Author Topic: A few tips from Skuzzy on skins (Read 1360 times)

Kev367th · « **on:** May 18, 2007, 02:50:07 AM »

After talking to him a few days ago -

It's now impossible to cache all skins, this would need over 4Gbs of memory.

So this is what he recommended to me -

If like me you have all the skins released follow this method -

Disable skins downloading in the game.
Goto your skins directory.
Delete all the skins you DONT want to see.
Goto your cache directory.
Delete all the contents.

Cache rebuilds next time you enter the game.
Enable skin caching.

He suggested you should have around 50 skins in your skins folder.

Will stop the mini freezes due to skin access.

hammer · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2007, 07:21:11 AM »

At work here so can't check myself....

What is the easiest way to figure out which skin file (planeX.res) goes with an in-game skin (Unit Designation)?

Regards,

Hammer

TequilaChaser · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:05:24 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by hammer
At work here so can't check myself....

What is the easiest way to figure out which skin file (planeX.res) goes with an in-game skin (Unit Designation)?

Regards,

Hammer

hmm....offline skin viewer?

Simaril · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:12:14 AM »

The most recent list of "available skins" on the download section of website includes both the game skin # and the unit ID.

hammer · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:13:45 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Simaril
The most recent list of "available skins" on the download section of website includes both the game skin # and the unit ID.

ah-ha! So I could have checked myself!

Thanks Sim

Regards,

Hammer

Fulmar · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:14:03 AM »

I had figured the large amount of skins I had caused the mini freeze problem I had about a month ago, especially using the 1024 textures and 4x AA and 8x AF on a 20" LCD. Even with my setup I was surprised the skins caused a mini freeze, E6400, 2gb, Raid 0, 8800GTS. I did not correct it by what Kev said. I did defrag my hard drives and haven't seen a freeze again.

I imagine the freezes are caused by the hard drives being the slowest piece of electronics in computers these days. Having a 'butt' load of skins would increase access time and if your computer is 'older' the rendering and accessing part in game when the plane enters your view is what is causing the freezes.

JimBeam · « **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:18:00 AM »

could you just stop the downloading of new skins?

Kev367th · « **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:29:35 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Fulmar
I had figured the large amount of skins I had caused the mini freeze problem I had about a month ago, especially using the 1024 textures and 4x AA and 8x AF on a 20" LCD. Even with my setup I was surprised the skins caused a mini freeze, E6400, 2gb, Raid 0, 8800GTS. I did not correct it by what Kev said. I did defrag my hard drives and haven't seen a freeze again.

I imagine the freezes are caused by the hard drives being the slowest piece of electronics in computers these days. Having a 'butt' load of skins would increase access time and if your computer is 'older' the rendering and accessing part in game when the plane enters your view is what is causing the freezes.

If you have all the skins and are pre-caching in system memory, you aren't.
Because of the amount of skins now you will actually be pre-caching on the system pagefile.

I suggested it might be an idea to give us an option to move the skins folder to a high speed device but he didn't think HT would go for it.

Of course if your running an OS that supports >4Gb memory and have it installed you don't have a problem.

Jimbeam - yes, just turn off the skins dowlnloading in the hanger.

Edbert · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:30:51 AM »

Sorry for sounding simplistic, but if you turn off the "show skins" (IIRC) button doesn't that prevent the stutters when encountering a new one in the arenas?

Kev367th · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:32:30 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Edbert
Sorry for sounding simplistic, but if you turn off the "show skins" (IIRC) button doesn't that prevent the stutters when encountering a new one in the arenas?

Yes, but then you see no skins.
All you get are the default ones.

Krusty · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:37:38 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Fulmar
I imagine the freezes are caused by the hard drives being the slowest piece of electronics in computers these days.

I've got a SATA 1.5GB drive -- which is screaming fast don't get me wrong! -- but even so I get occasional hitches. Not too often that I complain about it.

Sadly, not all of us can have 10000 RPM Raptor drives, or super-fast RAIDs set up to increase read time. I don't think there's much of a way around this problem. As PCs get faster and faster we're going to get more and more bottlenecked by our input/output (including HDs).

Now, if they'd only get that gorram holographic storage idea working, we'd have read/write times as fast as the speed of light!

EDIT: Technically, as fast as the speed of electrons, but STILL!!!

Edbert · « **Reply #11 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:38:29 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kev367th
Yes, but then you see no skins.
All you get are the default ones.

Understood, just offering it as a possible solution to those with performance problems.

Traveler · « **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:44:57 AM »

All the skins in the world do you no good for recorded flights, you only see the defaults in the film viewer anyway. Seems to me that all this skin business is just wasted effort.

Krusty · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:47:11 AM »

*keels over dead*

FiLtH · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:49:38 AM »

For me personally, skins are real low on my list of stuff thats important to my gameplay. Probably because my graphics are so poor. If I knew how, Id make every plane look like the orange Nik. Actually, I think I could do it, but Im just SOOoo damn lazy.