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Old 05-14-2012, 07:23 PM
Blackdog_kt Blackdog_kt is offline
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I think a built-in FPS limiter would be a nice addition.

The way i think about it, it would not simply maintain steady FPS but if it was at the game engine level, it would also provide some "wiggle room" for the GPU.

For example, say you are looking at the sea over your wing and you are getting 60 FPS because the card can push it. Then you look over the over wing and it momentarily drops to 30 because a town is loading.

Then the GPU gives everything it's got to make that town run at the highest possible FPS again and you get 50.

However, you get bounced and dive for the deck towards the town, hoping the bandit will lose you in the ground clutter. As you pick up speed and rapidly close with the ground and buildings, the GPU is already working full time to give you as much FPS it can but since you are closing in, now the nearby forest at the edge of town also has to be rendered.

But... your GPU is already working full time to give unlimited FPS for the town. New textures load, more processing goes into the GPU and the FPS is back to 30 again-->stutter.

Whereas, if the GPU knew it would only have to maintain 30FPS while diving towards that town, it would have processing power for 20 extra FPS free to render the forest too. Sure, the GPU is not working to its maximum this way, but you never drop below 30 because you got processing power to spare.

FSX was notorious for erratic FPS, especially around after-market ground scenery and airports, and their community has used FPS limiters for years. In fact, FSX also had a built-in feature itself.
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