Loss of controls during "Instant Replay" in P3D v4.3

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Peter

A quick query.

I'm using FSUIPC v5.14 exclusively for all my controls, with controllers disabled in P3D. Works perfectly - except when I use "Instant replay", when I lose ALL control including panning.

I seem to remember that there is a historical problem regarding Simconnect clients in FSX and probably now P3D which causes this during "Instant replay".

Do you know if this is still the case? If it is, is this a P3D bug that needs sorting, or can I employ a workaround while still using FSUIPC exclusively?

Thanks

Dave Nash

[Pete Dowson]

2 hours ago, dafyddp3d said:

I'm using FSUIPC v5.14 exclusively for all my controls, with controllers disabled in P3D. Works perfectly - except when I use "Instant replay", when I lose ALL control including panning.

I seem to remember that there is a historical problem regarding Simconnect clients in FSX and probably now P3D which causes this during "Instant replay".

Do you know if this is still the case?

I don't know. i don't actually know of the problem.

Do you have any references?

Are your controls assigned to FS controls or "direct to calibration"? Do you controls respond in FSUIPC's assignment or claibration screens when in the midst of Instant Replay? And does this occur with all aircraft or only certain add-ons?

BTW, what would the controls do in instant replay?  Can yo change the way the replay behaves? I don't really understand what it is you would want to do with the controls when the replay is just a recording. Just viewing? I would have though "Panning" would be via "Pan View" which is a standard FS control.

Pete

 

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Pete

Thanks for the fast reply

As far as I can tell it happens with default or third party aircraft. The majority of my assignments are to generate key presses, for switching camera views, or bringing up panels, which is useful if I make a video of the flight during replay as I can do this repeatedly to make different views of the same flight, and use the videos to construct a final one.

During replay, the button presses can be seen by the assignments screen, but the sim does not respond. However if I press the desired keys on the keyboard directly, the sim responds. It's as if the sim is running in a different shell environment. Exiting the replay mode returns everything to normal. I don't think it's an FSUIPC issue, and I can of course as I stated earlier, use the keyboard. I was curious to know if the effect was well known.

Regards

Dave Nash

Edit - found this ref on forum

 

Edited September 5, 2018 by dafyddp3d
ref to earlier discussion on forum

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, dafyddp3d said:

As far as I can tell it happens with default or third party aircraft. The majority of my assignments are to generate key presses, for switching camera views, or bringing up panels

Cannot you assign to FS contorls instead? They would be far more efficient and relaible. The keypresses are onnly assigned in the Sim to those controls in any case.

1 hour ago, dafyddp3d said:

During replay, the button presses can be seen by the assignments screen

So there is no problem in FSUIPC seing your buttons.

1 hour ago, dafyddp3d said:

However if I press the desired keys on the keyboard directly, the sim responds. It's as if the sim is running in a different shell environment.

I wonder if it is a focus issue. Try clciking on the replaying screen first, then see if the buttons work.

2 hours ago, dafyddp3d said:

Edit - found this ref on forum

Hmm  This part is important:

Quote

 

"send to FS as normal axis" -> works in replay mode
"send direct to FSUIPC Calibration" : pan heading -> doesn't work in replay mode

 

That does suggest, as I suggested above, that assigning to the FS controls will work.  Not sure about the implication of the second point tere though.

Assigning to keypresses is really useful when sending them to add-ons, but for almost all functions in the sim itself all you are doing it sending a Sim-assigned keypress which in turn is converted to a control -- and of course those can be changed in the sim's assignments.  so it is far better on several counts to assign to the controls in the first place, instead.

If you aren't sure what the correct name is for the controls, enable event logging in FSUIPC's logging tab and use the sim-assigned keypress, and see which control is logged.

Note that controls which have a keypress followed by a numeric key usually take that number as a parameter (though that isn't always the case).

Pete

 

 

 

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Peter

Sorry for the delay.

I'll swap a few of my keypress assignments to "send direct to FS" and see what happens. Thanks for all your comments and great support as usual!

Kind Regards

Dave Nash

[dafyddmsfs]

I just re-assigned a couple of view controls ("View Camera Select"), and recorded two separate log files while operating those and the panning hat-switch during normal running and during instant replay. (The panning hat-switch was already assigned as "Send to FS").

They don't work during instant replay.

I used the same sequence in both cases. During normal running the events appear in the log file. During Instant replay they don't. However during normal or instant replay the events can be seen in the assignments screen. The log files are attached. It seems the sim ignores any input that is joystick based during instant replay.

If I ever find a solution I'll post back, but don't hold your breath!

Thanks for your help

Kind Regards

Dave Nash

 

FSUIPC5_instreplay.log

FSUIPC5_normal.log

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, dafyddp3d said:

recorded two separate log files while operating those and the panning hat-switch during normal running and during instant replay. (The panning hat-switch was already assigned as "Send to FS").

Seems that FSUIPC doesn't receive any button events during instant replay, or if it does it doesn't process them. if it is the former, then it would be a function of SimConnect -- but then you'd expect it not to work with FS assignment either.

I think I need a little more logging before trying to reproduce this. Please enable "Button" logging too, in the Logging tab, and also "Extras". Then send a revised "instant replay" log.

Pete

 

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Peter

A couple more (re-named) log files attached as requested, recorded during separate P3D sessions, as before. Hope this helps.

Thanks for persevering!

Kind Regards

Dave

FSUIPC5_normal2.log

FSUIPC5_instreplay2.log

[Pete Dowson]

42 minutes ago, dafyddp3d said:

A couple more (re-named) log files attached as requested, recorded during separate P3D sessions, as before. Hope this helps.

It looks like FSUIPC never sees the button presses in Instant Replay mode. It is being told by SimConnect that the sim is STOPPED, as when it's in menus:

   102781 -------------------- Starting everything now ----------------------
   102797 Ready Flags: Ready-To-Fly=Y, In Menu=N, In Dlg=N   <<< Okay here, after loading and ready to fly
   103984 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled
   259578 Ready Flags: Ready-To-Fly=Y, In Menu=Y, In Dlg=Y  <<< stopped here as if in a Menu
   259578 Sim stopped: average frame rate for last 164 secs = 39.7 fps
   259578    Max AI traffic was 114 aircraft (Deleted 0)

And it isn't started again till you press ESCape then exit:

   301812 KEYDOWN: VK=27, Waiting=0, Repeat=N, Shifts=0
   301812 .. Key not programmed -- passed on to FS
   301812 *** EVENT: Cntrl= 66268 (0x000102dc), Param= 0 (0x00000000) USER_INTERRUPT
   301890 KEYUP: VK=27, Waiting=0
   302031 Ready Flags: Ready-To-Fly=Y, In Menu=N, In Dlg=N  <<< ready to fly again after using ESCape
   305719 *** EVENT: Cntrl= 65732 (0x000100c4), Param= 0 (0x00000000) EXIT
   305781 Ready Flags: Ready-To-Fly=Y, In Menu=Y, In Dlg=Y
   307922 === Closing session: waiting for DLLStop to be called ...

I'm not sure what I can do about that, but I'll take a look.

Pete

 

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Peter

OK. Thanks for spending the time on it. I appreciate it, but don't lose too much sleep!

Regards

Dave Nash

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, dafyddp3d said:

Thanks for spending the time on it. I appreciate it, but don't lose too much sleep!

I've investigated and found the reason. When the instant replay dialogue is selected, P3D correctly signals that the sim state is "stopped", but then it doesn't indicate that it has started again until the replay is finshed or exited by ESCape.

When the Sim is stopped, FSUIPC doesn't scan buttons or joystick axes, and to enable these actions all the time, even when in option dialogues, is not healthy. It is quite easy to have assignments which do things which either go wrong in such modes or crash the sim.

I've tried to find some indication that it is in Instant Replay mode, but there seems to be nothing provided in either SimConnect, or in the lower level PDK facilities.

I've asked L-M whether they can provide such an indication. I don't hold out a lot of hope, at east not quickly anyway.

Pete

 

[dafyddmsfs]

Hi Peter

Sounds like the ball is squarely in LM's court for now, I guess they will have more pressing priorities, even though an "Instant Replay Live" flag seems simple to implement.

Thanks again for looking at this and providing an explanation.

Kind Regards

Dave Nash