FSCaptain 1.8.2 Beta 2 is available!

[Travis]

Captains,

Welcome to FSCaptain 1.8.2 Beta 2. This is the first set of Beta Releases that we've published as Refresh Builds, and not as a Full and Fixpack Builds. The reason? We can turn-around Refresh Builds very quickly, so if we need a Beta 2, it can be made in a quicker time.

If all goes well, we anticipate several weeks for more Beta builds, followed by one or two Release Candidates and then the final build.

-----

We realize that some Captains are hesitant to install Alpha / Beta software, and while we understand the hesitation, do know that this is the version that we are now flying.

If you're worried that a change might break things for you, this is actually the best time to test things - there will be a much faster turnaround time for bugs!  After you've read the instructions which follow, make a backup of your FSCaptain folder - you must be running nothing older than version 1.8.1 - and install this.  If you find a problem, report it (along with log files and any other file we may request) and we should be able to address your report in the next Build of FSCaptain.

That's one reason we want to make the Alpha and Beta Test phases open to the public.  Any problems can be found much easier with more of a testing group participating, and we can then fix those problems quicker.

So let's try and find as many bugs in the next few weeks, so we can look to the future with a solid final release behind us.

Prepar3D Version 5 Compatibility
======================
Our SimConnect-64 build has not been tested with Prepar3D 5, and will not work with it as-is.

Once we have a version that will work with P3D5, we will issue a separate build.

Current 1.8.1 Alpha Captains

========================

If you've already installed any of the Alpha releases, you can skip down to the Changelist, Future Plans, and Download Links sections - AFTER you've made another backup of your FSCaptain folder.

You don't need multiple backups... just a backup of your Last Known Good build!

Once you have chosen the Installer for your simulator, just download it, check the README file, and install over your current (and backed-up) FSCaptain!

Reporting Problems
================
We're not self-important enough not to think there may be new problems in this build, or old problems may have taken on a new shape.  If something goes wrong and you want to continue testing, make the notes you feel would help us find the problem, take any screenshots that would help illuminate things, and supply any new Admin, FCDU and FSCaptain logfiles.  The logs are a key element in our ability to triage problems.

You can either post here in the forum, or by email (see the link in my signature below for clues on how to email us).

Our log files capture such things as your "username on your computer" as well as your "computer's name" and the names of all of your Captains.  So if you don't want that to appear in public, we're happy to receive bug reports by email.  (Most of our support is done via email, for whatever reason.)



This is a Refresh Build
==================
You MUST also install this on top of the most recent public release of FSCaptain - that's either 1.8.1 SP2 - or on top of one of the 1.8.2 Alpha builds.  This Beta Release build only contains the files which have changed since the prior public release.



A Full Backup is Highly Recommended
===============================
For your own convenience, we strongly urge Captains to back up your entire FSCaptain installation prior to installing this!  It takes less than a minute, and can guarantee you a stress-free ability to 'roll back' the changes.

I recommend going into Windows Explorer and copying your entire FSCaptain folder from your simulator and pasting it on your Desktop. That's what I do, because it keeps my backup in my "line of sight" in case I need to revert to a previous version.

If something contained in this Beta Release build is "unhelpful" to your flying habits, you will need to restore your backup over your simulator's FSCaptain folder. (Don't bother with the "Uninstall Program." I've never used it, and I likely never will....)

First, delete everything in your active \FSCaptain\ folder, and copy the contents of your backup \FSCaptain\ folder into the active folder.

If you use the FCDU or FCOM gauges, look inside your restored \FSCaptain\ folder for a folder named \Simulator-Gauges\.  Copy the GAU files from that folder into your simulator's \Gauges\ folder.

If you are an FS9/FS2004 Captain, look inside the \FSCaptain\ folder for a folder named \Simulator-Modules\.  Copy the FSCaptain.DLL from that folder into your simulator's \Modules\ folder.

HOWEVER, we strongly urge you to remain with the Testing program, even if there are really annoying things.  Every bit of feedback that you provide can help us in fixing things.  Also, if you're still running Beta software, it will be much easier for you to upgrade to a newer Beta build.

Okay... let's look at the new stuff!



Airport DB changes... and running the Installer
======================================
When you first run any of the FSCaptain 1.8.2 Installers, you will get the prompt to update your airport database.  Please have all of your airport sceneries ready to be scanned by MakeRunways and SceneryScanner!!  This is a one-time update, all future Beta and Public releases will not need further updates.

The new SceneryScanner supports changes in MakeRunways 4.900 - which is also included in these Installers - and will note all airports in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US with default TA and TL levels - unless specified otherwise in Navdata.

If you are asked by the Installer to overwrite any files, you must allow that to occur.  We've updated some Config files, and the "Sound Files" files, and some of these are normally read-only.



Administrator UI changes
======================
We have changed the size of the Administrator, and have added new options.  Check your User Guide for details, but many of our new options have "tooltips" enabled... for those who don't normally Read The Fine Manual first thing.

Just know that the former "Options for All Airlines" editor has been renamed "Profile and Settings".  A few key 'options' can be selected from this editor.

Other changes
======================
As with all Refresh builds, any updated \Config\ file changes will be located in "\FSCaptain\Config\Config.zip". The reason is some \Config\ files are presented in a "do not install if the file currently exists" format. However, updates to some files such as "no_scan_folders.txt" might be of interest to all Captains, so you can access the individual files from the container zip file, and copy the data that you need into your active Config files.

So look in that ZIP file and if you see a file with a timestamp greater than your copy, load both files into text editors, and look to see what changes you would like to migrate.



=========================================================
//// CHANGELIST FOR FSCAPTAIN 1.8.2 Alpha & Beta Releases
=========================================================

Each item below begins with an numeric indicator of the its release version: "--" is one of the Alpha releases, "-1" is Beta 1, etc. (The latest items are also bolded for easier visual scanning.)

New Features

=============

-2 An ISO weather file has been included to assist in ISO flight planning. Look for "ACME ISO" in your "Profile and Settings" tab's "Weather and Hazards" editor.

-2 A (change to a) new option - DISPATCH_REQUIRES_MIN_FUEL - can be set to prevent you from Dispatching a flight in the Administrator with less fuel than is needed for:
    = 0: Aircraft Minimum + Taxi + Trip + Reserve + Holding + Alternate (if needed). (Default.)
    = 1: Aircraft Minimum + Taxi + Trip + Reserve + Alternate (if needed).
    = 2: Aircraft Minimum + Taxi + Trip + Alternate (if needed).

-1 A new Economic Mode setting - AIRLINE_USAGE - allows you to set the percentage of normal airline usage from 10.0 percent to 100.0 percent (the default value). This value will reduce the normal PAX and Cargo loads for your flights.

This can be done in the 'global' \Config\Economics.cfg file or an airline's \Airline\[AirlineName]_Economics.cfg file.

And yes, this allows Economic Mode Captains even with near-perfect Reputations to have lower Payloads if you wish to model an Economically Challenging environment... like there is today.

-1 A new setting on the Load Maps tab allows you to declare that for PAX flights, only Baggage will be loaded - perfect for those smaller aircraft that only have room for little more than baggage.  This has been lightly tested, so if you experience different results for larger aircraft, I'll ask for your ADMIN and FCDU logs.

-1 The Administrator's screen size has increased, and we are able to both add new selectors and to 'un-bunch' a lot of controls. The tab formerly known as "Options for All Airlines" is now called "Profile and Settings," and contains some useful options. The Airline, Aircraft, and Load Map tabs also have new options.

-- During your 'rollout' phase, the FCDU will display both your vertical landing speed and the associated GForce. For a good landing this line will be in green; in yellow for an 'okay but not hard' landing; and in red should either value be deemed as 'too hard.'

-- An option to alter the acceptable landing vertical speed rate for a "PAX Nice Landing" bonus has been added.

The option's name is LANDING_RATE_NICE and currently accepts four values. You can choose to maintain the 0-200 fpm range, or use 100-300, 200-400, or 200-500.

-- After reports of FS9 company logs not updating after a flight, a set of checks have been added to both the FCDU and the Administrator. If a write command for the company log (and for the ADMIN and FCDU process logs) fails, a message will appear on screen. This would allow those affected to pause the simulator and check their PC systems for any unexpected system change, such as an anti-virus program that has "woken from a sleeping state."

-- In addition, company logs are now copied in place before a write command executes. For example, "ACME.log" will be copied to "Acme.log_backup" before it is rewritten.

-- There is a new option - ALLOW_BYPASS_OF_READYTO - which will enable the FCDU's LSK1R to act as an 'emergency bypass' if you become stuck on the Load Confirm (#42), Ready to Load (#20), Load Progress (#21), Load Complete (#22), or Arrival (#29) screens with any balky exit, engine, or parking brake. After this is enabled, when you come across a 'guarded against condition' LSK1R will have a command caret ">" to denote a bypass is available.

"RTL>" for Ready to Load.
"RTF>" for Ready to Fly.
"RTU>" for Ready to Unload.

-- There is a new option AUTOSCAN_AIRCRAFT_ON_START which can be used to bypass the "SimObjects check" that the Administrator normally does when it is launched. If "autoscan" is disabled, your aircraft data will be read from our new database located in "\FSCaptain\Aircraft\MyAircraft.bin".

This option is currently still in development.  If you enable this option and notice some of your aircraft are not available, please email us with your ADMIN log from before enabling, and your ADMIN log after enabling.  Then disable the option and carry on.

-- If you choose that option, you need a way to have the Administrator rescan your aircraft. Look on the Options for All Airlines tab of the Administrator to "Rescan Aircraft". Clicking this button will perform a scan of SimObject folders for flyable aircraft, and create/update a local database in your \FSCaptain\Aircraft\ folder.

-- A new file is generated when your aircraft are scanned to give you a list of all your aircraft liveries - divided into "Aircraft.cfg locations" and "Aircraft Type" values. Look for "MyLiveries.csv" in your FSCaptain\Aircraft folder.

-- There is a new set of configuration files to support airports whose airport names have changed from BGL-derived names. A full description of this is in the User Guide - in Appendix 5. The schema of the configuration data is located in the header of both files.

The file names are "new-name_fsc.txt" and "new-name_user.txt". The "_fsc" file contains a few entries which we have verified and will update throughout Full, Refresh and Fixpack files. Do note that the "_user" file is intended for your use and will not be updated - you can add entires for airports which you want used. Any entry in the "_user" file will override any entry in the "_fsc" file. Empty "_user" entries, such as "KBUR:", will negate any entry in "_fsc" files.

-- There is a new set of configuration files to support specified Airline Parking Codes at any Parking Spot in your simulator. A full description of this is in the User Guide - in Appendix 5. The schema of the configuration data is located in the header of the General file.

The General file is located at \FSCaptain\Config\Preferred_Parking.txt, and Airline-specific files can be placed in \FSCaptain\Airlines\ using the airline's short name followed by "_Parking.txt". (E.g., "ACME_Parking.txt")

Please check the General file for the schema/format of the data.

-- There is a new set of configuration files to support General or Airline-specific Preferred Alternate airports for any Destination Airport in your simulator. A full description of this is in the User Guide - in Appendix 5. The schema of the configuration data is located in the header of the General file.

The General file is located at \FSCaptain\Config\Preferred_Alternates.txt, and Airline-specific files can be placed in \FSCaptain\Airlines\ using the airline's short name followed by "_Alternates.txt". (E.g., "ACME_Alternates.txt")

Please check the General file for the schema/format of the data.

-- There is a new set of configuration files to support specific taxi-out and taxi-in times for any Airport in your simulator. A full description of this is in the User Guide - in Appendix 5. The schema of the configuration data is located in the header of the General file.

The General file is located at \FSCaptain\Config\Ground_Times.txt, and Airline-specific files can be placed in \FSCaptain\Airlines\ using the airline's short name followed by "_Ground_Times.txt". (E.g., "ACME_Ground_Times.txt")

Please check the General file for the schema/format of the data.

If you have questions about any of these new Config files, please email us, or post your questions in the FSCaptain forum!!



Changes

========

-2 Flights that are dispatched without Reserve or Holding Fuel will have those facts mentioned in the Dispatch Release.

-2 The number of assigned Flight Attendants for a flight is now recorded in the Dispatch Release.

-2 When viewing your Airline Flight Log in the Administrator, your flights will now appear "Oldest Last" with your latest flights appearing first.

-1 When GROUPs are included on your flight manifest, other cargo items are limited to basic items such as Mail, Documents, etc.   Also "Group Equipment" may be included as a load item.   (Think of "Group Equipment" as instruments for Bands, team equipment for Sports teams, model railroad layouts for a Model Railroad group, etc.)

-1 The Exceptions.cfg file has new abilities.

    Previously this file was used only to disable 'ground surface checking' so that an airport with ill-constructed taxi/runway BGL data would not trigger any 'taxi on grass' penalties.

    Now this file can hold values for any airport to have Control Tower, Ground COMs, and ILS.

    Another value for an airport would disable "Slick Surface Effects" for that airport. You would continue to receive "contamination warnings" if warranted, but FSCaptain will not affect your aircraft's braking ability. See the User Guide's Appendix 5 for details.

-1 Exit Maps now support "FOLDING WING" and "TAILHOOK" systems in addition to the "SHIFT-E + 1 | 2 | 3 | 4" systems.
    "FOLDING WING" systems use "5" as their designator.

    "TAILHOOK" systems use "6" as their designator.

-1 METAR data with n/16SM tokens are now being processed.

-1 After requests from various Captains, the previous prohibition of sending Passenger and Crew numbers to GSX Level 2 for the FSLabs A320 and PMDG NGXu has been lifted.  There is a new aircraft configuration value - Disable_PAX_and_Crew_Number_Reports - for each Captain to use as they see fit for any aircraft.  You can now access this value in either the Aircraft Configuration or Load Map editors.

-- The "Nearest DME" value in the Airport and Runway Data section of your Dispatch Release now excludes NDB navaids. Also, the distance from the Airport Reference Point to the DME source is now listed.

-- The Airport and Runway Data section of your Dispatch Release now contains the "Flight Rules" for each airport - VFR, MVFR, IFR, LIFR, CAT I, CAT II, or CAT III.

-- The current turbulence value on the Flight Progress display will now only appear in green if you are 10% below the current "barber pole" speed and/or your flight phase's default speed.
     If in excess of the calculated safe speed, the current turbulence level is 'none' the line will display in cyan. If in 'light' to 'heavy' the line will be white. If 'severe' the line will be in red.

     If your flight encounters 'light' or greater turbulence, lower your IAS until this value is displayed in green to maintain your chance for a 'smooth flight' PAX comment, and to reduce possible aircraft frame damage!

     In our next release, you should notice the ability to apply actual Vra values for aircraft.

-- METAR parsing now ignores "FMhhmm" values noticed in some Australian METARs. In the past this has led to incorrect station weather reporting!

-- The PLN Waypoints screen will now display "Expected Altitudes" for waypoints on the first page if they are substantially different from your current altitude (so only in Climb and Descent). This can greatly help you "hit your targets" on SIDs and STARs.

-- Fuel values in Gallons can now be entered using either "....GA" or "....GL" as the type designator.

-- If PAX see Ground Ice on the aircraft frame before takeoff, you will no longer be eligible for a "PAX Smooth Flight" bonus. (Because they would be worried during the flight.)

-- If you've received Approach Clearance, the TL value on the FCDU will remain green - indicating you're not violating company policy.

-- The "<REQUEST" LSK on the FCDU's Communication screen has been changed to "<DISPATCH" to better indicate *to* *whom* you are making the request.

-- If an FSLabs A320 series aircraft is detected in use, FSCaptain will not set the GSX Passengers and Crew values, since the aircraft does that itself.

-- The FCDU.EXE should now remotely play all audios without "stepping on" already playing audios!

-- If you set the option ALLOW_UNPROFESSIONAL_AUDIOS=1, some of FO_Trav's colorful audios will not play.   You still may hear him make the comment "Smooth Like Butter" on a very nice landing since that's what his CFI said on Trav's first landing.

-- Captains who make PAX flights outside of Economic Mode with a Load Factor of 90 to 100 should see a marked increase of PAX - a 100 Load Factor should see nearly all seats full!  (This does require testing and tweaks during the Alpha Testing process.)

-- The Dispatch Release now indicates both the Field Elevation and current Density Altitude for your flight's airports.

-- The Upper Winds display in the FCDU will now indicate levels in grey which are below you when you are climbing, or above you when you are in descent.

-- The option TAXIOUT_FAILURES_ALLOWED has been renamed and several 'sibling' options have been added so you can disable a/c system failures in these modes:

    FAILURES_ALLOWED_CLIMBOUT=1 ; 1 = Failures are allowed to occur during climbout (default). 0 = No failures can occur while climbing to TOC.
    FAILURES_ALLOWED_DESCENT=1 ; 1 = Failures are allowed to occur during descent (default). 0 = No failures can occur after TOD.
    FAILURES_ALLOWED_ENROUTE=1 ; 1 = Failures are allowed to occur while enroute (default). 0 = No failures can occur between TOC and TOD.
    FAILURES_ALLOWED_TAXIIN=1 ; 1 = Failures are allowed to occur after landing (default). 0 = No failures can occur after landing.
    FAILURES_ALLOWED_TAXIOUT=1 ; 1 = Failures are allowed to occur during taxiout (default). 0 = No failures can occur before any takeoff.

By default, all of these options are enabled (unless you have previously disabled "TAXIOUT_FAILURES").

These options only apply to aircraft system failures. Other incidents - such as a cabin emergency, bird strike, cargo shift, and blown tires - remain unchanged.

-- The DIVERT option in the FCDU has a new option. While you can easily end a flight by Diverting to your Alternate Airport (or to any other Airport you wish), doing so will end your flight.
Now you can choose to DIVERT for a REFUEL STOP and all TOC/TOD TA/TL LANDL values will be expected. (Needs full testing of all "cases".)

-- If the MakeRunways data (or your Parking Codes data) has captured an airport's jetway-equipped parking spots, they will be flagged as "/J" on the Administrator's Parking Selector.

-- Aircraft can now have their Cabin Temperature, Galley Power, and Window Heat systems marked as INOP. (This will give Captains the ability to ignore these systems in case of an aircraft developers' update breaking the current FSCaptain interface.)

-- When using the Windows' File Selector to pick a PLN file in the Administrator, new "filters" have been added to allow you to easily filter these types [Examples given for a KSEA to KATL flight.]
    All Departure airport (ICAO) --> Destination airport (ICAO) PLN files. [*KSEA*KATL*.PLN]
    All Departure airport (ICAO) PLN files. [*KSEA*.PLN] -- These are all files which contain the Departure ICAO... including as Destination!
    All Destination airport (ICAO) PLN files. [*KATL*.PLN] -- These are all files which contain the Destination ICAO... including as Departure!
    All PLN files. [*.PLN] -- This was the previous (and only) filter used by the Administrator.
    All files. [*.*]

-- Minor speed improvements when searching for flights in the Administrator.

-- "Standing Lenticular clouds" (METAR codes "ACSL" "SCSL" "CCSL") are now noted as "Significant Weather - CAUTION" for an airport.  Their presence - usually in mountainous areas - is indicative of turbulent air.

-- "Official" Private and Military airports in Australia and New Zealand have been updated.



Bugs
=====

-2 Some issues related to exit detecting are being addressed.

-1 When creating a new Load Map for a PAX aircraft, a warning was being issued for "not enough cargo space for baggage" using an over-inflated value.

-- A possible CTD situation that could occur when GSX Level 2 passenger boarding begins has been remedied.

-- Earlier Alpha Builds may have not written a correct "_preflight" file containing important flight information.

-- GSX L2 was not noticed in earlier Alpha Releases!!

-- A PAX flight with a 'no service' rule called could render a 'bad service' penalty when going IN. (Very rarely, but still....)

-- An airport without a METAR would give a incorrect Density Altitude value, as well as incorrect Takeoff Roll and Landing Distance values.

-- A coding error would flood your FCDU log with "Transition Level" notices if your TA was below your Landing Light Altitude, and while you were below the Landing Light Altitude.

-- Two errors in reading "non-pound Fuel values" in the Administrator's Flight Dispatch screen has been fixed.

-- A second "Snack Service" would begin earlier than expected.

-- When the Administrator is used to Dispatch multi-leg flights, the Load Plan from the first leg would be copied to subsequent legs. When flown, those legs would generate correct Load Plans at the time of loading, so this was only a "cosmetic bug."

-- When dispatching multi-leg flights, the "Latest Dispatch Release" will now be for the 'first flight leg' and not the 'last flight leg.'

-- Airline / Aircraft specific safety announcements were being played by the FCDU.EXE opposite to the REMOTE_VOICES option setting.

-- The "Autopilot INOP" option might be ignored.

-- Conditions gleaned from new METAR types could induce a SKID on a dry runway(!).

-- Ground Deicing might enter a "loop" that might not have an easy exit.

-- The final entry in the no_scan_folders.txt file was being ignored!

Interfaces

=========

-2 The QualityWings 787s exit states are now detected.

-- The Milviz KingAir 350 is supported for SimConnect-64 simulators.

-- The Aerosoft A300 Professional is supported for SimConnect-64 simulators.

-- The Aerosoft CRJ Professional is supported for SimConnect-64 simulators.

-- The VirtualCol Embraer Version 4 series is now supported.

-- The Simcheck A300 is now supported.

-- The VirtualCol A220 is now supported.

-- The PMDG 737NGXu is supported for SimConnect-64 simulators.

-- The JustFlight 757 "Freemium" is now supported for SimConnect-32 simulators.

-- The QualityWings 787-10 model is now supported for SimConnect-64 simulators.

=================
//// Future Plans
=================

Unless new bugs are discovered, we are in a 'code freeze' and our efforts will soon turn to updating Aircraft configuration files and preparing for new Full and Fixpack Installers.

With luck, after a few Beta Releases we should have the Final Release of 1.8.2 by May / June 2020.

Once that happens, we can look for the status of upcoming simulator releases from Microsoft.



===================
//// Download Links
===================

If you skipped any section of this post just to get to the links, please reconsider and read everything before installing! 

You only need one of these downloads for your simulator:

-- Prepar3D 4 takes the SimConnect 64 download.
-- FS2004/FS9 takes the FS2004 download.
-- All others (FSX, P3D2 & P3D3) take the SimConnect 32 download.

There currently is no build which will work with Prepar3D 5.


12.6MB - SimConnect 64 Refresh Build - P3D4 only (not P3D5)
www.fscaptain.net/downloads/C85jGjoa/FSCaptain_Refresh_182_SC-64.zip


12.9MB - SimConnect 32 Refresh Build - FSX, P3D2 and P3D3
www.fscaptain.net/downloads/C85jGjoa/FSCaptain_Refresh_182_SC-32.zip


11.1MB - FS2004 Refresh Build - FS9/FS2004 only
www.fscaptain.net/downloads/C85jGjoa/FSCaptain_Refresh_182_FS9.zip

That's all for now.

Be Safe, and Be Happy everyone - and always in that order.

Best,

[Travis]

Captains,

I'll be mostly offline for the rest of April;  I'll be running errands and such for family & local friends in the meantime.

I hope to have a new Beta 3 available in early May.

Stay Safe, and Stay Home while your local conditions suggest and support!!

Best,