Area16 commands no longer supported in Fs9?

[Guest raf]

Hi there,I exported some small scenery I made for fs2002 into Fs2004. Apart some minor bug (easy to fix) I noticed that my hardened elevated surfaces (like an heliport on a building's roof) are not 'hard' anymore. I checked the Scasm documentation and Manfred says these commands won't be likely supported anymore in Fs versions after Fs2000/2002.Is really possible that there's no way to make hardened elevated surfaces in Fs9?? Is there any BGLC code for that?Any tip is welcome, thanks.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...14591&mode=full

[Guest raf]

I must dwell upon my theory, unfortunately.After deeper tests and crosschecks on different systems, I came to the conclusion that Area16 commands are no longer supported in Fs9 if this's run under WinXP.The code I handcompiled is quite the same than the one described in the Scasm 2.88 manual and reported at the topic pointed out by rhumbaflappy; it's also the same generated by FSDS2, but it's not working in Fs9 on my WinXP system, while it's working in Fs9 on my Win98SE system. It was working fine everywhere in Fs2002, of course.I also had a try on a third system, run by WinXP, and the result was the same: the a/c deeps through the elevated surface.Does any of you know if there's another way to harden surfaces in Fs9?Does anyone know the BGLC code for that, if any?Please help me, I'm in a real trouble......

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi raf.The BGL created by SCASM is virtually the same that would be created by BGLC. The compilers ( and their syntax ) are different, but the endcode is identical.Not all Area16 commands work in FS2002, but the ones that do work also work in FS2004.There is no difference in the functionality of FS2004, whether it is run on '98 or 'XP.Unless you give us the SCASM code created that you believe fails, we cannot check it. It can be attached as a TXT file to a post, or you can include the BGL as well... in that case as a zipped attachment.Without the code, we can't verify anything.Dick

[Guest JR Morgan]

Hi Dick and all. Dick, I'm surprised you've abandoned the dummy AdvBldg based elevated pads?I've been testing them quite a bit and haven't found any problems with them so-far. What is it you've found that's bad? Below isan API macro I mostly use nowadays allowing Elevatable, Re-Sizable, and Heading Adjustable Pads (or hardened surfaces w/o bitmap):;======================================================; Re-Sizable-Elevatable-Heading Adjustable Helipad API Macro by J.R. Morgan Jr.; Copyright SCASM by Manfred Moldenhauer - Concept by Dick Ludowise; %1=Latitude; %2=Longitude; %3=Not Used; %4=Scale; %5=Heading -- Adjusts directional rotation of bitmap and lights; %6=Desired Length & Width* of Helipad; %7=Half the value of %6; %11=Desired Altitude if elevated pad is desired: NOTE 1: If invisible elevated surface is desired, a transparent 256 x bitmap can be substituted.: NOTE 2: If no lights or strobes are desired, comment-out all lines between ":Lights" & ";Dummy; AdvBldg" AND the D4 label-- If lights & strobes are desired; Un-Comment same.;====================================================== Area( 5 %1 %2 30 ) PerspectiveCall( :D0 ) Jump( : ):D0 Perspectivemif( %11 ) RefPoint( 2 :Lights %4 %1 %2 E= %11 V1= 10000 V2= 250 ) melse RefPoint( 7 :Lights %4 %1 %2 V1= 10000 V2= 250 ) mifend RotatedCall( :R0 0 0 %5 ) Return:R0 ZBias( 1 ) LoadBitmap( 0 5 EF 255 255 255 "Heliprt.bmp" ); OR desired 256 X 256 bitmap Smoothing( 1 ) Points( 1 -%7 0 %7 %7 0 %7 %7 0 -%7 -%7 0 -%7 ) ShadedTexPoly( m 0 32767 0 0 1 0 255 2 255 255 3 255 0 4 0 0 ) Smoothing (0):Lights; Helipad Border Lights ; IfVarRange( :Strobes 028c 0002 0004 ); LineColor( 10 F0 ); DotLine( %7 0 %7 -%7 0 %7 16 ) ; 1; DotLine( -%7 0 %7 -%7 0 -%7 16 ) ; 2; DotLine( -%7 0 -%7 %7 0 -%7 16 ) ; 3; DotLine( %7 0 -%7 %7 0 %7 16 ) ; 4;:Strobes; Helipad Corner Strobe Lights ; IfVarAnd( :D4 282 5555 ); RGBLColor( EF 255 255 255 ); Brightness( 100 ) ; Dot( %7 0 %7 ); Dot( -%7 0 %7 ); Dot( -%7 0 -%7 ); Dot( %7 0 -%7 );Dummy AdvBldg AdvBldg( NORMAL %6 %6 LEVEL1 0 0 256 256 LEVEL2 0 0 256 256 256 LEVEL3 0 0 256 256 ROOF 0 256 256 ) Return;:D4 ReturnEndAThe above macro is commented for no display of night lights or corner strobes.Removal of the 'comment 'apostrophes' before lines per NOTE 2 above yeilds the lights.* %6 & %7 can be manipulated to change the length & widthof an elevated hard surface.J.R

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi JR.I got sidetracked with a post by Daniel Greenwood, who had made a long bridge that he wanted to land on. I tried the advanced building, it didn't work right, and then I tried SetElevation, and it did work OK in FS9.Whew!I should have returned to the advanced building code to see what I had actually done wrong, as you say it does work.One problem with that bridge was the length.. and another was that the heading given by 'shift-z' is magnetic not true... TDFCalc2004 now gives true heading for problems like these.It was a surprise to find the SetElevation code does seem to work correctly in FS9, as it didn't work right in FS2002.In this thread, the assumation is that no Area16 code works in FS9... and I don't think that is right to assume. I had hoped some code would get posted... but you know how that goes.I'll play with some more advanced buildings over the next weekend, and see how I do with them... and play some more with the SetElevation code as well.It's too bad MS didn't improve the object creation process to allow a hardened surface to be attached to the gmaxed object... FSRegen just uses the SetElevation code which coincides with the objects placement.Dick

[Guest JR Morgan]

OK Dick; Roger all the above. I was surprised to see your comments that the Area16 'set elevation' stuff is working as well as it does in FS9. I sure had lots of disappointments with trying to use it in FS8 -- and your discoveries of using the zero height AdvBldgs really filled the bill to solve that problem.'Not sure it's the bridge you're talking about but if it's that new San Diego bridge I saw a picture of on this forum, it might be quite a hassle to 'follow the elevation curvature(s) of that bridge :-). Have you tried using a VERY long and 'skinny' AdvBldg under it.Well, I'm about through configuring my computer rebuild job with XPHome clean installed on a new HD. I think XP is gonna be a keeper.BTW, In XP, I can now reload modified scenery the way you described (start-up flight from desktop Icon linked to the flight in 'My DocumentsFlt Sim 9 folder' to cut down on the re-boot FS9 time. I must confess though - that I'm still using my on-the-fly method of switching to a distant scenery (airport or flight) and then re-selecting the flight viewing the active scenery in work. It's at least 10 seconds faster than the other way and no CD4 activity occurrs during using it.Also, I was happily surprised that now, with the XP OS, I can again drag and drop source code onto a SCASM Icon on the desktop for quick compiling of experimental code whacks. I had it working previously in Win98 but somewhere along the line I think I "outsmarted myself" during "cleaning-up" the registry.I'm waiting with 'baited breath' to see if you guys come up with a quick/easy way to do VTP2 lines for bridges and roads in FS9. I need roads in the worst way because M$ blew most of the default roads in the area I'm working-in and I'm sworn to not use any flattens (if possible) in scenery for FS9. -- Guess I ought to at least test it though; but it was sure a mess in FS8 whenever departing and returning to LOD areas that had flattens tweaking the ground elevations (as in elevated invisible runways :-().'Later;J.R