Fps... or not to fps?

[Jack the Swede in Spain 424]

Every now and then this question pops up and people seem to be very concerned about their fps (frames per second) and especially if it drops below 25. In my opinion , for what it´s worth, as long as the sim works smooth and withuout stuttering, what is the problem? Enojy the flight and forget the fps, but it almost looks like a competition abouty who has the highest fps regardless if the sim works fine or not. It is widely known that a human eye only can register fps up to 24-30 fps.

 

Here are som links for you.

 

https://www.gamingscan.com/what-does-fps-mean-in-games/

 

https://www.techsmith.com/blog/frame-rate-beginners-guide/

 

Have nice day all of you and i wish you a happy Easter with flower from my garden in Spain, today.

 

 

 

Jack 

the Swede in spain

[Nick Cooper 6,940]

Hello Jack,
Happy Easter to you too.

 

I don't think we need another discussion on frame rates though.

I'll leave the topic open for now with the main opinions already added.

 

1. (My textures are all blurred but) I cannot possibly use the simulator unless I can see (add any high number here) frames a second.

2. I have a very powerful PC and I cannot possibly use the simulator unless I can see (add any high number here) frames a second.

3. The human eye cannot detect more than 24 fps.

4. My human eye can detect any fps number and I cannot possibly use the simulator unless I can see (add any high number here) frames a second.

5. Lock the frame rate and the simulator will stop chasing frames and focus the scenery instead.

6. Switch off the frame rate counter and enjoy what you see on the screen.

[Jack the Swede in Spain 424]

Thanks Nick. I guess I made my point and you have nailed what it´s all about. I think you can close the topic now. 

 

Jack

 

 

[AnkH 243]

2 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

1.

[...]

6.

 

You forgot number 7: all of the above is just plain wrong. ;-) Happy Easter to all!

[lawrence aldrich 502]

[MarkH 164]

6 hours ago, JJJackson said:

I guess I made my point and you have nailed what it´s all about. I think you can close the topic now. 

 

Extraordinary 

[Jon Clarke 1,876]

Well I have never set a FPS target to determine if my sim is OK. What I do use the FPS reading for is as a guide to the sim's performance. If I am experiencing a stuttering mess and see the FPS at 3-15fps I know something is wrong somewhere. If I have a smooth flight and check the FPS and it is 15+ FPS I know things are just OK but there is an area of stress maybe from Objects/Autogen. You can get massive FPS by having all your settings low and fly over the ocean....you should be in the 100+fps but that is totally irrelevant in the big scheme of things as your system is not being tested at all.

What I do object to is the assumption that if someone quotes FPS readings in a post it is regarded as though the FPS was a holy grail rather than just a way of monitoring system performance. Having 100fps over the ocean approaching London doesn't mean you will have 100fps when you land at Heathrow, and that is when your fps reading can assist in determining your settings so that you can have  smooth flight for the whole duration regardless of scenery demands like autogen etc.

FPS rate is a Tool and guide to performance not the main or important aspect of the sim.

[Ziggy 547]

I don’t know what my FPS is either  but my smoothness is great!

[patful 213]

It's never been about my rig's better than yours. Mine's not, it's midrange. Low-end by some standards. But I've never bought the 24 fps argument. It's fine for straight and level flight, but rolling a warbird, which I'm often apt to do, I notice the difference. Rolling a P-51 over the middle of nowhere in default P3D scenery where no stuttering is gonna happen, 24 fps versus 40 is pure ugly. Maybe it's just my superior old man vision, but I see a difference. I compromise for Orbx scenery and leave it at 30...UNLESS it's aerobatics time.

[Nick Cooper 6,940]

I expect that if this topic is left open long enough, all seven of the predicted opinions will be posted.

Thanks for contributing number 4.

[Triplane 601]

How about number eight........who the hell cares what you think about FPS?

[Matthew Kane 446]

Never push Shift - Z and if everything looks smooth then you are all good 

 

Obsessing over FPS is like going down a rabbit hole 

[Ron Attwood 411]

4 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

Obsessing over FPS is like going down a rabbit hole 

 

Both you and I know that that advice will NOT stop people obsessing about FPS. FPS is what flight simming is all about.

[NoLonger 416]

On 4/16/2019 at 11:30 AM, JJJackson said:

as long as the sim works smooth and withuout stuttering, what is the problem?

 

The problem is the sensation of flight. Even if the sim runs smooth and without stutters with an fps of say 24 it doesn't feel as real as when it runs smooth and without stutters with an fps of say 60. 

 

Nick's number 3: I can clearly see (or should I say notice) the difference between a flightsim running at 24 fps and at 60 fps. World of difference to me. Maybe not always when flying straight ahead but during maneuvers or when looking around with TrackIR the difference is obvious. Now I do not care about FPS but I do care about 'real life smoothness'. And although I know an fps of 24 can be smooth an fps of 60 clearly is smoother.  So yes, I can clearly detect more than 24 fps: not in numbers (like when you fly straight ahead I won't be able to guess what the fps is) but in feel.

 

Too often the word 'smooth' is used wrong in discussion like these. As if smooth equals high fps. It doesn't. Even an fps of 1 can be called smooth if you actually get a frame every second.  Hence smooth is more of a subjective feeling and different for everyone. My kind of smoothness needs a higher fps than 24 in most circumstances, that's for sure. The associated fps that I need to get that smoothness doesn't interest me at all. I myself am perfectly fine with my constant 60 fps in AFS2 (due to vsync). Knowing that the sim can run TrueEarth and the Duchess at >100 fps is mainly nice to know because of the overhear it offers for future sim additions like weather and ATC.

[Nick Cooper 6,940]

Hello,

 

all of answers 1 to 8 are correct and have been debated ad nauseam in both informed and uninformed contexts.

 

Because we are how we are, the facts must be combined with the perception of the facts and as soon as human

perception becomes involved, things are no longer simple.

 

This is why, in most respects, this topic is redundant.

Any discussion based on perception must inevitably end in an agreement to differ, as we all perceive different things.

 

 

 

[Fizzelle 330]

I really only use FPS to determine if my VR experience will be worth it. I've got pretty much all the UK mapped out now so I know where to avoid.

 

So it can be useful as a tool.

 

I use MSI Afterburner to check FPS, RAM and VRAM and it's very interesting to see the difference addons and cityscapes make.