FSX Ground performance breakthrough

[speedbird591]

Wow! A great new wonder cure for the abysmal ground handling in FSX.

I've just discovered a thread on the Avsim FSX forum which seems to have gone viral! It started off with somebody bemoaning the poor performance of FSX with regard to friction between the aircraft and the ground and the effect of unrealistic ground drag. It soon developed into a wider and more technical discussion about the limits of FSX and the factors involved and Pete Dowson got involved. Eventually one of the contributors juggled with some figures and came up with a file that transformed the whole behaviour of aircraft on the ground but it had some limitations.

Pete Dowson (and others) took over the project and there is now a simple solution available to transform the whole way that aircraft in FSX and P3D behave on the ground. I've just added the fix to P3D and tried it with two Carenado aircraft, the Mosquito and the CS732. The difference is amazing and affects everything from taxiing to take off and landing. The 'unsticking' effect is now very smooth and gentle and some aircraft of course will gently roll forward on idle thrust. The aircraft tend to stay in a straight line and will turn gently and much more realistically.

EDIT: I've rewritten the following bit after corrections and clarifications from Ben and the unforgettable wossname, er, NigelC It explains the process in simpler terms than I originally posted. Thanks, guys.

Pete Dowson has incorporated the solution into a new FSUIPC module (4.859m) which you can download from here -
http://forum.simflight.com/topic/66139-updated-modules/

You must have the latest version of the full program (4.853) already installed. It doesn't matter if it's registered or free.

Download a lua plugin file called DynamicFriction.lua and Pete gives a link here for downloading the latest lua pack.
http://forum.simflight.com/topic/68257- ... ideclient/

Just copy the single file (DynamicFriction.lua) into your modules folder. FSUIPC4 will detect it and put this entry into the FSUIPC.INI file:

[Auto]
1=Lua DynamicFriction

As with all of Pete's stuff, it makes no alterations to any program files. It works on the fly and automatically invokes the lua file when FSUIPC starts with FSX/P3D and with all aircraft. It can be removed by removing the file and/or the INI entry. Apparently you can use FSUIPC to change the performance of individual aircraft but I'm quite happy with this global/auto version so haven't looked at it. It works with all SPs of FSX and P3D v1.4.

You can read the thread on the Avsim forum here but I warn you that it's 10 pages long and gets quite technical. I'm happy just to take the solution without trying to understand it!

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/392772-inh ... -friction/

Ian

[DaveG]

Thanks for the hu on that Ian.
I'd seen the post but only glanced at a couple of pages of it. Have to try it out later.

[NigelC]

Wow! A great new wonder cure for the abysmal ground handling in FSX.

I've just discovered a thread on the Avsim FSX forum which seems to have gone viral! It started off with somebody bemoaning the poor performance of FSX with regard to friction between the aircraft and the ground and the effect of unrealistic ground drag. It soon developed into a wider and more technical discussion about the limits of FSX and the factors involved and Pete Dowson got involved. Eventually one of the contributors juggled with some figures and came up with a file that transformed the whole behaviour of aircraft on the ground but it had some limitations.

Pete Dowson (and others) took over the project and there is now a simple solution available to transform the whole way that aircraft in FSX and P3D behave on the ground. I've just added the fix to P3D and tried it with two Carenado aircraft, the Mosquito and the CS732. The difference is amazing and affects everything from taxiing to take off and landing. The 'unsticking' effect is now very smooth and gentle and some aircraft of course will gently roll forward on idle thrust. The aircraft tend to stay in a straight line and will turn gently and much more realistically.

Pete Dowson has incorporated the solution into a new update of FSUIPC (4.859k) which you can download from here - http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html - it's the latest version despite it not saying so. It works with both the registered and free versions. It also works with FSX SP1, SP2, Acceleration and P3D 1.4.

There are two other actions to take as well as installing the new version of FSUIPC.

You need to download a lua plugin file called DynamicFriction.lua and Pete gives a link here for downloading the latest lua pack.

http://forum.simflight.com/topic/68257- ... ideclient/

Just copy the single file (DynamicFriction.lua) into your modules folder. Then open the FSUIPC4.INI file using notepad and create this entry:

[Auto]
1=Lua DynamicFriction

and click save.

As with all of Pete's stuff, it makes no alterations to any program files. It works on the fly and automatically invokes the lua file when FSUIPC starts with FSX/P3D and with all aircraft. It can be removed by removing the file and/or the INI entry. Apparently you can use FSUIPC to change the performance of individual aircraft but I'm quite happy with this global/auto version so haven't looked at it.

You can read the thread on the Avsim forum here but I warn you that it's 10 pages long and gets quite technical. I'm happy just to take the solution without trying to understand it!

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/392772-inh ... -friction/

Ian

The version on Schiratti is 4.853, the main release. The update is on http://forum.simflight.com/topic/66139-updated-modules/

See items 10-12 on the changes pdf

[speedbird591]

Thanks for that correction, Paul. That's what comes of trying to read 10 pages of stuff in one sitting before breakfast! However, just installing the lua file and the INI entry into the latest full version of FSUIPC (4.853) gave me the improvement.

But I've now dropped the updated module in (4.859m) from the link that Paul's given to Pete Dowson's updates page. It obviously contains improvements but I was very pleased with the results given by just activating the lua file. So if you've already got 4.853 you just need the module.

So thanks for clarification, Paul. Has anybody else tried it, btw? I find the improvement remarkable. I've been taxying around Heathrow in the 707 and it's so easy to control now. I might start my flights from the gate in future, instead of the threshold

Ian

[NigelC]

Paul??????

I've tried it, it seems much more natural. For instance, pulling onto stand is much more realistic, you come on at idle power and don't need to keep power on until the last moment.

Just been batting round Boscombe in a fully loaded One-Eleven. Will roll forward when you start the second engine, so parking brake on is must for start-up. Need a touch of power to get it rolling but when you get up to taxi speed, just pull it back to idle and she'll keep rolling along.

NIGEL

[VEGAS]

I'll have to give this a try.

Cheers for the heads up Steve.

[NigelC]

[TSR2]

Definitely a marked improvement. I didn't have to edit the ini file in FSX, just plonked the lua file in the modules folder and FSUIPC did the rest and added it for me! Great find Ian

[speedbird591]

SORRY NIGEL

[speedbird591]

Definitely a marked improvement. I didn't have to edit the ini file in FSX, just plonked the lua file in the modules folder and FSUIPC did the rest and added it for me! Great find Ian

I wondered if it did it automatically, Ben, but earlier in the thread there was talk of entering it manually so I did it anyway. But I think Peter refined it in the latest version. I'm glad everybody else is seeing an improvement. Sometimes I wonder if I imagine things

Ian