Building Database

[roddymod]

Great looking program Tim, wee done.

First query from me re building the airport database. At first sight it seems that only the FSX default airport files have been scanned. I have UK2000 and other airports installed  on a seperate Addon Scenery drive which don't appear to have been added to the database. Is there a way of acheiving this ?

Rod.

[tim arnot]

It writes a log file of what it scans, so that's the first place to look (plan-g_Log.txt in the folder where you installed the program). It does read the scenery.cfg, and processes it last entry first, so your addons will be processed before the defaults (it won't overwrite an addon with the default data though). The only time it might miss something is if you're scanning across a network and the paths to your scenery are not mapped exactly as it says in the cfg file.

Here's a few lines from my log file:

14:37:06 Building database for FSX
14:37:06 FS directory is: C:\Flight Simulator X\
14:37:06 Scanning Scenery.cfg
14:37:06 Scanning folder: C:\Flight Simulator X\UK2000 scenery\UK2000 VFR Scenery Volume2\
14:37:07 Decoding file: eg04_AFX_UK2.BGL
14:37:07 Decoding file: EG20_AFX_UK2.BGL
14:37:07 Decoding file: EG22_AFX_UK2.BGL
14:37:07 Decoding file: EG23_AFX_UK2.BGL
...

T.

[roddymod]

Thanks Tim,
I seem to have identified the source of the problem.
My scenery cfg (the one used by the fsx scenery library is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\FSX\ scenery.cfg.
The one being scanned by Plan-G is C:\Users\Rod\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\

Any thoughts?

Rod.

[tim arnot]

It's using Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData which on my PC maps to ProgramData. So the question is, why would it map to AppData on yours? What OS are you using? User rights?

You can manually specify the location of the cfg file by clicking on the AppIcon and selecting Options -> Locations. This will override the default.

[roddymod]

Hi Tim

User rights not a problem but I am using W7.
There is a bug with FSX scenery library and W7 which I think could be causing the problem. Iwill investigate further and report back on the testers site.

Rod.

[tim arnot]

Well, I'm developing and testing under W7, so I don't think it's that per se...

[BASys2]

Hi Folks

Tim -
Excellent work sir.

Similar to Rod's report,
in my case it's reading some of my addon areas,
but not all of those which are active.

Also not displaying my addon airports from those areas it had read.

I've attached a zip containing -
- Plan-G_Log.txt
- scenery.cfg

Please see -
Area.195
Area.206
Area.207

HTH
ATB
Paul

[tim arnot]

Rob sent me his cfg file by email, and it looks like the problem is a discontinuity in the [Area.xxx] sequence that causes the parser to stop. Yours would also seem to have a discontinuity, between 195 and 206.

I'll take a look at that code tomorrow.

[normandean]

Hi Tim,

I am getting a similar problem. I find that most of the sceneries that I have on my G drive, and occur lower in the scenery.cfg file, are being scanned and included in the data base, but the non default sceneries that I have within the FSX folder on E drive, including UK2000 are not being scanned. I have set the correct folders for both FSX and also the scenery cfg in the option menu, but several tries make no difference.

Can you also look at the other aircraft function for multiplayer. In a session tonight one player could see two aircraft, two of us could see each other but no others and the rest could not see any other aircraft at all.

Norman

[tim arnot]

Hi Norman, This should sort you out: Copy the executable over the top of your existing build. http://www.tasoftware.co.uk/plan-g/files/PlanG_358_Test.zip

As for the AI aircraft, check that everybody is within range. The range is set in the Simconnect options dialog, which you'll find at the bottom of the AppMenu.

[normandean]

OK, Tim, that exe file worked a treat. In our multiplayer session we were all within sight of each other, fairly close formation, and my ai distance was set to 15 miles, so I don't think that made a difference.

Normabn

[tim arnot]

What were the aircraft involved? It sounds like they may be being filtered out - Plan-G won't show anything it thinks might be a boat...

[normandean]

Hi Tim,

A bit more infomation for you. There were three of us flying in loose formation, all in Auster Autocrats. Two of us could see each other both visually and in Plan-G, whilst the third, who was most of the time, between us and above could not see us on Plan-G nor could we see him. The data was visible both on the map and in the information panel at the side. For the other flyer and me we found that if, say, he was above me then his aircraft was superimposwed on top of mine, but if he was below me I could not see him and vice versa. However, the data was still in the information panel. Frank Turley was flying a Bell helicopter. We could not see him in Plan_G but he could see the two of use that could see each other but not the invisible Auster in between. (I hope that is clearer than mud!!)

On leaving multiflyer all the ai aircraft around me were immediately visible, so the ai function works fine. I did say the range was set to 15 km earlier but that was a mis-type, it was 50km.

Norman

[tim arnot]

For the above/below issue, unfortunately Google Maps doesn't give me control over the z-order of icons, so it's possible for traffic to be hidden under the user plane icon. In theory though, traffic should always be on top (altitude is not an issue when it comes to drawing the icons)

Let me try to summarise:

Bell helicopter: Not visible to anyone as traffic
Auster: Visible to all, except for
One person: Not seen and saw no-one.

Was this built-in FS multiplayer, or FSHost, or Vatsim?

Two things I'd like to know:
1. The exact details of the helicopter. Frank, if you're listening, can you post a piece of your aircraft.cfg -- just the bit you would copy in if you were adding a repaint? Thanks

2. The settings for the Third Man (cue Orson Welles theme...), for range, what is displayed etc. (these default to off, and might explain why he didn't see you)

Ah... a thought: What were your respective aircraft registrations? If two of you had the same reg, one would probably not show up... Certainly if I was G-TWIT and another player was also G-TWIT, the traffic version wouldn't be displayed. But change one reg to G-TWOO, and you'll see both aircraft.

[normandean]

Hi Tim,

I can part answer your questions.

Your summation is correct and we were flying FS multiplayer with a direct connection. Incidentally the ghost member of the group was the host.

None of us had the ai distance set to less than 50Km, as we checked our settings on more than one occasion. None of us were flying the same livery, again we specifically checked that we had different  textures and that we all had those textures in our aircraft folders.

I will have to leave Frank to answer for what (and how!!!) he was flying.

Norman