just started using SWIFT last week for MSFS and XPlane. And I gotta say. It really changed my VATSIM experience in terms of model matching AND lighting (and to some extent the aircraft floating over the surface issue).
The installation is not as straight forward as it is with vPilot, but once you spent the time getting through you will never have to worry about model matching files ever again. Just re-run the Database search and create a new model set, simple as that.
I even believe they already updated their database to include AIGs new models.
PS: I am in no way affiliated with these guys, just a user impressed with what the software is capable of.
PPS: If youâre having issues with SWIFT connecting to MSFS select the correct Sim. And make sure you have any (literally any) simconnect.dll installed (Mine is from way back FSX)
Swift is very good. Iâve used it on X-Plane Linux (it is cross platform cross simulator). It is a bit odd to get set up but once you have it itâs great.
Oddly I have a weird problem caused by some âsmartâ code in broadband I think. BT doesnât seem to like me connecting to IMAP servers either.
I just tried Swift out today, but I found the AIG model matching sub-par when comparing it to a well organized VMR file. Still going to mess with the program a bit to see which one is better overall.
At this point vmrs may be a little better, but once the databse keeps getting updated the swift model matching will be more flexible meaning that if AIG decides to change something with the aircraft titles you donât have to re-write the entire vmr file.
Also since the lighting issue in VATSIM seem to be a client issue rather than a sim issue, swift lights do works (at least for me) fully
I take it back. The model matching is great. I just didnât have a number of airlines installed. when i installed them, they worked like a charm. Iâll be using this now for the foreseeable future.
VATSIM is a networked gameconnector, it does two things ; it allows you to voice communicate over the radio, and it provides a global network so everyone is flying in the same space. so real people are flying the planes rather than AI.
There are clients for just about everything back as far as FS2004. Swift is a new open source one.
The model matching is how it works out what to show on your display. By default there arenât many graphical models in MSFS, so it has to know that a DC10 is an airliner, and because MSFS doesnât have a DC10, it would probably show it as an A320
There are collections of lower resolution models with liveries, the more of these you have the more realistic it looks.
So you sign up for VATSIM, get a password and user ID, choose a client - for MSFS this is VPilot or Swift, start it up, put the ID/password in. assign a push talk button and connect. Not on a runway, it will make you public enemy#1 if you connect on a runway. Once youâve started it up you can usually forget it.
Now you can talk to other pilots and ATC, and they can see you on their simulators or an ATC client. So itâs like the AI ATC except you are talking to a real person who is trained in ATC procedures. Tune your radio to the frequency of EGKK Tower, youâre talking to EGKK tower. The planes taking off and landing are flown by other people.
Swift is a more customizable client to connect to said network. It tends to match the plane that other Pilots use better if you have installed the correct model as an AI model. It offers more functions such as ATC radar.
So if youâre willing to spend some time setting it up, youâll end up getting a more ârelaisticâ experience on the VATSIM network.
Itâs definitely harder for beginners though. It could really do with something like XPilot where it optionally downloads and installs a basic set of models.