Sunday, November 24, 2019

A-4 Single Seater Beta for P3Dv4.4/v4.5


As per my usual procedure, here is the post meant to collect the feedback from the A-4 Beta Testing. This post is (almost) constantly update with the "accepted" bugs and suggestions, color coded to reflect their status. "Accepted" means that I have understood what the testers reported, I could replicate it (or at least be sure this is not a misinterpretation or an error from the tester) and I have "accepted" it as a item to be addressed.

To apply for the Beta please send and email to indiafoxtecho@gmail.com with:
- SHORT description of your system: just CPU, GPU, RAM
- Exact version of the simulator you are running (A-4 requires at least P3D v4.4)
- If you have Tacpact installed or not
- SHORT description of real and virtual flying experience

SUBJECT OF THE EMAIL SHALL BE "A-4 BETA TESTING"

Precedence will be given to users and testers of the TA-4J as they are more familiar with the plane.

Color code

RED means that it the defect has been categorized as a major issue. This is typically a showstopper (operation of the aicraft is impossible or severely inhibited) and must be addressed before the product release.

YELLOW means that it is definitely an issue for the project, that should be addressed before the product release, but not as critical as a "red" issue

GREEN means that either the issue is very minor (and will not be noticed by most users), or the problem is non-existent (feature reported as bug) or that is was an red or Yellow issue that has been solved

BLUE means suggestions or ideas to improve the product

I am not sure if a flight manual will be available before the Beta is released, most probably not, but here are some peculiar things you need to know before operating the aicraft.

REPORTING BUGS
The preferred way to report bugs is to post a comment on this blog (so that everyone can see it). Otherwise, email messages with "TA-4J Bug Report" as subject are fine.
It is better, before posting, if you check if thebug you have spotted is already in the list below or in the comments.
Bugs or change request are evaluated ASAP and, if confirmed and accepted, added to the list below.

ACCEPTED BUGS AND CHANGE REQUEST LIST

This list was updated on 01/12/2019 21:00AM CEST
The latest Beta version is 1, released on 13/12/2019
Internal Beta (not released) version Beta 2 last built: 13/12

Total lines (excluding suggestions) 16
Current red lines 0
Current yellow lines 2 (of which 0 rejected for various reasons)
Current green lines 21
Current blue lines 0
Progress towards release: 91%

EXTERNAL VISUAL MODEL:
A4P3DEXT01 - Canopy animation missing - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DEXT02 - Smoke pipe exhaust missing from Blue Angels specific model - FIXED 12/12
A4P3DEXT03 - Remove guns from SuperFox models - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DEXT04 - Tail planes are not perfectly aligned (all models) - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DEXT05 - Minor glitch in windshield seal geometry - FIXED 09/12
A4P3DEXT06 - Added specific model for A-4G/K (with bent probe and spoilers but no hump) - FIXED 12/12

VIRTUAL COCKPIT:
A4P3DVC01 - Add missing canopy scratches - ADDED 01/12
A4P3DVC02 - Gunsight collimation mask does not work - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DVC03 - Request to animate the toe brakes - ADDED 07/12
A4P3DVC04 - Point of view too low - FIXED 05/12
A4P3DVC05 - Stick visibility does not work as intended… you cannot make it show once hidden. - FIXED 05/12
A4P3DVC06 - Captions on throttle panel incorrect - FIXED 09/12

FLIGHT MODEL:
A4P3DFMXX - NA

MISCELLANEOUS:
A4P3DMISC01 - Files are not signed for Tacpack multiplayer - SIGNED FILES 05/12
A4P3DMISC02 - Pocket checklist is for the TA-4J, not the A-4E/F...new pocket checklist is needed. - FIXED. Adapted pocket checklist to single seater.
A4P3DMISC03 - Flight manual is for the TA-4J, not the A-4E/F...new manual WIP. - FIXED 12/12
A4P3DMISC04 - Incorrect reference to TA-4 sound folder - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DMISC05 - Guns do not work as intended (check Tacpack code) - FIXED 01/12
A4P3DMISC06 - Inaccurate behavior of SideWinder missiles

A4P3DMISC07 - Sound dll configuration poiting towards the TA-4 folder - FIXED 04/12
A4P3DMISC08 - Israeli A-4 livery did not show as the numbering in aicraft.cfg was incorrect. FIXED 04/12 

A4P3DMISC09 - Tacpack STA5 release position is incorrect - FIXED 06/12
A4P3DMISC10 - Add smoke to Blue Angels modelA4P3DMISC11 - Create specific folder for upgraded A-4E with hump - FIXED 12/12

Sunday, November 17, 2019

F-35 Lightning II - Update to version 3.65.1 and thoughts


NOTE 1: version 3.65 had a small glitch that prevented correct indication of the CEX Tacan direction in the HUD heading tape in some cases… This has been fixed and the release has been updated to version 3.65.1

NOTE 2: updated to version 3.65.2 to fix incorrect BK-17 squadron assignment

The momentum of the real F-35 program keeps on growing and the plane is achieving a number of milestones around the world. So I decided to release yet another update to my virtual rendition which fixes a couple of bugs and introduces two meaningful repaints, specifically the livery of the No.617 Squadron RAF "the Dambusters" that made history being the first british squadron operating from the deck of the Queen Elizabeth, and VMFA-314 "Black Knights" that is the first USMC squadron flying with the "C" model of the Lightning II.

This is likely to be the last update for the F-35 for Prepar3D v4. I have some ideas to improve the models and I am looking forward to port it to the new Microsoft Flight Simulator… although it is more than likely that many functions, like STOVL flight and XML based MFD/HUDs, will not work in the new Platform (which is also unlikely to support any kind of weapon).
While I am trying to port some of my projects to X-Plane, at the moment I do not plan to convert the F-35 as I do not have the skill to bring it to the same level of functionality of the one done by AoA Simulations.

Anyway here is the change log of this update:

IMPORTANT! THIS UPDATE WILL WORK ONLY WITH P3Dv4.4 and is preconfigured to work with PBR models (so P3Dv4.4 / v4.5)

Version 3.65.1 - 18/11/2019
- Fixed glitch in TACAN direction flag in HUD, causing incorrect indication of the ship direction in some cases
- Fixed version number during MFD startup

Version 3.65 - 17/11/2019
- Added CEX navaids compatibility
- Added VMFA-314 "Black Knights" F-35C livery
- Added no.617 Squadron RAF "Dambusters" F-35B livery
- Fixed glitch in F-35C landing gear door animation on PBR models
- Fixed bug in TACAN to MHz conversion
- Fixed bug that allowed to continue flying in STOVL mode if out of fuel.
  When the engine stops running and the plane is not on the ground, STOVL mode will be deactivated.

SEE VERSION 3.60 FOR INSTALLATION

As usual, the upgrade can be downloaded from the side bar as usual or by clicking HERE.