Too much information?

[John Wiesenfeld 0]

OK, I do have swift running now with XP, and so far so good.

 

One observation/suggestion: the GUI contains a lot of information that the average user has very little use for while flying. Indeed, the UI seems confusing, especially when compared to something like vPilot. I appreciate that some of this info can be important for debugging purposes, refinement of model matching, etc., but when I'm flying, all I can deal with are the com frequences, ATC in range, and text message area. There's too much clicking to move between these areas now, or maybe I just don't know how to get the information I need displayed in a compact format. This is doubly important for new users, for whom the current GUI might be overwhelming.

 

Is there a plan to provide a "lite" UI option to make available only those flight critical data when needed?

 

Again, many thanks for an amazing amount of work.

[Andreas Fuchs 239]

Hi John,

 

great that you're using swift and thanks for the feedback. I am sure that the team will reduce the number of widgets to make it more user-friendly. Since we are still in beta we need those widgets.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Guest

[John Wiesenfeld 0]

Understood, Andreas. I'm really delighted that VATSIM now has a modern client for XPlane. This is of major strategic importance for us all. From my earlier work in the pilot training group, I have come to understand how high a barrier it is to participation by new members to successfully install that client and at least a basic set of AI models. Whatever cam be done to lower that barrier will enhance VATSIM's future viability. That will need to include both detailed written instructions as well as video tutorials, in as many languages as possible.

 

Many thanks to all for their commitment. Good things take time and swift is a very good thing.

 

John

[Andreas Fuchs 239]

Hi John,

 

thanks for your kind and encouraging words! There is already a number of videos that will help new and existing users through the initial installation process, creating a model set etc.: https://dev.swift-project.org/w/help/smt/smttutorials/

 

I guess that this is just the beginning and we will create more of them in different languages. For now we are in the beta stage and want to eliminate critical bugs.

[Andreas Fuchs 239]

I forgot: have you already joined us on our Discord-server? There's almost always someone around to help. Additionally there are dedicated channels to make suggestions and feature requests. https://dev.swift-project.org/w/contact/