mSparks43

Just a quick progress report of the 0.8.7 Beta update, and a place to discuss any issues. Android companion applications for 0.8.7 rolled out last weekend and now seem stable. If you spot a layout issue, please post a screenshot so I know where to look to fix it. There were a lot of layout issues in landscape mode which are hopefully fixed now, but I may not of caught all of them. An updated plugin is ready, just needs some more testing against the new AI Server to make sure nothing is badly broken there when I make the switch. new AI server is now completing its unit tests - not passing all of them, but at least not breaking on long runs. Both the plugin and the phone app need to be on 0.8.7 before I can make the switch to the new AI Server. Even if I don't have the new AI server passing all its tests this week I'll put the current plugin build online this weekend since there are already numerous improvements over 0.8.69 against the existing AI Server.

There is no registration as such, I have no interest in your personal details, don't want or need your email address and certainly dont require any password system. There is however a "special way" to register your callsign when you first connect:

Why I dont see any options to register a username or define my aircraft?

Move to payware: Once 0.8.7 is out of Beta, AutoATC will be moving to a payware model, similar to that of X-Plane. The flight model for AI aircraft will be additionally be bundled the plugin, (voice recognition will still require the android companion app), but without purchasing a key (or connecting via the paid android application), plugin run time will be limited to 15 minutes.

AutoATC is a fairly complex piece of software that is not yet quite perfect. You can follow known issues and add new ones you find on the GitHub issues page: https://github.com/mSparks43/XPlane-11-AutoATC-plugin/issues

Somethings not right, its not working, help!

This has been by far the most commonly asked question. There are three common places things go wrong. Not using a 64bit JVM. This is most obvious if you are setting a path that includes "Program Files (x86)". This [windows] directory is for 32 bit programs. Missing msvcr100.dll. This is a windows component included in the "Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package (x64)" (quick download) Otherwise a wrong file path, for example a wrong version number (Java installs each version in a different directory) The original installation tutorial can be found below. However you should use the files available here on ThresholdX rather than searching google, and you can now set the path directly from the AutoATC->Settings menu from within X-Plane.

The plugin refuses to start with a popup error message "Can't find JVM"

Android support was "accidental". AutoATC started life a fairly simple idea for an X-Plane plugin: A cross platform tool to practice ATC read backs in spoken form. Android turned out to be the most efficient way to achieve high quality universal voice recognition at an acceptable cost (both for users and for development). The plugin itself runs on Windows, Linux and MacOS. Developing for iOS would require starting completely from scratch, whereas most of the code for Android was a simple copy paste from code already in the plugin. Starting from scratch to support a $1000 device for a plugin doesn't seem like a good use of time.

Why is the phone application only available for android?

Just out of the other side of preparing 0.8.7 to begin beta testing and thought I would share the roadmap. I’ve included what happened so far so those who are new can catch up. Early releases 0.8.6 Roadmap 0.8.69 Roadmap Total application overhaul: 0.8.7 Roadmap: App UI Update I just received a load of the new design for the android app, plus there’s a few remaining crash fixes. This just went up on as an alpha so a couple of people can run through all the functionality over the next week or two and write down whats got broken. There will also be an option added to settings to “prefer 0.8.7Beta AI Server” which will use the beta AI server when its running, and fall back to production if its offline. shared cockpit functionality. (linked AI aircraft in multi-PC, shared cockpit set ups) New android versions are already rolling out on the google play store. Update datasets A lot of the datasets were out of date (I just grabbed the first free dataset I could and ran with them), next update should bring most of these up to date. ATC treat Light/Medium/Heavy aircraft differently One of the largest gaps in the AI language at the moment is not treating different aircraft differently, this should be good by the time 0.8.7 comes out of beta Support for untowered airports & communication Another gap is the lack of plane-plane communications for untowered and sport fields with A/G comms. This also should be good by the time 0.8.7 comes out of beta AI planes fly filed flight plans Probably my personally most anticipated update, also helps a lot with testing for other features to come later. Basically, when you file a flight plan via the android app, an AI plane will fly that route Upgrade controller state perception and performance improvements There are still a few instances where the controller gets a little lost during various procedures, a big target for 0.8.7 is to get this as solid as everything else C172’s dropping parachutists at skydive centers and doing training at untowered airports Probably. Feed high altitude flights from live flight data This already passed the first hurdle (generating high altitude AI planes from live data) small step to change them over to full AI approaches and departures. Airport Variation and Vectors A load of functionality I wanted in already got held up because I hadn’t given ATC access to magnetic variation information. They have this now and getting assigned vectors will be in by the time 0.8.7 goes final. Regionalise This ones a monster, and may not be fully complete by the time it comes out of Beta, at the very least I want the Tower voices to use regional settings, but this also applies to the actual language used. As I’ve gone through the theory, there are (at least) 4 different standards used (FAA, UK, ICAO and EASA), each with their own subtleties. Heathrow airport in particular has procedures not used anywhere else in the world. Ground school updates I’ll be putting theory onto the ground school as it becomes active on the beta AI server, so having “prefer Beta” checked in the app and checking the ground school will probably be the main means I communicate theory based things. Some others which will come later Standalone mode:AI planes fly filed flight plans, you control the radio IFR approach and departures Support for WT3 ground routes for complex airports