Hello, and happy new year.
Here is a new release for ATC-pie, including two major features (1, 2) and two other noteworthy ones (3, 4). Also, the default colour configuration has changed for a more professional dark look allowing for more contrast, but they all remain customisable.
Please have fun with all this, and I am happy if anybody posts screenshots of those feature in this thread. I am lazy to do it tonight, but it would look more pretty.
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1. Runway occupation and incursion detection
A runway is now highlighted when either:
- it is reserved, i.e. a strip is boxed for that runway;
- the RWY monitor picks up traffic on it.
The default colours are:
- yellow for reserved runways with at most one ACFT on their surface;
- red for reserved runways with more traffic, and unreserved ones with traffic.
A runway incursion sound toggle and notification were added for incursions on RWYs selected as "in use".
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2. Toolbars, icons and dock flash option
The first thing you will see. All toolbars can be toggled, moved, detached... Given the numerous docks and possible layouts, a dock flash option is now available to help you find what you are looking for on panel raise from menu or toolbar button.
EDIT: Below is a screen shot of the 3 new toolbars, incl. general tools (top, with text), dock panel buttons (bottom left, 13 available) and strip/FPL creation actions (bottom right).
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3. Strip shelf
I had always felt something was wrong about "deleting" a strip that you had controlled, vs. deleting one that you had messed up, or duplicated, etc. The former action is normal ATC operation performed when releasing a contact without handing it over, whereas the latter is private and irrelevant strip manipulation.
For a better account of the realistic work flow, I have introduced a strip "shelf" under every racked or loose strip panel. The historic and iconless "- strip" button has made room for:
- a shelf on which released contacts should be dropped;
- a smaller "delete" button next to it.
Clicking on the shelf displays the shelved strips, which can be recalled on the default rack and recycled.
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4. RWY parameters for accepted ACFT categories
Using X-plane ACFT categories (props, jets...), runways can now be configured to accept only certain categories. Parametrising your runways correctly, you can now avoid 777s requesting departure from a short grass strip in your solo sessions for examples. The instruction panel also filters its runway lists according to this parameter.