Like most high-traffic websites, Steam uses a worldwide Content Delivery Network (CDN), in Steam's case Akamai.
So you don't download directly from Steam's servers but from Akamai's servers. Akamai has servers worldwide, and your download gets routed to the one closest to your location. So if this specific regional server closest to your own location is experiencing temporary problems, you will experience them as well.
It's really simple.
The "monthly fee" thing comes from the (confirmed) fact that MSFT FS 2020 will be included in Microsoft's "Game Pass", which is a gaming subscription service that includes 100+ games for a single monthly flat fee (currently for a reduced price of 4.99 USD/month for the "PC only" plan, later probably 9.99 USD/month). And FS 2020 will be one of the games included in that game selection.
That said, it looks like FS 2020 will be sold separately (outside of Game Pass) as well, but MSFT hasn't announced yet in which stores (e. g. Microsoft Store, Steam, etc).
To be honest, I've never updated my bios in the past (don't change a running system)
and I don't think many users do this.
Why do you update your bios that often?
Well, your system (or more specifically: BIOS) might be "running", but at the same time it could be insecure, plagued by known but unpatched vulnerabilities. Spectre and Meltdown are just recent examples of this:
What is the recommended way for a BIOS Update so I don't loss my AFFS2 activation?
Although, depending on your mainboard, there may exist different ways to do a BIOS/UEFI update, the end result is technically always the same - an updated, i. e. modified firmware in the CMOS chip of your mainboard.
As long as IPACS includes this in the (programmed) question "Is this a different computer than the one registered before?", you will always have to re-activate AFS2 after such an update. So there's nothing you as the (normal) user can do. Imho, it's bad design to include things like the firmware used in such a license check, though. So IPACS might change that.
We tried to get in contact with AMD but haven't heard back yet. As of now, we do not recommend Aerofly FS on AMD based GPUs ( even though some of them seem to work ).
FYI, here's AMD's developer community forum for graphics programming (OpenGL & Vulkan). From the existing posts, it looks like AMD engineers are participating on a regular basis. They will also report potential driver bugs to the corresponding driver programmer.
"Use this forum for questions or issues about OpenGL and Vulkan (aka OpenGL Next). Note that this is a "general" programming forum about an industry standard. As such, we expect the community to answer questions. AMD engineers will participate, because we are members of the community as well."
[Edit:]
For what it's worth, I've also noticed the following statement in the Radeon driver's release notes:
"This driver release incorporates suggestions received through the AMD Issue Reporting Form. To provide us with your feedback, visit the AMD Issue Reporting Form."
URL of the "AMD Issue Reporting Form": http://www.amd.com/report
As for VSYNC: We saw that the default AMD driver setting is to always OFF for VSYNC in our case. Setting this switch to application controlled enables VSYNC with Aerofly and OpenGL.
That's interesting.
In my case, the AMD driver's default global setting is "Off, unless application specifies". This has always been the case (and I've done a) several clean re-installs of the driver and also b) did factory resets on its settings). Btw, it also doesn't work if set to "On, unless application specifies".
Like I've stated in an older post in this thread, when using the default driver settings (global vsync setting: "Off, unless application specifies"), vsync does not work with AF2.
If I change the global setting to "Always on", vsync in AF2 does work, but that's not what I want. While I enable vsync in each game's settings with most games (successfully btw), there are exceptions where I do want to leave it disabled. So I enable/disable vsync in each game individually in its in-game settings and do not override that by the graphics driver's settings.
Just to make sure we're talking about the same setting: You mean "Gaming" >> "Global Settings" >> "Wait for Vertical Refresh", correct?
As for VSYNC: We can confirm its not working on our side as well which is strange as we basically follow sample code to enable/disable VSYNC.
Anyway, for now you need to use OpenGL on AMD cards until we find out more. As for VSYNC we will analyze this more.
Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you're aware of and acknowledge the issue and that it's not just some problem with some old driver or some setting on my personal system.
We do have a RX 580 for testing now and can reproduce the crash. But after looking at it for quite some time we have no single clue on whats causing the issue. It would be great to get some support from AMD here, but the chances are low.
Could also be a bug in the Radeon driver. In its release notes, there are almost always some bug fixes corresponding to designated games.
Edit: One thing that is pointing in that direction is the fact that sometimes the AF2 crash can take Windows with it, i. e. crash Windows as well. A bug in a "normal", i. e. "driver-less" application like AF2 shouldn't be able to do this, while a bug in a driver certainly can.
As for OpenGL VSYNC: The next version on Steam will output some more debug information for us, but we can't see what we should be doing wrong. Double check you haven't overwritten anything inside your 3D graphic card driver settings.
Does that mean VSync works for you with the RX 580, i. e. you're getting a constant 60 fps on a 60 Hz display?
I can give you some additional info, though.
Also, I wonder how display technologies like FreeSync or G-Sync play into this. The RX 580 only knows FreeSync, but the display I'm currently using features neither FreeSync nor G-Sync.
admin You've stated that you probably have to get a RX 480/580 in order to fix the Vulkan issue (crash) on that GPU.
While you have that GPU in your possession, could you please take that opportunity to test AF2's VSync with OpenGL (which never worked on that GPU - confirmed by other RX 480/580 owners) as well?
Thanks in advance.
Ok, thanks for trying all this. We might have to try this card ourself to see where this issue comes from.
Thanks for your efforts. May another solution would be making the log (temporarily?) more verbose in the Vulkan API area. But I don't know - you have to decide what's the best way for you.
Btw: Any chance to find out via a log why VSync refuses to work (never got it working) with OpenGL on the RX 580?
Well, we tested with all on Ultra, thats why its a little strange. You are right the 560 is quite a bit slower.
Ok. I've done the full tour, uninstalled 18.6.1, additionally wiped any potentially remaining AMD graphics driver leftovers with Display Driver Uninstaller from the system and installed 18.5.1 (instead of 18.6.1), rebooting after each step.
Funnily enough, now even "Low" and "Middle" settings crash with Vulkan enabled (OpenGL still fine).
Update:
Due to (known) problems of 18.5.1 with Subnautica, I've updated back to 18.6.1 (with Subnautica working again).
Now, AF2's "Low" and "Middle" settings with Vulkan again don't crash AF2, but the moment I move the view (holding the right mouse button) within the cockpit, AF2 crashes. I didn't try moving the view the first time, so it probably would have happened there as well.
Summary:
Rather strange behavior.
We have tested with 18.5.1 and a RX 560 and it runs fine. Any chance you try that driver?
I've posted some additonal info above regarding the quality settings. If you still have no idea what the reason could be, I'd be willing to downgrade the driver for testing purposes. Let me now if you still want me to do that.
This is strange. It doesn't explain the two warnings we see. We have tested with 18.5.1 and a RX 560 and it runs fine.
On what quality setting? (Obviously, the 580 has to offer a bit more performance than the 560.)
Please reduce quality settings as a test and choose a location with only few airports around.
That's interesting. "Low" and "middle" indeed works with Vulkan (yay). But "high" and "ultra" crashes.
With OpenGL, my usual setting is "ultra" without any problems.
Are you sure you have installed the latest AMD driver from http://www.amd.com?
Absolutely. Always do.
Currently, the Adrenalin Edition 18.6.1 is installed.
Edit: I'm always using the "AMD Minimal Setup" (which only means the setup downloads the necessary files from the web, it's not a different driver), and opt out of "Radeon ReLive" (which really shouldn't be necessary - never has been).
Have you made sure that you are using the latest video drivers. Also, make sure that you have your GPU control panel set to default values and delete your 'main.mcf' file located in your documents/Aerofly FS 2 root folder.
Done all of that (although this post is primarily about VSync).
Regarding the crashes with Vulkan, I've already posted a crash log last time. But I've attached a new one below, resulting from AF 2.01.05.17.
I have tested the latest update with an i7-6700 laptop with an R7 GPU and it passed every test I threw at it.
There's another guy here with a RX 580 (which is btw one of AMD's most frequently sold gaming GPUs), so he might be able to confirm this chrisdkramer
Edit: I should have expressed myself a litte bit clearer: That other RX 580 user mentioned above has already confirmed here that Vulkan doesn't work for him, but he has only done so for the very first AF2 version implementing Vulkan (cannot remember which version that is), not for the current version.
AF 2.01.05.17
GPU RX 580
CPU i7-6700K
Not sure if this thread is for Vulkan-only bugs or OpenGL bugs that are not present using Vulkan.
Like I posted in another thread, with Vulkan enabled AF2 crashes (and sometimes takes Windows with it) as soon as I leave it's menu/settings view, i. e. when starting an actual flight. With the latest version mentioned above, this is still the case.
Now the interesting thing is that while I've never been able to make VSync work when using OpenGL (in both the start/settings view and the flight view FPS doesn't decrease much), using Vulkan VSync *does* work in the menu/settings view (I obviously can't judge VSync in the flight view as it crashes with Vulkan).
So there still seems to lurk some bug in the current OpenGL implementation of VSync (at least when using the GPU mentioned above).
Vulkan causes a loading freeze after main menu on my system with an RX580 and also oddly disables my steam controller that I use on occasion. Have to hard reboot and switch back to OpenGL
See here: My first try to start Aerofly with Vulkan beta enabled crashed Windows
I am using a gtx 1080 ti card - and using default setting 120fps. When I switch to vsync, I see no difference (graphics).
I have never used vsync before - so I may not know what to look for.....
You have to look at the current frames-per-second (fps) while playing. When vsync is enabled, fps should be the same as the refresh rate of your display, e. g. 60 fps on a 60 Hz monitor.
