Pete Dowson

I'm working on it now. It will be in the next version (3.05). It's been a lot more difficult to get into these things in FS2004 than it was in earlier releases. Regards, Pete

I don't think FS actually has a V/S mode which operates on its own. You have to set altitude hold mode and then the target altitude value. FS will automatically then set the V/S to its default for the particular aircraft (e.g. 1800 fpm for the 737). You can alter the V/S then to control the rate, in order to control the speed for instance. When the aircraft gets near to the target altitude FS automatically reduces the V/S and zeroes it to settle at the target. Whilst there is a switch called "V/S Hold" in the interface I don't recall it ever actually working without Alt hold and a target altitude also being set. Regards, Pete

Yes, the user facilities listed as part of the advantage of registering FSUIPC are accessed via the Tabs you cannot see. It would be a bit pointless for me to provide those to look at and not touch, so they only appear when you've registered. Regards, Pete

No, WideFS is merely an extended FSUIPC interface, for other programs which like to connect to FS. It will not connect two or more copies of FS together. The program that does that best is WidevieW by Luciano Napolitano, but unfortunately there isn't a version which works with FS2004 yet. But you could try linking them using FS's own multiplayer facilities. I think you can put the "client" into "observer" mode. Regards, Pete

All I know about that is in the WideFS.doc. Can you check there? There doesn't seem much point in cutting and pasting part of the documentation out and inserting it here. It isn't as if I can remember -- I've not used IPX/SPX for about a year now. If you can't find the details from Windows I do seem to remember that there's a way to get WideServer.DLL to either Log it, or display it in the FS title bar for you. Please check. It's all in there somewhere. Regards, Pete

Hi James, Why pick on 3.04? Or FS2002 and FS2004 for that matter? :) . As far as I can see this has been the same right back to FS98 and FS6IPC. It's historical now! :lol: It's someone's documentation error by the look of it. These are values which I've never had to find, never had to map, never needed to pay any attention to. Someone back in FS98 days documented those offsets as Left-Right when presumably they meant Right-Left, and they've stuck. I'll correct the documentation for the next version of the SDK, when I can get to it! Good catch, but a bit late, perhaps? :D Thanks, Pete

It probably needs finding in SIM1.DLL. I'm only about half-way through the main table so far. The only other values that I've definitely found are those folks have asked for already. Until now no one asked for this one. Now, I'll look for it and if I can find it in time I will map in back in version 3.05. It may well be, but I had only 3-4 weeks after receiving FS2004 Gold before FS2004 was released and most of that time I spent trying to get basics working, like some weather control for instance. Since then I've been 100% working on FSUIPC and adding in variables as I've found them and as folks asked. If you remember, with FS2002 some things took over a year! I'm doing quite well in comparison, but it takes so much time and it is very hard work. For these things I am not expert, and I do not understand even what I am looking for. I am a programmer, not an aeronautical engineer. So I am completely dependent upon experts like yourself. I will look, but I may need you to help find the value which looks correct. Please email me on petedowson@btconnect.com and I may send a test version for you to use and identify the value. Regards, Pete

FSUIPC never imports anything. It is entirely passive in this matter. It simply passes on data from the program to FS, as it is requested to do so, and when it is requested to do so. If ActiveSky isn't updating the winds through FSUIPC you need to get that sorted with their support I'm afraid. But read on first. When reporting any problem, whether to me or to application authors, you need to give some details, every time. Like which Flight Simulator? Which version of ActiveSky? Which version of FSUIPC? These things are quite important and no one can guess them. There has been a known problem in FS2002, which was never resolved, where a specific wind value "sticks". It need not be a high wind, it can be anything, but people only notice the high ones. It isn't a frequent occurrence, and it was never reproducible to order, but it can occur with FS's own weather, even with no FSUIPC installed. When this does occur, even going into FS's own weather dialogues and changing the wind there doesn't change it. It is only fixed by clearing all weather, or by reloading a flight or an aircraft (which effectively do this first, too). I think this indicates a cache update problem in FS2002. Regards, Pete

A little more information would help here, like what version of SB? What version of FSUIPC? If you are using FSUIPC 3.xx then, yes, SB needs an access key. One was provided free for SB 2.3 and is published someplace. I'm not sure where (sorry, I am not an SB user). It is probably someplace on this Forum, even if it isn't on the SB website. Try a search. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll try a search. Pete

Sorry, but I am not involved at all in the loop. I am a programmer, not a shopkeeper. You need to write to SimMarket on their customer service or "problem" address. See http://www.simmarket.com. I think something was up all day yesterday anyway. Maybe they took a day off --I know they've been doing this stuff continuously now for over two weeks so maybe they needed a break. Whatever, please contact them, but only AFTER the stipulated maximum turn-round time of 24 hours has elapsed. Regards, Pete

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