Multiplayer Carriers Public Preview

[Orion]

Way to go Orion.

This is so awesome.

Thank you. Very much.

[Mickey_Techy]

Just finished testing it out Orion.

First boob up was I set my local time to 'move' the boat. When it didn't, I was stumped for a moment.... do I set up UTC time or server time.
On a hunch, I used server time, and voila, the boat started to move on its scheduled time.

Working TCN, ILS and also catapults and is compatible with vLSO too.

One one end, just heard the demise of MS Flight has been formally announced, and on other end, we have folks like you, FSXNP, Sludge and Jimi who are still innovating with this platform.

Things couldn't have been better friend. Love you folks.

Mickey

[Mickey_Techy]

Cancel my last transmission Orion.

A few of us friends got together to test it out today and we were not able to syn the boats together at all.
All three of us were from three different continents.

We tried using the server time in MPC time box, but for two of us it wouldn't accept that time with an error message saying 'uncheck' the 'wait for specified time' box.
When we look at the logs, it tells us that it receives a time stamp and the time stamp is UTC. But, all logs after that are time stamped with local computer time.

Question 1 - Which time are all players expected to use to ensure that the boat is synced for all of us.

Question 2 - Are we supposed to hit the 'Go' button (Connect ->Create AI->Go) BEFORE getting into a MP session, or can we do it ever after we are in session (we experimented with both options, and results vary). We are not certain, but it does look like, if the time to start is more than 5 minutes from the time when everyone is in session, the boat do not end up being synced.

Question 3 - Let's say, two of us get into the session together and start the boat 2 minutes after we are both in, and assuming both our boats are synced. Now, if another person joins the session and sets his 'boat start time' to the same time as what us (player 1 and 2) had originally set, and he also "unchecks" the option to 'wait for specified time...". Will all three boats be synced?

Thank you for your time Orion.

Mickey.

PS: A suggestion for next release. Will it be possible to include two new "info boxes" saying, UTC time is... and local time is...... All players set UTC time here:... (this is where everyone types in the UTC time for the boat to start moving. Not everyone amongst us is a college graduate (jk) so, simple instructions like them would help folks like me to be be able to set this up correctly.

[Orion]

Sorry, I should have been more clear.  Only use the "Create AI" and "Go" buttons while you are have a flight loaded.  (Obviously only connect while FSX is running.)  All times correspond to your real world local time (not sim or "server" time, whatever that is), except when otherwise indicated (one log message displays timestamp received and the selected time in UTC).

So, in regards to your questions:

1. The same time, corrected for your local time zone.  A good way to verify that you have selected the correct time amongst your friends is to cross check the "DateTimePicker: [time] UTC" message in the log.
2. It is best to use the program while you already have a flight loaded, and to choose a time close to the present.  Choosing a time further out in the future may drift apart due to imprecise clocks.
3. No.  Deselecting "Wait for specified time before moving carrier." will cause the carrier to immediately set sail when you press "Go."  As I wrote to Capt, "if you're midway through a flight and someone new joins, you would have to restart my program and start from the beginning."

[Mickey_Techy]

That answers a lot of what we saw yesterday.
Thx Orion.

[Orion]

Good - let me know how it works out!

[jimi08]

Awesome work bud!

[Orion]

Thanks Jimi!  Have you had a chance to try it?

[Wood]

Orion

Great job on this. Been testing it out with Mickey as well as myself as well and it works great. Question is there a way or can there be a way to add a location by using co-ordinates and also placing the carrier on a race track pattern. I've been testing your MP carrier exe while having a drivable carrier as our server. It would be great place the carrier at a location using co-ordinates where we could set it a few hundred miles away and fly to it. In any case a fantastic job and thank you.

cheers
Wood

[Orion]

Thanks.

In regards to adding a location:

The locations are currently loaded from the web, saving users the trouble of having to create and share them on their own.  Should someone want a specific location/heading, they can ask me to add it, which I'll likely be able to do (or as in the case of Johan's PNW suggestion, use a reasonable alternate).  It is up to the end user to decide the time amongst their friends and set up the multiplayer session so the wind is ideally (or non ideally, if that's your thing) set.  If user requests for locations become too numerous, I may think of an alternate solution for loading the carrier vectors.

A race track type pattern wouldn't really be viable - see quoted text below:

Due to the new approach, I can only start from a location and go on one set heading - events must be coordinated between multiple clients, and that's quite a lot of hassle, in addition to the variation caused by the random nature of the FS AI engine.

Hope that helps!

[heyvern69]

I haven't tested this out with friends in multiplayer yet.  But went into 1-person "multiplayer" and so far it works good.

The only problem is . . . I don't have the ILS needles.  The ILS needles automatically work with the SAN FRANCISCO v2.5 multiplayer mission.  And the ILS needles work in the SAN DIEGO NATOPS multiplayer mission.  But I get no ILS needles or working MEATBALL with this utility.  Any suggestions?

-Vern

[Mickey_Techy]

I haven't tested this out with friends in multiplayer yet.  But went into 1-person "multiplayer" and so far it works good.

The only problem is . . . I don't have the ILS needles.  The ILS needles automatically work with the SAN FRANCISCO v2.5 multiplayer mission.  And the ILS needles work in the SAN DIEGO NATOPS multiplayer mission.  But I get no ILS needles or working MEATBALL with this utility.  Any suggestions?

-Vern

What frequency are you using Vern?
Because, they work for me.

[Orion]

No ball?  That's a problem.  Have you modified Javier's Nimitz (specifically the CVN68_1 entry) - for example, to make it pilotable?  Does the ball work in either of my multiplayer missions?

Or are you referring to the IFLOLS gauge from the Sludge Hornet?  The gauge is just slaved to the ILS functionality.  When the needles don't work, the IFLOLS gauge won't work either.

Edit: Regarding the ILS: does it work when you use my program in free flight (single player)?  If so, it could possibly be a problem with then HUD.  The carrier actually has no navaids - gauges are just made to simulate having navaids by doing some calculations.  Do you get the same results with the RFN Carrier TACAN gauge or VRS Superhornet (I'm assuming the previous tests were done with then Sludge, Combat, or FSXBA Hornet)?

And as Mickey said, what frequency are you on?  112.00 MHz (or TACAN 57X) is used in the Sludge/Combat/FSXBA Hornets.  This frequency is pre-tuned in the missions.

[heyvern69]

> Have you modified Javier's Nimitz (specifically the CVN68_1 entry) - for example, to make it pilotable?

I don't think I ever made it pilotable.
I did change all the default moving carriers to Javier's Nimitz.


In ALL cases below . . . I am using the newest downloaded version of the Sludge Hornet.


>  Does the ball work in either of my multiplayer missions?

Sludge Hornet ILS needles & ball work fine in both multiplayer missions.  San Diego & San Fran v2.5
ILS needles and ball do NOT work in multiplayer "free flight" mode.

With your new multiplayer utility, I can place a carrier and get it moving, but no IlS needles in free flight.


> Or are you referring to the IFLOLS gauge from the Sludge Hornet?
> The gauge is just slaved to the ILS functionality.
> When the needles don't work, the IFLOLS gauge won't work either.

I agree.  No go on both when in multiplayer "free flight" mode.  But I have needles and IFLOLS in multiplayer missions (San Diego & San Fran).


> Edit: Regarding the ILS: does it work when you use my program in free flight (single player)?

Tough for me to test.  Since the normal install of AI Carriers 2 setup.exe crashes on me hard.  So I had to do a manual install of AI Carriers 2.

A long time ago, I installed AI Carriers 2 and I could press Shift-J to bring up a menu and insert a carrier anywhere on the map.  And then press shift-J to bring up a menu to start the carrier moving.  But Shift-J doesn't work now, since the setup.exe file crashes hard on me.  But the manual install of AI Carriers shows the ILS needles in the HUD just fine when I do multiplayer missions.  Not sure about single player, since I can no longer get a carrier running in single player.

> If so, it could possibly be a problem with then HUD.

Needles work fine with the sludge hornet in your multiplayer missions.  But no go in multiplayer free flight.

> The carrier actually has no navaids - gauges are just made to simulate having navaids by doing some calculations.  Do you get the same results with the RFN Carrier TACAN gauge or VRS Superhornet (I'm assuming the previous tests were done with then Sludge, Combat, or FSXBA Hornet)?

I don't have the VRS Superhornet, or the FSXBA Hornet.  Only the Sludge Hornet.  And I avoid using the default FSX hornet.


> And as Mickey said, what frequency are you on?
> 112.00 MHz (or TACAN 57X) is used in the Sludge/Combat/FSXBA Hornets.
> This frequency is pre-tuned in the missions.

Yes.  I set it to 112.00 (or TACAN 57X), but nothing.

[Orion]

Sorry, here is the test defined in a more rigid form:

Use these for each test:
- Sludge/Combat/FSXBA Hornet HUD
- Radio tuned to 112.00/57X
- Multiplayer Carriers application to create the carrier (contrary to the name, Multiplayer Carriers will work in single player free flight)

Questions for each situation:
A. Does the ILS on the HUD work?
B. Does the ball on the carrier work? (This does not refer to the Sludge Hornet gauge.)

Situations:
1. Single player free flight.
2. Multiplayer free flight.
3. Multiplayer mission.

If I understand, these are the results:

1. Not tested.
2. ILS does not work, nor does the ball on the carrier.
3. ILS works, in addition to the ball on the carrier.

Is that correct?