Application Program Interface

[oneway]

Of course this will never happen in a million years...but here goes anyway.

I WISH FOR:

An Application Program Interface (aka API) that out puts the following:

• NewLine terminated chat buffer lines (as string) on event
• Roster of players tuned to VOX (ch 5)
• Player CPID of player transmitting VOX or Range with bitwise flag (vox-0, range-1, private-2)
• Query/Response for Ctlr-D (Damage) as delimited string
• Query/Response for Ctlr-I (System Performance Info) as delimited string
• E6B ground speed output with wind cross and tail
• Current Salvo and Delay at sortie start and on change as event with args (bitwise flag)
• Current .dot speed setting on sortie start and on change as event with args

Just dreaming...

Oneway

[LLogann]

Dream on dude!

[oneway]

 

Heck it was worth a shot...

Sure would be nice if the powers that are...would give API/SDK guys such as myself the power to leverage the present and expanding generation of LCD capable keyboards as well as the existing cadre of com/serial/parallel ready lcd's to output at the very least.........A MINIMAL SET OF MISSION CRITICAL OUTPUT...

Think Logitech G15, G19 and sideband LCD readouts...

I knew I was pissing up rope on this one...

HTC plays it so close to the vest, it must be hard for them to breath...

Its about enhancement...not threat....knock knock knock....

<S>

Oneway

[68Hawk]

I think it would be awesome if we could export flight data so we could setup real glass cockpits, but I'll reach back for my pipe.

[oneway]

Yep Hawk....

We should be able to do that...

Given the rapidly changing nature of hardware from a tech perspective, and taking into consideration what the "competition" is doing...one would logically assume that HTC would get on board...

Not the case. It is obvious they want you to use their clipboard...as if you were in the cockpit...and you had nothing but chalk or a dull pencil to make changes to your game plan...the present HTC system is trapped in the notion that accepting a "hobbled" version of technology enhances game play...it grounds us in the tribulation of the time...that time being 70 years ago...

They are not willing to let go of that notion...for now

For that reason you will never see AH support a keyboard with an lcd..

Instead of exploring new horizons we are stuck with the status quo...

================

How terrible would it be if the program let you view on your keyboard lcd those tuned to your VOX?

Would that be too much to ask and violate the spirit of the WW2 experience?...to simply see on your keyboard lcd who is on your channel?

Baby steps kids...we can take them together...

Time to take them

Oneway

[FLS]

Oneway whoever told you that insulting HTC will get your wish to the top of the list is incorrect.

[gyrene81]

Given the rapidly changing nature of hardware from a tech perspective, and taking into consideration what the "competition" is doing...one would logically assume that HTC would get on board...

Not the case. It is obvious they want you to use their clipboard...as if you were in the cockpit...and you had nothing but chalk or a dull pencil to make changes to your game plan...the present HTC system is trapped in the notion that accepting a "hobbled" version of technology enhances game play...it grounds us in the tribulation of the time...that time being 70 years ago...

They are not willing to let go of that notion...for now

For that reason you will never see AH support a keyboard with an lcd..

Instead of exploring new horizons we are stuck with the status quo...

Man, I rarely ever see you post something that I don't agree with...but this is one of those rare instances. There is no "competition" (unfortunately) to AH...the only one that could have held a candle to it, hasn't been improved in at least 5 years...and that old donkey doesn't have nearly as many added capabilities as AH...you cannot compare an MMO flight sim to a stand alone client/server retail boxed program if that's what you're trying to refer to as "competition".

As long as you have been here, do you honestly believe that if releasing that much of the code was in the best interest of HTC and the players that it wouldn't have already been released? Think about what can be done with an SDK...and it's not all good...I know some that could have the game undetectably hacked in 24hrs.

Most of the "necessary functions" exist in AH and just because they don't fit your idyllic world does not make them flawed...there is no reasonable justification for giving people the ability to program their own or adding functionality to support an lcd readout on a keyboard...they are not common items, and few games support them...

[68Hawk]

From what I've heard, Hitech has said that he won't spend time on extra code stuff when it will give some players advantages over others.  While I'd like to see more capabilities out of our software, I agree with this logic.

Everyone knows that better sticks, pedals, bigger monitors and other nicer hardware gives an advantage over players who don't have such nice setups.  I'd love to be able to really trick out a cockpit, but hardware superiority shouldn't be the defining advantage in this game.

[RTHolmes]

As long as you have been here, do you honestly believe that if releasing that much of the code was in the best interest of HTC and the players that it wouldn't have already been released? Think about what can be done with an SDK...and it's not all good...I know some that could have the game undetectably hacked in 24hrs.

creating an API/SDK is not the same as releasing the entire source coad ...

[gyrene81]

creating an API/SDK is not the same as releasing the entire source coad ...

You don't need the source code...and this is the end of the discussion on that topic.

[RTHolmes]

how does providing data (eg. alt, speed, attitude etc) to feed to eg. simpit instruments present a vulnerability for hackers? thats the whole point of an API, you get to dictate exactly what if anything people can read from or write to an app.

[guncrasher]

All that coding to benefit what about 5% of the players, if that.  How many here have Simpits that would use the data or why looking at a keyboard would be better than taking ur eyes off the screen.  I would rather they spend the time coading my a26 ,


Semp

[Ack-Ack]

Personally, as I posted a wishlist thread about 3 years ago, I would like to see support for the G15 and G19 keyboards to display the E6B info.  I would also like to see it be able to display the plane and ordnance loadout that's been selected in the hanger and the base status that are displayed when you right click on a field on the map.  None of that information gives anyone using these keyboards an advantage over anyone else, just displays the information in a more convenient fashion.


ack-ack

[oneway]

Man, I rarely ever see you post something that I don't agree with...but this is one of those rare instances. There is no "competition" (unfortunately) to AH...the only one that could have held a candle to it, hasn't been improved in at least 5 years...and that old donkey doesn't have nearly as many added capabilities as AH...you cannot compare an MMO flight sim to a stand alone client/server retail boxed program if that's what you're trying to refer to as "competition".

As long as you have been here, do you honestly believe that if releasing that much of the code was in the best interest of HTC and the players that it wouldn't have already been released? Think about what can be done with an SDK...and it's not all good...I know some that could have the game undetectably hacked in 24hrs.

Most of the "necessary functions" exist in AH and just because they don't fit your idyllic world does not make them flawed...there is no reasonable justification for giving people the ability to program their own or adding functionality to support an lcd readout on a keyboard...they are not common items, and few games support them...

I am not talking about direct competition from a genre perspective...I am talking about the perspective of games in general...we all have only so much time to devote to any one thing...

The term competition refers to computer games in general that compete for our time...

The list of games that support output to secondary displays such as keyboard LCD's is vast...do some google searching on it...

Oneway

[oneway]

Oneway whoever told you that insulting HTC will get your wish to the top of the list is incorrect.

The post was not insulting from my perspective...nor was the message I was trying to convey. HTC rightly or wrongly (opinion) seems to feel that somehow the game is degraded if we are not forced to use the clipboard...if we are not forced to keep our chat buffer, com list etc plastered across our wind screens...

Take for instance the guy now running triple monitors via Triple Head or Eyefinity...they have the luxury of dragging those components into their peripheral field of views. Single monitor guys are still forced to manage the screen real estate...the game over the last few years adopted first the wide screen format, then multiple monitors...it has evolved in that regard, and the next step is to provide an API that lets us take mission critical information and move it either to keyboard LCD's, or tertiary LCD's piped through a com or serial interface...

There is absolutley no reason why Ctrl-D needs to show up on your main windscreen...as an example...

====

As to glass cockpits I am not for that at all...and if you look at the content of the OP it specifically avoids such data streams...

I am talking some basic stuff that in fact has nothing to do with WW2 realism from the cockpit perspective: Chat buffers, Radio Rosters, CPID on transmit etc have no basis in reality in regards to WW2 aircraft simulations...

Oneway