Changing Aircraft weights

[scruffyduck]

Hi

I am trying to change the weight of the aircraft using offset 3BFC without much success. I would like to find a reasonably easy way to modify the payload of the aircraft but although FSInterrogate indicates that it is possible to write to this offset it does not seem to stick in FS9. I can't change it using FSInterrogate although I can change it very temporarily by writing directly to the offset but FS changes it back again to the value that it has almost instantly.

Also if I change the values for payload in FS and use the 3-scan method offset 3BFC does not come up although the read only ones do.

I cannot find any other writable offset except the ones at offset 1400, but I was hoping for a more simple way to modify payload so any help would be much appreciated

[jcboliveira]

I believe that you can find somewhere in the forum a post by for the same subject. After some tries reverted to the normal cfg weights writting and remote aircraft reload .

José

[Pete Dowson]

I am trying to change the weight of the aircraft using offset 3BFC without much success.

I am not surprised. 3BFC is a computed value from FS telling you the current ZFW. It isn't really likely to be an input of any kind. To change the weight I think you have to change the payload.

Before FS2004 I think the only way to change the "effective" payload was to add more fuel, but now there are payload points -- different numbers and positions for different aircraft, as defined in the AIRCRAFT.CFG file.

I would like to find a reasonably easy way to modify the payload of the aircraft but although FSInterrogate indicates that it is possible to write to this offset ...

FSInterrogate would only say it wasn't possible to write there if I entered such a thing into the FSI file I provide, and in general I only do that when either (1) the offset is actually read-only in any case, so you'd get an error trying to write it, or (2) I'd actually proven that there's no effect or a bad effect by writing to it.

In this case neither applies, just in 90% of other cases. I'm afraid I really am not able to test every single variable I provide access to. In most cases I don't have the foggiest idea what they do in any case. I don't prohibit writing to places where there is a direct mapping into an FS variable because for all I know someone may find out it does something useful. This happened, for instance, with some of the accelerations, which are used for aircraft carrier catapaults and tailhook brakes.

I cannot find any other writable offset except the ones at offset 1400, but I was hoping for a more simple way to modify payload so any help would be much appreciated

Sorry, I think that in order to change the payloads, you have to change the payloads.

Regards,

Pete

[scruffyduck]

OK Pete

Thanks for clearing that up I will focus on the payload offsets

========================

Just been looking at the old thread from Jose plus FSInterrogate. looks like the payload stations are now marked read only as well. I will play aruond with them a bit and see what happens

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks for clearing that up I will focus on the payload offsets

Yes, but I think that has to be done in the aircraft file, as Jose says. We did have hopes of changing payloads on-the-fly via the offsets we found, but, whilst you can change them, and things appear to be affected, in fact the changed weight doesn't influence flight characteristics or balance, so it isn't 'real'.

looks like the payload stations are now marked read only as well. I will play aruond with them a bit and see what happens

I think the solution in the end was editing a file.

Regards,

Pete

[scruffyduck]

OK thanks Pete

there is no point in using the offsets if they do not actually affect the flight model since that is the whole point of changing the payload. I know that AC Loader actually changes the aircraft.cfg file. Do you by any chance know if this is only read when the plane is loaded or read during the flight?

cheers

[Pete Dowson]

Do you by any chance know if this is only read when the plane is loaded or read during the flight?

Only when the plane is re-loaded, either via Flight loading, or aircraft selection, though I suspect that a cached copy might be used if you reload the same aircraft.

There is a "reload user aircaft" control (66512) which may do the job. I don't know if that forces a file access or not.

Regards,

Pete

[scruffyduck]

I'll take a look :D