Widescreen Gaming Forum

Thanks for the help, Dart74. I held my breath and turned AA off in FSX and enabled it in ATI

Did you try turning off AA in FSX AND your ATI? So no AA is on.

As far as not using TH2G and using 2 cards, I paid over $300 for the darn thing, and sure cannot afford a second card right now. Besides, I got the TH2G for that added realism and peripheral view.

Like you and CHriz6662 I bought TH2GO mainly for FSX. FSX is heavily promoted on the Matrox site so I just assumed they worked perfectly together. Only after encountering this problem and returning to the matrox site did I notice that none of their FSX screenshots have a 2D cockpit. I share your disappointment. I feel mislead.

I'm not optimistic that there is a solution, nor will there be. Do you know that Microsoft has stopped all development on Flight Simulator, disbanding the development team?

I suspect, it is only speculation, the problem has to do with the separateness of the panels. TH2G can successfully stretch the main scene but fails to adjust the panels properly. Perhaps getting a panel editor out and manually adjusting the panels might work? Even if that worked I'm not sure it would fix the frame rate drop and wild cursor issues.

If you can endure the workaround I mentioned, having a 2D cockpit and scene on the centre window with panels undocked to the side screens, then you don't need a second graphics card for this. Just start up via TH2G as normal and resize the main window to the centre screen. (I haven't tested this).

Although disappointed with this mere workaround I console myself with the fact that a 22" widescreen is far superior to my previous 17" narrowscreen. Plus I can move the panels (throttles, GPS, ...) out of the way. And 50,000 people die each day from poverty. Well that's not "consoling" but at the very least I don't feel too hard done by.

I mentioned the second graphics card as my default mode is "Independent Mode", which does require a second card, which I use for development/office work. I switch from Independent mode to "TH2GO/Stretched" mode when I want to game. If you exclusively use "TH2GO/Stretched" mode then you don't need the second card.

Independent mode, with Ultramon, allows me to place the start menu on the centre screen and have each of the monitors with their own task bar, which helps to show where each minimized window dwells.

By the way, if you work (as opposed to gaming) in either mode I highly recommend gridmove. Gridmove does much more than Matrox PowerDesk (Desktop divider) or NVIDIA Desktop Manager (User Interface > gridlines). I have created some grids for three screens, in either mode, which I hope to get around posting at some point.

Well guys, the mystery deepens. I did some more experimenting, and first of all, I tried disabling AA in both the sim and the card per the suggestion above and there was no difference. I also thought I'd just try out the Direct X preview to see if it made an affect and it was a total disaster. The sim started up with only my center screen as if I only had the one monitor, and the instrument panel was nothing but many distorted gray lines. I then went back to normal Direct X 9 and things were back to normal with the original same wild cursor/black panel wide view.

I took up the Flight1 Cessna telling myself I would ignore that 2D front view, and just enjoy a 3D flight over Friday Harbor. It was great until I opened the panel that allows you to pick the other mini panels - radio stack, fuel selector, gps, etc. It popped up in a larger than normal state, and that started the cursor up again, and the performance was shot. It isn't even just the forward view that is affected,
I can't even select a 2D drop down panel in the 3D window!! :( This can't be normal cause even with the 3D window open, I have to be able to open some of the subpanels and I can't even do that.

I wish someone out there from Microsoft could step in here with some advice.

John, thanks for the detailed post. You mention that there might not be a solution, but I still wonder why there are probably many out there with the TH2G 3 widescreen monitor setup that are not having any problems. Some even posted in some other forums saying so. I had made up my mind that I would just learn to live with things as they are, and learn to try to use just the 3D widescreen window, until I realized I couldn't even open a subpanel without spoiling things. Regards, Tom

I still wonder why there are probably many out there with the TH2G 3 widescreen monitor setup that are not having any problems. Some even posted in some other forums saying so.

... but when you push them for details it turns out they don't use the 2D cockpit at 5040 X 1050. If you or anyone can tell me that they do have a 2D cockpit working in Surround then at least we could know it is possible.

From memory I too get performance problems when using virtual cockit view and open up a panel (eg Radio Stack). These panels generally appear stretched. I'd have to confirm that though.

Virtual cockpit is great for taking in the scene and for switching to outside view. However the most joy for me is in learning about and using the instruments which you can only access clearly from a 2D view.

Just tried FSX on my set up and have encoutered exactly the smae problem as mentioned abov with no 2d view. Thebest I can get is to press the W key which gives partial system details.

Hope someone out there can find a fix for this.

Taff

John and Taff,
How do you use FSX then? I could live with the lack of a panel in the 2D view as long as I could access everything from the 3D. Unfortunately, I can't afford to lose those precious fps numbers. Once they are down to about 20 there isn't much leeway 'till I'm bordering on the low teens or worse. When that cursor starts flashing when I open a panel, something is happening in the system that causes resources to plummet. Probably it is trying to constantly access the drive by indication of the spinning circle and flashing arrow. Trying to setup the Level D 767 was a nightmare. I tried not to go near the main 2D panels as nice as they are, but as soon as I clicked on the throttle quadrant, that was it. Wild cursor and framerates cut in half.
This just can't be normal or a small thing I have been waiting for this setup for about 3 years now and have heard a lot about the TripleHead and FSX. I'm surprised no workaround of fix has been mentioned. Tom

Well. I am not an expert in FSX but I flew all machines in 3D cockpit since the 2D doenst look good anyway. I saw it working buut not on 5040x1050. Its some month ago anyway...

Why you want to play in 2D? I just really want to know :)

I think you misunderstood me. I don't care about the 2D view itself. I am fine with the 3D view and use it most of the time anyway. I can live without the 2D forward view. (My stretched view is 4320x900.)
My problem goes beyond that. If I am in the 3D view, I can't select any subpanels (which I assume are 2D panels) either. They open up all stretched out and have to be resized, and the cursor thing starts up and performance is cut in half.
I just did some more experimenting. In the default Cessna with the G1000, while in 3D view, I can select some of the subpanels (Shift key and 1-9), but as soon as I select the wrong one, its like stepping on a landmine. The cursor starts and I have to reboot to get out of it. With the Level D 767, every panel I try to bring down while in 3D crashes the session. I can't even bring down the overhead panel (Shift/5) at all.
I want to know how I can continue to use the sim in 3D and be able to use the radio stack, GPS, Throttle Quadrant, etc. without ruining my session. Regards, Tom

I've just setup th2g on 3 x 32 inch screens vista 64bit


I had to turn off ATI crossfire on my system when running FSX as I was getting the same sort of issues as this original poster in the thread. After turning it off in ATI catalyst options FSX was like a new program frame rate wise so that's my workaround FSX wise.

Bezel wise I have all latest firmware and drivers from Matrox but no option to setup the bezel program/feature.

Any suggestions welcome....

Dave.

My system:
Asus P6T SE X58 Chipset Motherboard
Core i7 920 Overclocked to up to 3.8GHz
Akasa Nero CPU Cooler
6GB DDR3 1600MHz Memory
LG Blue Ray / HD-DVD Combo Drive
Dual Ati Radeon 4890 1GB Cards in Crossfire
850W Cooler Master M850 Modular PSU
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card
Vista Home Premium 64 bit

TomG628,

John and Taff, How do you use FSX then?

You missed parts of my previous posts ..

My current work around is to not use TH2G (just use independent/native screens driven by two graphics cards), start FSX in the middle screen, undock panels (throttle, GPS, etc), and drag them to the side screens. ... Although disappointed with this mere workaround I console myself with the fact that a 22" widescreen is far superior to my previous 17" narrowscreen. Plus I can move the panels (throttles, GPS, ...) out of the way.

Nosferatu05,

Why you [TomG638] want to play in 2D? I just really want to know

There seems to two FS groups. Those that prefer to use 3D view exclusively (perhaps opening up 2D sub panels at times) and those that prefer to use 2D view mostly. Each group is baffled by the other.

I prefer to use 2D mostly because in 3D it is difficult to see (and manipulate via mouse clicks) intricate parts of the instruments.

Perhaps, crudely, there are those that are after a:
* Complete understanding of aviation systems and flying (instruments, procedures, flight rules, etc); versus
* Mere basic understanding and a bit of a cruise around, enjoying the view, etc?

Each is a legitimate way to value FS. Perhaps, then, the former will go for 2D the later will go for 3D?