Hello everyone!
It’s been quite some time since we’ve provided a development news update. Let’s get right to it!
We’ve been hard at work, with much of our efforts being behind the scenes, as we’ve maintained and upgraded our products to work with the latest simulator platform versions/updates.
X-Plane
X-Plane v12’s recent release, with a brand-new weather API, has garnered many questions about our upcoming X-Plane v12 compatibility strategy. So, without further ado…… we are pleased to announce Active Sky XP 12, our new weather engine solution for X-Plane v12!
Active Sky XP 12
While X-Plane v12’s Weather API is still early and undergoing improvements, we have achieved great results with the current v12 Regional weather system depiction which provides for very accurate weather conditions and great visuals. This new system, and our associated Regional depiction mode, replaces and greatly enhances the previously-available Global Static depiction mode. Your weather depiction will be realistic and variable, with extremely smooth transitions to provide a seamless and pleasing overall weather depiction experience along any kind of flight, from short GA hops to long-haul Airliner routes.
As the weather system and API for X-Plane v12 is evolved, we plan to take advantage of it to provide much higher detail in weather depiction and control. These improvements are planned as ongoing updates to our initial ASXP12 release.
Now the best news: ASXP12 will be offered as a FREE UPGRADE to all ASXP users! Your existing ASXP license key and online account will remain valid for either the ASXP original version or the upgraded ASXP12.
We plan to release ASXP12 as an OPEN BETA for all ASXP users in the next few days. Please stay tuned for more information at our ASXP12 page http://hifisimtech.com/asxp12.
Frequently asked questions about ASXP12:
Is this a free upgrade for ASXP users?
Yes, this is a free upgrade. Your existing ASXP license key and online user ID/password will be valid for ASXP12 installation and use.
Can I still use ASXP12 with X-Plane 11?
No. X-Plane 11 compatible is being removed from ASXP12. To use X-Plane 11, please use the previous ASXP version specific for X-Plane 11.
Can I use ASXP and ASXP12 at the same time?
Currently, ASXP12 overwrites ASXP installations, so you can’t have both installed. You can uninstall one and reinstall the intended version. In the near future you will be able to have both ASXP and ASXP12 installed at the same time and user either or depending on your target X-Plane version.
What kind of weather depiction is used for XP12?
Currently, the XP12 weather API supports Regional weather depiction, which is similar to global weather, but with additional variation. As you fly into new areas, the regional weather is updated in a smooth way along your route of flight. You will see variable weather areas around your aircraft, but the specific variation is random. The localized weather parameters will be extremely accurate at all times. In the near future, we hope to provide additional detailed weather control for more variation similar to the existing XP12 live weather mode. This will depend on unknown future XP12 weather and API features and capabilities.
ASXP12 OPEN BETA
Expected to start momentarily, ASXP12 will be offered in an early OPEN BETA version for all ASXP license holders. You’ll be able to download and install ASXP12 and use your existing ASXP license key and online account user ID/password. It is recommended that the original ASXP version be fully UNINSTALLED prior to installing the new ASXP12 version.
If you’ve misplaced your ASXP license and/or login id/password, please visit your reseller for the license key/download, or our downloads page at https://hifisimtech.com/downloads. You can reset your password using your registered email address and the forgot password link on the ASXP12 login screen.
When participating in the BETA, please understand that there will be expected issues/bugs and the software will not be at full release status or functionality. Bug reports/suggestions should be posted at the site: http://hifisimtech.canny.io/asxp12bugs and include as much information as possible including screenshots, duplication steps, expected behavior, logs and more. Please always include a LOG export (LOGS button) after an error/issue with all bug submissions.
Prepar3D
For Prepar3D, we have been maintaining the various v5 updates from LM over the past year. We continue to maintain this with updates as required, and look forward to any new updates from LM where to plan to support and enhance each new version.
ASP3D Professional
We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of ASP3D Professional: A new version of ASP3D for professional/commercial use. This new version features offline usage capability, includes custom editable offline navigation and airport databases, and is expected to be offered at $99 USD (subject to change). We plan to roll out ASP3D Professional over the coming weeks.
MSFS
We have received many questions about any potential Active Sky for MSFS2020. We wish we could offer more information, but at this time we are very limited. Microsoft/Asobo have announced they will not offer weather API functionality to enable an Active Sky-style add-on, for reasons that are unclear. Some developers have attempted to work around the lack of API and extensibility of weather in order to offer some basic weather control, but these solutions, which we have also attempted and have been working on, have so far been very limited and unable to provide the kind of weather engine experience and utility that we had hoped for. Still, we have had some promising results and continue to work hard to bring MSFS2020 solutions, with information about these solutions to be announced in the near future.
DEVELOPER PARTNERSHIPS
If you’re interested in partnering with us to help create awesome weather technology for flight simulation, or integrate your products with ours, let’s talk!
Thanks to all our customers and supporters who continue to enable us to spend lots of effort on improving weather realism and the overall weather experience on all desktop flight simulation platforms!
Stay tuned for more, very soon!
-HiFi