UltraMFCD 3.0 is coming

looking forward to F-16 support - thanks!

That will likely be the next aircraft to gain support. It's no coincidence that back in the day I flew Jane's F/A-18. And then Falcon 4.0: Allied Force. Familiarity is rather helpful, as you might imagine, in determining how things ought to function.

1.) If the image is supposed to be pushed to another device (Android, iOS), can DCS then run in fullscreen still?

2.) Is Raspberry Pi a planned "satellite" next to Android and iOS?

My current setup involves me rendering MFDs to a non existent fake screen with mirror drivers for RealVNC installed and then showing those via VNCViewer automated on the MFDs via a Raspberry Pi. I might be able replace it then.

1.) If the image is supposed to be pushed to another device (Android, iOS), can DCS then run in fullscreen still?

 

 

2.) Is Raspberry Pi a planned "satellite" next to Android and iOS?

 

My current setup involves me rendering MFDs to a non existent fake screen with mirror drivers for RealVNC installed and then showing those via VNCViewer automated on the MFDs via a Raspberry Pi. I might be able replace it then.

1) The only thing preventing DCS from running "Fullscreen" (this is a long and complicated thing. Nothing is truly fullscreen any more) is that UltraMFCD needs to run its displays in windows independent of DCS's "window". In the instance of exclusively running exports on external networked devices, DCS would indeed be fine running in "Fullscreen" mode. Handy if you, say, use some complicated SLI setup or other such esoteric stuff.

2) I hadn't actually considered, until now, Raspberry Pi at all. But good news! The design of the network streaming system is such that the client's (satellite) code base is as [ultra]lightweight as possible, thus reducing the human overheads of maintaining software clients on multiple operating systems. Additionally, it is designed with the idea that the client could be anything from an abacus to a supercomputer and will render as fast as possible up to its maximum resolution/FPS, even when different clients of vastly different capability are connected to a "server" instance of UltraMFCD.

I've not touched software development on a Pi, yet can state with confidence that it can support streamed displays to exactly the same extent as phones and tablets.

Edit: 1/1000th the complexity of your current setup.

And just to provide a certain "programmer's diary" impression of how the workload is distributed when supporting multiple operating systems:

Inside DCS: Every time they add better features to the graphics pipeline, UltraMFCD might/will break.

Windows: Code you wrote in Windows 8, and after 1,000,000 OS auto-updates, still works fine in latest versions of Windows 10 (and Windows 7 too).

Android: Yeah whatever. Just your code can't have picture-in-picture or {list of unrelated features here}. Still runs off the bat if you've ignored it for a few years.

iOS: (Updates from 13.0.0.0.0.1 to 13.0.0.0.0.2): "OMG! CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE! CODE RED! NUKES ARE COMING! CODE ORANGE! EBOLA! RADIATION! ASTEROIDS!"

Raspberry Pi: See Android.

Will this work on Triplescreens?

I remember trying UMFCD a long time ago and it did not work on my 5760x1080... And I have a 1920x1080 below that that I would like to use also..

Will this work on Triplescreens?

 

I remember trying UMFCD a long time ago and it did not work on my 5760x1080... And I have a 1920x1080 below that that I would like to use also..

That's been supported since 2016.

UltraMFCD doesn't care how many screens you have connected or how they are configured. Providing you have them set up within Windoze such that you can drag content to secondary, tertiary etc screen, UltraMFCD will literally go there.

Hi sgt. Baker. Will it be possible to work with a hotkey to swap mfd's? I have 2 of them but some aircraft require 3 so I like to swap them simple and quick.

Hi sgt. Baker. Will it be possible to work with a hotkey to swap mfd's? I have 2 of them but some aircraft require 3 so I like to swap them simple and quick.

As it so happens this is entirely doable without much tedious (window positioning is boring) work on this end. You're probably aware that each and every display has a "small, medium and large" size/position memory. Perhaps that was incorrect nomenclature on this end. Consider instead those memories to be Position 1, Position 2 and Position 3. It's relatively easy to implement hotkeys to switch ALL displays to Position 1, 2 or 3.

Thus you would be granted easy, hotkey, access to any one of three distinct all-displays-position setups. Does that make sense?

--Baker

As it so happens this is entirely doable without much tedious (window positioning is boring) work on this end. You're probably aware that each and every display has a "small, medium and large" size/position memory. Perhaps that was incorrect nomenclature on this end. Consider instead those memories to be Position 1, Position 2 and Position 3. It's relatively easy to implement hotkeys to switch ALL displays to Position 1, 2 or 3.

 

Thus you would be granted easy, hotkey, access to any one of three distinct all-displays-position setups. Does that make sense?

 

--Baker

Yes, and I like you're thinking. Thanks.

And hotkeys are indeed easier them the s,m,l screen buttons.

I installed UltraMFCD and it crashes DCS while loading the A10C. Any tips for resolving that? I dont have any other mods installed.

I installed UltraMFCD and it crashes DCS while loading the A10C. Any tips for resolving that? I dont have any other mods installed.

As it stands the public versions of UltraMFCD (2.7.0) released, what, three years ago should be assumed to be wildly incompatible with the latest versions of DCS - hence work on uMFCD 3.0, which is most certainly compatible. Have just now got around to hooking up MDI buttons for the F/A-18.

Sorry 3.0 isn't arriving any faster than it is. :)

I installed UltraMFCD and it crashes DCS while loading the A10C. Any tips for resolving that? I dont have any other mods installed.

CORRECTION: Your mileage may vary, yet at the moment you absolutely must switch off the "Colour LITENING/Shkval" option.

Getting there...

(In case you're wondering it is a spicier version of the JSOW training mission. Added three Tor and three Tunguska to the S-300 site such that all friendly missiles are intercepted. The aircraft are there merely to verify that colours are consistent across all three F/A-18C displays.)

Internal builds of uMFCD 3.0 also work in DCS 2.5.6 Open Beta.

Nice, can't wait for it. When do you it will be ready for release? I really need this

Send from my space device outside the terrestrial environment

Nice, can't wait for it. When do you it will be ready for release? I really need this

 

Send from my space device outside the terrestrial environment

There's perhaps another day or two of work to bring uMFCD back to the state it was in previously. Obviously this would include the F/A-18C with support for the three main displays, with secondary (RWR, Engines) instruments to follow.

Wonderfull. So it will support the A-10C, F-16C and the F-18C if I followed it all correctly?

Will there be a 'beta' status like before or will you now accept some money?

Anyway, thanks for bringing umfcd back Sgt. Baker.

There's perhaps another day or two of work to bring uMFCD back to the state it was in previously. Obviously this would include the F/A-18C with support for the three main displays, with secondary (RWR, Engines) instruments to follow.

Send from my space device outside the terrestrial environment

Wonderfull. So it will support the A-10C, F-16C and the F-18C if I followed it all correctly?

Will there be a 'beta' status like before or will you now accept some money?

 

Anyway, thanks for bringing umfcd back Sgt. Baker.

At present uMFCD 3.0 supports the following (copypasta): A-10C MFCDs ,A-10C CDU, A-10C RWR, A-10C CMSC, A-10C Clock, Kneeboard (both uMFCD and DCS), KA-50 ABRIS, KA-50 SHKVAL, Su-25T SHKVAL, Su-27 & Su-33, Mig-29A/G/S, F-15C Radar, F-15C TEWS, A-10A LITENING, F/A-18C L&R MDI and F/A-18C AMPCD.

Haven't even downloaded F-16 yet, but assume integration will be on a par with that required for the F/A-18C.

As you can probably tell from this screenshot, where certain displays are clearly out of position, it's not a simple matter of fixing the fundamental workings of uMFCD. Every time ED makes changes to DCS's rendering internals we need to go through every single display tweaking stuff and ensuring they work and appear as intended. It's been quite the effort in this instance.

Now, as for "beta" status, it all depends how desperate you are. I could release 3.0 tomorrow although it would be functionally identical to previous versions with the addition of F-18 and radio logging support. I'll gladly accept money (with a massive caveat emptor**) from whomsoever wishes to part with it, and indeed now have all the in-house infrastructure in place to do so without relying on janky third-party solutions like Patreon. It's not a massive amount of work to de-beta uMFCD, but wouldn't have occurred in the instance rushed release in the next few days.

Finally, I've made an important strategic decision with regards the manner in which uMFCD interacts with DCS's core rendering engine. To cut a long story short, graphics settings (Motion blur and SSLR spring to mind) that ED are still actively developing have a tendency to completely break uMFCD. 90% of the effort to keep uMFCD working involves keeping up with minute changes to the latest rendering technologies and techniques implemented by ED. Historically this has massively complicated uMFCD's coding and rendered it far more fragile than I would like. In order to simplify things and render uMFCD more robust I've taken the decision to require that graphics settings that are essentially in "beta" on ED's end be disabled until their development and behaviour are stable and predictable.

--Baker

(** Caveat Emptor - may the buyer beware: Any monetary transactions related UltraMFCD shall be performed under the mutual understanding that Eagle Dynamics might, at any time, make changes to DCS that render UltraMFCD inoperable and that it may ultimately prove impossible to restore UltraMFCD to a functional state.)

At the speed you are advancing with developement I would rather wait than have something half baked.

It's an exception on my part ;)

Well Done !!!

And...Thank You !

At the speed you are advancing with developement I would rather wait than have something half baked.

It's an exception on my part ;)

Well Done !!!

And...Thank You !

I can see what you did there. :megalol:

--Baker

Baker - have you reached out with ED on any sort of partnership regarding this Mod? This is something us simpit builders have been asking about for years.

Does it break the MP integrity check? I assume the F15 exports related to the RWR would, but probably not the already easily exported items (IE: A10c/F18c stuff).

Baker - have you reached out with ED on any sort of partnership regarding this Mod? This is something us simpit builders have been asking about for years.

 

Does it break the MP integrity check? I assume the F15 exports related to the RWR would, but probably not the already easily exported items (IE: A10c/F18c stuff).

ED aren't interested in anything of that nature as of the latest of multiple attempts.

But these exports (and the upcoming network streaming thereof) do not break MP with the exception of your entirely correct observation regarding the F-15's TEWS which, just because I had to, I created to "see how the other half life".

And, to be entirely fair to ED, I wouldn't be too pleased with some random bloke messing around at the core of my codebase.

And, to be entirely fair to ED, I wouldn't be too pleased with some random bloke messing around at the core of my codebase.

I mean, this is the core of any game that has ever supported Mod. It is unsurprising but disappointing that ED would brush you off. Whatever though... par for the course I suppose and their rightful decision.

Either-way, Baker if you need folks to help you test I would love to. If you take a look at my blog in my signature you'll see I'm very into exports and multi-screen setups.