Release Elite G19s Companion app (with simulated space traffic control)

[MagicMau]

Sometimes all you need is an easy way to listen to some music while trucking goods across space, or have a handy way of finding out exactly where you are. Because this was my need, I created an app for it. Main features include: system and station overview, play radio and podcast with audio visualizations, simulated Space Traffic Control, GPS functionality (including planetary races), an orrery view, a screenshot converter, and a news ticker.

Latest version: 3.7 (May 2021)
You can download it here: https://apps.magicmau.nl/EliteG19s/EliteG19s-latest.msi

Note: some people have trouble upgrading to a new version due to a very unfortunate bug. Details on how to resolve this can be found here.

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Runs on Windows, preferably in combination with a Logitech keyboard with LCD in it (G19s, G15, G13, G510), but it will work perfectly fine without it as well. Without the Logitech keyboard it will run in a separate window that you can put on a second monitor, or use a tool like OnTopReplica to overlay it on your Elite HUD. And if you have a mobile phone or tablet, you can download the free Logitech Arx app and use the phone or tablet as a second screen, with options not available in the regular app!

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It will show your current location (both in space and on the ground using a handy GPS feature) and allow you to listen to a streaming radio station (eg Radio Sidewinder or Radio Skvortsov), or if you have Spotify Premium, it can play tunes from there too. Of course a podcast player (for Lave Radio, Guard Frequency, or any other podcast you like) is also included. There's even a news ticker to show the latest Galnet news.

As a bonus, I have implemented a simulated space traffic control system that adds a bit of radio chatter while you're in SuperCruise across the bubble. It uses the Windows Text-To-Speech voices to generate the chatter (with the use of some audio filters, because otherwise I'd have the same three voices over and over ).

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Using the GPS functionality, you can save waypoints and create trips for those scenic Sundays. Or, if you prefer, activate the race function and do an Outrun style checkpoint race across a planet!

And if you want, it will rename your screenshots, convert them to JPG format and adds the current location in the screenshot's metadata.

Almost everything is customizable in the options file, or in the app itself.

This app started out as something I just wanted to use for myself while flying in the black, but I am happy to share it with everyone. I also welcome suggestions, issue reports and ideas to make the app better!

You can download it here: https://apps.magicmau.nl/EliteG19s/EliteG19s-latest.msi

Here's the EDCodex link: http://edcodex.info/?m=tools&entry=212
And the manual: https://apps.magicmau.nl/EliteG19s-v2/Docs/EliteG19s-Manual.html

There's also a plugin for VoiceAttack available, to help integrate this app with your VoiceAttack profile. Use VoiceAttack to activate EliteG19s' features or switch screens. Download it here: https://apps.magicmau.nl/EliteG19s-v2/VoiceAttack/EliteG19s-VoiceAttack-latest.zip.

Installation

• The ClickOnce application will show a warning during installation that the publisher cannot be verified. Through "more options" and then "Install anyway", you can install it. I didn't pay for an official certificate, that's why you get the warning.
• Windows firewall might ask you to allow the app. Please do, it's got a tiny embedded webserver to allow the Youtube and Twitch mini-apps to work.
• Also, the very first time that you run the app, it will check that verbose netlogs are on and update some settings forcing you to restart the app. Not the best user experience, I admit, but I hope you'll forgive me on this.
• It will periodically check for updates automatically. You will notice the next time you start the app.

Tiny manual - read the longer version here

• If you have a Logitech G19s keyboard, you can use the buttons near the LCD screen to navigate the app.
• If you do not have this keyboard, a window will pop up that shows the mini display. You can use TAB for menu, ENTER to select, and arrow keys to change the selection and finally ESC to escape from a sub-menu.
• You can use the function keys to zoom the window and make it larger.
• Options are stored in C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\EliteG19s\options.json. That's also the place where you can edit the various playlist options. Make sure that you have a backup, the file format is not very forgiving when you make a typo...
• I am currently working on a VoiceAttack plugin to control the app, so you can expect that in a future version!

I hope you enjoy using it as much as I did making it!
See you in the black, CMDR!

CMDR MagicMau



Here are two screenshots from the included app for Logitech Arx:

 

[wolverine2710]

Cool tool. Rep +1.

Welcome to this subforum Commander MagicMau. Its good to see that more and more tools are moving to this subforum. In your case you have even created a new even thread for it. Hopefully the tool gets the attention it truly deserves.

Note: @all, I hope that the word gets around and that even more tools move to here. Spread the word commanders!!

 

[Zoeytrope]

I love this app! The space-traffic control chatter especially feels like it should be a part of the vanilla game to me. I don't have a Logitech keyboard LCD so I'm using the window -- is there any chance of having an always-on-top option built in to the app? A borderless mode would be awesome as well, to make it feel like a part of the ship's HUD.

 

[MagicMau]

always-on-top option built in to the app? A borderless mode would be awesome as well, to make it feel like a part of the ship's HUD.

Hi there! Thank you for your kind words.

It's a great suggestion, and something that I'm looking at for a future version. In the meantime, may I recommend using a program called OnTopReplica (http://ontopreplica.codeplex.com/)? It's an awesome free piece of software that will allow you to overlay any app (including mine) and should work great with Elite.

 

[Zoeytrope]

may I recommend using a program called OnTopReplica (http://ontopreplica.codeplex.com/)? It's an awesome free piece of software that will allow you to overlay any app (including mine) and should work great with Elite.

That looks super promising, I've been looking for a replacement for an app called PowerMenu that no longer works with modern Windows and this looks fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Styng]

I love this app. It's nice to see my G19 screen come alive and the system traffic feature adds great realism to ED. Everything seems to work fine except for one issue. My display location does not change when I change systems. The traffic and system display stays on the initial system I start the app with. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!

 

[Styng]

I love this app. It's nice to see my G19 screen come alive and the system traffic feature adds great realism to ED. Everything seems to work fine except for one issue. My display location does not change when I change systems. The traffic and system display stays on the initial system I start the app with. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!

I'm not sure what happened. Everything works fine now. You can disregard my last post. Great app.

 

[MagicMau]

I'm not sure what happened. Everything works fine now. You can disregard my last post. Great app.

Thanks And don't worry about it, the app sometimes gets confused and behaves the way you describe. In that case a quick workaround is to go into the Options menu, choose "Select Elite Folder" and click OK once again. That forces the app to reread the logs and fixes the issue.

Hopefully I am able to find out what's causing it soon and have it permanently fixed.

 

[sutex]

Finding Apps for the G19 keyboard , is something like Xmas when you were 5..

 

[rich_hard1]

For those wishing to update the G19s Elite Companion App to operate correctly with Elite Horizons 64 bit and Steam, in the options.json file (located at %APPDATA%\EliteG19s) change the line that reads EliteFolder to "C:\\Steam\\steamapps\\common\\Elite Dangerous\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64"

Magicmau - The App seems to ignore planetary settlements or/and newly explored settlements, is there a way to reprogram it correctly?

 

[MagicMau]

Thank you for posting the tip on changing the EliteFolder. I'll update the app to check that location as well so that it might find it automatically in the future. Thought I had all the Steam paths, guess I missed one or they changed on me

As for the settlements - the app gets its data from EDDB, so if there are missing settlements, check if they are listed there. Maybe they are still waiting for a fearless explorer to add them to the database

 

[guido1205us]

Thanks for the nice app.

 

[rich_hard1]

Are you saying I may be the first to explore these particular settlements on planets?

I think that EDDB only lists stations and platforms via Elite Dangerous not Horizons.

 

[MagicMau]

You can check on EDDB's site. They do list planetary settlements (and the app even has a special icon for them), but it might be that no one has yet uploaded them to EDDB.

 

[RwD]

I waited so long for something like this. Awesome job sir o7. Looking forward to the updates

 

[foxpur]

I don't have a replacement G1x keyboard yet, plan on that soon, but this as a standalone with chatter is FANTASTIC. With some limited code adaptions this could be a killer Android App I suspect.

(edited because I actually read the install details)


EDIT: Incoming email

 

[foxpur]

Ok, here's the deal, I am trying to run this on a machine that ISN'T running the game. The game folder is shared from the active game but since it's a Win. 10 homegroup system it freaks out with the path. I would love to have this applet run on the laptop so I can glance over and the laptop had better speakers for this.....

...ideas?

EDIT: I love the chatter, I have running in the background as I am working

 

[MagicMau]

I heard that someone had the same set up as you describe. You will need to make sure that the ED logs folder is shared across your network. You can then edit the C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\EliteG19s\options.json file and change the EliteFolder to your shared drive (make sure you double the backslashes, otherwise the app won't get it). That should work. But this isn't from personal experience, so I'd love to hear if you manage to get it working!

 

[foxpur]

I heard that someone had the same set up as you describe. You will need to make sure that the ED logs folder is shared across your network. You can then edit the C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\EliteG19s\options.json file and change the EliteFolder to your shared drive (make sure you double the backslashes, otherwise the app won't get it). That should work. But this isn't from personal experience, so I'd love to hear if you manage to get it working!

Well, sharing the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Frontier\EDLaunch\Products\elite-dangerous-64" but the other machine sees "\\NEEDLASCH\Fox Purtill\elite-dangerous-64" an the change to either
"\\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64"
or
"\\\FOX-PC\\EdDLaunch\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64"

Seems to make nodifference... get:

15/02/2016 13:38:15: Windows version: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.10586.0
15/02/2016 13:38:15: Exception occurred: Unexpected character encountered while parsing value: o. Path 'EliteFolder', line 3, position 23.
15/02/2016 13:38:15: at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ParseValue()
at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ReadInternal()
at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.Read()
at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReader.Skip()
at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.HandleError(JsonReader reader, Boolean readPastError, Int32 initialDepth)
at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.PopulateObject(Object newObject, JsonReader reader, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, String id)
at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.Populate(JsonReader reader, Object target)
at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.PopulateInternal(JsonReader reader, Object target)
at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonConvert.PopulateObject(String value, Object target, JsonSerializerSettings settings)
at EliteG19s.EliteG19sOptions.Load()
at EliteG19s.EliteG19sOptions..ctor()
at EliteG19s.ScreenManager..ctor()
at EliteG19s.Windows.EliteG19sApplicationContext..ctor()
at EliteG19s.Windows.Program.Main()


EDIT: That error was the same with "\\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64\\Logs" as well

EDIT II: Tried again, just to be sure...
"\\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64"
"\\\FOX-PC\\EdDLaunch\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64"
"\\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64\\Logs"
"\\\FOX-PC\\EdDLaunch\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64\\Logs"

(And for kicks, with bad path error, ie-removing the first '\')
"\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64"
"\\FOX-PC\\EdDLaunch\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64"
"\\Homegroup\\Fox Purtill\\elite-dangerous-64\\Logs"
"\\FOX-PC\\EdDLaunch\\Products\\elite-dangerous-64\\Logs"

 

[foxpur]

Should I just share the log dir and aim at that... I suspect the same issue because the drive isn't letter assigned

Since this is kind of a web browser perhaps it can be openly shared as a server and than share the localhost ip to the other machine like I do (not the same, I know) with ED Toolbox?

Suggestion: offer the option to log into EDMC if you have the account to gather the data from there and the logs are not needed in that case.

Suggestion 2: For those of us with explorer tendencies... add random distant sounds and static if no station and hints at distant unknown signals or faint but undefined chatter like a bounced echo... so all players needs are affected.