Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know there is a new version of the flight sim R/C Desk Pilot.

It can be downloaded for free at [link=http://rcdeskpilot.com]rcdeskpilot.com[/link] and includes following features:
[ul][*] 5 animated models, including a thermal sailplane and helicopter[*] full 3D scenery[*] wind and thermals[*] pylon racing[*] birds[*] support for anaglyph 3D (red/cyan glasses)
[/ul]
The sim requires any version of Windows and of course a transmitter or joystick.

As I'm still heavily developing it, I would appreciate any feedback you have on the sim, either here or by email on [email protected]

Cheers,
Davy
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyaRBNMiPO8[/youtube]

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

i just tried your sim and was very impressed. i am using an interlink elite to control but i am having trouble getting proper calibration? when i go to zero throttle the plane still has partial throttle. am i missing something?

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi,
your controller should appear in the game controller section of the Windows Control Panel. You should be able to calibrate it there.
Hope this helps,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

ok thanks i will check that out.

hey davy check out my website http://thegibson.jimdo.com/i make 3d models of planes and would let you have some for your sim if you likeon

on edit: heres a direct link to the planes i made http://thegibson.jimdo.com/g4-5-planes/

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Wow! Those are really impressive! The next big thing on my todo list is to support add-on aircraft and scenery, and I would be delighted if you decide to (let someone) convert your planes to R/C Desk Pilot.
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Looking at your web site great views. Does the controller I've got a Spektrum DX7 with a USB cord (same as JR) -does this work on your system ? Thanks Bill Reid

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi Bill,
yes, your USB cable will make the transmitter behave like a normal joystick so it will work with R/C desk pilot.
If you can't get the trim right, calibrate it using the Windows Control Panel, Game Controllers.

Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hello!
I purchased a cheap 4 channel USB Tx for use with RC flight simulators, and it works great with this simulator.
The setup was much easier then FMS; I only had to reverse the aileron channel. I like the menu system, It is very professional and easy to use.
The model selection is good too, for a recent release, and the moving control surfaces and props are great! It is nice to see a freeware sim with so many features - even Realflight does not have birds (fantastic work on that bit!)
Would it be possible to add a aircraft modification page as well, so users can change rates, CG, etc?

Overall, it is the most feature rich freeware sim out there! Keep up the great work, and I am looking forward to some addon aircraft and fields!


Graeme<br type="_moz"/>

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thanks Graeme for your kind words. I really had a great time creating those birds ;)
I'm working on a aircraft editor hoping that artists like thegibson build and tweak aircraft for R/C Desk Pilot.
Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Sounds great!

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

I just downloaded it, great sim! I love that you can see birds!

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

I just noticed that the wings bump around while taxiing the model on the ground!
That and the moving control surfaces - add some more models and fields, and you have essentially got Realflight!

Fantastic!

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi there. We tried to install the R/C Desk pilot sim but we can't seemto get the DirectX part to run correctly. It installed ok with noerrors but it blows up as soon as you start the software up. Also the.NET framework 2.0 would not install due to incompatibility with anearlier version of .NET.  We are not sure if  we need to contactMicrosoft or if someone here has any idea how to troubleshoot this orat least know what to look at in their knowledge base. We are notreally familiar with how .NET and DirectX work.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi rcultimatetoys,
the problem is probably the fact that .NET isn't installed properly. Check this [link=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908077]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908077[/link] for some help with that.
After you've got .NET 2.0 installed, make sure to reinstall DirectX 9 from the [link=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&displaylang=en]Microsoft site[/link] or let the sim installer install it. It is important to install DirectX after .NET because it will add some libraries to the existing .NET installation.
I hope you can get it to work. If not, can you post some more details about the errors you're seeing (and the OS you're working with)?

Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi everybody,
a short update on the sim: I've been working on the aircraft editor for the last couple of months and it's almost finished. So I thought I would share a short [link=http://rcdeskpilot.com/node/27]preview[/link] (you'll have to put up with my Belgian accent though)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHy73xujk3A[/youtube]
I'll put it up for beta in a couple of weeks. I hope I can convince some of the talent here to start using it ;)

Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Can't wait!

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

New (or more) planes too?

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Well, at least the one in the video and I'm hoping the editor will trigger some people to start building and distributing their own.
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

First of all your Simulator is great. I have a Dynam transmitter which came with FMS simulator and it don,t work withWindows 7. I wish your web page had itsown Forums.

Thanks Jack

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thank you, Davy; yours is awesome work.

I downloaded it today, and enjoyed it much.
However; I had to use the keys, which were way too sensitive for the Extra, especially the elevator key.
For some reason, my Futaba Tx did not work with the same cable it works with for FMS.
Any suggestions?

Again, thanks!

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi,
does your controller appear in the game controller list in the Windows Control Panel (the exact location depends on your Windows version)? The sim works with joystick compatible controllers/cables. If it does, try calibrating it in the Control Panel. If not, you are probably using a serial or audio cable. In that case you'll need to install and config PICjoy (serial cable) or SmartPropoPlus (audio cable) and PPJoy. A nice explanation of these can be found [link=http://sim.tomsrc.com/page.php?17]here[/link]. These will emulate a joystick in Windows. Most USB cables will be recognized as joysticks from the start so should work after calibrating in Windows and configuring the controls in the sim.
Hope this helps,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Will your program run with 64 bit Windows 7 ?

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Yes, I'm using that myself.

Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

I am too.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

I D/L your program and installed it on 64 bit Windows 7. It works GREAT !!! You have done a fantastic job of programming with this.

I am using a RealFlight G2 controller hooked up to a serial to USB converter. Once I configured the controller in Windows I was able to set it up in the program.

A couple things I did notice:

1. The throttle and rudder will only work on channel 6 & 7. The program will not allow me to change it to channel 3 & 4.
Right now this is OK, however, this may be a problem when you launch your "new" model with retracts [and I presume] flaps.

2. A windsock near the runway would be a big help in setting up the direction and force of the wind in the weather section.

I am not "picking" - you did ask for feedback.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi Campy,
thank you very much for your feedback, it's the only way I can find out about problems and fix them.
Could you give some more information about the first? It sounds like a major flaw, but I'm not quite sure what is happening. Do you mean that some channels of the RealFlight Controller are not moving any sliders on the right hand side of the Controls menu in the sim? Or does setting the controls to these channels in the dropdown boxes have no effect?
http://rcdeskpilot.com/sites/rcdeskp...g/controls.jpg

About the windsock: I am working on that, but I still need to figure out the code to animate it nicely. For now: the windmills in the background do move with wind speed and direction, and the wind sound is also a realtime indication of wind speed.

Thanks again!
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thanks, Davy.
With your help, I made it work.

I have a serial cable and used PICjoy.
However, I still have one problem: the range of movement for each channel is around 70% only, and it oscillates around a central position.

I can live with that; however, the throttle can not go low enough for proper landing, even with the trim all the way down.
Any solution?

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

That's good news. The 70% range of movement can probably be solved by calibrating your (virtual) joystick using the Windows Control Panel. Depending on your windows version this is in the section "Game Controllers" or "Devices and printers". Look for the "Calibrate" button and follow the instructions.
Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hello again!

I wasn't able to view the video on the editor (slow internet), but I read your blog post on the model editor - it sounds great!
I think having the capability of 5th and 6th flap and retract channels is a major advancement over other freeware sims!

One thing I would like to see in a future version would be a systems failure option. I know that deadstick landings are one of the things I always practise on the sim, but cutting the throttle isn't the same as unexpectedly losing the engine at a bad time.

Thank you,

Graeme

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi Davy,

On the left side of the menu you designate which channels you want to use for each control (normal channel assignments are: channel 1 to ailerons, channel 2 to elevator, channel 3 to throttle, channel 4 to rudder, channel 5 to retracts and channel 6 to flaps) Once you have assigned the channel, the sliders on the right side of the menu for that channel move when you move the controls except for the throttle and rudder. The throttle and the rudder will only accept channels 6 & 7. Any other channel you assign to the throttle and/or rudder will not work on the aircraft, however the sliders for channel 6 & 7 move in the menu no matter which channel you have selected for the throttle and rudder

As I said, this is no problem right now (I just assigned channel 6 & 7 to the throttle and rudder), but, as I said above, retracts are normally channel 5 and flaps are normally channel 6 (channels 7 and higher are typically for "optional" items such as a bomb/candy drop, etc). Channel 6 (flaps) is typically either an on/off switch or a rotary switch to allow partial deployment of the flaps. The majority of the joystick controllers are going to have an on/off switch (no flaps or fully deployed flaps).

I hope I explained this clearly. I don't know if this is unique to the G2 RealFlight controller or if it is also happening with other types of controllers.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

The RC Deskpilot downloaded fine but won't start up. I have played all day with netFrame and Direct X files to no avail.

The error message says "Failed creating the Direct 3D device"

Has anybody else had this problem, and how is it solved?

Thanksa million for any help.?</p>

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi Graeme, thanks for the suggestion, I've put i on my long wish list.
I'm afraid I haven't made the Controls menu very clear: the sliders on the right are for reference. As there is no standard in axis/channel assignment in game controllers, you swivel your sticks and you see on the sliders which 'channel' moves with which stick. Next you assign that 'channel' to the control you want using the dropdown boxes. I can't use the standard channel assignments from R/C controllers as the USB cable switches them around unpredictably. Actually in software, they are called Joystick axis and not channels, so maybe I should change their name in the Controls window as well. So any channel from your controller could be on any of the eight axis available. As long as every stick movement is mapped to an axis, it's just a simple configuration for the user. Of course the folks from RealFlight can skip this as they know that everybody is using the same controller.
Hi Alan, I'm sorry to hear you're having problems. Could you post your system specs, in particular your graphics card? It could be that your system isn't fully DirectX 9 compatible.

Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

My controller is made by Dynam 6 channels. How can I make all control go to 0%-100% right now I think it about 20%-80%. Where your said ART mine said PPM.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

You'll need to calibrate it using the Windows Control Panel. Depending on your Windows version this is under Windows > Control Panel > Game Controllers or Windows > Devices and Printers > right click on yout controller. Look for the calibrate button.
Hope this helps,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thanks that fix it. You have a great Simulator. Do you have anything new comming if so when?

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thanks, as mentioned and demonstrated a few messages above: an aircraft editor to create (and distribute) your own aircraft with flaps and retracts. When is hard to predict, I hope within a matter of weeks in beta, and probably somewhere next month out of beta.
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

I'll be glad to test anything you have.

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

The more testers, the better :). The beta will be open and public and on a volunteer basis. I'll post an announcement here when it's live.
Cheers,
Davy

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Thanks for your reply-

I am using windows XP on a desk top purchased in 2003. All update have been downloaded so the system is current.

My Video is NVIDIA GEForce 2MX

By typing "dxdiag" at the Start/Run/dialoge box a window pops up.
On the "Display" Tab there is a button to test Direct 3D - and the test image seems to work fine.

Thanks

Alan
PS. After encountering other errors I did a systemrestore to an earlier point and down loaded RCDesk Pilot program again.
Now when I click the icon on the desk top to run ther program- I only get a pop up with "RCSim needs to close..."

RE: Free sim R/C Desk Pilot
 

Hi Alan, I'm afraid this card isn't up to requirements for the sim. I'm working on a way to make the sim playable on these older systems (albeit at lower graphical detail), but it's not available in the current release.
Sorry,
Davy