New RealFlight 8 public beta (8.00.021) for DVD & Tower Hobbies Digital versions

[Ryan Douglas]

We are pleased to announce that RealFlight version 8.00.021 is now available as a free public beta download for DVD and Tower Hobbies Digital versions of the software!

Highlights include important fixes for fullscreen mode and for HID controllers, including RC radios connected to an interface like the Spektrum WS1000. See the post below this one for more information. Also included are some VR refinements as well as changes that bring this edition of RealFlight 8 and the Steam version into line with each other.

This version is compatible with 8.00.019 for multiplayer.

Perform the following steps to obtain the update. Note that this process has changed a bit from previous versions of RealFlight.

1. Start the RealFlight 8 Launcher
2. Click Technical Support
3. Click Enter Tech Support Code
4. Enter the following code: PBEC#jqxf3hhh7haq (If successful, you will see a message saying "You are now registered to use the Public Beta site until the new version is posted to official download site.")
5. Click Update to Specific Version, choose 8.00.021 from the list, and click OK.

RELEASE NOTES:

• Exiting the sim while in fullscreen mode no longer causes a crash
• Settings: Graphics->Hardware->Resolution dropdown list has more correct and helpful information as well as better formatting. Interlaced display modes are explicitly labeled.
• Settings: Non-32-bit resolutions are filtered out. Selecting invalid 16-bit resolutions could previously cause a crash.
• Settings: New Controller->Deadband Percentage setting allows adjusting and disabling the deadband applied to stick input channels. (Does not affect InterLink controllers, which never use deadband.)
• VR: Headset proximity sensors are now supported through OpenVR. This includes the Vive.
• VR: Vertical sync is forced off while in VR
• VR: Graphics Settings and Target Status dialogs are properly positioned on the screen
• VR: The camera view updates correctly when looking from another participant's aircraft
• VR: Fixed an issue where certain operations would cause the UI to resize and display incorrectly
• New Reset to Defaults... option in the Help menu. It's the same as exiting, clicking Restore Defaults in the Launcher, and manually restarting RealFlight.
• New Technical Support... option in the Help menu. It's the same as exiting and clicking Technical Support in the Launcher.
• RealFlight remembers its command line arguments (if any) after an auto-restart
• Airfoil data files that previously existed on the RealFlight DVD are now placed in the RealFlight8\Airfoil Database directory in compressed form
• Launcher: When updating from an expired public beta to a newer public version, no extra files are downloaded

 

[Ryan Douglas]

Controller Deadband Percentage

We've added a new controller Deadband Percentage setting in the Settings dialog. This is important for anyone who is not using a RealFlight controller (meaning an InterLink, RealFlight Wired Interface, or RealFlight SLT Wireless Interface). If you are using one of those, none of this applies to you, and you can ignore the rest.

Deadband on the stick inputs is very helpful with gamepad controllers and joysticks. It is not helpful with RC-style controllers, though, and in the worst-case scenario can even cause movements from one stick to cause phantom inputs from the other stick.

For RC controllers: Set Deadband Percentage to 0. That includes anyone using their own radio through an interface like the Spektrum WS1000.

For gamepads/joysticks: We encourage you to experiment with different values for Deadband Percentage and tune it to your liking.