Autopilot After SIM Update 14
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@Black-Square the saving grace is how wonderful it is to fly 😁👌
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I cannot imagine how that one line edit could affect the A2A tablet. Anything is possible with software, but I suggest that it is extremely unlikely.
No, this should have no impact on state saving. I have also noticed no change in state saving behavior since SU14, nor has any been reported to technical support. Trust me, I would love a magic bullet for state saving, as well. I have no idea why the Asobo recommended approach works so poorly for some users. For the record, it's not that the state does not get saved, it's that the saved variables get detected as valid, but load all zeros.
I am moving many of the most important features over to a different state saving technique that I have found more reliable for the Dukes. If it works well there, I will move over to that system for all aircraft. The TBM already uses this method for some features, which should make it slightly more reliable than my older aircraft.
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@Black-Square said in Autopilot After SIM Update 14:
I cannot imagine how that one line edit could affect the A2A tablet. Anything is possible with software, but I suggest that it is extremely unlikely.
I just tested it. Made the changes in the 530/430 files and jumped into my Comanche. No problems with the Tablet. Neither with or without active 530/430.
EDIT: And just tried out the TBM and the AP is working as intended again.
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Thank you for sharing. I hesitate to much such a strong declaration without testing it myself, but as I've become more knowledgeable about the WT GNS while making some of my own improvements, and that line really should not cause any external problems like that. Thank you.
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I really do not know what is going on, but on my system the tablet of the Comanche definitely does not work if I replace the two WT GNS 530/430 files, while the other aircraft are just fine. By putting back the unmodified files the Comance tablet again works. I realize that it will be pretty difficult to figure out what is going on, since hardware/software configurations differ.
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I modified the original files again by just replacing the lines between update () { and the last } of the respective block. I guess this did the trick since my problems with the A2A Comanche tablet have been solved, while the AP of the TBM 850 now also works as it should.
Thanks again for helping out and my apologies for the confusion I added. -
Hello - per my earlier message ( I think on the MSFS forum), the change does not seem to have fixed the Caravan for me. I did a flight yesterday and still found that with the 530/430 selected, Nav was not working properly. There was no course deviation line on the HUD, and the AP did not correctly capture the course. When I switched out the Garmin GNS 530 and put in just the nav radio, everything worked fine. The only add-ins that were in place when I tested were FSUIPC and Better Bravo lights.
As before, other planes were working correctly with the 530/430.I'll go back and made sure I made the edit correctly to the GNS files.
Perhaps you could post the revised files to take editing mistakes out of the loop? -
Here's my report for the Bonanza/Baron:
I had the issue that the aircraft almost never loaded with the configuration I wanted (GNS530/KX155) but kept loading with the GTN750/GNS430 config. Before anyone asks - I of course shut down the sim via main menu - quit to desktop every time.
After switching in flight, the avionics never worked.
- after entering a FPL in the 530, no DTK/DST was indicated
- CDI did not show any deviation
- AP only worked in roll/pitch hold mode
Firstly, i still had an old WT GNS mod in my content (v1.1.4) which I deleted. After that, it still didn't work, though. The aircraft still frequently loaded with 750/430 and didn't work after switching.
Then, I changed the code as described above. After that, the aircraft loaded 8/10 times with the desired 530/155 config, and even when it started with 750/430, it worked after switching.
So, the code change must have done the trick for me. I'm just afraid it will be overwritten with the next sim update (and I won't remember this one anymore ;-)
Out of interest: Where is the aircraft configuration stored? Wouldn't it have been easier (and safer) just to offer the different configs as variants instead of hot swapping? I mean, who switches the avionics in-flight?
And as a side note: I don't own the A2A Comanche, but afaik it also uses the WT 530/430. And with this, editing the code for it very well can have an effect on the A2A. I think the whole thing has to to with the hot swap function BKSQ built into the aircraft. It does not show for every user, by far not, only for some of us, as in so many other cases.
Boris
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I'm glad it's at least working better for you now. Sorry that we are still waiting for an official fix to this. If I don't hear anything by next week, I will get more people involved to see if we can coax a solution from WT sooner rather than later.
Just to address your couple of questions:
The aircraft configuration is stored in the "cloud". I believe it's also stored locally in a large encrypted file that is synced with the cloud. The alternative method of state saving that I'm experimenting with right now is stored locally at \Users[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\SimObjects\Airplanes, at least for the Windows Store version of MSFS. This is more difficult to use, and less customizable than the cloud storage solution, but it seems to be more reliable.
Yes, the Comanche uses the GNS 530, but I know what that one line of code is doing, and it's still extremely unlikely to affect the Comanche's tablet interface.
I have had a few people suggest including a different aircraft in the aircraft selection menu for each avionics option. There are a few reasons I don't do this, which I don't believe I've ever put in writing publicly:
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I want my users to have as many avionics options as possible. Ironically, I still get lots of requests for even more configurations.
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If I included every avionics configuration option for my upcoming Dukes (of which there are three variants), it would put 48 aircraft into your aircraft selection menu. I think it's inconvenient, and looks pretentious of the developer to hog this much space among your other aircraft.
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In many ways, it is actually much harder for me, as a developer, to separate all the avionics configurations, as each configuration requires maybe 1,000 lines of custom code to interface with the aircraft's autopilot, annunciators, and instruments. Separating them would cause me to have to maintain as many 15,000 line code files as there are avionics combinations, each one only varying 1,000 lines for each avionics configuration. With the benefit of hindsight, I don't think this would have been any harder than maintaining hotswapping interoperability with each GPS and autopilot, but it would lack the hotswapping feature.
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I also don't like that option personally, as a user of my own products. Those of us who like to practice realistic IFR operations in MSFS, really appreciate the hot swapping, because it means we can practice approaches with many different types of avionics without skipping a beat. When I test my aircraft, I fly every type of approach with every type of avionics, one after the other, and it's some of the most fun I've ever had with a flight simulator. I only hope many others with similar flying missions to myself have had as much fun as I've had.
Lastly, hot swapping should be improved with some major changes that are coming to my aircraft, including a tablet interface. This will eliminate the need for switches on the panel, and allow you to select your configuration directly. The avionics configuration will also be moved over to my new state saving method, which will hopefully make it more reliable.
I hope putting my thoughts in writing like this can help explain the thought process behind my development, if nothing else. I am not a fan of social media the way that some other developers are, but interact with you all directly via this forum and hearing your opinions has been a delight.
Happy New Year!
Nick C. -
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I too am having the same issues with the GNS530 and autopilot functionality in the BlackSquare Caravan. I tried the code change fix that has been mentioned/posted above and here are my results:
It did not seem to allow the GPS to sync with the Flight Plan created via the World Map.
The Vertical Speed function on the autopilot does not seem to work properly…it blows past the preset Altitude instead of automatically reducing/adjusting the FPM to reach and hold the target altitude. I had to change the VS FPM to zero for it to hold level.
The Autopilot and the GPS appeared to be functioning properly in NAV mode (as was selected) but NAV was not illuminated/displayed on the AP unit so it was difficult for me to realize that the AP was actually in NAV mode until I watched the plane follow the flight plan I manually entered into the GPS accordingly. Instead, the autopilot just displays ROL mode even though it is functioning in NAV mode.
I flew an ILS approach and the AP was not very accurate with lateral navigation or maintaining the proper glideslope.
Once AP was disconnected, the ALT mode remained illuminated.
There are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out. Hopefully these issues can get resolved relatively quickly…this is the only plane I really enjoy flying. Thank you for your efforts and Happy New Year to you as well!
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Thank you for adding so much detail to your post. Those symptoms are exactly what we see when two GPS addons (and their autopilots) are fighting each other. Usually, we see this when there is either an outdated package in your community folder, you are not subscribed to the latest GNS 530 from Working Title in the in-game marketplace, or you have some other addon that has incorrectly overridden something important.
For starters, I would recommend updating your PMS50 GTN and TDS GTNxi, if you have either installed, regardless of whether you're using them in the Caravan. If it still doesn't work, try starting with a clean community folder, and then report back.
I'll just conclude by saying that what you're describing sounds exactly like many other GPS related issues that my technical support team has been able to solve every time. Good luck, and I'm happy to help.
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Is there any intention of fully integrating the WT avionics instead of using the marketplace pointer?
I was hoping it would come with the TBM since it released after SU11 made the avionics official, but it needs the pointer just like the Caravan did or it will use the old and outdated Asobo units.
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Thanks for asking. The GPS developers explicitly told me to use the pointer last time we spoke a couple months ago, but I will inquire when I hear back about the urgently needed fix. Thank you.
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I am showing that my Working Title content are (and have been) up to date. I do not have any other GPS addons. At one time I did have the PMS addon but removed it once Working Title started their version of it. I do use the RealSimGear GNS530 hardware but that should have nothing to do with the software issues of course.
Today I loaded up the same flight plan that I flew yesterday and this time, the GPS did receive the data/flight plan from the World Map, which is good news!
Additionally, the Autopilot worked as it should. Looks like all is well here for now! Perhaps rebooting my computer after making the code changes was the missing necessary step. Thanks again!!!
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Where is this file? I can't find it anywhere. I have the MS Store version.
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@Sir_PickleRick I have the MS Store version as well. You will need to know where your Community Folder is located. Once you figure that out, I would pin it so you can easily navigate to it. If you already have it pinned, you can go to the Community Folder and then go to the previous folder named "Packages" and then to \Official\OneStore\workingtitle-instruments-garmin-gns\html_ui\Pages\VCockpit\Instruments\NavSystems\GPS\WT530.
Once you are there, you should see the WT530B.js file within that folder. When you open that file, you can do a "Ctrl+F" function to search for "Update loop for the main screen". You will want to make sure the code is copied and pasted as Black Square specifies, otherwise it may not work. Scroll up to Post # 36 for those details. Save the file with the appropriate changes.
I then had to reboot my computer.
Good luck!
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This is as good a place as any to ask: is there a specific binding to turn the flight director off? I have tried both the MSFS binding for Autopilot Off and Autopilot Disconnect, and neither do it.
The first press does disconnect the AP, but no amount of subsequent presses disconnects the FD.
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@krause I'm familiar with using FSUIPC, you'll have to be a little more specific with the rest though.
If it's a sim limitation, a note in the manual to that effect would also be appreciated instead of simply saying "press once for AP, twice for FD."
