Feuerfalke

Oh, nice, comparing apples and oranges again? Lovely. What you need is: I'll come back to this discussion, when I see an ArmA map with 100,000 square-miles or more. So far, we only have Altis with 270 km²...

Can you post a link to the Open Beta statement?

Oh yeah - DCS: USMC anybody?

Well, in fact you are jumping to conclusions, too: The conclusion that these fixes are easy to do. :) But if you think on a broader scheme, you might notice, that e.g. the explosions probably don't need a fix, if the rendering engine as a whole is upgraded. ;)

That's definitely the long-term-goal. It must be for a complex simulation like DCS.

Thank you. That's exactly what I mean. I'm using the term 'module' because this roadmap was given a long time ago. When Ka-50 was released and DCS was created, it was planned to change the whole Lock-On-backbone into a 'modular system'. This should to make the software easier to separate into different threads and easier to update and maintain. So technically, the terms may indeed refer to the same technique, but of course neither EDGE nor IG won't be optional or buy-ware. Well, at least, I don't expect them to be. I guess we just need a clearer terminology to differentiate between a module of DCS and an addon for DCS.

It seems to me, as if EDGE is just another module being redone and integrated into DCS. Just like sound was before and just like IG is apparently is going to be. So step by step the old integrated engine is separated into different modules and -most likely- different threads. Very interesting IMHO.

Just a guess, but right now you can't run a server without the graphics engine being started. The step taken is probably to divide the basic engine from the rendering, thus creating a different thread which can be activated or deactivated. In simple terms: You can start the game without the GUI or 3D-World being rendered. Ideal for a dedicated server. This will most likely also improve the overall quality and performance. Can't wait to see some first screenshots!

If it's just a micropause you can also try to disable Vertical Sync in your graphics driver. You should also disable tree shadows. You probably don't even notice the difference, but FPS in general will increase. I also found that NVidia renders shadows much different from AMD. With 2 largely identical cards AMD was much less slowed down by shadow-settings (not only in DCS). In general I don't recommend Notebooks for gaming. They are more fragile, more expensive and even powerbooks suffer from bad cooling. Of course, if you want to be mobile, there's no way around a Notebook.

Do you have an idea how many programs are running in the background? Sometimes processes in the background use up more RAM and CPU-Power than you think. Try ending non-used programs before starting DCS. Steam, Origin or Ubi-Play can cause a lot of traffic, doing updates in the background or applying patches to the gameloader. Sporadically even Mozilla, Skype & Co tend to use up a huge amount of RAM for no apparent reason.

Don't get me wrong. I really appreciate the work you put into optimizing the game and finding what makes a difference and what does not. The altering of weapons is just a step too far, for me.

I must confess I'd rather use other weapons than downgrading another.

Architects do weird stuff.

That's exactly what I mean. I installed the game only once and it still works, so it's probably not DCS that makes the problem. The reasoning that other games don't suffer from your problem is inconclusive at best. If you're having a memory problem, most shooters or 08/15-games won't suffer from it, as they don't depend as much on it, as DCS does. Same is true for a temperature or CPU-problem. Just saying "ED, I want your **** software to work, when I want it" apparently didn't help you in the past, so insisiting on it now won't make things easier. Your file says you have a "Dell Studio XPS 8100". Does it run a dedicated graphics-card or do you have an ATI-Onboard-chip?

Processing power is not the problem. The problem is a realistic campaign. Falcon had a dynamic campaign, but it was more or less a set of random missions with effects being transferred to the next. Even the bridges were repaired in the original version from one mission to the next. No matter if it's 4 days between missions or 20 minutes. ED has stated, that it will come, but when it comes, it will be DCS standard = detailed AND realistic.

There could be a thousand things gone wrong. How is the auto-updater to fix a problem with your graphics-card-drivers or a windows-update? It's an auto-updater, not an automated system administrator. Google says "1028_Dell_STU_8100" making problems could be the result of a virus. That would also explain why your windows is searching for "C:\Windows\expl orer.exe" (unless this is a copy n paste-error)

Probably none at all, as the MFCDs don't show what is currently displayed ingame.

X-Keys are really great. To bad they are so expensive in Europe... Got the 54 Pro- and Desktop-boards. I use the 54 Pro version for DCS and the 20-keys-Desktop-Version for other games. But I'm definitely planning on getting a 16 keys stick and probably another 54 pro. The setup is really easy and allows for complex macros and keystrokes. And the support is great. Very friendly and helpful!

I'd pay for both :smartass:

:beer:

The greatest news is that you keep in touch with us on a regular basis.

Rusty_M, I had the same in mind. I googled before posting, though and found the Q-explanation on an nVidia site. Dunno if it changed or if somebody thought Quality was easier to memorize?

MSAA = MultiSampleAntiAliasing Basically AntiALiasing smoothes your rendering-output by calculating the image much larger than your actual display can show it and then downscaling it again. MSAA has the advantage to minimze artifacts during rendering, making the image clearer. Q stands for quality, which further improves your image at the cost of RAM-, GPU and bandwidth-usage. MSAA can reduce texture-shimmering and transparency-flickers (like fences). It can do it better than SSAA or simple AA, but it does not necessarily eliminate it. That's a problem with texture-filters and how they are rendered. nVidia and AMD have different approaches here.

First I didn't want to vote. I like both. I voted for DCS-Level, though, as I fly them mostly. However, I also see the need for entry-level-planes and I also enjoy flying them as well.