F-4J/S ADV in P3Dv4: throttles and start switch frozen

[bob-m]

I'm not certain if this is the right way to start a support topic.

I've installed the j/s ADV package, but now my throttles and the engine start switch are frozen. The throttles do
not respond to either standard key board keys (F2 and F3) or to the assigned levers on my logitech controller. If
I click the throttles with my mouse, the throttles pop back and forth between stop and idle, but that's all.

The engine start switch does not move when clicked in cold and dark start, and nothing happens, but you can
hear the click sounds.

All other aircraft I have installed respond as they should to the throttle commands, including Milviz's own F-4E
with Tacpack. All other switches and controls in the F-4J/S seem to be working fine.

Things I have tried so far:

1) completely uninstalled and reinstalled base F-4JS and J/S Avd module, plus all available updates for each;

2) changed default load aircraft and load airport

3) made sure UAC was off and exceptions for P3Dv4 and MVAMS in pkace in AV

4) loaded various working aircraft first, including the Milviz F-4E, then selected the F-4J

Nothing has worked so far. Because the start switch is frozen, I can't do a cold and dark start, and because
the throttles are frozen, I can't take off if I do a ready to fly start.

Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong or what I could try? Am I missing something in the set-up?

OS is Win 7 64 bit. Tacpack installed. Sim is P3Dv4.1

Thanks - Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

How are your throttles assigned on your Logitech controller? Through the sim controls menu or FSUIPC?

The keyboard keys won't work due to the flight control system.

Also, you need to enable the GPU in the loadout manager and then signal external airflow start from the Addons Menu->Milviz F-4 Phantom menu. Only then will the start switch work. Unlike the E, the S/J doesn't have the shotgun cartridge.

[bob-m]

Thanks for the reply. The throttles are through the sim ("increase quickly" and "decrease quickly"). I have the freeware
(non-registered) version of FSUIPC, and I checked and it is up to-date.

I got the cold dark start-up to work, at least up to the point where I had to release the parking brake. But then neither
ctrl+. or clicking on the parking brake in the cockpit would work. And the throttles were still frozen in the idle position.

<sigh>

I hope there's an easy fix for at least the throttles, something like just me being stupid (which very probably could be). I
primarily got the J/S ADV for Tacpack.

Thanks again - Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

The keyboard isn't going to work. You absolutely need to use a throttle axis on your joystick and make sure the sensitivity slider is set to full and the null zone to 0 in the sim controls menu.

[bob-m]

Thanks for your reply JB, but I'm starting to get very discouraged about getting the J/S ADV add on to work in
my P3Dv4 install. I may just have to uninstall, go back to the base J/S version, and bite the cost. At least I got
the ADV for 30% off.

I've spent a large number of hours trying to get basic control commands like increase throttles or release parking
brake to work in the ADV add on. As said before, the base version of J/S and the F4E with Tackpack both work fine
in my P3Dv4 install.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled from the base version half a dozen times, and I've even tried deleting various of the
ADV files to see if I could at least keep Tacpack without the ADV features.

The problem in large part for me seems to be in the F4_mod.dll in the panel folder. If I delete that out and comment
out the gauge line calling it in the panel.cfg, then the throttles work fine. Of course, lots of other stuff then doesn't
work right, as might be expected.

Is the F-4_mod.dll 32 bit? I ask because the problems with controls here seem like problems I've had trying
to port over FSX planes with 32 bit .dll's into P3Dv4 in the past. If that is the case, then there may be no solution,
short of maybe buying something like full FSUIPC to map control functions on to.

If I could keep the Tacpack part of the J/S ADV, and then in effect run the J/S in base version, I wouldn't consider it a
total loss, but as said, I haven't found any way yet of doing so, and I don't know if that's even possible.

Thanks again for your time. If you can think of anything else to try, or even how best to remove the ADV features
and leave the base J/S with Tacpack at least, let me know.

- Bob

PS: I did try copying the TP modules, TP Control, and TP panel.cfg entries from the ADV to the base version, but it
didn't work, the sim would CTD when I tried to load a J or S plane. I guess there's a watermark in the TP Sig module
designed to prevent just that.

[bob-m]

PS: I did try copying the TP modules, TP Control, and TP panel.cfg entries from the ADV to the base version, but it
didn't work, the sim would CTD when I tried to load a J or S plane. I guess there's a watermark in the TP Sig module
designed to prevent just that.

Sorry, I was wrong about this. I was able to tacpack the base J/S version by copying all the tackpack files and entries
from the ADV version; I just hadn't been careful enough the first time. So I'm a bit happier about that. At least I can get the
base J/S planes into the air with tacpack ordnance (although I haven't actually tried to blow anything up yet).

I still can't get a number of the cockpit controls to work in ADV. They're simply frozen. I still wonder if the two .dll files ADV
adds to the base J/S panel folder need to be in .xml format, but I just don't know enough to be able to say.

Anyway, if there are any suggestions for getting my cockpit controls working in ADV, please let me know.

Thanks again for you time, it is appreciated - Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

If you right click on the F4_mod.dll and go to properties, is there an Unblock button/checkbox that shows up?

[JonathanBleeker]

Also please right click on your P3D, select Properties->Compatibility and make sure Run this program as administrator is checked (Don't set any other compatibility settings. Just run this program as admin).

[bob-m]

Thanks again for the reply. I confirm I an running P3Dv4 as administrator, and there was no Unblock button or
checkbox that I could see. While I was there, on a thought, I went into the security tab and gave myself as user
full control, but still no luck with the various frozen controls.

I still can't understand why I can't unlock the parking brake once it's on. Neither ctrl+. or mouse clicking on the
brake handle will release the parking brake once it's set. Other actions, like clicking on the canopy latch handles
to open or close the canopies, do work.

Maybe the ADV is just too advanced for me or my system.

Anyway, at this point, I think I'm just going to wrap up this thread. I'm starting to spend more time trouble shooting
this issue instead of flying. I did get the base J/S tacpacked, which in the end was what I most wanted out of the ADV
add on.

I may re-visit the issue down the road sometime, but at this point I'm fresh out of ideas, and I want to do other things.

So, thank you very much for your tries and help, it was appreciated, make no mistake on that.

- Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

I am reluctant to give up though. Something was preventing the module from behaving properly. Were you able to open the loadout manager with the ADV module enabled?

[bob-m]

Yes I was, and I was able to load ordnance. But I've now uninstalled the ADV, keeping the tackpack parts necessary,
and have gone back to the base version. It takes awhile to re-install the base and then add the tackpack elements,
and it's a bit fiddly, so I'm reluctant to reinstall the ADV.

Thanks - Bob

[wen]

Hi! I solved the same issue in VRS Superbug addon with uninstall-reinstall the Client in P3D v4.

[bob-m]

Now that is something I would never have thought of. Thanks for the suggestion, it's fairly straightforward and
shouldn't have any adverse effects. I may give that a try.

Thanks again - Bob

[JonathanBleeker]

I will send you an email with something else as well.

[bob-m]

Thanks all. the problems now seems to be fixed. I don't know whether bit was reinstalling the P3Dv4 client, using the
newest ADV installer, or maybe the new joystick I got, but everything seems ok now. Now I;ve just got to learn how to
fly it (compared to the ADV, the base J/S seems like a slug).

Thanks again everyone for your help. - Bob