Misc

New Gauge Collection Page

| Tom Tsui

Just created a new section called Gauge Collection for FIPs under Hardware on the Menu.  This is the place where I put all the gauges I made so far and where I will make in the future (possibly including gauges in progress.)

Although all gauges are marked for specific aircrafts, some of them are generally good for other aircrafts as well as long as you don’t mind they look a little different from the cockpit you are seating.

Should you have multiple FIPs, I believe you could easily compile a set of gauges that best fits your preference.

FSX Times in 2012

| Tom Tsui

On this very last day of 2012, I sincerely thank to all who visited FSX Times, and particularly to those who actively supported my blog over the year.

In the last couple of months, I spent quite some time maneuvering around the virtual world instead of typing on the keyboard.  Also, I’ve been busy ripping thousands of CDs from my collection for my HiFi system.   Furthermore, I am still struggling for a major upgrade to my hardware gears — multiple monitors, etc.   All these “trivial but important” personal matters stopped me from writing as much new posts as I did in the first three quarters of the year.

In 2013, I’ll do my best to resume (or at least to catch up with) my previous pace since I still have many ideas to implement.  Following is the 2012 annual report of FSX Times prepared by WordPress for your interest:

2012-Review Report-00

Here’s an excerpt:

About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 320,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 6 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!

Continue reading →

Blog Update Status

Aside | | Tom Tsui

Received some enquiries about my status since I haven’t updated this blog for quite a while.

Thank you very much!

I am fine.   Just tied up with some personal matters.

This blog should get back to normal with regular updates in a couple of months.

Tom

Wanting to See Your Cockpit

Aside | | Tom Tsui

As suggested by many friends, a new photo section called Cockpits has been created, so that all subscribers can now share their “cockpit views” with others.   Whether you built a big jet in your house or just got a minimalist cockpit, we love to see them.

Should you be interested, Click here to Email Me Your Cockpit Photos

Format required :

  • JPEG
  • Your name
  • Your Location: Country and City
  • ICAO code of your location
  • A short description of your cockpit & your hardware

Note that your photos may be cropped or PS due to posting requirements.

Comments

An Update – The Company DOESN’T Care

Aside | | Tom Tsui

 

Probably anyone could tell from all the flightsim gears I bought from Saitek and the many custom gauges I developed for its FIPs that I am really a big fan to the company’s Pro Flight products.   That’s no doubt about it, but that’s also the reason why I was so upset when I got the unreasoning answer from the company’s supporting team regarding my help request on the format for the masking bmp files.

Beyond expectation, the company then followed my grievance promptly and positively.   Despite the misunderstanding involved, I have to admit that I am impressed by the care the company pays onto a customer’s concern.

I never regard myself more special than other customers to the company.   So, there’s no reason why I cannot clear out all my discontent and look to the future.

Even though I’ve tried to put myself in the company’s perspective to look into the service the company promised to deliver, it turns out to be that the company only talks and talks.   I have no more fancy that company really cares about their customers — no matter how beautifully they present themselves.

After all, I am still a big fan to the company’s flightsim products.

Comments

Confidentiality — Nonsense !

Aside | | Tom Tsui


With the help from Bill Leaming, Tom Gibson and Vololiberista at FSDeveloper.com who answered my question about “How to create BMP files for masking purposes” for FIP gauges, I have finally figured out how to create such *.bmp files in the first place.

It is so simple that I just need to:

  • Fill the image file (to be used as a mask) with RGB color=1,1,1 or web color=010101;  then
  • Save the file in either 1, 24, or 32-bit format.

That’s it!    I tried various methods and it turns out that I was just a step behind the door.   Sometimes you just need a twist to get you there.

Regarding my complaint against Saitek — Yes, that is the information I would expect from the company.

What a shame that the Saitek EU technical guy, Gabriel Constantinescu, replies and claims such information as “privileged and confidential to the company” and cannot release it to a loyal customer who asks for a little support.   And irresponsibly says that “we are unable to provide instruction on creating gauges to customers.”

Either he is totally ignorance or the department has rotten by bureaucracy !

Case Closed !

Comments

What’s the Point of Confidentiality ?

Aside | | Tom Tsui

Although I’ve created quite some gauges for Saitek’s FIP, I still can’t figure out completely the correct format for the bmp files used as masks for the gauges.

Besides researching the answer from the internet and exploring the result through different programs, I also wrote to Saitek for help.    I wish that I hadn’t done so because the reply from the company’s UK technical support team is a total disappointment:

We are unable to offer this information as it is privileged and confidential.  We are unable to provide instruction on creating gauges to customers.

Frankly, even without this information, we users are still able to create our own gauges.   It may take a bit more time and need some alternative methods to deal with the masking files.

So really I can’t understand the point of such confidential information to the company !

Do they know that the more custom gauges we create, the more potential (new and old) customers we help attract for them ?

Are they afraid that by releasing such information to customers will make us their competitors ?

Darn !

Comments

To All Subscribers

Image | | Tom Tsui

Have been receiving quite some questions about not getting the download link for the utilities I wrote.   I replied this question to individuals directly in the past.

Along with the release of the FlyZone Switcher, I think it is better for me to post my recent reply to Dustin (and a few others) who just asked the same question again why it is so:

…  I once sent out the first version of my ShadeShifter to all subscribers.    However, … some people were not keen and many expressed not happy to get emails like this.

So from that moment on, I ONLY send the download link of my utility to those people (subscribers of my blog only) who specifically show interests and request for it.

This is the practice I am taking for my blog — If you are interested in something I create, send me a request.

Also, you MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER to this blog.

I take this as a basic mutual respect.    And I make this statement clear in many of my posts.

I definite spend a lot of time (and money) keeping this blog running, not to mention the efforts I put on designing, programming and testing the utilities I share them for free.

So, please don’t feel bothered by just sending me a request for something that may bring you extra fun in FSX.

P.S.
For those who are interested to get a copy of the new FlyZone Switcher,  it will take a while because I would like to get some feedbacks from the first round of users first.    But it shouldn’t take long.

Moreover, don’t stop notifying me of your interest by sending me a comment post.

143: Notes about the Shade Shifter

| Tom Tsui

Got some emails from subscribers asking about the ShadeShifter.    Here’s the note:

My ShadeShifter is an additional utility written for the pay utility “Shade for FSX“, which allows the changing of atmospheric effect in FSX.   Many information about it could be found from the sub-category of Tools in my blog or on the internet.

“Shade for FSX” comes with a number of presets, and each of them brings a different effect.   However, switching from one preset to another through the interface of the program itself is a bit clumsy.   Therefore, I wrote this ShadeShifter to make the switching more easily and user-friendly.

I can make up somethings to render similar shade effects without the program itself, but that’s not fair to the developer.   So, if any of you don’t have “Shade for FSX”, I am sorry that my ShadeShifter is of no use to you.   That’s why I just sent out a link instead of the ShadeShifter itself in order to give you a choice to decide if you really need it.

To me, “Shade for FSX” is a necessity for my FSX setup.    But note that I am in no way associated to the developer of “Shade for FSX”.    I just found the program a good one and there are many “conveniences” I can do about it to serve my own needs.    And this ShadeShifter is my newest addition if you read my previous posts about Shade.