Pete Dowson

It will allow all accredited programs to run with it. That is programs which have access keys, either because the commercial developers paid for this, or because they are freeware and the developers get the access key from me free of charge. Not officially, no. It will probably still be on earlier magazine cover CDRoms, and maybe on some websites someplace, but it won't be officially supplied. I expect you could get someone to email you a copy. It won't be supported and won't work on FS2004, that's all. Regards, Pete

No, that's the right way. I've processed all emails I've received. Did you use petedowson@btconnect.com? If so, sorry, I don't think it arrived -- or it did, and I processed it, but my reply didn't get to you. I see nothing from "binsurf", but that's the problem with using pseudonyms here. Perhaps you could try again? Thanks. Pete

Well, it isn't exactly upsetting me, not now I know what's going on, but on the other hand this isn't really a place for moaning about other places so perhaps it ought to continue elsewhere? Thanks guys! Pete

ErNo! It's as you said, the lower part of the axis becomes the reverse part. The off-centred centre is the idle. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? If you have a separate axis you want to use as reverser, forget everything I said and program the reverser axis on the reverser axis page. Pete

Sorry, I've not provided such facilities at present. Certainly programmable axis assignments, as well as different response curves for axes, are on my list of things to do. Sorry, I can't even predict a date at present. The current assignments are really still all through FS. The facilities in FSUIPC are just messing with the end results. I want to bypass the FS assignments completely for more flexibility, espcially now that editing the CFG file is so much guesswork. Regards, Pete

Hi John! Nice to hear from you! Thanks for the re-assurances. I asm hereforeto not concerned with Mr. Small. But how are you these days? You are not retired now from FS programming are you? Best regards, Pete

Yes. In FSUIPC's Joysticks section you have to map the normal single throttle to the 4 separate throttles (there's a checkbox for that), then go to the 4 throttles page and calibrate the first throttle with a good dead centre zone for "idle". You can put this "centre" where you like along the lever's range. Be sure you can always find idle. You may need it larger than you think, unless you can put some "detentes" there -- a couple of pieces of soft plastic or rubber glued in place might help. The FSUIPC documentation should help you further if you get stuck. I'm sure I put this stuff in there somewhere. :) Regards, Pete

Thanks, Anthony, for your very kind words. I will certainly try not to bother. It always concerns me when someone thinks there's a problem but who has not discussed it with me. I hate there to be problems. They keep me awake at night! When there are problems I cannot imagine it is even worse! :roll: Ah wellI will plod on and concentrate on the ones I know about. Thanks again, Pete

Isn't the "session" it is trying to find a Multiplayer session? FSUIPC and WideFS don't have "sessions" as such, SB will simply connect to WideClient as if it is FS98. Possibly it is, as a consequence, looking for an FS98-style multiplayer link? There may be a special parameter for it to tell it you are using FS2002. WideFS and FSUIPC have nothing to do with the multiplayer part of SB and FS's relationship, and I'm afraid I know nothing about it. Perhaps someone else will jump in and help, or otherwise you could try the SB support place? Regards, Pete

Even more bad news. The solution for Taxi Winds that I thought I had does not work. I can certainly prevent the winds from doing anything to a stationary aircraft, but as soon as it starts moving some part of FS is destroying my carefully set up taxi wind, and no matter what I do it applies the 'real wind' to the aircraft behaviour. I can fool ATIS and the screen display and other things, but not the simulation. I think it is getting its weather data from a different route, one I've not yet uncovered. I am having to give up on this for now and get on with other things. I will start burrowing further into the Weather DLL of FS at some later date. Sorry, Pete

Win98 connects IPX ports automatically. WinNT/2K/XP cannot do that. It needs the server node provided in full. Please check the WideFS documentation. Follow every single step in the trouble shooting list there. I have completely given up trying to make my own mixed Win98 and WinXP network work properly with IPX/SPX. It was because WinXP is so downright IPX/SPX unfriendly that I worked hard on WideFS to make it really efficient with TCP/IP. Although IPX/SPX is theoretically faster (it is simpler, has less layers and small overheads), I don't think you'll suffer from using TCP/IP, expecially if you have a 100 Mbps network. Regards, Pete

FSUIPC is designed first and foremost to interface external applications to FS. That's 95% of its job. The other stuff are additional facilities for controlling FS by new key presses, joystick button allocations, and some more previse joystick centering and dead zone settings. There are some "fiddles" for specific user needs. Virtually all that stuff has been added through user requests. When someone says things like "ditch FSUIPC which causes no end of problems for me on WinXP Pro" I am amazed that someone would feel like that and never even once have the common decency to write to me about these problems. I use WinXP Pro every day, it is my main development platform. To go around slagging off someone else's software without even talking to them about their problems is not a nice thing to do. At least that is my opinion. :cry: Pete

I've spent several days full-time looking at this now, and I'm afraid I cannot find a solution at present. For some reason I do seem to be able to overcome the surface wind condition enough to be able to implement Taxi Winds. But similar techniques are just not working at all for any other layer. I don't know why. Maybe I'll find a way one day. The problems you are seeing with sudden wind shifts do NOT only occur between layers. According to all the tests I've done, they also occur when flying level right slap-bang in the middle of a layer. The changes which are causing this are conflicting winds reported by nearby METAR stations. It seems there is a bug or two in FS2004's interpolation algorithm which can result in these changes, even complete reversals. I think the only short term answer is to see if programs like FSMeteo and ActiveSky can examine the winds being set for neighbouring METAR stations and try to smooth the differences a little, or at least eliminate outright reversals (except in storms -- perhaps they can compare the pressure difference and allow greater wind differences for greater pressure differences). Maybe adjust them over time. The problems then I suspect will be one of performance. It is very difficult to change any aspect of FS2004 weather without risking inducing stutters. Sorry for bad news. I did have high hopes when I found I could impose the taxi wind. Shame. Regards, Pete

Why? I already said, it doesn't use FSUIPC or WideFS, so whether you buy my software is totally unconnected with whether you can use Instructor Station. Please do NOT buy them to try something completely unconnected with them! Quite honestly I am not interested in the instructor station. I've no need to try it. I've not even used multiplayer, and for either it would take a lot longer for me to find out how to do it than 30 seconds. If you want to use it, why don't you try it? I don't understand why you are still relating it to anything of mine? Regards, Pete

Don't do that. Press the "minimum weather defaults" button on the first Options page. If there are truly no weather options selected (press that button to be sure), FSUIPC doesn't touch the weather, it makes no changes to it at all. Pete

You don't need OldModules set for FSUIPC. It never has needed it. When you say "it will not work" can you be more explicit please? What does it say or do? What is "not working" about it? Pete

Can you show me the Log file please? And maybe the INI file too? You can change/select the menu to be added in the INI file so it may be relevant. I have never heard of a case where the Modules+FSUIPC menu doesn't appear, it is most odd. ZIP both files together and email them as an attachment to petedowson@btconnect.com. I may then have to ask for other tests to be run, possibly sending you special versions to try. Is that okay? Pete

The FSUIPC SDK contains all the information you need, including tools and examples in VC++ and VB. Pete

I have no idea, sorry. Is there any documentation with the instructor station? I've never had time to look at it and it doesn't look like I'll get time for a while yet. Pete

Sorry, I don't understand any of that. This is a question for SimFlight I think. I am but a guest of their system. Probably a "Furum" is not the same as a "Newsgroup"? Pete

Sorry, no, none at all. There has never once been a case where, if the DLL is installed into the FS Modules folder, it does not provide the menu access, not once in four years! When you press ALT then M then F, like that, in sequence, what happens? Is there a file FSUIPC.LOG in the Modules folder? A file called FSUIPC.INI? It really sounds as if it isn't installed, but if it is then both these files will be produced even before you get to the Menu. Also, some description of your system would be useful, please. And what "game" is it you are trying to use FSUIPC in? Regards, Pete

Yes, that's what I use. Not cheap, but as good as it gets, especially if you are into airliner flying. There is a new IFR GA panel too. Pete

Sorry, I know nothing about multiplayer, and there's nothing in FSUIPC for it. Pete

No, I don't do anything with temperatures, whether OAT or TAT. I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. Pete

Someone else has already asked Elite about this and they said the FS2004 driver will be about 2 eeks, I think. Ask them yourself. Yes, they have a silly programming error. They compare 3.04 with 2.92 and think it is a lower number! I put in a facility especially for FSUIPC to give a false version number when asked, but they don't use that. They read the version information! Please complain to Elite -- they should send you a fixed version. Regards, Pete