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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight Software Development Kits
Welcome to the Software Development Kit (SDK) series for Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight.

The Flight Simulator team is publishing this reference for developers and enthusiasts who want to customize and create add-ons for Flight Simulator 2004. We're publishing the SDK in installments, which will roll out over the next several weeks.

Although portions of the SDK may prove useful to Flight Simulator enthusiasts with little or no programming experience, keep in mind that many parts of the SDK assume familiarity with XML, the C programming language, and game development.

Please note: The information in the SDKs is NOT supported by Microsoft Product Support.

Included SDKs

ABL SDK
Aircraft Container SDK
ATC Voicepack SDK
FSEdit SDK
Multiplayer and Flight Instructor SDK

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The Microsoft® Windows® Installer is an application installation and configuration service. You'll need the Windows Installer on your system to install any of these SDKs. The Windows Installer is built into Windows XP. Use the following web links if you have a different version of Windows:

Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows NT 4.0 and 2000

Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows 95, 98, and Me

ABL SDK

ABL or "Adventure Basic Language," is a scripting language used by several Microsoft games, including Flight Simulator 2004. It provides developers of adventures and lessons access to and control of aircraft and game parameters without requiring extensive programming knowledge.

Filelist:

• eula.rtf
• ablguide.doc
• outstanding.wav
• sample.abl
• sample.flt

Aircraft Container SDK

The Aircraft Container system organizes Flight Simulator 2004 aircraft files and attributes so that most aircraft-related files are located close together. This logical and consistent organization makes the files easy to customize.

This SDK describes the Aircraft Container system in detail, explaining how the different files work together. It provides information on how to modify and share components among existing aircraft. It does not explain how to create new aircraft.

Filelist:

• eula.rtf
• AircraftContainerSDKFS2004.doc

ATC Voicepack SDK

The ATC Voicepack SDK describes the tools used to design and build air traffic control voicepacks for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. The term "voicepack" refers to a compressed file (.gvp file) that contains all of the content (audio and text) required by the ATC system. The SDK includes the information you need to create a fully functional voicepack for Flight Simulator 2004.

To create new voicepacks, you should understand how to record, edit, and insert markers in .wav files.

Filelist:

• eula.rtf
• ASOSPhrases.txt
• ATCPhrases.txt
• ATC_Voicepack_SDK.rtf
• MFC71.dll
• msvcp71.dll
• msvcr71.dll
• msxml4.dll
• Voicepack Configuration.xml
• Voicepack Simple.xml
• VPEdit.exe
• \PilotA\wav\ wavefiles

FSEdit SDK

The Aircraft Editor (FSEdit) tool enables you to:

• Modify, add, or delete aircraft.
• Add, delete, or change aircraft panels, including gauges, instruments, and radios.
• Change, play, or remove sound files.
• Modify aircraft textures.
• Alter flight dynamics.

To use this editor, you need basic knowledge of aircraft and aerodynamic terms and concepts. You may also need a Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) or similar reference material for the aircraft you want to modify, or you can use the default values provided by the editor.

This editor does not provide a visual model for your aircraft. To create a visual model, you must create a new 3-D model or edit an existing visual model with the gmax tool created by discreet and provided in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004.

Note to Japanese Customers: A Japanese version of FSEdit, which lets you edit text using a Japanese font, is also available. (File list is below.)

Filelist:

• eula.rtf
• FSEdit.exe
• FSEdit.exp
• FSEDIT.HLP
• FSEdit.lib
• FSEditSDKFS2004.doc

Filelist for Japanfsedit:

• FSEdit.exe
• FSEdit.exp
• fsedit.hlp
• FSEdit.lib
• eula.rtf

Multiplayer and Flight Instructor SDK

Flight Simulator 2004 provides support for peer-to-peer multiplayer flying. By leveraging Microsoft® DirectPlay® technology, Flight Simulator enables multiple users to share the same airspace through a connection with a modem, a Local Area Network (LAN), or the Internet. It's relatively easy for end users to connect with others using this technology.
This SDK is aimed at developers who want to build add-on products for Flight Simulator specifically designed to take advantage of its multiplayer capabilities. For example, you could use this information to create an add-on application that holds races between multiple players on the Internet or on a local area network (LAN).

Filelist:

• eula.rtf
• Multiplayer_and_Flight_Instructor_SDK.doc