Aircraft Substution Pitfalls

[Dan-TXHills]

We have identified an issue that has presented itself a few times to one pilot flying with a group and to the best of our knowledge this is due to use of aircraft for substitution of others' unmatched aircraft where these substitutions are no longer available (or, have not yet been made available due to installing an aircraft but not restarting the flight sim) in the affected pilot's simulator.

So - what the pilot sees is that there are others connected to the session but their aircraft do not show up in the View | Aircraft list (or seem to flicker in and out of the list) and these other aircraft cannot be seen in the simulator. Note that you may also see the pilots that are currently connected using the View | Pilots list but it may say that these pilots are not connected (even though they are).

Examples of how this error is generated are:

1. Scanning for models that includes one or more folders that are not "seen" by the simulator ("Hanger", "Storage", etc.) where even if these folders are in the SimObjects folder the simulator has not been told to look into these folders (via edit of the FSX.cfg file)

2. Removing one or more aircraft that have previously been used for substitution from a folder that the sim does see to a new location (presumably where the sim no longer sees them)

3. Changing the aircraft identifier information in the aircraft.cfg file

4. Installing a new aircraft (then scanning for models) and using this new aircraft for substitution without restarting the simulator

Fixing issue #4 is simple - just re-start the simulator

Fixing the other issues can be done by removing any substitutions that have been made using the JoinFS File | Edit Model Matching dialog box - simply delete any aircraft that have previously been used for substitution that are no longer available.

For "wholesale" changes where there are several aircraft that are no longer available in the sim (or if you cannot accurately identify which aircraft have been removed, changed or otherwise made unavailable) then go to the file 'matching.txt' -
The default location for this is: C:\Users\[ComputerName]\AppData\Local\JoinFS
and delete all of the substitutions except the Default substitution aircraft and save the file.

Restart JoinFS and reconnect. You should now see all those connected in the View | Aircraft list. Reassign any substitutions for unmatched aircraft as needed.

Note that if you are unsure if even the Default aircraft is still available in your simulator delete the actual aircraft but leave the line
Default =
and you will be prompted to select a new default aircraft for unmatched aircraft when you restart JoinFS.

Dan

[Peter]

Hi Dan,

That's a good summary.

I might be able to help things along by making some changes to the Model Matching window.

I already have plans to modify this window to show a grid which lists the original models alongside the replacement models so you can quickly review the whole lot on screen.

I can make it so that when you open this window it automatically does a temporary scan to identify any changes to installed models and then informs you of the changes so that further action can be taken.

And also add a reset button at the bottom which completely resets your model matching. This will save you having to find and edit the underlying files.

Peter

[Dan-TXHills]

Thanks Peter.

No big rush on that I would say - fairly straightforward to deal with once you recognize what the issue is. Doing a 'check scan' would certainly help ensure that this will not be an issue. Will watch for further updates - like some other things we do not see this as a big priority so starting with your planned modifications will be a good first step. Just wanted for others to be aware that this can be an issue (and a bit puzzling as to why one person cannot see others when everyone else can) and that the fix is fairly straightforward.

Dan