AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack
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@SemlerPDX
Thanks a lot for fixing this for us QWERTZ users
Works fine now! -
Sorry to ask another of my really basic questions, but Iâm not sure how to get Voice Attack (with AVCS) to work with BMS 4.36.
It has been working fine with 4.35 U3, but now that Iâm using 4.36, I canât get BMS to respond to VA.
I havenât changed anything in the PTT settings. So Iâm guessing, at least, itâs not a PTT problem. Itâs probably something more basic that Iâm missing.
Iâll bet there is a way Iâm supposed to âpointâ VA at 4.36, instead of at 4.35, and Iâve forgotten how, and canât figure out how by noodling around in VA.
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@Mylonite470 said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
Sorry to ask another of my really basic questions, but Iâm not sure how to get Voice Attack (with AVCS) to work with BMS 4.36.
It has been working fine with 4.35 U3, but now that Iâm using 4.36, I canât get BMS to respond to VA.
I havenât changed anything in the PTT settings. So Iâm guessing, at least, itâs not a PTT problem. Itâs probably something more basic that Iâm missing.
Iâll bet there is a way Iâm supposed to âpointâ VA at 4.36, instead of at 4.35, and Iâve forgotten how, and canât figure out how by noodling around in VA.
Do have both running as administrator?
I believe you had to have them both run as admin in 4.35 and you may have forgotten to run the new BMS as Admin
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Thanks, @CriticalMass , Iâll check on that.
Do you happen to know if BMS will be ârun as administratorâ by default if I launch it from the Alternative Launcher?
I fired up the AL and looked in the Configuration settings, but didnât see anything about running BMS as Administrator. But this does have a familiar ring to it, as though ârun as Administratorâ can be set as a default either via the AL or in the BMS config settingsâŠ
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@Mylonite470 said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
Sorry to ask another of my really basic questions, but Iâm not sure how to get Voice Attack (with AVCS) to work with BMS 4.36.
It has been working fine with 4.35 U3, but now that Iâm using 4.36, I canât get BMS to respond to VA.
I havenât changed anything in the PTT settings. So Iâm guessing, at least, itâs not a PTT problem. Itâs probably something more basic that Iâm missing.
Iâll bet there is a way Iâm supposed to âpointâ VA at 4.36, instead of at 4.35, and Iâve forgotten how, and canât figure out how by noodling around in VA.
If you have changed the target in the settings window below, then you many need to change it for BMS 4.36, any keyword in that process name has changed. I disabled the forced BMS targeting long ago, and recommend to users to keep this set to âActive Windowâ, but if you have had to change it for yourself, review this screen under Profile Options and ensure itâs either the correct name for the process or is set to âActive Windowâ
If keypresses will not get through to your game, you might try addressing the .exe by name - Surround the name with *asterisks for a wildcard name capture as Focus Target globally. You can also try simply âFalcon BMS.exeâ, or â*Falcon BMS.exeâ. The default action is set to Active Window which should work for most people, but if that does not work, you might need to check a few things.
/Ensure VoiceAttack is running as Administrator, and that no plugins are interfering with keypress commands. As a last test for keys not working, you can try increasing the TimeBetweenKeys and TimeKeyIsHeldDown variables via the âOpen Keypress Timings Menuâ command to adjust these timings globally for the entire profile. Test increase from default 0.05 to 0.10 to slow down keypress commands./
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Well, I knew I was missing something basic, and I figured out what it was.
It was an â800-lb gorilla in the roomâ⊠I got a new throttle and set it up yesterday, before trying to use VA and AVCS in 4.36. I didnât think I had created a PTT issue for myself, but I had.
I needed to enable the new throttle in VA Joystick options. Once I did that, all was well. AVCS PTT works in 4.36 just like it did in 4.35 U3.
As it happens, I got the new throttle right as 4.36 was coming out. I thought about setting up the throttle in 4.35 first, but decided not to. If I had done that, I would have had discovered the lack of VA functionality, and would have found my PTT mistake before installing and setting up 4.36.
I had (foolishly) thought that setting up the mic buttons in the KEYMAPPING part of the Alternative Launcher would make Voice Attack recognize the UHF and VHF switch actuations on the new throttle, as though it was the old throttle. I was mixing apples and oranges. I needed to go into VAâs joystick options and enable the new throttle.
Bonehead mistake, but Iâm glad I spotted it. As always, many thanks to everyone for their suggestions, especially SemlerPDX. You really do a yeomanâs job putting up with folks like me, and Iâm very grateful for it!
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@SemlerPDX Sorry for the really noob question but this is only my 2nd profile for Voice Attack and Iâm really confused how to install it. Is there an idiotâs guide somewhere please?? Thanks!
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@Atlas said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
@SemlerPDX Sorry for the really noob question but this is only my 2nd profile for Voice Attack and Iâm really confused how to install it. Is there an idiotâs guide somewhere please?? Thanks!
Sure! Just switch over to VoiceAttack and press âF1â on your keyboard to open the VoiceAttack Help & Instruction Manual. Around page 132 is the chapter âImporting Profiles and Profile Packagesâ which includes pictures and such.
Essentially, you first download both the AVCS CORE and AVCS4 BMS profile packages and unzip their contents. Next, you switch to the VoiceAttack program and click the button circled below and select âImport Profileâ
I suggest you import AVCS CORE first, donât switch to it or anything, and then immediately (once it is finished) import AVCS4 BMS.
These will be found in the folder where you unzipped the contents of the download, the file ending in .vax and labeled (IMPORT THIS) like the image below:
once both have been imported, switch to the AVCS CORE profile to allow it to initialize, it will allow you to set a âpreferred profileâ such as AVCS4 BMS, and anytime it loads, it will initialize both itself and this profile, then automatically switch to it. This way, if you want you can set AVCS CORE to be your startup-profile in VoiceAttack options, which will load CORE, then BMS, and then switch to the BMS profile for you - ready to fly.
(totally optional, useful if you only use VoiceAttack for AVCS4 BMS)Next, if it doesnât automatically switch to the AVCS4 BMS profile, manually switch to it using the dropdown list at the top of the VoiceAttack main window.
There will be messages to read and one last step - follow the instructions which display in the VoiceAttack text log window - you will open the AVCS4 BMS Profile with the button just to the left of the one you pushed to import a profile, then click the Profile Options button at the top near the left - then the button to âInclude commands from other profilesâ as the instructions will state, clicking the â+â button and selecting the AVCS CORE profile you imported.
At last you will click ok on any open windows to save these changes, and then as stated above, say, âInitialize Profileâ, to register this change and finalize initialization.
You only have to do this one time, unless I create a new major profile update which requires downloading and importing a new profile - which is why I rarely do. Even with the recent overhaul of the entire BMS in-game radios menu system and layouts of actions, I was able to push a patch update to all users without forcing a new download/import package. The initialization time for my profiles is the price for this convenience, even on my very fast PC, it loads like a proper program taking upwards of 30 seconds from the time I switch to AVCS CORE before it automatically loads and lands me at the AVCS4 BMS profile saying âAll systems initializedâ - but totally worth it from a dev and user standpoint. (Iâm not just the president of the hair club for men, Iâm also a client) (lol - j/k)
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@SemlerPDX Excellent instructions there, thanks!
I now have these options on my Profile drop-down:
Do I need to do anything with that USER PROFILE TEMPLATE (v1.0)? Or do I just leave that alone?
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@Atlas The AVCS4 Template profile is for folks who want to build their own profile for whatever game (or just general use) which can use and include all the functions of AVCS CORE and itâs commands (like Quick Command Creator, Voice Authorization System, etc.) while also adding their own voice commands.
If you donât plan to ever do that, you can feel free to delete that profile.
If you want to use it, though, it must be renamed per instructions in the readme, and like the AVCS4 BMS profile, edited in the exact same manner to have AVCS CORE commands included through its profile options menu.
This is because AVCS CORE is a âstartupâ or âhubâ profile, and users cannot add their own new voice commands to that profile. As a standalone, if you never downloaded and used AVCS4 BMS, AVCS CORE would be utilized through that template where users can add their own commands and still use CORE commands.
(edit)
As an example, I use the template as my âgeneral useâ VoiceAttack profile when no other game is loaded. I created a bunch of commands inside it to control my media player, to open bookmarks to certain websites in my browser, to control my OBS and Adobe recording/streaming software, and a bunch of commands I created with the Quick Command Creator like âkeep walkingâ which holds the âWâ key for games I play without a full voice control profile of their own.The profiles tend to pile up when youâve been using VA for a few years for many things as I do, plus my development work - helps to have a single âbaseâ profile to land on with commands you like to use often, like âWhat time is it?â or âOpen my music playerâ, etc.
I renamed the template profile to the name of what I call my custom voice assistant in VA, âMalcolmâ â and I began the profile name with a period â.â so that it is always at the top of the list, no matter how many profiles I import:
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@SemlerPDX That was a lot of words and I must admit that most of it flew over my head Total noob, I guess!
I donât think I can better your work with regards to this profile anyway so I will delete that, thanks. Just didnât want to do it in case it was important.
Iâve given your profile a quick test on the Refuelling TE. Iâve entered the tanker frequency but could not request refuel (Y 1) via comms but could do it via keyboard. Voice comms to wingman did work though, so thatâs odd. Why would the tanker not respond to voice but will respond to keyboard?
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@Atlas said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
@SemlerPDX That was a lot of words and I must admit that most of it flew over my head Total noob, I guess!
I donât think I can better your work with regards to this profile anyway so I will delete that, thanks. Just didnât want to do it in case it was important.
Iâve given your profile a quick test on the Refuelling TE. Iâve entered the tanker frequency but could not request refuel (Y 1) via comms but could do it via keyboard. Voice comms to wingman did work though, so thatâs odd. Why would the tanker not respond to voice but will respond to keyboard?
The keyboard commands layout is QWERTY by default, there is an option to change this to AZERTY or QWERTZ style keyboards.
Do you use a QWERTZ style keyboard, by chance?
If so, there is a bug already reported and I plan to address once the new BMS Radio menus are finalized - there is word that there will be few changes in an upcoming patch or minor update for BMS 4.36, so Iâm waiting for that.Until then, I have create a workaround for QWERTZ keyboard users, details and download link for the fix are here: https://veterans-gaming.com/forums/topic/11144-avcs-bug-report-commands-not-functioning-as-expected/
To test the output of any AVCS4 BMS voice command keypresses, just open notepad and place the cursor so it can type â say a command and see what letters/numbers are printed out by VoiceAttack into notepad.
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@SemlerPDX No sir, QWERTY here
@SemlerPDX said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
just open notepad and place the cursor so it can type â say a command and see what letters/numbers are printed out by VoiceAttack into notepad.
âtanker request refuelâ is recognized with good confidence level but outputs ât5â in notepad. Obviously, PICNIC here (problem in chair, not in computer!!) and I was issuing the wrong command. âtanker request air refuelâ gets me what I want. I wouldâve thought that specifying âtankerâ didnât work.
I guess I need to learn the profile and commands. Is there a guide somewhere? Apologies for the basic questions and many thanks for your patience and help!
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@Atlas said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
@SemlerPDX No sir, QWERTY here
@SemlerPDX said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
just open notepad and place the cursor so it can type â say a command and see what letters/numbers are printed out by VoiceAttack into notepad.
âtanker request refuelâ is recognized with good confidence level but outputs ât5â in notepad. Obviously, PICNIC here (problem in chair, not in computer!!) and I was issuing the wrong command. âtanker request air refuelâ gets me what I want. I wouldâve thought that specifying âtankerâ didnât work.
I guess I need to learn the profile and commands. Is there a guide somewhere? Apologies for the basic questions and many thanks for your patience and help!
OKAY - I see what this is - yes, itâs exactly that. Because there is an option for another kind of refueling, I had to force the use of the word âairâ as in ârequest air refuelingâ to make it all work. Otherwise, the system wouldnât know which refuel action to address. When I get to the next update, Iâll see about making such things smarter, if for example called with the word âtankerâ, it could assume this means the âair refuelâ action, and not on the ground.
Sorry for the confusion - I know what itâs like being new to something and this is a bit complex. Best wishes and let me know if you need any help!!
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@Atlas Say, âOpen the Command Referenceâ to see the actions list, though there is no real guide yet aside from that and the infographics on the top post here.
The very large infographic showing each radio menu in BMS 4.36 does note a few nuances for some commands, and how to use them. Beyond that, all the commands follow most any natural way you would say one of the in-game radio commands.
If you say something in a natural phrasing that definitely does not work, you can add it with the Quick Command Creator as described in the (WIP) wiki page Iâve been designing for the profile:
https://veterans-gaming.com/wiki/vg-labs-projects/avcs-wiki/avcs4-bms-manual/ -
@SemlerPDX drinking from a firehose, I think is the expression! But a lot of stumbling and figuring things out to do! At least the profile is working now, and the âhumanâ has a lot of learning to do!
@SemlerPDX said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
When I get to the next update, Iâll see about making such things smarter, if for example called with the word âtankerâ, it could assume this means the âair refuelâ action, and not on the ground.
Iâve just now seen that hot refuel option, but doesnât the profile listen for things like âtwoâ to know Iâm talking to the wingman, âelementâ to know Iâm talking to #3, and âflightâ to know Iâm talking to all of my guys? After all, how does a 4-ship respond if I query all our fuel states vs. if I just want to query my wingmanâs fuel state and not #3 and #4?
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@Atlas said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
@SemlerPDX drinking from a firehose, I think is the expression! But a lot of stumbling and figuring things out to do! At least the profile is working now, and the âhumanâ has a lot of learning to do!
@SemlerPDX said in AVCS4 Immersive Voice Control Radios for VoiceAttack:
When I get to the next update, Iâll see about making such things smarter, if for example called with the word âtankerâ, it could assume this means the âair refuelâ action, and not on the ground.
Iâve just now seen that hot refuel option, but doesnât the profile listen for things like âtwoâ to know Iâm talking to the wingman, âelementâ to know Iâm talking to #3, and âflightâ to know Iâm talking to all of my guys? After all, how does a 4-ship respond if I query all our fuel states vs. if I just want to query my wingmanâs fuel state and not #3 and #4?
Those are wingman/element/flight commands, and yes they do know who you are talking to⊠but AWACS/TANKER/ATC/JTAC are not the same system, and do not work with those same menu actions - they do not know if it is prefixed with a 1, 2, or 3, and are currently not smart enough to recognize the designation of âtankerâ to do other things with, the other command catches it before that word is used. That way you could say their proper callsign or even âRubbery Ducky dry and thirsty Requesting Air Refuelâ and have a laugh while it still works. Itâs called âwildcardsâ
TLDNR; things like âTanker Request Air Refuelâ donât actually need the word âtankerâ, they ignore anything before the start of their action words like ârequestâ, unlike flight commands.
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@SemlerPDX I see. And Iâm a total idiot here so tell me if Iâm wrong but can we not have âtankerâ wildcards that have words like tanker, Texaco, etc. to let it know that we want to access the Y set of commands, then have âgibberishâ wildcards that are ignored like Rubber Ducky dry and thirsty for feeling cool and TopGun-like, the the actual commands like request refuel to let it know which of the Y commands we want to send?
That way we could say:
âTexaco 1, Viper 3, flight of 4, 10 miles south of your position rejoining, requesting refuelâ
âTanker 1, Warthog 6, request refuelâ
âtanker, Rubber Ducky dry and thirsty , request refuelâand all would work?
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@Atlas Absolutely, but not yet. As I stated, the current system is not smart enough to recognize that distinction - it gets the base key to press (in this example, âYâ) from the phrase that was said, ignoring all âredâ and âgreenâ speech from your example.
The phrase ârequest air refuelâ itself is in the tanker category of voice commands, it uses this to know this is for tanker and to press âYâ.
Just like the ârequest refuelâ is in a different category, so it knows to press the âTâ key for any voice commands in that category. All of this predates several duplicate voice commands in radio menus, too.
Because of that, on the next major profile update, I plan to revisit such systems to give them the ability to be smarter. For now, you could use the Quick Command Creator as described in the Wiki post to make a voice command with the phrase âTanker Request Refuelâ and the action to execute the command ârequest air refuelâ â but then this does become rigid and would not allow the âgreenâ portions of your example above.
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@SemlerPDX I just looked at the profile and the commands and that is way above my skills to edit! Iâll see how to use the QCC later on. Thanks!