FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At startup, FS warns me about the presence of an unsupported / old module
OR
FS crashes at startup
Please make sure that you are actually using the current version of WidevieW 2002 (no beta releases !) and, very important, that there ISN'T widevutil.dll in the \modules folder. If widevutil.dll is present, please delete it.
When FS starts I get a message telling that "wideviewlt.ini" cannot be found. I've cross checked, but the file is actually there and properly named !
Please make sure that your operative system is not configured to hide the
file's extension for the registered file types, otherwise during the installation
of wideview, the INI file will be automatically renamed to "wideviewlt.ini.ini",
even if you typed (and continue to see) just one .ini
To configure the OS in that way, just open any drive, then "Tools",
"Folder Options" and deactivate hide the file's extension for the
registered file types. Please note that the actual procedure or menu's name
may be different from OS version to OS version. Please consult the user's guide
of your OS in case of problems.
As soon as I start WidevieW on the server, or after 10 - 30 minutes of flying, some (or all) clients "crash" and FS closes because of a problem.
Please make sure that the Dynamic Scenery / AI Traffic is DISABLED on all the
clients.
If you want to keep the dynamic scenery ON, it is still possible, but make sure
that the traffic database "traffic.bgl" is the same on each PC, furthermore
make sure that when WidevieW is started, all the PCs are at the same airport
/ gate (for example all in Meigs) and on the same Date / Time (because the non-random
traffic is on schedule).
WidevieW and FS seem to work properly, but after a while the scenery gets
"flat" and confused, without textures and poor landscape refreshing.
Please check for the followings conditions:
1) If WidevieW is configured to use SLEW, please make sure that "Force
Texture-Weather Update" is enabled too, and that "every" and
"For" boxes, contain proper values (for example 20 and 2000, in the
order).
2) Make sure that the "Target Frame Rate" parameter of FS is
not set to an excessive value. Depending on your hardware's speed, the proper
values are between 12 and 25.
3) If Windows XP is in use, please make sure that the "system
restore" option is DISABLED (it can be used to make the backup
automatically every x seconds of the OS's vital files, but seems to take too
much resources while flying).
There are stutters on the clients... not excessive, but I think they can perform better.
Please make sure that either the OS and FS is properly tweaked depending on
the hardware's type and speed, then try to configure WidevieW as follows:
1) Disable the blocking mode on the client
2) Increase the network buffer to 5
3) Set the update rate to 15 on all the PCs
4) If the problem still persists, try to set the Pritority to Normal
5) If the server is used for gauges only, make sure that the external
view is as small as possible and that all the scenery's quality sliders are
set to the minimum. This will increase the number of packets sent by server.
6) On some system, using the "Full-screen" mode, a decrease
of performance was reported. This behaviour is indipendent by WidevieW. If this
is your case, use the "Window" mode rather than the full-screen.
If the above parameters help, try to optimize furthermore, for example resetting
the priority to MAX, re-enabling the blocking mode and decreasing the Update
Rate. Make only small adjustments each time !
WidevieW creates conflicts with Internet, when Internet is accessed through
the same network (shared ADSL, cable modem, etc.)
If the Internet access is masked thourgh a virtual network adapter, please make
sure that TCP/IP is bound only to that adapter and IPX is bound only to the
other. In any case I prefer to keep the network separated using two network
boards per PC, one for Internet and file sharing, and another for WidevieW (just
bind TCP/IP and IPX as explained before). This solution is extremely safe, I
love it, and it is absolutely inexpensive (especially when the RG58 cable is
used). If the PCI slots are full, there are also several network adapters which
can be connected to the USB port, solving the problem instantly.
It seems it is no longer possible to reorient the outside views from either FS2002 or WidevieW.
They can be reoriented, with an higher precision than ever, editing the "panel.cfg" file of the AC in use on the client. Please take a look at "Configuring and using WidevieW" for further information.
The special effects of FS2002 like the "animated water" are no longer active.
If you want all the special effects to run as planned, you should activate the "Use SLEW" option in WidevieW and avoid to choose "Use Pause". "Use SLEW" is less smooth than "Use Pause" but supports all the special effects.
When a "Spot plane" or "Tower" view is selected, the
clients stutter
AND/OR
The external mobile parts of the aircraft aren't working on the client
If a client is used to display a "spot plane view" or a "tower view", in order to avoid stutters, please make sure that under FS2002's View options, the "Gradual Transition" box is DISabled and "Type" is FIXED. Furthermore, if you want to see the landing lights and the external mobile parts working properly, make sure that the aircraft active on the server is the same active on the server, and that WidevieW is configured to support Lights and Control surfaces. Finally, make sure that WidevieW is configured to "Use SLEW" on that client.
Can I use mixed configurations FS98 + FS2000 + FS2002
Yes, if the scenery is the same (at least ILSs and runway's position). FS2000 can be mixed with FS2002 using WidevieW 2002. FS98 and FS2002 can be mixed using a special version of WidevieW 2002 available on request.
Can I connect the PCs using a serial cable, or an actual network board must be installed in each computer ?
WidevieW requires the IPX protocol, and usually the IPX protocol requires an actual network board in order to run smootly, flexibly and trouble-free. The PCs must be wired using a network cable, like the RG58 or the RJ45 through an hub, or other types. I've heard about some software driver capable to bound the IPX into a serial or a parallel cable, but I've never tried (and I'm not very optimistic about it).
Can I use keyboardless, mouseless, and floppyless clients ?
It's up to you. As soon as you have installed and configured everything, you can uninstall the floppy drive, the keyboard and the mouse: the simulator should work fine without those components (depending on the role assigned to it, of course). The shut-down can be made from the server by WidevieW
Can I share the scenery on the server's hard drive, or a big hard disk must be installed in each client ?
I think that a big hard drive installed on each client, containing a full copy of FS and the required scenery is a basic requirement. Alternatively you may try to install only a "bare-bone" Win95/FS on each client (so only a very small hard drive is required), then you may use the Win95's built in network subsystem to share the common files (like the scenery), which will be installed on the server only. But I've never tested this kind of installation. I've also heard about a totally diskless client (it can start with a floppy or with a boot EPROM on the network card, then it runs everything from the server).
Can I show instruments on a client PC ?
WidevieW no longer supports gauges on the clients, as they can be installed on a secondary monitor by simply installing a secondary graphic board in the server. The gauges are not power-hungry like the external scenery, so it has no sense to waste a client PC just for showing a radio stack or something like it.
Can I configure a PC for a full bi-directional communication, or a client can only receive and a server can only send ?
The add-on modules _1, _2, etc, are available on request only. Please send an E-Mail to wideview@inwind.it
The external views on the clients are very smooth, but not so smooth as they are while they work in stand alone mode. What is wrong in WidevieW ?
I've used a lot of care making WidevieW. Every line of C++ code is optimized to give the maximum possible performance, without overloading the PC. Using a powerful 3D accelerated board in each client, and tuning the WidevieW's performance parameters as indicated in "Configuring and using WidevieW", you should be able to create very smooth (and very nice to see) clients.
The clouds on the clients goes "out of sync". While flying through a cloud layer, one client shows visibility zero, while another shows the scenery. Is it possible to fix it ?
It was possible to fix this behaviour only under FS98 and that trick doesn't
work since FS.
The only way is to put the "Clouds density" to zero, this will eliminate
the clouds' sprites, but the no-synch effect will be less noticeable.
How I can check if my network is operating at the proper speed and correctly ?
To see if the network is performing well, there is a quite nice test-program supplied by Microsoft with Windows. It is the "System Monitor" and it can be found under Start Menu -> Accessories -> System Tools. Please note that my Windows is in Italian language and I don't know how some menu is translated in English, so some mistake may be present in this area. If you don't have the System Monitor in that menu, you have to install it. Just open the Control Panel and double click the "Install applications" icon; a list of the installed programs will appear soon. Now click "windows installation" (it is the second tab on the top of the window) and select "Accessories". Now click the "details" button and then select the "System monitor". Confirm all and follow the incoming on-screen instructions.
Now run the System Monitor.
- Open the edit menu (the menu that follows "File") and remove the current graph (it should be the CPU's speed). ** remember that I'm working with an Italian version of Windows, so some item's name may be different.
- Open the "Options" menu (it is positionated before the "?" menu), select "Graph" and set the update rate to 1 second.
- Open the edit menu again, click "Add item". Under "Category" choose "IPX/SPX Protocol". If you are working on the SERVER, select "Packets sent per second" otherwise select "Received packets per second"
- Open the edit menu again, click "Add item". Under "Category" choose "IPX/SPX Protocol". Select "Lost packets".
Repeat the above steps for each PC.
Now leave the System Monitor in background and run FS and WidevieW. As soon as the network traffic will start, bring the System Monitor to front and watch the graphs.
The "Lost Packets" graph MUST show always 0 on both the clients and the server.
The "Sent packets per second" on the server and the "Received packets per
second" on the clients, must show a quite "stable" graph. On my systems the graph's
value jump from 30 to 34, the average is 32. It represents the maximum FPS (frames per second) that the networked FS can handle. If this number is lower than 10 or if it is unstable (for example it jump from 10 to 20), the clients will be "jerky". This happens when the network's configuration is wrong or when the PCs are too slow.
What is your current configuration ?
My cockpit is currently configured as follows:
Server
CPU: AMD Thunderbird 1 Ghz
RAM: 256 mb of 133 Mhz SDRAM
Graphic Board: 1 Matrox G400 Dual Head AGP and two Matrox G450 Dual Head PCI (capable to run 6 monitors in total)
Hard Disk: Quantum Fireball 8,4GB formatted with VFAT32
Monitor: two 17" NEC Trinitron at 1280x1024 for the panel,
one LCD screen for the overhead panel and one monochrome 5 inches monitor for
the FMC
Network card: Genius (Realtek) PCI 10mbits with a BNC/RG58 cable
Operating system: Windows 98 SE :-)
CD-ROM reader: None
Sound card: Sound Blaster Live! Basic
Game card: EPIC board :-)
Clients (five PCs)
CPU: AMD Duron 1000mhz (I will upgrade to Athlon XP 1,8 soon)
RAM: 512 mb of 133 Mhz SDRAM
Graphic Board: Generic GeForce MX-200 with 64 megs of SDRAM
Hard Disk: Western Digital 20 GB at 7200 rpm, UDMA 100
Monitor: standard 17" configured at 1024x768
Network card: Genius (Realtek) PCI 10mbits with a BNC/RG58 cable
Operating system: Windows 98 SE :-)
CD-ROM reader: none
Sound card: none
Input peripherals: none
Game card: none
All the clients are mounted in a "rack" made by myself.