by Griphos » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:07 pm
I don't have NEC, and I hear it's really slow after the update, but with respect to the core game, I'm pretty pleased, actually. I'm new to RSC. Don't have much beyond the default content yet, a few DLC packages from Steam and a couple others, and I don't have the best machine (i7 920 at 3.7, GTX275), but the sim is running fine for me. There are places where it slows, particularly on the Horseshoe route, but mostly it stays pegged at whatever I set the limiter to (40 with Dxtory, 30 with the new in-sim limiter). And with a frame limiter it's very smooth. I have much higher settings than those posted above with one exception: AA. I'm not even close to knowing what I'm talking about, but there have been many posts about how the graphics engine of this update doesn't allow for the usual sort of AA settings we're all used to. Plus, I'm new to RSC, but certainly not to simming, and I've never been able to tell much difference at anything higher than x4. I've tried a number of different AA settings in RW3, but aside from the higher settings killing performance, I see no visual difference. I have my AA at MLAA+MSAAx4, and that allows me to put the in game options to highest for most things except passenger or shadows (no Bloom or DOF). And at those settings, I stay pegged at the limiter most of the time, except when I'm in a yard with lots of other trains moving around, and sometimes even then.
So, the key, here, seems to be setting the AA low. I can't see how that affects much in sim in terms of visuals, but it sure affects performance.
There does seem to be poor optimization for today's hardware, much like my long experience with FSX. But I suppose that's impossible to work around while keeping everyone's expensive DLC working.
I found the settings tutorial RSC offers to be quite helpful. I followed it step by step and got to the place I describe. For me, though, the key to smoothness (much more important than some FPS value above 30 which isn't detectable anyway) is limiting the FPS either through the new in game option or an external program. I find the in game option smoothest.