Track replay is bugged...

[Tekkx]

From what I understand of this matter (the language's barrier is also there) "Track Replay" is ATM an useless (because not working as intended) tool.

 

I can imagine, fixing that is an in depth intervention into the system and recording is a complicated process. So I don't want (nor plan) to complain that.

 

If I got a wish for free: I'd appreciate a button (or sth else) where I could stop recording (as recorded data are useless anyway). Maybe this would solve also my Low-FPS-Problem. (Low means < 10)

Edited January 6, 2017 by Tekkx

[Ironhand]

That is interesting. From my experience with tracks, as soon as I had dynamic weather engaged it messed up replay.

...

It seems logical, that weather/wind dynamics can influence the flight characteristics.

I can see how ASM with fluid system modeled etc. could affect engine performance, thus changes response to recorded inputs.

 

What is really strange, is if it behaves totally different (as in working flawless vs. causing weird results) between installations... You are sure it works flawlessly, in a reproducible way?

:) The TRK file system has had issues of one sort or another since its inception all those years ago, when I was still a young man. So I'm always pleased when they play back correctly. And only slightly distressed, at this point, when they don't.

 

I've attached 2 TRKs for you to try (the first TRK's landing is embarrassingly bad). Both flights last slightly under an hour, I believe, using two slightly different home-made "dynamic" weather scenarios. The only thing happening in them is my flight. So they are very simple but they play back correctly for me every time even sped up to 100x (that's as high as I've taken it). So it's not wind itself that's the issue which is the only point I'm making.

 

[EDIT: Had to ZIP the 2nd TRK file because of size. Didn't notice the huge difference in file size between the two until just now. Might just be mostly due to the difference in the dynamic weather systems. Or not.]

 

My own sense over the years is that the issue is the amount of data being recorded and how quickly it needs to be done. If too much happens in an instant, not all is recorded and bad things start to happen because of the incomplete record. But that's a guess on my part. In the past, players with faster computers seemed to have fewer problems, etc. But it's nothing I've actually "studied" or experimented with.

 

 

Was there any turbulence?

Nope. If these play back correctly for you, open them in the editor, add some, save as a MIZ file, and give it a try. If I have some time in the next day or two, I'll try with turbulence added.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Ironhand

[xxJohnxx]

From what I understand of this matter (the language's barrier is also there) "Track Replay" is ATM an useless (because not working as intended) tool.

 

I can imagine, fixing that is an in depth intervention into the system and recording is a complicated process. So I don't want (nor plan) to complain that.

 

If I got a wish for free: I'd appreciate a button (or sth else) where I could stop recording (as recorded data are useless anyway). Maybe this would solve also my Low-FPS-Problem. (Low means < 10)

 

German:

 

Die Tracks sind nicht unnütz, da es zwar ab und an Probleme geben kann, Sie im Großen und Ganzen vor allem bei kurzen Flügen gut funktionieren.

 

Ich denke auch nicht dass die schlechte Leistung deines Simulators von den Track Aufzeichnungen kommt. Die paar Daten was da geschrieben werden sollten nicht viel ausmachen.

 

Englisch:

 

The tracks are not useless. There can be problems from time to time, however more often than not they work as intended, especially for short flights.

 

I also don't think that the track recordings are at fault for bad performance. The data that is written should not be too difficult for your drive to handle.

[Delta99]

It seems to me that if I don't use the fast forward function my replays always seem to be fine. If I use the FF function then there is a good chance the replay will be bogus. Typically it seems my track is mostly good but enemies etc can be all out of place.

[Ironhand]

German:

...Die paar Daten was da geschrieben werden sollten nicht viel ausmachen.

 

Englisch:

 

...The data that is written should not be too difficult for your drive to handle.

The problem doesn't have to on the computer end. It can also be on software end. The frequency with which it samples or is instructed to record those inputs, etc. I suppose there are any number of possibilities on the software end.

[Nate--IRL--]

The problem doesn't have to on the computer end. It can also be on software end. The frequency with which it samples or is instructed to record those inputs, etc. I suppose there are any number of possibilities on the software end.

 

If I recall correctly, when when Track recording was optional there was no performance loss, during recording.

 

Nate

[Ironhand]

If I recall correctly, when when Track recording was optional there was no performance loss, during recording.

 

Nate

I don't recall any either. Though, I'm not talking about the software not being able to keep up. I'm wondering if there is code written into the program to limit the amount of info it records. Or reads back for that matter. I suppose it could be something on the playback end of things. But, anyway, it's all something I know little about.

 

OTOH, I just finished two flights about 1.5 hours long with dynamic weather--one with turbulence and one without. Both played back correctly. So it seems there's nothing inherent in either dynamic weather or turbulence that causes playback problems. The very boring tracks are attached in case someone wants to watch. I was able to play them back at 15X without a problem. That shortens the "watch" time considerably. In the "no-turbulence" version, I run out of fuel and make a grass landing just short of the runway after crossing a major road. In the "turbulence" version I land and run our of fuel at the end of the taxiway after exiting the runway. (Yes, I was stretching it.)

[Coxy_99]

104th does not run dynamic weather and i can watch my tracks, I switch the the mig-21 vs F-5 server to find every track is borked, Now clouds are moving so i assume dynamic weather was on?

Ive had so many kills and nothing to record its painful.

 

Edit: All my tracks were in MP

Edited January 8, 2017 by Coxy_99

[sobek]

Also, mission complexity should have no influence on what is recorded (in single player).

[Captain Orso]

What I understand is that players want a track which is identical to what they experienced while flying a mission, so that they can view the events of the mission from inside and or outside the cockpit from any of a number of different angles, and also to record the mission in part or in its entirely with video recording software.

 

The issue is that the tracks, for any of a number of possible causes, do not reliably allow this.

 

Why this does not reliably work, we can speculate infinitely, without reaching a conclusion.

 

The question is, is ED willing to provide their customers with the track recording they request or not.

[Tekkx]

What I understand is that players want a track which is identical to what they experienced while flying a mission,

Funny :)

The question is, is ED willing to provide their customers with the track recording they request or not.

The other question is: Is this a ED-issue or do we let the problems in with installing special Mods?

 

BTW:

I watched Ironhands (really boring :)) track on my rig: It ran beautyful. So the issues happen while recording. That's what I've learned from that.

[Delta99]

Its probably an easy fix since Tacview is able to easily do it. Of course you are not getting the full game graphics but they can easily display position of everything throughout the track.

[Ironhand]

...

 

BTW:

I watched Ironhands (really boring :)) track on my rig: It ran beautyful. So the issues happen while recording. That's what I've learned from that.

A glutton for punishment. :) Hopefully you either A) sped the track up or B) went and did something else for the first hour and 29 minutes.

 

Good to know that it played back correctly. FWIW, I've set that mission up on a server called something like Dynamic Weather Test. Not sure if anyone can see it or, if they can, wants to take the time to fly some or all of it. There's only the single aircraft available to make it as similar as possible to the SP experience. So other than weather and turbulence, nothing extra is happening.

 

Not sure anyone can see the server, though. Don't have another computer to use in order to check myself.

[Tekkx]

A glutton for punishment. :)

YOU started with that :)

 

I stayed AND did something different. He. How about this?

 

Encouraged I tried to make a record of my second flight in a Spitfire. The boring part ended with a non-recovering black out....

 

In Replay my mashine stuck in the meadow, thow I reached this time (in original) the RWY straight using the Taxiway. :smartass:

Looks to me like the Recorder writes just the throttle and controls, not the trail.

[shagrat]

Its probably an easy fix since Tacview is able to easily do it. Of course you are not getting the full game graphics but they can easily display position of everything throughout the track.

Not necessarily, as the main idea of a track is to record the input and intertaction with the Sim environment for troubleshooting.

[SkateZilla]

Tactview doesnt save the data the same way as a track,

 

But it'd be neat if it was reversible, after recording a mission and the exports w/ tactview,

it'd be nice if it can inject the data back into a running mission for perfect replays.

 

Hmmm...

[Delta99]

Not necessarily, as the main idea of a track is to record the input and intertaction with the Sim environment for troubleshooting.

 

Then why use this track for replay's then? Why not just record whatever tacview is recording for replays? Has anyone ever used one of these tracks for troubleshooting??

[shagrat]

Then why use this track for replay's then? Why not just record whatever tacview is recording for replays? Has anyone ever used one of these tracks for troubleshooting??

You bet!

A common request to people calling for help is, "please provide a short track". That is because you can check what he is doing in the cockpit, etc.

Tracks record much more data than TacView, especially when it comes to interaction with the sim.

ED can analyze a trackfile for debugging and troubleshooting in ways we can't...

[Delta99]

Once again, this should be separate then. A button to record "debugging" information. Another to record "proper" track information like TacView that can be used for replays. Problem solved.

[Tekkx]

If someone is interested in my latest observation:

 

Yesterday I flew two small circlings with my Spitfire. Replay worked surprisingly fine. Even Touch Down was replayed at the right place ON the RWY.

It looks like, as long I manage to stay on the concrete, record and replay are the same.

 

This confirms what I noticed earlier: Replay goes wrong once the AC rolls into the meadow.

[9.JG27 DavidRed]

^^all these suggestions are only partially true, as those incidents just increase the probability of getting a corrupt track...but fact is, that you still get broken tracks even if you have no dynamic weather, no wind, never touch the grass and so on...the whole system is bugged, and it seems as long as they dont make significant changes of how the tracks are working, we will have this problem, no matter how you behave during a mission or how its set up...

[Delta99]

Yeah, I don't bother with replay functionality any longer in game cause it will inevitably let you down.

 

I record a live version while I'm flying and then resort to Tacview for anything useful to look into from different angles etc.

 

It would still be great to use the in-game replay to get great shots from different perspectives and cameras but it isn't worth the hassle.

[TOViper]

...the whole system is bugged, and it seems as long as they dont make significant changes of how the tracks are working, we will have this problem, no matter how you behave during a mission or how its set up...

 

for me this statement is 100% true.

 

Look at these:

 

1.) I fly the mission, I shoot down a F-15 with my Viggen. Great!

2.) I save this thing as .TRK file after finishing the mission.

3.) I load the .TRK file in the REPLAY window.

4.) I watch it and ... I cant believe ... COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPEN there.

E.g. in the mission my Rb24 hit the F-15, in the track the missile goes wrong, and afterwards my aircraft crashes.

Mission duration: 4 minutes

 

And no, I am NOT JOKING, I am NOT DRUNK, and similar effects happend SEVERAL TIMES with different missions with different file size.

It seems that when the REPLAY function calculates the world again, there is a certain amount of ... dont know how to say ... unsharpness, which leads to completely different outcomes of certain events. Thats my impresssion right now.

 

Sorry, but .TRK doesn't work in a way I can live with, which is a major drawback. :thumbdown:

This relates to 1.5.6.1938 and 2.0.5.3521 as well.

 

Kind regards,

TOViper

Edited March 28, 2017 by TOViper
2.0 also

[Morpheus]

Confirm replay track is completely out, sometime (often) we have no leader in formation or wingmen flies out of formation without reason. Making a video is a hard task :cry:

[Tekkx]

Agreed also. :thumbup:

So why it works sometimes(!) and mostly it doesn't?

 

About 40 percent of fun is generated by watching my progresses (to raise my ego) and observing my fails (to learn on that - maybe).

 

Conclusion: I've paid (all in all) about 100 $ too much for it.

Still hoping for a bug fix. :music_whistling: