[Fireskull]

Benchmarking Preparation Phase

#4 Sizing IL-2
Here is the phase likened to the shoemaker in establishing the basic dimension of the shoe about the foot.

Close every program and restart your Operating System (Vista in my case). After that, wait until everything-all your startup programs-are open. You can close any programs that are not needed. Look to your nHancer tray icon. Right click on it to reveal an options box, of sorts. Put your cursor on the Activate Profile which will lead you to a listing of your Profile(s) that have an Executable file path.

It is worth noting here that I have a two profiles for my online version of IL-2. Each profile has a unique name that was created in the Application box of nHancer. Each profile has the file path to the Executable folder in the same IL-2 version. I activate one or the other manually before I start IL-2. One profile is DirectX and the other profile is OpenGL, both have the same file path to il2set.exe. I can therefore manually choose one or the other profile for the same version of IL-2.

In the Tray icon, click on the Profile of your choosing that you created in the Application box of nHancer with an Executable file/folder and the file path listed in the Executables box. All those that you created should be listed in the Tray icon access box if you checked the box by the Executables called Activate Profile Manually, or some name like that. Note: A check next to your profile name in the Tray icon options box indicates that it is activated. However, the file path of the profile that is activated must go to the version of IL-2 that you plan to open with it.

Next, open Fraps. Now you can open IL-2. Next open Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor. You could also open NVIDIA System Monitor. If you have correctly done everything in the Topic instructions, then you should at least see your IL-2 running in a bunch of threads while in a mission. If you have Multi Core Support, then you will see changes there, too.

Run the same mission and flight path that you flew previously before beginning the Benchmarking. Take note of the core temperature. It is very conveniently displayed on you Desktop by using NVIDIA System Monitor. Core Temperature should be within the safe margin given by the manufacturer. There should be no problem, but check to be certain. Take note of the Frames Per Second. You probably will see improvement.

Knowing the FPS is crucial to Benchmarking. If you have very high FPS, then you can put gradual increases of graphics demand on your system with expecting eventual huge increases-but that comes later. Take note of the FPS.

After you make adjustments, if any, in core utilization and prerendered frames, having compared the changes with FPS, then you open IL-2 again to be sure that the settings stay. (Prerendered Frames in my version of 2.4.5 nHancer allows prerendering for both OpenGL and DirectX. Check your version of graphics card and nHancer to be sure.) An FPS of 20 is too low. To raise graphics levels later, you should now have FPS of 30-50 at least. Once you are satisfied that you got the most FPS with Multicore and Multi threading, then you are ready for the Final Phase of Benchmarking.

[Fireskull]

#5 Benchmarking-Preparation Phase For ATI and NVIDIA

This is where you become more familiar with things and be ready to beginning Benchmarking after this. Do not skip these preparation posts here and before this because you can only be sure to Optimize IL-2 for your computer if you come the prescribed way, and perhaps be clearer in your mind to learn a few things which will help you with IL-2 and computers later.

Well, you have used your PC resources to monitor and take note of the following: Having experimented with both OpenGL and/or DirectX, made Executable Profiles with file path, taken note of the FPS in a control mission, and satisfied with your improvements thus far, then you are ready to wrap the final issues in preparation before Benchmarking.

The stage of Benchmarking after this post should probably be done with some paper and a pen or pencil. Alternatives are to type comments into NotePad or similar program or to make screen captures for your own reference in the future. To prepare for benchmarking, you should do some research on the IL-2 Hardware Setup settings and the il2set.exe folder settings. In the il2set.exe folder contains the application which controls the IL-2 graphics card settings in the bigger program. For nHancer users, the nHancer program will control, or in some cases, over ride these settings.




Several things must be established by you at this point.

The il2set.exe PC Compatibility Mode
If you have had major issues with IL-2 right now, then try Compatibility Mode. Go to the il2set.exe folder in the main directory listing of your IL-2 1946 folder. Right click on il2set.exe and click the Properties tab. The go to Compatibility and set it for Compatibility Mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2. See if this makes any difference. If no difference, then you should uncheck the Compatibility Mode box. You must restart IL-2 for any changes at this file/folder level to be sure that it is applied. This can also be done for il2fb.exe folder.



Texture Mipmap Filter and Texture Compression with Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor
With the Resource Monitor you can see the effect that choosing a Texture Mipmap Filter and Texture Compression has on the number of threads in a CPU, as well as CPU overall usage. The issue to be handled here is to decide what Texture mipmap filter to use. This feature is found in the il2set.exe folder by clicking on it to open the IL-2 Setup window.

Go to your il2set.exe folder in IL-2 and open it to find the Texture mipmap filter in the Setup window. The TM Resorce Monitor showed me how much demand was specifically put on my CPU by different settings.



Almost everybody, the vast majority, will be in one of two categories regarding the IL-2 Setup window.

1) Anisotropic Owners of very powerful graphics cards will probably use Anisotropic based settings.

2) Trilinear Users who have thoroughly tried anisotropic settings and have too much stuttering during IL-2 flying: These users will very likely be best served with Trilinear mode settings.



ilset.exe Settings

I use Texture mipmap filter: Trilinear with Texture Compression of S3TC for Performance online flying.

Highest Image Quality is achieved with Texture mipmap filter: Anisotropic and Texture Compression: NONE. I use this only for offline flying and making IL-2 movies and screen captures. Owners of powerful computer graphics systems should aim high and try Anisotropic settings.



__________________________________________________________________________________________


IL-2 Setup for Benchmarking
Highest Image Quality that is possible...Do not apply these now. Look and prepare for Benchmarking.
Use only with powerful GPU and watch the CPU and GPU core temperatures:

Magnify your browser window if you need for some of the print to be increased in size to read it.

Anisotropic Filtering Extension Defined with Image Example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisotropic_filtering

Those who find it necessary will reduce some of the settings above only if your system is starved for performance. This will become clearer after you examin my whole topic.

This will get you familiar with the things which I am bringing into this here. The above two images are repeated in this topic later because they are so very important to Benchmarking.

My graphics performance is good and the visual quality is amazing. However, some guys will be better served with something different. Try all the settings in Texture mipmap filter and Texture Compression. Since these are in connection with many aspects of graphics, testing these settings with IL-2 and settling on the best will conclude the Final Phase of Benchmarking.

The Benchmarking stage begins next!

Utilizing these crucial instructions will make things as efficient as possible for you. Have you done everything that you can here for the preparation of the next Phase 1 Benchmarking?



MISSION COMPLETE

[Fireskull]

Phase 1 is Benchmarking IL-2 Setup and Highest FPS This is like the shoemaker sizing the shoe and only making fundamental cuts. (All the previous posts prepared you for this like the shoemaker getting his tools and plan in order.)

Now is when you really begin to take major, direct action to improve your IL-2 performance and image quality.


Keeping IT Clear
1) Preparation is for getting ready to configure IL-2
2) Benchmarking - Setup - finding the basic graphics setup need for IL-2, using at most few numbers.
3) Optimization - Control Panel - discovering the extent and limits of graphic traits, using some numbers.
4) Tweaking - Conf.ini - making finish adjustments to IL-2 graphics and the conf.ini file is 100% about number values.




Objectives of this Benchmarking:

In Benchmarking, you are focused on raising the highest FPS while you create acceptable image quality. Since settings will be made later to improve image quality at the expense of some performance, you need here to seek the highest Frames Per Second with Vertical Sync OFF at an amount of image quality which is acceptable to you at this point. Only if the lowest FPS is unacceptable, should it be considered here. Mainly, it is the highest FPS which matters in Benchmarking.


NOTE: Any changes to your graphics settings in the Setup, Graphics Control Panel, or conf.ini should be made AFTER you undo the conf.ini READ-ONLY. Doing this will allow many settings to effect the conf.ini file graphics command line values. When you reach the point that you think ALL graphics settings are made that you should at this time, then set the conf.ini file to READ-ONLY.



STARTING: Go to your graphics card control panel. Definately have Vertical Sync OFF for this Phase 1. I recommend that while you are in the panel, set Multi Core ON and Multi Threading ON. Run the Black Death, below, with and without Multi Core and Multi Threading. Determine no later than this Benchmarking Phase-best to do it before any Benchmarking-whether or not to use Multi Core and Multi Threading.

Multi Core and Multi Threading only are useful to some people and this varies from computer to computer. For example, in some computers Multi Threading is only activated with OpenGL. On the other hand, you can force Multi Threading with the use of nHancer and activated Multi Core, however, perhaps only with manual activation. More on these issues later. You must discover this for yourself. It works for me.

IMPORTANT: For Multi Core and Multi Threading, I highly recommend examining this whole help topic to determine if it is for you and how to either activate it ( conf.ini and/or nHancer ) or compensate for not using Multi Core.

Determining what core or cores to run IL-2 should have been determined in the Benchmarking Preparation Phase before this. In case you haven't done it or if your core assignment needs to be changed, here is a review:


ProcessAffinityMask Core Assignments - found in your conf.ini file of IL-2.


Only owners of a single core CPU should not change the ProcessAffinityMask. All others (owners of multi-core CPUs) should change it.


In the command lines of the conf.ini file:

Core 0 is the 1st core
Core 1 is the 2nd core
Core 2 is the 3rd core
Core 3 is the 4th core

This is because of the bit system that computers use.


ProcessAffinityMask=

=1 - core 0
=2 - core 1




ProcessAffinityMask=2 assigns IL-2 to the second core. This is a good standard in case the reader is confused after a bunch of reading and has yet to decide.

Again, the idea is to get IL-2 to be processed in any core but the first which is being used most of the time by the Operating System. The ideal is to assign IL-2 to a core by itself, then have the Operating System stay in the first core while the other programs related to IL-2 such as HyperLobby, TeamSpeak, or Fraps run in a different core than IL-2 as well. This eliminates or reduces the competing for processing among different programs and IL-2 in the same core. Stutters are reduced this way.






[color=red]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

[size=150]The Black Death Track demo movie in IL-2 has been the standard for Benchmarking toward the benefit of comparing setting results among IL-2 tweakers.

Start The Black Death before you begin Benchmarking Take a couple minutes to observe the FPS in various viewing angles. Take notice of the stuttering throughout the mission. Record on paper or in your computer the results before Benchmarking, after Benchmarking, and after Optimization. As you progress, this will reveal many things to you as you change graphics settings.

For other missions, about 23 to 100 FPS is the best that I achieve in Benchmarking with Vertical Sync OFF and forward-across the cockpit-view in the 40s FPS. Contrast that with the somewhat demanding Black Death...

-------------------------------------------

The Black Death Vertical Sync ON for me:

DX: 23 FPS to 59 FPS in panning around view with DirectX Performance Settings of nearly perfect image. I see only very few soft stutters-about 40 FPS in forward cockpit view.

GL: 12 FPS to 45 FPS in panning around view with OpenGL settings for perfect water and textures. There were a few hard stutters during explosions but the rest is mostly smooth-about 28 FPS in forward cockpit view.

--------------------------------------------

The Black Death Vertical Sync OFF for me:

Both OpenGL and DirectX have slightly lower minimum FPS and significantly higher maximum. Overall stutter is reduced because of increased upper and average FPS. However, stutter is common in OpenGL near towns, forests, much cloud cover, and many firing guns. Tearing of image is slight in forward cockpit and severe at a slight angle and some views.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep in mind that every different computer model will see a unique set of graphics characteristics apart from others.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The CPU usage, indicated in percentage, is very useful to see the exact demand that IL-2 settings have in your chip. Use the ctrl + alt + delete to bring the Windows Task Manager. In the Performance tab of TM, you can see all your cores and the percentage of CPU usage. Below is the button for the Recource Monitor which includes information in the CPU catagory row-push the button at the right-which reveals information on exactly what processes are running, how many threads each is using, and the percentage of CPU usage that each process occupies. This is a fairly quick method of getting the exact information about IL-2 demand in the CPU.

Having used these PC tools to compare CPU demands of different settings, I have learned what I want in settings. Look at the Frames Per Second and take notice of the image quality in your mission.

You will also need to settle on a program such as Fraps which provides Frames Per Second displayed during your flights. Turn it ON now.

Practice
Fly The Black Death and compare with my results, taking into consideration different computers. Write your Fraps FPS and take note of your stuttering and image quality.

This was practice. Now choose a group of settings based on the information below this and repeat the Black Death while making observations.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Benchmarking Setup Settings for Performance Preference Considerations in IL-2 ( DirectX or OpenGL )

This is for IL-2 users who need a performance boost because of low Frames Per Second, Stuttering, or Input Device Delay-such as mouse, TrackIR, and joystick.

A reminder may be needed that Vertical Sync OFF should be set by you in the graphics card Control Panel by now.

In the il2set.exe of the main IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 folder, near il2fb.exe, are the Setup Settings for IL-2. Open il2set.exe by clicking on it.


Setup is the essence of Benchmarking This is like the shoemaker creating the basic size of the shoe on the bench.

Using the Task Manager tools and Fraps, I have the following performance settings for all my versions of IL-2, which of course you can use if you have an obvious need for performance improvement in your own simulation.

___________________________________________________________
Driver: DirectX when you need better performance shown by FPS and input device delay reduction, such as the mouse or TrackIR.

Video Custom, trilinear, S3TC, Use Dither, Use Vertex Arrays, Polygon Stipple, Multitexture, Combine, Secondary Color, Vertex Array Extension, Clip Hint, Use Palette, Texture Anisotropic Extension, and Texture Compress ARB Extension.

Sound Note: This does compete with visual graphics for performance. I have mine set to minimalize this.
Settings: Custom, Playback channels: Default, Speaker type: Headphones, 3D engine mode: Minimal (fastest), Sampling Rate: 22050 (This setting seems to make a throatier, deeper aircraft engine sound while eliminating distortions), and Audio enhancements and hardware acceleration (Because want to maintain realistic sound).

NOTE: For Highest Image Quality as your settings, then the OpenGL Maximum settings are below this, unless you have an older or weaker graphics card in your computer. Of course, you may try Performance DirectX or High Image Quality OpenGL for comparison or simply just for fun. You choose one, apply the settings, test, decide, and move to the next post about Optimization after this.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________


Benchmarking Setup Settings Preparing for OpenGL Best Image Quality Preference in IL-2

Vertical Sync OFF set by you in the graphics card Control Panel because OFF is for Benchmarking.

The Easy Settings with the Biggest Effect on IL-2:
The largest change " out the box " would be to switch between OpenGL and Direct X (with Prerendered Frames). The second most influential is your choice of Texture Mipmap Filter. The third biggest influence is your choice of Texture Compression. Forth is Vertical Sync as ON or OFF. For the Benchmarking stage upto this point, you should set Vertical Sync OFF for Benchmarking.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Mode selection: OpenGL or DirectX. Choose OpenGL for greatest image or DirectX, generally, for best performance.
2) Texture Mipmap Filter: Bilinear, Trilinear, or Anisotropic. Many guys use Trilinear, but set Anisotropic if your computer can handle it.
3) Texture Compression is None, 16 bit, and S3TC.

Best Image... Texture Compression: None will give you best image and perfect water when choosing Anisotropic, and select Perfect Textures in your Mods Enabler if you have JSGME. ( If you have JSGME.exe, then you would know it. ) For perfect water, see the confi.ini section.

Balanced Image and Performance...Texture Compression: 16-bit is generally a balance of image quality and performance. Turn ON: USE Dither, USE Palette, Texture mipmap filter: Trilinear with Texture Compression 16-bit. These are all found in the same command box.

Performance Need...Texture Compression: S3TC which generally should be used with Texture mipmap filter: Bilinear or Trilinear. Most people needing performance should use Trilinear, though a few would go further with Bilinear.

4) Vertical Sync OFF for helping stutters and Benchmarking. (Vertical Sync ON with Optimizaton and High Quality Image-Do this at the beginning of the next post.)


_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Benchmarking Focus on Stutter Reduction: These work together very well when the user settles on Trilinear:

1) Graphics Control Panel - set Force Mipmaps: Trilinear

2) Setup window, click on il2set.exe file - Texture Mipmap Filter: Trilinear, Texture Compression: S3TC, Texture Compression ARB Extension

3) Conf.ini file - make sure TexCompressARBExt=1 is enabled. HardwareShaders=1 is enabled.

4) IL-2 Hardware Setup - Main Menu - Set all your Video Mode options to Custom settings, including Texture: Excellent and Detailed Clouds, and so forth.

5) Option A: Graphics Control Panel Texture Filtering - Trilinear Optimization should be tried. Leave all other settings in place and test with it and without it. In my online missions with NVIDIA while using DirectX, this gives me the best trilinear image and performance. Both OpenGL and DirectX users could try this. You test it to see for yourself when you need performance and stutter reduction.

6) Option B: IL-2 Setup window, click on il2set.exe file - Texture Anisotropic Extension will allow the rendering of the best possible textures of any configuration that you create. Using this extension will decrease performance. Activate it during this Benchmarking Phase if your computer system seems to be able to handle it with at least good FPS.

Remember to push OK and Apply for those settings to be accepted which require it. Restart IL-2 after you complete a set of changes.

IMPORTANT: All of these in the above lines are specifically designed to work together. For those who need one level less than the best image quality because of stutters and performance necessity, then this probably is the base from which you would make other graphics adjustments.

Getting excellent clouds, textures, water, and other popular graphics features - "eye candy" - requires making the progression of Benchmarking, Optimization, and finally Tweaking as revealed in this tech topic.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________



For the absolute ultimate, more technical information comes later for those with strong desire to get the very best image quality from a very powerful graphics card. That comes after this. Everybody can enjoy the reading.

IMPORTANT: The following IL-2 Setup configuration in the image below this is a compromise for those users who need a simplification. It is a shortcut for those who will not any time soon be digging very deep into the technicalities. For you, it is the best image quality configuration. When the need for change becomes obvious, then it will leave a base configuration intact for you for the sake of keeping things easy.

Mainstream IL-2 enthusiast: The best that you might expect, streamlined for your convenience and quickness to setup:



Above settings can be adjusted for those needing more performance. Gradually reduce settings until you get the right balance for your computer. Especially, performance need would have you reduce the Texture mipmap filter and increase the amount of Texture compression. Doing this will decrease image quality and increase performance.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Setup - il2set.exe - Best Image Quality Analysis

If Highest Image Quality is what you seek and you have a very high performance graphics card, willingness, and interest in the details, then go to the webpage of this link:

by Covino

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT Best Image Quality Advanced Information

These allow the achievement of the best image quality:

A) Texture mipmap filter: Anisotropic
B) Texture compression: NONE


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Extra Image Quality Considerations from the Experts:


1) Uncheck the Use Palette box to get the best color. Palette is an inferior substitution of a limited number of colors instead of using virtually unlimited colors. Palette will slightly improve performance but limit the colors that are used.

2) Uncheck the Texture Compression ARB Extension. Exception: Texture Compression ARB Extension should only be used with S3TC Texture Compression. Texture Compression should be set at NONE for Best Image Quality and Texture Compression ARB Extension should be unchecked for the best, as well.

3) Polygonal Stipple is a graphics pattern which allows shadows to be simulated. Unchecking this will increase performance a little bit but make a black shadow. Using Polygonal Stipple is the only way that some people are satisfied with the way shadows are rendered, so I recommend checking it. Also use shadows=1 in the conf.ini file.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The Image Quality Settings put into words here for the advanced enthusiast to add to the skills and others to learn. Yes, " a picture is worth a thousand words", but when it comes to IL-2, this is not always true, for the sake of clarity. :wink:


IL-2 Setup for Benchmarking
Highest Image Quality that is possible...
Use only with powerful GPU and watch the CPU and GPU core temperatures:



Magnify your browser window if you need for some of the print to be increased in size to read it.
Test using The Black Death.



___________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Be sure to remember to watch your Fraps Frames Per Second shown in yellow on your screen when you have Fraps open. You never want to settle on less than 20 FPS. I consider 30 FPS to be the minimum in most situations. If I am flying a mission of low demand on FPS, such as desert-medium altitude-clear skies, then 20 FPS is satisfactory for forward cockpit view, in my opinion. For lower altitude, you need higher FPS than that. I typically have 30-70 FPS in forward cockpit view. Watch your Task Manager and you will see a definate correlation of FPS and CPU usage %.

The reason why I use Fraps for FPS is because it is a bit more of a hit against performance than the simulation FPS function. This means that I will have even smoother flying and picture performance when in a mission and it also substitutes for higher demands of more complex missions, as far as performance is concerned.

This concludes the Benchmarking. Did you examin and apply everything that you could in this Phase 1 Benchmarking?


MISSION COMPLETE

Optimization is next.

[Fireskull]

Phase 2 is Optimization Graphics Control Panel - Raising Lowest FPS and Image Quality to the Optimal levels - Connecting the various major graphics processing categories (think image style of graphics) and establishing number boundries (values) It is similar in principle to the shoemaker cutting the style into the major parts, connecting parts with fine adjustments according to size of components, and stitching, nailing, or glueing the already sized shoes which is like pushing the Control Panel APPLY button for graphics settings.


Keeping IT Clear
1) Preparation is for getting ready to configure IL-2
2) Benchmarking - Setup - finding the basic graphics setup need for IL-2, using at most few numbers.
3) Optimization - Control Panel - discovering the extent and limits of graphic traits, using some numbers.
4) Tweaking - Conf.ini - making finish adjustments to IL-2 graphics and the conf.ini file is 100% about number values.

In Optimization, you are setting the categories of graphics processing. An example would be what type of Anti-Aliasing and the value or amount of it. Another example is to set the type of Texture Optimization and the amount of it.


Optimization Defined for IL-2
Optimization is discovering the extent of all the major kinds of graphics processing which your system can allow with good image quality. Because you are seeking the most efficient limits of the basic graphic characteristics, that is why it is called Optimization.

Here you are focused on keeping the lowest FPS raised in IL-2 while discovering the types of graphics processing that is needed to get the best image quality. The goal in this stage is to have smooth 3D image motion and acceptable lowest FPS numbers while improving image quality, hence the reason for the term Optimizing.

IMPORTANT: Do not let your FPS get too low in this phase. You want to have some FPS that can be sacrificed to get more image improvement in the Tweaking stage which is last. Having FPS to sacrifice later to get better image is important.



NOTE: Any changes to your graphics settings in the Setup, Graphics Control Panel, or conf.ini should be made AFTER you undo the conf.ini READ-ONLY. Doing this will allow many settings to effect the conf.ini file graphics command line values. When you reach the point that you think ALL graphics settings are made that you should at this time, then set the conf.ini file to READ-ONLY.



Graphics Settings NOTE: Most people should turn Vertical Sync ON right now to begin the Optimization stage ( after the previous Benchmarking stage ).

Only an Exception: A few IL-2 users will need to leave Vertical Sync OFF for increasing the average FPS to reduce stuttering, but the image will have tears. This is only for extreme need of stutter reduction when all else seems to fail.

The IL-2 lover should set the Vertical Sync ON if at all possible. In many ways this will force you to discover the best settings for this Optimization stage, hence the application of the word Optimization.

Normally, the activation of Vertical Sync ON marks the border between Benchmarking and Optimization. Here in this topic, one of my goals is to present this as clear as I can do it.

NOTE: Enhancements is a term which can effect Benchmarking, Optimization, OR BOTH. Keep these terms clear in your mind for basic, sound organization. The whole experience will be much more efficient and enjoyable from this.

Only if need be, would it instead be better to increase the FPS in the previous stage called Benchmarking by reducing one or more Setup-il2set.exe settings, though it might reduce image quality, and leave Vertical Sync OFF during that Benchmarking stage. Return after that to this post and set Vertical Sync ON.

To summerize this issue, you start with the highest settings and if that does not work, you reduce a single setting one level. Repeat this method until you get the balance of performance and image quality which pleases you. See the previous stage to this which is Benchmarking and repeat it if you need before you advance into this Optimization stage of this post.

Optimization for Performance - My performance settings for online flying.

Below is the image of a screen capture of my flying online North of Singapore in a Zeke. The settings are for online performance, when I want crisp, instant response of all input devices, high FPS, and almost all the time is NO STUTTERING! Notice that the jaggies are minimal. The scene is not too bad for a hazy day. I shot down two AI fighters and one live pilot online in this mission. Take a look at this moment when I gazed over my shoulder to check my six O' clock:



Online flying in missions with many aeroplanes and many mods may cause an IL-2 user to seek a version of IL-2 for only online flying. You may make a copy of your IL-2 for this purpose. This is much easier and quicker than changing IL-2 hardware settings or graphics profiles each time that you want to switch the settings of online and offline flying.

I have included suggestions for the online only flyer who needs more IL-2 graphics performance because of the large number of planes, objects, and mods in many online server missions.

Since performance is needed and visual quality is wanted, I will give my typical performance settings for online flying. Here performance is more important to me than visual quality. Also, enthusiasts who are relatively new at this and have ordinary equipment will need to consider seriously the use of DirectX. Of course, owners of a powerful rig should start with OpenGL. When I want great appearance, I either crank Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filter to 16x in DirectX (nHancer with 8 prerendered frames :wink: ), or I go with OpenGL.

Later, I will reveal how IL-2 lovers can set their simulation for high or even highest quality image.

ATI users will see new content soon in this tech help topic, including screen captures to guide you. Until then, you can learn some useful things by looking at NVIDIA settings.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Possible reason why my PC runs IL-2 best in DirectX for performance.

Here is an important set of facts which would be rare to find in any website other than All Aircraft Arcade:


Microsoft, AMD, and NVIDIA received recognition by an award given for the API called Direct3D, a graphics aspect of DirectX. This is the Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for "Pioneering work in near and real-time fully programmable shading via modern graphics processors."


My computer has primary components from the above three collaborating companies. My PC has a DirectX based Operating System, AMD CPU, and the Direct3D Graphics capability of nVidia. Hence, the superior graphics performance on my PC when I run IL-2 with DirectX API.

Comment: Interesting that AMD aquired ATI. However, nVidia still shares the rights to use the DirectX API, as does ATI. Added to this swirling mix is the fact that Microsoft is working closely with manufacturers of computer related components to support and publish DirectX 11-the API which combat flight simulations will use in the near future, such as Storm of War.

Conclusion about this: We are wise to wait for the release of Storm of War in order to discover what hardware and software requirements would best render graphics in the simulation. Until then, we should optimize what we have. This is my perspective.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________


NVIDIA Graphics Card Settings-My Performance Online Settings with DirectX:

IMPORTANT: For you to apply all my settings in the below two performance screen captures would allow you to have a good performance starting point, if you have done the preparation and previous instructions.


Some online missions are very demanding on your computer and IL-2. To be ready for anything, I use the following settings in most situations for online flying. This gives me Performance that is smooth as silk and Excellent Image Quality.

Keep in mind that I have an AMD Dual Core CPU and an NVIDIA Dual Core GPU - GeForce Go 7150m. I use ProcessAffinityMask=3 for this excellent Performance and Image Quality.

Examin the parts of this topic that discuss Multi Core to determine where you should start at realizing your best settings. It would be best to begin at the beginning of my topic and go through it before making more than a few changes.



NVIDIA DirectX Online Performance Free of nHancer

ATI owners should find this interesting and perhaps realize a thing or two. Progess through my topic about PC Enhancing of IL-2 in order to reach the subtopic about ATI Enhancements.

NOTICE: The Program is selected in the box near the top, then you click ADD to include the Executable file called il2fb.exe found in the Main Registry of your IL-2 Main Folder. Remember to click APPLY after you make your selections. Restart IL-2 to begin using the settings.

Graphics Card Control Panel - NVIDIA - Top Scroll

Performance seekers should consider the setting called Force mipmaps: Trilinear, which is a balance of image quality and performance. ( Force mipmaps: NONE allows the perfect image of Anisotropic in il2set.exe, but decreases performance )



NVIDIA Control Panel for Performance - Bottom Scroll



Clarifications:

Error reporting-- OFF ( ON will improve image and reduce stutters. OFF increases performance. If your IL-2 crashes or freezes, then change this setting.)

Extension limit-- OFF
Force mipmaps-- Trilinear ( This is a good balance of quality and performance. Anisotropic renders highest quality with decrease in graphics performance-this is achieved with Force mipmaps: NONE and ilset.exe Anisotropic setting. )
Maximum pre-rendered frames-- 3 to 8 ( Later versions of nHancer will allow both DirectX and OpenGL prerendered frames. A prerendered frames setting of 3 would increase performance/decrease image quality. The setting of 8 would give maximum image quality. If you experience significant input device delay such as mouse or TrackIR, then reduce this value until performance is regained. )

Single Display Performance Mode
Texture filtering-Anisotropic mip filter... OFF
Texture filtering-Anisotropic sample optimization-- OFF
Texture filtering - Negative LOD bias-- Clamp
Testure filtering - Quality-- HIGH Quality
Texture filtering - Trilinear optimization-- OFF

Threaded optimization-- Set to On ( Note: nHancer enforces this, confirmed in Task Manager, 18-28 threads for my IL-2! Use with Dynamic Tiling, Prerendered Frames, and Multi Core: See the nHancer post below )

Triple buffering-- OFF ( You might use this with OpenGL, which limits the drop of the frames per second, but also might cause more stuttering. You must try this by only applying it alone to be sure.)
Dynamic tiling-- Tuned ( Enforced by nHancer - crucial )
Vertical sync-- ON

[ Having this ON increases image quality (and simulation performance when fully using nHancer). Vertical Sync ON will lock the frame refresh rate to the monitor refresh rate, which eliminates the image tearing. Leaving Vertical Sync OFF should only be considered in those few situations when an IL-2 user is desperate for higher FPS and reduced stuttering - after all else fails. ]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

NVIDIA OpenGL Highest Image Quality Settings

Your applying of all the settings for Highest Image Quality in the two following screen captures would create a good starting point for you to get best image in Optimization. Some would be satisfied with stopping after applying these, with perhaps increasing the Anti-Aliasing and going to better Anisotropic Filter settings if your graphic card allows broader values, for example - 32x AA.



NVIDIA OpenGL Maximum Settings for my GeForce Go 7150M Graphics with 179 series drivers, locked for my laptop version ( Stock without nHancer ):

Part A Upper Scroll of Highest Image Quality Settings

Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filter are very important in impacting both image quality and performance. AA reduces the jaggies but can cause stuttering. Anisotropic Filter can effect the crispness of textures at a distance, but effects input device delay and other performance characteristics ( such as mouse, joystick, or peddles delay and irregular response. ) Go as high with AF as your input devices seem to allow which is comfortable for you.



Part B Lower Scroll of Highest Image Quality Settings



Remember to click the above Add button and set the Executable to make the connection from the graphics settings to IL-2. The Executable should be in the Main Registry of the Main IL-2 Folder. Set il2fb.exe as the Executable.


_______________________________________________________________________________________


IMPORTANT: Stuttering is caused mainly by the irregular processing of image frames, among other reasons.



Benchmarking Phase 1 > Vertical Sync OFF, Benchmarking, mainly for Performance Sizing IL-2 Setup Stage (which is before this Optimization Phase 2). Benchmarking is like the shoemaker sizing the shoes and putting marks on the materials and bench while the shoes are placed on the bench, therefore the creation of the term Benchmarking. Think of this as compared to your discovery of performance as you pull the pieces together and set them with the OK and APPLY buttons.

The shoemaker established only the fundamental demands such as the size of the shoe - think Frames Per Second - and stitched the material together. As the instructions in the previous posts, you should have recorded the results of your tests by making simple notes of FPS and what change in Setup caused each FPS, just as a shoemaker records his settings with marks on the material and bench.

In Benchmarking, you were mainly focused on the highest FPS with Vertical Sync Off and image quality which satisfies you, trying to get the highest maximum during Setup of IL-2.

Note: This stage should have been completed in the previous post, but I am re-emphasizing it for the sake of clarity.

Vertical Sync should be OFF during Benchmarking. This is when you compare the Frames Per Second of different settings. OFF allows the FPS to vary above monitor refresh rate. Here is where you want to see the limits. This is the performance phase of your discoveries.

If need be, enjoy repeating the Phase 1 Benchmarking and then progress to this Phase 2 Optimization post.




Optimization Phase 2 (This post) > Vertical Sync ON, Optimization, mainly for Image Quality Enhancements Graphics Details and Enhancements. This is the same general concept of the shoemaker applying the adjustments and finishes for stability and appearance of the shoes. You can make changes in graphics settings for desired image quality.

This begins in the this post.

Here in Optimization, you are more focused on raising the lowest FPS level-only if it needs it-with Vertical Sync ON while you make graphics image changes if needed. For stuttering and too low FPS, you begin with the highest graphics settings and gradually decrease the values until your lowest FPS raises to a point where the stuttering is gone or almost eliminated.

Turn the Vertical Sync ON for this stage which is Optimization. The Optimization is where you focus on image quality, mainly, having established most of the performance in the previous post which was Benchmarking. Now you are in the Optimization post and stage where you begin to enjoy fine tuning IL-2.




The following advice applies mainly to ingame settings of Vertical Sync:

Having Vertical Sync ON will limit the frames per second to your computer monitor refresh rate. One of the advantages is that limiting the frames per second will stop unnecessary frames creation. This frees more processing action toward the frames that are created, resulting in smoother performance and better quality. Fewer and softer stutters can be created in the Optimization Phase 2 with Vertical Sync ON, however, this requires an informed IL-2 enthusiast and it might require reducing image quality.

Vertical Sync OFF causes much tearing of the picture image. This is because the rate of the frames is not matched to the monitor refresh rate, which is often 60 hz.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

TIP: Monitor Upgrade - Monitor Refresh Rate can be set higher in some monitors. After Vertical Sync is ON, the FPS will be higher, too. This could be just what some of you need. Try to find a monitor that is sure to be able to allow higher refresh rate setting. Note, however, there are a few graphics drivers which will not allow this, such as a laptop graphics driver. Perhaps some of you can not go wrong with a cheap used monitor. :wink:

More discussion about seeking a computer monitor with a higher refresh rate can be found here:

viewtopic.php?p=314320#314320


______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is another issue. Vertical Sync ON literally stabilizes your computer processing instead of racing without strict control. Like a car in a race, too much speed results in loss of processing control and IL-2 handling, for example by causing overheating. Some computers will not have overheating with the racing frame rate of Vertical Sync OFF.

The jaggies and stuttering are like the shakey, swirving race car which is being driven beyond control. Also like an artist who is is lacking the control to paint a nice picture. A bit slower would produce more detail in the painting with smooth action. There are limits to what every computer can take. The amount of effect varies from computer to computer.

Note: Sure, there are other contributors to these stutter and image problems. However, consider to eliminate the speeding toward taking control of your simulation. If needed, stop the racing of FPS with Vertical Sync ON. " Get in Sync with me, dude." 8)


FPS Redundancy
I invented a term today (to the best of my knowledge) called FPS Redundancy to label the Frames Per Second which is more than is necessary. The human mind only perceives upto approximately 60 FPS. All frames created above this are FPS Redundancy. Extremely powerful graphics combined with a monitor refresh rate set higher than this is the exception using Vertical Sync ON, which I would not label FPS Redundancy.

Special Exception: However, a few guys are desperate for smoother game play and may use Vertical Sync OFF until they see the stutters be reduced or eliminated, for example-online flying when there is usually more demand on a computer. Remember that Vertical Sync OFF can cause tearing of the video image in many computers which varies in amount from system to system. For some people, it is a tolerable trade in order to get faster frame rates.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

This ends Phase 2.


MISSION COMPLETE

[Fireskull]

Final Phase Tweaking - The confi.ini.exe File As the shoemaker makes final cuts such as the tongue and applies finishes to the shoe, so you will tweak IL-2 to complete the enhancement of IL-2.

Here is where you are focused mainly on IL-2 appearance while reducing the stutters.


_________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: READ-ONLY... The conf.ini file can be locked to prevent your system from making unwanted changes. READ-ONLY applied to the file will lock all settings in place. Simply undo the READ-ONLY to make changes to your conf.ini file.

NOTE: Any changes to your graphics settings in the Setup, Graphics Control Panel, or conf.ini should be made AFTER you undo the conf.ini READ-ONLY. When you are done with graphics settings, then set the conf.ini file to READ-ONLY.

Right click on the conf.ini file icon. Click on Properties at the bottom of the window which appears. Another window will come on the screen with the READ-ONLY check box by it. Put a check in the box and click APPLY. Undo it by clicking on the check in the box and then click APPLY.

Any time that you make a graphics setting change, you should do this procedure. This is true for graphics Setup, Control Panel, and conf.ini file settings.

Make copies of everything that works great.
_________________________________________________________________

Perfect Water settings are included here. Only OpenGL makes this possible and how to do it is revealed in the last part of this section.


The command lines for graphics are actually in IL-2 conf.ini file of the main file and folder registry in the IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 folder. Your graphics interface-NVIDIA, and nHancer in my case-place the values that you indicate with the graphics interface. In other words, your graphics control panel is a kind of editor which makes changes in the confi.ini file and potentially elsewhere. The new values appear in the conf.ini file automatically, however, you can open the conf.ini and change things manually.

Make a copy of conf.ini and put the copy someplace where you will be sure to find it again, easily. Make only changes that have been proven to be harmless. If you muck things, then you can reinsert a copy of the original and start to modify again. This way you can safely experiment with a copy of the conf.ini file. I have a disabled copy of conf.ini under the active one. The disabled conf.ini has a minus (-) symbol at the beginning of the name that I placed there. This is the most convenient way to preserve a file or folder in IL-2, if you want to be sure to keep it in association with that particular IL-2 version. See how the PC techniques are so important? They are easy, too, with a little practice.

Note: You can make changes, but anything that you set in your graphics card interface afterward could over ride your attempt to change those settings in the conf.ini file. The settings in your Hardware Setup found through the IL-2 main interface can also over ride your conf.ini attempts. Through some trial and error, I discovered which ones I can increase, even some independently of the graphics interface. A few made improvements of graphics visual features. I suppose this is because 1C: Maddox Games allowed features which would possibly become available in the future with improvements in the capabilities of graphic cards and their drivers. However, you can change the settings that are not overwritten by the IL-2 Setup and graphics Control Panel. As written above this, practice is needed, and research helps you to realize things.

CAUTION:If you have a powerful rig, then you can safely use my settings within the chip core temperature limit.

Make a copy of your original conf.ini and put it in an easy to find location for preserving your information. You could make a copy of it and drag the copy to your Desktop. Next, you rename it with only adding a minus (-) sign in front of the name. Drag the deactivated stock conf.ini file next to the modified one.

TIP:You can use the deactivation method with minus sign added to the name on any command line of the conf.ini file. Carefully type the new copy or paste it above the stock deactivated one.

DirectX Performance Preference settings will be given first.

OpenGL Best Image Quality Preference settings will be given second.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________

TIPS:
Performance increases
In your conf.ini file...

1) Reduce 3dgunners=
2) Reduce Effects=
3) Reduce Forest=
4) Reduce Water=

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following are image examples of online DirectX settings for Performance Preference. Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter controls at my hands, I circle Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands region, Pacific Theatre of Operations. I am looking for targets to attack. Notice the smoke of the American anti-aircraft battery which is tracking me.



After shooting down 1 enemy fighter, I took shots from another and anti-aircraft fire. As my dying aeroplane descends, I look for an important ground target for suicidal collision. ( Aren't we glad that it's only a simulation! :lol: )



These images are provided for your benefit in order to compare to what you have. Keep in mind that my images appear in this topic as a bit blurry because of 2nd or 3rd generation image transfer. You can still get a good sense of what to expect with your settings by comparison.


IMPORTANT: The computer monitor color settings which I have render all the images in this topic to a very realistic quality. By looking at these, you should be able to adjust your color settings and IL-2 related graphics settings while making the comparison with what you have.

My conf.ini settings

Look down the list of command lines in the conf.ini file. I changed mine to ProcessAffinityMask=3 - Notice: no ";" (semicolon). [Original was ;ProcessAffinityMask=1] What you need for ProcessAffinityMask should have been determined by you no later than the Benchmarking Phase 1, before Optimization Phase 2.

Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor confirms that both my cores and 18-28 threads are being used to process IL-2. This is improved from IL-2 sharing the first core with the OS and only 1-3 threads. Huge! I recommend carefully researching and experimenting with Multi Core to assess your requirements before you leave the Benchmarking Phase 1, then progress through the following Optimization Phase 2 and end with conf.ini, all the while comparing the results in FPS and stuttering in The Black Death track.



DirectX Performance Settings of confi.ini This is what I usually use for Performance online flying, DirectX, and no nHancer.



Remember that any Control Panel changes can overide your attempts to make changes to command lines in the confi.ini file. With a little practice, this will become clearer to you.

Be careful about experimenting with settings which are not recommended by me in the conf.ini file. Making a copy of the original conf.ini is very advisable. You can then experiment while keeping your original configuration and using it for comparison.

The safest, most reliable way to make experimental settings is one command line at a time. Change one line and restart IL-2 to view the results. The other alternative is to simply copy my whole safe configuration and see the results of it.


[Render_DirectX]
TexQual=3
TexMipFilter=2 ( Change to =2 for Trilinear, =3 is Anisotropic which the most powerful graphics cards can easily handle )
TexCompress=2 ( 0=no compression, best quality/ 1=16 bit conversion, balanced/ 2=S3TC best performance, least quality )
TexFlags.UseDither=1 (This section is TexFlags, or Texture Flag commands)
UseAlpha=0
UseIndex=0
Polygonstipple=1
UseClampedSprites=0
DrawLandByTriangles=1
UseVertexArrays=1 ( Some drivers have problems with this. Set to =0 if anything major happens. Test it to see. )
DisableAPIExtensions=0
ARBMultitextureExt=2 DirectX Performance Settings in this list
SecondaryColorExt=1
VertexArrayExt=1
ClipHintExt=1
UsePaletteExt=1 (Using Palette increases performance slightly but decreases color quality a bit)
TexAnisotropicExt=1
TexCompressARBExt=1 ( Activate with 1 if above S3TC is used )
TexEnvCombine4NV=1
TexEnvCombineDot3=1
DepthClampNV=1
SeparateSpecular=1
TextureShaderNV=1

HardwareShaders=0 ( Must be 1 to activate Perfect Mode in OpenGL list, use =0 for DirectX Performance Preference, but you can use HardwareShaders=1 for DirectX, too. )

The following section to including Effects, you should increase the number upto 2, and 3 with more powerful graphics or DirectX 11 for the ones indicated with 3.

Shadows=1 (This =1 seems most realistic to me. Try 0, 1, and 2 with a little experimenting if you want a change in shadows.)
Specular=2
SpecularLight=2
DiffuseLight=2
DynamicalLights=1
MeshDetail=2
VisibilityDistance=3 DirectX Performance Settings in this list

Sky=2 (Sky=3 for best clouds and sky but decrease in performance. Sky=3 eliminates cloud defects and allows border between terrain and clouds to be realistic.)
Forest=2 ( =3 for 3D Forest Trees with leaves! =3 Does decrease performance, especially FPS)
LandShading=2
LandDetails=2 ( Got a powerful GPU? Try 3 )

LandGeom=2
TexLarge=1 ( might allow =2 but I think this is only available in OpenGL Perfect Mode)
TexLandQual=2 ( =3 is best land quality )
TexLandLarge=1 ( might allow =2 but I think this is only available in OpenGL Perfect Mode)
water=2

(NVIDIA water=2 or water=3 for performance, however =4 is for Perfect Water but only OpenGL)
(ATI owners should always use water=2)

NOTE: Perfect water is currently only available in OpenGL... See the last two conf.ini sections for details on Best Image Quality and Perfect Water Settings.

There is talk about DirectX 11 in 2010 allowing perfect water setting in IL-2. We'll see about that. 8)


Effects=1

( Effects=0 is minimal effects and will turn the mods effects to OFF, increasing performance, especially raising FPS. )(Effects=1 is considered good but can cause a significant decrease in FPS in some computer with mods used. Effects=2 is the best in many situations. A few claim that Effect=3 works with some mod packs.)

ForceShaders1x=0

( Try 1: =1 will typically work for the nVidia 5000 series video cards, but many websites claim that =1 is not needed for newer cards )

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

VideoSetupId=15 ( try =17)

0 - Safe Settings
1 - Default Settings
2 - Maximum Settings
3 - NVidia GeForce 6800/6600/FX/4/3
4 - NVidia GeForce 5200..5900 - 1.x Shaders
5 - NVidia GeForce 4MX
6 - NVidia GeForce 2 GTS/MX/256
7 - NVidia Riva TNT2
8 - ATI Radeon X800/9800/9700/9600/9500
9 - ATI Radeon 8500/9000
10 - ATI Radeon
11 - Intel 915/925 (GMA900)
12 - Kyro II
13 - Matrox G400
14 - 3dfx Voodoo 3
15 - 3dfx Voodoo 5
16 - S3 Savage 4
17 – Custom (Most people will use this. Set =17 if you have custom settings in your IL-2 Setup/il2set.exe)





[size=200]>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[color=blue]______________________________________________________________________________________________________



TIP: A quick technique is that if you reduce the land lighting and other settings in your IL-2 Hardware Setup in the Main Interface, the demand against performance is significantly improved. You may even see better FPS. I sometimes do this when I need a quick improvement to return fast to online flying. ( My Squadron mates sometimes wonder what the @#*^%! I am doing as they wait a few moments for me. :wink: :lol: )

Perfect Water requires that you keep the Landscape Details Perfect in the IL-2 Hardware Setup, but reducing other settings may help increase your IL-2 performance.



How do you like the information? If you have examined and done everything that you could in this section, then you have done well.

MISSION COMPLETE

[Fireskull]

NVIDIA Enhancements


nHancer OpenGL Maximum Settings

IMPORTANT: We must be honest to ourselves. Do you have a strong desire to enhance your NVIDIA graphics and the will to complete the nHancer project?

At least one copy of your non-nHancer configuration as a backup and also for comparison purposes is a huge advantage. I highly recommend one copy of IL-2 with no nHancer and another exact copy version of IL-2 with nHancer for comparison. If you manage nHancer well, you can see at least some improvement with much work. I see substantial gains with my system. By comparing the results of the two versions of IL-2, with and without nHancer, I am confident that you will likely see improvements.

This is not for the self-admitted lazy person!




Please keep in mind that I am using the older nHancer 2.4.5, and that new nHancer versions may provide 32x AA and 16x-32x AF. See the nHancer website for your requirements.

Normally I run IL-2 in the 20s to 100 FPS with Vertical Sync OFF and Vertical Sync ON about 38 - 59 FPS, depending on settings and mission demand. It has excellent image quality and the frames are smooth.

When I maximize everything, even with lower framerates, the difference with and without nHancer is clear...

With the nHancer Program at OpenGL Maximum Settings, my copy of IL-2 with HSFX 4.1 would run in simple missions, though only bearable. However, an identical copy of my IL-2 that is virgin with no nHancer has less than 5 FPS! It locks, or freezes, almost everytime. The difference is amazing. I can see that if I had better than a 2007 - GeForce 7000s series graphics card, then I would be running IL-2 well in every mission with nHancer at Maximum Settings.

Here is an online mission in the arid, almost desert region near China. Notice the fighter far away. I can sometimes see an aeroplane over 15 miles from me. Look at the misty clouds. The cockpit is almost free of jaggies-not noticeable while flying a mission. FPS was mostly in the teens for this at absolute maximum OpenGL settings. Getting this with a 2007 laptop wets my appetite for more!

For some unknown reason, the image transfers a bit blurry, but you can still get a sense of the quality and the thrill of it in the simulation:






The nHancer which you download should be the version which is matched to your driver number. For example, I have a 179.0 NVIDIA driver set and it requires nHancer version 2.4.5 The general imformation to guide you is in the nHancer Home page. Be sure to watch the temperature of your cores so they do not climb too high.

IL-2 enthusiasts with a more powerful graphics card than mine should see better results in OpenGL Maximum Settings. With a very capable card, nHancer should help you get true optimization: Smooth frames and the best image quality.



Examin the nice list of Features and Requirements of nHancer.



The nHancer online Manual is a very good resource to guide you.



The Control Panel is easy to use once a user gets a little practice with it.



Here are some basic things about the Control Panel of nHancer.



Create a Profile with Executable File:



Add the File Path to the Executable File:







OpenGL Maximum Settings in the Enhancements TAB:



OpenGL Maximum Settings in the Optimizations TAB:



OpenGL Maximum Settings in the Compatibility TAB (Top Scroll):



Reported OpenGL Version - This is in the Compatibility tab.

>>>OpenGL 1.5 --- This is for cards older than is listed below this.

>>>OpenGL 2.1 --- Released July 2, 2006 --- Gamma Correction and other important rendering --- Supported Cards:

Radeon HD 2350 ( not supported by nHancer ), GeForce FX ( driver 175.19 ) GeForce 6000 series, GeForce 7000 series, GeForce Go 7000 series, Quadro FX 4000, Quadro FX 350, Quadro FX 550, Quadro FX 560, Quadro FX 1400, Quadro FX 1500, Quadro FX 5500, and all later cards.


>>>OpenGL 3.0 --- Released July 11, 2008 --- Vertex Arrays, better gamma, other improvements --- Supported cards:

HD Radeon series ( not supported by nHancer ), GeForce 8000, 9000, 100-series, 200-series, 300-series, and 400-series.




OpenGL Maximum Settings in the Compatibility TAB (Bottom Scroll). The Dynamic Tiling is set at 1 for Dual Core. Use Dynamic Tiling 2 for Quad Core. Amazing things here:











If you have understood and successfully applied the fundamentals in the previous sections, then you are ready for this.

Here, I have revealed my settings for OpenGL Maximum Settings in nHancer. (Remember, this is a different nHancer profile from the one that I had in my previous post - the Performance one.) Once you make a profile-create your own name for it-in the Application box of nHancer, designate one or more Executable files (il2fb.exe is all you need for IL-2), and make sure to include the Executable File with File Path, found in the Executable box of nHancer ( in the case of having more than one IL-2 installed or if you need more than one Profile for the same IL-2. ), then nHancer will take control and supercede NVIDIA. It also has the capability of adding a few lines in the NVIDIA console, such as Dymamic Tiling (Different versions of nHancer have a few different features than others). You should see the dramatic results in Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor during your control test mission.



NOTE: If you decide on nHancer, then return to the Benchmarking Preparation posts and advance through this topic. This will be more efficient than hopping like a rabbit. Be on track. 8)

nHancer

Profile of DirectX Online Balance of Excellent Performance and Image Quality

The below image is a capture of a short movie of my flying over Crete in an Italian fighter. Look for the clear image of the enemy aeroplane in the distance trying to circle onto my six o'clock. At that distance, the enemy is clear and free of jaggies. Notice the horizon lines and other terrain features free of jaggies. The cockpit has much improved lines with little jaggies and some lines have no noticeable jaggies.

This had fairly smooth flying. Though a bit blurred because of third generation image transfer, observe the excellent quality that DirectX can render:





Enhancements TAB
Anti-Aliasing--Combined--16xs The Combined is a more efficient processing method which is balanced. ( Note: Some later versions of nHancer can enforce AA 32x or more!)
Enhance in-game AA setting--Super--Transparency
Anisotropic Filtering--16x (I like how this creates crispness farther in the distance with no shimmering effect)
Vertical Sync--ON

I have concluded that this should generally be ON. Activated Vertical Sync will result in less or no vertical tearing, such as the jaggies of the cockpit edges which can be seen from the cockpit seat when Vertical Sync is OFF. Instead of some of the processing power being used to create more frames per second, more processing resource can be used to create better quality of the frames which are created.

The human mind can comprehend no more than 60 Frames Per Second. A cycle of a bit less than this remains undetectable as established by scientific studies.

FPS Redundancy
The use of more Frames Per Second than is necessary has a new name. Today, I am creating the term FPS Redundancy to label the condition of more frames per second being creating than is necessary. ( 25 Feburary, 2010 )



Optimizations TAB
Texture Filtering--HIGH Quality
Trilinear Optimization--OFF (Automatically disabled in HIGH Quality, anyway)
Anisotropic Sample Optimization--OFF (Because I hate background shimmering and prevent it all I can)
Negative LOD BIAS--Clamp (Again, to prevent shimmering-use Anisotropic Filtering instead)
Adjust LOD BIAS--0.000--ZERO (Yup, shimmering issue-use Anisotropic Filtering for crispness at distances)
Prerender Limit--8

NOTICE: Prerendered Frames is the feature for the number of frames preprocessed before final processing by the GPU. A huge increase in processing that can allow higher graphics settings. If you experience input device delay such as mouse, cursor, and TrackIR, then reduce this value until you achieve instant, smooth input response. In DirectX, a manually activated Profile is required, however, I recommend a manually activated Profile in all cases.


Compatibility TAB
Anti-Aliasing compatibility--General compatibility
Anti-Aliasing DX10--General compatibility (I have DirectX10 in my computer. Forcing compatibility in DirectX10 AA, often overlooked :wink: )
Force Mip Maps--Trilinear
High Dynamic Range (HDR)--Enabled
Conforment texture clamp--Unchecked (This applies to OpenGL)
Driver extension limit--0 (Applies to OpenGL)
Dynamic tiling--usually 1 or 2, see below...
CPU Multi Core support--multicore ( Check this box and put a check in the box Activate Profile Manually. To activate a profile, right click the nHancer symbol in the Taskbar and put a check in front of the command Activate Profile. Next, start IL-2. )
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Set Dynamic Tiling to 1 for Dual Core GPUs with Prerendered Frames, Multi Core, and Multi Threading activated. ( Some users may get the best with one core being assigned other than the first core, instead of two cores being assigned. )
or
Set Dynamic Tiling to 2 for Quad Core GPUs with Prerendered Frames, Multi Core-if you choose, and Multi Threading.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skeptics remember: I went from IL-2 being processed in one core with only one thread to...IL-2 now being processed at 8 Prerendered Frames, Both Dual Cores, and 18 - 28 Threads. I only get the good performance and beautiful image while using nHancer and all the above is enforced with it to accomplish this.

Note that Multi Core, Multi Threaded Optimization, and PreRendered Frames must be enabled to maximize Dynamic Tiling effect. The nHancer program makes this possible, varified by Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My nHancer causes the CPU to processes as much data as it can of each frame before being sent to the GPU. The multi core is already familiar to many reading this. Added to the previous two, multi threading enforcement caused IL-2 to be processed in 18 to 28 threads in my computer instead of the native 1 thread, or so. Dynamic tiling further increased the efficiency of processing by ordering the threads so they do not interfere with one another and reduces lag, or latency.



These four utilities had to be used together in order to maximize, or nearly so, the processing of data in each frame. The CPU works as a kind of Preparation Cook before the GPU Chef creates the masterpiece. This is prerendered frames. Multi core is like having extra burners on the stove. Multi thread is like having data ingredients brought from storage on organized carts and containers, then placed in good order on tables. Dynamic tiling is like data ingredients stored in organized fashion in the shelves, refrigerator, and freezer. All this organization results in faster speed and better quality per item created by the GPU Chef. This is all figuratively speaking for illustration purposes.



Cache is a place in a computer chip which is set aside for quick data handling, a data cache or place to store data. The cache is a place in the CPU to get data quickly which is expected to be used in the very near future. In the case of a graphical picture frame, such as the 3D picture frame of IL-2, this is dynamically intensive-meaning, multiple changes in the scene are occuring at different speeds. The 3D rendering causes an ever changing number and size of caches to be created, changed, handled, tapped, and closed. The 3D processing requires much more sophisticated instructions within the processor than is typical otherwise.

An API is a set of instructions which includes graphics processing potential. DirectX and OpenGL are the most common, though there are some other specialized API. IL-2, of course, can run in DirectX and OpenGL. All PCs with later Windows Operating Systems contain the code to utilize either API-DirectX or OpenGL. They both use data chaches to manage the 3 dimensional image creation. Windows comes with DirectX by default. When someone opens a computer for the first time and looks at an image on the screen, it is typically rendered in DirectX. Microsoft has done a good work in causing DirectX applications to have excellent performance on their machines.

However, IL-2 is such a demanding 3D application that only OpenGL can manage all the 3D features, though DirectX is close behind it. I feel that by now, you should be fully convinced that you can use a closer look into these optimizing issues.

Mutithreading allows the CPU to perform many functions at the same time. There are various areas of a CPU which can handle the results of an operation, called processing. The purpose of multi threading is to utilize the potential of a CPU to accomplish various stages of a number of different operations at the same time and while the GPU is processing. A thread is essentially an operation in the bigger program. Each thread is assigned a path from the data cache through the CPU and GPU in order to be combined with other threads to create the whole that is a single graphics frame (that we view as a single frame of the motion picture).

Prerendered frames allows the processing of as much of the picture frame as possible before the final stage of processing by the GPU. This obviously is a fine case of multi tasking, getting much done at the same time.

Dynamic Tiling supports the efficient designation of data cache through multiple threads. This has a potentially significant increase in performance of any mode. It allows data caches to be organized through threads instead of being switched frequently or threads being delayed by one another, a sort of momentary log jam. Dynamic Tiling is a set of instructions that accomplishes this and highly beneficial in increasing 3D motion graphics performance which is very dynamic and intensive.

Just like a floor trades person may lay tile on the floor with precise cuts and placement of tile, Dynamic Tiling orders the travel and placement of data. Though this causes an increase in the time of each individual operation, the overall result is a job accomplished much quicker and better than unorganized placement.

This is like a team of tilers who skillfully lay tile onto the floor in organized labor. Dynamic Tiling is like those floor tilers carefull placing tiles and well organized to work together and not interfere with each other. No Dynamic Tiling is like floor tilers laying the tiles as fast as they can with no order. The overall job would take longer in that case.

For IL-2, this tiling within the computer chip is essential to performance. It might be noticable or even substantial for Frames Per Second if Pre-Rendered Frames and Multithreaded Optimization are enabled. With nHancer, the NVIDIA user can also activate Multi Core Utilization. The nHancer with the properly created Executable Profile activates the following four processing utilities:

nHancer Synergy
Prerendered Frames
Multi Core
Multi Threading
Dynamic Tiling

Some IL-2 users have computers that would be optimized with the simulation running in only one core other than the first core.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dynamic Tiling-thoughts about it and related things...


Perhaps you have asked in your mind: " Why did my PC not come with this thing? " It actually did. The nHancer program unlocks this set of instructions.

" Why did it not come with this thing activated? " Most PCs are sold in a condition which optimizes internet use and does not have true 3D optimization. CPUs with faster speed can cause a big improvement in internet performance. This is mostly "strait line " computing. However, IL-2 is 3D intensive, so it needs Dynamic Tiling. This is why in most PCs, it is for the user to optimize his rig for IL-2. You can pay much money to a company to optimize for you, or you can save upto thousands of dollars and do the optimizing your self for free.

IL-2 enthusiasts with older NVIDIA graphics cards can use Dynamic Tiling with nHancer:


Dynamic Tiling setting number 1 is for Dual Cores and number 2 is for Quad Cores. For guys in the future with three cores or some other number not mentioned here, I could not find the setting number for your situation. You could try different numbers to see if there is an improvement.

By the way, my performance immediately after applying Dynamic Tiling increased over 20 Frames Per Second to about 100 FPS maximum. Your results may be better or not as good.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Imagine the countless scenarios out there:

One IL-2 enthusiast has slower CPU and GPU speed in his PC than another person. However, the first guy enjoys fairly good performance with IL-2 after doing his own optimization. The other guy either had less performance in IL-2 despite faster chips or he paid much more money for a rig that comes with better IL-2 performance abilities.

As of 2009: AMD CPUs and NVIDIA based GPUs seem to have better internal instructions governing their chips than Intel CPUs and ATI graphics, as far as 3D graphics, in my opinion. The aftermarket support, such as nHancer, also seems to be better, I think.

As of 2010: The world of graphics is changing by the day. The aquisition of ATI by AMD has caused general drawing of the line, competing against Intel and NVIDIA.

Intel CPUs and ATI graphics are currently the fastest out the box in " staight line speed ". They seem to strive for the statistics in order to attract sales. I would rather have better processing instructions supporting the chips so I do not have to pay as much money. Though it is worth noting that Intel and ATI will certainly improve their applications code. They will have the funds for Research and Development. On the other hand, Microsoft is the clear leader in software development and has better partnered with AMD, NVIDIA, and gaming companies with foresight. They realize that their market in the 3D gaming area is to a larger extent focused on an informed customer willing to optimize to save money ( though XBox 360 is an exception ). Aftermarket and freeware developers also have realized these issues, resulting in such fantastic things as nHancer.

DirectX 11 will continue to be rolled onto the markets by all major companies through 2010 and will be a more advanced playing league for 3D motion graphics. Intel and ATI have the lead at this time mainly because of their emphasis on the hardware, more than the software and internal chip intructions. Microsoft, AMD, and NVIDIA work more closely with one another than other companies in the areas of software and internal chip support. This is why their future products are still in final development phase as I write these words. So, the higher " sports league " for 3D simulations is DirectX 11. It will be veeeeery interesting how it evolves.

The nHancer a big advantage for the nVidia owner who manages it well.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

With higher settings it is critical that you monitor core temperature. For reference, see the CPU % usage and Fraps Frames Per Second (FPS). You can also see the number of threads used to process IL-2 with the Windows Task Manager Resource Monitor. These tools are discussed in previous posts of this tech topic.

[Fireskull]

ATI Enhancements

Included is the Trouble Shooting secton were defects of image in IL-2 with late model ATI drivers are handled.

________________________________________________________________________________________

ATI Catalysts

ATI Catalyst YouTube Plug

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHI ... -bit.shtml


ATI Catalyst 8.12 Software Suite Vista 32bit

http://www.liutilities.com/device-drive ... sta-32bit/



ATI Catalyst 8.12 Software Suite XP 64 Bit

http://www.liutilities.com/device-drive ... xp-64-bit/



ATI Catalyst 9.5 Software Suite 32-bit for WinXP, Vista, Win7

http://www.liutilities.com/device-drive ... sta-32bit/



ATI Catalyst Software Suite 9.6 in 64-bit for Vista and Win7

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHI ... -bit.shtml

_________________________________________________________________________________________

ATI and AMD-Overdrive

http://www.amd.com/us-en/0,,3715_15337_ ... 59,00.html

Thanks FA_Bong for the information.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

ATI Reference Information

ATI Catalyst Tweak Guides - Graphics, Anti-aliasing, and so forth.
http://www.tweakguides.com/ATICAT_7.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATI Tray Tools - Download - Guru3D
http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-tray-tools-/

ATI Tray Tools Generic Discussion - Guru3D
http://forums.guru3d.com/forumdisplay.p ... 98609&f=33

ATI Tray Tools Generic Discussion - Guru3D - Triple Buffering and Anisotropic Filtering Optimization
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=183645



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4500 Series Specs and Graphics Parameters
http://www.amd.com/us/products/notebook ... specs.aspx

ATI Radeon 4000 Series Anti-Aliasing Investigation - AlienBabelTech - 2009 information - Study the following pages in the article. There is a bunch of useful information.
http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?p=7429

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATI - Trouble Shooting Information

___________________________________________________
ATI Catalyst Display Driver Version 10.7 was released several days before this post (29 July, 2010). IL-2 enthusiasts report that this one fixes all their problems.

I can not guarantee that it will fix things for you, but reports look good so far.

32-bit version
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/w ... sta32.aspx

64-bit version
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/w ... sta64.aspx

___________________________________________________



Catalyst 10.5 and ATI claims that IL-2 graphics image defects found in late model drivers are solved with this one:

http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx

Please for everyone's sake, if the link ever breaks then post in here about it - please! This link is very important to some people.



Merely one example:
The following link shows anomalies using ATI. Notice the blue color reflection on the wings from the end of the guns and the ships showing random appearance of blue color fields.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9444QthJHg

Others have reported strange block text and other anomalies.



AKA_Coastie belongs to an affiliate squadron of the squadron with whom I fly. FA_IKKYO brought this article by him to the attention of our squadron about ATI driver problems:
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/ ... 5031088038

Note: Be sure to consider the 10.1 Hotfix and the other option in the page of the above link. By the way, that is me in the topic being labelled an " nVidia fanboy ". :lol:

FA_Thump responded with this information:
http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview. ... yword1=il2
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?p=139937

The preceding information came from the Fallen Angels Squadron website.




The Driver Sweep Many guys need this!

Here is the link for the ATI Driver Sweep:

http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/

Thanks, GeneralPsycho for the information about the preceding link.

[Fireskull]

References and Miscellaneous Information

This is where I will be posting a nice sized list of URLs of posts in AAA and other websites that have contributed to this topic by me.

New information will be posted here and it will grow.

CAUTION: Remember to scan all downloads before opening them and next test for corruption.



The Guru of 3D
http://www.guru3d.com/
This site has an enormous amount of information!




http://mission4today.com/index.php?name=...ow&kid=422 Optimizing IL-2 for Multi-Core CPUs and using Prioaff. Includes instructions on how to assign a program such as HyperLobby, TrackIR, or TeamSpeak to a specific core apart from IL-2. by striker-85


http://ultrapack.il2war.com/index.php/t ... b3d559b97e
Advanced tweaks for IL2 stutter/FPS problems by HaDes Very recommended by me.

http://www.europeanaf.org/forum/showthre...8bd&t=7951
IL-2 1946 4.08m benchmarks by MadDog EAF331

http://mission4today.com/index.php?name=...ow&kid=235
Benchmarking, System Utilities, Windows Updates by Tech_Editor

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?s=323...topic=8270
IL2 Shaders 3 = stuttering, ever a fix? Follow the posts of these two guys: by AstroCat and Manos

http://il2.netteq.com/guides/multicore/multicore.html A guide to Optimizing IL-2 for Multi-Core CPUs by an unknown author


A wealth of information for the tech savvy, though a while ago-notice the confi.ini settings.
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/archive/in ... -2839.html

ATI and nVidia Anti-Aliasing Performance - Anti-Aliasing quality and performance compared while using anisotropic filtering, a good clarification. http://alt.3dcenter.org/artikel/ati_nvi ... ndex_e.php

>AMD Dual-Core Optimizer Version 1.1.4 - Updated in late 2009
http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/dynamic ... ItemID=153

Alien Invasion! Alien Babel Tech website gives fantastic information for the simmer.
http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?cat=3

Ingame Visuals and Tweaks Good discussion about making your computer and screen render better IL-2 visual quality
http://www.fallenangelssquadron.com/mod ... pic&t=1791 by FA_Cain


conf.ini file Advanced advice given by Heavy-E Jinxx

ATI and NVIDIA Comparison in one of my favorite hardware review sites:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/vi ... =3&id=3109

Feel free to re-open discussion in any of these topics of these links. I am sure that people would be glad to help you if you need more help than the information provides.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Antialiasing & Anisotropic Filtering Visual Demonstration See images of Mulitsampling, Supersampling, and Combined by nHancer Good reference for everybody, including ATI users.

See with your own eyes: hock:

nVidia GT and nHancer - Antialiasing
http://nhancer.com/?dat=d_aapres

1600 X 1200 resolution - Antialiasing
http://nhancer.com/help/AASamples.htm

1280 X 1024 resolution - Anitaliasing
http://nhancer.com/help/AASamplesLow.htm

Anisotropic Filtering Demonstration - nHancer 16x - increase value for better texture details
http://nhancer.com/?dat=d_afpres
http://nhancer.com/help/AFSamples.htm



Additional Information

Computers can experience a lag which various software can reduce.

Why would my computer lag?

For a CPU to handle connection data streams, it organizes it into segments. Each segment must be acknowledged. There is a wait for the acknowledgement that is called Latency, or lag.

TCP is short for Transfer Control Protocol, which is a system designed to accept the data from a data stream. Acknowledgement is required for various reasons over the connection. The acknowledgement happens frequently for several reasons. For the sake of clarity, I will pass on the technical details. Both the acknowledgement wait and the creation of segments causes delay.

At the point of each acknowledgement, a segment of data is labeled to keep things in order and not lose anything. This causes further delay. Obviously, in a combat flight simulation, these processing delays must be reduced to improve the smoothness of operation, such as in IL-2.

Since most computers are optimized by default to have the fastest website experience, often at the sacrifice of gaming performance, the acknowledgements are too frequent for IL-2 Optimization.

Leatrix Latency Fix will reduce the delay by decreasing the number of acknowledgements. Online IL-2 becomes smoother.

Wow Addon

This website has many useful tools for computer issues.

The Leatrix Latency Fix can be found here:

(Scan the download for malware and test for corruption of files.)

WARNING: THIS DOWNLOAD IS SUSPICIOUS. Though I have seen an improvement in smooth operations of IL-2 online with this utility, I tested the download for corruption, and no adverse things are shown, one of my antimalware programs has labelled this a Trojan. All is well with my system and Fireskull brings you developments in due time.

Only users with the most powerful malware defense should even consider this utility, in my humble opinion. The main reason why I left this in the topic is to be a warning service to IL-2 users.

At Your Own Risk is How You Might Try This. You alone are responsible for it.

http://addon.hotwow.com/addon/addon_347.html


______________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Fireskull]

Concluding Comments

The PC technical relationship of Windows to IL-2 has now been presented in one convenient location. We have come a long way, yes? Step-by-step, you should see nice results from using the information in this topic to make improvements.

I share your passion for IL-2. All the information, hard work, and sharing is centered in what we have in common-this ongoing love of IL-2.

The huge number of views while in the development phase shows that there was much interest in this as I was constructing the topical guide. Some guys made encouraging posts early in the process. Clearly the need was there to post basics about the PC technical relationship to IL-2, especially Windows, in one location.

I share the passion of many for IL-2 and I want to help. Fortunately, and with much hard work, I have been blessed to have come to the knowledge level indicated in my topic. Believe me, there were was blood, sweat, tears, and laughter of plenty through the years of my progress with IL-2. My personal enjoyment of both IL-2 and my laptop computer has made the journey easier and more pleasurable than it would have been if it were only a job. Knowing that many others have and will go through similar trials has motivated me to help make it easier for other people.

Above all else, I generally and genuinely care about people. We at AAA have many such people who have contributed. Many don't know it, but by helping me, they will be helping others in the future through me. A hope of mine in my final writings is that anyone reading this will understand and appreciate that the care came from many people through my past experiences at AAA, and it was expressed in this topic.




Credits

Joseph is a good friend of mine who I have known since 1984. He introduced me to the original IL-2 several years ago, 2005. We have only flown offline when we are together. After a while, we flew in Pacific Fighters. When we thought IL-2 was going to fade, then IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 was released and we bought that.

Ealier in 2009 I decided to see if IL-2 still had any significant online following. I was ready to go to the next level, having bought a laptop with a good graphics card. Mission4Today gets the credit as being the first major website that I found. After a month or two of Mission4Today , Spring 2009, I searched hard for other websites about IL-2. Somewhere I read about All Aircraft Arcade. I was impressed with the variety, size, and quickness to get help. AAA was my main base of operations.

In June of 2010, the Administration of All Aircraft Arcade invited me to become an Administrator of All Aircraft Simulations, a new website, and help get it ready for official opening. I continue here with this same topic in the new website and thank all those who support my work to bring useful information to the community.

Giving Honor to Whom It Is Due

Wolf, Saburo_Sakai, Fly_Zo, HRD, Mr. Jolly, EasyRider, Hellzone, Deac, Monguse, IKKYO, Bury, philip.ed, Bong, Thrud, Thump, 8FS_Bulau, Monkey, and many others-sorry if you are not listed, but I appreciate your help-contributed to my knowledge about IL-2 and computer related issues. A bunch of these guys and others answered my posts for help at AAA, corresponded with me, or talked me through issues while on TeamSpeak.

The very detailed post, down several of them, about the multi core process affinity numbers, was posted by " philip.ed " on behalf of " agraciar " who got the information. It was to be included in my tech help topic, yet I am grateful for the contribution by these two. These numbers are crucial and I feel duty to give them honor for their part.

Special thanks to Monguse, HRD, 352nd_Persecutor, AKA_Coastie and HaDes for pardoning my blunders during my learning process. You guys are leaders who see the bigger vision-thank you!

The previous Administrators of All Aircraft Arcade deserve much honor for their vision, communications, research and development, patience, and vision. The same is true of Moderators, more or less, but everyone is appreciated for their interest in IL-2 and helpful knowledge. May they be thoroughly blessed, enlightened, and readied for future great deeds.

Fallen Angels Squadron (now no longer with a website) attached to the Dedicated Bomber Squadron was my squad. You guys are truely wonderful in your positive attitude with your willingness to help a new guy. Your assistance has lead me to this level of achievement in IL-2. Now I feel that I should pass it unto others.




HyperLobby - Winds of War server

This screen capture was done with the use of Microsoft Office PowerPoint. In this topic, I used images from Fraps and Windows Movie Maker, as well. A special advantage of PowerPoint is that is seems to have the least effect against IL-2 graphics performance. I have much fun with my online flying and give you some glimpses into it.

Here is an online screen capture of my launching in a Ki-61 from Saipan airbase under severe attack. It was very exciting, though I had to return to base with leaking fuel, smoke, damaged engine, and malfunctioning controls. There are three carrier based F6F-Hellcat fighters ( live pilots ) in the scene and more fighters circling me. Very few friendly fighters helped me to get in the air as I rolled my Ki-61 down the runway to join the fight:

[Fireskull]

Answer Your Questions and Appreciate Your Comments


This topic is now open for full discussion.

[P/O W. 'Moggy' Cattermole]

Jolly useful info -- made this a sticky. Cheers, fireskull!

[KG64_Cnopicilin]

Great thread! I'm so reading the last two pages when I come from the school!

[Fireskull]

Great thread! I'm so reading the last two pages when I come from the school!

Is that a computer technical school?? :lol:

[KG64_Cnopicilin]

Great thread! I'm so reading the last two pages when I come from the school!

Is that a computer technical school?? :lol:

Nah, I'm just in the 8th grade. I'm almost the only one who knows about computers in our school.

[socorrista22198]

OLEEE very complete guide!!! thanks Fireskull