a steal... It was $330. ;)
 
This is probably a very good place to ask this question, then. I realize that those numbers are very low, and I just presented them to show what you can expect with integrated motherboard graphics.

Actually, the rate will rise and fall somewhat depending on how fast and in what direction the plane happens to be flying. If it is going straight from left to right across your view, the rates do drop, but if the plane is going around 45 degrees away or toward the "camera", the rates do go up.

Water flying is almost impossible, however, since there are just too many CPU cycles dedicated to calculating all that wave motion.

After all that, my question is, I have a low profile Gateway computer, and most of the more able video cards will not fit into the case. I have looked at Egghead and they have low profile cards, but I am not sure if they would be compatible with G4.

Exactly what are the important parameters that will allow a card to run properly with G4 ? DirectX 9.0, of course, but what else? How much RAM, What kind of chipset, etc. etc.

Thanks! Jim
 
Thanks

Thanks for the help. The Factory Default reset fixed me up.

I will have a 8800GT installed tomorrow if I can find one. I will report back as to it's improvement.

Thanks again.
 
RCHeliAce said:
system requirements
Click to expand...

Well, its a good thing that my Wife did not know the system requirements when she bought G4 as a Christmas gift, or I would have never gotten it as a present !

Seriously, it is great to have frame rates as high as 60 or better, but if you are willing to accept the limitations that a computer with less power requires, you CAN use the FS for its main purpose, which is teaching you how to handle R/C airplanes successfully.

All the multiplayer, 3D virtual fields, etc. etc. are nice, but unless you are really trying to learn how to fly seaplanes, photofields will give you in excess of 30 fps, and you can even reach above 20 fps with the virtual fields. There is a slight "flicker" at 20-25 fps, but not enough to make it impossible to use.

I am considering a dedicated video card, but for now, I would rather spend the money on some more "real" R/C equipment. Aren't those Spread Spectrum radios, NICE ? ? ?

Best wishes. Jim
 
apollo_13 said:
wats the average fps 4 the sim
Click to expand...
If you are flying at a 3d field, particularly with water, 4 fps may be the best that you can get, depending on your hardware. Is your keyboard broken?
 
I mentioned in another string, I guess, that I switched my G4 over to another computer in the house. This one is only a 1Ghz machine, but does have a fairly good video card with 256 mbytes of dedicated video memory.

My frame rates on that machine get into the 60+ category on photofields, and 35 or better on land-based virtual fields. I still see 25-30 over water, with all the parameters set at "medium", and flying float equipped or anfib styled airplanes presents no problems.

It is nice to have a super video card capable of running 60+ frames over water, but it really is not necessary in order to perform the prime task of the simulator, which is to teach one how to FLY R/C !

Best wishes, Jim
 
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