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AP knobs operation philosophy in future PNDG products


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Posted

Hello allI have read in the wiki that the defined philosophy for using the AP knobs was:left click=decreasing by 1 (100ft for altitdue)right click=increasing by 1 (100ft for altitude)I am quite disappointed that the philosophy used for the 737NG is not retained:left click=changing by 1 (100ft for altitdue), + or - depending on pinter positionright click=increasing by 10 (1000ft for altitude), + or - depending on pinter positionsince it prooved to be the most adequate flying from the VC and considering the ATC usually vectors with heading changing by 10degrees and altitudes by 1000ft....Too bad.Any possibility to provide the 737NG philosophy as an option?Thank you.Ghiom

Posted

Has anyone any comment on this?Especially the developpers and users?PSS is using the 737NG style and I think this is a very good choice.One of Level-D 767 very few weaknesses is actually the knob operation philosophy.Any comment?

Posted

Nameless,Please take a minute to read the forum guidelines. You need to sign your posts with your real name.I think this is a matter of personal taste. You will find people liking it this way or the other. The devs will not be able to please all camps.Cheers,

Posted

FWIW, I personally prefer the 737ng style of knob-rotation as well. PMDG, how about a forum Poll to see what the majority of your customers prefer? Better yet, how about an option in the PMDG menu to let us choose.

Regards,
Al Jordan | KCAE

  • Commercial Member
Posted

Since you mentioned future PMDG projects I will give you my explanation on this issue, introducing at the same time the mouse operations logic that is being implemented in the forthcoming MD-11.The 747 way is the way these knobs operate in reality. The more you turn the faster the change. Using the mouse wheel you will get an oparation that is very close to the real thing. But being realistic is not the only and not the main reason for using the 747 way. Use of left and right mouse clicks is part of an overall philosophy that applies to the whole aircraft panel. Especially in the MD-11 this philosophy is taken a step further and I am sure you will appreciate it a lot. These are the main points:- Consistent use of left and right mouse for all switches/knobs: left for push or turn left, right for pull or turn right. - Different custom cursors appear depending on which operation is applicable (push, pull, turn). This way the user instantly recognizes what type of mouse operations apply. - In case that more than one operation is applicable (push or pull, turn left or right) this is also clearly indicated by the cursor, which, when the mouse is clicked, will change animating the applied operation. - In case that there are two mouse zones of the same operation very close to each other (e.g. heading select and bank limiter) the same shape cursors but with different color are used, so that each zone boundaries are instatly recognized. - This logic applies both to the 2D panel and the VC (including custom cursors)- Mouse wheel can be used anytime a "continuous turn" operation is applicable- In some cases of a a "continuous turn" operation double left/right click can be used to turn a knob all the way down or up at once. - Tooltips that dynamically change, are used to assist in the few cases that mouse operations have small deviations from the normal.- Futhermore, different types of cursors are used for clickspots that open/close/toggle panel windows.See the attached file to get the idea. Now, I understand that for some people the 737 way might be more convenient. However, this is totally incopatible with the above described logic and we believe that it is more important and beneficial to the users to maintain a consistent use of mouse operations to the whole panel. So in short, no, at least for the MD-11 we are not considering to return to the old 737 way for the reasons explained above. http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/160856.jpg

Michael Frantzeskakis
Precision Manuals Development Group
http://www.precisionmanuals.com


devteam.jpg

Posted

I posted this on Lefteris's blog, but have not had a reply yet. So, may as well ask here. :-)> Any chance that the MD11's cool new mouse cursor icons and> lighting levels will make it into the FSX version of the 747-400?- Bill

- William Ruppel, CYTZ, VATSIM 816871

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