Is the high price justified after all these months of updates now?
Thanks : )

 

I've been using it a lot and it has been pretty good, but not perfect.  Whether it is worth the price or not depends how much you want the best ATC program available for FSX.  It is way better than RC4, which I paid quite a bit for also.  I find it also better than VOXATX.  PFE is good, but ProATC is still way better for me.  So I didn't mind the price.

I currently use PFE, which works very well. (I have some videos demonstrating it on my channel) PROATC-X has the same potential, except for 2 problems. One is ATC interaction, which I believe is coming. The other which I think is more difficult to correct, since multiple sources are involved, is the inconsistencies in voice vocabulary, especially with call signs. You may be flying Delta flight 705, One voice may call you correctly "Delta 705" another may refer to you as "Delta Airlines 705" , yest another you may be "D A L 705",  or "Delta-Alpha-Lima 705". It's nice that the developer has made a tool available for users to add additional voice(s) and make them available to the community, but it also has the unintended consequence of sacrificing quality control.

 

 

I'd rather not use ProATc for flight planning as I am planning to get FSBuild which is I believe is the premier flight planning tool?

You mention it's important that FSX and the NGX use the automatically created ProATC/X flightplan. I usually export from EFB straight into PMDG.

 

Right, as regards 1), don't do that, FSBuild is pretty ancient and the ProATC-X planner is pretty much the same if you fly tubeliners.  Don't pay twice for the same thing.

 

As regards 2) ProATC-X imports various types of flight plan and yo can still input your flightplan directly into the  737NGX FMC, no need to import from  ProATC-X.

 

This product works pretty well, although not perfect particularly [for me] as to the voices available.  But then, you can record your own voice if you want to spend the time.

 

Don't take a lot of notice of J von E - he's Dutch you know and therefore could start an argument in an empty room.

Hmmmm,  seems like it might still be worth waiting to see how it improves through the year. I am a VoxATC user which does a good job and along with the excellent IVONA voices (shame no radio static effect though) sometimes i don't want to speak and just prefer to push keys so i often revert back to default ATC with edit voice pack.

 

Is PFE still worth it with the voice pack or is it showing its age now? Its somewhat cheaper than ProATC & more complete.

 

 

Don't take a lot of notice of J von E - he's Dutch you know and therefore could start an argument in an empty room.

 

LOL :drinks:

1: Not yet, but are working on it.

 

2. Yes, no further details that I could find.

 

3. Yes. I run Pro Atc completely from my networked PC.

 

Quick question: How do you manage to run it through a networked PC? The user help file doesn't document it at all (not that I can see) and Google isn't throwing any answers at me. Be a great help if you could point me in the right direction

 

Thanks.

What is the current status of AI interaction with ProATC X? It's more or less the only thing that's currently keeping me from taking the plunge...

What is the current status of AI interaction with ProATC X? It's more or less the only thing that's currently keeping me from taking the plunge...

 

Afaik ProATC/X 'sees' the AI in the sky but I have no real clue what it does with it... ProATC/X doesn't communicate with the AI (so that you can hear it) and it certainly doesn't take care of the AI on the ground yet.

Afaik ProATC/X 'sees' the AI in the sky but I have no real clue what it does with it... ProATC/X doesn't communicate with the AI (so that you can hear it) and it certainly doesn't take care of the AI on the ground yet.

 

Then is background ATC sounds just 'noise' and has no relevancy to AI?

Just background chatter.

Afaik ProATC/X 'sees' the AI in the sky but I have no real clue what it does with it... ProATC/X doesn't communicate with the AI (so that you can hear it) and it certainly doesn't take care of the AI on the ground yet.

 

Well, i'm definetly not going for this until we see some Al interaction. Even default atc does this.  For the price it goes for i would expect an all working package. Maybe it will come in time but leaving it for now.

Cheers for info : )

Sizel, on 03 May 2013 - 11:51 AM, said:

Well, i'm definetly not going for this until we see some Al interaction. Even default atc does this.

"Even"? It's easy for it! The default ATC can control and interact easily the AI because it is built into FSX. The same level of control will never be possible by any package not written using FS source code knowledge. The closest you'll get is if the ATC program creates its own AI and controls it all as well as providing the ATC -- VoxATC does this, which is why you can't use you own choice of AI package with it. Ultimate Traffic 2 creates AI too but then hands it over to FS ATC.

 

Regards

Pete

"Even"? It's easy for it! The default ATC can control and interact easily the AI because it is built into FSX. The same level of control will never be possible by any package not written using FS source code knowledge. The closest you'll get is if the ATC program creates its own AI and controls it all as well as providing the ATC -- VoxATC does this, which is why you can't use you own choice of AI package with it. Ultimate Traffic 2 creates AI too but then hands it over to FS ATC.

 

Regards

Pete

 

Well, you would know more than i do about the inner workings of FSX Pete. Fair point.

So hopefully we will see ProATC creating its own Al then, in time?

: )

Well, you would know more than i do about the inner workings of FSX Pete. Fair point.

So hopefully we will see ProATC creating its own Al then, in time?

No, I'd not use it then, because, like VOXATC, it won't be able to do it anywhere near as well as dedicated aI traffic packages like UT2 and MyTrafficX. I want my airports and skies populated realistically. The ATC program should concentrate on doing ATC well.

 

What it can do is detect AI traffic movements and generate appropriate sound instructions and responses not to control what they are doing but in line with what they are doing. This is what Radar Contact does. It can also prevent runway incursions, get conflicting aI out of the way, and, in taxi instructions, say things like "follow the xxx" or "you're number 3 for takeoff" accurately. Radar Contact already does most of this, though not always entirely sduccessfully, and I'm sure ProATC/X will be able to do just as well -- maybe even better because it only has FSX/P3D to concentrate on, not FS9, and is talking directly to SimConnect rather than only to FSUIPC with it's subset of facilities.

 

Pete

No, I'd not use it then, because, like VOXATC, it won't be able to do it anywhere near as well as dedicated aI traffic packages like UT2 and MyTrafficX. I want my airports and skies populated realistically. The ATC program should concentrate on doing ATC well.

 

What it can do is detect AI traffic movements and generate appropriate sound instructions and responses not to control what they are doing but in line with what they are doing. This is what Radar Contact does. It can also prevent runway incursions, get conflicting aI out of the way, and, in taxi instructions, say things like "follow the xxx" or "you're number 3 for takeoff" accurately. Radar Contact already does most of this, though not always entirely sduccessfully, and I'm sure ProATC/X will be able to do just as well -- maybe even better because it only has FSX/P3D to concentrate on, not FS9, and is talking directly to SimConnect rather than only to FSUIPC with it's subset of facilities.

 

Pete

 

 Yes, well that would be enough for me. I guess that was what i was trying to say. Apologies if it came out differently. Just so that the Al is moving around with ATC aware of it rather than it gettting in the way doing its own thing. As you say hopefully it will get there one day. Once this happens it should be quite good along with the other ongoing updates that come out. I'll keep an eye on it.