Super-Fog - Returned with FSUIPC4 v4.28

[jordanal]

Hi Pete,

While executing my first flight last night using the latest version of FSUIPC4, v4.28 and FSXsp2, I experienced the dreaded super-fog (whiteout views) that we seemingly solved in the v4.26 beta in this forum, "Possible negative interaction with 4.25?" http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=69008

Since I had not experienced the issue while using v4.26, can you think of, or double-check any changes that you made to v4.28 that may of caused this issue to rear its ugly head again?

Regards,

[in_04]

Hi,

could confirm the problem, at least with Direct X10 preview and the new released SR71 from AlphaSim.

I got the Super Fog just after take off, must used clear all weather to continue the flight.

[Pete Dowson]

Hi Pete,

While executing my first flight last night using the latest version of FSUIPC4, v4.28 and FSXsp2, I experienced the dreaded super-fog (whiteout views) that we seemingly solved in the v4.26 beta in this forum, "Possible negative interaction with 4.25?" http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=69008

Since I had not experienced the issue while using v4.26, can you think of, or double-check any changes that you made to v4.28 that may of caused this issue to rear its ugly head again?

Regards,

No. And I don't think it is controllable. There are no changes I made in the first place to "fix" it -- it is a bug in FSX which occurs as many temperature and cloud layers build up. That tends to happen faster with ASX than it would with FSX's own weather, and I think we decided that ASX's double Vis layers may also play a part. The only thing which APPEARED to work for you and other testers was my speeding up the layer-elimination operation that FSUIPC4 carries out -- and that is VERY timing dependent. The lower the frame rates, the less time FSUIPC gets, the more SimConnect has to do, the more the layers can build up before FSUIPC can "fix" them.

This will also occur more in denser areas of weather stations (eg around Chicago or New York) because there are more possibilities of FSUIPC4 actually "missing" one of the three contributing each time, as these are more rapidly changing. I fly only in Europe, so have never seen this "super fog" in a real flight, despite using ASX all the time.

Maybe I can tighten things up even further. I don't know. But it starts getting dangerous -- eventually I'd be deleting "real" layers" instead of spurious ones. However, I'll have a look -- but I'd need Weather logs again, please, as before, showing a sequence up to the "ZERO VIS" records in the log.

Maybe also I could extend the "net" of weather stations I check to more than the 9 I do at present. The logging will show if this aspect is part of the problem. Increasing the number of stations decreases the frequency each is re-read and "fixed" so it's a balancing act.

Regards

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

Well, I seem to be talking to myself here, but in case anyone is still interested, after investigating these reports as much as I can (I cannot reproduce the actual problem), it appears to be something to do with interaction between the latest version of ASX (SP3 can out whilst I was on holiday) and the facilities in FSUIPC4 to apply filters and to attempt to automatically remove spurious wind and temperature layers.

So, if this is indeed the case, the interim work-around is to do one of two things. Either

1. Turn off the option to update FS's own weather. With version 4.28 this does NOT stop the wind, pressure and temperature smoothing options -- it was precisely to allow this that they were separated! In fact the option is defaulted off in any case, but you wouldn't know that from an existing installation where you had to have it enabled for wind smoothing (4.26 and 4.25).

Or

2. Add the line "CustomWeatherRewrite=No" to the [General] section of the FSUIPC4.INI file, leaving the option for changing FS's own weather enabled. This will remove most of the "own weather updates" when custom weather is in force -- e.g. when ASX is in charge of it -- but still attempt to sort things out for FSX's own weather downloads, and themes and global weather.

I am going to remove that option and replace it by "CustomWeatherModify" which will automatically appear in the INI file and will default to "No". It will actually be a little more drastic than the "Rewrite" one, which doesn't prevent all attempts. Look out for interim version 4.282 early next week.

Regards

Pete

[JSkorna]

Hi Pete,

Just know that, as always, I am watching this area, and we are letting users know as much as possible.