PMDG 737 NGX - loadmaps for different cabin configs

[woozie]

Hi chaps

Cant get my head around the following, hope someone can shed some light on this: 

I'm trying to setup two different loadmaps for the PMDG 737 NGX in order to cater for the two different cabin layout options. Lets take the 737-800 as an example, its available as single class (Y172) or mixed class (C12 / Y150) with two different total PAX numbers (172 vs 162). The cabin layout can be configured in the FMC, however both layout options remain the same from an Aircraft.cfg perspective, they both sit in the same folder and both use the same identifier (B738). I was able to get it to recognize the two different total PAX numbers by using overrides, but i'm struggling to get the proper loadmaps assigned to these overrides. 

If i understand the FSC approach correctly, a loadmap needs to be named the same as the folder where the aircraft files are located. That means i cant create two different loadmaps if the two layouts are sitting in the same folder and using the same ATC identifier is that correct? I figured i need to create different loadmaps using the REG value for every airplane and set the cabin layout accordingly. However, it seems that FSC decided to ignore the REG completely and always gave me the standard layout on the dispatch sheet. 

Am I doing anything wrong? Do i need to define the loadmap using the loadmap feature in the aircraft tab instead of using the separate loadmap tab in FSC admin?

Thanks for your help

Lars

[peter]

Hi Lars,

I have to refer you to Travis for this. I tried something like this a while ago, but it was impossible at the time because the code that recognizes different aircraft registrations was disabled at the time. Travis will know if it is available again.

Peter

[Travis]

Hi Lars,

Yes this does work (at least in the latter 1.7.2 versions, of which I've just checked). But there is a catch for now... at least until we can work in a feature that we've planned for several years....

The catch is that you need a registration-specific configuration file which matches the "registration-specific load map name" to have the load map recognized.

So taking the default FSX 737-800 as an example (type name B738) if you have two aircraft with cabin layouts different from all others (N-12345 and C-98765), you could define the base B737_800 load map to be the "Y172" class, and then create load maps for N-12345 and C-98765 which would have these filenames:

\Aircraft\Maps\B737_800_N-12345.cfg
\Aircraft\Maps\B737_800_C-98765.cfg

You would then need to take the \Aircraft\Overrides\B737_800.cfg configuration file and clone it into these files:

\Aircraft\Overrides\B737_800_N-12345.cfg
\Aircraft\Overrides\B737_800_C-98765.cfg

That does work today (with the current 1.7.2 builds). It should even work with a type-specific configuration file - that is, an \Aircraft\B738_N-12345.cfg and \Aircraft\B738_C-98765.cfg file.

---

But that's very inefficient! If you have 20 liveries of a type and half of them need to be of a "C12-Y150 class" then you would need a "Y172class" configuration and load map - and 10 "C12-Y150 class" configurations and load maps.

What we want is a new definition folder that would let you create a file named \Aircraft\RegMap\B737_800.cfg and have these entries:

N-12345=B737_800_C12-Y150.cfg
C-98765=B737_800_C12-Y150.cfg
[...]
*=B737_800_Y172.cfg

Which would allow you to have two load maps to cover all of your aircraft!  If you were to add new liveries, they would automatically take the Y172 layout until you specify differently.

As I wrote, this is something we've debated for several years. Perhaps this thread will cause one of us to begin work on this. (I can't say when though - the "dance card" for version 1.8.0 is almost full already.)

You can use the current system - which will always work - instead of waiting.

---

And if little of this makes sense, just email us your configuration files and load maps... along with a list of which registration numbers take which load map and we'll do our best to sort things out.

[woozie]

Brilliant stuff, thank you gentlemen! The flightsim world would be so much better if all the payware-devs would be as responsive as you guys! i really appreciate it, money well spent here

Actually i tried to save different maps by adding the registration to the filename, but i guess i didnt do the same for the overrides, that might be the reason it didn't pick it up properly.

I'll give it a try once i'm home and let you guys know.

BTW, the definition folder idea you outlined in the second part of your post sounds great, even though it might not make it into 1.8, it would still be wort the wait. For now i can live with the "workaround" you provided.

Thanks
Lars