combat flight simulator with vista

[cardinalbrian]

H& Ozzy72,

Today's experimentation: I made the following cfg changes:
ShowLogo=1                  ShowLogo=0
FULL_640=1                  FULL_640=0
(added)                        LIMIT_RESOLUTIONS = 0
Device= ATI Radeon HD 3870X2.0    >> ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 2k/XP

I lost the controls, get a message that resources weren't available, reload SW 4.0.

At one point the intro screens came up properly at default size and worked.  Then the mission (Brit 2) came up at full screen looking good, but I had no controls.  The AI aircraft took off and left me but I got a screen shot (426KB).  The next try had fractured screens and the fractured mission.  But after hitting to no apparent response, when I pulled up the Task Manager to kill CSF the full screen image popped up looking good (I was in a Training Mission w/P51) and I had a message "End Flight?".  When I said "No" the image stayed.  Then I turned into the fractured mission again.

This is very teasy.  A good full screen image can get rendered with dynamics and color.  Seperately I've had the controls.  All the pieces are there!

BTW, can anybody provide a description of what the following do?  Is there a complete description of cgf parameters anywhere?
FULL_SCREEN=2?? What are useful values??
PERFORMANCE_MODE=0
DEF_PERF_MODE=6
IMAGE_QUALITY=0
FLIGHT_MODEL=2

[H]

The .cfg file should be fairly self-rendered but, since you're meddling with it...

FLIGHT_MODEL=0

* Why add LIMIT_RESOLUTIONS, especially if you're not enabling it? I don't have it, which is equivelent to a "0" command. *

* What is this confusing line:

[cardinalbrian]

H,

Thanks for the list of cfg values.

In the Readme file it said if one used a mode other than those listed to add "LIMIT_RESOLUTIONS=0".  The "ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 2k/XP" is listed just like that in (and the only 9700 pro) one of the display cfg files.  I just thought I'd try it.  I was poking around for something between the STB card that worked on the old box, which actually had the Radeon 9700, and the 3870s.  The mystery is the switching around between rendering methods while switching program states.  I thought I got a distinct improvement after I took the .cfg file off my old box compared to the installation configuration.  I'm gonna look through my controls options & see if anything weird appears there before I re-install SW 4.0.  Another anomaly is not being able to exit the program without activating the Task Manager, which somehow magically summons the "End CSF" screen.  If this happen on one of my Unisys 1100s I'd look for an improperly initialized activity (thread).

[ozzy72]

Silly question but have you tried setting Vista to 98 compatibility? A friend suggested this (don't know if he is pulling my leg as I run XP)...

[Hagar]

Silly question but have you tried setting Vista to 98 compatibility? A friend suggested this (don't know if he is pulling my leg as I run XP)...

I already suggested that. Has to be worth a try. Seems a lot easier than messing around tweaking CFG files. http://reviews.cnet.com/vistaa/9602-13259_7-0.html?messageID=2509361&kw=vista

[H]

Silly question but have you tried setting Vista to 98 compatibility? A friend suggested this (don't know if he is pulling my leg as I run XP)...

I already suggested that. Has to be worth a try. Seems a lot easier than messing around tweaking CFG files. http://reviews.cnet.com/vistaa/9602-13259_7-0.html?messageID=2509361&kw=vista

This was suggested at the start. He's claimed that his Vista OS won't offer compatibility prior to XP (he should at least have compatibility for Windows 98 -- even XP goes back to Windows 95).

8-)

[cardinalbrian]

Guys,

I set the program to XP Compatability at the beginning.  I'll recheck that setting.  I moved my stick, etc off an XP box where FS2004, FSX, CSF, CSF2, and even CSF3 have been running well for years (well, not FSX, but since it came out).  I still haven't taken CSF & CSF2 off this box, but they're not gonna run here anymore..

I'll get back to fiddling with CSF next week, I've gotta catch up on approaches in FSX.

[cardinalbrian]

Guys,

Another afterthought.  I'm gonna put the screen shots up on my web site (http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeu858f/)  to show what I see.  They're too big ~540KB for the forum.

[H]

I set the program to XP Compatability at the beginning.

The point was that you don't want to choose compatibility with Vista or XP; preferably Windows 95 or Windows 98 compatibility at the latest. This should be applicable by a pop-up window when right-clicking on the CFS start/exe icon.

8-)

[cardinalbrian]

Guys,

Some things seep in slowly.  I changed the Compatability to Win98 and adopted the applicable cfg settings H provided.  Then:

Switched Device back  to : ATI Radeon HD3870 X2.0  Also  fixed the FF stick name!  Fixed Rudder nulls

Result:  Fractured initial screen.  When I hit CTRL ALT DEL  to bring up the Task Manager the screen repainted at 640x480 Full Screen correctly.  I terminated the Task Manager.  Next screens similar, all hot spots worked.  The mission screen came up fractured (like the FW shot on my site) and the keyboard worked.  After engine start I lost control of the Hurricane so I hit CTRL ALT DEL  again.  Screen repainted to correct colors, background and high resolution.  Apparently there a significant difference in the graphics rendering for the selection screens (uses Windows objects?) and the simulation engine.  Snapping out of the program to  go to the Task Manager forces the repaint which is done correctly

[H]

[quote]When I took a screen shot of the fractured screens, the image I pasted off the clipboard appeared normal when I pasted it into Paint!

[cardinalbrian]

H,

I agree entirely.  While there are some problems that seem to be related to CSF (reconfiguring the joystick settings) I think the problems I see (fractured images, inability to Exit, locked in minimized) seem to be a miscommunication between CSF & VISTA and VISTA & graphics.  Clearly the joystick problem is avoidable, but I find it strange that CSF loses contact with it and FSX is unaffected - indicates (to me) that it's not a joystick problem.  The inability to Exit and locked in minimized don't affect the actual game performance, so I can live with them.  Now I've found I can bounce the fractured screens by just bringing up the Task Manager and closing it.

I'll admit the screen resolution may be a problem, but I've been playing CSF at 1600x1200 with most features maxed since the beginning - but I don't do multiplayer.  Even here, After a bounce I seem to have 2560x1600 - at least 1600x1200 anyway, so it seems if you find the right (re)entry point into CSF the graphics engine can render whatever CSF hands to it.

Just a stray thought;  I wonder if the half blank background on my mission screens is a result of the daul-card Crossfire (?) feature.

I'm afraid only an MS guy that worked on CSF AND keeps up with video card & support changes can answer these questions..

[H]

Clearly the joystick problem is avoidable, but I find it strange that CSF loses contact with it and FSX is unaffected -

This brings up a point: I have an install of CFS on the basic hard drive of my current in-use computer; on a second hard drive which came out of the previous computer I have a number of installs, some with the .exe renamed (such as WW1.exe, in which are my planes and missions written for World War I, and another with a Korea.exe). I haven't tried the Korean arena CFS but the WW1 seems to start up fine. The CFS (original format, stock acft still included) on the basic hard drive does not initiate properly with the joystick (run through a USB converter). The moment I apply full throttle the acft will spin like a top; a "Joystick has been changed from..." message is displayed as soon as I click into settings. Rather than recalibrating the joystick settings every time I start my first mission in that version, I apply throttle and immediately tap the Alt key, click "End Flight" from the drop-down and restart the mission; it works fine for as long as the program is running thereafter.
Somehow or another, the the joystck directive is being rewritten and I've never been motivated enough to try to correct it since it hasn't been that much of a problem (it's corrected by simply engaging the joystick throttle control and restarting the mission). However, this is a seperate issue from your graphics problem; my graphics are not affected (nor defected).

8-)

[cardinalbrian]

H,

I'm a bit encouraged (and perhaps further perplexed) that someone else (particularly a well-versed someone) has encountered problems that admit to solutions similar to those I've stumbled into!  We may find a ourselves on the yellow brick road yet!

These are almost as bad as the alternator problems I having with 851!!!

Brian

[cardinalbrian]

Folks,

I uninstalled the Sidewinder 4.0 and CSF programs and reinstalled them.  Apparently the uninstall left the .cfg in place (?).  It appears that starting the Task Manager clears the fratured screens.  The initial screen comes up bonkers, and when the TM comes up it repaints to normal 640x480, full screen.  The pilot selection and misson description screens then appear normal 640x480, full screen.  The mission came up in a small window.  Everything worked, but in miniture.  So I ended the mission after shooting down a few JU87s & crashing into a BF109 I exploded and used the menu bar to select Full Screen the next time.  Not good, back to half and half background and strange controls.  The FFB2 and pedals seemed to work, but in slow motion and crash mode.

Compatibility was set to XP w/SP2, which it ran very well under.  Note that the CSF install screens advertize compatibility with Win98 aircraft, so the Win98/Me  should be all the further retro you should need to go.

I'm gonna try to use an old single card video descriptor either the STB whatever or the Radeon 9700 worked before for 1600x1200x32.

Also, is there a way to tell Vista to not use threading?