Flickering Issues with FSDream Team Airports

[huascar]

I have read a significant number of threads in this forum and others regarding the persistent flickering issues at FSDT airports. I have also read widespread recommendations on how to fix the problem, ranging from "tweaks" to FSX, to potential graphics cards modifications. Folks, there is nothing wrong with FSX or your computer's graphics cards or processor. The problem, as I have discovered, lays with the fagile FSDT addons. You uninstal the addon and the problems goes away. This is an issue that FSDT has to ultimately resolve. You have enthusiasists who spends valuable time trying to figure out what is wrong with their software and hardware (ie downloading new drivers, reinstalling everything all over again and who knows what else is being tried).

The point is that while FSDT products are beautifully made, they are loaded with issues and it takes a minor conflict for the addon to  start producing issues, particularly the flickering airports.

-break-

FSDT - Do you have any input on how to resolve these issues? I have most of your airports but unfortunately they have become unusuable. I do not have these problems with products such as flytampa or orbx.

[virtuali]

There aren't any significant number of thread about flickering. There are a few issues with KIAH, which has been explained why it shows this more easily (but ONLY with some 3rd party camera addons), since it has been made with more strict tolerances, to prevent the OPPOSITE of the flickering issue, which is the raised ground polygons, as discussed here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,10755.0.html
http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,17440.0.html

So, these are the alternatives:

1) Use the slow FS8 code, not fully compatible and slow. This is what every other FS developer did so far

OR

2) Use native FSX code (faster) and raise the ground polygons to prevent flickerking. This is what we always did, to get better fps and native FSX materials. This can result in visible raised ground polygons.

OR

3) Raise the ground polygons less, like in KIAH, which result in flickerking with Ezdok camera.

OR

4) Made a P3D native version of the ground scenery, like we did with KCLT/KSDF/KMEM, which fix most of the issues.


We'll surely adopt solution #4 for all our next sceneries, and will update the old ones too, but this will take some time, since it's not an easy task, and each scenery was made differently, so it's not just a matter of recompiling the scenery with the P3D SDK, and in some cases the airport might have changed too, so we might also take the time to do a complete update.

I do not have these problems with products such as flytampa or orbx.

You didn't had these problems with other sceneries, because before they released native P3D version of their very latest airports, they were using the very slow FS8 legacy code, which even if it didn't had this issue, it resulted with an heavy cost in fps.

That's why they all advertised big fps gains when they finally switched to P3D native code, something we didn't noticed, because we were already much faster before and, if anything, native P3D V4 code, while it's surely faster than FS8 code, it's not any faster (might even be a tad slower) than the method we always used until now.

[huascar]

Thank you for the prompt response. I am a sim user, not a developer. I'll have to figure out how to raise the ground (which I think is what you're suggesting). I guess that explains why my planes begin to jump at FSDreamTeam airports. It's a shame because I truly love your products. If I could solve those issues, I'll be happy.

Is there like a step by step instruction on how to fix this issue. I uninstall all products for know until I get assistance on how to fix the problem. The flickering issue is very annoying as is the jumping plane.

Thank you.

[virtuali]

I'll have to figure out how to raise the ground (which I think is what you're suggesting).

You are not supposed to do anything or can do anything. As I've said in my previous post, if the ground polygons would be made to be closer to the ground, it would increase the chance of flickering so, it's not possible to fix a problem entirely, without causing a different once.

The issue is, some users just don't care about the raised polygons (maybe because they don't go that close with the viewpoint), but they do care about flickering, and vice-versa so, it's very difficult to accommodate everybody's tastes, which is why we have a Trial version to begin with.

I guess that explains why my planes begin to jump at FSDreamTeam airports. It's a shame because I truly love your products. If I could solve those issues, I'll be happy.

No planes jumps at our airports. It must be some other scenery you have installed that caused this.