Train Sim World 2 : Flickering Catenary

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by lucasvaneersel, Oct 23, 2020.

  1. lucasvaneersel

    lucasvaneersel New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2020
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    3
    As the title says I have flickering catenary , is there anyone who has the same problem and the solution to fix this . It’s very annoying.

    I have played with the video settings and the .ini file but can’t get a finger on the problem

    Back in train sim world 1 I had no problems with the catenary
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2020
    • Like Like x 3
  2. sooner

    sooner New Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2017
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    9
    Yes, also have the problem, seems to be a general issue..
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. maxipolo12

    maxipolo12 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2020
    Messages:
    662
    Likes Received:
    955
    same problem than many years
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Monder

    Monder Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2019
    Messages:
    2,456
    Likes Received:
    7,475
    Usually, it helps a bit to overscale the resolution to about 150-170 %. The system then has more "pixel information" to send to antialiasing and it gets a bit smoother, doesn't solve it completely though and costs you some GPU power as it has to put together a larger image.
     
  5. mattdsoares

    mattdsoares Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    1,281
    The lines are very thin and especially when at a distance are too thin to even be rendered because they would literally be less than a pixel. This is more pronounced the lower the resolution you play at and can actually be compounded by some forms of anti-aliasing. I play at 4K still get it as well. Really the only solution to mostly eliminate it would be to play at 4K but tell the game to render at 200% (8K) and then downscale back to 4K. This isn't a TSW issue as much as it is simply an issue with rendering 3D objects on a 2D plane at a limited resolution.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  6. zawal.belili

    zawal.belili Guest

    To avoid that I set the general graphics to high then in the advanced settings I put everything on ultra and high.
    The "shimmer" disappears as if by magic and you lose nothing at all in quality.
     
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  7. lucasvaneersel

    lucasvaneersel New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2020
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    3
    That sounds like magic indeed , but I will try that !
     
  8. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214

    Would this be sufficient proof?
     
  9. mattdsoares

    mattdsoares Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    1,281
    No one is asking for proof, because everyone knows what you're talking about and no one is doubting it happens.

    I believe the flickering happens due to a combination of rendering resolution and anti-aliasing method. Essentially the lines, especially at a distance are less than 1 pixel in thickness at whatever resolution you're playing at so sometimes the rendering engine displays the line, and sometimes it doesn't, because the line tiself is smaller than your PC can actually display at the resolution you're at.. The lower the resolution, the more this will be an issue. The higher resolution, the better it will be because there are simply more pixels to render the thin lines. The issue can be compounded with some anti-aliasing methods.

    It seems like it's not really a bug or an issue with the game or engine. Basically, it's a math and physics problem, more than a game problem. It's a limitation of rendering resolution and anti-aliasing methods. The solution to limit it the most is, others have mentioned, use the screen scaling option in the game options and set it as much above 100% as your computer hardware will allow while keeping the framerates playable and to your liking. This will render the game at a higher resolution and then downscale it to fit your display resolution which will get rid of SOME of the shimmer or flicker of the lines. I play in 4K and have my scaling set to 150% and it helps a ton. I also have a powerful PC that can handle it. I had the same type of issue with the lines in TS20xx and using supersampling as the AA method sorted it out, much like increasing the scaling in TSW.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
    • Like Like x 1
  10. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    Proof I feel has been latched onto in the wrong context, I was simply trying to be helpful. That said took onboard what you said about the scaling, whacked it up to 200%, no issues. Took my FPS from 110 to 40-45 but looks and seems to play better so thank you
     
  11. hightower

    hightower Guest

    I’m certain I’ve seen MP say somewhere that it is an issue with UE4 and the the way it handles AA. I can’t think of another game where I’ve ever seen it though, and it only happens when stationary or at very low speed. I believe it’s to do with multiple light sources, but I may be wrong.

    It’s not just the catenary either, you often see stationary trains doing the same. I’m running 4K with 120% Screen Percentage and I still see it.

    I hope they (and by ‘they’ I guess we’re talking Epic) can actually sort it. I’m not holding out any great hope that it will happen anytime soon though, as it’s been like this for almost 4 years.
     
  12. bsrdj

    bsrdj Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2018
    Messages:
    94
    Likes Received:
    56
    I not get any flicker my overscale 100% pc i9 10900k 32gb 2080ti 70-90s fps 4k
     
  13. mattdsoares

    mattdsoares Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    1,281
    Mine is minimal as well, but like you I'm running at 4K. Results will vary for people based on their hardware capabilities, in game settings, resolution, and Nvidia/AMD control panel settings.
     
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  14. mattdsoares

    mattdsoares Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
    Messages:
    640
    Likes Received:
    1,281
    Glad it worked! I know we all want 60+ fps, but this isn't a first person shooter, the 40s is more than serviceable.
     
  15. hightower

    hightower Guest

    With respect, that can’t be true. EVERYBODY gets the flickering when stationary, it’s a problem with the game!
     
  16. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    BRSDJ , Same specs as you and I got flicker before I adjusted above
     
  17. Hooch

    Hooch New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2019
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    17
    They should model them a bit thicker (or just do it for the more distant LODs). They've probably done it to the real world scale, which is what you would want in a sim, but plenty of games will cheat little things like that and forgo 1:1 real-world accuracy for something that looks better with a 3D renderer.
     
    • Like Like x 1

Share This Page