Yeah, I have the meatwater voice packs and they are fine for me. I don't have an issue with voices in RCv4 with those added. For me, it's the logic behind some of it. It's been stated here many times but the descend and maintain 11000 start down now please, I need you level in 30 miles or less on every flight you do is just plain un-realistic. I wish there was a way to get rid of that. Also, I wish it would automatically assign sids/stars instead of having to file them from the start. Even with the STAR, you have to ask for the full ILS before you can stop being annoyed by vectors from RC. This ability to choose the full ILS is usually too late in the flight too.

RC4 calculates it top of descent from your cruise altitude down to the crossing restriction about 40 nm out from destination using the "rule of three" in aviation. That is the altitude gate used to transfer from center to approach control. Either on the main menu or the extended menu there is a pilot's discretion option that lets you delay your descent if you wish but does not alter the crossing restriction itself.

Hello

I have been an enthusiastic user of RC for years now and I also use PFE for a change of pace now and then.

Sadly neither are going to see any further development so ProATC seems like the only way forward for me, very impressed with the rate of development and the openness of the developer to suggestions to add even more features.

Still a few things needed before I switch but it does look promising so far.

 

JD is throwing away his market by halting work on V5 but if real world stuff has got in the way then I fully understand, there are a lot more important things in life than an ATC addon

The flat-out nastiness and bitterness expressed by SOME regarding JD's absence is sad, to be kind. He didn't just abandon RC5. Please read the post he personally wrote to all of his customers in the sticky section, folks, where he explains why he suspended RC5 for 12 months. And as ohsirus stated above, give him his space. Noone knows what kind of life event he and his family are working through right now. I applaud him for being able to put aside something he loves so much for him and his family's sake. Let's all wish him the best in whatever he's having to deal with right now. In 7 months, he will let us know his decision.Until then, let's enjoy RC4 for what it is. It has greatly made my simming experience more enjoyable. And for that I am thankful to JD.

 

Todd

Agreed, i'm late to the rc party but - i'd hope that if i'd developed a hobby product for all this time and then had to step away for a bit due to life - that simmers would be more than understanding.

 

Thanks for the great product jd and hope all is going well.

I seem to remember reading a year or so ago something to the effect JD was unwell. Very conscientious support guy over many years so I give him credit. Even so, I would have picked him as being more courteous to the point of giving his many, many loyal customers, and dare I say friends, some sort of idea as to any future vision for the product. But ... for all we know engaging with his customer base may just have been out of his reach for health reasons ...

 

Anyway, I went back to PFE some time ago after having shelved it as being 'too much like hard work'. But second time around I have found that if you RTM and stick to the guidelines for creating a flight-plan that is PFE-friendly (basically about first and last WPT placement) it is more realistic than RC4 and much more absorbing and life-like. If you ask me, PFE is the ATC programme to take to the next level, ahead of RC. Unless there were some profound changes made to the RC vision ...

 

By that I mean (speaking as a professionally trained pilot with at least a measure of experience) - if I am brutally honest about RC4 (a transparently home-grown product by a dedicated programmer (JD), what really sent me back to PFE was the 'tone' or 'feel' of RC4 as a product. It felt like JD had been heavily influenced, possibly by DT, to allow some of the ATC dialogue and interaction to come over a bit condescending and judgemental when users made mistakes along the learning curve. Especially irritating when the causes of those lapses were hardware/software limitations or glitches. A smooth ATC performance was all but impossible at times.

 

You have only to listen to Doug's tone in the critique if you messed up and it reminded me of several ATC-types I have met over the years who think they are god's gift to aviation. Having said that there are probably many who like his schoolmaster style, and I'd have a beer with him any day, so this is not meant to be a major criticism. Sure there are other accents to choose from, most of them slightly amateur and in certain cases irritatingly unrealistic - even after Meatwater's cleverly doctored alternate sound files.

 

I personally believe there's a major opportunity in this neglected area of simulated flying for those that don't really want to venture online with Vatsim etc. But in the meantime RC4 with the Meatwater mod or PFE are very worthwhile stopgaps until something wonderful happens.

Even so, I would have picked him as being more courteous to the point of giving his many, many loyal customers, and dare I say friends, some sort of idea as to any future vision for the product.

 

In case anyone missed the announcement (a pinned topic), it can be found here:

 

http://forum.avsim.n...sion-of-coding/

Thanks jpuustinen, nicely done! Long live the forum.

Hi Todd,

 

99% of the posts here were posted prior to JD's post, dated July 1, 2012. So his customers were NOT notified prior to the starting of this thread...

 

The flat-out nastiness and bitterness expressed by SOME regarding JD's absence is sad, to be kind. He didn't just abandon RC5. Please read the post he personally wrote to all of his customers in the sticky section, folks, where he explains why he suspended RC5 for 12 months. And as ohsirus stated above, give him his space. Noone knows what kind of life event he and his family are working through right now. I applaud him for being able to put aside something he loves so much for him and his family's sake. Let's all wish him the best in whatever he's having to deal with right now. In 7 months, he will let us know his decision.Until then, let's enjoy RC4 for what it is. It has greatly made my simming experience more enjoyable. And for that I am thankful to JD.

 

Todd