Microsoft KB Archive/813195

Knowledge Base

Combat Flight Simulator 3: How to Improve Game Performance

Article ID: 813195

Article Last Modified on 11/14/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe

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SUMMARY

This article describes how to improve the game performance of Microsoft Combat Simulator 3: Battle for Europe.

MORE INFORMATION

To improve game performance in Combat Flight Simulator 3, use the following methods in the order in which they appear. After you use each method, test to determine whether game performance has improved.

This article describes some general steps that you can use in Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator to troubleshoot performance issues, such as:

• Distorted audio playback
• Intermittent playback of video clips
• Slow video frame rates
• Choppy game play

Method 1: Download and Install the Combat Flight Simulator 3 Update

To download and install the update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://microsoftgameinsider.com/cfsinsider

If the issue continues to occur, continue to the next method.

Method 2: Verify the Minimum Video, Processor, and Memory Requirements

Make sure that your computer exceeds the minimum video, processor, connection speed, and RAM requirements to play Combat Flight Simulator 3.

For additional information about the minimum system requirements for Combat Flight Simulator 3, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

810896 Combat Flight Simulator 3: Minimum System Requirements

If the issue continues to occur, continue to the next method.

Method 3: Change the D3DPOOL Options Under Texture Info in the CFS3Config Tool:

To adjust these settings, follow theses steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFS3Config.
2. Click Custom Settings.
3. On the Window menu, click Texture information.
4. Change any Texture setting that is set to D3DPOOL_Default to D3DPOOL_Managed.
5. Click OK, and then exit the CFS3Config tool.

Note: If the system has more than 256 MB of RAM, try changing the Texture settings to D3DPOOL_SystemMem. This will increase performance.

If the issue continues to occur, continue to the next method.

Method 4: Change Your View Mode to Cockpit View

The Forward HUD view or Panel view delivers the best performance. The Spot Plane view requires Combat Simulator 3 to draw your airplane at close range. For even better performance, turn off the HUD display in Forward view.

To easily switch between views:

• Press F4 to cycle among the Virtual Cockpit, Spot, Chase, and Player/Target views. Press SHIFT-F4 to cycle in reverse among these views.
• Press F3 to toggle between the Full view and Virtual Cockpit view.
• Press F5 to turn HUD view on or off.
• When you change the view from the cockpit (front, side, or rear), you have a choice between Pan View and Snap View. By default, Snap View is on because it is the most useful in combat. To toggle between Pan View and Snap View, press the SCROLL LOCK key.

Note Try "zooming in" one level in Forward view by pressing the ] key. This reduces the amount of scenery on the screen, and therefore improves performance.

Method 5: Adjust Sound in the Game

Note If you do not have speakers connected to your system, turn off the sound and radio transmissions. This will improve performance. To turn off all sounds in the game, press Q. (You can also turn off damage text if you want.)

To adjust sound in the game:

1. On the startup screen, click Options, and then click Sound Options.
2. Under Sound volume, move the sliders to adjust each type of sound.
   

Note To turn off a type of sound, move the slider all the way to the left (the zero setting).

1. To turn off the sound, click to clear the Sound On box.
2. Click OK.

Method 6: Adjust Game Settings

To adjust the game setting, follow these steps:

1. Start the game, and then click Options.
2. Click Display.
3. Click the Image Quality tab.
4. Try several settings with the Image Quality sliders.
   

You may find that a good balance between appearance and speed for your computer is different from the recommend settings. You may also find that one type of graphical detail is more desirable than another.

Try adjusting the following settings:

• Lower the Clouds setting
• Lower the Terrain Detail and the Scenery Detail settings, but increase the Resolution setting
• Turn off the Scenery and Terrain Lighting setting
• Turn off the Shadows setting
• Turn off the Dual Pass Rendering setting

If the issue continues to occur, continue to the next method.

Method 7: Adjust the CFS3Config File

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFS3Config.
2. On the File menu, click Custom Settings, and then click OK.
3. On the Window menu, click Overrides.
4. Click to clear the Dual Pass Render check box.
5. Click to select the High Resolution Z-Buffer check box, and then click OK.

If the game does not run, or if the change causes erratic behavior, restore the original settings by running CFS3Config again and selecting Default Settings on the File menu.

If the issue continues to occur, continue to the next method.

Method 8: Set the Game to Safest Settings to Verify Compatibility:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Run CFS3Config.
2. On the File menu, click Custom Settings, and then click OK.
3. Click to select the Safest settings check box, and then click OK.

If the game is still choppy, there is likely a hardware conflict or hardware performance issue.

Method 9: How to Improve Game Peformance

For general assistance for improving a game's performance, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

815069 GAMES: How to Improve Game Performance

Additional query words: performance setup installation display video sound audio

Keywords: kbsound kbdisplay kbsetup kbconfig kbhowto KB813195

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