FSDreamTeam forum
General Category => Unofficial F/A-18 Acceleration Pack board => Topic started by: Orion on December 25, 2014, 04:07:55 am
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(http://i.imgur.com/BsXPc18.png)
Multiplayer Carriers is a program that coordinates the start time of moving AI boats in Microsoft Flight Simulator X to enable carrier ops in multiplayer. This is similar to the previous release of Multiplayer Carriers, but is now rebuilt from the ground up and includes a new user interface as well as an option to specify a custom boat location XML. Happy holidays and enjoy your virtual flights!
Prerequisites:
- Flight Simulator X: Acceleration or Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition (http://store.steampowered.com/app/314160/)
- .NET Framework 4.5 (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30653)
- Javier Fernandez's USS Nimitz (http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=search&fsec=0&fname=USS_NIMITZ_IKE_VERSION2.ZIP)
Installation:
- Download the file below.
- Extract the files contained in the ZIP archive into a new folder.
Uninstallation:
- Remove the folder you created in installation step 2.
Features:
- Time based AI boat synchronization
- Boat directions (bearing and distance)
- Intuitive user interface
- Option to use a custom location file
Usage:
- Launch Multiplayer Carriers after Flight Simulator is open
- Coordinate with everyone else you're flying with and decide on a location
- Coordinate with everyone else you're flying with and decide on a time (make sure to enter it in UTC (Zulu), not local time)
- Go flying!
To request bearing and distance to the carrier, press Tab+Q.
To use a custom location list, run Multiplayer Carriers with the -xml:"URI TO XML" command line argument, where URI TO XML is either a local path or internet path to a locations XML file. Here is an example of a valid XML file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<locations>
<location name="Honolulu">
<title>CVN68_1</title>
<latitude>21.23333</latitude>
<longitude>-157.83333</longitude>
<heading>142</heading>
<throttle>60</throttle>
</location>
<location name="Cape Canaveral">
<title>CVN68_1</title>
<latitude>28.374</latitude>
<longitude>-80.476</longitude>
<heading>160</heading>
<throttle>60</throttle>
</location>
</locations>
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Why is the time appended by Z? What is UTC?
A: In aviation, people use Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), also referred to as Zulu time, to reduce confusion amongst time zones. Multiplayer Carriers refers to all times in real-world UTC to avoid confusion when selecting the boat start time.
Q: Can someone join after a carrier is already moving?
A: As it's to be used in a free flight multiplayer session, yes, but the carrier will not appear in the same location for the newcomer. If you're midway through a flight and someone new joins, you must restart the program and create a new boat.
Q: Why does the carrier show in slightly different positions for different people?
A: Multiplayer Carriers only coordinates the time the boat starts moving. Because boat AI is created locally and has small inconsistencies, discrepancies can still occur.
Q: Why doesn't the HUD track the carrier in multiplayer?
A: If you're using the Sludge Hornet, Combat Hornet, FSX Blue Angels Hornet, or Royale French Navy TACAN gauge, this is a known issue with the gauges.
Q: Is it possible to have the PLAT camera or LSO views, as in the SF Carrier 2 multiplayer mission?
A: No. The custom cameras were implemented as part of the mission system, and are not available in free flight.
Q: Can I refuel? (This was possible in the multiplayer carrier ops missions by going to the lower deck or the tanker.)
A: Not with Multiplayer Carriers, but you can use Jivko Rusev's In-Flight Refueling Gauge (http://simviation.com/1/find-file?fileId=6313). This freeware gauge works in both multiplayer and single player free flight (as well as missions).
Q: All the available locations refer to CVN68_1. What's that?
A: It's the title of one of Javier Fernandez's USS Nimitz models for FSX Acceleration. If you don't have it, you can get it here (http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=search&fsec=0&fname=USS_NIMITZ_IKE_VERSION2.ZIP).
Q: Can I fly in a location not listed? Or can I use a carrier besides Javier's Nimitz?
A: Yes! Run Multiplayer Carriers with the -xml:"URI TO XML" argument (where URI TO XML is either a local path or internet path to a locations XML file) and it will load locations from the specified path rather than the default list. If you'd like to see a particular location in the default list, send me a message and I'll likely be able to add it.
Q: Will this work in single player?
A: Yes, although there are better utilities suited for such situations, such as AI Carriers (http://web.archive.org/web/20100802075258/http://lc0277.nerim.net/wiki/index.php?software).
Download (http://bit.ly/1AflGuL)
Edit (2014-12-30): Made small bug fix to prevent crash where the callback delegate was garbage collected.
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Very nice work dude! This has been sorely needed in FSX for quite some time.