foxster

foxster

Latest Version: 3.4.2

Get the latest major changelog here:
https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/855162/foxvox-update-v30

The main page:
https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox

Plugin Development:
https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/621746/plugin-development-for-foxvox
https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/902348/plugin-development-voice-control

Introduction Tutorial:

Note: the hosting site gets supported by donations to hosted apps, so it promotes donation, but don’t be confused, it’s completely optional and the software is free.

I am brand new to BMS and going through the learning curve which I thoroughly enjoy. When I came across some posts about voice control, I thought it would be great, but found out after downloading the files that they are maps to be used with commercial software. The software isn’t pricey but I’m trying to get some friends to join with me and adding up a license for everyone was more than I wanted to fork out. I happen to be a software developer so I just wrote my own and called it FoxVox voice recognition :D.

I intend to distribute it for free at no charge, no expiration, no limitations, no licensing required as kind of a thanks to the BMS community for putting out such a great game. Here’s a quick feature overview:

Completely configurable user-built dictionaries
Create command groups with individual commands
Built and designed for Windows only
Runs offline (no internet voice recognition required)
No limits on commands or command chains
Simple interface
Supports creating libraries which can be shared
Works great with BMS!!

I haven’t found out yet how I’m going to distribute the app. Before that, I would like to find a few (not too many!!!) beta testers who would like to try it out, work out any kinks, and help create a good BMS library file for the community to go along with it (remember I’m brand new so I’d like someone with a lot of BMS experience who would know how it should be done). Also, if you’re good with YouTube and want to help make a tutorial video, please let me know.

Anyone interested? Also, even if you don’t want to help beta test, let me know who’s interested as it might help me plan with hosting. If you know any good free ways for app distribution, let me know also. I’d love to get this out to everyone once it’s fully ready. Again special thanks to BenchmarkSims.

Here’s a few screenshots of the app:

OK - I’ve added a video with some instructions for Beta testers. It also provides more info on the app and how it works for anyone interested.

A little earlier than anticipated, but here’s the download link. Have fun!

https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox

foxster

Great news for FoxVox users! I just finished recording the new video tutorial for the upcoming v2.1 release which I expect to post tomorrow once I put everything together, barring any last minute tweaks. It will now FULLY support the new phenomenal Virtual Crew Chief implementation by Bogey Dope, and can be configured for dynamic input without any scripting or programming background required.

You can combine voice, joystick, and device inputs along with BMS variables into the logic to achieve a seamless integration with the sim. (More is still upcoming on that front…)

I am always very impressed with the creativity and resourcefulness of this community, but especially so in this latest endeavor. Thanks to all those involved for pushing things to new heights! Look for the new release soon…

foxster

Got a new video tutorial up to help newcomers get started with FoxVox.

foxster

After a very long weekend, and with one holiday day still remaining, I’ve finally finished the v2.0 updates.

For those who were following the Ground Crew thread, I give some hints as to what you can do in my new tutorial video - see the chapter near the end covering randomized outputs which you may find interesting.

There was a lot of coding that went into the newest version, and I pushed to finish the testing quickly so I can retain my sanity (and my wife ). I’m sure there will be future updates, but I’m ready for a little break spent on sim flying, family, and fun!

foxster

Version 3.0 has been released. I will be producing some videos on the new features, but I didn’t want the content generation to hold up access to the updates. This is a big update in terms of overall capabilities, although they are not really visible at first glance. Hopefully some new videos will shed light on what can really be done…and it’s a lot!! In the meantime, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

foxster

A new update to v3.4 has been released.

Notable changes include the following:

Significantly reduced CPU loads during key processing for much better performance.

New features with input processing capabilities resulted in much higher CPU demands. Device input is now processed on dedicated channels allowing for customizable throttling to maximize performance while reducing CPU loads. A new throttle setting has been added.

Key input processing has been completely overhauled for performance and adds a new timeout feature.

All possible key management settings have been reorganized and tested for adherence to expected behavior. The UI has also been updated to better display the relationships between settings.

Library synchronization is now easier with a new Access Library viewer.

The new read-only viewer allows you to open an existing library in another read-only window from which you can drag and drop any of its items into the main editor.

External voice control is now supported through plugins.

Plugins can now supply voice recognition commands and handle their operations outside of FoxVox.
Learn more here: https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/902348/plugin-development-voice-control

You can view the full changelog here: https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/911948/foxvox-update-v34

Please Note:
These changes have resulted in a necessary update to the basic BMS VCC library. Be sure to download the new updated library along with the FoxVox application. This is an excerpt from the included Read Me file:

---------- Changes ------------

Plugins have been updated to reflect changes in FoxVox for supporting external voice control handling. The selected ‘Method’ values will need to be reset as noted below under updating your custom library.
The following Key Commands on the Crew Chief Interactions key command group have been changed due to revised key operation handling:
- Left Brake Movement
- Left Brake No Movement
- Right Brake Movement
- Right Brake No Movement
Minor voice key refinements done over the course of time along with some tweaks for VCC with new step conditions added
particularly between EPU Safety Pin and Flow Checks for better reliability.

UPDATE YOUR CUSTOM LIBRARY
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
*** If you wish to update your own custom library, do the following: ***

Update the plugins by reselecting the Method. They will have been cleared out due to a change in the way plugin binding is handled. The selected Methods should be as follows:
A. FoxVoxParser: Method = ParseBMSInput
B. F4SharedMem: Method = GetCurrentData
Match the Left & Right Brake Movement key commands (listed above) to those in the current library version. This is most easily accomplished by doing the following:
1. Begin with your custom library opened in FoxVox.
2. Click the dropdown arrow to the right of the Open File icon in the toolbar (Open Folder Icon), and select Access Library.
3. Browse to open the new updated library.
4. Drag the four new brake movement commands one at a time from the updated library viewer into your custom library.
5. Delete the original key commands and remove the (1) indicator from the names of the new ones.

Note: If you replaced the default variable input keys with your own custom inputs, be sure to drag them into the new commands first to replace them before deletion.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

foxster

So as I’ve been implementing Virtual Crew Chief into FoxVox and leveraging the work of @Tomcattwo and @Ricky as far as documentation goes, I thought wouldn’t it be nice if you could ask for help/instructions on what to do during the startup?

As I thought about it, implementation seems very feasible if I just had the dialog. Having a different person from the Crew Chief voice the training made sense so as to distinguish between the Trainer and Crew Chief roles…a backseat trainer if you will.

As I thought further out, it could be cool to have different training modules for the different training missions also where you could get instructions from an experienced pilot ‘on the fly’ so to speak The trainer could provide instruction and possibly perform tasks for a newbie like turn on and configure ordinance, engage the TFR or ILS, etc. Different trainers could voice different missions.

Just a thought…any certified trainers out there looking for some freelance voiceover work?

@Tomcattwo Ever think about vocalizing that wonderful ramp start procedure?

foxster

I have just released FoxVox v2.2 which brings in vJoy support along with several stability and performance improvements surrounding the recent features. I am in the process of producing tutorial videos on the vJoy functionality and a complete instructional for the Virtual Crew Chief library coming soon.

foxster

For those interested, v2.4 has now been released. This version is designed primarily to extend variables to inputs to dynamically connect with BMS bindings. It also, however, has many nice new UI enhancements, bug fixes, and features. As always, view the changelog for more info.

The exciting news is that this version is verified to work with a new library design that links the key file and automatically sets push-to-talk and other inputs based on how they are set up in BMS. I am working on the new library release that will have this dynamic binding pre-programmed in, but I have further updates to include analog & POV bindings in the FoxVox parser. There’s still a lot to do but expect the first new library update in a couple of weeks

In the meantime, enjoy this release.

foxster

Just released v1.4 of FoxVox. This is a minor update with the biggest change being a new ptt feature allowing ptt isolation (ptt will be prevented if any additional buttons are pressed besides the required ones) and some minor tweaks and improvements to the underlying recognition. Nothing really big though. No update compatibility issues with version 1.3. - just download and install over it is fine.

foxster

@Mauricio-Sipmann Could be. I had heard some versions of Windows only support a single language, but I thought it was limited to WSR, not MSP. Sorry, not much help here. Let me know if you figure anything out.

foxster

@Mauricio-Sipmann Either WSR or MSP 11 are the only options. Latest Win 11 has removed WSR, but it’s supported on Win 10 and earlier Win 11 platforms as far as I understand. Are you using FV installed or standalone version? I’m wondering if there may be a permission issue that prevents it from reading from that registry key. Maybe try running it with admin rights? Are you able to even enable the voice recognition by clicking on the toolbar button or do you get an error message?

foxster

@Mauricio-Sipmann I’m assuming you have set the app to use MSP 11…and you’re not seeing any available language options? Please check the following Windows registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech Server\v11.0\Recognizers\Tokens

You should see at least one key for SR_MS_en-US_TELE_11.0 listed. This is where FoxVox gets its information about installed speech languages.

foxster

@danaos75 MSP 11 will run, but it doesn’t support speech training and it doesn’t support a general dictionary for more flexible speech - so it’s slightly more limited in that respect. It does, however, support a larger variety of languages.

foxster

@pes_ter Yep, that’s the problem then. The solution is to open the handle and slightly bend the pins inward on the analog 10-pin connector.

Since I can’t directly post images anymore, here’s a link to the steps to fix on my discord forum.

https://discord.com/channels/1217524384516935740/1217524385070579849/1355568059468873839

I’m not sure how well this works from discord as you may have to join the server first. Do that from here: https://discord.gg/vc37eJ4Bsp

Anyone wanting to re-post the steps in a place more accessible, feel free!

foxster

@pes_ter Is this by chance the F15EX right throttle handle? If so, there’s a small design flaw and WinWing has a walkthrough to fix it. I can dig up the reference pics tomorrow for you.

foxster

@pes_ter It may be worth a try going into Winwing software Simapp Pro and performing an axis recalibration. I have experienced a winwing device mysteriously lose its calibration for some reason before. It was slightly different, as it also involved a bad connection, but after restoring the connection the axis didn’t register any movement until after recalibrating.

foxster