FSUIPC 4.57

[ddlebrun]

Now available complete version. You can find it at the usual Project Magenta site.

[falcon409]

Direct to Pete's Homepage:
http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html

[spotlope]

Thanks for the HU.

[Navy Chief]

I went to his site to read about this version, but what exactly has been changed/updated?

NC

[falcon409]

I went to his site to read about this version, but what exactly has been changed/updated?
NC
Good point Chief. I've always made it a point to update every time a new one comes out since I have a registered copy, but I rarely, if ever, look to see what changes were made, lol.:salute:

Note: Funny thing is, aside from a few special buttons I have mapped in FSUIPC, I don't use it for doing anything else, other than the automatic integration it uses with other programs, and I don't understand much, if anything with that either. Someone, a long time ago, told me I needed it, I purchased it, installed it and that's pretty much been my involvement with it since then.

[dswo]

1. Having a list of updates would be helpful; looks like you have to install it though to get the list.

2. My favorite feature: it can be set up to switch controller setups based on what plane is loaded. So, my helos and fighters automatically use the joystick; my GA planes automatically use the yoke, etc.

[ananda]

All current updates are posted on Pete's forum

http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=74352

George

Oops, changes are only posted for interim beta releases :running:

[res non verba]

thanks! :ernae:

[dswo]

Here's the changelog from FSUIPC4 History.pdf, which the new version installs automatically:


Version 4.57 (January 2010)
 Added a position synchronisation option to the 4 throttles, 4 prop pitch, and 4 mixtures calibration pages so that multiple levers can be calibrated to line up when applying the same inputs to FS.
 A new option has been added to control a "brake release threshold", for when your braking is controlled by toe pedals rather than by using the keyboard or joystick buttons assigned to non-axis brake controls. In the latter cases, operating the brakes automatically releases the parking brake (and possibly may also cancel autobraking action). This doesn't normally happen with brake axes being used for braking, as they are separate controls. That could be viewed as a drawback of having proper toe brake action, so there's now a new parameter in the [General] section of the FSUIPC4 INI file:
BrakeReleaseThreshold=75 This sets the amount of braking needed to release the parking brake. The number is a percentage of total braking -- so the default here is 75%. If you set 0% it turns the facility off. Pressure on both brakes to at least the set level is required, and the release action is not "re-armed" until both brakes have returned to "off". The toe brakes must both be calibrated in FSUIPC4.
 Facilities have been added to automatically execute a list of Lua plugins or FSUIPC Macros when an aircraft is loaded (i.e. changed). This allows switches, offsets, and other things to be set specifically for an aircraft when it is first loaded. It is done by adding new sections to the INI file with the title [Auto] or [Auto.xxxx...]. Full documentation on this will be found in the Advanced User's guide.
 Added an extra facility for joystick calibration, in order to try to cope with some different add-on practices (notably, in this case, the Wilco A320). Normally, the 4-Throttles, 4-mixtures and 4-Prop pitch calibrations result in an output with either a range which includes the reverse zone, or, if the "no reverse zone" option is checked, a range from 0 (idle) to 16383 (max). These are sent to FS using the older "????n_SET" controls (THROTTLE1_SET, etc), since these are the ones providing the reverse zone below zero.
If you set the [JoystickCalibration] INI file parameter UseAxisControlsForNRZ to "Yes", then the NRZ (no reverse zone) option for all three axis types will use the AXIS_????n_SET controls (e.g. AXIS_THROTTLE1_SET) instead, with a range of -16363 (idle) to +16383 (Max). This, of ocurse, can be Aircraft or Profile-specific by editing it in the appropriate calibration section of the INI file.
 Added full support for network and internet access via Lua plugins, using the LuaSocket package available from the Internet, with the main modules pre-loaded (i.e. built into FSUIPC). Examples and details are provided in the Lua Plug-ins package.
 Added a Lua library for reading Go-Flight switches and knobs directly, and writing to their displays and indicators. Full details are included in the Lua PlugIns package.
 Added a new Lua event library function "intercept", which is similar to the offset one except it intercepts writes to a specified offset by FSUIPC or WideFS client applications, providing the intended value to the Lua plug-in instead. The plug-in can then either manipulate the value and write it to its original destination, or divert it to some other place or use, or simply discard it so no action results. Full details will be found in the Lua library documentation.
 Added another new Lua facility, "ipc.keypressplus" which is able to switch focus to and from FS and deliver keystrokes to FSX's menu dialogues. Documentation and two example plug-ins are provided in the Lua package.
 The way Lua plug-ins are started and terminated has been changed a little, to avoid problems with repeating controls (buttons and keypresses set to repeat whilst held). Whereas previously each repeated call to execute a plug-in would actively try to "kill" the previous incarnation then load and run a new one, the current repeat of the control is now discarded if the plug-in is still running. A repeated control only manages to load and run the plug-in if the previous incarnation has by then terminated.
This effectively makes such plug-ins run at their own speed, and not even attempt to repeat at the set repeat speed. Short fast Lua programs will repeat quickly, while longer more complex ones will repeat only slowly -- and non-terminating ones cannot be killed or restarted by a repeated control, only by a fresh one or an explicit "Kill" control. This makes assignment of Lua plug-ins to repeating buttons or keypresses more reliable. it was quite easy to crash FS before, due to a continuous build-up of pending thread terminations and creations.
Note that, if a Lua plug-in is really intended to be used repetitively, it may be much more efficient to actually program it with a loop in the Lua code and have it checking the state of the relevant button or key itself.
 Fixed a long-standing bug in the jet engine starter facilities provided via offsets 0892 etc. Due to a misunderstanding about how the parameter to the TOGGLE MASTER STARTER SWITCH control operated, on certain occasions the wrong starter valve might be toggled when the starter lever is moved from CutOff to Idle.
 Fixed another long-standing bug, this one in the saving of Axis assignments. If an axis assignment is only made to controls in the ranges section (right-hand side of the dialogue), so there is no actual assignment to an analogue axis on the left, then those details were not saved in the INI file and so were lost on the next reload.
 Fixed a strange bug which could result in a 5 second delay in re-connecting controls when they've been explicitly disconnected via the applcation facilities in offset 310A.
 Fixed a bug causing the injection of AI traffic details into the TCAS tables, via offset 1F80, to fail, and also corrupt the TCAS data at F000 so causing other uses to fail. Version 4.536 also fixes it so that the entries for injected traffic time out if not refreshed, being removed after about 10-12 seconds.
 Fixed a long-standing error in the TCAS table updating for AItraffic which would have meant a slower update rate and, for ground traffic, a possibly long time before a change in the ATC identity string option being changed when the user requested it via the Miscellaneous option.
 Fixed a bug in the automatic button flag toggling which affected button flags for joysticks 0-15.
 The FSUIPC4 options dialogue and other windows have been enlarged by 20% in order to cope with some of the variations now seen in the Windows "Shell" fonts. (FSUIPC was switched over to using Shell fonts rather than its own selected fonts because of an occasional clash which made the inside tabbed dialogues too large for the holding tabbing window).
 The first 5 values read from FSUIPC4-assigned axes are ignored after they are re-scanned and re-initialised automatically by entry into the FSUIPC Options dialogue. This is in yet a further attempt to get around the strange spurious values some USB joystick drivers present when their driver interfaces are reset.
 Fixed a problem with Registration from the installer, where the installation run ends with a message about a missing MSCVR80.DLL instead of providing the Registration options.
 Some minor timing changes have been made to the wind smoothing option which might improve its chances or removing more of the nasty wind shifts which FSX is prone to.
 The Registration mechanism now allows for a different email address for WideFS and FSUIPC.
 An extra check has been incorporated into the Button scanning routines (used when in the FSUIPC options to assign buttons and switches). If any joystick device takes more than 15 mSecs to respond, FSUIPC stops polling it on the assumption that it is either faulty, or has a bad driver. The ban on that device stays operative for the rest of the FS session. This is intended to prevent the odd hangs some folks get in the Buttons options which are thought to be due to rogue joystick drivers without connected joysticks. The timeout used (15 mSecs by default) can be changed via the parameter in the FSUIPC4.INI file called "JoystickTimeout". This has a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 5000 milliseconds.

[Navy Chief]

Thanks David for the list of changes. Much appreciated!

NC