FSUIPC and CFS3

[TheFlyingHobo]

Hello all,

I am a CFS3 user and just came across this product. I know it is for the FS series and CFS3 has some important differences, but I am curious to see if any of the features would still work. I am most interested in trying to add things like system failures and engine limitations as well as trying to replicate a two speed supercharger as I have seen done with FSUIPC for an FS9 Hurricane. What method does this program use to get information from the sim and how does it alter engine conditions in flight? I know the insides of CFS3 pretty well and have a basic understanding of the differences it has with FS, so if someone can explain how FSUIPC works in FS I should be able to get a pretty good idea of whether or not it will work for CFS3. Thanks for any help, I appreciate it.

[Pete Dowson]

I am a CFS3 user and just came across this product. I know it is for the FS series and CFS3 has some important differences, but I am curious to see if any of the features would still work. ... I should be able to get a pretty good idea of whether or not it will work for CFS3.

Sorry, there's no way it will work as it stands in CFS3. CFS3 was an oddity in the FS sequence and seemed to have bore no relationship to any of the others. To start with it had no way of loading a third party module. When I looked at it there was no code parts I recognised at all -- I think a different team of programmers were responsible, maybe even something bought-in from outside.

Regards

Pete

[TheFlyingHobo]

Thank you for your quick response! Indeed, CFS3 is very much an oddity but there remain a number of things that are similar. Flight modeling code is essentially identical to the FS series, which makes me wonder if I might be able to get limited functionality with FSUIPC. So, to be more specific, does FSUIPC interface at all with the aircraft.cfg files, .air files or the main .exe or any of the .dll files in the sim root directory? If it does then I may stand a reasonable chance of getting something to work. Thanks.

[Pete Dowson]

does FSUIPC interface at all with the aircraft.cfg files, .air files or the main .exe or any of the .dll files in the sim root directory? If it does then I may stand a reasonable chance of getting something to work.

In FS98 and to a certain extent FS2000 it's main source of data both in and out was Globals.DLL. But Microsoft gradually moved everything into self-contained "black boxes", and it got difficult. FSUIPc uses multiple methods to get and set data -- all internally, withing the process. It took a lot of hacking and assembly code to get there, using sophisticated debuggers such as Soft-Ice. I really don't know what you could achieve. Your best bet is to see if you can write a Gauge using the gauges interface first.

Pete

[TheFlyingHobo]

Well, there's where CFS3 really falls short, no custom gauge writing like in FS. I may try running the files from the Hurricane in CFS3 with FSUIPC running at the same time and see if anything happens. Hopefully enough things are the same for something to work. If not there's always auto hot key, just won't be as good.

[Pete Dowson]

Well, there's where CFS3 really falls short, no custom gauge writing like in FS. I may try running the files from the Hurricane in CFS3 with FSUIPC running at the same time and see if anything happens

How will you get FSUIPC "running at the same time"? It's a part of the FS process and needs to be loaded into FS. It isn't a separate program.

The fact that you can't have custom gauges reinforces what i found -- that is a completely closed program. The DLLs loaded into FS, like FSUIPC, are similar to gauges in many ways. FS's gauges are just DLLs with a .GAU filetype.

Pete

[TheFlyingHobo]

I see what you mean, I was a bit confused about how it worked. Yeah, it won't install correctly in anything but FS, so I guess I'm up a creek. Thanks for your help and any time you feel inclined to make a CFS3 version (I know, not likely!) our little community would be forever grateful.