Post by Dutch Owen on Oct 30, 2009 16:08:01 GMT -5
The website www.fscaptain.net now contains FSCaptain beta version 07.10, and a cumulative Fixpack to upgrade any field version to 07.10. See the README.txt in each for more details. The Hotfix pack is currently a placeholder but it will contain hotfixes to 7.10 as they are released.
I didn't want to issue another release so soon after 7.09 came out just four days ago, but the necessity to fully support the new characteristics and load map override structure in the Administrator made it important to issue 7.10 as soon as possible.
Hopefully this is the last major release for at least a couple of weeks and we can concentrate on finding and fixing bugs. My fingers are hurting from all the typing!
Beta version 7.10's major enhancement is a new tab in the Administrator to support Load Maps. What are Load Maps?
In previous versions the aircraft characteristics file, named by the aircraft model type code, also contained potentially a map to handle special instructions for automatically loading payload and fuel in a priority system. This was to handle the exceptional circumstances brought on by complex aircraft simulations.
The problem of course is there are many different complex payware and freeware simulations of the same aircraft, all with different payload maps and sometimes different fuel tanks.
The solution was to remove the load maps from the characteristics files and put them in a separate folder (called "Maps"), and name them not by the model type code but by the folder name they are defined inside in the simulator. This makes each simulation unique so potentially many load maps can be for a single aircraft type.
Support for this scheme was included in the FCOM in 7.09, but no support for creating and maintaining the load maps was included in the Administrator. It is now there.
A second problem reared its ugly head during the building of the libraries of characteristics files planned to be included in the RTM release of FSCaptain. That is that there are conflicts between the aircraft model type codes used by different designers. An example revolves around the Boeing 737NG series. The POSKY 737NG series aircraft.cfg files use the proper aircraft model codes: B736, B737, B738, and B739. All is well with the FSCaptain default database. But the very popular PMDG 737NG series uses the same model type code for all four models: B737! All is not well...FSCaptain will use numbers for the 737-700 for all the PMDG airplanes!
The solution is to create another folder called "Overrides" which can contain characteristics files named not by the aircraft model type but by the folder the aircraft is defined inside. The FCOM looks for these special overrides first, and only if one is not found does it go to the "generic" characteristics files. Thus the PMDG oddball definitions can be in this override folder and be invoked when the PMDG birds are flown, but not be seen when the user flies another brand of 737NG that uses the standard coding.
Some other minor enhancements and bug fixes are also included with 7.10. See the READ.txt in the cumulative Fixpack for more details.
I didn't want to issue another release so soon after 7.09 came out just four days ago, but the necessity to fully support the new characteristics and load map override structure in the Administrator made it important to issue 7.10 as soon as possible.
Hopefully this is the last major release for at least a couple of weeks and we can concentrate on finding and fixing bugs. My fingers are hurting from all the typing!
Beta version 7.10's major enhancement is a new tab in the Administrator to support Load Maps. What are Load Maps?
In previous versions the aircraft characteristics file, named by the aircraft model type code, also contained potentially a map to handle special instructions for automatically loading payload and fuel in a priority system. This was to handle the exceptional circumstances brought on by complex aircraft simulations.
The problem of course is there are many different complex payware and freeware simulations of the same aircraft, all with different payload maps and sometimes different fuel tanks.
The solution was to remove the load maps from the characteristics files and put them in a separate folder (called "Maps"), and name them not by the model type code but by the folder name they are defined inside in the simulator. This makes each simulation unique so potentially many load maps can be for a single aircraft type.
Support for this scheme was included in the FCOM in 7.09, but no support for creating and maintaining the load maps was included in the Administrator. It is now there.
A second problem reared its ugly head during the building of the libraries of characteristics files planned to be included in the RTM release of FSCaptain. That is that there are conflicts between the aircraft model type codes used by different designers. An example revolves around the Boeing 737NG series. The POSKY 737NG series aircraft.cfg files use the proper aircraft model codes: B736, B737, B738, and B739. All is well with the FSCaptain default database. But the very popular PMDG 737NG series uses the same model type code for all four models: B737! All is not well...FSCaptain will use numbers for the 737-700 for all the PMDG airplanes!
The solution is to create another folder called "Overrides" which can contain characteristics files named not by the aircraft model type but by the folder the aircraft is defined inside. The FCOM looks for these special overrides first, and only if one is not found does it go to the "generic" characteristics files. Thus the PMDG oddball definitions can be in this override folder and be invoked when the PMDG birds are flown, but not be seen when the user flies another brand of 737NG that uses the standard coding.
Some other minor enhancements and bug fixes are also included with 7.10. See the READ.txt in the cumulative Fixpack for more details.
