Pete Dowson

Yes, I think I might default the Smoothing Thread off. I don't think it'll be needed now. Yes, please. I am most concerned about this. If it is my smoothing hacks causing the crash then, ultimately, they aren't releasable. I must get that nailed down one way of the other. When I've sorted out the SP2 implemetation and there are more testers actually using the whole facility we should find out pretty quickly. On that front I think I've found the right places in the SP2 edition of SIM1.DLL. Not only that, but that version is so similar to the SP1 and RTM editions than I think I can make it work on all FSX versions -- provided I can sort out the crash, if that is me. Are, maybe I'm not leaving it long enough then. I see if I can run much longer tests tomorrow. I'll need to set it up on another machine. Well, except that they seem to both point, at the log end (which is where I assume the crash occurred) to the same geographical area, almost precisely. Yes, please do ZIP and send them. You never know, I might spot something. Well, a crash in WEATHER.DLL is at least more easy for me to look at than buried deep in NTDLL like the others. Thanks. I'll have a quick look, but there's not much to go on. I do have to repro it here. Thanks, Pete

Well, they were found for FS2000, and may or not have been okay later. Many of the offsets in the main list did start there and got moved over as "supported" offsets when folks proved they worked and were using them. It doesn't mean they aren't there for other versions. Isn't the value 100 correct? How do you change the DH in a default FS aircraft, and how is it used by those aircraft? I know all about DH in add-ons (I use Project Magenta), but I didn't think FS did anything with it. Pete

Yes, thanks. You are already good to go with 4.239. Maybe the only one other than myself at present! ;-) Oh, sorry to hear that. Don't over do it. Best to rest up and get better first. Regards Pete

No idea. I'd have to search the list. Did you? There's an unsupported offset labelled "Decision Height" in the list, at 5428. Have you tried that? I've no idea if it works or not I'm afraid.Does FS actually do anything with it? Regards Pete

Whilst FSInterrogate makes a good investigative and checking tool, it isn't a good reference. Best to refer to the offset lists in the documentation. Being documents they are easily searched, and they contain a lot more information and tend to be kept up to date more. You can use my freeware "MakeRunways" tool to generate databases containing runway lat/lons and a lot more. Available from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. Pete

Er, that doesn't make sense. You must have seen the Install log there because you posted its contents earlier, if you recall. First check again, because if you don't see any log at all then the FSUIPC installer couldn't have worked, which contradicts your earlier posting. If the Install log is there but no FSUIPC4 log, then FSUIPC4 isn't being loaded by SimConnect. That either means the DLL.XML file is bad or SimConnect is broken. As a next step, then, check the DLL.XML file. According to your (non-existent?) Install log that will be here: C:\Documents and Settings\Haleem\Application Data\Microsoft\FSX\ It is a text file so you can paste it here. Regards, Pete

Yew, the Aircraft On Ground flag at offset 0366. Only if you know the lat/lon of the airport. That's not something FS or FSUIPC can look up for you. If you do have it, it's a matter of spherical trigonometry, though for short distances you could simplify by assuming a flat Earth! ;-) Regards Pete

No need. I've just installed SP2 on another PC, and seen that its SIM1.DLL is nothing like the Acceleration version! Aaaarrrggghhh! It is more like SP1. I'll have a look, but I don't feel good about this -- I failed miserably to find the routines I need to hook on SP1. Meanwhile I'm afraid that most of the work I've been doing for smoothing only applies to Acceleration users. Have a break from testing, but keep an eye out on the FSX downloads announcement in case I crack it. Regards Pete

Aaaarrrggghhh! The SP2 SIM1.DLL and the Acceleration SIM1.DLL are not the same beast! Oh dear. I've got some work to do now to work out whether I can cope with the SP2 version. This is terrible. I'm sure Microsoft said that the actual FSX program was the same in both. The SP2 version is: 10.0.61472.0 ... which is weird, because Acceleration was out first yet has a much later build number! It is only 797,760 bytes long (798,720 on disk). For a moment I thought it might still be the SP1 version, but that is build 61355 and only 796,568 bytes. But it doesn't bode well for the smoothing. I couldn't find the code I need to hook in the SP1 version, and it looks like this SP2 version is not much different. I'm out tonight but I'll work on this over the weekend. Meanwhile, testers who are NOT using Acceleration, please give it a rest for now. Thanks! Regards Pete

Something else has come up. At least two testers are getting this reported at the beginning of the FSUIPC4.LOG file: Running inside FSX (SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07) Module base=61000000 Wind smoothing fix is only partially installed That "partially" means that most of the work on smoothing I've been doing is not actually being applied -- you are getting the same results as an SP1 or RTM user! I don't understand why this should be. Looking at the logs received so far, Bill's and Al's have had this problem. Only Kyle's logs are from a fully-working smoothing installation. (This makes his FSX crashes more suspiciously linked to FSUIPC! :-( ). I am now concerned that there might be more than one version of SIM1.DLL floating around for SP2 / Acceleration, not the one as I had always assumed. I have Acceleration installed on my test machine, but I will go install SP2 on a PC which has currently only got SP1 installed. Can each tester tell me whether he is using SP2 or Acceleration, and check the Version number on his SIM1.DLL, please? (Right click on it, select Properties-Version). Mine is: 10.0.61637.0 and it is 669,408 bytes long (892,928 on disk), dated 26/09/2007 15:09 (though that may just be the install date). Thanks, Pete

That's what you get if you aren't using FSX SP2 or Acceleration. FSUIPC cannot patch the places it needs to in SIM1.DLL. The wind smoothing doesn't then work so well -- you get a nasty ratcheting on the ASI, and possilby with the altimeter too if you use QNH smoothing. If the patch can be fully applied (because the SIM1.DL is the SP2/Acceleration version) then the message would say "fully installed". OuchI just noticed that in the Log you sent me. no wonder you are seeing all those odd Ambient Wind changes --- FSUIPC4 isn't dong full wind smoothing on your system. It apparently cannot patch your SIM1.DLL in memory, even though the Lg does show Running inside FSX (SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07) That is worrying. Can you check the version nmuber of the SIM1.DLL in your main FSX folder, please? Right click on it and check 'version'. Regards Pete

4.239 nowwell, in about 30 minutes. Please see my other "IMPORTANT" message. ;-) Regards Pete

Er, sorry, I'm confused now. Where in that thread is there a better explanation or example? Pete

I had a minor brainwave this afternoon, and went looking for wind values in FSX through a different path. I found the three Ambient winds (X, Y, Z) in m/sec (the others were in ft/sec) and it looks like these are the source of the ones I've been changing, so I've now made some more changes to FSUIPC4 to deal with those first. It looks good here, but, then, I never managed to get all of the weird wind problems reproduced here, so it needs testing (of course) by those who have seen the wind problems and can get them to occur. So, please ignore version 4.238, which was yesterday's changes uploaded earlier today, and get 4.239 when it is available, soon. Please note the changes remarked in the downloads Announcement -- please change the Logging parameters, otherwise this version will clobber your performance. There are four things still outstanding, needing testing: 1. Does the PMDG A/P heading hold still drift when in tirbulence? 2. Are there still those nasty wind shifts at some levels? 3. Does this version cause FSX to crash at all, ever? 4. Is it better or worse, or no difference, with the Wind Smoothing thread enabled (as it is by default) or disabled (via "WindSmoothingThread=No")? I think this is about as close as I'm going to be able to get, so I do hope it is okay. Thanks & Best Regards Pete

Thanks. 4.238 is up, but skip that and go straight to 4.239 in less than an hour .... Regards Pete

Okay, thanks. The installer log looks perfect. What about the FSUIPC4 log? Please make sure FSX is closed before posting it. Regards Pete

There's not an "offset" for each flaps setting. There are offsets for the flap handle positon, for the flap indicator, and for assorted flap angles (outer/inner, left/right, leading edge/trailing edge. See the table in the Programmers Guide (FSUIPC3) or the Offsets Status documernt for FSX. The easiest one to use if 0BDC, which runs from 0 (flaps up) to 16383 (flaps full down). That's divided roughly equally between the number of notches, so for a 737 with 9 settings you'd get roughly 2048 between each setting. Obviously your "flaps 30" is going to depend on the aircraft, whether 30 is full flaps or one of the intermediate settings. If you are only interested in "full flaps" then simply check if 0BDC is over 16000. It should be equal to 16383, but it is always dodgy assuming such things. You can Monitor 0DBC (as a type U32) on the FS window in real time, using the FSUIPC monitoring facilities (right-hand side of the Logging tab). Then you can get the right value specifically for your aircraft. Regards Pete

They are doing no more with FSX. There won't be any fixes till FSXI, and even then it depends on priorities. Evidently the wind shifting problems in FS9 weren't bad enough for enough folks to complain to get it fixed by FSX -- maybe that's partly my fault for offering a third party fix that worked. If you want things fixed in FSXI get complaining nowtell_fs@microsoft.com. I've done all I can with my contacts in Microsoft. They know there is a problem, but the WEATHER stuff is very complex and the re-write needed very costly and error prone, so it has to be a problem they can see folks are really concerned about. Their priorities tend towards performance and graphics (eye candy), because that's where users shout about things more. Serious fliers needing proper weather and realistic flight characteristics are in a minority and are not vocal / verbal enough. Regards Pete

Where are you reading about renaming folders? That's nothing to do with it! As the link points out (it references parts of my FSUIPC documentation), unless every aircraft has a COMPLETELY different name (very very unlikely) you merely use a shortened form, or a part of the name, common to each one but different from your other aircraft. For instance, if all those aircraft were named "Majestic DH8-300 ..." you could just shorten the name in the INI to "Majestic DH8-300", and set "ShortAircraftNameOK=Yes". Alternatively, for all "DH8"s change it to "DH8" and set "ShortAircraftNameOK=Substring". This is all just simple editing in the FSUIPC INI file, nothing changes in your aircraft files! Please read the documentation and tell me why you don't understand it. I've not met such confusion about such a simple thing before. Why is it confusing, please? Pete

Strange, that's the exact reverse of the experiences of MELKOR in the other main active thread. with his tests it is always smoothing on descent but he gets the wild fluctuations on ascent. Unfortunately MELKOR has no logs for me yet. But I see you had my full logging enabled. Can you ZIP up the FLT files and the Log and tell be roughly what FS time it was then the shifts occurred, please? Send to petedowson@btconnect.com. Only the files. We'll keep the discussion here. I'm uploading 4.238 later today, with some code tidied up and made more protective, though I don't think there's likely to be much different in how it smooths. I can't see any answers yet. It is annoying not being able to reproduce the problems here. Regards Pete

No, I've almost reached the give-up-and-do-something-useful point. Unfortunately you have none of my smoothing logging on, using the INI settings listed in the FSX Downloads announcement, so although you can clearly reproduce the problem (which I've not managed to yet), I still have no information telling me why my code is doing wrong which is allowing it. Do you think you can repro the problem with the logging enabled as requested? Best now wait for 4.238 which I shall have ready later today. I'm doing some tidying up, nothing radical, but I'm also attempting to make the code more protective, to stop the crashes one tester is experiencing. Regards Pete

Seems that all this effort has been a waste of time so far then -- those events are exactly what I set out to conquer, and we are still getting them. And I don't understand why. I cannot repro them at all. :-( This is such bad news after things were looking so good. I could cry! :cry: :cry: :cry: Pete

Great, but what's a 100 ft of wind? ;-) Pete

Hmm. That is worrying. It is indicating a possible problem in my code. I will go through it with a toothcomb, checking where there might be a loose reference to an internal FSX variable which may have moved. The problem is that if I add too many checks it affects performance. I tend to look for workable compromises. But I can't allow crashes! I don't really think ASX can directly cause the crashes, though I suppose it could indicate a bug in FSX's weather processing. However, I'd expect it to be more widescprad and especially not suddenly start occurring when I add complex code! Okay. Thanks. Best try such a different route with it on again too. Best Regards Pete

I've flown from the FLT files you sent, with no crash. I note from this Log and the previous one you sent that the crash both times happened more or less in the exact same Geographical spot, somewhere North West of Boise, Idahoperhaps 30 nm away, maybe more? Something close to N44 40 12, W117 25 48. Are all your tests which crashed following the same route? Could the crash be down to something in the scenery or terrain or textures/Landclass in that area? I'm not getting crash reports from others with these last two FSUIPC releases (so far, at least), so I'm looking for plausible alternative explanations at present. NOTE: I just noticed that one of my latest modifications, the addition of the wind smoothing thread, isn't disabled when you switch wind smoothing off. This might detract from the value of smoothing-off tests to see if FSUIPC is causing your crashes, though I hope not. After all it was crashing before I added that new bit. Anyway, I'll fix that ready for tomorrow's inevitable update! ;-) Regards Pete