Latest Version: 2.3

This version is releasing together with the FoxVoxParser plugin for BMS key file integration.

Get full details along with the latest changelog here: https://foxster.itch.io/foxvox/devlog/631285/foxvox-update-v23

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

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 and a shout out to Supernova for your very helpful Youtube videos. I’ve got an early copy ready for him if he’d like one.

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

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…

@Virus Sure…it’s about to release anyway. I’ve been discussing with some of the BMS devs the best way to handle menu inputs rather than through the visual menu system (i.e. keypress t-t-t-t-3) and we agreed that dx bindings would be the best way to go. For voice control to utilize those, a virtual device would be needed, so FoxVox has now incorporated VJoy which is an open source virtual device joystick emulator so that it can pass dx bindings directly into any application.

This means the voice inputs will now translate directly to dx button pushes and the comms menus will be bypassed altogether.

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

Just a quick update…I’m still working out some kinks in the program with the way all the new features play together. There’s just a lot going on now in the app and I want a smooth and reliable experience. Unfortunately testing with the crew chief slows everything way down since I’m having to run startups over and over, taking it through different phases. Not only am I trying to build the Crew chief interactions, but I’m debugging a lot of new code with it. I apologize for the delay - just letting you all know I’m working as quickly as I can and still expect the release very soon.

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!

Uh oh! I’m just now realizing I’ve been scammed and am being sucked in!!! @jayb - you’re right…Where’s the paid DLC… now that I realize it I’d sure like to have to pay someone for something. What’s with all the free stuff that everyone contributes!?! And don’t start on the realism…who in the world likes a little bit of realism? I’d better get back to Ace Combat before I get really swindled here out of my, hmmmm, zero dollars? And my boys playing with me on my internally hosted multiplayer offline server, they’re in danger too. Wow, it’s so much worse than I thought.

For those who may be interested here’s a quick glimpse of the next up and coming release that has several new features:

Well I am new to BMS a few months now. I have found the community here replete with many different personalities, thoughts and opinions but generally open and accepting and often encouraging and supportive. I have also found many to be passionate about their work and contributions - which also accompanies strong opinions and feelings. It is difficult for anyone with that passion and commitment to reply with a calm demeanor and even provide encouragement in the face of a derisive emotional assault, but that is what @Seifer has just done. I see no belittling or defensive retaliation. I simply don’t understand how anyone can be so offended by being offered something for free due to expectations not being met. If you really don’t like the sim I guess just return it for a full refund.

As for software development testing, perhaps they’ll just fire the highest paid middle manager for not getting it right. As I see it though, it’s not any worse than my expensive OS each time I install a new version. Honestly though, anyone with any idea at all about what the BMS team has done knows it is quality work, and anyone who can’t/ won’t appreciate that fortunately doesn’t have to.

Thanks BMS team for sharing that passion and all your quality work!

Disclaimer: A small percentage of company profits paid for this message.

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?

@jojojung What is your Windows system speech settings set to? This must match what you select for FoxVox:

Here’s a walkthrough link:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120631-change-speech-recognition-language-windows-10-a.html

@jojojung You must enable Key recognition in order for the VC to work. As for the recognition error, it’s seeing a conflict between the language your selecting and the recognition engine. This programming has not changed in FoxVox since the early days so I’m trying to deduce why you are unable to set it to English properly. Has anything changed on your system between earlier versions?

@jojojung Have you enabled Key Recognition as well as voice?

@jojojung If you click save after changing it to English, does the message reappear again once you re-launch the app?

@jojojung The error message is definitely related to your recognition problems. A quick question - what language options do you show when you click the language selection dropdown within the settings as shown here?

@fluffyduck9999 Good…hopefully with the assets in place you can enjoy the virtual crew chief now too!

@fluffyduck9999 This is probably because the new library starts with the virtual crew chief active and not the regular flight commands. Change the active configuration to Flight (which you can set as the default) and the related commands will become active. There are many new features which unfortunately brings complications but offer a lot more functionality. I highly recommend watching some of the tutorials to learn more about the new features.

@Skorp Thanks for the nice compliment and I’m glad you enjoy it. Maintaining your phrases when there is a new update can be a little tricky, and there is no 100% easy way to do it, but I recommend you first make a backup of your library, then play around with the Import library feature. The import feature is highly customizable and can allow you to merge library files together in several different ways. Usually I merge a new library into my existing one, but you can also go the other direction.

As for the Push-To-Talk, see if you have a key or joystick button bound to the PTT on the Close command. PTT will require that the key or button is pressed in order to execute the command. You can change or clear it. The default library doesn’t have any PTT defined on it because it needs to be set to your individual joystick setup (but this might be changing in the future ).

@Rasmus Yep - Looks like you worked it out. Voice commands are just one half of the program which monitors voice input. The other monitors key input which also triggers on variable changes, and for the VCC, both need to be enabled.

@Fox_15 - What you did will indeed work but you are effectively bypassing the automatic detection of the actual engine RPM. Make sure that you have enabled both Voice and Key recognition just like @Rasmus indicates, and I recommend reverting back to the original configuration if that was also your issue. As you astutely pointed out, I did put in some constraints into the library (using variables and conditions) to make the flow fairly linear, but as you become familiar with the software, you’ll find it’s easy to adjust and rework those to be more flexible as you desire. You are by no means locked into using the default library setup so absolutely feel free to play around with it!

As for variable values, you can see the current value by hovering the mouse over the vertical dots indicator on the condition, and can also set a new value manually by clicking on it. That can be very helpful during testing. Variables coming from plugins can be viewed by clicking the ‘View Variables’ icon in the plugin management.

@Virus Yes it’s possible. At the start, only the crew chief is active but once the engine starts, that changes. If you want the other commands active right away just enable them on the default config and save it that way. Inactive/active status is tied to the active configuration which changes during crew chief interactions.