FSUIPC Options and Settings.... re-setting themselves??

[osstroud]

Quick question, long post. Registered FSUIPC 3.14, FS9, ActiveSky with latest beta, MyWorld2004, UT, Voice Buddy, just to give some background. As you may or may not be aware, many users are having a problem getting or having their local/on route weather displayed properly with similar addon's as I've purchased and listed above. Some of these depend on FSUIPC to interact with FS9, registered or un-registered. The ActiveSky forum is presently full of people having an awful time getting things to work correctly. The publishers of ActiveSky have outlined exactly how the settings need to be between FSUIPC and ActiveSky for things to work as designed. Myself not having much luck with this combo is about to give up, but now for the question. When I go into FSUIPC and set things the way the ActiveSky guys suggest, go back to the game, and then go back into FSUIPC the settings I had changed are all back the way they were before the changes. How am I/we every going to get things to work if the changes we make within a program are not kept, we're not. This is not a random occurance, I have tested this till I'am blue in the face and getting tired of it. I've spent a considerable amount of money on these addons and by the looks/amount of problems people are having in the ActiveSky forum, whatever is being done at either end yours/theirs to correct these problems is not working. This post is not to lay blame at either end, I would like nothing more than to fly from here to there with real world weather but it dosen't work. And please don't tell me the program only tells FS9 what its being served from a weather program, I'am sure thats the way it was designed, but between THESE two, things are not as they should be ( I also used FSMETEO with FS2002 and alot of the same problems existed). I can see the Metars that ActiveSky is getting/sending, and what I see on screen is quite often different ( wind, clouds, precip). If the settings in FSUIPC are not staying as set, how can these two programs serve each other. If its a combination of the settings from both , then they need to be sorted out between the makers of FSUIPC and ActiveSky. Me as the consumer have no control over the end result (well maybe I do, don't buy anything and use default weather, ya right), I'am not a programmer, and I rely on you/them as the developers to provide me with a product that works, I PAID FOR IT, at both ends. Any suggestions, please feel free to throw them my/our way, I'am at a loss to make these work together.

p.s What is FSUIPC'S role as far as weather serving. Why do both programs have so many of the same settings, as did FSMETEO when I used it?? Was FSUIPC at one time going to get weather and serve to the simulator? Why does FSUIPC even have these options (Weather) if its not getting the weather itself, perhaps take them out, they seem to confuse alot of people, not just users, but it looks like weather designers as well? Can't we just have FSUIPC serve the weather to FS9 from an external source, and do nothing else (weather wise, I understand and use it's other values), or have FSUIPC get the weather itself and serve FS9 on its own?? If this is one of the program options, just serving the weather, no adjustments, (un-ticking weather settings), why dosen't it work?

The unfortunate thing is, if I want to use the weather program in a non-registered FSUIPC state (meaning I didn't pay for FSUIPC to work with ActiveSky, which I could have), then other things I may have purchased that need FSUIPC registered will not work. This is correct??

Thanks for you time Pete...Glen

[Pete Dowson]

When I go into FSUIPC and set things the way the ActiveSky guys suggest, go back to the game, and then go back into FSUIPC the settings I had changed are all back the way they were before the changes.

This can only happen if you Escape or Cancel out of the options screen. All options are retained if you press Ok. All the previous setings, on all the pages, are retained if you exit any other way. This is deliberate in case you change your mind. It would be very annoying to lose things otherwise, and it really is a Windows standard to restore the settings on non-confirmatory exits.

However, there are very few options (none as far as I know) that should be changed from the defaults when using ActiveSky or FSMeteo. What exactly are you wanting to change?

And please don't tell me the program only tells FS9 what its being served from a weather program, I'am sure thats the way it was designed, but between THESE two, things are not as they should be ( I also used FSMETEO with FS2002 and alot of the same problems existed).

Well, you want me to lie to you instead? If you couldn't get FSmeteo's weather to work in FS2002 I agree you don't stand a chance of getting any weather to work in FS2004. It is far more complicated. The weather in FS2002 was a doddle by comparison -- so what was wrong then? Perhaps some explanation of what you are doing and what you expect is in order? But please don't expect me to know anything about ActiveSky. I do use FSMeteo a lot of the time and it seems to work pretty well. I doubt if ActiveSky is any worse or better, they both strive for what perhaps is not quite fully attainable, but achieve a lot in the process.

If the settings in FSUIPC are not staying as set, how can these two programs serve each other.

The "settings" in FSUIPC should be irrelevant. They don't control anything. Mostly they aren't really of any use in FS2004 -- they were carried over from FS2002 in the hope that they might be useful, but with the complexity of local dynamic weather, a "real atmosphere", that FS2004 attempts to simulate I don't really think the minor filters are that important. I think I've said all this elsewhere already, in fact.

As for "not staying as set", I really need more specific information as to what you are seeing there. It sounds like you are not setting things correctly, or are attempting to set things which might be under the control of the weather program in any case. Rather than simply repetitively saying that "settings are lost", some step-by-step specifics may let me help you sort out what it is you are doing.

However, I don't think any settings changing in FSUIPC will resolve what you feel is a big discrepancy in weather simulation. That's another question entirely and really nothing to do with any minor filter settings.

p.s What is FSUIPC'S role as far as weather serving.

It has no role whatsoever in weather serving. It offers an almost completely transparent route into FS's WEATHER DLL for writing and reading weather, both locally and (theoretically) globally. In FS2002 and before the only interface offered was global, and that was easier for the weather programs. Unfortunately, in FS2004, it has been discovered that there is really no such thing as "global weather". What is called that is now no more than the default weather for any weather stations not yet set. Everything in FS2004 weather is local -- and in areas with a high density of weather stations, the locality may be only a few miles. You may actually be able to see, from your aircraft, the weather from many stations at once. The clouds you see may not be the ones reported at your location -- those may only be the ones directly (or almost directly) above you. Not only that, but FS2004's weather changes, even with the dynamics switched to zero. The winds DO blow things around, the atmosphere moves. It is very complicated.

It is the same in all these respects whether you use externally supplied weather or FS's own downloads.

There are a few filter mechanisms offered in FSUIPC's options. Mostly these are hangovers form FS2000 and FS2002. Some are designed to help improve performance. Most were added in direct response to use requests. The latest of that type is the option to limit the maximum icing level in clouds, as folks found that FS2004's icing is rather overdone. Personally I think the only really useful options are those marked *** in the visibility page. Oh, I also like the additional cirrus layer option, that adds a bit of "class " to the sky, I think.

Why do both programs have so many of the same settings, as did FSMETEO when I used it?

I think mostly they were they same options. When FSMeteo ran it took control of many of them and allowed you to switch them on and off on its window instead. That control facility is still there.

But I do realy think you are making much too much of the options. I'd recommend that you set "minimum weather defaults" in FSUIPC -- maybe enable graduated visibility and visibility smoothing, with some limits, and leave it at that. It sounds as if you are confusing yourself with all that stuff.

Was FSUIPC at one time going to get weather and serve to the simulator?

No, never.

Why does FSUIPC even have these options (Weather) if its not getting the weather itself

Almost in their entirely, by user requests. I'm a sucker and too easily give in to requests. Sorry.

perhaps take them out, they seem to confuse alot of people, not just users, but it looks like weather designers as well?

Well, I think you give the the options too much credit and the weather designers not enough. You aren't talking about anything that amounts to much. Options like suppressing this, limiting that, are all demanded by folks who want "real weather" but not "quite that real", things like thin clouds, single cloud layers, etc etc are all to do with performance -- maybe clouds don't slow your PC down, but they do a lot of folks, and artificilally limiting the layer thickness did help a lot. Etc Etc.

Personally I'd love to take them out. Maybe I will, but I fear the repercussions. The only weather option I actually had to take out because I couldn't implement it ("taxi winds") was sorely missed by many and created many more messages of complaint than the fact that I didn't remove all the rest!

Can't we just have FSUIPC serve the weather to FS9 from an external source,

It doesn't "serve" as such, it just passes the requests on.

and do nothing else (weather wise, I understand and use it's other values)

It pretty much does nothing else, weather wise, in any case unless you ask it to. Just leave the options to default. Why so much complaint that you feel obliged to mess? And, in any case, pretty much none of that messing does much harm or makes much difference. Feel free to not touch them, if that's the way you feel. In fact I'd thoroughly recommend it.

If this is one of the program options, just serving the weather, no adjustments, (un-ticking weather settings), why dosen't it work?

So far all I've got on this is that settings don't stick, or is it unstick? I'd be glad to work out why you are getting this impression, but I cannot without more details. I'm sorry about that. It's just that none of the settings set or unset themselves -- except temporarily when they are being controlled by an external program (such as FSMeteo). However, in the latter case the controlled options are greyed out and disabled anyway, to indicate this.

The unfortunate thing is, if I want to use the weather program in a non-registered FSUIPC state (meaning I didn't pay for FSUIPC to work with ActiveSky, which I could have), then other things I may have purchased that need FSUIPC registered will not work. This is correct??

Erthat question is a little confusing. But what other programs are there thayt you may have purchased and which require FSUIPC to be registered? A user registration of FSUIPC is necessary for use of the User Options (yes, including the weather filters). But for what payware programs is it necessary? Are these ones which are not accredited -- i.e. which are sold for use with FSUIPC with no licensing agreement to do so?

By the way, after I've released the next updates for FSUIPC and WideFS (hopefully this weekend -- maybe Sunday with luck), I am only around for a few days before disappearing on holiday for three weeks. So if my side of this discussion dries up after next Wednesday, please forgive me. I'll be back on March 12th.

Regards,

Pete

[osstroud]

Thanks for the quick response Pete. I have pretty much given up trying to find MY happy zone with ActiveSky2004 and FUSPIC. I have gone back to Default d/l weather, setting the filters the way I want through FSUIPC and everything seems to be ok. I think things are made way too difficult with weather/weather addons. You have provided a interface that smoothes the incoming information, although not perfect, its close, so I'am going to leave things as they are for now, and perhaps the other guys will get things sorted out and I will give that a try again.

Thanks again for your time....Glen.

Just to add, maybe you can help with a cloud/visibility problem that I find very irritating. Is there any way to stop the clouds from popping in and out of view, or the drastic changes in cloud cover. Theres times when you will be approaching a cloud bank and it seems you turn your head for a second, look back and its gone. I've had this with FSMETEO, ActiveSky and Default weather. As far as I can see/tell I have all the settings correct in FSUIPC with regards to smoothing things out but maybe I'am missing something. With my usual settings I find problems to be the least when I use Default d/l weather.

Thanks

[Pete Dowson]

I have gone back to Default d/l weather, setting the filters the way I want through FSUIPC and everything seems to be ok.

Apart from the three visibility filters marked *** the FSUIPC filters really do nothing at all with default FS downloaded weather.

I think things are made way too difficult with weather/weather addons.

Hmmm. I don't know. I just run them as they are, not fiddling with anything. I had a nice, short, flight today (the first one for "fun" for a while), from EGCC to EIDW -- my usual "test" run -- and used FSMeteo with today's weather and Radar Contact for ATC. Everything seemed perfect enough. The weather matched all the way, the graphics seemed accurate. I must admit I've never really seen any of these complete "mismatches" some folks have mentioned. I tend only to fly in Europe, and mostly out of EGCC.

Perhaps this is a stateside phenomenon, or something geographical? Perhaps the weather sources for ActiveSky or FSMeteo are a bit more suspect over there? Sorry, I really haven't a clue. I think only the weather programmers can pull the information together to determine what exactly is going on.

Just to add, maybe you can help with a cloud/visibility problem that I find very irritating. Is there any way to stop the clouds from popping in and out of view, or the drastic changes in cloud cover. Theres times when you will be approaching a cloud bank and it seems you turn your head for a second, look back and its gone. I've had this with FSMETEO, ActiveSky and Default weather.

This is really down to FS graphics, over which I'm afraid I not only have no control but which about I am a complete dunce. However, the main (not only, mind) sorts of clouds which do that sort of thing are the very ugly 2D ones. In the Options-Settings menus find the Weather options and ensure you have, at least, the 3D clouds slider to to 100% (full right). In my opinion any other setting there wants shooting!

For best results, set all the sliders on that page to max (all full right). This will probably slow your FS frame rates a bit. Then go get the Chris Willis high performance clouds from one of the web sites. (Sorry no link, but try Avsim or Flightsim).

Things weather-wise in FS2004 are actually better than they were in FS98. They are better in some respects than they were in FS2000, but not many. They are heaps better in several ways (especially visibility) than they were in FS2002, which in my personal opinion was a step back from FS2000 in this department. But they are most certainly still far from perfect, and worse, they are very very complex -- it is understanding what the ? is going on sometimes which is the problem, not the weather itself. Really, in the end, just fly it and expect the unexpected -- just like English weather, it changes and is nowhere near 100% predictable. If you aren't a control freak it can be quite fun, mostly, honest!

Regards,

Pete