rec.autos.simulators

It would seem that the infuriating black sky problem is still there with the
new patch. Does anyone know of any other way to solve this?

It puzzles me that hardly anyone mentions this as I see this as a really big
problem. I know its with variable weather turned on but expert mode doesn't
allow you to turn it off.

Any help appreciated.

Dean

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Ubi assured me several weeks ago that the 'black sky' problem would be fixed
next time round, so I am VERY disappointed that you say it isn't. It is a
serious problem as in my full GP season, I was playing 'in the dark' at
about 6 of the circuits!

Apologies for leaving out the spec. 200MMX, 32meg ram, Orchid 3DFX.

I get the black sky quite often. I am racing a custom championship and had
it in Melbourne, Argentina and now through every session at Canada. In fact
its so annoying that I haven't progressed the championship since the
beginning of January.

Dean

Are you using the 3dfx reference drivers (I am)? Or the Orchid ones?

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You're not right Mike, it's people (like me) who have 3Dfx and use all the
latest drivers that also have the 'black sky' problem. It is absolutely
infuriating. I and many others have exactly the problem described above by
Dean above.

BTW, this is not only true for the 3Dfx cards, but also S3, etc. Always
use the chipset drivers and you will be assured of compatibility.

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Rob

Rob,
I don't know what where this conversation is leading, but I'll continue for
a while longer.
It is the 3Dfx reference drivers that I and others use - nothing to do with
Orchid. Don't you think that Ubi would have suggested a change of driver if
that was the problem?
I'm very happy that you have never had a problem with your setup, but please
understand that not everyone is the same. The 'black sky' problem in F1RS is
one of the most irritating I have ever come across, and is definitely a
problem with Ubisoft. It only happens occasionally, and under certain
weather conditions. Have you tried a full season with variable weather?
Out of dozens of games I have used on my 3Dfx card, F1RS has been the only
one that has caused real trouble from the day it was released back in
December. The only reason that I (and many others) stuck with it is because
it is so damn good.
Throughout the 3-4 patches, Ubi have gradually fixed most people's problems
and had promised faithfully to fix the 'black sky' problem this time round.
I hope this clarifies the situation a bit more for you.
Iain

I've got the black sky as well, and I suspect that, like me, so do many more
but just haven't posted about it.  Neither have I, until now.  I suspect
that the problem is related to full realism, variable weather, saved games,
and possibly (or probably) 3dfx.  The main reason I haven't yet found the
black sky to be much of a problem is that I've spent most of my time with
the sim since getting it in "time attack" mode, learning the tracks and
tweaking setups.  Save a game and load it up, and I suspect that you'll have
black sky, too, before long.

Jerry Morelock

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across so negatively. I was just trying to
suggest a possible solution to your problem.

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Rob

Strange.
I've never experienced this "black sky" effect and I've had the game since it
was released here.
Bog-standard P166, 48mb RAM, Cardex 3DFX card, running W95 in 800x600, 16-bit
high colour.

Note!
You can only heap total blame on the software if an effect is experienced by
everyone, irrespective of the system used.  When a random fault such as this
"black sky" is obviously not being experienced by all and sundry then there has
to be some tie-in with hardware.

 I saw someone's post in f1racingsim.com that said a work-around was
to load the saved game, resume, hit escape, then replay, cancel and
then resume racing.  I haven't verified this because I haven't gotten
any black sky since then (also haven't been playing the championship
mode since then either)..

BTW, to the other posts that are suggesting that this happens only
with a particular driver (Orchid or whatever), I got the black sky
with a Monster 3dfx card.

DS.

I wasn't worried about it for the first month either Jerry  as, like you, I
spent all my time in Time Attack mode. However, when you do a full season,
and are reloading save games many many times, the 'black sky' problem is a
REAL PAIN. I'm sure you are right, it is related to full realism, variable
weather, and save games. Delinitely save games, as when a track is first
visited, the sky is OK, it is only after reloading a game, that the problem
arises. Although I haven't worked out the pattern yet, as it only happens at
some tracks, it must be to do with certain weather conditions.
Iain

The 'black sky' problem occurs with all drivers 3Dfx, Orchid or Diamond.