Feature Request List

[Peter]

To submit a request, please post a new topic in the forum.

Major Features:

• Formations. Drone aircraft can be added to your formation flight.
• Back end database for storing pilot offline state, parked etc. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=432
• JoinFS Open Network. An interface for third party developers to utilize the existing JoinFS network.
• Real world traffic injection, ADS-B (optional).
• FlyInside Flight Simulator support.
• FlightGear support.
• Formation analysis tool.

Minor Features (Priority Order):

• Option to switch on/off simulator AI aircraft.
• Flight level added to flight plan.
• Squawk Mode C and Ident.
• Recorder audio markers, viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1132
• Weather syncing in X-Plane.
• Simulator pause also pauses the recorder.
• Searching for clients on the LAN, http://joinfs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f ... 3590#p3590
• Multiple door sync.
• Clear all substitutions button. Setting to auto clear at startup.
• Port forward check and warning. http://joinfs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&p=3204#p3196
• Validate scan paths with warning if they don't exist.
• Allow take over of recorded aircraft during flight.
• 3rd party events. http://joinfs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f ... 2172#p2172
• Copy date/time.
• Webpage interface to JoinFS client. Hub management etc.
• Synchronize system failures, ADI and RMI compass.
• Aircraft collision detection and engine damage. Damage on recorded aircraft, AI/physics takes over.
• Flight route and remarks.
• Nicknames saved in recordings.
• Glider tow rope physics.
• Display nearest airport for each aircraft.
• List of nearest airports with distance, bearing and elevation.
• Shared cockpit. Allow outside control option.
• Highlight bad network connections.
• An option to allow network pause. So everyone in the session pauses at the same time.
• Visual indicator of relative positions.

Worth Further Consideration:

• RESTful, ACARS interaction. Web details and mapping capability.

Completed:

• Mac version. v3.2.8
• Raspberry Pi. v3.2.7
• Native Linux build of JoinFS. v3.2.7
• P3D Add-On folders[/url]
• Recorder loop option.. v3.1.0
• Option to disable TCAS on X-Plane in order to free the plugin from acquiring the AI aircraft. v2.1.1
• Simulator title shown in aircraft list and the JoinFS map. v2.1.2
• Allow more than one hub per IP address. A maximum limit instead. Version 2.0.0.
• Prompt for nickname if not set. Version 1.7.4
• Share flight plans between pilots. Version 1.7.0
• Keyboard support for some features, e.g. Follow, shared cockpit hand over. Version 1.6.2
• Overriding callsign in X-Plane. Version 1.5.9
• Need to add support for default "Four Engine TurboProp". Version 1.5.9
• Sorting the user list. Version 1.5.2
• Comms. Text communications with multiple channels: Global, Session, Com 1 and Com 2 frequencies. Version 1.4.0.
• X-Plane Support. Extending cross-platform to include X-Plane. Version 1.3.0
• Custom animations. C130. http://joinfs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=85. Version 1.2.9
• Transfer Payload Station Weight variable. Version 1.2.8
• Extend radar range. http://joinfs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f ... 2127#p2127. Version 1.1.16
• Elevation correction for different scenery. Version 1.1.7
• Shared cockpit: Battery, GPS, Pitot, bug, OBI, pump, prop sync, Right Master ALT, r/a trim, right selector. Version 1.1.7
• Minimize to System Tray. Version 1.1.6
• Different model scans for each simulator connected. Stop warnings if running on a server. Version 1.1.6
• Add filter to substitution windows. Version 1.1.6
• Default substitution for each type role. Version 1.1.6
• Auto substitution. Version 1.1.6
• French translation. Version 1.1.5
• Command line launch for Windows servers. Version 1.1.2
• Hub network. Version 1.1.0
• A way to bookmark the current session. Version 1.1.0
• Option to ignore certain aircraft in the list. Version 1.0.14
• Radar support. Version 1.0.13
• Choose specific folders to scan for models. Version 1.0.13
• Resize Aircraft window. Version 1.0.12
• Recorder Toolbar. Open a window for managing recording and playing. Track-bar controlled. Include visual markers for points of interest.
• Allow host name entry as well as IP address. Version 1.0.11
• Option to save log files from the Monitor window. Version 1.0.7
• Show closest airfield. Version 1.0.7
• Get weather data from other pilots. Version 1.0.3
• Show distance, bearing and tracking data in aircraft list. Version 1.0.3
• Re-position behind other aircraft. Version 1.0.3
• A user-friendly list to choose other clients and hub IP addresses. Version 1.0.0
• Enable squawk code. Version 1.0.0

[MartinCANCoast]

Any thought about MacOS Support? I have a couple of pilots on my VA that use X-Plane on MacOS who would love to fly multiplayer. They'd most likely also be willing to act as Beta Testers.

[Peter]

Any thought about MacOS Support? I have a couple of pilots on my VA that use X-Plane on MacOS who would love to fly multiplayer. They'd most likely also be willing to act as Beta Testers.

Hi Martin, that's an interesting question. I just had a very brief look online and there does appear to be a way to run .NET applications on MacOS. So, basically if I can get X-Plane support into JoinFS, there may be a relatively easy way to get it running on MacOS. I shall look into this further.

Thanks,
Peter

[MartinCANCoast]

Thank you Peter. Lots of grumbling out there about windows 10, so a MacOS client might be a good thing.

[Grumpy]

Hi, Pete, I was introduced to this clever little doodad and its sooo cool!!

At first look, So simple, even I can make it work!!

• Will it run on a Raspberry PI3?
  Does it need anything really Microsoft stupid?
  Can we have a dropdown box for the JOIN IP list with a text window tied to it alongside to put meaningful names?

seeing as it is NOT tied to any flight sim, a Raspberry Pi makes it so cheap to run and it could just sit there.

Regards.........

Bob

[Peter]

• Will it run on a Raspberry PI3?
  Does it need anything really Microsoft stupid?
  Can we have a dropdown box for the JOIN IP list with a text window tied to it alongside to put meaningful names?

Hi Bob,

Great ideas. I was also thinking about some sort of drop down box and text names the other day. I'll add it to the new feature list.

I've also had requests for MacOS. While porting to other systems usually requires a lot of work, JoinFS is developed with .NET and I believe it may be possible to do a .NET port to linux so that it would work on the Raspberry Pi. I need to investigate this further. It won't be a high priority just yet, but it is something that I would also like to see happen.

Thanks,
Peter

[bunoire14]

Hi Peter,

Ive just been fired your link for a pal in a VA. Firstly ive been out of the "Cockpit" for some time now but thank you for finally filling the huge gap in flightsim MP! Might even tempt me back

Secondly... I was wondering two things, firstly is there a Linux version available or in the Works.... especially if your working on a MacOS version... mainly for the Node mode i guess. Idea being it could be dropped onto a Cloud VM and run as a background process to host the larger scale sessions.

Thirdly... Do you have any plans to throw any data out of the system that could be access or optionally pushed to another service? I am rewriting the unnamed VAs website and will be designing it around a RESTful API so that I can consume and provide useful information to the pilots. Originally I was thinking to use it to allow for ACARS interaction with the website (amongst some other funcky ideas i had) but I was wondering if your software may be able to fire out variables to a configured API endpoint to track say number of users on the session? Callsigns? Locations? Flight time? fuel? weather?... even COOLEr if you could consume requests back in.... say ChangeWeather("ThunderStorm") LOL

Any pointers would be great. Once again fantastic work.

Olly

[Peter]

Hi Olly,

If you've been tempted back to the cockpit then I must say this little project must be working.

Well, I'm certainly considering MacOS and linux at this stage. They haven't quite made it onto the 'new feature list' yet as I need to investigate it a bit more. All I can say is that if .NET applications can be ported relatively easily to other platforms then it's on.

Your last point sounds very interesting. I haven't considered this at all so far, but it does sound rather good. It will be a nice way to advertise your own JoinFS node via a website. There might even be a way to include a user-friendly way of adding the server address to their JoinFS client without having to mess around with IP addresses. I shall investigate further.

Thanks!

Best regards,
Peter

[bunoire14]

Hi Peter,

Im happy to help with any testing from an external API type approach. Just let me know. I could have something rigged up in fairly short order just to play with. Obviously there are probably more important things on the feature list first though

Immediate use case that comes to mind for VA's may go like this (and forgive me... having never actually used the software myself... yet... this may be inaccurate)

1. User Loads flight in FSX (For Arguments Sake) and Sets their Aircraft Identifier/Callsign in Game to some reference issued by the VA thats unique to that Pilot.
2. User connects to a joinFS session.
3. JoinFS Session has a API endpoint configured including API auth key.
4. JoinFS logs time user spent on the session???? (No idea if this comes out of the box)
5. Once the user disconnects from the session a PUT request is fired off to the API and it logs a flight on the VA Database against that pilot/aircraft along with associated stats and times, which then allows the Developer to manipulate, play, display analyze the data as needed.

So in essence the Pilot has to just ensure one thing is configured in the simulator (This unique reference) and everything else is done for them......... Sys Admins or hosts need to insert and API end point and auth key into their JoinFS software and Voila. Integrated ACARS without messing about installing other applications and minimizing windows to start and stop them etc.

Also being able to push information back the way could, as you say, create a much easier configuration for the user. Insert API Key and Endpoint... initial request is fired off for "Configuration Info" from the VA's API and it returns the IP address and any password for the session? I guess this means also if the IP address changes or the password changes.. its automatically pushed out to the software?

Would need to keep an eye on FPS though I guess.... not sure what this sort of extra traffic would do to the experience in flight.

Just a thought

Let me know if you want any help on this front. happy to assist!

[karl]

I see that you have shared cockpit on the feature list.

I recently had a conversation with the coders at a start up called TFDI. I asked them about the limit of two users in one model (aircraft, boat, etc...). I think the example that I provided how this wasn't a hard limit was TacPack (TP). In TP the server can place a carrier model into the sim. Other users land on that model and that model can move around the virtual world. Back in the 90's a program called Air Warrior allowed 8 users on bombers which could fly through that virtual world.

After an initial pessimistic response they got a bit more interested. In the next day or two the sent me a message saying that the feature had been enabled with 2 pilots being able to share control of their aircraft but no real limit of the number of people connected to it in the role of passengers per se. I'm sure they used a third party method like Majestic uses to create the connection between the users.

Just a thought for your future consideration.

[Pilote334]

Hi, Peter,

Great thing that JoinFS exists. It's a really good software with great performances and easy to use.

I'm a technical director for a VA, so, of course, I'm interested and concerned by each evolution and improvement of JoinFS, particulary for the Hub feature.

Concerning Hub fonction as node, I tried this : I put JoinFS (1.0.16) in a separate computer and I add on his install folder simconnect.dll that provide the necessary fonctions to allow JoinFs working. The full FSX is not installed on this computer. This configuration works in LAN with a good reliabilty, and I try to access this instance of JoinFs outside of my LAN. With the good configuration of the router, it seems to work, but I'm in the beginning of tests, so I must be prudent with actual results.

A question, that perhaps already asked, is about command line, necessary to make JoinFS runable as Windows Service. It's not yet documented in the manual provided. So, is it exists already ? And in this case, what's the options whith the command line to set corretly JoinFS (port, IP adress). Is there a possibility to set JoinFS with an "ini" file that will be read each time it starts ?

Thanks for your work and your answers,

Best regards,

Yves

[Peter]

Hi, Yves,

thanks for posting.

Do you mean that you would like to run JoinFS without the interface? I could certainly implement the ini file idea as that would ease deployment on a server. I might be wrong, but isn't there software available that can run any executable as a Windows service? Perhaps that might be one way of doing it.

Best regards,
Peter

[DCA1161]

Hi, Peter,
I have asked this before, but I don't see or reconise it in the Feature List. In order to connect to the server of DC3 Airways I need to be able to add an ID and a password. At the moment we use FSCopilot and FSInn and for P3D users also the Migration Tool. Those programs are not made up t date any more. For special events we use to make recordings with FSRecorder, but that's not working for P3D. Sinds you made an excellant recorderoption, JoinFS would be an ideal program to use for us.
Cheers, Roy

[Pilote334]

Hi Peter,

Ok, I would precise my request :

Yes, JoinsFS must be able to run without the GUI and with a command line that start or stop the program (ie : create or leave fonctions).

You are able to run any program as windows service with "instsrv.exe" and "servany.exe" that is provided by Microsoft. These services installed with these tools are part of svchost general purpose service of Windows (all versions since Win2000).

This solution allow to run any program on background without the need to open a user session. It's very usefull on a protected server and it's very reliable because, in case of a loss of power or an unattended shutdown, the service (and then, the program associated) restart with the restart of the whole OS.

I hope it helps...

Yves

[Peter]

That sounds fair enough. I shall look at doing a command line option to suppress the UI and load the settings from a file. That ought to be easy enough. It's on the list.

Thanks for the suggestion,
Peter

[Zulu]

Is there a way to implement FS Recorder compatibility? Like host could run FS Recording and others would see it?

[marte21]

Zulu, you have an excellent recorder/player inside JoinFS, why do you want to use the old FsRecorder?

[Peter]

Hi Zulu,

I think you should be able to do a manual conversion. Play the FSRecorder file as normal using FSRecorder. At the same time, have JoinFS running and select all the aircraft that you wish to record and start recording in JoinFS. That will effectively convert from frc files to jfs files.

Best regards,
Peter

[Zulu]

I will try. Thank you. I just thought it might not work. I tried to play FS Recording and my friend did not see other aircrafts.

[Peter]

I will try. Thank you. I just thought it might not work. I tried to play FS Recording and my friend did not see other aircrafts.

Did you tick 'Broadcast' on the aircraft in the aircraft list that you wanted them to see? That should work.

Peter