General Feature Requests

[Nabeel]

Well I got a few ideas for the system. Here they are:

Flight Assignments - You could make the systems so that admins have the ability to assign certain flights to pilots, the flights dont necessarily have to be in the schedule. For example maintaince flights for aircraft.

For now they have to be in the schedule. Not a priority

Percentage bar on the flight map - You could include a little percentage bar like the one on vafs on the live flight map to show how much of the flight has been completed.

I don't have any data to base percentage on. FSACARS doesn't supply it. I could fudge it, it's a possibility

Economy, Executive Class etc. - You could allow the system to have different fares on routes for the different classes and also make an auto generate function for the fares.

Aircraft Seat Configurations - Could allow the admins to make certain configurations for their aircraft when their adding an aircraft to the fleet. For example, say i'm adding an A320 to my fleet. I could set the total number of seats to 150 and then 138 seats in Lovebird Economy Class and 12 seats in Executive Business Class.

Too complex. And there's no stoppage - you can conceivably have n number of classes for y number of aircraft, or x number of flights. I said average to indicate that across all classes, tickets will be an average across all classes. It's not a priority to drill down to that level of detail when across most VAs, it's not a requirement. Many VAs use FSPax to dictate seats and classes.

You can also indicate these stats (since that's all they really are), on a page. In the end, the system will derive an average (as it does for many values). This doesn't diminish the perceieved realism (maybe just to you, but this isn't build just for you). Everyone I have asked has no problem with this (haven't heard otherwise from anyone else either)

Route Map - A nice route map like the one Virtual WestJet uses would be great. Heres a link to the one Virtual WestJet uses http://www.virtualwestjet.org/flash/routemap/Virtual.WestJet.RouteMap.zip Even if one this advanced couldnt be made a cool route map could be done.

There's an EXE in that zip. I'm not going to open it. Don't post EXE files.

Anyway, the tools are there to create a route map that's as sophisticated as you want. You can do it through the API rather easy (watch the tuts). I've seen someone create a route map, using flash, completely using the API, pulling the routes and airport data (I don't remember who did it now)

Messaging system - A messaging system where Pilots could send messages to fellow pilots or admins, Admins could send messages to pilots or other admins would be great.

Use existing forums

Flight Frequency(How often flights should be done) - I've asked Nabeel about this alot of times and the answer has always been the same, "This can be done in the notes". In my opinion that is not enough. The staff/admins should be able to tick which days flights should be done. It gives it a more official feeling especially when pilots are bidding for flights. You could also allow the pilots to Bid for flights on Certain day instead of just bidding a flight and doing it whenever.

Bid criterea are possible, but again, the complexity in creating a rules system, I don't have the time for that. Notes are also there for a reason, you can note MTHF flights, and instruct to bid only based on certain criterea. You have the ability to accept/reject pireps for those not following rules.

Again, this doesn't diminish any perceieved realism, just tests the ability of your members to follow rules.

More detail to the financial aspect - I believe you should take a leaf out of VAFs book. They simulated real world finances perfectly. With all the expences and everything, landing fees, ground handling fees etc. Also I think you should control the fuel prices so each va has an accurate, realistic fuel price just like VAFs does.

Central control for fuel prices is coming, as well as the load factor.

BTW, there are expenses, which you can add (monthly and per-flight, per flight can be all your landing and handling fees), and all other expenses can be drilled down (or up) to a monthly cost. If you read the docs, you can very realistically simulate real world expenses.

Taxes are planned, along with equipment purchase costs, and depreciation of value on assets. This can still be done monthly.

Features that MOST VAs won't use, I don't have the time to add. I'll check a few of those things out though. Thanks!

[Nabeel]

The map you posted is a Flash Image, Meaning this was painstakingly created in Adobe Flash. This could never be auto generated using php,xml,msxml etc. .

You can, using XML feed into Flex, to generate the flash. But overly complicated for this, and not something everyone would use.

You can interface to Yahoo Maps or some other flash-based API service though.

[AJM101]

I agree with the expences part and the route map part but I believe all the other suggestions I made are practical. VAFs managed to do them.

[Nabeel]

VAFS is also a paid product, and I'm doing this in my limited spare time.

[AJM101]

True

[Wayne]

When you are looking at the schedules main page, and you click to narrow your flights.

So you got that done, now you find the flight you want. Done

Now you click on view details, and you get your info. Done

Now you click the back button to get back to the info on the schedules that you just selected but it reverts you to all of the schedules at the very beginning? Is there a way to find the schedule you want and click on details and when you hit the back button it dosent take you all the way back to a list of every single one where you have to search for the flight and airport again??? Thanks Cody

[Nabeel]

I'll see, but since that's loaded on the the fly, it may be tough to

[Wayne]

Yeah, thats what i kinda figures, just thought i would let er out there...ha

[packo88]

Now you click the back button to get back to the info on the schedules that you just selected but it reverts you to all of the schedules at the very beginning? Is there a way to find the schedule you want and click on details and when you hit the back button it dosent take you all the way back to a list of every single one where you have to search for the flight and airport again???

How about if the flight information was shown in a popup window, leaving your search page the way it is... just a thought

[Lotus]

Essentially I am happy with what there is now, so really anything else at this point is really just cream cheese...

but... how about keeping flights/destinations separate? So if I had a second airline, that the flights wouldn't get too intermingled. So a pilot for one line didn't have to get confused as to whether they were flying for one line or another...

(I can easlily work around that so it isn't a huge thing, but it would be "nice" or maybe easier....)

[Nabeel]

How about if the flight information was shown in a popup window, leaving your search page the way it is... just a thought

I like that idea

[Wayne]

Sounds good to me.

[G-NEWC]

Hi Nabeel,

How about a page, similar in theory to your "downloads" page for the fleet, which shows you a picture, with technical information, amount of flights completed with this aircraft, and last flights etc...so it allows users and potential members to browse through your VA fleet?

-James

[Nabeel]

Hi Nabeel,

How about a page, similar in theory to your "downloads" page for the fleet, which shows you a picture, with technical information, amount of flights completed with this aircraft, and last flights etc...so it allows users and potential members to browse through your VA fleet?

-James

That was in the plan for the last release but didn't make it in

[packo88]

Would it be possible to have more info in the email thats sent to the admin after a pirep is filed. Such as who, when, where and a direct link to the admin pirep page. Maybe even a link to accept the pirep without even going to the phpvms admin page

[RogerB]

I would like to see a feature for the bids, when a flight is bid on it is no longer available for bid until the admins activate it again.

[cale250]

Excellent work so far!

I would like to see a dispatch release generator though- something I can print and then use to take notes on and stuff like that- and calculating fuel and max payload and all that wonderful stuff that most of us dread. United Virtual's (www.united-virtual.com) spreadsheet does this well. All you would need is a couple of extra optional fields on the aircraft screen and a lot of annoying math to do when you generate the page. Maybe I'll look into building the modification.

A cross between vroute's generated sheet and UVA's would work perfectly for most people.

[roboa]

Hi,

I think that if it is possible, a mailing system for members would be a great addition! I also love the idea from cale250 above, that would be really great too!

[AJM101]

Would be cool if we could delete aircraft and routes.

[patva1]

No one else may be interested, but what about being able to have sub pages under main pages, that way you don't have a ton of navigation links. An example: Main nav link: Operations -> Fleet, Hubs, CEO office, etc. Just a thought!

[UAVCEO]

How about an option where you can buy aircraft as a CEO, unless the debt will be an issue.

[G-NEWC]

Some more statistics would be nice on one of the future updates, i have seen with many airlines, it shows the most popular departure/arrival airports, most active days, most active pilots/routes/aircraft etc.

A fine example is shown below:.

http://www.cougarvirtual.com/cms/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=56

-James

[Nabeel]

Some more statistics would be nice on one of the future updates, i have seen with many airlines, it shows the most popular departure/arrival airports, most active days, most active pilots/routes/aircraft etc.

A fine example is shown below:.

http://www.cougarvirtual.com/cms/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=56

-James

They're upcoming, just haven't had time

[flynryan692]

I didn't go and read all posts so forgive me if one of my ideas have been listed, BUT

Vataware integration

Selecting PIDs for staff, and others for pilots.

Different levels of authority and ability for staff.

A fleet uploader (select the file of the plane, upload it, and then it makes a link on a page called "Fleet" that you can see a pic of the plane an download it, but only pilots can do so)

Mass email system.

just a few thoughts.

[Wayne]

Oh i had a thought....here we go try to say with me...

Okay so! Say you have a airline of course. You have 5 hubs from around the world.

Your biggest problem is that everyone is signing up to one hub and you don't feel like going into the admin panel to change all of them or most of them.

So here is the new idea. You go into the admin panel, under the hubs. You select the hub you don't want people to register to and there will be a option that you can choose that will let it show in the register form or not. Sounds simple, and i hope it is. But that would take care of so many people join one hub from others.

So let me know what you think if you need more info and such!

[AJM101]

You could put a little thing in the Pilot Center which shows the pilots current location. For example, if my last flight for my VA was to KMIA I could see something like "Where am I? KMIA" or "I am at KMIA" or "Current Location: KMIA".

[Wayne]

Also i know you hate me for this nabeel but im still woundering if its possible to make it some how where the hub managers would only be able to view the routes and aircraft tabs....??

[AJM101]

Heres another good idea. You could put the Download Center in the Pilot Center.

[Strider]

AJM101 it already is in the pilot center.

Cheers

Dan C

[Nabeel]

Oh i had a thought....here we go try to say with me...

Okay so! Say you have a airline of course. You have 5 hubs from around the world.

Your biggest problem is that everyone is signing up to one hub and you don't feel like going into the admin panel to change all of them or most of them.

So here is the new idea. You go into the admin panel, under the hubs. You select the hub you don't want people to register to and there will be a option that you can choose that will let it show in the register form or not. Sounds simple, and i hope it is. But that would take care of so many people join one hub from others.

So let me know what you think if you need more info and such!

You can uncheck it as a hub, then it won't show up in registratoin, but will remain a hub