FSUICP version 2.96 is available

[Guest Don_Eliot]

For some of your FS2K2 functions, FSUICP 2.96 is available www.schiratti.com/dowson.html

[glennc 5]

Thanks for the heads-up, Don.Cheers,Glenn

[Guest]

CHANGES IN FSUIPC 2.96=====================1. Details of nearby ground AI traffic are now available for programs thatcan use them. The aircraft included are subject to an in-built range limitset to 6 nm if the user aircraft is airborne, or only 3 nm if the user is onthe ground. This should be adequate for ground traffic avoidancecalculations and airport movement plotting.2. The rate at which AI traffic is scanned has been increased to 10% per FSframe, with a parameter in the INI file (TrafficScanPerFrame) to adjust it(0=off, 100=all traffic updated on every frame).3. If either of the airborne or ground AI traffic tables becomes full,those aircraft furthest away are discarded in favor or new ones arriving ifthe latter are nearer. This means it is less important to limit the range,although the default of 40 nm for airborne traffic is still retained forperformance reasons.4. The cloud options for FS2002 now allow the Virtual Sky or Jet Trailsfacilities as alternatives.5. A hot key assignment facility is added to hide or show the AdvDisplaywindow. This is for use with the new version of AdvDisplay (2.00) beingreleased shortly after FSUIPC 2.96.6. The visibility smoothing and graduation operation updates the visibilityvalues in FS at less frequent intervals in order to try to reduce thehorizon flickering noticeable on some video cards, notably the MatroxParhelia. Though it seems these phenomena might be video driver faults, itseems best not to provoke them!7. The upper altitude for the surface visibility layer is automaticallyadjusted to be above the METAR station elevation (if known). The adjustmentis to 1000 feet above when graduated visibility is in operation, or 2000feet above when it isn't.8. FSUIPC is now conducting most of its operations once per frame, ratherthan at regular timer ticks (18/sec). This will mean it is sometimes slower,sometimes faster, just like FS itself. But more importantly it should leadto smoother operation of FS as a whole even in situations where there aremany applications using FSUIPC. It may also lead to better stability, buttime will tell. [To prevent FSUIPC stopping altogether in somecircumstances, such as when FS is minimised, if the frame rate falls below 5fps FSUIPC reverts to time-based operation until the frame rate rises].9. The operation of changing the gyro drift value (offset 0C3E) is mademore consistent, though reading this will still only show the current FSvalue not the last value set, which may still be in the process of beingapplied.10. An error in FSUIPC's processing of application hotkeys meant that thesewere passed onto FS even if the flag had been left clear to indicate thatthey should not be. In fact the operation of that flag was the reverse ofthat intended and documented. Since developers may have already discoveredthis, and reversed the setting of the flag in their programs to compensate,the correction wasn't straight forward. The solution was to no longer usethat original flag and use the next one up instead. This should mean that bydefault all current hot key users will set the options so that their hotkeys are not passed through to FS. I think this is the safest assumption.11. A bug in the HotKeys page of the FSUIPC options resulted in the "Clear"buttons working correctly but not actually clearing the displayed key press.Additionally, in some releases the hot key changes were not being saved tothe FSUIPC INI file.12. A bug in the derivation of the full network path of FS (the "UNC" path)meant that the path at offset 3E00 was only correct if the drive on which FSresided had been shared. If only the path had been shared the path in 3E00was local, not network-usable.

[Guest Jack]

Thanks Don & AIR330 for your info.JackD