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Post by dlarrok on Oct 19, 2012 23:36:41 GMT -5
I'd like to suggest a more realistic, by that I mean one that is identical button-wise to the actual 737 CDU. I'd been hoping PMDG would let add-on developers plug in their FMS, but this would be the next best thing.
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Post by Travis on Oct 20, 2012 8:58:17 GMT -5
I'd be happy if one of the big a/c developers had come up with a way to allow external apps to receive button presses from their head-end controller units and to allow those to accept messages for display. And then if other developers had followed suit.
Were that possible, FS Captain would then act moreso as a real dispatch service. And I wouldn't have suggested the custom buttons for the FCDU. My thinking is that after all, even if Dutch were to add FMC functions to the FCDU (and they wouldn't be that difficult) it still would not replace the head-end in any complex aircraft.
Ergo, we'd still be flying with two "controllers" - the one controlling the aircraft and the one acting in stead for an ACARS. Besides I really wanted the "shortcut" functionality for the changed buttons... and trying to remember what the LEGS button did versus the FIX button on the FS Captain controller didn't feel too groovy at the time.
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 20, 2012 16:08:12 GMT -5
I was more of thinking of having the FMC buttons be 'dummy' buttons, with the FCDU simply modelling the ACARS functionality. This would be pretty cool
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Post by Dutch Owen on Oct 25, 2012 8:52:05 GMT -5
The funny thing is, PMDG has a greyed-out ACARS LSK on their menu, and we have greyed-out FMC on ours.
If PMDG would allow access to their FMC screen by an interface the sent me what buttons were pushed and I could send them page formats I'd love to get the ACARS onto the FMC in the NGX. Not likely to ever happen though.
We will probably, rather sooner than later, have an FMC in our device that'll support the basic functionality. But it will not interface to the NGX as I don't have access to their nav functions. But for all those airplanes that don't have an FMC - now they will if you have FSCaptain. It will be available in offline mode too, to registered users only.
Dutch
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 25, 2012 20:23:51 GMT -5
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Post by Dutch Owen on Oct 25, 2012 20:41:15 GMT -5
Well that was how it was originally, but then Trav started getting ideas...  Dutch Actually all the buttons except INIT RST are optional the thing will work without using any of them so it's just a cosmetic thing which faceplate you use. But the shortcuts are nice to have. |
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 26, 2012 4:41:34 GMT -5
Dutch,
Would it be possible for the realistic faceplate to be available as an option? Also, I'd love to see FSCaptain evolve into a wider ACARS simulator, especially for VA use.
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Post by Travis on Oct 26, 2012 8:28:33 GMT -5
Dlarrok,
What ACARS functionality would you like to see? How could FS Captain become more useful for VAs??
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 26, 2012 20:23:54 GMT -5
Travis,
The major thing FS Captain lacks that I would like to see would be a way to export flights to a text document. The web-only export is quite odd, and I can't seem to figure out what would be required to use it.
Another thing that would be cool would be a messaging system, such that the dispatch simulation in FSCaptain could be replaced by an actual human being if desired, similar to the "Hopipie ACARS system", an ACARS tool that looks as though it was probably cool several years ago and is now quite obsolete(http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/).
I like FSCaptain as it is right now, but it has a great deal of potential.
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Post by Dutch Owen on Oct 26, 2012 21:26:37 GMT -5
Is there a standard format for flights to be exported to a text document? I'd be glad to do it.
And the human-to-human messaging is a much-requested feature, but there has to be some other software to connect to. Is there a messaging service. I guess I should take another look at the Hoppie thing.
One idea is for there to be an FSCaptain server that would provide a dispatch service where humans could act as the dispatcher. Somewhat of a boring sim job, but that's an idea.
Dutch
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 26, 2012 21:30:59 GMT -5
Dutch,
I don't know of any standard format, but perhaps some sort of XML?
Perhaps an open-interface for the messaging?
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Post by Travis on Oct 26, 2012 22:39:25 GMT -5
I think we're in close proximity... if not actually on the same page yet.
Funny thing - I started taking a close look at Hoppie's work earlier this week and having similar thoughts. Spooky entanglement, anyone? ;D
And he's still around... supporting the latest WorldFlight project, which is a great thing!
FS Captain's current web-only export uses the old FS Passengers format. It was (is?) popular at the time and was (is?) widly used. For me though, the actual format for a file isn't the primary concern. What data is needed to be written - that's the key.
There's a log-to-csv exporter (in the \bin\ folder) that does a complete dump of one's airline logfile. If there's something inside that data that could be useful for a VA pilot, then another exporter could be whipped up very easily to conform to any particular format. (That's so easy, I could do it.) If a particular VA needed different bits of data, then it'd be up to Dutch to either begin capturing it or logging it.
If there are VA schedule fomats that FS Captain users would like to import/convert... if there are VA "flight files" or POST/GET interfaces that FS Captain users would like supported... if there are VA instant messaging systems that FS Captain users would like to hook into - just drop Dutch or me a PM or an email and we'll see about putting that onto the to-do lists.
There are big plans for FS Captain but as with all good enterprises, current and future customers have a powerful say in the path that the future takes.
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 26, 2012 23:23:53 GMT -5
Spooky indeed xD.
I'd say we're on the same page, and I like the direction FSCaptain is moving.
I'd like to suggest a builtin export something like this:
<flightnumber>NUM1</flightnumber>
<out>TI:ME</out>
<off>TI:ME</off>
<on>TI:ME</on>
<in>TI:ME</in>
<ldgvspd>-xxx</ldgvspd>
<maxg>g</maxg>
<ming>g</ming>
<etc>etc</etc>
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Post by Travis on Oct 27, 2012 9:22:10 GMT -5
Noted and discussed.
I don't know if I would have access to On and Off times currently, so I'll take a look at this again after 1.4 goes to bed.
Not that it matters in regards to this topic, but I assume these exports would be primarily for personal use - I'd assume that a VA or other group would want something a bit more "authentic" than a text file as Proof That I Really Really Flew ThisTM.
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Post by dlarrok on Oct 27, 2012 9:48:58 GMT -5
I'm not sure what else could be used, authentic or otherwise for VA flights. I don't think VAs should be concerned about fake flights though, the hour-counting VAs aren't really my thing and they usually aren't too realistic anyway.
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