Why Do I Need FSUIPC?

[Guest 727Fan]

I've downloaded several aircraft models over the past few months. Everyone (Project Fokker, Project Airbus, and Hilmerby DC9) require FSUIPC.I don't fly on-line. I don't get it. What is this magic program that I need before I can fly the models?Duh!Rick (Cave Dweller)

[Guest]

Good question Rick!The simplified answer is the FSUIPC is used to communicate with and even control FS2K2, so it's not just about online flying. It exposes many of the "inner workings" of the sim and allows the various aircraft and utilities which use it to access data from the sim and provide data to it to control it.You'll probably find that the aircraft you mention are using it for advance panel, control and navigation functions.That's my understanding anyway! If anyone else can elaborate further, I'd be interested to hear too!Murphy.

[Tabs 2,790]

Yup, that's basically it! FSUPIC acts as a middle man between FS and panels/utilities that use it. It feeds a whole load of information (if you want to see exactly what, look at the FSUPIC SDK) straight out of the sim so that the 3rd party addons can access it and manipulate and use the data (things like current position, altitude, IAS etc...) It's also got a ton of cool fixes for various problems in FS like wind while taxiing, cloud thickness etc. If you want a really great eaxmple of how awesome the weather stuff you can do with it is, buy ActiveSky wxRE, surely one of the best FSUPIC based addons to come out for FS! You can also do some really advanced joystick calibration and programming stuff with it as well...

[Guest]

Because if your like me and don't understand what all the tech stuff, your add-on simming life will be hell without it. :-lolhttp://www3.telus.net/dport1/Radar_small.gifRC3 - Just gotta' have it!http://www3.telus.net/dport1/Radar_small.gifhttp://www3.telus.net/dport1/dansig.jpg

[Guest 727Fan]

Yeah, I noticed sim lock-ups with these 3ed party aircraft models. The "readme" mentioned the need for FSUIPC, and of course I ignored that because I had no idea what this was. Hell it was!Does FSUIPC create any conflicts with hardware or software, add complicated pre-flight tasks, or in general make FS2K2 less stable?I'm very discretionary when it comes to add-ons that make the sim more fickle than it already is.So if it doesn't, then I guess I'll have to go ahead and install it.Any tips on installation I need to know?Thanks Folks!Rick

[Guest RonB49]

Get it. I wouldn't be without it. You will want to read the documention, then set it up one time to customize it to your needs. After that it just sits there quietly and does its thing with no (apparent) negative effect to FS.Can it cause problems? Sure. If logging is enabled, there can be stutters. If you indiscrimately click some weather check boxes, for can impact the FS2002/FSMeteo/ActiveSky/whatever weather. But the checkbox that prevents your plane from "jumping" to the active runway when you load a flight plan is worth the cost of FSUIP (free). For others, its the ability to fine-tune joysticks. And for all of us, its because so many thing won't work (or won't work propery) without it. Thank you Pete Dowson.I've been using it so long that I forgotten how long. At least 5 or 6 years and perhaps more. Again, I wouldn't be without it. R-

[Guest RonB49]

Oh, and I forgot to mention something. If you don't like it, then you delete fsuipc.dll and fsuipc.ini from your FS2002Modules folder and its all gone. R-

[Guest]

If anything it makes FS more stable in that it corrects some very minor but highly annoying little mannerisms (like unnaturally quick battery drain).I've never seen anything that's incompatible with it, and Peter takes extreme care to maintain backwards compatibility with older versions as well.At this time, I don't think it would be possible for anyone to create something that is to run with FS200x that't incompatible with FSUIPC and expect to get away with it. My guess is that maybe 95% of FS users has it installed (if not more) in one version or another.

[Guest Moghdad]

I just noticed this module yesterday. I think it must have installed along with some aircraft that I downloaded. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like the idea of modules being added silently to run in the background of my system, particularly if they load automatically no matter whether the aircraft that need them are even running.