Tutorial updated July 3rd because of a great tip from TweakFS (Fermin Fernandez, the dev of GMap) about a standard GMap shortcut (Ctrl-Shift-z) that hide/show GMap! Now you will be able to call up GMap without losing sound! You still need to follow the tutorial in order to do this with Flight running in full screen, of course.

 

Last weekend I started to use GMap because finding my way around Alaska using the ingame map is a bit hard. I only have one monitor and I don't like to run Flight in a window, so I switched between Flight full screen and GMap using the Alt-Tab keys.

 

Problems: as soon as you go to GMap, Flight is hidden and when you get back to Flight you always get a loading screen. I switched Game Pause off in Flight, so I didn't also get the Pause menu after getting back to Flight (which forces you to also hit Esc to get flying), but that loading screen and seeing the entire desktop with GMap on top didn't help the immersion, of course... Also not knowing how my plane was doing while I was looking at GMap (since Flight was hidden) wasn't too relaxing...

 

So I did some searching on AVSIM and Google and now I am ready to tell you how to fully enjoy Flight in full screen and GMap together. The effect of this all will be (I say 'effect' because technically it's another story ) that you will be able to fly Flight in full screen and you will be able to call up GMap with Ctrl-Shift-z while still being able to fly! Without any pause! So it's just like for instance calling up the GPS in FSX!

 

Here's how to do it. BTW I did this all on Windows 7 64 bit and all downloads are free. And also BTW this isn't my invention or idea or work: it's probably old news for FSX users. (I think.) I just gathered the information and applied it to Flight.

 

Preparation

 

1. Download GMap (if you haven't done so already)

http://fswidgets.com...gmap_msf_21.zip

Unzip FSWidgetsGMap.exe wherever you want to: it's not an installer but a file that can be used directly.

 

2. Download AutoHotkey

http://www.autohotke...tkeyInstall.exe

Install AutoHotkey.

 

3. Download the Pseudo Full Screen AutoHotkey Script

http://library.avsim...php?DLID=158165

Unzip the script, a file called fullscreen.ahk, and put it wherever you want it.

 

4. Set the Windows tastbar to Auto-hide (rightclick on the Taskbar > Properties > enable Auto-hide the Taskbar)

 

5. In Flight disable Full Screen in the Options > Graphics menu and disable Pause Game in the Options > Gameplay menu

 

That was the preparation: you only have to do all this once. The following tells you how to use it. I may seem much but once you know how it's done it's a breeze.

 

How to do it

 

1. Doubleclick on fullscreen.ahk. Apparently nothing will happen, but AutoHotkey is launched in the background: note the H-icon on the taskbar.

 

2. Start Flight.

 

3. As soon as Flight is starting (so even before you are logged in) you may press the Windows key + F11. This is the AutoHotkey shortcut that will run the script: the script will let Flight run in a pseudo full screen mode. Technically you are still in windowed mode but it looks just like regular full screen. The Windows key + F11 works as a toggle.

 

4. Alt-tab to the desktop to start GMap (or start GMap in any other way you want to: I have a shortcut on the desktop). I usually do this when I am on the map in Flight. (Flight has to be started before GMap!). When GMap has started, click on the GMAP button. You will (hopefully) be connected to Flight.

 

5. Alt-tab back to Flight.

 

That's it. From now on Ctrl-Shift-z (a default GMap shortcut) will toggle GMap on and off!

 

The focus will stay on Flight when you call up GMap this way so you can keep on flying and controlling everything in Flight. When you click on the GMap interface, focus will go there and you will lose sound in Flight, although Flight will still react to input of controllers and TrackIR. Simply click on the Flight screen or use Alt-tab to make Flight the active window again.

 

Take note: Flight HAS to be the active window BEFORE you use ctrl-shift-z to toggle GMap! So if you just started GMap do NOT immediately use ctrl-shift-z to hide it and then go to Flight, but FIRST go to Flight (you will see GMap on top) and THEN use ctrl-shift-z. If you happen to click on GMap during a flight (to change something) be sure to click on the Flight window to make it the active one again BEFORE you use ctrl-shift-z to hide GMap!

 

Here is a screenshot of how it looks on my PC. I moved GMap to the lower right corner so I can see where I am going. (Gmap always starts up in the middle of the screen.)

 

BTW You can also load a flightplan in GMap (which I usually do) to make it even more easier to get to your destination. But that requires a few extra steps and some extra software, so that's something for another tutorial.

 

 

EDIT

The information about using Flight in pseudo full screen is also interesting for those who use 2 monitors. By default you are already able to have GMap on the second monitor, but for that you would have to run Flight in windowed mode, with borders and all. You can now use the pseudo full screen script to play Flight in full screen on monitor 1 and still see the desktop and whatever program you want on the other screen! (Playing Flight in regular full screen would black out the second monitor!)

I wonder, will Fraps show both Gmap and the Flight window (one monitor) if you go to record it? I experimented using Fraps for my "Flight" monitor, and "Debut" screen recording software for my Gmap monitor (I use two widescreens), and it worked, I'm able to record both for the duration of my flight, and then piece them together in my video-editing software (I use the AVS suite). Debut will also record my flightplan preparation in "Flightsim Commander" (aka FSC 9), so I thought of producing a video showing the whole process. Perhaps tonight I'll see what I can throw together.

While I was typing and checking things while doing them I thought it was a shame that I wasn't able to record it. A simple short movie in which you could see GMap popup while I still control the plane and look around with TrackIR would make a lot clear at once. I have no clue how Fraps works (if it simply records what's on screen or if it somehow reads what's the GPU is doing).

 

Anyway, I am looking forward to a short clip showing it all in action! Having Gmap as a 'popup' is SO MUCH MORE FUN then having to switch to the desktop, completely out of Flight, to see it!

This has been mentioned before on the forum, but for anyone with an IPad, you can also use the Air Display app to make your Ipad a second monitor with GMap always visible even in full screen mode. I tried it out this morning, and it works pretty well.

Thank You for sharing. Will try.

 

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk 2

Good stuff. Thanks for posting.

 

Ray

This has been mentioned before on the forum, but for anyone with an IPad, you can also use the Air Display app to make your Ipad a second monitor with GMap always visible even in full screen mode. I tried it out this morning, and it works pretty well.

 

LOL Actually... this afternoon I went to the city to check out the iPad... and after that some Samsung iPad clones... and after that a few monitors.... after which I decided there had to be a cheaper way to use GMap in Flight without losing the immersion... and that's when I went looking around and came up with this post.

 

I'd love to have an iPad, but I can't justify the purchase right now.

 

 

Thank You for sharing. Will try.

 

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk 2

 

Good stuff. Thanks for posting.

 

Ray

 

You are all very welcome.

Very very very Good!!!! Thx for posting Jeroen!!!

Well I gave it a try, and didn't care for the way it looked on my very high res monitor. It looked like I was back in the VGA days. I think it rescales the smaller screen to full screen dimensions, and everything looks weird, text, fine detail, etc. Anyway, it was worth a shot.

 

I have gotten used to Alt tab, looking at the map with a trimmed aircraft and getting back to Flight , so it doesn't bother me that much and I would rather look at a higher res display.

Well I gave it a try, and didn't care for the way it looked on my very high res monitor. It looked like I was back in the VGA days. I think it rescales the smaller screen to full screen dimensions, and everything looks weird, text, fine detail, etc. Anyway, it was worth a shot.

 

Hm, that's odd! On my PC it looks EXACTLY like normal fullscreen mode and certainly not as if the little windowed mode was blown up. (I wouldn't have posted all this otherwise because I like good graphics. ) I am curious how this will work with others. From what I have read and understood, the quality shouldn't be anything less and on my PC that was a fact.

 

O, wait... I suddenly remember something from a few years ago... Do you perhaps have an ATI card? I have an nVidia. If someone else is giving this tips a try, let us know if you have an ATI or nVidia and if you get the same quality as usual or not!

Hm, that's odd! On my PC it looks EXACTLY like normal fullscreen mode and certainly not as if the little windowed mode was blown up. (I wouldn't have posted all this otherwise because I like good graphics. ) I am curious how this will work with others. From what I have read and understood, the quality shouldn't be anything less and on my PC that was a fact.

 

O, wait... I suddenly remember something from a few years ago... Do you perhaps have an ATI card? I have an nVidia. If someone else is giving this tips a try, let us know if you have an ATI or nVidia and if you get the same quality as usual or not!

 

I think you might have an LCD monitor, in which case it may not re-scale that much, because it still has to address the same resolution. I have a CRT monitor, which could make a difference, in other words the pixels on my monitor are alot smaller than the pixels on many LCD monitors, so any small difference is easy to see. I have an AMD card, albeit a not very good one.

Wow, many thanks for posting this!

Hi,

 

Followed the instructions provided exactly and it works great. Thanks Jeroen.

I found a folder called Scripts in the AutoHotkey folder and copied "fullscreen.ahk" there. I created a shortcut to it on the desktop. I had a shortcut to GMAP on the desktop also and ended up moving both shortcuts to the taskbar.

After re-starting Win 7 and Flight from scratch I had to remember to use "Windows key + F11" and disable "Stays on top" in GMAP. I discovered that Alt+Tab brings up GMAP but clicking anywhere on the Flight screen closes GMAP. Now, if I could just program Alt+Tab into my joystick...."

I experienced no loss of resolution and perhaps there's some drawback to using this procedure all the time but I haven't discovered any downside yet.

Thanks again,

 

Jim F.

I discovered that Alt+Tab brings up GMAP but clicking anywhere on the Flight screen closes GMAP. Now, if I could just program Alt+Tab into my joystick...."

 

I experienced no loss of resolution and perhaps there's some drawback to using this procedure all the time but I haven't discovered any downside yet.

 

Good to hear you didn't lose any quality, just like I didn't notice any difference. On my PC performance also seems the same.

 

Yes, you can also click on on the Flight-screen: remember that you actually are in windowed mode so you don't actually close GMap but you make Flight active again by clicking on it and so GMap is hidden underneath the Flight 'window'.

 

Maybe the loss in quality that Bobsk8 experienced indeed has to do with CRT...? I am curious if other see any loss in quality. Again, to me it looks exactly the same as before I used this trick.