Impassioned Plea - Aircraft Lights for VATSIM

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

This is an impassioned plea from many NGX customers who fly on VATSIM for the developers to provide brighter/larger external aircraft lights (strobes, beacons, navigation lights) that will show up to other pilots on VATSIM and other online networks.I understand the daytime/nighttime lighting choice developers must make with FSX. I've spoken to a significant number of guys who fly the NGX on VATSIM, and without exception they've all said that they would readily accept the brighter lights during the daytime in order to be able to see traffic at night.Before someone suggests it, Shockwave lights will not fully overcome this problem for everyone. There is one way to temporarily overcome this for those who have FS2004 Textures for the 737 Variants that NGX offers (600/W, 700/W, 800/W, 900/W) however this must be done on each flight for each NGX aircraft (difficult during regular flights and simply impossible during an event) and doing this eliminates the terrific NGX textures. Another problem with doing this is that one would have to have the airline textures for all of the variants that other NGX owners are flying at the time. This just isn't feasible.This is important not only for enjoyment of the NGX, but would allow NGX owners to see traffic especially during VATSIM events. Presently, anyone who owns the NGX can't see NGX's at night unless they are within a mile of the aircraft - and this effects NGX owners being able to see other NGXs whether they're actually flying the NGX or not.Providing replacement files that NGX users could decide on whether or not they wanted to use them would make such a HUGE difference for us, and I can't tell you how much it would mean to those NGX owners to be able to see NGX traffic on the network at night.My thanks to you folks for a terrific product and all your continued effort and support of the flight simulator community. I have my fingers crossed that you'll give strong consideration of this request.

[gmt2001 0]

I must point out that aircraft lights on VATSIM is a feature provided by the client software (FSINN/Squawkbox) and that no matter what the developers here do, it would still depend on those programs light syncronisation facilities enabling the correct lights in the correct way. This isnt a feature of VATSIM. The way the client software implements things like lights and animations is by creating their own peer-to-peer connections between pilots and sending data about aircraft state. The VATSIM network itself does not support any of this.

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

I must point out that aircraft lights on VATSIM is a feature provided by the client software (FSINN/Squawkbox) and that no matter what the developers here do, it would still depend on those programs light syncronisation facilities enabling the correct lights in the correct way. This isnt a feature of VATSIM. The way the client software implements things like lights and animations is by creating their own peer-to-peer connections between pilots and sending data about aircraft state. The VATSIM network itself does not support any of this.

Close.

[fakeflyer737 992]

VATSIM is terrbile, there is never any pilots nor controllers online to provide a good flight unless you do events.

[ZachLW 37]

VATSIM is terrbile, there is never any pilots nor controllers online to provide a good flight unless you do events.

???

[Tabs 2,790]

Not understanding here - you guys are using NGX models as AI while flying online? Why would you want to do that? Won't a bunch of NGX models in the sim kill performance like crazy? I've always used low-poly/high performance models from UT2, AI Aardvark, etc and assigned them through FSInn.

[William J.S.S 173]

I have never logged on VatSim and seen no pilots or controllers. Ever. Today, Christmas, at one point and time there was almost the whole west coast lit up.Not sure when you are logging on, or where you live to see no controllers. I would rather fly with spotty ATC coverage than the FSX AI anyday.

[FSMP 95]

Not understanding here - you guys are using NGX models as AI while flying online? Why would you want to do that? Won't a bunch of NGX models in the sim kill performance like crazy? I've always used low-poly/high performance models from UT2, AI Aardvark, etc and assigned them through FSInn.

+1Maybe they do not realize that the PMDG 737NGX does not have multiple LODs ??

[B777ER 2,489]

Not understanding here - you guys are using NGX models as AI while flying online? Why would you want to do that? Won't a bunch of NGX models in the sim kill performance like crazy? I've always used low-poly/high performance models from UT2, AI Aardvark, etc and assigned them through FSInn.

Same here. I use woai packages. I have the pmdg models set as hi-res within fsinn and it set up to never use hi-res models.

[masneoquil 66]

I have never logged on VatSim and seen no pilots or controllers. Ever. Today, Christmas, at one point and time there was almost the whole west coast lit up.Not sure when you are logging on, or where you live to see no controllers.I would rather fly with spotty ATC coverage than the FSX AI anyday.

Well i like to fly all over the world, and (please don't take this the wrong way) united state isn't the whole world neither is Europe.I agree that most of the time there is coverage on those places and when you do events.But for example i would like to have coverage on my world tour, or on any flight that i would like to do, and that's not the case with VATSIM. That's why i didn't move just yet... maybe some day....

[William J.S.S 173]

Point taken my friend. I am American, and you know the problem we have thinking we are the center of the earth...lol. I admit, the only real areas that came to mind when I responded where America and Europe.I have noticed areas in Russia and Asia are pretty bare, but always chalked it up to lack of a simmer base there, and not inactivity on the ATC part.Maybe we should try to all petition VatSim for a global real ops ATC coverage day lol....that would be insane.

[Sekstifire 10]

...Maybe we should try to all petition VatSim for a global real ops ATC coverage day lol....that would be insane.

Feel free to sign up for ATC training so you can contribute to the coverage :)

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

VATSIM is terrbile, there is never any pilots nor controllers online to provide a good flight unless you do events.

I don't see your point. Use VATSPY or VATVIEW to see who is online. For example, right now Los Angeles Tower is online, and so is Los Angeles Center. There you go. You can make a pretty realistic flight from LAX to LAS with full ATC coverage. Sure, Las Vegas Ground, Tower, ATIS, and Delivery are offline but the Center can do all of those.

Feel free to sign up for ATC training so you can contribute to the coverage :)

+1!

[William J.S.S 173]

Already have, studying the materials now. I have within 7 days to soak up as much information as possible before I can take my test, then get assigned to learn some more....lol. look for me in the near future hopefully starting as KJAX GND/DEL.

[Paul Deemer 13]

The only time I would ever use the NGX for another pilot on vatsim is if were sitting at the gate and I want to get a screenshot of us on the ground. The other 99 percent of the time FSINN is using my Ultimate Traffic II models for VATSIM traffic and you can see a 737-800 UTII AI a long long way off.