Hello,
I've just being aware of this thread and I actually investigated the problem recently for my server [Open Conflict]
It's a graphic memory problem that will slow down your renderer, make the game choppy or even make texture black or transparent or font made of blocks.
This will happen a lot with texture to 'High'.
Here is what I understood from the problem trying to investigate it:
Basically, the game is running out of graphic memory (not actual motherboard RAM)
It is struggling to render stuff and load textures. I am pretty sure this won't happen with DCS2 and a recent DirectX.
To be sure, check your log, it will popup DX9_OUTOFMEMORY errors.
You can see your remaining memory using Ctrl Pause x 2 in the advanced fps display.
This memory decreases when a model is loaded (by the map or by the player when he joins) or when a model is looked at (I guess shaders compilation and whatnot)
Why some server more than other?
So my server had 2 big contributors to this problem:
* I was using almost every possible models of planes and helis to make the map various and nice
* I am allowing the external view so you 'use' your memory looking at everything :)
Also, the more people are on a server, the more chance a lot of models will be played and loaded.
To help fix this problem on my map
I recently reformated my map by dropping every non playable aircrafts from the map and using instead common playable aircrafts like FC3 for every AIs and Statics on airports and even using the same skins as the one I put for players.
So now, when you load the map, you have a greater amount of graphic memory left for everything loaded on demand like player aircrafts not already in the map or landscape not already seen.
However, the problem can still appear
It can happen in a worst case scenario.
Given the number of playable aircrafts and sometimes the crazy size they take (like the C101 taking 4 time more than Mig21), you can still arrive at a point when one of each playable aircraft is being played and thus loaded and your memory will not be enough.
An idea for DCS
I think something really nice could be a different texture option for 'other airplanes' like I want my aircraft and my terrain to be 'high textured' but other aircraft could be 'medium textured'
I hope this can help people, I am not sure this will apply to every problems in this thread but maybe some of them.