Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator

[Slasher]

I seem to have a real problem with MS combat flight sim. Nearly every time I take out a Heinkel everything slows down as he blows up. Frame advance becomes extremely slow as the graphics become more complex. During that time I get jumped by a bloody 109 or FW190 and the next few frames shows my guts all over the panel (fig speaking) before I know whats happening!
I also get this during a scissors manouvre where the graphics are faster. It doesnt go slow but "freezes" for a second or two.
Is this a memory problem? If so is there any way I can fix it?
I run a 400mhz Pentium 11 PE with 128mb RAM with standard graphics accelerator and W98 operating system.

And my Norton System analyser shows Im using 56% of my total memory after Ive booted up. This means mermory is writing to the swap file already. Any way I can get memory below 50% and would this help in MS Combat? Much thanks in advance.

[TBone]

Time to show how sad I really am....!

Combat FS eats up power and resources like nothing else around. Unless you have a P3-500 or similar and one of the latest 3d accelarators, you will have to turn down the graphics detail to get an acceptable frame rate. Once you destroy that pesky Hun, hundreds of little polygons are created as he falls to bits and your system obviously can't cope.

I doubt it's a memory problem, but you should definitely have more than 56% of system memory left after bootup. You probably have loads and loads of useless little programs starting up and running in the background - get rid.

Swapping to a decent 3d card (Voodoo 3/Matrox et. al.) would help immensely.

I also found that win95 runs somewhat faster than win98 and have reverted to that.

Cheers

[Lancman]

I don't know what screen setting you are using Slasher, but I have just about doubled my frame rate in MS Combat Flight Simulator and Jane's WW2 Fighters by changing down from 1024 x 768 to 800 x 600. I'm running an AMD K6 450 with 64MB of RAM and a Viper 550 graphics card with 16MB of memory.
Don't forget to modify your Combatfs.cfg file if you do change.

[InFinRetirement]

Some good advice there Slasher but I run FS98/FS200/CombatFS/Falcon4. NONE of them were all that good with an ATI Xpert at Work, tho a good card. I changed to Matrox G400 and WOWwwwwwww!! I now use Win98 second edition which made quite a difference. Frame rates on FS98 are between 50-90 - CombatFS 45-70 - FS2K 20-50.

I run a Celeron 400 with 128mb of Ram

There is just ONE important step I have found essential. DeFrag at least once a week and if you have used your machine a lot it pays to re-boot BEFORE loading any of the above.

E-mail me if I can be of any further help.



[This message has been edited by InFinRetirement (edited 26 November 1999).]

[SevenFiftySeven]

Slightly off topic subject

I was playing with Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator last night to pass an hour or so. (I like dogfighting in 747's - excellent fun, if only they let us do that in real life!)
I had just taken off and had been flying for a couple of minutes when I saw something in the distance. Once I reached it, it looked like a flying saucer with a pig suspended beneath it! Has anyone else seen this or is it just my copy?

[Help wanted]

Yes I saw that ages ago, I told several people, no one believed me, I knew I wasn't pi55ed but I havent seen it since.
Maybe weve been given a sign.
Regds Tony.

[Captain Gidday]

Perhaps this is the prototype? http://www.nydailynews.com/2000-10-28/News_and_Views/Beyond_the_City/a-86256.asp
:)

[Evo7]

I've just picked up a copy of CFS2, and I'm having problems.

If you just pick a training mission doing circuits, everything is fine. Frame rate is perfectly healthy, no pauses and it flies OK. However, pick a mission where the bad guys shoot at you and the frame rate drops below 1fps and there can be pauses of several seconds between screen updates. ******. I'd have stuck with FS2k if I'd just wanted to do circuits :)

I had a quick look in cfs2.cfg, and found an option

SOUND=1

which I changed to

SOUND=0

and this makes the game perfectly playable again. However there is, unsurprisingly, no sound. I guess there is some problem with the shooting, as the engine sound doesn't slow the machine down during circuits, but I'm not sure what.

Anyone had this problem and fixed it in a less drastic way? All the help files and the FAQ I found on the MS website only talk about video and joystick problems, not sound.

FWIW, my sound card is an old ISA Soundblaster AWE64, but I've never had any problems with it in games before now.

[What_does_this_button_do?]

What Operating System are you using?

[markbingo]

Get the latest drivers for your sound card from the manufacturers website and try again. Failing that.... What PC spec are you running ?
You need a pretty good PC to run the game nicely. And a VERY good PC to run the game well !

[Evo7]

Using Windows 98

The PC spec isn't brilliant - 400MHz Celeron (actually 2 of these, but only NT + Linux use both), 256Mb RAM, Matrox G400Max.

Without sound the framerate is very healthy, although the graphics are not at maximum detail. Typically 30fps or more, and I've never noticed any slowdown. This is also true for the training missions with sound. However, when the sound is on and people are shooting at me I'm getting 0.5 - 0.9fps.

Seems like there must be some glitch in the shooting effects.

I'll grab the latest drivers and see what that does, although I doubt they've been updated in quite a while - I got the card more than four years ago.

[markbingo]

If your sound card is that old that could be your issue.

You can get new sound cards for just over £30 from places like www.scan.co.uk. (http://www.scan.co.uk.)

It might be time for you to upgrade it. Plus the Celeron CPU is going to struggle with this game. I run a 733Mhv PIII and when there are lots of planes on the screen things slow down for me too.

There are some VERY good upgrade deals out there at the moment. Maybe it's time to get that 1GHz machine you always dream about ! ( and that is the lowest CPU you can get hold of today ! The 2GHz machine is out now )

Have a look at http://www.misco.co.uk/systems/default.asp?jke=1VWSHFU5PQAF8MB01FGA351N855073GF

You could upgrade your box for as little as £450.

Bingo
:cool:

[What_does_this_button_do?]

from microsoft.com


PSS ID Number: Q285213
Article last modified on 01-30-2001

:1.0




============================================================ ==========
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater, version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When you play Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2, you may experience one or
more of the following symptoms:

- Stuttering sounds.

- Chirping or clicking sounds.

- Distorted sounds.

- The video frame rate drops when you fire your guns.

- The video frame rate is slow or choppy.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur if your sound card is not compatible with the process
that converts the game sounds to mono sound.

RESOLUTION
==========

To work around this issue, use the following methods in the order in which they
are presented.

Increase the Sound Playback Quality
-----------------------------------

To increase the sound playback quality:

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click "Files or Folders".

2. In the Named box, type the following line:

cfs2.cfg

3. In the "Look in" box, click My Computer, and then click Find Now.

4. Double-click the Cfs2.cfg file.

5. In the "Choose the program you want to use" box, click Notepad.

6. Click to clear the "Always use this program to open this file" check box, and
then click OK.

7. Scroll to the [SOUND] section and change the BitsPerSample=, the Channels=,
and the SamplesPerSec= lines to match the following code:

[SOUND]
Channels=2
SamplesPerSec=22050
BitsPerSample=16

NOTE: You can use either one of the following values for the SamplesPerSec=
line:
- 22050
- 44100

8. On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save the changes,
click Yes.

9. Restart Combat Flight Simulator 2.

10. If the problem continues to occur, attempt to use different combinations of
the values presented in step 7 and the default values in the [SOUND] section
of the Cfs2.cfg file.

NOTE: The following code contains the default values in the Cfs2.cfg file:

[SOUND]
Channels=1
SamplesPerSec=11025
BitsPerSample=8

If this issue continues to occur, proceed to the next method.

Delete the Sound Entries in the Cfs2.cfg File
---------------------------------------------

To delete the sound entries in the Cfs2.cfg file:

1. Open the Cfs2.cfg file.

2. Delete the following lines from the Cfs2.cfg file:

[SOUND]
Channels=1
SamplesPerSec=22050
BitsPerSample=8

3. On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save the changes,
click Yes.

4. Restart Combat Flight Simulator 2.

For additional information about sound issues, click the article number below to
view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q263047 Games: How to Troubleshoot Sound Related Issues

MORE INFORMATION
================

To increase compatibility with game controllers, the sound settings in Combat
Flight Simulator 2 use 11Khz, 8-bit, and mono sound as the default values for
the sound settings.

These default values were chosen because many sound cards are unable to fully
process game controller signals and high quality game sounds at the same time.

Additional query words: msgame combatfs cfs2

============================================================ ==========
Keywords : kbdisplay kbsound kbimu
Version : :1.0
Issue type : kbprb
============================================================ =================
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.

[Evo7]

What_does_this_button_do?

Thanks for finding that - I'll give it a try. You're obviously better at finding your way around the MS website than I am :)

markbingo

I've thought about upgrading a few times, but my machine is fine for pretty much everything I do. I even use it for my day job - simulating the Universe :) - so it isn't really that bad. However, it's getting a bit long in the tooth for games, I guess. One of these days... :)

[SpinSpinSugar]

Ok, so I'm of the UK persuasion so haven't received it yet, but there have been almighty rumblings from the other side of the Atlantic about huge difficulties getting the thing to run properly.

Any US types have any entertaining stories about Nvidia/DirectX driver versions and Gate's latest opus?

IL2 currently holds the crown on my PC, I hope CFS3 will at least bring something worthwhile to the party.

[BlueRobin]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! :eek:

This happens every time MS release any version of C/FS. Rife rumours about speed and stability, no-one quite sure... Wait until you get it before passing judgement ;)

[18-Wheeler]

Reading about it on otehr sim forums, it's not so good. Get IL2 Sturmovic instead.

[solotk]

Better still,

See if you can get a copy of European Air War from Microprose.

Damn, that was an incredibly good game. Problem is, I can't seem to get it to run on this set up. Windows ME/32mB Viddy card/320MB memory/Open GL

Anyone any ideas?

[SpinSpinSugar]

I've had it for two days.

To be fair, I'll probably keep it purely because you can fly Spits, Mosquitos and so forth from the UK in a vaguely historic manner. This earns a lot of points. And the campaign engine is good. And I've had no real problems running the thing on a XP1800/512DDR/GF4MX system - despite initial fears it performs well, with only occasional stuttering.

It is not, however, a patch on IL2 in terms of simulation. Even on the most accurate settings, it just doesn't feel half the product. The flight models are oversimplified, and it's not as slick graphically (sometimes IL2 is just jaw droppingly good) or audibly. With the Forgotten Battles add-on coming up I think IL2 will remain top o'the heap for a long time to come.

Essentially if I want to go fly a WWII aircraft and feel like I was really there, it's IL2. Technically and atmospherically, it's peerless. If I just want a quick blast against some Ju88s over Tangmere in a Spit, or a fun campaign over France, I'll load up CFS3.

In addition, I'm sure the inevitably huge array of user add-ons for CFS3 will keep it interesting for a long time. It's probably worth the investment if your system can handle it.

[BlueRobin]

Okay, well initially it stuttered and was slow.

Found ways around this now. Briefly

- latest Detonator drivers from www.nvidia.com

- ensure plenty of disk space

- fiddle with Direct3D settings for display driver (set to best performance...overrided scan rate too!)

- tip #5 from http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/CFSInsider/FAQs/TOP10_Tuning_Tips.htm

- turn off anti virus software

- control panel - system - advanced - performance - settings - viz effects - *set* best performance. Eh? It's gone a bit grey? Yeah, well you have a load more memory now.

- set an acceptable resolution and colour level - e.g. 1024x768, 16 million colours.

- read www.cfsinsider.com for more tips


Have managed to get it running okay on both my work 650 with TNT2 and also home XP2000 with Geforce4MX. In both cases, it runs at 30fps. The 650 image is acceptable, playable but not outstanding (afore ye ask).

[Stonebird]

Anybody know why my 48 MB video card in my HP XE3 laptop running Xp Pro does not have enough memory to run CFS3 but my 16MB card on my desktop does ?

Anyone got the same problem? How to fix this? I've downloaded all the latest drivers, but no joy.

[25F]

I'll make a guess: you don't actually have a 48MB video card in your XE3, you have 48MB of main system RAM used by the video sub-system. The following may not apply to your exact model, as HP will change the spec of their laptops without changing the model number:
http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:orVst8RmtrkC:www.unitree.lv/SHOP/pdf/HP/HP_Omnibook_XE3_P3_1_06GHz_2_25_10_2002.pdf+HP+XE3+%22video+ RAM%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
I'd contact support for CFS, or find a gamers forum where somebody might be able to help.

[AfricanSkies]

It won't run at all on my laptop which has a 64MB video card. Are there any fixes available?

[Dop]

I recently uninstalled CFS3 to free up some disk space. I'd been disappointed with with, and found it in many ways not as good as CFS3

The top WWII combat flight sim at the moment I think would have to be IL2: Forgotten Battles, this is the followup to IL2 Sturmovik, and has more features, more areas, and more planes than its predecessor. The night missions with searchlamps are marvellous!

Oh, and you can fly a Hurricane in this game. I believe they're going to add a Spitfire as a downloadable upgrade.

[timmcat]

...come on Danny, yet another thread deserving of the FS forum tag.

[Tonic Please]

I would be more than happy to moderate a Flight Simulator Forum.

I have bought it up before but it faded away. I do have lots of free time on my hand, so would be frequently availble. Anyhow, do please keep it in mind, whoever it may concern.

Smooth skies,

Dan.

[jimgriff]

I also have a copy and have to agree with everything said so far..especially the graphics which are the best I've ever seen on any flight sim to date.

BUT

After some 20 mins flying I get a pale ble screen which freezes the whole system and only a hot reboot will re set.
Bah Humbug!!
It is a bug withy the software apo!

I am running powerful enough system but issues with the graphics card I have await a de bug from UBIsoft

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

jimgriff,

If you are running a GeForce4, I would suggest going back to a ForceWare 4x.xx driver, instead of the 53.xx Drivers.

If you listed all your specs, we would be happy to take a look at what might be causing the problem with your system.

Take Care,

Richard

[Super Stall]

Had the game for about two days now and causing me an absolute nightmare.

Constant freezing at menu selections and mid game and endless rebooting is starting to get me down.:ugh:

Going to re-install tomorrow (getting a bit late now) and there better be some improvements or its going back to Amazon. :*

Athlon 3000+, 512k, Radeon 9600

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

ASFKAP,

The screenie of the A-10s really looks good!

Take Care,

Richard