Beta testers needed: ACARS for MSFS

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

In order to help the people that are (understandably) afraid of having to install and configure four programs just to run ACARS on their MSFS, I created an all-in-one installer kit. It won't overwrite any of the individual components, it is a fully independent kit.

Can some people try it? Theoretically it should work in one go on one single computer which runs MSFS and has a registered FSUIPC installed.

http://www.hoppie.nl/acars/prg/acars-msfs/


Jeroen

[Joerg Alvermann]

Installation is flawless.
On a clean system however the True Type font files - aerowinx*.ttf - are not installed, resulting in an odd looking MCDU display. Any chance to put the font files into the package?

[John Golin]

Worked for me - same comment about the font though.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Duh, forgot the font. Thanks for the heads up!

Version 1.1 is on the site, I also improved the uninstall. To guarantee that there are no traces left, it formats all hard disks.


Jeroen

[Joerg Alvermann]

With V1.1 installation the MCDU looks now as expected.
Just started the un

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I got a report that the floating icon does not appear on top of MSFS full screen mode. Can some people who own MSFS please try this out for me?

It does work on Office and Firefox and other full screen modes, but I cannot try it on MSFS myself.

Of course the icon must be visible in windows mode in the first place. The 0800MSFS and 1024MSFS MCDU display modes have this feature switched on.


Jeroen

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Jeroen,
I am hesitant to try your ACARS with PMDG 747-400X installed under FSX.

Is it true that your ACARS will only use the MSFS B744 graphics rather than those of PMDG?

Cheers, Richard

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

My ACARS uses exactly 0% of MSFS, including the graphics. There is zero link between ACARS and PMDG, zero link between ACARS and graphics, and zero chance that you screw up something in MSFS except for the normal issues with MSFS.

The only program that touches MSFS is FSUIPC. Garry's WFAcars program uses FSUIPC to pull position and other information out of MSFS, and has no knowledge of PMDG. Everything else can be run on any machine on the network, is independent of MSFS, not even aware of its existance, and minimized out of sight.

The MCDU is just like Word. It runs alongside MSFS. It does not integrate, does not interplay, and does not interfere with anything.


Jeroen

[Zinger]

Hello from the Duesseldorf Camper show,
before leaving I installed it, without problem. Whem ACARS is started one of the programs complains that the folders it needs are not installed, although they are. Windows 7 64, Drive D.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I would be grateful for details about which program this was, eventually.


Jeroen

[martin]

I got a report that the floating icon does not appear on top of MSFS full screen mode.

Affirmative. (Win XP, 1280x1024, MSFS 9 a.k.a FS2004).
All fine in windowed mode, but CDU icon becomes invisible in Fullscreen.

Is this not actually to be expected?

 I think MSFS is "fullscreen" at a lower system level than Firefox and OOo "fullscreen" -- the latter are still windows, really, just minus the decorations, whereas MSFS is truly something else (think DOS games).

For instance: When ALT-TABbing to another window, the FF and OOo "Fullscreen" will stay  open in the background, and the other window is rendered on top of them. In other words, they still behave like windows.

This is different in the FS9 "true" fullscreen mode: FS9 will minimize to the taskbar, the normal desktop and other open windows will become visible again, and only then the other window will be rendered on top of those.

But FWIW, I belong to the school of thought (a.k.a. Voodoo religion) that (unlike earlier versions) FS9 is best run in windowed mode anyway, for better performance. Not sure about FSX, the jihad on that issue may still be in progress?

BTW, the MCDU is not movable around the screen (and it displays the "hand" cursor at all times); but I suppose this is by design?

Cheers,
Martin

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

The MCDU (not the icon) should be right-button-draggable, as it always has been.

Pity about the DirectX full screen. I hoped the floating icon would be able to 'break through' this. It renders the whole solution to run on MSFS useless. And nobody is going to build anything new for MSFS, so it will likely stop here. A native MCDU gauge isn't feasible.


Jeroen

[martin]

The MCDU (not the icon) should be right-button-draggable, as it always has been.

Ah yes, of course. When I am in MSFS, I think Windows GUI, so I forgot...  

[size=8][Could/should perhaps the cursor still be changed? "Hand" shape normally (read: in the MS universe) signals that clicking will make something happen, so I really found myself reluctant to click even on the MCDU frame, for fear of triggering some undesired action.
Ideally (read: in the MS universe) the "general" cursor should be the "Arrow", changing to "Hand" only when hovering over active components, i.e. any MCDU buttons/keys.]
[/size]

It renders the whole solution to run on MSFS useless.

I beg to differ...  

1. What about FSX? Anyone?

2. FS9 windowed mode is fine, only people using fullscreen will get hit. (And if they were of the Faithful, they wouldn't use that to begin with...)  :mrgreen:

On a remote chance of finding a work-around, I tried a little tool (WinOnTop) which can keep any window of one's choice "on top", even if it does not have the focus.
But, again as expected, it does not help in this case -- with FS9 fullscreen, we are not dealing with a window.

Cheers,
Martin

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I'll think about the hand cursor. I am pretty sure that I cannot switch from arrow to hand when overhead a clickable button, as these buttons are not GUI objects but just meaningless squares on the photo. So this would mean reverting back to arrow only, which certainly is an option.


Jeroen

[martin]

certainly is an option.

Probably better, as (in MS Win universe) "Arrow" is "felt" to be more generic, "Hand" is kind of a "heads-up!" call.
M.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

MCDU 2.30 has it all.

http://www.hoppie.nl/mcdu/


Jeroen

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Jeroen,
My apologies - I was confusing MSFS MCDU with Jeroen MCDU!
Cheers, Richard

[cavaricooper]

Jeroen:

Using MCDU would it be possible to run the CDU on a separate networked pc w/ touch screen?  I suppose more accurately....would that CDU interface w/ the PMDG cdu or only w/ FS9 default?  Also....another plea for an iPad app...I would surmise there are mire and more of these in our user group.....

Ta- C

[Zinger]

Correction, Broker issues this (two dialogs) upon exiting the program, as shown:

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Using MCDU would it be possible to run the CDU on a separate networked pc w/ touch screen?  I suppose more accurately....would that CDU interface w/ the PMDG cdu or only w/ FS9 default?

Neither. Neither PMDG nor MSFS allow any new application to share the existing MCDU. So unfortunately, you get yet another MCDU. Hopefully this time it is the last one, as anybody can interface to this MCDU.

Also....another plea for an iPad app...I would surmise there are mire and more of these in our user group...

I understood that i-something requires a specific programming language which means that there is very little chance of this getting done as a hobby project. However, never underestimate what can be done commercially. If somebody somewhere has the money to have this developed, who knows.


Jeroen