One thing about FSDT and Umberto, is that I've considered them one of the best at answering customer service issues quickly and effectively. Although Umberto may come across as terse, it's only because so many of the same questions have been asked over and over again without people simply searching the forums. That's why a lot of times he begins his reply with "this has been asked and answered many times" followed by a link to the solution. I'd probably get worn thin as well if people kept asking me the same question over and over without doing a quick search.

 

Having said that, I've seen some people be down right nasty to him and he always remains professional and composed and even offered those people a TeamViewer session to help them solve the problem. I know other developers who faced with those type of customers would either ban them or not continue to help them at all.

 

 

Fair enough.  I was doing mostly searching which is where I was cringing.  I believe I finally found the answer to the last one but not before I'd tried so many things that I was pretty certain I'd screwed something else up...hence the rebuild.  I do *try* and not change things much and *try* avoid stuff that causes instability like the plague since a) it's frustrating and it mucks with otherwise stable things.  I don't not buy them...I just wish it was simpler to resolve things.  (Keep dreaming.)  Someday, maybe.  Memphis is in my "somewhat interested" list...I lived there for a while and I like the freighter traffic.  Time will tell.

 

 

Yeah, I was that way until it happened to me a couple of times. It was frustrating. I think I ended up doing a rebuild after reading posts and terse exchanges over at fsdt last time.

 

Understood, Gregg.  Wasn't trying to discount that some users have issues, but I do think that Couatl gets a bad rap in part because it's different rather than because there's anything inherently wrong with the tech.  I've followed many of the heated discussions and noted that Umberto is generally able to resolve issues with reasonable customers (or demonstrate that the issues have nothing to do with Couatl in many cases) but many users are so convinced that the tech is the devil's own spawn that they're often not reasonable and blame it for things it didn't do.

 

I thought it was worth telling the other side and pointing out that both FSDT and Flightbeam have many, many satisfied users/repeat customers who experience minimal to no difficulties.  If Couatl was anywhere near as evil as its most vocal detractors claim, neither FSDT nor Flightbeam would still be thriving.  And as cmpbellsjc notes, Umberto really does go the extra mile to solve issues - when users are willing to work with him.

 

Scott

I'm with a lot of you and don't see a lot of added value to this, but I give FSDT loads of credit for thinking outside of the box and bringing a new element of reality to p3d. As for COATL, I have never had a problem, and flightbeam airports are amazingly fps friendly because of it (and Mir's talent). I think FSDT airports need some work, but love the direction that Alessandro is heading in and am looking forward to seeing where Memphis and future airports go.

Tom, it says right at the begining of the video "Avatar Experience", only P3D has the avatar mode.

 

+

 

But on the video itself it says Microsoft Flight Simulator not P3D and the description links FSX to it. A little misleading if you didn't know. True P3D is the only platform that has AVATAR mode built in, but  based on what COUATL is capable of, it's reasonable to think they may have implemented a AVATAR mode with it as well

 

Tower Experience

Alessandro C

34

 

5,451 views

 

Published on May 10, 2016

Fsdreamteam Kmem tower experience

• Game Microsoft Flight Simulator X
  • 2006
  • Explore in YouTube Gaming

 

But on the video itself it says Microsoft Flight Simulator not P3D and the description links FSX to it. A little misleading if you didn't know.

Ok, I think I see what your seeing and what conf used you. At the beginning of the video it has their logo and says FSDT, then FSDreamteam.com - High quality addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

That stuff is just part of their logo. I supposed to avoid confusion they should change the logo to say High quality addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator and Prepar3D.

 

Either way, I think they assumed that people knew the video was showcasing the avatar feature in P3D using the tower.

 

Although, Umberto said the tower features will be in the FSX version also if you have EZDOK or a camera utility to get into the tower, you will see the same things. You'll just have to move around using the camera controls or slew and of course you won't be able to ride the elever or like the avatar character does.

A bit too much elevator for me.

Understood, Gregg. Wasn't trying to discount that some users have issues, but I do think that Couatl gets a bad rap in part because it's different rather than because there's anything inherently wrong with the tech. I've followed many of the heated discussions and noted that Umberto is generally able to resolve issues with reasonable customers (or demonstrate that the issues have nothing to do with Couatl in many cases) but many users are so convinced that the tech is the devil's own spawn that they're often not reasonable and blame it for things it didn't do.

 

I thought it was worth telling the other side and pointing out that both FSDT and Flightbeam have many, many satisfied users/repeat customers who experience minimal to no difficulties. If Couatl was anywhere near as evil as its most vocal detractors claim, neither FSDT nor Flightbeam would still be thriving. And as cmpbellsjc notes, Umberto really does go the extra mile to solve issues - when users are willing to work with him.

 

+1   agree

Some clarification about the FSX/P3D issue:

 

Strictly speaking, the tower works in FSX, and we haven't done anything special to prevent it to work in FSX, because there are surely ways to explore it using 3rd party camera addons.

 

However, for the full experience, you'll want to use Avatar mode in P3D.

 

This because, in order to have the inside of the tower to really behave as a proper closed space with walls, we had to write an entirely new collision system, because the one supplied with the sim is very rough and can be relied only to detect crashes.

 

And, the same system is used to trigger events, like automatic doors opening when you walk close to them.

 

And this system is related to the Avatar dimensions and it switches to an higher precision mode when you are in Avatar mode.

 

And, since in P3D the default Avatar camera view has different z-buffer settings, we adapt the scenery in real-time when in Avatar mode, to prevent ground flickering when looking at the airport from the Tower View.

 

In FSX, you'll have to rely on the navigation features offered by the 3rd party camera utility you use and possibly the z-buffer/clip plane settings for the custom camera, to prevent flickering.

 

So, although it can be used somehow in FSX, it's works best with the P3D Avatar mode.

Either way, I think they assumed that people knew the video was showcasing the avatar feature in P3D using the tower.

 

Not everyone watching Youtube reads their forum, for me it's been a while, a simple "PrePar3D feature only" in the YT description box would have sufficed. I actually think they could have done it in Couatl if they wanted to and make it available in both platforms. It already has the ability to create the AVATAR (ie:The marshaller in GSX), it would just be a matter of tying in the Camera system, something that has already been done in FSX by OrBx (ie: Bob)

The AVATAR in P3D requires additional core supporting code and can actually "interact" with SimObjects/Aircraft ... but very few devs until now have provided the necessary external hot spots to make that happen.

 

As far as Umberto (Virtuali), I've had my disagreements with him in the past, but he fixes issues and continues forward with developing his work.  What he's provided (especially in GSX) is outstanding!  GSX is a big seller and AVATAR mode is only going to make that type of process that much easier and it's pretty cool to see/experience ... I enjoy just walking around the aircraft and getting up close and personal with it, exposes some of the devs detailed work that would more or less go unnoticed without AVATAR mode.

 

AVATAR mode opens many doors for developers and IMHO moves in the direction of "global simulator" which WILL attract more users and hence more developers and hence more development resources and more end user choices.

 

 

And, since in P3D the default Avatar camera view has different z-buffer settings, we adapt the scenery in real-time when in Avatar mode, to prevent ground flickering when looking at the airport from the Tower View.

 

So that's how you did it, very clever!

 

Cheers, Rob.

In principle there's nothing to say against pushing the boundaries and I'm sure the devs like the challenge of toying with the new features of P3D. Then again from a user's perspective, the control tower experience is really nothing that adds to my experience as a pilot (netiher does excessive detail like terminal interiors). I'm a fan of medium-complexity airports with medium prices, medium development times and good performance. And I'm afraid features like these could lengthen development times and as a result make addon scenery even more expensive than it already is.

 

The freshly released Mega Airport Prague from Aerosoft is a case in point: Apparently it had been ready for about a year now, but the dev wanted to include an all-new groundhandling feature, which hasn't been completed until today. They now opted to release it without said feature and will bring a free update once they got it right (which is of course nice of them). But knowing they could have released it almost a year earlier really makes me wonder whether devs wouldn't be better off releasing a standard version with medium complexity first and then add extra stuff in a paid upgrade?

a simple "PrePar3D feature only" in the YT description box would have sufficed.

As I've said, the Tower internals will work in FSX, it's just that it will be more cumbersome to navigate, and will surely require a 3rd party camera utility. The new feature we are showing it's the Tower, not the Avatar mode, which everybody, even FSX users, probably knows already.

 

I actually think they could have done it in Couatl if they wanted to and make it available in both platforms. It already has the ability to create the AVATAR (ie:The marshaller in GSX), it would just be a matter of tying in the Camera system, something that has already been done in FSX by OrBx (ie: Bob)

If you mean just the actual model of the Avatar, FSX has an hard-coded limitation of maximum 22 bones per skeleton, which is not enough to create human animations that will look good from close up, but this is not so much of a problem (although it's an FSX limitation we really hate...) for the GSX Marshaller, since you don't usually see him from that close. P3D allows up to 64 bones per skeleton, which is SO MUCH better, so there's no way to create an Avatar for FSX with the same quality as in P3D.

 

Walking with an Avatar-like navigation in FSX, it's surely possible with several 3rd party custom camera utilities.

releasing a standard version with medium complexity first and then add extra stuff in a paid upgrade?

 

Very interesting points   :wink:

News Flash, i don`t use any FSDT products (face palm)

 

 

You're right and I'm sorry, I just came back to edit the first part out, but you already posted. That part was unnecessary!!

 

 

Not only was it unnecessary, it was also incorrectly used....  

Getting back on topic... 

 

Is this something already built into the airport packages, or a separate add-on they sell/will sell?

Impressive stuff!

 

Although I must admit I was looking for claymore wires and waiting for an incoming grenade when the lift doors opened - been playing too much Battlefield 4 I suppose!  :england-flag: