Carenado Mooney - cabin and instrument lighting

[Guest rdg]

Hi,Dome light and instruments lights are on 1 switch. Although you can see fine to the outside of the ac it really gets on your nerves. I found a few discussions in other forums and there is a partial fix for this by editing out one of the fx_ lines in then [lights] section of the cfg. This edit does shut off the dome/cabin light, but also leaves very dimly lit instruments on the bottom half of all the instruments. There was also some talk on other forums that this is a limitation of FSX. If this is true, many ac modelers have found away around the issue, as many have incorporated seperate switchs into their models. My question here really is why Carenado did not program in 2 switch's? I have no idea if this requires alot of code and they chose to not do it, or, maybe the real Mooney has a cabin light on all the time. It is such a nice plane, but dang, I sure wish they would have taken the time to put in two switches. Does anyone know if this can be changed somehow? Or, is there a way to brighten up the bottom half of the instrument lights?RegardsBob G

[Guest rdg]

Sorry had no replies and needed to Bump: Anyone else flying the Mooney?ThanksBob G

[Guest abulaafia]

Sorry had no replies and needed to Bump: Anyone else flying the Mooney?ThanksBob G

I am, often, but have never been bothered by the lights. What's the big deal?

[Guest rdg]

Hi,Well, not to be rude, but when you drive your car at night, do you have the interior dome light on? Just a distraction is all.Bob

I am, often, but have never been bothered by the lights. What's the big deal?

[TVadney 0]

Hi,Well, not to be rude, but when you drive your car at night, do you have the interior dome light on? Just a distraction is all.Bob

I agree with you Bob, I do not like the dome light on in my car when driving, or in my simulated aircraft when flying, at night.Referring to your original post, I don't think it is a technical issue with FSX as other developers like EagleSoft don't seem to have a problem separating the VC lighting functions.I think having realistic cockpit lighting adds to the immersion when flying at night, and in the future, I will only purchase products that provide this feature.Tom

[n4gix 4,947]

The only possible excuses anyone (including ACES own modelers) can possibly have for not providing good virtual cockpit lighting is "didn't want to" or "can't be bothered..." :( Although I can make absolutely no claim for having "invented/developed" the techniques for cockpit and gauge backlighting, as far as I'm aware I was the first to decode the techniques and then publish them for everyone's benefit. In fact, there's a sticky post in the Panel and Gauges forum dated Jun 6 2003, when the first "white paper" was released... :( Shortly before the public release of FSX, MS/ACES invited me to author an updated article describing the new "FSX" lighting techniques. This was published at FS Insider (the MS/ACES FS website) several years ago, and is now hosted at the new, combined FS/ESP Developer's web address: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/esp/cc788741.aspxSo, there is no valid excuse and hasn't been for the past six years! :(

[Guest rdg]

Thank you Mr. Bill!Ok so.... "cant be bothered or didnt want to", can be broken down further as to why thee "did not want to". Could it be a signifigant amount of work? I wonder how many payware a/c do not have independent lighting? This should be a requirement per se. I think I will get with the standards committee this afternoon and see if I can persuade them to add this to the basic requirements standards LOL. I really think the community should have a bare bones "what to look for when buying a payware aircraft". I do remember the "FSX compatability" threads that went on an on it seemed. The PM for Aces I recall was involved. Even though there was alot of screaming and finger pointing, it did do some good.So many simmers argue about price, which I believe is a non-argument, but basic functionality like this, is something that I believe is worth fighting for. At least now I know 1 more question to ask before purchasing. Many developers are also providing a 30 day money back guarantee, which I never thought would happen. Thanks for your time.RegardsBob G

The only possible excuses anyone (including ACES own modelers) can possibly have for not providing good virtual cockpit lighting is "didn't want to" or "can't be bothered..." :( Although I can make absolutely no claim for having "invented/developed" the techniques for cockpit and gauge backlighting, as far as I'm aware I was the first to decode the techniques and then publish them for everyone's benefit. In fact, there's a sticky post in the Panel and Gauges forum dated Jun 6 2003, when the first "white paper" was released... :( Shortly before the public release of FSX, MS/ACES invited me to author an updated article describing the new "FSX" lighting techniques. This was published at FS Insider (the MS/ACES FS website) several years ago, and is now hosted at the new, combined FS/ESP Developer's web address: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/esp/cc788741.aspxSo, there is no valid excuse and hasn't been for the past six years! :(

[JMR 2]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels the same with regards to this dome lighting issue. Can anything be done on the user's end or is it up to Carenado instead?

[n4gix 4,947]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels the same with regards to this dome lighting issue. Can anything be done on the user's end or is it up to Carenado instead?

Unfortunately, it is something that truly must be done at the developer's level, since they are the only ones with the source files.

Could it be a signifigant amount of work?

Well, I don't think it's all that much extra work. On average it adds only at most a dozen hours of work on top of the hundreds of hours already invested...I've never understood why so much time and effort goes into the exterior model, but barely any attention is paid to the interior, where presumably more time is actually spent by the simpilot... :(

[Guest rdg]

Hi Bill,I agree with you on the exterior model. I must admit that I have swapped out "normal textures" for hi-rez exterior textures if and only if it did not affect performance. Maybe there are some simmers who spend alot of time outside the cockpit for one reason or another. A dozen or so hours is more than I thought for some reason. I searched 4 major forums and found an incredible amount of reference to cockpit lighting with complaints ranging from:1. lighting too bright2. lighting too dim3. lighting that affected gauge clarity4. dome and instruments on same switch5. color not rightThese were the major ones and others I disregarded as they seemed too nit picky.Anyway, thanks for chiming in. It was nice to have some expert opinion.RegardsBob G

Unfortunately, it is something that truly must be done at the developer's level, since they are the only ones with the source files.Well, I don't think it's all that much extra work. On average it add only at most a dozen hours of work on top of the hundreds of hours already invested...I've never understood why so much time and effort goes into the exterior model, but barely any attention is paid to the interior, where presumably more time is actually spent by the simpilot... :(

[n4gix 4,947]

A dozen or so hours is more than I thought for some reason. I searched 4 major forums and found an incredible amount of reference to cockpit lighting with complaints ranging from:1. lighting too bright2. lighting too dim3. lighting that affected gauge clarity4. dome and instruments on same switch5. color not right

Well, those are the reasons why it typically takes so long; there's a lot of testing and trial-and-error involved to find a good balance.I cannot emphasize enough though that the proper time to begin planning for lighting is at the very beginning of the design process! This is because there's a symbiotic/gestalt relationship between the model itself, the gauge programming, and the graphic artist. Poor decisions made at the beginning tend to cascade throughout the project, with the net result that one's choices are extremely limited at best, and complely absent at worst.In simpler and more earthy words, you simply cannot transform a sow's ear into a silk purse... :(

[Guest rdg]

Hi Bill,Well, I guess your right on the planning stage. This is very much true with most projects regardless of the strain. Most I think want to jump in and start programming before they know what it is they want to build. Thanks Bill for your input, I really do appreciate your time. Maybe you could help. I have been wanting to buy a corp jet but cannot make up my mind. I do have the Eaglesoft SR22 Turbo, and this does tax my system but it is tolerable. What I was hoping was to find a corp jet that did not tax my system any more than the SR22, but preferrably a little less. EagleSoft said they have a 30 day refund policy, but I did not want to go through 3 jets until I found the right one. Any suggestions?RegardsBob G

[n4gix 4,947]

EagleSoft said they have a 30 day refund policy, but I did not want to go through 3 jets until I found the right one. Any suggestions?RegardsBob G

For the best performance, I would recommend the CII (which is going to have an extensive free update soon). I've spent many hours reworking the VC, gauge system and lighting .The CJ1 is also a good choice...

[Guest rdg]

For the best performance, I would recommend the CII (which is going to have an extensive free update soon). I've spent many hours reworking the VC, gauge system and lighting .The CJ1 is also a good choice...

Bill, I just noticed your signature. Geez, you work for ES. Very nice! I thought I had been talking to a regular guy LOL. I know asking about dates is not something most developers like to disclose, but are we talking days, weeks, Months? Will the update/functionality be signifigant? RegardsBob

[palyarmerc 0]

A partial fix is available (as mentioned in the first post)

 

open your aircraft.cfg find your VC light and swap the trigger from (for example) 4=cockpit to 2=strobe

 

[LIGHTS]
// types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing
light.0 =   3,   -0.6,  -23.495,  1.796, fx_navred ,
light.1 =   3,   -0.5,   23.495,  1.696, fx_navgre ,
light.2 =   4,   0.70,     0.00,  2.050, fx_vclight,   // instrument panel
light.3 =   2,  -4.70,     0.00,  3.250, fx_vclight,  // cabin light

 

example above would then make the strobe switch your cabin light switch

 

Only a workaround, but you can adjust the aircraft.cfg in-game, and re-select your plane from the menu to see any changes

I can live without the strobe, but I can fly better without the interior light constantly on