showing tail boom/ drogue in recorded flights

[johnwalker]

Hello All - I have a simple question regarding the recording of flights..

I have a tanker for msfs2020 - a kc-10 - as an animation - (spoiler key) it will deploy the boom or drogue.

My problem is that when i go to record a track - it does not appear to record the animation or at least show it as extended...

Is this possible to do ? if so - how would i do that.

If not, does it work in multiplayer so that one may see the other's boom/drogue ?

Thanks in advance

[Peter]

If you can find out which simulator variable it is associated with then you should be able to get it working.

In the JoinFS aircraft window, select the KC10, right click and select Assign Variables. You should see a list with Plane.txt and QuadTurbine.txt. You could try adding your own custom text file with the spoiler variable. The variable text files are stored in your Documents\JoinFS\Variables folder.

Try creating a KC10.txt file with the following line:

FLOAT||SPOILERS HANDLE POSITION|position||INJECTED

Then add KC10.txt to the Assign Variables list for the KC10 model.

Let me know if you get it working. I might add that to the default Plane.txt file if it works ok. Then it will work for everyone without having to do the above.

Peter

[johnwalker]

Thank you or the quick reply - currently testing what you have suggested... will get back to you - in a few moments with results.

[johnwalker]

No Luck -
Just to be sure i'm doing it correctly. (forgive me if it seems redundant.)

I start recording while in kc10 - during recording - i deploy boom/drogue via spoiler key ( i see it in external view)
Save the recording and reload it
In the aircraft window i selected the recorded kc10 and created and assigned the variable file as you suggested.
Reloaded the track to view - but it still did not show....


As a side note on that model there is a landing light ? that points down presumably at the boom... i can see it illuminating the ground in both "live" and "recorded" versions.. so it seems like it's passing along *some information.

I checked my syntax to make sure it looked ok (cut n pasted - your line above)

Any other ideas ? It seems like it should work - and from what i've read - i got the impression it was possible...
i feel like i'm doing something wrong on my end ... :/

[Peter]

You should make those changes before recording the KC10, otherwise the data will not be recorded into the save file.

Maybe the light is just getting recorded separately. Unless you can somehow find out exactly which variables are being used for the KC10 model then it will be a bit of guesswork.

Maybe the boom is using the indexed part of the spoiler variable. So it might be 'SPOILERS HANDLE POSITION:1' or 'SPOILERS HANDLE POSITION:2'. I would recommend trying to find out the actual variable involved. That will make it easier to try things out.

I just did a search for 'boom' on this forum and it has come up before. It may be related to one of the Door variables.

Peter

[johnwalker]

thank you ! - I'll keep working on it and see what i come up with - if i have success, i'll post back with my results.

[johnwalker]

So i opened up the monitor window and looked under variables - after adding your line.

when i hit the spoiler - the monitor shows this:
DETECT VARIABLE - OBJECT:1 - spoilers handle position = 1

1 when its out, 0 when it's not out.
so it appears that some activity is happening.
However - the animation will not show in the recording.

I watched the monitor during playback and i could see where it included information on it's position.. but still nothing shows.
Thoughts?

[johnwalker]

More info - i recorded a longer track about 2min...
While that track played - i was able to "enter cockpit" of the recorded track...
while in the recorded cockpit & outside view, i was able to see the recorded animation take place.. at the right time as it was recorded.
so it seems as if it's being recorded - it's just the animation won't show when im looking at the recorded track from my cockpit.

[Peter]

Interesting. Did you definitely add 'INJECTED' at the end of the line, with two separators before it '...position||INJECTED' ?

Peter

[johnwalker]

yes here's what i put - as you suggested i made a kc-10.txt - added the line below and saved... then added it to the list of variables .

FLOAT||SPOILERS HANDLE POSITION|position||INJECTED

i just watched the recording again thru the enter cockpit and it shows the boom/drogue coming in and out and the times i turned it on... IT also recorded and showed my flap movements as i cycled the flaps too...
But none of that shows up when i watch the recording from my not-recorded plane.

[johnwalker]

side note:
Just did a test where i loaded default 208 caravan and recorded a short track - this time cycling the flaps several times.

same as the other ac.... from the enter cockpit of the recorded flight it shows the flaps cycling at the times i did it.
Viewing it from my plane it didn't show the animation either.

[johnwalker]

Just an update - in the event that anyone else is looking for a solution to this "problem" - And you have any successful results beyond speculation, Please post up a "how-to".
Thanks!