Self-Loading Cargo v1.5 Released!

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce that version 1.5 of Self-Loading Cargo has released - it is available via logging into your account and hitting the download button.

This version of the application has been a massive undertaking, with a number of important new features now available to you as part of the phased development (please see the development roadmap for future plans).

So what's new in this version?

An extensive list of changes is available on the v1.5 changelog page but here is a brief overview of what you can expect from this version.

Cabin Simulation and Visualisation

One of the major features of this release is the real-time simulation and visual representation of your aircraft. Self-Loading Cargo now supports a simulated version of any aircraft cabin via configuration files (almost 50 out of the box) that accurately map out the seating, aisle and facilities onboard your plane - even across multiple decks if you're flying the Queen of The Sky.

This allows you to see the cabin simulation occuring in real-time and means that all events such as boarding, deboarding, in-flight services (drinks, food etc) are timed correctly while the crew and passengers are actually walking around the aircraft.

This means that the experience will be subtly different if you're flying an A319 as opposed to a Boeing 747 - less toilets available may mean more frustration for passengers if they need "to go", in-flight services may take longer to arrive at certain seating aisles and, moving forward into 1.6 and beyond, response times by the cabin crew for passengers in different parts of the aircraft will be different depending on how crowded the aircraft is, how many crew are onboard and how many are currently busy with other passengers.

You can also select individual passengers to monitor their status (anxiety, happiness, thirst, hunger etc) to see how they're doing while you fly, as well as how they feel about your flying abilities.

Soundpack Rework

The soundpack engine has been completely revamped to support unlimited sound effects per event within the simulation allowing you to have, for instance, multiple different versions of a welcome aboard sound from the captain. Self-Loading Cargo will choose a random one from your soundpack to play whenever the event occurs. - this increases variation massively because it means that no two flights will be the same if you have enough sounds. Other examples may include the cabin crew saying things like "thanks", "thank you", "thanks a lot" instead of simply "thanks" every time. It's a small thing, but it makes a huge difference - and remember, you can have as many of those sounds as you like.

Additionally, some intelligence has been added so that if you add the departure or arrival ICAO codes into the filename (and you specify a flight plan when starting the application) only those sounds will play - this allows you to have custom cabin announcements for departing say, "Newcastle" and arriving into "Ibiza". Again, as many as you like - the possibilities are almost endless.

And don't forget this works for different soundpacks too - you can have collections for EasyJet, RyanAir etc which will automatically be filtered based on whichever soundpack you've chosen to fly with.

Upgraded Flight Report and Logging System

Version 1.5 includes a revamped flight report system which monitors your performance as a pilot and grades you based on the flight - how well you handled the aircraft, managed lights and communicated with the crew when required. These reports are shareable online using your favourite social media platforms - here's an example of one such report.

Flight Planning, Punctuality Penalties & SimBrief Integration

Version 1.5 now allows you to import your latest SimBrief flight plan (or specify one manually) so that it can monitor your departure and arrival punctuality - your passengers will be affected based on how well you stick to the correct times and your flight report will be updated accordingly.

Contextual Public Address (PA) system now activated

Based on whatever phase of flight you find yourself in, the SLC public address system will allow you to make announcements to the passengers (and crew) for such events as turbulance, late departure, holding on a taxiway, etc - in some cases these can be automated, but in others you will be graded on whether or not you remember to perform the action - such as instructing the cabin crew to take their seats for landing.

Detailed User Manual

Because the application is now growing in scope, I have included a detailed user manual which attempts to explain most of the functionality of the application in case you get stuck.

Much more...

Take a look at the full changelog for the entire list of changes and updates that have gone into this version - it's quite an extensive list I'm sure you'll agree!

Thank you for your patience during this phase of the development.

I know it's been a very long wait since the last update and I want to take the time to acknowledge that here.

If I'm perfectly honest, I think was a little too optimistic about the time I'd need to get the application to where it is today. I should definitely have split it into more manageable chunks, so please accept my apologies for the delay once again - I hold my hands up.

I hope you appreciate the addition of a proper development roadmap so you know what to expect in future versions instead of wondering what's going on - I wish to be as transparent with you as possible and I hope this goes some way to showing my commmitment to the project.

So without further ado - What's next?

Check the development roadmap for the next steps, and thank you so much once again for your continued support.

If you have any feedback or ideas for new features please e-mail me or join the Discord server and let me know about them! :)

Enjoy v1.5!