ActiveSky FS Released

[Damian Clark 1,272]

7 hours ago, Gumerson said:

Minutes ago, around LEMI very very poor clouds at my taste with ASFS

Real clouds around LEMI, ASFS CLOUDS, MSFS CLOUDS, XENVIRO2020 CLOUDS

https://imgur.com/a/trghZnM

Why these flat clouds, like in the first editions of ASP3D V.5?

I had to deactivate Xenviro2020, I have bought every version ever made of Active Sky, I really want to love it but this cloud depiction are so poor...

I got the screenshots minutes ago while live streaming 

If somebody wants to see the video PM, please. I'm not here for spaming my youtube channel.

 

Regards

 

You apparently dislike stratus clouds, which many have asked for with ASFS and we were eager to provide.  You seem to like cumulus only.  It's a very popular sentiment from those who don't have an abundance of weather/aviation experience.  We hear you.  Stratus aren't as "pretty" as cumulus.  We're considering an option to prevent stratus layers, for those who don't care for these realistic layers.  This will likely be added to the "easy mode" button.  Thanks for your feedback.

[Damian Clark 1,272]

3 hours ago, Rene_Feijen said:

I had the same problem, in Task Manager ActiveSkyUtils.exe was not running. Deinstalled the connector and ...same problem. BUT. I noticed no mentioned Addons folder in the ASFS folder. But while installing I saw very short that Addon folder apparently was added... somewhere... with Roaming in it. So I searched  AND: I found it, but it was not in my Community folder (which I have on a handpicked location, and always found by other installation programs) but in the 

C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\HiFi\AS_FS\AddonFolder

Ran the ActiveSkyUtils.exe et voila... ASFS now works. Now I have only to test it yet.

There's some false positive AV blocking on this location that we've seen that causes this, with some.  Bitdefender has been named.  Excluding/allowing the location resolves the issue (you'll need to install AS_FSConnectorInstall.exe again).

[Fiorentoni 4,262]

As for the negative reviews by some Youtubers / Twitchers - GSX had abysmal first reviews when it released. It was even way worse in that regard, people tore it apart. By now GSX is being used by almost anybody, foremost by most streamers. If it's good and useful and adds to the experience, ActiveSky will be just as successful in the long run. A product with a reliable quality always finds its way sooner or later.

[cyyzrwy24 127]

6 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

There's some false positive AV blocking on this location that we've seen that causes this, with some.  Bitdefender has been named.  Excluding/allowing the location resolves the issue (you'll need to install AS_FSConnectorInstall.exe again).

Nope...that  doesn't work....I  am at EHAM and heavy rain and cloud....SIM is sunny like you  are in Havana...take a look. Excluded in Virus protection and util ran again....

 

https://imgur.com/a/Aeaez53

[cyyzrwy24 127]

15 minutes ago, Damian Clark said:

There's some false positive AV blocking on this location that we've seen that causes this, with some.  Bitdefender has been named.  Excluding/allowing the location resolves the issue (you'll need to install AS_FSConnectorInstall.exe again).

BTW from the log...it is connected but weather is not displayed...

2:20:57 PM:0061-Sim general message:Sim Connect Pre Attempt: Connected = False
2:20:57 PM:0061-Sim general message:Sim Msg: simconnect is null ...
2:20:57 PM:0065-Sim general message:Sim Msg: Connection request sent ...
2:20:57 PM:0068-Sim general message:Init Data Request Start
2:20:57 PM:0076-Sim general message:Init Data Request Finish
2:20:57 PM:0076-Sim general message:Sim Connect Post Attempt: Connected = False
2:21:07 PM:0055-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:21:17 PM:0066-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:21:27 PM:0072-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:21:37 PM:0083-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:21:47 PM:0084-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:21:57 PM:0092-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:22:07 PM:0115-Sim general message:NoEventsReceived!
2:22:07 PM:0120-Sim general message:Sim Msg: Connected to the sim
2:35:24 PM:0685-Sim general message:Sim Connect Pre Attempt: Connected = True
2:35:24 PM:0685-Sim general message:Sim Msg: simconnect is null ...
2:35:24 PM:0686-Sim general message:Sim Msg: Connection request sent ...
2:35:24 PM:0686-Sim general message:Init Data Request Start
2:35:24 PM:0686-Sim general message:Init Data Request Finish
2:35:24 PM:0686-Sim general message:Sim Connect Post Attempt: Connected = True
2:35:24 PM:0730-Sim general message:Sim Msg: Connected to the sim
 

 

[Claudius_ 326]

41 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

No, there's no cloud turbulence in MSFS default. 100%. Or did you mean 2024?
Of course it's possible to have turbulence within clouds in MSFS default, but that's caused by winds or terrain in those cases. There's no native cloud turbulence in MSFS 2020.

I have heard that the cloud turbulence will be in the next FS20 update, or in FS24 at least.

[Bobsk8 12,782]

4 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

As for the negative reviews by some Youtubers / Twitchers - GSX had abysmal first reviews when it released. It was even way worse in that regard, people tore it apart. By now GSX is being used by almost anybody, foremost by most streamers. If it's good and useful and adds to the experience, ActiveSky will be just as successful in the long run. A product with a reliable quality always finds its way sooner or later.

You want to get a bum review

about a new product, watch the first few You tube videos by clueless people.

[mmcmah 417]

46 minutes ago, David Mills said:

Here's a just-posted, in-depth review on YouTube:

 

I tend to like Gav's streams and I'm sure many in MSFS have checked out his videos. His experience in this video was the polar opposite of mine, though. I didn't have the exclusively thin clouds that he did and in all occasions, ASFS was at least as good as MSFS live weather and usually much better.

One thought for all who are looking at this, how closely the depiction looks seems to be obviously tied to how old the METAR is. A clear drawback of the data as opposed to forecast data, which is what MSFS and Meteoblue seen to use to a great extent. 

Another thing might be related to the default and Preeet settings. The first thing I did when launching it the first time was set everything with the Realistic setting. I don't know if that changed the graphics being rendered, but it's worked for me. I also set the update time to 15 minutes and the transitions (pre the beta update, which I can't try until later) to 5 (instead of the default 50).

Finally, don't forget that this can be paired with MSFS Live weather in Passive mode (so it's not either/or) and also, historical weather is fantastic. I mentioned earlier that I was able to relive the Dubai weather from a few days ago, with PSXT showing me the real traffic from that time. It was, to use an overused expression, immersive.

PS - turbulence and wake turbulence can really get you.

[Fiorentoni 4,262]

3 minutes ago, mmcmah said:

A clear drawback of the data as opposed to forecast data, which is what MSFS and Meteoblue seen to use to a great extent. 

Mh, forecast data means it could be just as wrong (or even more wrong) if the forecast does not "hit". I think in regards to clouds both MSFS default and AS will be different from real life outside of the window, no matter what. But no one uses the sim to see what the weather is outside of his window, so in the end what really matters is how "good" / plausible it looks (visually and variety) and how correct the depictions is compared to the METAR, in regards to IFR procedures.

Edited April 19 by Fiorentoni

[mmcmah 417]

1 minute ago, Fiorentoni said:

in the end what really matters is how "good" / plausible it looks (visually and variety)

Agreed

[MarcG 3,019]

8 hours ago, Gumerson said:

Minutes ago, around LEMI very very poor clouds at my taste with ASFS

Real clouds around LEMI, ASFS CLOUDS, MSFS CLOUDS, XENVIRO2020 CLOUDS

https://imgur.com/a/trghZnM

Why these flat clouds, like in the first editions of ASP3D V.5?

I had to deactivate Xenviro2020, I have bought every version ever made of Active Sky, I really want to love it but this cloud depiction are so poor...

I got the screenshots minutes ago while live streaming 

If somebody wants to see the video PM, please. I'm not here for spaming my youtube channel.

 

Regards

 

You're using a real picture comparison that is from ground level and comparing it to pictures in Sim from above the cloud layer....try again.

[Damian Clark 1,272]

22 minutes ago, cyyzrwy24 said:

Nope...that  doesn't work....I  am at EHAM and heavy rain and cloud....SIM is sunny like you  are in Havana...take a look. Excluded in Virus protection and util ran again....

 

https://imgur.com/a/Aeaez53

I was referring to the issue with ASutils not running preventing a sim connection.  Different thing.

If you're not getting wx injected, that's covered here: https://forums.hifisimtech.com/threads/toolbar-mods.14820/

Hope that helps.

Edited April 19 by Damian Clark

[FPVSteve 36]

Faroe Islands (EKVG)


Active Sky "Preset" mode:


Active Sky "Passive" mode:

For me, the "Preset" mode works very well (screenshot 2) - it seems more plausible to look at than the default rendering. It's a cold evening in the Faroe Islands. Dull, heavy looking sky. I like it. The cloud layers are much more defined as you travel through them too.

METAR: 191750Z 18004KT 9999 BKN030 OVC058 04/M03 Q1024 RMK AS

 

Nice work, Hifi Simulations.

[MrBitstFlyer 3,882]

1 hour ago, David Mills said:

Here's a just-posted, in-depth review on YouTube:

 

What strange comparisons.  Real world flat layer cloud.  AS flat layer cloud but MS big puffy cumulus.  Nearly every comparison was like this.

[FPVSteve 36]

180 degrees in the other direction (EKVG):

Preset mode:

Passive mode:

Preset mode looks a lot more plausible again (to my eyes).