FireFighter X 1.78 released

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hello @ll,

 

Version 1.78 of FireFighter X has been released today.

Customers will be notified by SimMarket as usual.

 

Here is the changelog:

Date 25.02.2017

Version 1.78 b07

- Change: Initial size of drop control gauge smaller

 

Date 24.02.2017

Version 1.78 b06

- Bugfix: Made operation of the payload manager and disabling the tailhook safer

 

Date 18.02.2017

Version 1.78 b05

- Bugfix: payload manager issue when all payload stations are at 0,0,0

 

Date 10.02.2017

Version 1.78 b04

- Bugfix: app crashes when user model has sim.cfg instead of aircraft.cfg (Default Robinson helo)

- Change: DropTimer Controller gauge now reacts to single l/r mouse clicks too.

 

Date 07.02.2017

Version 1.78 b03

- Change: saved panel.cfg name

- Change: type=special for the radar and drop panel gauges.

 

Date 26.01.2017

Version 1.78 b02

- Bugfix: Retardant button not changing when scooping water

- Bugfix: If an aircraft has no gauges (alias), the Settings window crashes

 

Date 21.01.2017

Version 1.78 b01

- Change: Activate drop timer control when mouse cursor enters the label

- Bugfix: Deleting of objects when activating Client mode

- Change: Aircraft of Network players are no longer added to the internal model list

- Change: Chat window on client and server is now accessible with the mouse

 

[glider1 90]

Hi Lorby

Superb job on FirefighterX really. Is there any way to replay a water drop using AITrackerX and a binary recording or some other way? I've installed the CL-215 with the windscreen panel fix (thanks) but I keep missing the fire and would like to replay the water drop. The graphics exist for it to be possible because I can see other AI water bombers dropping their water and hitting the target  :smile:

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hi,

 

AiTrackerX can't record this, sorry. The binary recording and the waypoint recording both only record your own flight, no other objects.

 

You would need a frame-by-frame recorder like JoinFS or FSRecorder - if they can pick up other SimObjects being created besides your own aircraft. I don't use these programs so unfortunately I don't know. If your PC is powerful enough, you could open an additional view window, looking aft or top-down, so you can see the drop happening.

 

The best course of action when starting out is to use retardant, not water, because even if you don't hit the fire to extinguish it right away, the ground splash of retardant will prevent it from growing in that direction. And you can see by the ground splash where your drop actually landed (Pause + Top-Down view).

For the record: water leaves a trace on the ground too, but this isn't visible for more than a few minutes.

 

Make sure that your drop parameters are correct - that you actually drop enough retardant. Aim at the center of the fire elements, fly between 200 and 300 ft and trigger the drop a split second before you enter the smoke column (if there is no wind). You can make the "hit zone" larger too in the settings.

[FireRx 18]

Oliver 

What about us Helicopter flyers, we need the bigger delivery with the drop like in the older versions?  As it is now., anything I drop on doesn't go out on the new one. and I can do the 200-300 ft AGL or I'll suck and ember into the intake and get an engine fire.  Is there a way to set it to increase may drop coverage?

 

 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hi,

not sure that I understand - the 1.78 is not different to the 1.77 with regards to the drop logic (read this as: should not be different, because I did not consciously change anything there). People have been using the 1.77 for a while now, and I didn't receive complaints of the many helicopter fans among the FFX customers.

If you can't extinguish fires, there might be an issue on your computer. If you suspect this, please contact me directly, using the form on the Lorby website.

General tipps:

- Retardant effectiveness is especially dependent on the "unit size" that you can set on the drop control window. Setting this to 15 instead of 150 will make your retardant 10 times more effective

- Drop parameters can be adjusted exactly like in the old versions, it is just the GUI that looks different. For example, for a bambi bucket drop, set the timer down to a low value and the drop rate to a sensible maximum value (timer = 1.0, drop rate = 6000 => you drop 3 tons of retardant in one second). Make sure to select 100% load - and that you actually have that much / enough retardant loaded up.

- On the "Retardant effectiveness" tab of the Settings dialog, you can adjust the rate with which the retardant dissipates when you fly higher.

- Try augmenting the hit probability on the same tab - this will make the "hit zone" larger, so there is a better chance for hitting the fire elementals.

- You can adjust the minimum safe altitude down, so you can fly lower without your engines catching fire (Settings tab "Updraft/Smoke").

Best regards

[FireRx 18]

yeah,

Remember I had to roll back to 1.76  because of it, Oliver. I'll email you can get together on a solution. I'll try your suggestions now, though and get back to you. 

 

Thanks :)

 

 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

The one thing that is definitely different in 1.77/78 from the earlier versions is the way that the retardant tanks are handled. The old version complained if your aircraft didn't have enough carrying capacity and it just filled up the available space. The new versions don't do that any more, the user has to see to it, that there are actual payload stations that can be filled (and so he has the option to place the tanks with their correct size in the correct position). To make this easy to handle, the Payload Manager dialog has been created, with which you can edit the payload stations of your aircraft at runtime. So there is a chance that you are not carrying enough - check the label above the green tank bar on the main dialog.

 

[FireRx 18]

yeah, the settings didn't help.

it's that one element that was remove the Visual drop density.  the drop that hit the ground I can see a trail of dots with active flame on top on them.  I switched back to build 1.76 and the drops are normal again. 

 

thanks Oliver

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Can you please send me a screenshot of that to my mail account? And please include a really detailed description about what exactly happens and when, and how you are using the app, with what aircraft and (all) settings. This is a really complex application and there are many variables that I have to get exactly right to recreate your issue. Unless I can reproduce it, I cannot troubleshoot this.

Please bear in mind that the visual drop has nothing whatsoever to do with fire extinction - it is there only for eye candy. The drop and hit calculations are done internally, as the simulator is unable to accurately reproduce the real drop anyway. That is no fault of the sim, IMHO calculating the visuals of several tons of water being dropped at high speed into turbulent air while evaporating is in the realm of super computers - and they will not do it in real time either - if they can do it at all (which I doubt). 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hi,

I just made a short test with FFX 1.78 b7 in a helicopter - I cannot detect any issues

- I made a fresh install of 1.78b7 into FSX:SE on my lowly Pentium/Intel HD GPU laptop

- I used the default EH101 helicopter

- Naturally, when starting FFX for the first time with this aircraft, it initially showed a retardant capacity of only 1lb. This is due to the fact that the default Augusta doesn't have enough payload stations loaded up (they are there, but show 0lb load)

- So I called up the Payload manager window in FFX and set the four last payload stations to 1500lb each, pressed "Save changes", the helo reloaded and FFX now shows 6000lb (this is saved to disk, you only have to do it once for each type of aircraft)

- Now I created a fire nearby and flew a few passes.

- The fire was put out correctly and the drops visually looked like they should

I tried using slew mode, but this doesn't work with FFX - as expected. I had to really fly the helicopter.

 

[FireRx 18]

sure Oliver

BtW I'm in Prepar3D V3.4. I will try with your setting and report back.

 

Thank you.

:)

 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

OK, I will try P3D later today too, I don't have it on the laptop (no point). I need my devel system for that.

[FireRx 18]

Fix, Oliver

Fore some reason it didn't "click" in my brain until you mention the "Payload" Manager.    I changed the settings in it, and I'm able lt extinguish fires again.  Does the settings  we put in stay static. or we have to enter them for each aircraft used and fire missions?

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hi,

Glad to hear that!

Yes, these settings are persistent. So the next time you load this aircraft, FFX should know what to do with it.

- the payload stations are set for each aircraft model (because they are written directly to the aircraft.cfg)

- the drop configuration (timer, drop rate, etc.) is saved for each individual livery (into the FFX database)

The crucial information that has to be checked is the small number label above the green tank bar on the main dialog. That number is the load in pounds that you are carrying. If this is very low while the bar is showing all green, you have to consider the Payload Manager for adjustments. Don't forget your fuel load - FFX will warn you if you overload your aircraft, but it will not prevent you from doing it.

For the record: the reason for doing it like this is realism. If you adjust the position and size of the payload stations correctly, their weight will affect your aircraft in flight correctly too. Most larger fire fighting aircraft have more than one tank in different locations. Theoretically you could put payload stations under your wings with the Manager dialog, like external tanks. You won't see them, but their weight will affect the flight characteristics of your aircraft nevertheless.

 

Best regards

[FireRx 18]

nice, 

Thanks Again.  Also will this be x64bit compliant for the next Prepar3D V4?