Major Update Approaching Gate!

    • Official Post

    Greetings Flight Sim Enthusiasts,

    after a lot of hard work our next big update is preparing to land, gears down and cleared to land!

    This update will not only include a completely rebuilt graphics engine that will provide you with better performance with the standard OpenGL rendering engine but we now introduce the all new 'beta' Vulkan rendering engine that can yield even more performance. We have also included a new 'High AA' setting that can be enabled only with the Vulkan renderer at this time. This new graphical setting can provide you with an even crisper image than before. Please remember that the Vulkan renderer is beta and will be improved as we move forward.

    This new update not only improved what's under the hood but we have also made a lot of improvements to the Aerofly FS 2 aircraft fleet. We have also listened to community requests and have made some changes to reflect those requests as well. For a complete changelog visit our WIKI

    Here is just a small highlight of what's packed into this update!

    * We added an option to turn off lens flare

    * Added developer camera support

    * Added the ability to hide most yokes by clicking on or touching the base

    * Improved precision when using VR Hands and mouse cursor

    * In the A320 we added twenty-two new MCDU pages with varying functionality

    * Windows and doors can be opened and closed in some aircraft. You have to try the Cessna; don't forget to unlatch the lock!

    * Added many new autopilot features

    * Added some new aircraft liveries

    * Added a new Q400 head up guidance system (HGS) that can drop down by turning the hinge

    * Added a lot of new overall functionality in most aircraft; too much to list here!

    We will continue to work hard adding more features and functionality in future updates. As always, we thank you for your overwhelming support while we all work towards the best flight experience around!


    We are confident that this update will improve the overall Aerofly FS2 experience and begin building upon a whole new level of quality and control.

    This update will be released on Steam in the public beta channel first so be sure to opt into beta in Steam to receive this update. The update will be open in Steam shortly.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • so be sure to opt into beta in Steam

    Maybe I am missing something but how do I opt in...? The beta option in Steam shows no selectable option... Apparently I need a code to opt in to a private beta?

    • Official Post

    Maybe I am missing something but how do I opt in...? The beta option in Steam shows no selectable option... Apparently I need a code to opt in to a private beta?

    It's not published yet as stated in the announcement.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • It's not published yet as stated in the announcement.

    Ah, ok, I misunderstood this: I thought you could opt into a general beta channel which would then deliver you any beta that would be published automatically on release. But instead you can opt into it as soon as and only when it has been released. Got it. ;)

    • Official Post

    It should be up for you now. just right click Aerofly FS2 Flight Simulator in your Steam games list, select properties, beta, and choose the 'beta' build listed there.

    Steam will update and you can check it all out.

    I will be updating the Wiki shortly to reflect the changed setting screens so please bare with me.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • First results of my tests. I had set up a flight (Dash 8 above New York flying into a specific direction at a specific altitude with ultra settings and shadows at insane).

    Fps before update around 135 (tested last thursday or so)

    Fps after update OpenGL around 155

    Fps after update Vulkan around 125

    Fps after update Vulkan with improved AA around 115

    So for now Vulkan is slower on my system but well, it's still a beta. ;) The improvement with OpenGL is nice! Take note that I usually fly with vsync on so at 60 fps. I've still got enough headroom! The improved AA was better indeed but since Vulkan is slower I will stick with OpenGL for now.

    I also tried various things like opening the doors in the C172: works like a charm. I am also very happy that I can set both condition levers in the Q400 at once by rightclicking! The HUD won't move down however: I see two clickspots but none of them do anything for now. Maybe I am trying the wrong clickspots.

    Next I will check out the new A320 MCDU pages. ;)

    • Official Post

    The HUD in the Q400 is moved down by a grab and turning motion at the elbow of the arm to the right with VR Hands and should do the same while clicking/dragging motion (mouse middle button) the same place in 2D mode.

    As for the vulkan performance, different GPU's will have different results. All of my testing showed a 5-15% increase in performance with Vulkan renderer with High AA OFF. High AA steals a lot of FPS but you get much better image. It's all the choice of the user here to mess with different settings and what works best for YOU.

    In general, the Q400 pulls a big punch so that will hamper your testing a bit. Try to test FPS using the Cessna instead as it's a consistent model unlike the Q400 where any different function configurations can cause different performance results.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • The HUD works! The clickspot I tried actually was the one for the HEAT on the overhead behind the HUD LOL My bad! I found the clickspot that is lower (see attached picture) and it works like a charm. The cursor only shows the scroll wheel in red but you can also simply click it. Nice!

    Another nice thing is that you can again click the parking brake to set it.

    In the meantime I checked out the Airbus: very nice to have all those MCDU pages (even though they often won't do anything) and the same goes for all the clickspots in the cockpit! It simply is nice being able to click on things! ;)

    Concerning Vulkan: I am very happy with the 'new' OpenGL so no problems here. I could set up a new test flight with the Cessna but I can't test the old version anymore so that's not of much use. But I will give it a try anyway to compare OpenGL with Vulkan. The new AA is better so it might be worth the loss in fps: I've got LOTS of fps's to spare! ;)

    • Official Post

    To get to the old version just opt opt of the beta!

    In case you wanted to play around testing FPS

    I'm glad you got that new HUD moving, isn't it cool :)

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • To get to the old version just opt opt of the beta!

    Oh, LOL, is it that easy! ^^ I might give that a try a few times this weekend!

    In the meantime I tested the C172 and that one indeed shows slightly higher fps with Vulkan in the same situation (OpenGL 145, Vulkan 155, and even with the new AA fps stays around that 150, 155!

    Is it correct that vsync doesn't work with Vulkan? I really absolutely like the new improved AA so I decided to keep it on Vulkan, even though the Q400 performs less with is (odd) but when I turned on vsync (which I only turned off for testing purposes) fps stayed high and I still got tearing. Maybe Vulkan can't do vsync? In that case I'll go back to OpenGL anyway because the AA is superb but tearing is bad. ;)

    I'm glad you got that new HUD moving, isn't it cool

    It sure is!!! :)

  • I have made a quick look at the Learjet 45. I see most of the improvements but, I am wondering if the wiki will be updated to reflect these changes. How about updates to the flight tutorial for the Learjet 45?

    How do we start the Learjet 45 in the Cold and Dark condition?

    Regards,

    Ray

    • Official Post

    I also mentioned this in the post. I will be updating the wiki shortly with the new settings screens. Remember, this is a beta release.

    The changelog is already there.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • I also mentioned this in the post. I will be updating the wiki shortly with the new settings screens. Remember, this is a beta release.

    The changelog is already there.

    The curse of speed reading or maybe quick scanning. Sorry. How do I get the Learjet45 in the cold and dark condition?

    Regards,

    Ray

    • Official Post

    Right now the Learjet is "only" dark, since the engines can't be shut down yet. It may come a day when all turbofan engines in the sim get their engine start.

    By the way, if you edit the controls.tmd (not recommended, make backup, bla bla) of the learjet you might find the engine cut off, if you re-enable those you can actually simulate to (fake) cut off the engines. It won't stop you from rolling away but at least it goes quiet :)

    And before you ask: there is no option to start in the dark configuration yet but you can turn things off and back on.