Is there currently, or is there planned to be an additional Multiplayer Simconnect support.
ie Obtaining Player name & plane info, when in Multiplayer, through Simconnect ?
Geoff
More Multiplayer Simconnect support
Andy,
I believe the answer is NO. You cannot even determine a list of Players in a MP session using Simconnect... very little, if any support.
You can get a list of players, and their FSX IDs, using XML, in an gauge, but then, even knowing their FSX ID, you cannot remove them, as your application did not create those IDs.
Hopefully, the lack of MP support in Simconnect, will be addressed soon.
Geoff
I believe the answer is NO. You cannot even determine a list of Players in a MP session using Simconnect... very little, if any support.
You can get a list of players, and their FSX IDs, using XML, in an gauge, but then, even knowing their FSX ID, you cannot remove them, as your application did not create those IDs.
Hopefully, the lack of MP support in Simconnect, will be addressed soon.
Geoff
Hey Geoff,
So what sort of MP stuff do you want access to? I can see the following:
On a MP host machine:
* Send/Receive text/chat messages as the host (or possibly as an alternate entity)
* Access to host control features (boot a user, etc)
* Ability to change certain SimVars that MP currently locks (like time of day and weather)
* Access Name, etc data on the MP users
On a MP client machine:
* Send/Receive text/chat as the client (or possibly as an alternate entity)
* Acess Name, etc data on the UP users
No promises on when any of this might get implemented, but until we have it on a list, it won't happen at all :->
Tim
So what sort of MP stuff do you want access to? I can see the following:
On a MP host machine:
* Send/Receive text/chat messages as the host (or possibly as an alternate entity)
* Access to host control features (boot a user, etc)
* Ability to change certain SimVars that MP currently locks (like time of day and weather)
* Access Name, etc data on the MP users
On a MP client machine:
* Send/Receive text/chat as the client (or possibly as an alternate entity)
* Acess Name, etc data on the UP users
No promises on when any of this might get implemented, but until we have it on a list, it won't happen at all :->
Tim
Hi Tim.
That list looks good. I had planned to submit a list, once the Bug Database came online & operational.
Suggested additions and thoughts :-
(1) Be also able to send "PRIVATE" messages to specific users.(From host, and from Players)
Some mechanism to enable specified Messages to Scroll, or appear across the screen. (like FS9)
( If a player does not have Chat open, they would not currently see messages. Sometimes it is desirable to present players with a message that you know they will see)
(2) A few more low compression options for the VOIP system
Currently 1.2K, 2.4K 3.6k and 128K
A 7.2K and 14.4K would be far more realstic, and provide significantly clearer audio, with going to the overkill extreme of 128K.
Access to the VOIP system. To be able use Simconnect to send recorded audio files, over Voip. If simconnect could use FSX's "text-to-speech" engine, to send over the VOIP to specific players, or ALL players, that would open up some fantastic options.
Also, while the current VOIP has some pretty aggressive AVC, the addition of some sort of VU Display, would geatly help MP users to set their "windows" audio levels up correctly.
Some optional Indicator, to show which MP player is currently transmitting.
(3) Ability to see, at any time, who is sharing your Aircraft ( Not just for a few seconds when they first join it)
(4) Ability, after a disconnect, and say, continuing in Free Flight, to be able to reconnect back to the MP session, and "continue" flying from your Free Flight configuration and position. ( as was possible in FS9)
(5) Treat GEAR like "air Brakes" ie Not just UP or Down, but provide ability know actual real time position.
Get rid of that primative GEAR TOGGLE concept. Gear should be instructed to either go up, or go down. Yet to see a real plane with a gear TOGGLE control !!
The problem with current gear, is that in MP, you cannot SEE the simulation of a failed gear, say stuck at 50% extended. The gear simulation still seems to be back in the FS4 days, and really should be looked at.
One should be able to fail gear, or have it fail, and get a realistic simulation across MP, as to the visual and correct operation of the gear, including correct status of gear down and locked lights.
(5) On subject of TOGGLES, if "toggle all Lights ON/OFF" is going to stay, make it work over MP. Currently it does NOT, so as soon as a player uses "Toggle all Lights", their light become out of sync with everyone else's view of them in MP. (thertefater, almost impossible to re-sync lights !)
I am sure there is a lot more, but your list, and the above would be a fantastic start.
Geoff
( Are you "Mr P3D MP" lead now ? )
That list looks good. I had planned to submit a list, once the Bug Database came online & operational.
Suggested additions and thoughts :-
(1) Be also able to send "PRIVATE" messages to specific users.(From host, and from Players)
Some mechanism to enable specified Messages to Scroll, or appear across the screen. (like FS9)
( If a player does not have Chat open, they would not currently see messages. Sometimes it is desirable to present players with a message that you know they will see)
(2) A few more low compression options for the VOIP system
Currently 1.2K, 2.4K 3.6k and 128K
A 7.2K and 14.4K would be far more realstic, and provide significantly clearer audio, with going to the overkill extreme of 128K.
Access to the VOIP system. To be able use Simconnect to send recorded audio files, over Voip. If simconnect could use FSX's "text-to-speech" engine, to send over the VOIP to specific players, or ALL players, that would open up some fantastic options.
Also, while the current VOIP has some pretty aggressive AVC, the addition of some sort of VU Display, would geatly help MP users to set their "windows" audio levels up correctly.
Some optional Indicator, to show which MP player is currently transmitting.
(3) Ability to see, at any time, who is sharing your Aircraft ( Not just for a few seconds when they first join it)
(4) Ability, after a disconnect, and say, continuing in Free Flight, to be able to reconnect back to the MP session, and "continue" flying from your Free Flight configuration and position. ( as was possible in FS9)
(5) Treat GEAR like "air Brakes" ie Not just UP or Down, but provide ability know actual real time position.
Get rid of that primative GEAR TOGGLE concept. Gear should be instructed to either go up, or go down. Yet to see a real plane with a gear TOGGLE control !!
The problem with current gear, is that in MP, you cannot SEE the simulation of a failed gear, say stuck at 50% extended. The gear simulation still seems to be back in the FS4 days, and really should be looked at.
One should be able to fail gear, or have it fail, and get a realistic simulation across MP, as to the visual and correct operation of the gear, including correct status of gear down and locked lights.
(5) On subject of TOGGLES, if "toggle all Lights ON/OFF" is going to stay, make it work over MP. Currently it does NOT, so as soon as a player uses "Toggle all Lights", their light become out of sync with everyone else's view of them in MP. (thertefater, almost impossible to re-sync lights !)
I am sure there is a lot more, but your list, and the above would be a fantastic start.
Geoff
( Are you "Mr P3D MP" lead now ? )
Tim,
100% agree to switching to an OPEN Audio Codec (with Simconnect support)
The "who is sharing my plane" would ideally be displayable, like other "info" parameters, like Frame rate, wind speed & direction. Just on more parameter that can included in the SHIFT Z list. ??
As far as the UI is concerned, I think I made my feeling known about that back during FSX Beta. (blush)
As far as I can see, the change in the UI from the FS9 controls, to the FSX controls was a BIG step backwards. (maybe forced by Gamespy compatability, but that is history now).
It might be time to take a serious look at the current UI, and its lack of multithreading ?
(UI 101, you don't allow operation in the GUI to stop other essential processes from running)
When in the UI, so many other functions get startved, including Audio. I suspect that some of the MP networking also gets impaired, as the Players latency seems to soars high, when in the UI, possibly causing time-outs and resulting network disconnects.
One addition thought on MP Chat Messages. ref Custom Chat Prefixes.
The ability to have a Chat meassge that only displays for a limited time.
(like the "Player has Left" messages).
The ability to send this sort of "short lived" Chat message, would help enormously with Chat Box conjestion, and large amounts of scrolling of the chat.
Tim- as you probably realise, most of these ideas come from practicle experience and seeing the need for such functionalty, when operating in MP. (rather than just making up a random Wish List of what "MAY" be nice ).
Geoff
100% agree to switching to an OPEN Audio Codec (with Simconnect support)
The "who is sharing my plane" would ideally be displayable, like other "info" parameters, like Frame rate, wind speed & direction. Just on more parameter that can included in the SHIFT Z list. ??
As far as the UI is concerned, I think I made my feeling known about that back during FSX Beta. (blush)
As far as I can see, the change in the UI from the FS9 controls, to the FSX controls was a BIG step backwards. (maybe forced by Gamespy compatability, but that is history now).
It might be time to take a serious look at the current UI, and its lack of multithreading ?
(UI 101, you don't allow operation in the GUI to stop other essential processes from running)
When in the UI, so many other functions get startved, including Audio. I suspect that some of the MP networking also gets impaired, as the Players latency seems to soars high, when in the UI, possibly causing time-outs and resulting network disconnects.
One addition thought on MP Chat Messages. ref Custom Chat Prefixes.
The ability to have a Chat meassge that only displays for a limited time.
(like the "Player has Left" messages).
The ability to send this sort of "short lived" Chat message, would help enormously with Chat Box conjestion, and large amounts of scrolling of the chat.
Tim- as you probably realise, most of these ideas come from practicle experience and seeing the need for such functionalty, when operating in MP. (rather than just making up a random Wish List of what "MAY" be nice ).
Geoff
Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure who owns MP at the moment.
Adding new Shift-Z values should be fairly simple (been awhile since I've done that though).
You should have heard the things I said quite loudly while working on the FSX UI (I had to implement it, unfortunately I didn't generally get to design it, that was some one elses reason to exist :-> ) - good thing I work from home so no one else could hear me :->
As to the multi-threadedness of the UI, there's lots of stuff that happens in the background while dialog boxes are displayed - apparently processing MP packets in the background isn't one of them (or at least not done correctly). It would be nice if the MP system could do most of its work on the background communications thread, but that's true of several subsystems and it's going to take awhile to get them all converted to a better multi-threaded design.
Short lived chat messages sounds like a good idea (since the timeout code is already in there for the joining/leaving messages).
Tim
Adding new Shift-Z values should be fairly simple (been awhile since I've done that though).
You should have heard the things I said quite loudly while working on the FSX UI (I had to implement it, unfortunately I didn't generally get to design it, that was some one elses reason to exist :-> ) - good thing I work from home so no one else could hear me :->
As to the multi-threadedness of the UI, there's lots of stuff that happens in the background while dialog boxes are displayed - apparently processing MP packets in the background isn't one of them (or at least not done correctly). It would be nice if the MP system could do most of its work on the background communications thread, but that's true of several subsystems and it's going to take awhile to get them all converted to a better multi-threaded design.
Short lived chat messages sounds like a good idea (since the timeout code is already in there for the joining/leaving messages).
Tim
Tim,
One other issue with the Multiplayer UI.
The UI does not give the option to turn ON/OFF specifically the Username.
Traffic Tools does give this option, but it does not work.
ie There is still no way to turn OFF Username labels, while still displaying other labels.
A very typical requirement would be to just Display Callsigns, but currently, this can only be done when alternating between Username & Callsign. If one is only interested in Callsigns, the repeated flashing up of the Username becomes very distracting and annoying.
Geoff
One other issue with the Multiplayer UI.
The UI does not give the option to turn ON/OFF specifically the Username.
Traffic Tools does give this option, but it does not work.
ie There is still no way to turn OFF Username labels, while still displaying other labels.
A very typical requirement would be to just Display Callsigns, but currently, this can only be done when alternating between Username & Callsign. If one is only interested in Callsigns, the repeated flashing up of the Username becomes very distracting and annoying.
Geoff
