All the new features and fixes from the TBAS Study Pro beta have been pushed to the main version! While you can continue to use the "beta" version, there are no new beta updates planned for the near future unless any bugs are reported/fixed.
If you have been using the beta, none of these features will be new to you. However, to recap all the changes over the past two months:
NEW MAJOR FEATURES
TOTAL INPUT REBINDING SUPPORT:
While the Aircraft Tracking test only supports keyboard/mouse, XBOX/PS5 controllers, and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Full Kit X combination joystick/pedals by default, with this update you should be able to rebind inputs from any joystick controller to any action in the Aircraft Tracking test, as long as the Unity game engine supports it. (Issues with specific controller compatibility will be met on a case-by-case basis through forum-posts or on the Discord)
MULTIPLE SIMULTANEOUS CONTROLLER INPUT SUPPORT - MANUALLY BIND CONTROLLERS TO TESTS:
If you are using multiple different controllers simultaneously (e.g. a standalone joystick and a standalone rudder pedal set, each with their own USB cable), you can enable "Manually Bind Controllers To Tests" to assign each of your controllers to whatever test you wish those controllers to be solely responsible for. If this is left disabled, TBAS Study Pro will handle all controller inputs automatically, but using more than one controller simultaneously will result in an input conflict. Note: Enabling it will default all UI input handling to your Keyboard/Mouse to prevent soft-locking the program.
All of these features are accessible via the Settings/Pause menu of the Aircraft Tracking test, and apply only to the Aircraft Tracking test. All other tests still support only Keyboard/Mouse.
MINOR FEATURES AND CHANGES
- "Title Screen" buttons replaced with "Menu Screen" buttons that take you to the main menu instead of the title screen (for ease of navigation).
- "Exit" buttons placed in every pause menu on every test, so that you don't have to go to the main menu every time you wish to exit the program.
- Small video previews of each test appear in the main menu when selecting a test, but before confirming selection.
- Estimated time of completion for TBAS and PBMB assessment modes.
- "Are You Sure?" Prompt added when "EXIT" is selected.
- Various other minor quality-of-life improvements
BUGS THAT WERE FIXED
- Directional Orientation: After running the tutorial, the first question is incorrect.
- Directional Orientation: "Easy Mode" button text changes to reflect if Easy Mode is activated.
- MULTITASKING: The radio segment has a 1/4 chance of incorrectly grading an answer as "Incorrect" or "Correct".
- MULTITASKING: "Percent Correct" stats tracking in the pause menu incorrect or not operating properly.
- AIRCRAFT TRACKING: "Test Activation" screen wipes all selected modes when pulled up.
- Text wrapping fixed on certain elements of the Stats screen.
- Various other minor bugs and fixes.
FUTURE PLANS
With the release of v1.1, I feel that TBAS Study Pro is in a stable enough state to meet the needs of the majority of the userbase. I will not be making any updates any time soon except in response to bug reports or minor feature requests. However, at some point in the future I would like to add the following features:
- Custom Assessments: Users would be able to select from a list of tests that they could arrange in any order to compile into a "Custom Assessment", with a custom time limit for each test. The "USAF Assessment" and "PBMB Assessment" options would still be available, but as "Presets" that would preload the Custom Assessment screen with the tests and times that are used in the real TBAS or PBMB (according to publicly available information, or according to a guesstimate, just as the current modes are set up).
- Updated Stats Screen: The stats screen would be updated to be a lot more robust, allowing for a further breakdown of assessment performances such as graphs showing rates of improvement, common errors you've made (i.e. areas of improvement), etc.
There is no guarantee that I'll actually have time to publish these features as a part of "v1.2", but if I do ever ship another major update it will be focused on those changes.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT
If you are having any difficulty using or accessing features of the new update or are experiencing any bugs, do not hesitate to reach out to me. My plan has been and always will be to provide the ultimate TBAS preparatory tool, and if there's anything I can do to bring TBAS Study Pro closer to that goal I will do it.