Questions about active camera and virtual cabin and cockpit

[saturn05]

Hello folks
I just tried active camera, a nice add on but it has shortfalls.
First an horrible documentation (I understand that english is not the developer first language) and poorly organized.
Second is a bit cumbersome to switch from the active camera "mode" to the normal view switching mode (if you do not follow a certain order your graphic get distorted).
Third, I would like to mantain the "classic" tower view that active camera override by default
I don't know but for 15 bucks I think is too pricey....if I have to buy something that "something" must have a decent documentation and support...active camera still did look a bit immature as payware (in my opinion).
DO you think guys, in the next version of FS Microsoft will include a standard implementation of what active camera does???
Why inexplicably some developer included in their planes great virtual cabins but not virtual cockpit at all??? (i.e. meljet planes) mystery.......
There is a nice and quick procedure to have wing views (front and back)???? this is the only thing I really care, for the rest I'm not interested in virtual cabin and external walkaround...(I'm fully satisfied with the spot plane function)
I researched this forum and others but I could not find a nice and smooth way to do it without losing the other functionality during the flight (i.e. the virtual cockpit)
Thanks in advance!!!

[cueceleches]

Just as you, I was intrested in Spot view and some other, not caring a bit about walking around the VC or passengers cabin.
So I do use FS Camera, which is freeware.
You get a very nice tower view while on the ground. You may change some distance options. Once airborne, at a certain preset altitude, the tower camera converts to Fly by camera.
On approach, the same, the fly by camera changes automatically to Approach/landing camera.
Really a very nice software, and so easy to configure.

[Petervan]

Documentation : English is not my native language but I understood perfectly the documentation. Horrible documentation: are you kidding ?
Organization of the doc : comprehensive and well illustrated, and step by step tutorials.

When you switch from VC to external view and vice versa you must revert to VC mode. Simple and easy.

Is 15 USD pricey ? Well worth for me since I fly mostly from the VC (VFR). I use other interesting features you don't talk about.
If you don't need virtual cabins or walkaround then don't buy it. There is a nice freeware - FS Camera - which allows flyby views only.

Support : many users reported an excellent support in several forums

Immature payware ? Tell me why (apparently) so many simmers purchased the program ?

I for one hope these functions will be default included in FS2006.

What are you doing to loose the virtual cockpit ? I never had any problems.

[Anticyclone]

Greetings saturn05,

"First an horrible documentation (I understand that english is not the developer first language) and poorly organized."

I'm a hobbyist (fortunately FS programmation is not my full time job). French is my mother language and I did my best to translate the docs. I'm not Shakespeare.
Is it incomprehensible ? Just out of curiosity I asked a friend (well known reviewer here at Flightsim.com) to check if it is so horrible. I won't post here what is is thinking about your statement. I would like to learn from you how to better organize the structure of the manual. Is it so chaotic ? Never mind.

"Second is a bit cumbersome to switch from the active camera "mode" to the normal view switching mode (if you do not follow a certain order your graphic get distorted)."

The order is not to revert to tower view directly from external view mode. There is no miracle, external view is not a FS default view.

"... active camera still did look a bit immature as payware (in my opinion)."

Perhaps Active Camera 2004 is an immature commercial FS add-on programmed by beginners ...

"DO you think guys, in the next version of FS Microsoft will include a standard implementation of what active camera does???"

Are you eagerly waiting that AC2004 functions will be implemented in FS2006 ? So the utility is not that bad ...

"Why inexplicably some developer included in their planes great virtual cabins but not virtual cockpit at all??? (i.e. meljet planes) mystery......."

No mystery. Only FS developers (freeware and commercial) can realize how difficult it is to design a nice virtual cockpit. Not to mention I would never dare to criticize Melvin Rafi's outstanding job and his popular freeware 777.

"I researched this forum and others but I could not find a nice and smooth way to do it without losing the other functionality during the flight (i.e. the virtual cockpit)"

What the hell are you doing for loosing the VC during the flight (you can still write me at support@anticyclone.be and I will try to help you with this matter).
As stated elsewhere in this topic FSCamera is a very fine alternative if you wish another tower view mode. And most of all it is freeware.

Regards,

Serge Baye
http://www.anticyclone.be

edit : I apologize in anticipation for the horrible grammar/spelling I wrote in this topic :)

[JohnKrist]

Well I'm not too fond of some issues with the graphic distortion, but there ought to be a fix for it. I understand that you are not a professional FS-programmer and that FS is a very complicated program. But with the bugs I think that 15 bucks is too much. On the other hand I understand that you need to get back some money for the time you put into it. But sometimes it sells more to be cheaper, for me there is a line at 10 bucks, i gladly buy an add-on for 10 and think it's cheap, but 15 is getting expensive.

BUT, the biggest problem with AC isn't AC itself, it's that aircraft doesn't have a fuselage in VC, and it's mainly in VC that AC comes to it's right.

I might cough up the dough as I think it's a nice program idea, fix the flaws and you will get 15 bucks from me :)

[Anticyclone]

What you call bugs are only limitations of both AC and FS that will never be fixed. All these limitations are documented in the docs. That's the reason why the demo is fully functionnal so anyone can have an idea of pro's and con's.
As for the graphic distorsion the workaround for this limitation is also clearly documented (be aware the external view is not an original FS view, simply revert to VC from external view, then you can cycle though the standard fs views).