New Active Sky XP 12 update

[jcomm 5,939]

ASXP12 New Open Beta Update | HiFi Simulation Technologies (hifisimtech.com)

Changelog:

Update 010324

• Fixed issue with cumulus clouds creating precip always (related to SDK cloud types)
• Updated Navigraph data with AIRAC cycle 2210
• New hybrid HiFi DataNet and NOAA data download system that uses NOAA for current/live weather and within past 10 days of historical weather, and automatically switches source if previously attempted source fails
• Fixed issue with international sigmet parsing and recent Navigraph Data causing erroneous polygons for some FIR areas
• Improved data coverage and resolution (geographic and temporal aspects)
• Improved airmet/sigmet and storm processing accuracy
• Slightly reduced turbulence effect in general
• Reduced turbulence effect for light aircraft under 2000lbs
• Fixed issue with negative VV elements in METAR strings causing corrupt download issue
• UI Adjustments / fixes for toolbar background color in various pages/screens
• Added new user option (Sim Depiction Options): Disable XP12 temperature setting – This is useful for helicopters, as using the XP12 SDK is causing occasional crashing due to apparent bug with temp layer setting
• Updated documentation to reflect changes

Note: When using NOAA downloads, download process may take longer than HiFi DataNet especially using historical mode, which may take 2-3 minutes on average.  See the Activity status message in the Status section (top right) of the main application home page.

[ohsirus 241]

Still upset at that shoddy upgrade path for previous owners.

[Pe11e 812]

2 hours ago, ohsirus said:

Still upset at that shoddy upgrade path for previous owners.

Incredibly relevant comment regarding the update.

P.S. 10424 is the newest build. It seems they released it on Friday.

Edited January 6 by Pe11e

[ohsirus 241]

21 hours ago, Pe11e said:

Incredibly relevant comment regarding the update.

P.S. 10424 is the newest build. It seems they released it on Friday.

Well if it was like the upgrade path, pretty sure they didn't send a email letting users know.

[Aglos77 170]

Is this add-on worth it?

[jcomm 5,939]

Active Sky has been, since it's early ages, my go-to weather program.

I used it extensively with FSX, P3D and XP11.

I have been using it with XP12 too, and I believe that coupled with VisualXP (which I do not have) it really can make quite a difference, not only visually but also and specially, meteorology-wise...

I also purchased the P3d v6 version and in that sim it is fundamental.

X-Plane's default weather is incomparably superior to that of P3D, but ASXP still offers it's Historic Weather, and helps making the blend between observation and model data smoother.

The problem has always been the SDK, which LR still has to further develop in order for these programs to be able to do an even better job.

I surely miss AS in the sim U use the most these days - MFS 2020...

Edited January 7 by jcomm

[Damian Clark 1,262]

On 1/5/2024 at 4:57 PM, ohsirus said:

Still upset at that shoddy upgrade path for previous owners.

We offered a free upgrade for a limited time that most ASXP owners took advantage of.  We could not continue to offer free upgrade beyond the period we did, due to major business challenges we face, we could not provide a further discount beyond that.  We are trying our best to stay in business so we can continue weather development.   The time and costs required are significant, and we must have at least some compensation to offset things.  

With that, we've learned that offering a free limited time upgrade is something that many users do not appreciate.  So we'll probably eliminate that moving forward, favoring traditional discounted upgrade paths instead.  Thanks for your feedback.

Edited January 8 by Damian Clark

[oldflyguy70 41]

8 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

We offered a free upgrade for a limited time that most ASXP owners took advantage of.  We could not continue to offer free upgrade beyond the period we did, due to major business challenges we face, we could not provide a further discount beyond that.  We are trying our best to stay in business so we can continue weather development.   The time and costs required are significant, and we must have at least some compensation to offset things. 

This is a completely reasonable position.  There was no issue IF the user was a regular visitor to the XP forums or the HiFi website.  It does seem a significant number of users were neither of these.  Perhaps an e-mail to the HiFi (XP) user base would have been appropriate.  I don't know if that is even possible at your end.  Other developers have done this.  

The latest update is very good.  Thank you!  Finally able to "fly" without rain (unless it's really there).

[Damian Clark 1,262]

21 minutes ago, oldflyguy70 said:

This is a completely reasonable position.  There was no issue IF the user was a regular visitor to the XP forums or the HiFi website.  It does seem a significant number of users were neither of these.  Perhaps an e-mail to the HiFi (XP) user base would have been appropriate.  I don't know if that is even possible at your end.  Other developers have done this.  

The latest update is very good.  Thank you!  Finally able to "fly" without rain (unless it's really there).

Thanks for your feedback.

We have had significant issues with mass e-mails and users false flagging for spam/abuse (despite never ever once in 20+ years sending a single spam) causing our mail sending capability to be suspended, which, given our e-mail based account verification system, causes much disruption.  So as a policy we don't send mass e-mails, and since implementing that policy, we have had no suspensions.  We do understand other developers do this despite the suspension risk, but it is not something we can afford.

So instead we provide news and updates in the app directly, including upgrade offers.  We also announced it on our facebook page, HiFi forums, here on AVSIM, and several other social-media locations.

The vast majority of those who did not learn of the free upgrade offer until it had expired had obviously not used ASXP nor visited our forums nor AVSIM during the time we announced this.  We sympathize with that it did not intend to "leave them out", and that's why we're looking at ending free limited upgrade periods and instead using long-term paid upgrades instead moving forward.

Edited January 8 by Damian Clark

[jcomm 5,939]

Thank you Damian for taking the time to come here and make it clear to all of us that above all You / HiFi Technologies are after all trying to keep alive and kicking even in the rather adverse environment that a well known platform has brought to the scene, causing a huge migration from the platforms which were their base income for many years, practically abandoning their users / clients...

For me P3D and in some way XP wouldn't be the same without AS !

All the Best for you and HiFi in 2024 ! Keep the always EXCELLENT work !

[Damian Clark 1,262]

FYI, new updates posted:

Update 011024 (B8775)
-Fixed issue with temperatures forcing to 0C in some cases, causing invalid temperature simulation as well as potential flight stability issues
Update 010424
-Fixed issue related to historical downloads older than 10 days on DataNet resulting in download failure

[dbw1 445]

I missed the free update too and that's the way it goes. Bought it regardless.

It is a great product and the support is excellent so while I do not wish to sound like I'm blowing smoke up the caboose of the developer I'm pleased to help support them....especially for a product as good as this.

Just hope down the road I don't miss any more free upgrades, lol. Manure happens.

[Damian Clark 1,262]

5 hours ago, dbw1 said:

I missed the free update too and that's the way it goes. Bought it regardless.

It is a great product and the support is excellent so while I do not wish to sound like I'm blowing smoke up the caboose of the developer I'm pleased to help support them....especially for a product as good as this.

Just hope down the road I don't miss any more free upgrades, lol. Manure happens.

Thanks very much for your support, and thanks for the support from all our customers.  It is tremendously appreciated.

Edited January 12 by Damian Clark

[Aglos77 170]

I just bought it, can you recommend me how to configure it?

[jcomm 5,939]

9 hours ago, Aglos77 said:

I just bought it, can you recommend me how to configure it?

I just updated to this latest version and installed XP12's latest update to test.

There are IMHO two aspects that can impact more considerably the experience of users, and rise comments regarding the end effects of using ASXP12:

.) To opt or not to opt for "Hybrid mode", where in some way as another well known sim does, blends representation of the aloft / forecast-based weather conditions with the AS-based lower layers, down to METAR level.

The fact that I always found Active Sky doing a remarkable job at the various levels, from ground to the Stratosphere, would suggest that Hybrid mode is a bit "useless", but truth is LR have considerably updated their Weather Model, and now supposedly simulate with more accuracy details such as variable tropopause height, SIGMET, and temperature effects on geopotential height.

These new features aren't probably already available tor 3pds to deal with in their own apps, so, HiFi can't still have proper access to the internals in order to be able to properly model them.

As a result, AS decided to allow for data above a given "transition" altitude / level to be handed to XP's own weather model, while still doing it's "magic" in terms of modulating effects such as those related to turbulence / shear.

At the lower levels AS takes control of the variables and creates "it's own view of the weather".

If an users opts out of Hybrid mode, which is the default if I correctly recall, then AS takes control of the whole weather parametrization.

I am still not sure how AS deals with aspects such as precipitation effects, icing, supercooling, turbulence due to terrain, and more interesting even - geopotential height variation due to very low / very high temperatures, but I will try to find on my tests... My  current belief is that such features are still core-coded into the new XP12 weather model, and not open for external weather injectors.

The geopotential weather effects are very well done in XP12, and have the advantage over the other sim of being present irrespective of Real Weather or Manually defined weather.

.) This may look ridiculous, given the many parameters that the AS interface has to allow users to fine tune the outcome of it's sophisticated engine, but for me a parameter that really can make a whole lot of a difference in terms of user opinion about the effect of ASXP is the one that modulates the overall turbulence, which defaults to 100% and I have found better placed at 50% or even less because out of my very short test flight a couple days ago I found the aircraft bouncing around way to much, reminding me of that other simulator ... I turned it to 40% and found it more adequate...

Then, Zulfi the "Indi Crazy Rotary Piloteeee" ( @Humpty ), tempted me with "VisualXP Light" version, just for the visuals and colours, and I am really eager to install and try that one too, coupled with ASXP.... In P3D (still the 2nd simulator I use the most these days...) "Cloud Art" has always been my Go-To option, but in XP12 the graphics look so ASTOUNDING at times (specially after they partially fixed the wall-cloud effects...) that it's going to take a lot of work to create something in the line of Cloud Art for XP12...

Active Sky and the excellence of HiFi's creations for more than 2 decades! created in 1998 and releasing it's first product in 2002 !!!

I was proud to make part of their beta team since 2005, and as someone directly related (professionally) to Aviation Weather, it has been a pleasure to test and contribute the best I can to the development of their products, but the last years, private life affairs and what we all know happened to this "industry" due to the swallowing effect of a well known platform, has somehow relaxed or practically nill-ed my contribution, but I look forward for a Bright Future for HiFi and it's user community, specially here in X-Plane, a platform not at all affected, since it actually has no competition if we look at it carefully....