Real Full Screen, Vsync Option

[jstange]

Hello,

recently I've decided to take the plunge and try this out (Aerosoft edition - hope it is OK that I write here if I don't own the official Hobby USB stick version!). I've come across several things I want to ask about and want to create a separate thread for each for better tracking and searching as I expect at least some of the questions might be relevant to others and some of it has never been covered, at least I could not find anything in English.

The first one is about the full screen setting. I usually get the best results to have smooth simulator experience to set the fps limit to 60 or 30 fps and set the vsync to on - full or half my refresh rate depending on what fps limit I find needed depending on how demanding the app is. To my suprise it didn't work with Zusi 3. Later on I realised Zusi is actually never using real full screen (when set to it in the graphics settings) but it is rather using what is called "borderless" in the gaming world. This of course allows to display other windows over the sim (like the Fahrplan), but then the vsync is fully governed by Windows where correct vsync timing is hard to achieve and although the simulation is not having tearing, it is not smooth, but stuitters (although not to a great extent). The solution is to use the "DirectX full screen" option, however the simulator then lacks many required features and actually is very hard to control as I was even unable to correctly terminate the simulation - no reaction to Esc, I even could not alt-tab out of the app. I had to use log off to get the app to terminate.

My question is: if I accept the lack of external windows (like F7), is there a way how to use this mode? Or is there any other way how to activate real full screen and not just borderless (that is called Full screen in the settings)?

Additionally I do not understand what the vsync setting under Zusi is actually meant for if the DirectX full screen is not recommended for standard use by the manual: if the game is not running in real full screen, whether a vsync is used or not is determined by the Windows graphical environment and no game setting has any influence on that. And yes: I of course get no tearing even with vsync unticked.

Any replies are greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much!

[F. Schn.]

I don't know if it helps, but I remember you can not combine fps limit with vsync because this will result in either tearing or stuttering due to a wheel war between these two functions. You should switch the fps limit off if you want to use vsync. Maybe it also helps to set the fps limit well spaced above the desired fps.

Esc key results in a message box. You can try to confirm this box by pressing enter or y blindly. The shortcut Alt+F4 (close Zusi application) should work too.

PS: If it's not related to the publisher but to programmer or content creator, this forum is better than steam forum, so it's absolutly OK!

[jstange]

Hello,

first off, many thanks for your answer!

Well, not really, fps limit and vsync should be working together perfectly provided that you set the fps limit higher than the expected "vsync limit" - usually your refresh rate, but can be set to 1/2, 1/3 etc too. At least this is true for DirectX applications in general.

As for using Esc to exit the game: this is a misunderstanding. I of course know how to exit the Zusi graphical environment, it works OK, but not when you set the sim to "DirectX full screen" (NOT Full screen) in the Graphics settings (the last option). In that case Esc no longer works and I did not find any easy way to exit or kill the app. Plus several other things don't work either. I wonder if there's anyone out there who's using the "DirectX Full Screen" and how they deal with these issues. Perhaps there's no solution and the usability of this option is limited to some special hardware.

EDIT: Ah, I see, you are advising me to confirm the box without it being shown. Ok, will try this out. However there's a few other things: especially the screens on the 3D cabs no longer react to mouse etc. This makes this mode (DX full screen) rather hard to use... perhaps I could use Zusi display on my laptop... will see. Anyway, thanks again!

[jstange]

So I gave it another go, it doesn't look that bad, the DirectX Full screen works quite OK (I can indeed use Alt-F4 to get out of it), I only can't control anything in the virtual cab using a mouse pointer. At this time the only thing that I'm lacking is the ability to change the two screens in the 101 to the dark mode (the white is too bright for me)... would you please (or anyone else) know if I can assign a key binding to this?

The simulation is indeed silky smooth in this mode as long as I can maintain at least 30 fps.

[Carsten Hölscher]

In Zusi vsync also works in the "normal" fullscreen mode on all computers I have seen yet.

Carsten

[jstange]

Yes, it works, Carsten, I was not saying otherwise, but it is NOT any application setting that has any influence on that as whether you have vsync on or not is determined by your Windows desktop environment. It is only the real full screen where app vsync setting has the proper effect...

[Carsten Hölscher]

I am talking about the "normal" fullscreen mode (not the DirectX mode).

Carsten

[jstange]

Yes, I am talking about the "normal" Zusi full screen too (not directx fullscreen).

To sum up:

1: Zusi "normal" fullscreen: it is actually a borderless windowed mode, vsync is controlled by windows desktop environment (which is logical, Zusi is in this case nothing more than another window on the desktop, although it has no borders and covers all of the screen). In this case the vsync option inside the app has no meaning/effect.

2: Zusi DirectX full screen: it is what most games call just "full screen". vsync is controlled by the application or graphics card 3d program settings.

What I was trying to say was: if the recommended setting is the "normal" fullscreen, then vsync option inside Zusi has no meaning. And indeed: with "normal" fullscreen I have no tearing even with the vsync setting unticked in Zusi.

[F. Schn.]

In this case the vsync option inside the app has no meaning/effect

This is not correct.

[jstange]

In this case the vsync option inside the app has no meaning/effect

This is not correct.

What is your experience then? I have several PCs, some with old Win7, one with Win10, on all of them, I get no tearing when vsync is unticked (off) in Zusi and when I'm using Zusi "normal" fullscreen. Vsync is obviously on.

It makes sense if you think about it... Zusi normal fullscreen is borderless, otherwise the F7 Fahrplan window could not be displayed over the sim. Fahrplan is a standard window separate to the sim. Then if the simulator is also just a window (although fullscreen borderless) with another window over it, you cannot have vsync on for some windows and off for other. Vsync is then determined by the Windows desktop (usually it's on).

Simple question is: with vsync unticked and normal fullscreen, do you get tearing? I don't, on 3 PCs.

However, this debate is probably unnecessary, I am getting used to the slight stutter and started using the normal fullscreen again. Definitely thanks for all the answers - even some coming from the author himself! Zusi is a great sim - it's incredible how one totally forgets the inferior graphics with so many things to handle. Excellent driving physics, excellent signalling simulation!

[Johannes]

One noticeable effect of turning VSync on in Zusi is that the frame rate is capped at the refresh rate, i.e. no unnecessary frames are rendered (the Present call just blocks until the next refresh). You are probably right about the other stuff regarding the different full screen modes and the lack of tearing even with VSync turned off.