X-Plane plugin v1.8.8 released

[Keith Smith]

MacOS Metal support just added to v1.6.3 download! Just in time for SimVenture!

[Keith Smith]

Linux Vulkan support just added to the v1.6.3 download, in time for the last big day of SimVenture!

[Keith Smith]

Added to 1.6.3 release notes (this was introduced in the 1.6.1 vulkan beta, it just never made it into the published release notes for 1.6.3 production release):

- traffic on slave instances of xplane now draws smoothly again

[Keith Smith]

- 1.6.5 (Jul 13, 2021)
- added TriMotor, R22 and flagmen CSLs to the distribution
- no need to delete VSProSound.ini if audio device IDs change after Windows update or if previously-saved devices are no longer available (ie, no longer in the system)
- audio reverts to default devices if previously-saved devices are unavailable
- audio device list is refreshed each time the Preferences window is drawn, allowing for addition of devices after X-Plane has started
- max radio volume now capped to 65% to avoid distortion associated with the boost above 65%
- Known issue: if zero devices are available (input or output) at load time, the OK button on the preferences screen will not function (ie, close and save preferences) until a device is available AND the user clicks it (even if it appears to be automatically selected)

[Keith Smith]

- 1.7.0 (Jul 14, 2022, nearly a year to the day!)
- XP11.55 or later now required (the 32-bit plugins are deprecated and aren't being updated being v1.6.5 due to X-Plane API requirements)
- added native TCAS support for up to 63 aircraft within 25nm radius. Once the limit is reached, oldest aircraft are drawn prior to newer aircraft
- VSProTrafficRelay.ini is now deprecated since the TCAS targets are natively relayed by X-Plane to ForeFlight and compatible apps such as LittleNavMap, AviTab, etc already
- the PilotEdge plugin a dynamic weight-on-wheels calculation when sending the data to X-Plane, allowing apps to display the traffic differently or filter targets as necessary (ForeFlight does this, removing ground-based aircraft as you zoom out from the airport on the map)

[Keith Smith]

-1.7.1 (Jul 15, 2022)

-fixed callsign mangling on X-Plane's map display and ForeFlight that occurred over time if an aircraft with a shorter callsign occupied a TCAS slot that was previously held by an aircraft with a longer callsign. For example, if N123AB was displayed on TCAS, then disconnected and was replaced by N2MF, the resulting display would be "N2MF3AB"

Important Known Issue still remains: no attempt is made to verify that our attempt to acquire the AI TCAS system after connecting was successful or not. Therefore, when the plugin attempts to write to the TCAS datarefs, if another plugin has ownership of those datarefs, X-Plane throws an error warning the user that a plugin is trying to override TCAS when it doesn't have permission.

In the mean time, X-Pilot users should select the "release TCAS control" option prior to connecting to PilotEdge. This will make the TCAS system available for use by other plugins. PilotEdge only attempts to take control of TCAS after connecting to the network.

[Keith Smith]

-1.8.0 (Apr 6, 2023)
- added Apple silicon (M1/M2 CPU) support
- added XP12 support for MacOS (for Intel and Apple CPU)
- added support for XP12's "Contact ATC (push to talk)" as PTT trigger in addition to existing "Contact ATC"
- added support for XP12's TX/RX indicator overrides, which is used by the stock Garmin 430/530/G1000 avionics
- replay mode now triggers automatic disconnect
- changing aircraft triggers automatic disconnect
- unexpected disconnections are now reflected in the plugin state
- fixed race condition where COM2 continues receiving if COM1/2 are powered down at the same time (ie, battery or avionics master transition from 'on' to 'off')
- Mode C support allows for XP11 and XP12 which define Mode C differently. Includes allowance for HotStart CL60 which still uses XP11's style in XP12.
- completely restyled user interface (IMGUI instead of XPWidgets)
- CONNECT window allows tabbing between fields, CTRL-C and CTRL-V for copy/paste
- PREFERENCES window auto-updates display every 3 seconds to show newly connected or removed devices
- PREFERENCES window includes "Play Test" button, playing a TCAS "descend, descend now," aural prompt to verify operation of the output device

- NEW: RADIO DEBUG screen, shows voice status, power switch, primary freq, audio panel settings (TX/RX enabled), failure status, volume, TX/RX status and color-coded enabled status for COM1 and COM2 radios. Also includes overall settings such as avionics master, bus voltage compared to nominal bus voltage, low voltage condition, transponder code/mode, master volume, PTT status, and mic volume meter (real time)

- RADIO DEBUG screen also includes a LOCAL TEST MODE for testing your audio and hearing it back without it being transmitted on the network.

NOTE: The meter showing the mic level activates after the PTT is pressed once. From that point, it remains active whether you are in Local Test Mode or not. Local Test Mode is automatically deactivated upon closing the window with the 'OK' button, but not the external window controls. Radio transmissions are NOT made to the network if Local Test Mode is engaged.
- replay mode now triggers automatic disconnect
- changing aircraft triggers automatic disconnect
- unexpected disconnections are now reflected in the plugin state
- fixed race condition where COM2 continues receiving if COM1/2 are powered down at the same time (ie, battery or avionics master transition from 'on' to 'off')
- Mode C support allows for XP11 and XP12 which define Mode C differently. Includes allowance for HotStart CL60 which still uses XP11's style in XP12.
- completely restyled user interface (IMGUI instead of XPWidgets)
- CONNECT window allows tabbing between fields, CTRL-C and CTRL-V for copy/paste
- PREFERENCES window auto-updates display every 3 seconds to show newly connected or removed devices
- PREFERENCES window includes "Play Test" button, playing a TCAS "descend, descend now," aural prompt to verify operation of the output device

- NEW: RADIO DEBUG screen, shows voice status, power switch, primary freq, audio panel settings (TX/RX enabled), failure status, volume, TX/RX status and color-coded enabled status for COM1 and COM2 radios. Also includes overall settings such as avionics master, bus voltage compared to nominal bus voltage, low voltage condition, transponder code/mode, master volume, PTT status, and mic volume meter (real time)

- RADIO DEBUG screen also includes a LOCAL TEST MODE for testing your audio and hearing it back without it being transmitted on the network.

NOTE: The meter showing the mic level activates after the PTT is pressed once. From that point, it remains active whether you are in Local Test Mode or not. Local Test Mode is automatically deactivated upon closing the window with the 'OK' button, but not the external window controls. Radio transmissions are NOT made to the network if Local Test Mode is engaged.

[Keith Smith]

- 1.8.1 (Apr 10, 2023)
- multi-monitor support improvements now allows full screen sim on non-primary display with nothing running on the primary display
- support for new XP12 flap handle dataref

- multi-machine support improvements:
- VSProSlaves.ini file no longer needed. External visuals are automatically detected (IPv4 only, do not use X-Plane's IPv6 option)
- external visual (slave machine) was crashing upon aircraft swap and going to preferences screen
- built-in map now shows traffic on slave machines

[Keith Smith]

-1.8.5 (Apr 18, 2023)
- transponder override for XP11 aircraft that haven't been updated correctly for XP12. Create a PE_transponder_mode_c.txt file and place it in the desired aircraft folder. See the X-Plane/PilotEdge_out.txt log file after connecting to PilotEdge to confirm the path the plugin is checking, such as: d:/X-Plane 11/Aircraft/Laminar Research/Baron B58/PE_transponder_mode_c.txt. Place a single line with a value of '2' (no quotes) in the text file. The file is read each time the client connects to the network (no restart required). The number 2 represents the minimum value of the underlying transponder mode (as reported through X-Plane's transponder_mode dataref) which will trigger PilotEdge's MODE C flag. Use the new radio debug screen to verify operation.

- multi-monitor support updated to draw on the OS-level primary monitor
- login process now happens as a background task, allowing sim to continue running. Status updates are posted in the connect window during login
- password show/hide button on connect screen
- all caps forced on login screen, character filtering prevents input of anything other than letters and numbers for callsign/icao/airline/livery

[Keith Smith]

-1.8.6 (Apr 20, 2023)
- connect dialog box now allows the "@" sign to be entered to permit shared cockpit logins (this was being filtered in v1.8.5)

- added checks to see if TCAS system is already being controlled by another plugin. The X-Pilot plugin is known to acquire the TCAS system even if not connected to network. In this case, PilotEdge will no longer try to acquire the aircraft and will instead issue an aural warning upon login and make an entry in the log file. This way, no error messages are posted on screen about TCAS issues by X-Plane.