HiFi Developing Active Sky for MSFS

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

2 minutes ago, Mike S KPDX said:

but... but... that is literally exactly what we requested on the MS forum, to "Open up the weather system to 3rd party devs" ?

They mean the SDK or the parameters there in.  Don't take things so literal.  Everyone else might not have the correct definition of what the SDK is or means.

Read Damian's post right above yours.

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

1 minute ago, ryanbatcund said:

Great response from HiFi!

For users who want nothing to do with 3rd party weather or 3rd party devs...just go use Xbox haha.  

Asobo touted Community and 3rd party developers before MSFS RTM.  I think it's time they actually do this.

 

ASOBO themselves have a stated goal to make this a hard core sim FIRST.  In order to do that, you can't lock yourselves or 3PDs out.  You need to construct the sim in way that all these variables can be accessed and controlled.  It sounds like they baked the cake and don't remember the ingredients they used to make another...lol.

I'm sure this will all come out in the wash pretty soon, but until then we need this basic functionality in the sim.

[ryanbatc 12,857]

1 minute ago, Jeff Nielsen said:

ASOBO themselves have a stated goal to make this a hard core sim FIRST.  In order to do that, you can't lock yourselves or 3PDs out.  You need to construct the sim in way that all these variables can be accessed and controlled.  It sounds like they baked the cake and don't remember the ingredients they used to make another...lol.

I'm sure this will all come out in the wash pretty soon, but until then we need this basic functionality in the sim.

This is a true statement....  but I think the business part from parent corp Microsoft got in the way (early release etc etc).  I just think of all those youtube streamer people who received free hardware.  These people have millions of viewers sometimes.  IDK though, it's not all bad.  Everyone starts somewhere.  I started with FS5.0 and now I'm a pilot and ATC.  Flight Simulator is pretty much where my interest of aviation came from.  Sometimes we get too stuck in the "I want it now" - I do think Asobo will deliver.... I just hope it's not too long from now.  While flying P3D and XP11 with my precious addons is nice....I have a harder time going back to them after seeing the environment in MSFS.

[Mike S KPDX 597]

12 minutes ago, Jeff Nielsen said:

They mean the SDK or the parameters there in.  Don't take things so literal.  Everyone else might not have the correct definition of what the SDK is or means.

Read Damian's post right above yours.

Point well made Jeff, thank you.

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

10 minutes ago, ryanbatcund said:

This is a true statement....  but I think the business part from parent corp Microsoft got in the way (early release etc etc).  I just think of all those youtube streamer people who received free hardware.  These people have millions of viewers sometimes.  IDK though, it's not all bad.  Everyone starts somewhere.  I started with FS5.0 and now I'm a pilot and ATC.  Flight Simulator is pretty much where my interest of aviation came from.  Sometimes we get too stuck in the "I want it now" - I do think Asobo will deliver.... I just hope it's not too long from now.  While flying P3D and XP11 with my precious addons is nice....I have a harder time going back to them after seeing the environment in MSFS.

Yeah, maybe.

Personally I think their weather system is brilliant, they just need a way of merging the two.  That's been kind of the holy grail of weather add-ons to date, and to make them smooth.  It can't be that easy, but I think they can do it as well.

In the end, they took a huge bite out of the apple, if not trying to swallow it whole, and what they came out with to date is amazing; but maybe just a bit to much for starters.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Jeff Nielsen

[Damian Clark 1,261]

8 minutes ago, Jeff Nielsen said:

They mean the SDK or the parameters there in.  Don't take things so literal.  Everyone else might not have the correct definition of what the SDK is or means.

Great point.  To be clear, we've always been hoping for/asking for SDK weather functions (get the weather conditions at a location, set the weather conditions at a location, most basically) and NOT any kind of opening up of Meteoblue internals or their IP.  These BASIC functions CAN be done using non-SDK methods as there are already 3 add-ons doing this as everyone is aware.  They are just not official nor supported and may not always work, and certainly won't be interoperable or compatible with other add-ons without specialized add-on to add-on integration.  So it's a little bit messy, and certainly restricted in what it "could be", but it does work for the most part.

 

Our original delay and reluctance to work on non-official weather interfacing was based on public videos from MS/Asobo developers during their developer chats, where they stated that they were not yet done with the weather system, would rather weather developers wait, and they didn't like the kind of unofficial interfacing that has been done in the past.  So out of respect to them, we waited.  Now they've officially killed this wish list item, setting this item to "Not Planned", so we are not waiting any longer.

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

1 minute ago, Damian Clark said:

Great point.  To be clear, we've always been hoping for/asking for SDK weather functions (get the weather conditions at a location, set the weather conditions at a location, most basically) and NOT any kind of opening up of Meteoblue internals or their IP.  These BASIC functions CAN be done using non-SDK methods as there are already 3 add-ons doing this as everyone is aware.  They are just not official nor supported and may not always work, and certainly won't be interoperable or compatible with other add-ons without specialized add-on to add-on integration.  So it's a little bit messy, and certainly restricted in what it "could be", but it does work for the most part.

 

Our original delay and reluctance to work on non-official weather interfacing was based on public videos from MS/Asobo developers during their developer chats, where they stated that they were not yet done with the weather system, would rather weather developers wait, and they didn't like the kind of unofficial interfacing that has been done in the past.  So out of respect to them, we waited.  Now they've officially killed this wish list item, setting this item to "Not Planned", so we are not waiting any longer.

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on how, or if, you could get actual visibility in to the sim...hehe 🙂 That seems to be the trickiest from what I've heard.

[RW1 615]

3 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

Now they've officially killed this wish list item, setting this item to "Not Planned", so we are not waiting any longer.

I`m a day 1 buyer.

[Damian Clark 1,261]

4 minutes ago, Jeff Nielsen said:

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on how, or if, you could get actual visibility in to the sim

Too early to go into that.  Most of the issues you see with the current add-ons will also affect our add-on, since these are "unofficial" very limited methods.  It's about what we can do to tune, adjust, work around and improve issues using our talents and experience with things like this.  As an active IFR pilot who's number 1 development goal is to make the product >I< want to use, proper IMC is very high on the list.

[baxterbj 77]

Welcome HiFi,

I am a ASCA and ASP3D user and have been with you for many years through all the P3d changes.

Your support and professionalism is second to none, I still use P3d and enjoy very much your weather engine.

I also now a MSFS convert, and can only say, welcome aboard, the current cloud system really needs an injection of HiFi.

 

Kind Regards

Brian (BJ from OZ)

[Adrian123 1,015]

Just now, baxterbj said:

Your support and professionalism is second to none, I still use P3d and enjoy very much your weather engine.

The best in the business along with Jean Luc Reality XP.

[Los 416]

1 hour ago, ryanbatcund said:

Sometimes we get too stuck in the "I want it now" - I do think Asobo will deliver.... I just hope it's not too long from now. 

This... and then...

54 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

Now they've officially killed this wish list item, setting this item to "Not Planned", so we are not waiting any longer.

This... makes me think best to wait for official improvements rather than ad hoc changes on the fringes, at a cost no less - not freeware as from current list of modders, which can become inoperative with each update, screams caveat emptor - buyer beware...

[Adrian123 1,015]

1 minute ago, Cmcollazo71 said:

best to wait for official improvements rather than ad hoc changes on the fringes,

Good luck!!!

[Los 416]

1 minute ago, Adrian123 said:

Good luck!!!

Thanks!!! 😁

[ryanbatc 12,857]

3 minutes ago, Cmcollazo71 said:

This... and then...

This... makes me think best to wait for official improvements rather than ad hoc changes on the fringes, at a cost no less - not freeware as from current list of modders, which can become inoperative with each update, screams caveat emptor - buyer beware...

I'm totally onboard for HiFi /REX / whomever to get an actual LIVE weather setup going though.  Even if Asobo gets the live weather working I'd still buy from HiFi.