How Did We Get Here From There?
If you've noticed that I've been a little quiet over the past couple of weeks, there's a good reason.
About three weeks ago, I set out to answer what I thought was a fairly straightforward question: what actually affects performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
To find out, I flew the exact same test flight—from Sangster International Airport (MKJS) in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to Fort Lauderdale International Airport (KFLL)—over and over again in a carefully controlled environment. The weather, traffic, aircraft, and flight plan all stayed the same. The only variables were the things I was testing: simulator settings, Dynamic Settings, different performance profiles, DLSS settings, utilities such as AutoFPS (and AeroTune, which is another story unto itself), and other tweaks—including one that many people, if they even know of it, would scoff at. (Hint: it may well be the key to getting the most out of your system. But I digress…)
The goal was simple: isolate each variable and understand exactly what it does.
The results were better than I could have hoped. I gathered an enormous amount of meaningful data, and I have to thank those who challenged me in the past to be more data-driven. Without that criticism I never would have wound up here. Instead of relying on impressions or “feel”, I can now demonstrate—with real data—what affects performance, how much what a particular parameter matters, and how best to focus your efforts at optimizing Microsoft Flight Simulator.
From that research, I began developing what I now call the IslandSimPilot Performance Method: a structured process for achieving the best possible performance on your own system. It isn't a collection of recommended settings. People ask me all the time for my settings—and you will get them within the context of this project—but my settings are not going to make your sim run better. It's a methodology that teaches you how to understand your hardware, optimize your simulator, and build performance profiles for the way you fly.
But then something unexpected happened.
One evening, while lying in bed watching the World Cup, I found myself wondering: Could just one small part of this process be automated? So I started exploring the idea. It turned out the answer was yes. Once I automated that first small piece, another idea followed. Then another. And another. Before long, what began as a performance guide had evolved into something much bigger. Today, that project has become a full software application.
What’s important for you to understand at the outset is that this is NOT a performance tool in the traditional sense, where you click a few buttons, some things (settings) are changed, and off you go. What it is, is a tool to help you understand whyyour sim is performing the way that it is, what your settings tell you about the performance you can expect, where you’re leaving some on the table, and basically gives you the tools to optimize your flight simulator. It also introduces a completely new way of organizing your performance… which is actually where this all started. More to follow on that.
There will be two versions, one with essential features, and one with advanced analytics and performance optimization. The essential version is essentially complete as I write this, and development of the advanced version is already underway.
To be honest, this has grown into something far beyond anything I expected when I started those benchmark flights just a few weeks ago. It has come together faster than I imagined, expanded way further than I planned, and become far more capable than I originally envisioned. Ironically, it's still the same project I set out to build. It simply grew somewhat exponentially and found a different form.
So if you've been wondering where I've been, don't worry—I'm still here. In fact, I've probably been working harder over the past few weeks than at any other point since starting IslandSimPilot. If everything stays on schedule, you'll begin seeing the results next week.
I genuinely can't wait to share what I've been building with all of you.
As the famous quote goes:
"Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
Stay tuned.
— IslandSimPilot
