Yet another mce newbie..:-)

[Mac1984 1]

Hi all,

 

I'm quite new to mce,

 

I'm really impressed with it so far and looking forward to widen my experience with it.

 

My favourite airliner has always been the Lockheed constellation, and I was hoping to get mce "connected" to the connie, although I'm not sure how that can be achieved.. I'm currently flying around with a freeware connie, as I've found the only payware version I could find, I think it's from just flight, rather disappointing.. Anyway to cut a long story short, I'd appreciate if some guys here could point me into the right direction when it comes to setting a new airplane up with mce.. Is it generally possible, and how is it done? Do I have to be a programming guru, or is there some sort of "template" I can use?

 

Either way I'd like to tell the folks behind mce what a great job they have done, this is def One of the greatest fsx add ons I've ever seen..

 

Thanks in advance for any help, I thought it might be worth to try this forum as I might get a more suitable answer for what I'm trying to do, as so far I did not fully understand all the terms used in the manual..

 

Cheers

 

Mac

[charlie130 196]

Hello, welcome to MCE.

 

First, all FSX "native" aircraft are fully supported. Likewise, all X Plane native aircraft.

 

If you want to start with the Connie, I would use a generic turbo Checklist and Vox Script. You will find MCE will load up a generic checklist at first run. The vox script can then be built up by importing commands from the native aircraft.

 

I think you will find most basic commands will function.

 

I would just use basic commands to begin with. Have a "play" with the Vox Script functions. Try "importing" some commands from other aircraft and see if they work for you. If not, its easy to delete them in the GUI editor.

 

The powerful, yet simple, nature of Vox Script means you can experiment quite easily. If you spell something wrong, or get the verbiage wrong, MCE places an on screen message across the top of the screen.

 

I have successfully built home made flows for the A2A B17 and the Mitsubishi MU2! Neither of these aircraft are on the "supported" list, but a very high number of functions will work from both voice command and Vox Scripts.

 

MCE can be as complex or as basic as you require. You can build flows directly from Flight Crew Operating Manuals, or simply build your own flows, to your liking, using basic commands like "gear up", "flaps up" etc.

 

I have uploaded a few vox script and checklist packs to Avsim Library. If you download one or two and unzip them, you will find install instructions. Here you can "play" with the files and discover how to incorporate them into your install. Just search "David herky" on Avsim libs and the files are there.

 

When you use a fully supported aircraft, like the Aerosoft Airbus, I am sure you will be impressed with how many functions your First Officer "knows", its quite amazing!

 

Hope you have fun.

 

Regards

David

[Mac1984 1]

Hi David,

 

Thanks for your quick, detailed reply and the friendly welcome, much appreciated !

 

I've tried loading the connie as a test and see if mce would do some basics on it, with the following results:

 

if I load the connie from scratch and then start mce, it sort of stucks with the " wait until your co pilot enters the cockpit " message...nothing else happens apart from " mce is looking for changes with the current aircraft" appears in for a few seconds...

 

I thought it has something to do with the connie not beeing a supported aircraft, so I've loaded the native 737 first..mce worked perfect.. Then I swapped to the connie again, and in the mce window it shows: your co pilot is listening in ...Lockheed constellation, but callsign, registration etc does not change...

 

If I say now " battery on" for example, the FO repeats the message but nothing happens.. I might be mistaken but I thought I can even hear a short click noise there.. Anyway, since you've stated that you create your own "flows", I'm sure it can be achieved once completely understood from my side what there is to do..

 

Looking forward to the challenge in getting a connie crew together at some stage

 

Cheers

 

Mac

[Mac1984 1]

Folks,

 

im sorry but im not getting it.....if im loading the plane mce is not starting up at all, as stated in my message above..

 

ive opened vox key and ive watched davids "how to do" video on youtube regarding vox key but for some reason im not getting it to work.

 

It seems that mce refuses this particular airplane. A few things are working though, for example avionics or anti ice which the co pilot carries out...later on he seem to get annoyed and repeats

de icing again and again, he probably gave up on me

 

So say i load the connie again and finally have the status " your co pilot is listening", what do i have to do next to start " building a flow" ?

If i carry out Vox key, there is nothing to select from, ive created a new profile but thats as far as i came ...not far at all :-)

 

I dont have anything suitable to build up on i think, so should i try to use a random jet-flow such as david herkys 707 which i have downloaded earlier and then re name it before re-building it for my purpose??

 

any help appreciated..

 

sorry if im a nuisance but im just not able of getting onto the right track with this..

 

Thanks

[FS++ 707]

Folks,

 

im sorry but im not getting it.....if im loading the plane mce is not starting up at all, as stated in my message above..

 

ive opened vox key and ive watched davids "how to do" video on youtube regarding vox key but for some reason im not getting it to work.

 

It seems that mce refuses this particular airplane. A few things are working though, for example avionics or anti ice which the co pilot carries out...later on he seem to get annoyed and repeats

de icing again and again, he probably gave up on me

 

So say i load the connie again and finally have the status " your co pilot is listening", what do i have to do next to start " building a flow" ?

If i carry out Vox key, there is nothing to select from, ive created a new profile but thats as far as i came ...not far at all :-)

 

I dont have anything suitable to build up on i think, so should i try to use a random jet-flow such as david herkys 707 which i have downloaded earlier and then re name it before re-building it for my purpose??

 

any help appreciated..

 

sorry if im a nuisance but im just not able of getting onto the right track with this..

 

Thanks

 

That aircraft isn't fully supported.

 

You can expect FO to handle Gear, Flaps, brakes, flight controls, radios tuning and maybe a few external lights.

 

If the aircraft allows the possibility to activate switches via keyboard combinations, you could use Voxkey to achieve that.

 

You should have added your own Voxkey commands to "FSX Demo.vkp" profile.

 

Since you already created another profile, you need to delete "FSX Demo.vkp".

 

It's very likely MCE is loading the latter and ignoring your own profile.

 

Voxkey isn't ideal as it doesn't check the state of the switches. Also, any custom command created in Voxkey must be different from any built-in (stock) command.

[charlie130 196]

Folks,

 

im sorry but im not getting it.....if im loading the plane mce is not starting up at all, as stated in my message above..

 

ive opened vox key and ive watched davids "how to do" video on youtube regarding vox key but for some reason im not getting it to work.

 

It seems that mce refuses this particular airplane. A few things are working though, for example avionics or anti ice which the co pilot carries out...later on he seem to get annoyed and repeats

de icing again and again, he probably gave up on me

 

So say i load the connie again and finally have the status " your co pilot is listening", what do i have to do next to start " building a flow" ?

If i carry out Vox key, there is nothing to select from, ive created a new profile but thats as far as i came ...not far at all :-)

 

I dont have anything suitable to build up on i think, so should i try to use a random jet-flow such as david herkys 707 which i have downloaded earlier and then re name it before re-building it for my purpose??

 

any help appreciated..

 

sorry if im a nuisance but im just not able of getting onto the right track with this..

 

Thanks

Hello Mac, sorry I missed your posts, with the holiday period and flood disasters where I live, my sim time has been drastically curtailed.

 

As Gerald says, you should be able to get the basics from your First Officer...gear, lights and flaps. When you say MCE is not loading, I wondered what sim platform you are on? FSX or P3d?

 

If your on P3dv3, some aircraft get loaded into different folders than the Simobjects/aircraft folder. In that case, you need to know where the aircraft .cfg file is! I "lost" my nice shiny new Real Air Turbine Duke, until I found it on the "c" drive. MCE needed"pointing" to where the installer had put it!

 

The LM chaps have recently "upgraded" their P3dv3.0. to P3dv3.1. Most unhelpful to add on developers, some of whom now find their product requires "upgrading" to keep pace. But that's another issue!

 

If you have any native FSX/P3d aircraft, MCE should be able to work ok. If you have fully supported aircraft, then ditto, all functions should be available and you will have a full compliment of Vox Script files. The Connie should have basic functionality though, with voice only.

 

The Connie will not have a Vox Script file, until you put a command in the Vox Script box. Tab over to the commands and open the window. Input a basic command like "gear up", but title it differently with something like "raise undercarriage"! After that when you say "raise undercarriage", gear up will be actioned. You will then have created a Vox Script file for the Connie.You can then play with the command by adding any verbal responses you want your FO to say....these can be before the command is actioned,after, or even in the "body" of the Vox Script using the "notify" instruction from the menu.

 

Now you can experiment with commands, with the aircraft "live" and MCE listening to your instructions.

 

I would begin by using an aircraft that's supported,(has a Vox Script file)first. Play about with some commands, then have a go at the Connie.

 

Once you get going with these commands, you will be surprised what you are able to do with MCE. You can record your own .wav files and get MCE to play them on command. You can see how I did that by having a look at the files in the 707 download.

 

All the best.

 

Regards

David

[Mac1984 1]

Thanks a lot to the both of you and happy new year 2016!

 

I'm not getting much time for trying these days as there's loads of overtime at work and after that the domestic duties ;-)

 

But I will give the whole thing another try at the weekend hopefully.

 

Regarding the platform, I'm using fsx with sp2..

 

The connie seems to be the only plane not loading at all when I start mce, every other plane so far works well.. Say I load a safed flight for example or switch to the plane after loading a supported plane, it finally recognises the connie and some of the basics are satis... Say avionics on or landing lights, also changing a radio frequency... That's about it, nothing on the flaps I know for certain and I'm not sure if the gear was working or not... Had no time really since the year has started..

 

Will give it another try at some stage and then get this going... Also tempted to test the 707 David , I'm usually a prop man through and trough but can't completely stay away from old iron jets either...

 

Hopefully more time soon.

 

Thanks a lot to you both and keep you updated ..

 

Cheers

 

Mac

[Mac1984 1]

Hi Guys,

 

due to work and private Reasons i had not much time to play around with fsx recently..

 

Thanks again to everybody that has helped me so far.

 

Im still not really close to a solution here regarding my Main Problem, i have made, however, some part success with my connie project..

 

I will explain short and sweet again and maybe somebody can put  me into the right direction..

 

1: MCE works perfect with my fsx and so far has loaded without any trouble with any plane that i have in my virtual hangar, but it does not load with the only one i fly the most, which is the lockheed super constellation

 

( Freeware from Manfred Jahn, which i found to be the best connie available so far, go away with that terrible just flight connie)

 

2: If i load fsx with any airplane, the co pilot will enter the cockpit and the show is up and running, but if i load fsx with my connie, the only thing that happens is :" MCE is looking for changes to the airplane" message comes up, nothing else happens... The only way to get it running is loading a different plane, then switch to the connie... at the end the menu says: co pilot listening on super constellation... then i can run some basic commands, e.g. landing lights on and off, sometimes gear, flaps but only full out or up, and a few more things. When i tried to create a new Vox script, the moment ive saved it, mce crashed ...

 

So it does partly works, but somehow mce does not want to accept the plane... If anybody can point me towards what makes mce "accepting" an airplane, i will be very thankful for any help there...

 

cheers mac

[FS++ 707]

So it does partly works, but somehow mce does not want to accept the plane... If anybody can point me towards what makes mce "accepting" an airplane, i will be very thankful for any help there...

 

MCE Ultimate Edition should load under any aircraft. If it doesn't, please send "aircraft.cfg" file to support.

 

What differs is the level of proficiency your FO will have on a particular plane.

 

If aircraft is coded to use the default FSX variables, everything will work as expected, without us doing anything special.

 

On the other hand, if aircraft is using custom tokens, we'd have to do a custom interfacing, teaching our FO how to read switches state and how to manipulate them.

 

It is usually the case with complex aircraft like PMDG, Captain Sim, Majestic, QW, CoolSky, Feelthere and others.

 

So far, we have interfaced 35 of them (over 5 years), with support for CS L1011 to be added next week.

 

Unfortunately, your Connie won't in the "to do" list unless it's popular.

 

At the very least FO is expected to handle, Gear, Flaps, spoilers, radios dialing and maybe the odd external light here and there on ANY aircraft. That's because none of the aircraft manufacturers uses custom stuff on those items, not even PMDG (and why should they).

 

Any link to the freeware download?

 

Thanks

[Mac1984 1]

Folks,

 

Thanks a lot for all the help so far.. Also apologies for not being here for a while, due to health reasons I was " offline" for a while..

 

The Connie I'm on about is the freeware Version of Manfred Jahn, available as G and H Version.

 

I think I have downloaded that from calclassic.com many moons ago :-) ...sorry I couldn't find a way to link this on the I pad.

 

Recently I've found a few interesting facts...

 

The G version is still impossible to load..only with the method I've described earlier, means load another plane, then switch to the G , but if you do that the only thing working is the lights, hardly anything else.. If you give the command " gear up", the answer is that the gear is selected up already.. Which is not the case, it will stay out until I retract it myself... Now the good news...

 

A few days ago, the H version of this connie was accepted for the first time by mce. Why, is beyond me.. I don't know and I haven't changed anything.. It worked ever since.. The functions are now quite a few... The gear up and down, flaps also but only if I say one notch up or down, most likely because the positions are not covered by mce..eg 80 degrees and 60 degrees...? Any way, all the lights are working, I can switch on the auxiliary fuel pumps, avionics and a few more things that didn't work before... Yesterday I've tested the new update of mce and when trying, the fo now applied take off power when told so, before the answer was always something like: how I'm supposed to do that with the engines off? Despite the fact that they are actually running .. So that worked and looks I'm getting there...in baby steps.

 

That the full attention is only towards popular models is completely understandable.. I was hoping that I'm able to improve the functions a bit for my personal needs, and one day there might be a nice Payware constellation coming up that will be fully supported :-)

 

Anyway, I'm no giving up on it yet.. If the aircraft.cfg or anything is needed, I will happily provide it..

 

Thanks again to you all for the support and help so far, much appreciated ..

 

Mac

[FS++ 707]

 

 

If the aircraft.cfg or anything is needed, I will happily provide it..

 

Affirmative, send the "aircraft.cfg" file to support and at the very least will get the flaps going. I mean, FO would know all available flaps detents for this aircraft.