Track playback bug?

[LawnDart]

I've come across a rather annoying track-file bug. I record a track while flying in formation and I can play it back on my computer without problems, but if I send it to someone else my plane flies the "profile" I flew, but "detached" from the Lead airplane or diverging further away the longer the track plays.

 

The same is true in reverse. If the Lead pilot sends me his track, we "separate" and fly in far apart "in formation" but not as tight and close as it was recorded. Sometimes, the longer the tracks play the more we diverge from one another, when in reality we stayed in tight formation the entire time. When I watch Lead's track on my computer, this anomaly occurs and vice versa; however, while watching the track produced by the machine where it's played back, it runs just fine!

 

Any ideas? I thought first it had something to do with zip or rar used to transfer the trk files due to compression, but that seems to not be the case as this still happened after transferring the trk file uncompressed, rared and zipped, all yielding the same results and bug. Version 1.12a was used on all machines. The only difference aside from system specs is that both the CD and Web version of Flaming Cliffs were used and their respective patches. Does anyone know why this track playback anomaly happens and the remedy for "drifting away into space" during playback?

 

LD

[NEODARK]

Tracks (replays) are just approximations of the real thing. When you fly, the sim records the joy inputs, so that when you replay the track, it reconstructs what's going on based on the inputs previously recorded.

 

This means its being re-created on the fly, so it's not a copy rather a recreation which is not perfect.

 

Im sure this imperfection is way more pronounced given the tight formation flying you guys do. (add to that, network latency and you have the end result)

[169th_Crusty]

I didn`t play with tracks that much but whenever I did, it always seemed

identical to the original event... provided I used "show replays" for playing

them, not "open" button.

[Andrew_McP]

Tracks sometimes play back differently on different computers (or even on the same computer if you're not careful). You also have to be particularly careful not to fast forward at any point in playback if there are any really tightly timed events or particularly tricky manoeuvres.

 

Andrew McP

[Bublik]

We have used recording and playing tracks extensively (as an aerobatic team). And never had any problems with the exception of cases where one party has the web version and the other has English CD version. Note, that it works perfectly between the web (English) and Russian CD, but not always between the web and English CD versions.

[NEODARK]

We have used recording and playing tracks extensively (as an aerobatic team). And never had any problems with the exception of cases where one party has the web version and the other has English CD version. Note, that it works perfectly between the web (English) and Russian CD, but not always between the web and English CD versions.

 

Thats interesting,

 

I guess it records the inputs slightly different on each version.

[LawnDart]

We have used recording and playing tracks extensively (as an aerobatic team). And never had any problems with the exception of cases where one party has the web version and the other has English CD version. Note, that it works perfectly between the web (English) and Russian CD, but not always between the web and English CD versions.

 

Aha! That sums up exactly what I've found so far to be true. The same track I've been using plays back fine for anyone that has the Eng Web version, but it's 50/50 if they're using the Eng CD version of "Flaming Cliffs". It's not conclusive yet, but this seems to be the only "true" statement trying to get to the bottom of this bug and having our guys playback the track that seems to have this anomaly. In other words, it comes down to differences in installation...

 

BTW, there's a thread in our forum that discusses the same topic, click here!

Do you know of any other track bugs Bublik? You'd be the man to ask...

 

Also, I'm well aware (like someone mentioned above) that the tracks are just "re-creations" of the events that took place and occasionally it can play back incorrectly if your not careful or fast forward too fast. I've never had that problem and even in tight-tight formation the multi-player tracks always seem to come out just the way you flew it. In single-player (formation) however with AI aircraft, they never play back the way it happened!

 

LD

[Frazer]

The thing i noticed with using Phantom Control is that you have a kind of input measurement moments like every 10ms. This means that when you taxy and you give too sudden or changing inputs, that you will not correctly lineup with the runway. Ending on the grass isn't rare (notice that i don't mean replaying the track but after PhCtr traced the track and replays it on your PhCtr computer). This is probably a Phantom Control "thing" and not a track "thing" but i can imagine that making tracks work in the same way. The strange thing is that i never had any problems when you are airborne, even when giving extreme inputs. Vladimir, i'm sure you are familiar with this, have you already found a solution for this? It is quite anoying that after you fly the perfect track and you replay it with PhCtr, that you endup in the grass and you can start it all over again. You really have to give EXTREME slow changing inputs when taxying.

[Frazer]

Hey Vladimir, a little off topic now, but today is the first time i saw (found) your "training day 1" movie and i noticed that you got the music from "wavecamp2003" (A very nice movie made by Dutch glider pilots flying in Norway, from a frozen lake :P ). I heared in your movie a Dutch voice saying something like "Kijk uit Henk! Trek hem op!" (it's not fully understandable). But that means in English "Watch out Henk! Pull him up!". I'm prettey sure that you didn't know what they said but you have placed it on the right moment because you were flying extremely low in your movie! haha :D

Just something i wanted to mention ;) Found it very funny^^

[Bublik]

The thing i noticed with using Phantom Control is that you have a kind of input measurement moments like every 10ms. This means that when you taxy and you give too sudden or changing inputs, that you will not correctly lineup with the runway. Ending on the grass isn't rare (notice that i don't mean replaying the track but after PhCtr traced the track and replays it on your PhCtr computer). This is probably a Phantom Control "thing" and not a track "thing" but i can imagine that making tracks work in the same way. The strange thing is that i never had any problems when you are airborne, even when giving extreme inputs. Vladimir, i'm sure you are familiar with this, have you already found a solution for this? It is quite anoying that after you fly the perfect track and you replay it with PhCtr, that you endup in the grass and you can start it all over again. You really have to give EXTREME slow changing inputs when taxying.

 

Try keeping rudder input absolutely neutral when crossing boundaries between distinct areas of concrete (also it seems to work better if you cross them perpendicularly). For instance, between tarmac and taxiway or taxiway and runway, taxiway and another taxiway, etc. I don't know why, but that increases 'convergence' dramatically.

[Bublik]

Hey Vladimir, a little off topic now, but today is the first time i saw (found) your "training day 1" movie and i noticed that you got the music from "wavecamp2003" (A very nice movie made by Dutch glider pilots flying in Norway, from a frozen lake :P ). I heared in your movie a Dutch voice saying something like "Kijk uit Henk! Trek hem op!" (it's not fully understandable). But that means in English "Watch out Henk! Pull him up!". I'm prettey sure that you didn't know what they said but you have placed it on the right moment because you were flying extremely low in your movie! haha :D

Just something i wanted to mention ;) Found it very funny^^

 

Complements to SWU actually, as he made the first two "Training days" :D

[Frazer]

Ah thats clearing up a lot Vladimir :thumbup: But one time, right when i started, i gave full rudder and full ab right after start and i took off from the runway (was a kind of test) but i didn't cross different concrete. Phatom Control screwed that one up totally. :joystick: But for normal tracking your tip certainly solves the problem for me. :)

 

And about the "training day 1", then this message will count for SWU, i suppose he will read this post too :book: