RK Tactical multiplayer is up, and testers are needed

Hey everyone,

If you've been flying the RK Tactical Panel on your own, there's now a way to take it online. ✈️

Who made this

All of it was made by =rk=. The panel, the Companion app and the multiplayer server are his work. He asked me if I could host it, and I said yes.

While I was at it I wanted to help out, so I put the project on GitHub, set the server up in the kubernetes cluster that also runs Hangar Addons, and built a simple server browser plus a handful of improvements. If you enjoy this, thank =rk=. I'm only the one keeping the lights on.

The short version

You run a small Windows app called the RK Tactical Companion next to MSFS. It links your panel to a shared server at rk.hangaraddons.com.

Once you're connected you show up as a contact for every other pilot online, and they show up for you. When someone launches a missile at you, you get the warning in your own cockpit. If it hits, your aircraft takes the damage.

To see who is flying right now, open the server browser: https://rk.hangaraddons.com. It has a map, a list of pilots, and a log of recent flights.

Getting set up

• Download
• You also need: the RK Tactical Panel in your aircraft which can also be downloaded from the tactical companion addon page for MSFS 2020 or 2024
• Extract the zip to a folder you can write to. Documents is fine, Program Files is not.
• Load a flight in MSFS, run RKTacticalCompanion.exe, and leave it open.
• The first time, it asks for a pilot name. Press N later if you want to change it.

The server address is already filled in, so there's nothing else to configure.

What I added along the way

Unique names. If two pilots pick the same name, the second one gets a number added, so Maverick becomes Maverick 2. The window tells you what name you ended up with.

Run it on another PC. If MSFS is already working your machine hard, you can run the Companion on a second computer on your network. The readme in the download walks through it. Only the Companion moves. The panel stays in MSFS. I haven't tried this with a real simulator yet, so if you try it, please let me know how it goes.

Teams. The Companion understands the team settings from the panel, so team members can track targets for each other and teammates don't hit each other with missiles.

An encrypted option. If your network blocks the default port, set relay_url=wss://rk.hangaraddons.com/ws in companion.ini and it goes over the normal secure web port instead.

The server browser. The page at rk.hangaraddons.com is new. It shows pilots on a map, and keeps a log of recent flights.

The code

Everything is on GitHub if you'd like to read it, report an issue or help improve it: https://github.com/Mike343/RK_Tactical_Relay

What I'd like you to check

1. Do you see other pilots, and do they see you? The Companion window should say it's connected and show how many contacts you have.
2. When you fire at someone, does it show up on their end, and does a hit land properly?
3. Does your flight appear under Recent flights on the browser page after you land?
4. Does it reconnect by itself if you lose your connection for a moment?
5. If you try the second PC setup, does the Companion find MSFS?

If you hit a problem

Reply here with:

• MSFS 2020 or 2024
• the aircraft you were flying
• what you expected and what happened
• the last few lines from the Companion window

Worth knowing

This is early, and I've only tested the network side against the live server. How it behaves inside the sim is what we're finding out together. Windows SmartScreen may warn you about the Companion because it isn't code signed yet. Choose More info, then Run anyway. The server is public and pilots aren't authenticated yet, so it's best for casual flying for now. I'd like to tie it to Hangar Addons accounts later on and also the other SSO options like discord, steam, etc.

See you in the air. 👋