iControl DCS - iPad Virtual Cockpit

iControl DCS - Available Here

iControl DCS is a virtual cockpit for your iPad. It allows you to use the touchscreen to interact with the simulator, and view live video of the MFCDs and CDU directly on the iPad!

iControl DCS Features

• Combination UFC and dual live MFCD on a single screen
  
• Fully functional live CDU
  
• Zoomed MFCD screen with slew controls - amazing for those without many-button HOTAS
  
• Uses well known iPad gestures for navigation.
  
  • Swipe with two fingers to navigate between screens
    
  • Pinch or double tap to zoom in or out of an MFCD
    
  • Drag with a single finger to change dials and switches
    

  [*]All original graphics, optimized for touch screens

  [*]Easy to use! Automatic server discovery, zero configuration on the iPad is required

  [*]All switches, dials, and displays update in real-time with in-sim values. Your iPad switches will mirror the cockpit switches all the time, and vice versa

  [*]Radio Controls

  • VHF AM
    
  • VHF FM
    
  • UHF
    
  • TACAN
    
  • ILS
    

  [*]Commonly used controls - useful for those without a HOTAS with tons of buttons

  • Gear Up/Down
    
  • Nose Wheel Steering Toggle
    
  • Speed Brake Extend/Retract
    

  [*]Live caution and warning panel, warnings appear on the iPad when they do in-sim

  [*]Flaps Control

  [*]LASTE panel

  [*]Master Arm Switch

  [*]Gun Arm Switch

  [*]Laser Arm Switch

  [*]TGP Switch

A-10 Virtual Cockpit Free - Available Here

A-10 VC Free is a limited functionality, ad supported version of its big brother iControl DCS. It is completely free. It has the combo MFCD, UFC, ILS, TACAN, Caution Warning, and a few other controls.

It's a great way to give the application a try so you can see how well the MFCD export performs for you. You get all the server benefits of the paid version, screen setup, easy script install, etc.

Check out the website at http://www.bit-shift.com for more information on iControl DCS, A10 Virtual Cockpit Free, and DCS Virtual Cockpit Server.

Check out youtube for videos of the app in action.

Video showing how to set up the server:

Thanks to the community for all the support and positive feedback. It really helps keep me motivated to continue improving and adding features!

Please rate on the App Store too!

This looks like a great app. Im sure alot of work was put into it.. but the price is just too much. I bought DCS-a10 on sale for 20 dollars. But this app is 30 bucks. If iControl was 10 bucks i would buy it in a second. But i cant justify an software accessory that costs more than the game. BTW im also a software developer and have created my own ios apps.

Make an android version.

I wish the CDU could come in portrait mode...also very difficult to change ILS xxx.xx X last digit numbers...most of the time it fails. bringing the check list, airport maps....and mission card info would be a great add-on...

I find the $30 pricetag morally questionable. Would this even have been possible if ED didn't do all the exporting work for you already in their software? Fundamentally what you're doing is charging $30 to plug Helios into a touchscreen. Pass.

I find the $30 pricetag morally questionable. Would this even have been possible if ED didn't do all the exporting work for you already in their software? Fundamentally what you're doing is charging $30 to plug Helios into a touchscreen. Pass.

A-10 VC Free is available for those who don't feel comfortable with the pricing of iControl DCS.

 

 

If ED didn't do what they did, none of us would be here. There also wouldn't be a $4-500 HOTAS, or $70 MFDs without screens. Thank you to ED for making a great product!

 

 

A bit disingenuous. The Thrustmaster MFDs were available before DCS A-10 and the Cougar Hotas to.

I think your App looks great but when your used to paying just a few quid for an app your price does make me shudder.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

As soon as I get an iPAD, I'm buying this software. Boarder2, thanks for the work.

Working on setting this app up.

Trouble Don't know what to do.

Device in DCS Windows Server Software symptoms.

Green Light but Sim is RED light

Windows has Installed Bonjour

installed netframework 4.0

installed DCS Server software.

In the Sim I selected DCS Virtual Cockpit in the MONITOR Section.

In the SERVER SOFTWARE I selected Display and SET up the screen correctly.

Then I hit Tools.... Update scripts and it says sucessful.

I start the Server. Start The App. Start the Sim.

the sim displays correctly the main monitor has the Cockpit.

The second monitor shows correctly as I have shows the 2 MFDS in the DCS Server software.

But the Server software still shows SIM RED not Green what did i miss?

Working on setting this app up.

The sim status will only be green when the sim is actually up, running, in flight, and actively communicating with the server. If the iPad is showing the MFCDs and everything is updating, you should be good to go.

If things aren't actually working go ahead and email me at support@bit-shift.com and we'll get it figured out!

Good to see apps being developed for this game, but I echo the comments;

1) A bit too much $ , I understand it is a tough job to develop and release these things, and for a very small section of the gaming world. I would still have a hard time commiting that much cash for something with such a limited use

2) Port to other platforms. I have no intention of joining the ihoard

Thanks Boarder2 Yeah checked the switches an MFD's they appear to all be working. So i guess its no problem.

Sapo The APP has a FREE version you got a bit too much money for free? WTF? lol

BTW the app looks great I'm certainly considering purchasing the full version.

Hi I tried the free app but my game just kept hanging up/crashing on the loading page so I have uninstalled it. Can you please explain how I get my display configuration back to normal? I am not sure where these "backup" files are?

Thanks

Hi I tried the free app but my game just kept hanging up/crashing on the loading page so I have uninstalled it. Can you please explain how I get my display configuration back to normal? I am not sure where these "backup" files are?

 

Thanks

Search your a10 install folder for files matching *.a10original (I think, I don't have the code in front of me at the moment) and rename them at file to the original file in the corresponding directory.

Feel free to contact me at the support email address if you need further help!

Search your a10 install folder for files matching *.a10original (I think, I don't have the code in front of me at the moment) and rename them at file to the original file in the corresponding directory.

 

Feel free to contact me at the support email address if you need further help!

Thanks, there was one file for the CDU with that extension, but I cannot find any others. Perhaps if you could post the file names in here or your website then it would help other people as well.

EDIT: found some others using a search for .bak if this helps others. Although my screen is still stretched along both my monitors and the game still locks up on loading.

One cool feature would be a one click option to change the .luas back if that was possible.

I purchased the full version and am very happy with it. I don't think 30 bucks is too much to have tactile control over your MFD's, radios, CDU, etc etc. I think its the most awesome thing ever actually. Not sure what you guys want, but some of you pay $500 for joysticks that give you the same kind of immersion.

Great app.. Love it.

A-10 VC Free is available for those who don't feel comfortable with the pricing of iControl DCS.

you guys don't give a break do ya? boarder, I promise if I buy the ipad2, your app will be on the to-do list. 30 bucks is nothing.

You know...sometimes reading threads that I would otherwise find innocuous strangely make me angry.

I read through this thread and I am amazed at people's comments about pricing. The price doesn't suit you, fine, you ahve 2 options. Don't buy it or hey, make one yourself.

Until you have tried making something like this yourself you most likely have very little idea about how much work goes into a product like this (I develop in iOS...I do). Why people feel compelled to tell the world about why they think the prices is so high really mystifies me. Opinions are like armpits. People have more than one and they usually stink.

30 buck is not unreasonable, especially given the niche market of this. boarder isn't going to sell a 100,000 copies of this is he? To cover his costs (and I'm sure his time is worth every bit as we think our time is worth) I don't think what he asks is unreasonable. Is a little high? Maybe. Is comparable with what you would pay for any other hobby for an accessory? Yes.

As for the Android stuff. *sigh* People also seem to think that when you program stuff all of sudden you have indepth knowledge of every variant of programming language and the devices to run it on.

If you really want it on your Android, program it yourself or approach someone to do it for you. It's for iOS....get over it. It already takes significant effort to develop it for one device what makes people think that us hobbyist programmers are just dying to spend even more time learning other platforms that don't interest us just to cater for their device choice.

There is this sense of entitlement people on the Internet have just rubs me the wrong way....a lot.

I purchased the full version and am very happy with it. I don't think 30 bucks is too much to have tactile control over your MFD's, radios, CDU, etc etc. I think its the most awesome thing ever actually. Not sure what you guys want, but some of you pay $500 for joysticks that give you the same kind of immersion.

 

Great app.. Love it.

Glad you like it!

You know...sometimes reading threads that I would otherwise find innocuous strangely make me angry.

 

I read through this thread and I am amazed at people's comments about pricing. The price doesn't suit you, fine, you ahve 2 options. Don't buy it or hey, make one yourself.

 

Until you have tried making something like this yourself you most likely have very little idea about how much work goes into a product like this (I develop in iOS...I do). Why people feel compelled to tell the world about why they think the prices is so high really mystifies me. Opinions are like armpits. People have more than one and they usually stink.

 

30 buck is not unreasonable, especially given the niche market of this. boarder isn't going to sell a 100,000 copies of this is he? To cover his costs (and I'm sure his time is worth every bit as we think our time is worth) I don't think what he asks is unreasonable. Is a little high? Maybe. Is comparable with what you would pay for any other hobby for an accessory? Yes.

 

As for the Android stuff. *sigh* People also seem to think that when you program stuff all of sudden you have indepth knowledge of every variant of programming language and the devices to run it on.

 

If you really want it on your Android, program it yourself or approach someone to do it for you. It's for iOS....get over it. It already takes significant effort to develop it for one device what makes people think that us hobbyist programmers are just dying to spend even more time learning other platforms that don't interest us just to cater for their device choice.

 

There is this sense of entitlement people on the Internet have just rubs me the wrong way....a lot.

1) Before anything else, realize that his post is spam. On any other forum you'd see this locked because I don't see why ED resources should be used to help this guy make a pile of money from people with more money than sense, and it's not like he's even passing money on to ED, despite the fact that the program is completely reliant on ED code. Yes, they made that code for the purposes of exporting information, but to then go ahead and use it to make money almost seems lawsuit-worthy. There's an entire section of the EULA that says that nothing you create for personal use that uses anything provided by the program (in this case, I would say export.lua counts) can be used for commercial gain. But I digress: with that in mind, if you feel compelled to post advertising for an overpriced app, I am well within my rights to respond to advertising.

2) I honestly don't care how much or how little effort it took. All I know is that this app is more or less totally identical to software that already exists for free. The only difference is iPad exclusivity which translates to a captive market. There's nothing illegal about selling software you made, but the problem I see is that the creator(s) of Helios have no problem working on their project for the community for free, this guy wants an exorbitant amount of money for it. That just makes him look bad. If Helios never existed and this was a one-of-a-kind product, I probably wouldn't even be having this conversation because this would be amazing, but it's not. He saw Helios, essentially copied the whole idea, made his own version of it, and is profiting from it.

3) Whether or not I can do something is totally irrelevant. I can't build an airline company from scratch, and neither can you, yet I guarantee you you've complained about fees, lines, unhelpful people, etc. I also don't own my own milk cows, does that mean I can't complain when Tescos hikes the price of milk and then immediately discounts it to the original price and acts like it's a sale?

4) $30 isn't unreasonable? Says who, you? The economies of scale barely even apply in the world of home-grown software. With physical goods, you raise prices on goods that won't sell very much because you need to pay off your overhead before you make a profit, and with small batches that cost gets translated into fewer units equating to a much higher price. For example, military aircraft computers... Honeywell may only sell 200 F-15 ADCPs, so they have to factor in the cost of R&D, testing, tooling, manufacturing, and supporting the product, with all the salaries of everyone involved, and a profit, which is why they cost half a million dollars each. In the case of this, he has $100 overhead for the iOS SDK. That's it.

5) Sense of entitlement? Seriously? First, his product is in direct competition with something that's currently free, so a sense of entitlement (in this case, expecting it to be not-overpriced) is actually justified. Second, it's a PAY-FOR PRODUCT. How do you get a sense of entitlement from something you'd be paying for? Finally, people are asking him to try to make one for Android. Whether or not that's possible is irrelevant, they probably don't know how much work it is, you being a douchebag about it helps nothing.

Finally:

There is this sense of entitlement people on the Internet have just rubs me the wrong way....a lot.

By the way, understand that if his software utilizes ED's code to function (hooked into their exporting code, which I have reason to believe it is), it may even be illegal to sell it under the language used in the EULA.

Frankly, despite what you may think, most of this I don't really care about. This rant is simply me laying everything about this app on the line. I don't care if this really does violate the EULA because I'm not the ones losing out on anything. It's not my job to care, I'm not here to armchair lawyer on behalf of ED, and I'm also not telling him his product is shit and he should feel bad. I *do*, however, care about how similar this is to Helios and how he's basically exploiting the community with an idea he didn't even have on his own. Is that capitalism? Sure it is. Does that mean it's morally just? That it forgives everything? We as gamers get angry when companies do less - with their OWN products - and charge money or exploit their customers... just because this is an individual doesn't mean he should be free from the same criticism. So there it is: I think it's morally wrong to repackage an idea the community created before and not only sell it simply because you can, but to sell it for such a hyper-inflated price is just rubbing salt in the wound.

Frositken,

Holy heck mate... I agree with 100% of that actually!

Well worded.

And yes it is an open public forum, if you are going to advertise a product on ANOTHER companys product page (basically the same as going on Apples forums and posting "Hey look at this sweet new tablet I just released... only $29.99") , expect some flak.

That being said, IF I owned an ipad (never will) I would probably buy this.

Since I don't, I am interested in other versions for my specific tablet.

Don't like the criticism ? Jog on

until ED says otherwise, I can comment on it as much as I damn-well want.

I mostly agree with your post frostiken, but I presume that they already got ED's consent for this thread seeing as forum rule 1.9 is VERY clear:

Advertisement of products or services without prior consent from the forum staff is strictly prohibited.

Weather the first post is advertisement or information probably depends on interpretation though....

Well said Frostiken.

I can't believe you took that much time out of your life to respond. If you can't afford 30 bucks, get a free one or his free app. The fact that simming, like other hobbies such as RC helicopters/planes, sports, musical instruments cost money. People spend far more money on things that they enjoy because they get enjoyment out of them. To say that $30 is a lot of money is a joke considering in order to run this simulation you need a video card that far exceeds that of a "home office" type environment. You need a joystick at the least. The status of the economy has been proven to have little impact on how Americans spend their hobby money. Doesn't matter if they're broke, they still buy things that make them happy.

So his SDK cost him 100 bucks. Say he sells a few hundred licenses. His take home is what 1000 - 2500 bucks? A developer makes anywhere between 40 and 65 bucks an hour and well over 100 on a contract basis? Seems like an appropriate amount of money to me.

And to make accusations that he's breaking the law is absurd. Your comments could even be considered slanderous. He's posting on the software developers web forum. You think he would do that if he didn't have permission?

Seriously. if you can't afford it don't buy it. But to tell a guy who takes his own time out of his life to create something that works BETTER than the free apps (and most of them aren't free, they require you to buy certain things to make them work) that exist is just plain old Trolling.

And to make accusations that he's breaking the law is absurd. Your comments could even be considered slanderous. He's posting on the software developers web forum. You think he would do that if he didn't have permission?

Please... now we're going to do the back and forth 'litigious' bs ?

Since we can all agree this is a forum provided for our enjoyment by a business entity and company, I think it is safe to say that one persons comments are just as entitled to be freely posted as the next.

Besides of which, just because someone does something and gets away with it (for the moment) does not automatically make it right.

Ya dig?