This game is out to get me

[beefhole]

It never ends.  It never ****ing ends. No matter what I do, my problems with this game will never cease. A new damn computer not only didn't solve the problems, IT MADE THEM WORSE! The game looks like CRAP, anti-aliasing doesn't work or something (I have a geforce 5200, somebody tell me if that's good). Oh, and this is my favorite part. Two inexplicable glitches, one that doesn't allow me to arm speedbrakes by usng shift+/ ( you may have heard me bitching about it before) and another that, with no explanation whatsoever, initiates an electrical system failure after about 15 minutes in game (the first time this happened I was just completing my pre-startup at Sydney, getting ready to depart for LAX, and BOY was I mad, and NO I am not accidentally hitting a switch-it's a glitch) ARE NOT FIXED by my not only re-installing the game, but GETTING A NEW ****ING COMPUTER (could it be a problem with the disks? I'm thining it must be, there's no other plausible explanation)!!! >:(
Whew. Blew some steam off. Okay, I'm fine now, it's just this new comp didn't exactly answer my prayers.  There is one thing I got that I wished for-a much, much better framerate-but I would've rather had the old comps framerates if I had known it was going to be this messed up.  Ugh.  Any ideas?  Anyone feelin my pain?

[Iroquois]

I'll try to help. First off, we'll deal with graphics.

The Geforce FX5200 isn't the world's best card but it will handle FS2004 on medium high settings. It doesn't handle Anti-Aliasing (AA) very well though. Turn off AA in the game's settings. If you must use it, do it through the card's settings. Go into the Windows display properties window. Click the settings tab. I have mine set for a 1024x768 resolution and 32bit colour. Make sure FS2004's resolution is the same as the desktops. 1024x768x32 would be the correct FS2004 setting for the above desktop res.
For more graphics settings, click the advanced button of settings in the display menu. Click the tab that reads "Geforce FX5200."
Select preformace and quality settings. I usually leave AA turned off because I find it an unneccessary waste of processing power. The FX5200 struggles with anything above 2xQ. There's also a setting for Anisotropic (AS) filtering and Vertical Sync (VS). 8x is a good setting for AS and set VS to "off". That should clean up the graphics settings. Also be sure you have the latest official driver's from nVidia. www.nvidia.com. That would be 61.77. You can also try some newer Beta drivers from www.guru3d.com, they're really hit and miss on preformace because they're only being tested.

Now for the other problems. Your electrical system failure is being caused be a failure option being activated. Once your in the sim, hit "alt" and then select the "aircraft" menu and then select "Failures." Make sure all manual failures are off and that the random failure setting is clicked off.
As for the speedbreaks, some aircraft don't have them. If you still have the problem even if the aircraft does have them, there is a simple solution. In the sim hit Alt to bring up the menu bar, select Options, Controls, Assignments. Under Event Category, select Control Surface Commands. Under the assignment list look for "Autospoilers arming switch". It should say Shift+/ but if it doesn't, change it to the correct key command or use the one that's alread there.

I hope this helps. This should clear up the problems.

[garymbuska]

Your electrical problems sounds like the main battery is dying on you and you have not turned on the alternators, I would recomend that you make a keystroke assignment for these. Just click on the options tab in the main menu on top then click on assignments. The actions are alphabatized just scroll down till you see the one for avionics master I use shift A for this. then scroll down till you see master battery. I use shift B for this.
There is a way to make it where the battery never dies on you But for love of life I can not rember what it is. I have used the Shift B keystrokes for so long it is not funny. I also use shift G for the generators/alternators.
I start each flight with a cold plane. Then I use shift B to turn the battery on shift A to turn on the avioncs set the approiate nav lights. I then start engines after engines are up & running I press shift G then shift B this turns on the genarators and turns off the battery.

[beefhole]

Thanks a lot Iroquois, I'll get to the graphics thing immediately. I'm beginning to believe that it's not just the anti-aliasing, the game is truly ugly with this card.  As for the other stuff, I've already tried it. I know how to disable the electrical failure, I'm mad becasue I'm the kind of person who doesn't like "FS" things getting in the way of my ultra-realistic flight. I've tried reassigning speedbrakes too, that doesn't fix the problem. Gary, thanks for the help but it IS a glitch.  It happens on every plane, inculding the ones that do NOT have alternator and bat switches. Note how I said the first time it happened was when I was in a b747.  Thanks both of you, time to get to work fixing my damned (spawn of satin, devil child) game.

[Scottler]

It's not the card.  I've got the same card, and you can clearly see my shots in the various screenshot forums here.  Set the card and then tweak.  That will get you where you want to go.

I run the 5200 with maximum sliders and get an easy 30 fps.

[RollerBall]

To stop your electrical failure, try selecting an aircraft with a panel containing a master switch. Make sure it's switched on. Then switch back to your chosen 'default' startup aircraft in your chosen location and save the flight as your default flight.

Even if you then select another aircraft to fly at start time that has a panel without a master switch, your master switch will be on and this should prevent the problem.

Oh and the other thing. Not all aircraft have spoiler auto-arming. It has to be set up in the air file, see below.



The pic is taken from the default 737 air file and see the ringed section.

You can edit air files using AIrEd.exe. Always keep a copy of the original in case you have any little accidents while you're playing as I guarantee it's addictive.

[beefhole]

FPS isn't a problem. The problem is the game looks like my frandfather's ass (not that i know what that looks like, I'm working off of an assumption).  I'm workin on it now. Also, I just tried not only changing the key assignment for arming spoilers, but I tried changing the assignment for simply deploying spoilers and found something very intersting. In short, no matter what I assign it to, arming my spoilers doesn't work. It just deploys them. I was thinking it was a corrupted file in the instillation disks. This is possible, right? And if so, is there a file I can edit in notepad to correct this?

[beefhole]

Ok, rollerball, just read yours.  Once again, good ideas to prevent the failure but the system is failing BECAUSE OF A GLITCH that makes the comp think I activated an electrical failure.  I'm not saying it again.  Good idea though, I'll try it anyway just to be sure.  And thanks for the heads up on the spoiler thing, I hadn't seen it when I wrote my last post.  I'll try it now.

[RollerBall]

No, it doesn't think you've activated a failure if you haven't.

An example. In the cfg file of Rick Piper's splendid Vanguard there's a small spelling error - voltage is spelt voltgae or something like that.

If the line wasn't there, the 'electrical system' would just charge anyway but because it is there with an error, the 'system' doesn't charge. As a result about 10 minutes into every flight before I corrected the error (which incidentally I've never seen mentioned anywhere) the avionics all go black and the prog shows a failure even though one was never set up. Right? So the program is just doing what it's programmed to do. It ain't a glitch.

My guess is that something's been changed and the change has been carried forward. Otherwise everyone would be affected by it - and we're not  ;)

[beefhole]

Yeah, that's what I thought. But in the aircraft failures box, electrical failure is checked.  That leaves nothing to chance.  The game is initiating a failure.

[RollerBall]

[quote]in the aircraft failures box, electrical failure is checked.

[beefhole]

Hmm, ya, maybe I should fully read people's post before I shoot them down....  ;D

Well, what are the chances that ALL of my .cfgs are messed up with this problem?  I'll check it out but notepad can only get me so far, I'll have to do that aired thing.  And this still leaves the problem of the spoilers.  Someone tell me if it's possible it's a corrupted file in the original installation disks.

[Hagar]

Hi Beefhole. I don't like to interfere as Roger (RollerBall) knows far more than me on this subject & is usually right. I wouldn't mind betting he's right this time too. He knows what he's talking about, trust me.

I doubt very much that your FS9 is any different to anyone else's. The first place I would look is in the Aircraft.cfg of the aircraft in your default flight.

[beefhole]

Hmm, good point Hagar.  True, there is very little chance mine is different-but I haven't heard of anyone else having the spoiler problem, and switching computers didn't help so that only leaves a defect with the disk, right?  I've got to get my hands on someone elses MFS and see if I have the same problems.

[Hagar]

OK. Let's go right back to basics & take one thing at a time. The spoilers. Which aircraft are you having this problem with? Do you have any addons or are we talking about the FS9 default setup?