Radar Contact v4 and FSHotSeat

[jerel2k6]

"Radar Contact will not function properly if either FSHotSeat or FSHotSFX is installed. When either FSHotSeat or FSHotSFX is loaded for the first time, it permanently changes the FSUIPC TCASid parameter (in the FSUIPC.INI file) from Flight to Type+. This means that AI aircraft are now always identified by type and model rather than by airline and flight number, regardless of the application currently using FSUIPC. This adversely affects RC AI chatter."

The above is an excerpt from the Radar Contact v4 quick startup guide. Is their a possible workaround for this issue with FSUIPS? I do not know if either development team has contacted Pete but would surely hate to lose ability to use FSHotSeat (i.e. AI blast sounds).

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jerel

[Pete Dowson]

"Radar Contact will not function properly if either FSHotSeat or FSHotSFX is installed.

...

The above is an excerpt from the Radar Contact v4 quick startup guide. Is their a possible workaround for this issue with FSUIPS? I do not know if either development team has contacted Pete but would surely hate to lose ability to use FSHotSeat (i.e. AI blast sounds).

Well, no one from FS HotSeat has talked to me, but I have been part of all the Radar Contact beta teams for years, albeit not really as a fully active tester.

There are two ways to get the needed AI data -- in bulk through the original TCAS data area I devised, or one-by-one for specific AI aircraft through a request-and-response system.

The former is suited to TCAS displays, and anything needing lots of data for lots of AI at the same time. It is they which need the option set appropriate to the needs, with the default Airline+flight number being normal. For ATC interaction with many AI aircraft, RC also falls into this category.

RCV4 does use the individual request method when it is identifying the make/model of aircraft in front of you so that it can give appropriate instructions as in "after the 737" and so on, or in notifying nearby aircraft types when airborne.

As far as I know FSHotSeat (which is almost not at all I'm afraid), I think it mainly needs the latter simply so that it can play appropriate sound effects. No doubt you will corect me if this is wrong.

The problem is that FSHotSeat was probably written in the days before the individual AI aircraft request method was provided, and the author did not come to me and explain what he wanted to do so that I could meet his needs (as I did with RCV4).

The answer to the problem now, apart from not using both together, would be for a revised FSHotSeat to use the individual request method for its AI data requests.

I am sorry, but I hope you now see that there is really no solution I can implement in FSUIPC. But there is a solution, and it is in FSHotSeat's author's hands.

Regards,

Pete