Trevor Hannant Posted April 25, 2018 at 10:21 PM Posted April 25, 2018 at 10:21 PM I'm also considering pulling information via SimConnect for the loaded aircraft, and if matches are found from the "ATC TYPE" or "ATC MODEL" SimConnect vars, then those matches would be shown initially. I'm not sure if that's the right way to go, though, since those vars are populated from the aircraft.cfg file, and those values are often blatantly wrong, so it might be a step in the wrong direction. I'm just not sure how often they are wrong. Maybe I'll use the ATC MODEL variable only if it contains an exact match for a valid type code. Thoughts? If they don't match a valid code, could a "suggested" list be shown instead? So would work the same way as someone typing in the wrong code but takes it from there rather than their typed input? Trevor Hannant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted April 26, 2018 at 12:36 AM Posted April 26, 2018 at 12:36 AM You'd be surprised the amount of pilots who fly with B737 selected in their code thinking they're covered although they needed B738. I seriously doubt that I'd be surprised. Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted April 26, 2018 at 12:43 AM Posted April 26, 2018 at 12:43 AM I'm also considering pulling information via SimConnect for the loaded aircraft, and if matches are found from the "ATC TYPE" or "ATC MODEL" SimConnect vars, then those matches would be shown initially. I'm not sure if that's the right way to go, though, since those vars are populated from the aircraft.cfg file, and those values are often blatantly wrong, so it might be a step in the wrong direction. I'm just not sure how often they are wrong. Maybe I'll use the ATC MODEL variable only if it contains an exact match for a valid type code. Thoughts? If they don't match a valid code, could a "suggested" list be shown instead? So would work the same way as someone typing in the wrong code but takes it from there rather than their typed input? If I understand correctly, what you're suggesting is that I could take whatever value is in the ATC MODEL SimConnect variable, and pre-fill the type code box in the Connect window with that value. Essentially just pre-type it for the user. I would do that whether or not the ATC MODEL var contained a valid ICAO code. I could do that, but I'm wondering if that would lead to frustration for users that know their valid type code. If such a user were, for example, flying an aircraft that had "B737-800" in the ATC MODEL field, they would have to manually change it to "B738" before connecting. That would get really annoying for users who know the right code. At the very least, I would have to provide a way for "power users" to turn off this feature so that it wouldn't try to read the ATC MODEL variable. I always try to resist adding more options like this, because users are often unaware that the option exists and they just deal with the annoyance of having to enter the right type code, and never speak up about it. That's why I'm thinking it should only prefill if the value in the ATC MODEL var is a valid type code. Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph Reule 1379750 Posted April 26, 2018 at 05:01 AM Posted April 26, 2018 at 05:01 AM That's why I'm thinking it should only prefill if the value in the ATC MODEL var is a valid type code. Good point. Sounds like a reasonable solution. Reading the ATC MODEL var should be an option, not a must, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted April 26, 2018 at 06:51 AM Posted April 26, 2018 at 06:51 AM Reading the ATC MODEL var should be an option, not a must, IMO. Even if it's only read if it contains a valid ICAO type code? Why do you say that? Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph Reule 1379750 Posted April 26, 2018 at 09:52 AM Posted April 26, 2018 at 09:52 AM Reading the ATC MODEL var should be an option, not a must, IMO. Even if it's only read if it contains a valid ICAO type code? Why do you say that? Disregard my suggestion about the ATC MODEL var. It was shortly after coming home from night shift when I read this, and unfortunately mixed few things up lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Hannant Posted April 26, 2018 at 01:53 PM Posted April 26, 2018 at 01:53 PM That's why I'm thinking it should only prefill if the value in the ATC MODEL var is a valid type code. Fair points. I'd go with the above: - Valid? Pre-fill - Invalid? Leave blank and use previous option of showing options as user types code in Trevor Hannant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted April 27, 2018 at 04:03 AM Posted April 27, 2018 at 04:03 AM Beta version 2.1.15 is now up, which adds the free text search capability on the connect window when typing into the type code field. You can type some or all of manufacturer, model name, and/or type code and it'll show all matches found in the ICAO database. If you type an exact type code, it 'll only show those matches. I'll have it prefill the type code box from the ATC MODEL SimConnect var later. Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Brown Posted May 1, 2018 at 01:22 PM Posted May 1, 2018 at 01:22 PM Hi Ross, Excellent new feature, however... Just did a quick test of the list that is provided. Certain codes, certainly those for newer aircraft don't appear e.g. B38M A35X B788 Network Supervisor | C1 | P1 VATSIM UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted May 1, 2018 at 04:20 PM Posted May 1, 2018 at 04:20 PM Thanks Luke, looks like I have an older copy of the ICAO doc. I'll get it updated. Where did you find A35X as a code? I don't see it on the ICAO site. Did you mean A35K? Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carlson Posted May 1, 2018 at 05:14 PM Posted May 1, 2018 at 05:14 PM I've updated the type data file, and released Beta 2.1.16, which is necessary to read the new data file. Developer: vPilot, VRC, vSTARS, vERAM, VAT-Spy Senior Controller, Boston Virtual ARTCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph Reule 1379750 Posted May 1, 2018 at 05:24 PM Posted May 1, 2018 at 05:24 PM Thanks Luke, looks like I have an older copy of the ICAO doc. I'll get it updated. Where did you find A35X as a code? I don't see it on the ICAO site. Did you mean A35K? I suppose it's A35K (Airbus A350-1000). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Tomkins 1075089 Posted August 29, 2018 at 09:37 PM Posted August 29, 2018 at 09:37 PM 1. Recognise helicopters and [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign a default heli when the type code is incorrect or matching has been unsuccessful? Unfortunately, the only way for vPilot to know that a user is flying a helicopter is for that user to enter the correct type code when connecting to the network. That is the only piece of data that is transmitted to other pilots which contains any information about the type of aircraft you are flying. In other words, there is no field in the transmitted data that indicates if the user is flying a prop, a jet, a sailplane, a blimp, a helicopter, etc. There is only the type code that the user enters. That being said, vPilot does have a list of type code aliases which it uses to correct for invalid type codes. So if you are regularly seeing someone connect with an invalid helicopter type code, I could add entries to this list that would correct their type code before looking for a matching model. Let me know if you have any such invalid codes to add to the list. 2. Read a bespoke libary for model matching rule set, that links to a AI model matching pack? Yes, you can load custom model matching rules into vPilot, which map type codes to your models. Docomeentation is here: http://vpilot.metacraft.com/Docomeentation2.aspx Hi there, Sorry for the late reply So can check my understanding here: is the AgustaWestland / Agusta-Bell AW139 = A139? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Shearman Jr Posted August 30, 2018 at 03:29 PM Posted August 30, 2018 at 03:29 PM According to this page, yes... http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/table_accodes_en.php Cheers, -R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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