Problem Odd Jerkiness and Problems with Widescreen

[DanScall]

Hi Chaps,

Loving Orbiter even more than every really. I have to say this is one simulator that gets more and more fun every time you play it.

I've recently developed a couple of problems though, I bought a new laptop (yay) and promtly installed orbiter (though I had to re-download everything thanks to the last machine dying completely. That was a real pain in the bum) but there are two real problems with the sim.

The first is, I suspect, something to do with the Widescreen. The laptop uses 1360x768 which the game itself will switch to no problem, however the control panels (if you happen to be using the 2D cockpit) are very odd. The panel with the MFD's on it stretches to almost (but not quite) 1360, but things like the throttle levers, some switches, especially autopilot switches and the central warning system (the red lights what flash when something is breaking) are all scattered around the place and seemingly behind the main board to the point that you can see the runway through the gaps where they should be. I'd post a screenie but I don't know how.

The second problem is that the game runs fine for 20 seconds or so, and then invariably becomes very choppy and jerky, which unfortunatly makes it completely unplayable.

Does anybody have any clue? I really hope I can resolve this, I just made it to Mars for the first time before I got the new laptop and I'd hate to have to give it up.

 

[TSPenguin]

The choppiness will most likely be due to your laptop overheating and the processor slowing down to avoid damage. This might be due to not having the proper rendering device selected. Check "Always enumerate devices" and choose a device with T&L in the name (preferably the last one in the list).

The panels should NOT scale to your screen resolution unless you manually specified a panel scale in the launchpad. Then again, laptop GPUs tend to do all kinds of funny things on their own.

Please provide a screenshot. To do so, simply press the "Print Screen" button. Your current display contents are then in the clipboard and can be pasted to any graphics program.

 

[Hielor]

Make sure you're using VistaBoost, if the computer is running Vista or Win7. This will help (but not solve) the choppiness.

 

[computerex]

Dan - I think TSP is right to say that the processor may be clocking down due to overheating. This is especially true for laptops. As Heilor said, try Vistaboost. It turns off sub-pixel rendering (ClearType), which apparently is a very CPU intensive task. Vistaboost will restore your settings upon exiting the simulation. You can turn off ClearType all together by following this: http://www.i4u.com/article7805.html