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Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby legoboyvdlp » Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:23 pm

Should be a setting under File somewhere in the menu bar - if I recall correctly, it's under Automatic Scenery Download?
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby legoboyvdlp » Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:50 pm

There should be a single box above the one where you choose to download MP aircraft (which actually does not work last I checked) which toggles automatic scenery download?
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby Thorsten » Thu Apr 04, 2019 5:50 am

GUI design continue to be a hotly debated area where everyone has his own wisdom what the ideal GUI is, sadly there isn't a common denominator.

It does not even mention "Terrasync" .

It does not say, for example " Activate Terrasync" or " Deactivate Terrasync" .


Sure it does not - because Terrasync is a technical term that's not really self-explanatory. How's a new user supposed to know what it is if it just says 'Activate Terrasync'?

Then, this menu offers " download other data files" .


If it's under the heading of Scenery Download, it might be interpreted as 'other scenery data files'.

and the "Download Scenery" menu option under the " File" menu option should be removed immediately so that it does not appear in the pending release of FG 2019.1.1


Why - is it actively causing harm to anyone?


At the level of FG version release, all menu options should be clear and consice for the end user.

You usually get everyone to agree on that, and then the discussions what actually is clear and concise for the end user start - because also 10 end users have 15 ideas how a GUI should be designed to be clear and concise.

I suggest you make a mockup-design of a GUI you favor, bring it to the mailing list and have a discussion about its pros and cons- and if some consensus emerges, you can make a merge request of your changes and see it committed.
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby Thorsten » Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:12 am

Please do all you can to see that it is removed from 2019.


Frankly - no - because removing it also does harm to those who use the option, and in my judgement that harm is by far greater than to the people who do not understand an option.
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby wkitty42 » Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:04 pm

FlyingHigh wrote in Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:16 pm:The menu option says " Scenery Download"

right... if the box is checked, scenery downloads will be attempted... if the box is unchecked, then it is disabled so no scenery downloads...

it doesn't have to say "terrasync" does it? scenery -> terrain -> terra -> terrasync... hummm... seems to be a pattern here :)

FlyingHigh wrote in Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:16 pm:But then, in the submenus,
[...]
it offers " download traffic and multiplayer aircraft"

What does " Scenery Download" have to do with " traffic" or " multiplayer aircraft" ?

Nothing.

incorrect... the AI/MP craft are part of the overall scenery... they simply aren't static like the terrain is... the AI craft can be turned on/off anyway and they are/were also used for both AI and MP representation of other craft in your area...

FWIW: the plan is/was that the AI/MP craft could be downloaded this way instead of them all being in fgdata making it larger... fgdata being so large why all the aircraft were moved out into fgaddon, too... so anyway, the idea was that when flying along in MP and you meet another craft, the AI/MP version of that craft would be downloaded just like the scenery is when you approach it... the current method of having to download the proper craft just so you can see it instead of the glider is ""painful"" and there is a desire to eliminate that pain so this all happens majikally and you just see the other craft without having to do anything manually...

FlyingHigh wrote in Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:16 pm:Then, this menu offers " download other data files" .

What are those other download files?

could be other files like tower and groundnet files... i forget, exactly, what they are but james (aka zakalawe) started work on that stuff long ago... he and i discussed some of it several years ago, too... other things are higher in the todo list so adjusting these has not been done yet... plus there's been a lot of other work done in the MP area so the above mentioned idea may not even be desirable any more... especially since there's now two different models (the original one, a low poly one) used for a MP craft depending on their distance and your LOD settings...

FWIW: maybe more gentle writing would be better? that or maybe fix the percieved problem and proffer a patch of your solution? you could just fix it in your copy, too ;)
"You get more air close to the ground," said Angalo. "I read that in a book. You get lots of air low down, and not much when you go up."
"Why not?" said Gurder.
"Dunno. It's frightened of heights, I guess."
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby Octal450 » Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:55 am

Lego, that toggle never worked for me.

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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby Thorsten » Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:13 am

What I am saying is that when the end-user confronts a menu option, that menu option should use correct language so that the end-user understands, before clicking on anything, exactly what he or she is agreeing to receive.


If you see an option you don't understand and fear it might do harm - don't click it. Simple and safe.

(In case you're wondering why people are really not inclined to listen to your suggestions any more - you worked pretty hard for that reputation, you're an anonymous figure and likely bent on just inciting controversy here, and you refuse to listen to what people tell you...)
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Re: Activate/Deactivate Terrasync in runtime

Postby wkitty42 » Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:50 pm

@FlyingHigh: please don't quote the entire message... quote it, yes, but trim it to only the part you are responding to... yes, this means understanding bbcode and how to format your responses properly...
"You get more air close to the ground," said Angalo. "I read that in a book. You get lots of air low down, and not much when you go up."
"Why not?" said Gurder.
"Dunno. It's frightened of heights, I guess."
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