Since I'm running an LCD monitor, I have VSYNC on to avoid tearing which means that my FPS is locked at 60FPS. For some reason, I notice the LFS at 60FPS does not look as fluid as rFactor or GTR2 running at 60FPS. Anyone know what that is?

what tearing? I am also using an LCD monitor but i have Vsync off and 60 fps is the smoothest on any graphics intense program/game i played.

He probably have his eyes' refresh rate faster than the normal, just like Chuck Norris.

I'm getting 160 FPS here, so can't really help you, sorry...

Quote from Ricerguy :

what tearing? I am also using an LCD monitor but i have Vsync off and 60 fps is the smoothest on any graphics intense program/game i played.

You're eyes aren't as sensitive as mine if you're not running VSYNC and say that you cannot see any tearing in the graphics. Maybe it's becuase I'm running LFS on a 30 inch screen at 2560X1600. You probably don't notice a lot of tearing while driving straight but if you spin out, you'll tend to notice it more.

Anyway, with regards to my original post, I dont know. Maybe its my eyes. I just set VSYNC off and now I'm getting over 200FPS. That seems a little smoother. I can't really tell since the menu covers most of the screen when you change that setting so comparing back and forth really quick isn't possible.

Okay, but can someone explain what tearing is kplzthx

I have an LCD too (Dell 2407) and every driving sim will tear as the scenery whizzes past, for example on tight bends. So I always have Vsync on too. And yes, I also find LFS movement a tad jerky compared with GTL, GTR2, or tomb raider for that matter. My system's reasonably good (below) and the processor's hardly doing anything according to task manager in LFS, whereas it's working hard with the others, so I don't know why.

Have you got triple buffering going? If your graphics card is Nvidia I assume you need something like d3doverrider with LFS (as you do with GTL etc.) which comes with rivatuner (free) to force that or you'll lose frames when your fps drops below 60..but you did say 'at 60' so probably not that.


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I read in another thread that it's due to the physics engine running at 100hz, so it's not really syncing up with 60hz displays. I think running in 50hz or 100hz would prevent it, but I've never gotten an LCD to run in those modes. I get the same effect when I run my 60hz LCD in 75hz mode (no matter what game, or even on the desktop) - like a skip...skip...skip every 0.2 seconds or something. The graphics engine in LFS seems to sync up fine, so camera movement (for example) when not following a car should be as smooth as other games.

Anyone have luck getting their LCDs running in 50hz?

Things can seem jerky because of the way the car acts. If you have the 1g forces up to around .050m it can seem as if you are getting a jerky motion from the FPS, but it's actualy the car vibrating.

Almost certain my Dell LCD is fixed at 60 hz 'refresh rate' (or whatever it's called).

The jerkiness I see in LFS isn't car vibration. When you watch from the outside, you can see a slight effect as they go past. And in the car you see it most in certain areas of scenery being shifted fast even on a straight. And it doesn't happen with GTL nor GTR2.

Quote from joeynuggetz :

Since I'm running an LCD monitor, I have VSYNC on to avoid tearing which means that my FPS is locked at 60FPS. For some reason, I notice the LFS at 60FPS does not look as fluid as rFactor or GTR2 running at 60FPS. Anyone know what that is?

If you can get more than 60 fps without VSYNC on then u dont need VSYNC because the frames will display fast enough wo where u shouldn't notice the verticle refresh.

FPS at about 70 is enough to where you shouldn't have that problem.

I got about 120 FPS so I'm covered.

EDIT: tearing is when you can see the verticle frames refresh.

got over 120 FPS , have absolutely NO idea what does "not fluid" means

Get a proper monitor, I'm happy with my CRT none of those problems @85hz

Im using a Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP (30 inch) and while i have v-sync turned on in every game i can do so, i always limit my FPS whenever i can.

For example, in LFS, i cap it to 250fps, and its always on the limit, so theres no jumping about, yet i still notice tearing. I get this in every game i play, but its not major, and unless your staring at the screen trying to notice the tearing, you wont notice it whether your blasting someone in the head in unreal or speeding through hawai in TDU. Tearing happens all the time, v-sync just helps control it and reduce it in most case's.

About LFS not seeming as "fluid" as other sims, i agree/disagree. In games like GTR or M3 challenge, i dont think it looks as smooth even when putting out the same FPS numbers. One of the only games i do think *seems* more fluid is "racer" (dont laugh ). I think that is smoother, but it could just be my eyes decieving me again...

^^ If you are always at 250fps your framerate counter is broken or your on horribly low details for your machine. I drop down to around 40 on race starts on my E6750/8800GT

I do find 60fps in LFS to be much more smooth than in many other sims, smoothness is one of great things in it

use a mip bias of +400 and everything is a smooth (and unsharp) as in other games

Quote from tigerboyz :

Anyone have luck getting their LCDs running in 50hz?

If your screen supports 50 Hz input you can force it using Powerstrip. I did and I did get smoother frame steps (checked with fraps) but I think the actual LCD panel hardware is still at 60 Hz so the improved smoothness never got as far as my eyes. But I confirm, LFS looks smoother on a CRT. There was a video in the other thread that shows the irregular framesteps from the 100 Hz physics to 60 Hz screen conversion.

Can't believe some people don't know about tearing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_sync

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_tearing

Tearing occurs when video card frames are higher than monitor frames, which will happen in LFS 90% of time (when there aren't many cars on screen). It's incredibly annoying when it happens.

To the OP: LFS has a "maximum FPS" option. Try setting it to 58 and disabling vsync -- some LCDs actually glitch a bit with vsync on.

Limiting the fps to 60 in LFS does it for me. Dell 2405@1920x1200.

Quote from Ricerguy :

Okay, but can someone explain what tearing is kplzthx

Do you have either fifa or Pro ev installed on your PC? These imo are the 2 games that tear the most out of anything in the world, play one of them without vsync and youll see what it is.

Quote from J.B. :

There was a video in the other thread that shows the irregular framesteps from the 100 Hz physics to 60 Hz screen conversion.

Yep. If you sample a 100Hz physics loop at 60Hz, the 3rd and 5th frame of every 5 physics frames will never be rendered to screen. (This varies slightly of course since this is never exact) These dropped frames results in slightly jumpy animation.

You can see a similar effect if you watch a movie (24FPS) on TV or DVD (50Hz or 60Hz depending on where you are in the world).

Quote from squidhead :

got over 120 FPS , have absolutely NO idea what does "not fluid" means

it's bad English but I think he means 'Jerky', same as 'not smooth'

What should I be looking for to notice tearing?

Quote from anttt69 :

it's bad English but I think he means 'Jerky', same as 'not smooth'

I think fluid is an appropriate word to use to describe this so wouldn't call it bad English, although it's sometimes better to use simpler vocabulary to make it easier for those who English is a second language to understand. In fact if you simplify it enough certain English speaking members of this board might stand a chance of reading it