MS/Asobo and opening Weather / Camera SDK to 3rd Parties

[omarsmak30 4,068]

Honestly could be as well technical limitation for not opening the WRITE weather APIs from the start, MSFS is tightly coupled with Meteorblu weather model and could be, the weather depiction engine in MSFS is tailored to work with Meteorblu which 'can be' hard for them to expose, I understand as software engineer. 

Having said that, though personally I am super satisfied with the default weather engine, I think is fair if they give the chance for 3rd party addones like AS to innovate in some shortcoming features, the more the better. Then as consumer, you are free to purchase or just stay with the default weather engine. 

[Damian Clark 1,261]

40 minutes ago, virtualstuff said:

Damian what a nonsense I'm floating a very long time around too and purchased every version of AS in the past and have nothing against HiFi amazing after all those years this statement...

Just because I have now a different opinion and preference which is all in the same framework where possible for several obvious reasons... So I prefer that route nothing to do with HiFi.

Appreciate your past support.  Regret to hear that you and many others no longer support us being able to participate in weather development for FS at any level.  That was my whole point.  I think you've driven it home.

[virtualstuff 758]

14 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

Appreciate your past support.  Regret to hear that you and many others no longer support us being able to participate in weather development for FS at any level.  That was my whole point.  I think you've driven it home.

Wel if I was Asobo I would hire you guys to do it in the same framework 😉 and thank you for all those WX years in the past.

[Iadbound 211]

6 hours ago, IanHarrison said:

Are you saying Chaseplane needs improvement, or you want Chaseplane, as the basic camera system is lacking?

We need Chaseplane. MSFS camera system still needs work. 

[738 73]

4 hours ago, Damian Clark said:

Active Sky Weather Engine is not a graphical enhancement, shader mod, or cloud replacement, even though HiFi has released products in that category (such as Cloud Art).  AS is about weather realism, presentation, data interaction, planning, air effects, curated weather synthesis and depiction that aims to provide the best experience for realism-focused simmers.  That's what we're hoping we can bring (back) to FS if we can get a functional API.

And when you do bring it back, I'm there from day 1 🤞

[Andayle 47]

I just don't understand the argument for not opening up the weather API for external developers. If people are happy with default ASOBO weather that's great carry on using it, it's definitely usable and some of the best default weather we've ever had.  However I would love to see what HIFI and the team could do with the an open API.  Basically if default MSFS weather is good enough for you then use it.  If like me you would like to see what HIFI could do then use that. Best of both worlds.

[Damian Clark 1,261]

35 minutes ago, virtualstuff said:

Wel if I was Asobo I would hire you guys to do it in the same framework 😉 and thank you for all those WX years in the past.

If that had happened, there would have been a limited scope, and it's impossible to create every possible feature and benefit that anyone could every want, so 3rd party weather add-ons and weather API access would still be needed and asked for.  I challenge you to consider that having weather API access available to 3rd parties won't ruin your experience, but rather improve it.  For some folks it will totally transform things for the better.  For others it will just be add-ons they don't want.  For us, it means we get to stay in the flight sim business that we've built up over nearly 3 decades, and can finally make some of the awesome features enabled by a sim like FS2020.  Maybe one day those new features will push things even further as the bar gets raised higher and higher... And maybe some of those features even make it into the base sim, or otherwise help influence further innovation and capability in all areas of flight sim.  I think if you look at Active Sky's history and feature set, and compare it with current sim feature sets, you can see that there was some influence, for the better.

It's been made clear that there are no limitations preventing api access other than a decision.  It's my belief that the decision will be based on public sentiment, and that those deciding are listening.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Damian Clark

[polosim 841]

Several important and some trivial things have been mentioned about the way ASOBO has recreated the weather in MSFS2020. However, no one has mentioned that up to this point, you still can't select a specific sight distance, assign or change the altimeter setting, select a specific temperature, create a WindShear condition, etc.
Elements that are very important to be able to modify when you want to create a specific atmospheric condition for a training session.

[virtualstuff 758]

3 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

If that had happened, there would have been a limited scope, and it's impossible to create every possible feature and benefit that anyone could every want, so 3rd party weather add-ons and weather API access would still be needed and asked for.  I challenge you to consider that having weather API access available to 3rd parties won't ruin your experience, but rather improve it.  For some folks it will totally transform things for the better.  For others it will just be add-ons they don't want.  For us, it means we get to stay in the flight sim business that we've sacrificed nearly 3 decades of our careers for, and can finally make some of the awesome features enabled by a sim like FS2020. 

It's been made clear that there are no limitations preventing api access other than a decision.  It's my belief that the decision will be based on public sentiment, and that those deciding are listening.

Not if you are in the same framework, as for 3d party I do understand your argument and I wish you of course all the best with HiFi.

But I prefer all efforts not in an API but to do some WX work in FS itself (not to have invest in lot of euro/dollars to have a believable environment), that's my opinion at this point in time maybe it will change the future will tell.

I think Sim connect as is isn't robust enough and makes the sim unstable with all those calls from external software programs.

We as simmers are in great time period to be in this hobby and with all those XBOX users making the community pretty large and lot to choose from.

[738 73]

2 minutes ago, polosim said:

Several important and some trivial things have been mentioned about the way ASOBO has recreated the weather in MSFS2020. However, no one has mentioned that up to this point, you still can't select a specific sight distance, assign or change the altimeter setting, select a specific temperature, create a WindShear condition, etc.
Elements that are very important to be able to modify when you want to create a specific atmospheric condition for a training session.

Exactly.

People have and want different possibilities to enhance their simming needs.  

Me, I would like/need the best most accurate weather depiction live I know the HIFI team will deliver on. 

[Iadbound 211]

20 minutes ago, polosim said:

Several important and some trivial things have been mentioned about the way ASOBO has recreated the weather in MSFS2020. However, no one has mentioned that up to this point, you still can't select a specific sight distance, assign or change the altimeter setting, select a specific temperature, create a WindShear condition, etc.
Elements that are very important to be able to modify when you want to create a specific atmospheric condition for a training session.

There are definitely some weaknesses in creating specific conditions.  I should mention. however, that you can change the altimeter and the temperature.  

Edited May 16, 2023 by Iadbound

[turbomax 3,285]

35 minutes ago, polosim said:

However, no one has mentioned that up to this point, you still can't select a specific sight distance, assign or change the altimeter setting, select a specific temperature, create a WindShear condition, etc.
Elements that are very important to be able to modify when you want to create a specific atmospheric condition for a training session.

I did mention that on page one, but too many nay-sayers stepped in as if they were forced into something or loose something else. the keyword here: "addons are optional":

"... there is a lot more to "the current weather" than we currently have, including weather history and programmatic access to weather, for example to create special weather related training scenarios. something that was possible even back in FSX/P3D."

Long live 3rd party devs, without whom flightsimulation wouldn't be what it is today, and Joerg for one knows this very well.

Edited May 16, 2023 by turbomax

[WestAir 2,522]

It always surprises me when people dismiss progress because they are comfortable with the status quo. We'd still be walking around with beepers or flip phones if we listened to everyone who said "It's good enough the way it is."

[738 73]

3 minutes ago, WestAir said:

 We'd still be walking around with beepers or flip phones if we listened to everyone who said "It's good enough the way it is."

Hey, I love my Sony Ericsson! 🤣

Well said.

[virtualstuff 758]

48 minutes ago, WestAir said:

It always surprises me when people dismiss progress because they are comfortable with the status quo. We'd still be walking around with beepers or flip phones if we listened to everyone who said "It's good enough the way it is."

That isn't the argument from me in the contrary it's progress 😉 only the approach is a different one and stated the WX needs work.

Similar to the AAU approach, look at the great Garmin default stuff we have now in the sim...

Amazing to have that as default, look at the environment the first in any sim to explore the world without needing to download GB of stuff.

Is there still room for improvement of course there is 😉 for the record flip phones are hot again 😉 that is for a certain company...

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by virtualstuff