PREPAR3D V5 HOTFIX 2 COMPATIBILITY STATEMENT

Lockheed Martin has released P3Dv5 Hotfitx 2 a few days ago - hopefully it solves some of the stability/CTD issues that some of you told me about.
Apart from the stability issues, you may have noticed that some night effects (external lights, landing lights and VC illumination) are too bright and lights behave as "X-Rays". The excessive intesity is due to new parameters introduced in P3Dv5 (which only affect PBR materials), while the "x-ray" effect is unfortunately due to the graphic engine of the sim.
I'll try to find the time to update the effects on my older planes.
In terms of compatibility of my planes, nothing has changed...so here is the situation.


M-346 MASTER - Works fine, no issues to report.

F-35 LIGHTNING II - As previously noted, you need version 3.67 or above for it work fine with P3Dv5. Apart from that, and the excessive brightness of some effects at night, there are some minor issues with the voice alerts.

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON - Works fine, except the excessive night lighting...which is particularly annoying since the landing lights illuminate the cockpit.

TA-4J SKYHAWK - Again, works fine except the excessive night lighting.

A-4E/F/G/H/I/K SKYHAWK - Same as above.

C-2 GREYHOUND / E-2 HAWKEYE - They should work fine, as they do not have PBR effects.

S-211/M-345 PROTOTYPE - They should work fine as there are no PBR effects in the cockpit.

PREPAR3D V5 COMPATIBILITY LIST

Prepar3D V5 is out...and while it is not the revolution that many were waiting for, it is definitely a step forward thanks to its DirectX 12 implementation, better atmospheric and water rendering...and a ton of bug fixes and small improvements. However, I think many users are waiting for FS2020 and will not make the jump to this new version. Also, a lot of the "combat" user base of FSX/P3D has jumped to DCS following the slow (but steady) release of high quality aircrafts. 

Also, please bear in mind that, at least at the moment of writing this post, VRS TACPACK is NOT COMPATIBLE WITH P3Dv5 and I have no idea if and when VRS will update it. Therefore, my planes WILL NOT have full functionality in P3DV5 (radar, weapons, configurator, chaff-flares,
ECM, FLIR and other sensors will not work). 

Anyway here is the compatibility list for my commercial projects:

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON - works fine in P3Dv5, but update to PBR is highly recommended (see payware projects) 

F-35 LIGHTNING II - REQUIRES NEW INSTALLER (v3.67) SEE PREVIOUS POST ON THIS BLOG. Older versions do not work due to a file naming conflicts with Lockheed Martin Assets 

SIAI MARCHETTI S-211 / AERMACCHI M-345 PROTOTYPE - works fine in P3Dv5, but update to PBR is highly recommended (see payware projects) 

C-2 GREYHOUND / E-2 HAWKEYE PACKAGE - both planes work fine. No PBR update available. 

TA-4J SKYHAWK - works fine in P3Dv5 

A-4E/F/G/H/K SKYHAWK - works fine in P3Dv5

A-4E/F/G/H/K for Flight Simulator X

I finally have a "workable" Beta of the A-4 for Flight Simulator X. As per my usual procedure, here is the post meant to collect the feedback from the Beta Testing, which however will be limited to just a few testers. 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 FSX BETA TESTING"

Precedence will be given to users and testers of the P3D A4, P3D TA-4 and FSX TA-4 as they are more familiar with the plane, so let me know if you are one of them.

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

To do list:

A4FSX01 - Installer still reports TA-4J instead of A-4 - FIXED 15/01
A4FSX02 - No glass effects on canopy - FIXED 17/01
A4FSX03 - APC and LABS lights on startup? - CANNOT REPLICATE BUG
A4FSX04 - Sound dll loading error message - FIXED 15/01
A4FSX05 - Missing geometry with click area to toggle stick visibility - FIXED 17/01
A4FSX06 - AoA Indicator OFF flag Always in view - FIXED 17/01
A4FSX07 - Cannot operate cabin lights with mouse - FIXED 18/01
A4FSX08 - Tail planes not alignedA4FSX09 - Transponder controls not operational
A4FSX10 - Wrong IFF code on instrument (first digit)

A-4E/F/G/H/K SKYHAWK RELEASED AND PAINTKIT DOWNLOAD LINK

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that the single seater Skyhawk PBR Edition (for Prepar3D v4.4 and above) has been released through SimMarket and can be purchased HERE.

the paintkit for the single-seater Skyhawk is available. It is very similar to the TA-4 one, so if you have painted the twin seater it should be very easy to use.
Paintkit is availble from the side bar or by clicking HERE.

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