First Impressions not overwhelming and need some help

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Hi all. Took my first flight with RC last night. hmmm. The ATC voices are certainly jarring. I should have been prepared: I recall this controversy when the product first came out, and it is the reason I waited so long to purchase. I had assumed the issue was overblown, but clearly that is not the case. Definately an acquired taste. I didn't even install the optional pre-recorded chatter. That must be really something. I suppose if everything else blows me away, i can learn to live with them. Although I hope my teenager children don't overhear them, they sound like I'm playing with a child's toy (Speak n Spell). I will take some serious teasing! On to the concerns however:1. When I arrived and exited the taxiway, FS went completely black and froze (not a CTD) at the point I attempt to switch to ground. Not prepared to blame this on RC however. Could be coincidence. Will retry.2. I have considerable AI traffic, using Mytraffic 2006. I have spent a long time cleaning up the callsigns and ensuring they are all in ATC by using EdirVoicePack. I have also made some custom aiport names for the 5-6 smaller airports I frequent. I guess I never thought about the fact that all this work would be lost. In fact, RC is a step backwards. For KRNO, default ATC can say "Reno ATIS" for example, but RC uses the phonetic "Kilo Romeo November Oscar ATIS". The aburdity was real apparent when, for Finnair flight 1293 (as I recall), RC referred to it as "Foxtrot India November November Alpha..." etc. Took so long to issue instructions to that AI aircraft that I started getting scolded for not contacting the next controller (hey! I couldn't get a word in edgewise). Question: Is there a list of the airlines and airports RC can pronounce and a means for editing this, such as EditVoicePack?3. I installed RC on my laptop, which I connect via WideFS. It took some time and much searching to find makerwys.exe. The documentation led me to beleive it would be on the main FS directoty, but I finally found it in the root directory of the laptop and copied it over (after a search here suggested this to me). Could be clearer that this utility comes with RC and not FS. I found FSUIPC and ADvDisp in a modules folder on the laptop, but just left them there as I already have 3.6 intalled and understand I don't need them now.4. I was surprised and diappointed that the ATC sounds come from the tiny speaker on my laptop instead of the sound card/system of the main computer. Flight Keeper sounds and other add ons seem to be able to use the FS installation sound system. I guess, again, I assumed something more seamless.5. How do I get the update and decide whether to install it? I have version 4.0.3623 (or something similar). the link in the RC homepage to update 4.1 patch just takes me to a news page. I searched every inch of the site and couldn't find it. I have read the controversy surrounding whether it causes stutters: I have pentium laptop (although my main FS installation is on an AMD). Will I get stutters? Seems like the issue is with wave files. Since those play on my laptop not the main system, will the laptop get stutters or the main install? I can tolerate the laptop but not the FS install itself.6. The program boasts that it is compatible with FS Passengers but clearly there is one conflict: FS Passengers permits tuning the radios and xpdr by pressing a key followed by the digits. As soon as you start pressing a digit however, RC will respond if the digit is one of the options in the Menu. I could live with this because I want to develop the habit of tuning radios as in real life anyways (starting training soon), but it would have been nice to have been warned.Thanks. I really want to like this program so i am going to give it a few more chances. the ATC logic seems really superb, but it sure a shame that more work couldn't have been done on the audio side of things. Perhaps an audio specialist programmer could have helped. If Microsoft can do it, surely others can do it better.

[jd 57]

>Hi all. Took my first flight with RC last night. hmmm. The>ATC voices are certainly jarring. I should have been>prepared: I recall this controversy when the product first>came out, and it is the reason I waited so long to purchase. >I had assumed the issue was overblown, but clearly that is not>the case. Definately an acquired taste. I didn't even install>the optional pre-recorded chatter. That must be really>something. I suppose if everything else blows me away, i can>learn to live with them. Although I hope my teenager children>don't overhear them, they sound like I'm playing with a>child's toy (Speak n Spell). I will take some serious>teasing! On to the concerns however:>>1. When I arrived and exited the taxiway, FS went completely>black and froze (not a CTD) at the point I attempt to switch>to ground. Not prepared to blame this on RC however. Could>be coincidence. Will retry.>>2. I have considerable AI traffic, using Mytraffic 2006. I>have spent a long time cleaning up the callsigns and ensuring>they are all in ATC by using EdirVoicePack. I have also made>some custom aiport names for the 5-6 smaller airports I>frequent. I guess I never thought about the fact that all>this work would be lost. In fact, RC is a step backwards. >For KRNO, default ATC can say "Reno ATIS" for example, but RC>uses the phonetic "Kilo Romeo November Oscar ATIS". The>aburdity was real apparent when, for Finnair flight 1293 (as I>recall), RC referred to it as "Foxtrot India November November>Alpha..." etc. Took so long to issue instructions to that AI>aircraft that I started getting scolded for not contacting the>next controller (hey! I couldn't get a word in edgewise). >Question: Is there a list of the airlines and airports RC can>pronounce and a means for editing this, such as>EditVoicePack?if the ai's name hasn't been recorded, then it is spelled out. finnair is definately there. whatever fsuipc see's as the ai's callsign is what i'm looking up to see if i have a .wavdo you have fshotseat? they do something with the callsign via fsuipc, which makes it hard for me to determine the ai's name. maybe someone can explain what you have to do to make it work. i forgetif the airport name hasn't be recorded (about 108 i think were recorded), then it is spelled out.>>3. I installed RC on my laptop, which I connect via WideFS. >It took some time and much searching to find makerwys.exe. >The documentation led me to beleive it would be on the main FS>directoty, but I finally found it in the root directory of the>laptop and copied it over (after a search here suggested this>to me). Could be clearer that this utility comes with RC and>not FS. I found FSUIPC and ADvDisp in a modules folder on the>laptop, but just left them there as I already have 3.6>intalled and understand I don't need them now.it was in the root, because there was no registry entry for flight simulator, and the install program defaults to the root, when there is no registry entry for the path. same for fsuipc and advdisp (which you don't need with the latest fsuipc)>>4. I was surprised and diappointed that the ATC sounds come>from the tiny speaker on my laptop instead of the sound>card/system of the main computer. Flight Keeper sounds and>other add ons seem to be able to use the FS installation sound>system. I guess, again, I assumed something more seamless.the sound is being generated by the program rc, which is running on the laptop. that is where the sound comes out. i can't throw the sound over to the fs machine. but you can take a patch cable, plug it into the headphones jack of the laptop, plug it into the audio in of the fs machine, and then the sound goes out the laptop, into the fs machine, and plays there>>5. How do I get the update and decide whether to install it? >I have version 4.0.3623 (or something similar). the link in>the RC homepage to update 4.1 patch just takes me to a news>page. I searched every inch of the site and couldn't find it.> I have read the controversy surrounding whether it causes>stutters: I have pentium laptop (although my main FS>installation is on an AMD). Will I get stutters? Seems like>the issue is with wave files. Since those play on my laptop>not the main system, will the laptop get stutters or the main>install? I can tolerate the laptop but not the FS install>itself.there is a link in the email, where you received your key where you can get the update. there is no rhyme or reason who gets stutters, and who doesn't. since you are running via widefs, i can almost guarantee you won't have stutters on the fs machine>>>6. The program boasts that it is compatible with FS Passengers>but clearly there is one conflict: FS Passengers permits>tuning the radios and xpdr by pressing a key followed by the>digits. As soon as you start pressing a digit however, RC>will respond if the digit is one of the options in the Menu. >I could live with this because I want to develop the habit of>tuning radios as in real life anyways (starting training>soon), but it would have been nice to have been warned.go into the keyboard options screen, and change the menu options from 1 to ctrl-shift-1. then you can press your digits. press ctrl-shift-1 for the rc menu>>Thanks. I really want to like this program so i am going to>give it a few more chances. the ATC logic seems really>superb, but it sure a shame that more work couldn't have been>done on the audio side of things. Perhaps an audio specialist>programmer could have helped. If Microsoft can do it, surely>others can do it better.maybe you didn't read how ms did it. i think you will be surprised with 4.01jd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Thanks JD. I am really hoping to come to love the program. Your replies were helpful. The sound issue and the program locations were not important issues, just little things that I noticed. I will look forward to to the patch. No FShotseat, but I may have gotten the specific example (finnair) wrong as it happened last night and i wrote the post this morning. The general idea is correct however.I am more concerned about ATC phonetics (ignoring the robotic speech, which i understand would be difficult to do something about). Is there some place to acquire a list of the airports, callsigns, and aircraft types that RC ATC can say? I have very conscientously edited every aircraft.cfg for my payware and AI aircraft to standardize their ATC Type and Model according to the official FAA abbreviations and to bring them in line with MSFS speech capablities, e.g., F100 for a Fokker 100 or CH46 for a Chinook Sea Knight helo. I would like to make sure that my type codes conform to RC's list so RC labels them correctly. Also i would like to see what airlines RC can use call signs. Thanks

[jd 57]

and i based all the ai's names on what they are called by default in the ultimate traffic and my traffic, etc. so if you've changed all their names, i'm not going to find them in my lists, and pronounce them phonetically.if you look in rcv4datac4.csv (open with notepad) you will see all the ai that i have wavs for. the first field is what i'm expecting to find, the second field is the .wav i'm going to play.airport names can be found by looking for a_*.wav in any of the winwood directoriesjd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Thanks again jd. I didn't change them as much as I made sure they were standardized. My Traffic is a bit sloppy here (misspellings, inconsistencies, etc.) I will take a look at c4.csv. Can aircraft and airports be added by editing this file and adding a wave file?In the meantime, credit where credit is due: The voices in v4.01 are MUCH better. Didn't notice any stutters with the patch either, so you were correct. Thanks

[jd 57]

for the airports, ai names, etc, you have to have each pilot, and each controller record the new wavs, and then they have to be normalized and lot of other techy stuff, before you can use themjd

[Mike S KPDX 597]

'maybe you didn't read how ms did it'uh, where does one read this??

[jd 57]

i forget the location/url. it was a good read.

[Guest jtek]

>i forget the location/url. it was a good read.http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimul...mbledvoices.asp

[Guest jboweruk]

I have to say I didn't notice any issues, except the first evening when it took my keypresses a good few seconds to lead to the pilot actually saying anything, but last night that had gone away. Fine now. I do use FSHS and don't really take much notice of what ATC calls anything, it honestly doesn't worry me that Redding Muni. becomes Kilo Delta Romeo Romeo, things like this are very minor issues in an otherwise much better ATC environment than FS' own. Hey, I don't even get backrammed anymore by AI planes, or go arounds.BTW with the keys I just added Ctrl in front to do it, only to find I'd missed 7. ouch, just my luck to get a Xponder code of 4272 :(

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Hi John. Good to see you again (Don't get over to FSPassengers forum much these days). I've sorted a few of these things out and I think I was unintentionally a little harsh initially. For example, the voices are now much better with the patch. Also, I've come to appreciate tuning the radios by hand versus the keyboard shortcut that FsP allowed me to use. I know there is a work around but I always felt a little guilty using the FsP shortcut, so I used the conflict as an excuse to do things the right way. Rather pleased with myself I must say! I had invested a great deal of time in EditVoicePack--tweaking and prefecting things so I still miss the option to bring some of the call signs, etc, up to speed. But I've done about a dozen flights so far and it is clear that I'm not going back. I guess actions speak louder than words. I also appreaciate that jd has been patient working with me to solve a few problems. I tend to be loyal to developers who are loyal to their customers. And, as you imply, the forest is nice even if a few trees are problems. Cheers,