BBall has updated his column with more information detailing the road back to the 757 cockpit. Here's a snippet:
"I guess the real question is: do I feel ready to strap into the simulator tomorrow for the first of the two "flying" days? Yeah, almost there. An hour or two of bookwork this evening, and I’ll be about as ready as anyone can be. With that said, what did I use, and how did I use it to accomplish this feat of educational wonder? (Remember I was THE 757 village idiot not long ago) Well, as mentioned above, tapes (both of the video and audio nature…the audio one I made myself and consists of various aircraft “memory” items…I play it as I’m running errands in my truck...), and since we live in the world of the info super highway, we also have company supplied CD-roms. However, the biggest source of knowledge lies in the old “tried and true”, million page manuals."
GameSpot have posted a review of the Thrustmaster Top Gun AfterBurner. Here's a snippet:
"The throttle half of the Afterburner is no less impressive than the joystick. The key part is its enormous levered handle, which is pushed forward and pulled backward to increase and decrease throttle. The smooth pivoting motion is broken only by two tactile ridges to signify idle, full military, and afterburner settings. Like the stick, the throttle is rounded to conform to the natural grip of the hand. Three microswitch action buttons rest directly underneath the thumb, and there is one more underneath the index finger. The throttle also offers an alternative to the stick's twist rudder--a rocker-style rudder control located right in line with the third, fourth, and fifth fingers of the left hand."
SimHQ have posted a Surround Sound Speaker Shootout. Here's a snippet:
"When creating a top-notch simming rig, many people miss out on the importance of sound systems. A good speaker system can add an incredible amount to the immersion level and game play. When talking about speaker systems, a lot of people ask if they really need more than 2 speakers and a sub woofer. In our experience, the answer is a resounding "YES". Surround sound and a solid sub woofer are key for quality sound. There are several strong brand names on the market that get mentioned frequently. We have collected 3 of our favorites and put them up against each other in a comparison."
Sim Arena have posted an interview with T.K. of Third Wire Productions. Here's a snippet:
"TK : Our engine is dynamic in the sense that all missions are generated, not pre-scripted. We have a basic strategic Ai that decides what your next mission should be based on the current state of the campaign. All objects and their states – damage, morale, supply, and their objectives - are kept track of throughout the campaign. And both sides of the campaign try to achieve their victory conditions while trying to avoid their losing conditions."
Matt Wagner posted the following on the Flanker2.com boards:
One area we intend to take a hard look at for Lock On is the AI. While there were many great aspects of the AI associated with the Flanker series, we intend to take a great leap forward with Lock On. While we already have a very comprehensive list of AI items to address, I'm sure we'll overlook something. With that in mind, I'm going to open the floor to those that would like to voice their opinions on what they didn't like about the Flanker series AI and what they'd like to see in Lock On's. Just please remember that just because it is asked for/suggested, doesn't mean it will make in the final product. Realistically, only a small percentage of inputs will. Fire away guys.
------------------ Matt Wagner Producer/SSI Ubi Soft
Flightsim Cafe have posted their Mig Alley War Diary. Here's a snippet:
"It seems that there's not much left to do at the moment. But it would be a good idea to keep an eye on the supply routes between Pyongyang and Seoul. In the east our troops are already at Yangyang, and it will not take long until our forces that are currently at Wonju will advance to Chuncheon in the center of the peninsula. Our troops will attack and consolidate their positions there very soon. But Seoul is a different story! The resistance there is still rather fierce. The Reds are getting plenty of supplies straight from Pyongyang! How? Well, since the Pyongyang Rail Bridge is back into action, it is easy for me to track the supply routes down to Seoul!"
Rumours abound that Kesmai Studios were shut down as part of the lay offs at Electronic Arts. EA Public Relations have confirmed to SimHQ that there have been lay-offs but denied that Kesmai have been shut down. They also stated that work on the Air Warrior series would continue.
I have posted Kosmo's review of Nascar 4. Here's a snippet:
"I've often heard people complain about the sound the engine makes, and I'll admit in the beginning I too thought it just didn't sound like a 600 hp, small block, tire tenderizer. Since that time, the sound has grown on me. I'm wholly convinced now that they couldn't have done anything to improve upon the sound effects. At speed the engine sounds fantastic, and the varying tire squeal through the turns can tell you mounds about how the tires are worn, how the car is tuned, and how to handle the gas and brake at that moment. To compliment the sound package, the effects made when exiting a corner wide and scraping concrete on sheet metal will make you cringe, and stay away from that wall next time."
GameSpy have posted a preview of WWII Online. Here's a snippet:
"The aim of WWIIOB is to become the world's first virtual battlefield (in the sense that there's flight-sim quality air combat, tanks, anti-aircraft weapons, and more than 50 other vehicles to control). Want to command a tank? Well, you'll need the appropriate crew to man your accurately modeled tank with numerous damage points. Then there's the dozens of correctly placed airfields where you can prep your Spitfire for a spot of dog-fighting. Or you could simply grab a rifle and run around the countryside until you encounter enemy troops. Or sheep. There are 20 types of cover, 12 types of trees, and even wildfire to practice your bayoneting on (yes, those sheep we keep mentioning)."
Happy Puppy have posted a preview of IL2 Sturmovik. Here's a snippet:
"What makes this game so hot are the detailed flight models. 1C:Maddox Games, the group of Russian developers responsible for IL-2 Sturmovik, went to great lengths to make their models as realistic as possible. Weight, wind, turbulence, drag, G effects, altitude, and spins are all taken into account. At the highest difficulty settings, just keeping your ship in the air will be enough of a challenge, let alone trying to maneuver yourself for a strafing run in the middle of a Russian snowstorm. Equally impressive are the damage models; lose a rudder, and you'll quickly feel it. Take a few rounds, and your damaged fuselage will create enough drag to make control impossible."
Matt Wagner posted the following update on the Flanker2.com board:
Given the Ubi Soft acquisition, things have been more than a bit crazy here lately. However, I wanted to drop you all a quick note about progress. Lock On is progressing very nicely. Some of things in place include:
-Ground vehicles move and engage. Vehicles can be made to follow roads, independently drive around obstructions, and be placed within formations of various types of vehicles. When on the move, they kick up varying amounts of dust depending on the surface. Watching armor battles is pretty darn cool.
-Ability to jump from cockpit to cockpit.
-The A-10 is just about done. The A-10 has all unique avionics systems (HUD, RWR, weapons panel, TVM, steam gauges, etc.), flight model, and sounds. Most of this is based on unclassified Dash One manuals. I can say with confidence that it will be the must authentic A-10 simulation ever done for the PC.
-F-15C is flyable and we have a really nice preliminary cockpit. The F-15C is going to be a real looker.
-We have some new flight model cheat OPTIONS for new players. These include auto-spin recovery and speed retention according to G.
-Missile padlock. See, we read your wish list items.
-Non-flyable F-4E, F-5E, and Tornado IDS. There’s an additional one the team is working on but I’m going to be evil and let you guys guess on that one.
Unfortunately, the screen shot function is not currently working. We’ve moved to DX8 only and it caused a hiccup or two. When it gets sorted out, I'll try to get some sceenies up somewhere.
Regarding 2.5, we're still moving ahead and hope to have it in your hands soon.
------------------ Matt Wagner Producer/SSI Ubi Soft
Sim HQ have posted a Target Korea Interview. Here's a snippet:
"Targetware: All cockpits are of course, 3D. External views and a padlock view are available, but can be turned off by a server operator to make them unavailable on a specific server. Situational awareness in Target Korea plays a very large role; lose sight, lose the fight! Keeping track of multiple bandits and friendlies is much more difficult than locking onto a single bandit and maneuvering with it. A lot of work has gone into properly modeling pilot workload, and SA is definitely a huge part of this."
Dogfighter have posted a Typhoon Interview. Here's a snippet:
"SH: After TAW we sat down and looked at everyone's comments, we analyzed how we felt about the game, and we looked at the other major sims on the market (Falcon 4, etc.). What we realized was that hardcore flight sims were getting more and more extreme. The main comment I kept reading over and over again, from hardcore simmers and casual gamers alike, was that "I want to be immersed – I want to feel like I'm there". This agreed with our feelings also, so seeing that the current direction of flight sims seem to be wrong, we decided to throw the sim rule book out the window and start from the ground up and design around player immersion in an air combat environment.
After many meetings, we came up with the basics for Typhoon's design – and the term that sums it up for me is that Typhoon is more of a pilot sim than an aircraft sim."
Hmm Pilot Sim rather than Aircraft Sim .... hehe you think they've been reading my editorials?
Thrustmaster have posted an article about the Me109 in IL-2 Sturmovik. Here's a snippet:
"Not only is the Me109 in IL-2 the most beautiful simulated 109 yet seen, it also flies like a dream. Compared to the 109 in EAW, the 109 in IL-2 is more predictable. I have been able to fly closer to a stall without loss of control than in either EAW or Battle of Britain. The stability of the aircraft is remarkable considering its maneuverability."
HFJS present custom cockpit enhancements for Flanker 2.x including all new Su25 / 39 Frogfoot cockpits. The cockpit add-ons have textures that in some cases are twice the original size (to increase detail) and therefore take advantage of a nVIDIA video board, preferably a 32Mb board. The planned list of cockpit addons is as follows:
MiG29 Fulcrum enhancement. MiG29 Fulcrum English language cockpit. Su27 Flanker enhancement. Su27 Flanker English language cockpit
Nighthawk sent me this press release about the Oficial 1.09 Cockpit:
The Official eFalcon 1.09 Cockpit Team has been hard at work for the past months creating the most realistic cockpit ever for Falcon 4. We have been working closely with the rest of the eTeam to ensure complete functionality and compatibility with eFalcon 1.09. Here are a few of the great features the pit will have to offer:
- Fully 3D Views - All views are entirely redone and more realistic than ever - All switches for eFalcon 1.09 are functional - Complete new side panels for all new switches - And much, much more!
The release of the cockpit will coincide with the release of eFalcon 1.09 sometime in the coming months. The graphics in the pit are currently near completion, yet there is still much code to be written and that amount increases each day.
In the coming weeks, the eTeam will be releasing some exclusive screenshots from the cockpit which will give the community a first true look at what they have to expect.
Thank you for your support, Official eFalcon 1.09 Cockpit Team.
Keep an eye on the eteam site for more news by clicking
HERE
I'd just like to say a little prayer for my good friend JC "Hatch" Perkins who is going to see the surgeon today to get his throttle hand fixed. He's a little nervous about it and needs some of that sim lurve that you guys are famous for. So send out them warm and happy thoughts for him, I will be sending mine.
I have posted some screen shots of Third Wire Productions project one sent by Tsuyoshi Kawahito. These show some great screenshots of the (unfinished) F-4 cockpit. Here's what TK had to say about them.
"We are close to finishing our first viruta cockpit (F-4E), and we also have decal system in place so each aircraft can have individual numbers, markings, and even kill marks! :) The MiG in the shots is the MiG-21F Fishbed-C, one of the earliest version of the Fishbed. It is one of the three models of 21s we are planning to model."
SimActu have posted some exclusive screen shots of Flight Deck II, an upcoming add-on for Flight Sim 2000. The add-on will include the following planes:
Thrustmaster have posted an article entitled "Women of FlightSim". Here's a snippet:
"TM - What is your guess as to a percentage of women gamers who have some interest in combat flight sims?
I have not the vaguest idea. Every time I think I'm the only one I meet a Vixen or a Shanya or a TankGirl or a Lilya out there pushing heavy metal in the virtual air or on the virtual ground. We're out there. Many of us keep low profiles."
There you go Shanya, you're famous :-) Read the full article by clicking
HERE
Sim HQ have posted a Sea Dogs review by my old buddy Ken "KC23" Cook. Here's a snippet:
"Graphically Sea Dogs is a virtual smorgasbord of picturesque beauty. Even with my out dated P2 400 all the battle sequences are fluid and crisp without a hint of a slow down. The towns on the Islands are well done with the appropriate time of day being rendered perfectly. At night you see fire flies and moths around oil lit lamps. The star filled sky with its perfectly rendered moon will give you visions of your last ride on "Pirates of the Caribbean" at Disneyland. The Islands and forts look very nice with seagulls around the harbors and the occasional shark fin cutting through the water. The sea and weather effects are nothing short of spectacular. Your first battle in a thunderstorm will take your breath away."
Aeyes has updated his Phantom Cockpit to version 1.013. This new version includes new cockpit lighting for night. The lights are separated, for instruments only and general cockpitlight at the front and the back. There are also new damage effects and blood now enters the cockpit when you take damage.
CGO have posted a preview of IL2 Sturmovik. Here's a snippet:
"Today, IL-2 is set for release in Q2 2001. But are the promises being fulfilled in reality? The most recently released alpha shows that the game is reaching its promise in many areas. OpenGL powers IL-2's graphics. This 3D architecture can get a lot done, particularly in the wide world of 32 bit graphics. DX8 support is planned as well, for the final release. The game is visually stunning for an early alpha. On an Athlon Thunderbird 900 with GeForce DDR video card the game tested out well at 1600x1200 resolution in 32 bit mode, with estimated framerates in the low to mid-20s. This with twelve aircraft in visual range and all details cranked. Descending from roughly 3000 meters to near-ground level causes terrain features to pop up and fill in a manner reminiscent of B-17II; however the fill rate was far faster, and it boasts greater detail. There are forests of TREES-not just blocks of tiles, but real TREES-at low level in several spots."
Team Superhornet have posted some in-development screenshots of an A-10 Cockpit for Janes F/A-18. Note that these are alpha screenshots and some components are place holders only (such as the flight-stick and ejection seat). The cockpit is being developed by TSH member Gary "Greb" Waltrip.
I have posted some screenshots of Janes F/A-18 that I found in my F/A-18 folder while looking for something else. As I have never posted any F/A-18 screenshots and this is a very nice looking sim I thought I'd go ahead and share these with you :-)
Cryophyte a new company made up of the EA Baltimore team released the following:
The critically acclaimed team responsible for developing Jane’s F-15 and Jane’s F/A-18, announced today that it has incorporated as Cryophyte Entertainment, Inc. Based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Cryophyte is a software development company committed to creating interactive entertainment of the highest quality for the PC and console markets.
Cryophyte founders Max Remington, John Paquin, Bill Becker, Chris “CJ” Martin, Frank Vivirito, Erroll Roberts, and Todd Brizzi, are all industry veterans with over 75 years combined experience developing award-winning, “AAA” games. In addition to Jane’s F-15 and Jane’s F/A-18, members of the current team have been involved in the creation of over 35 top-selling titles including: Civilization, Silent Hunter, 1942: Pacific Air War, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates! and F-15 Strike Eagle III.
Cryophyte Entertainment is currently seeking publishing partnerships for the production of cutting-edge titles for PC and console platforms.
“Our corporate vision is to make games people live and breathe; games that totally immerse the player in the environments they create,” states company President Bill Becker; “Our ability to create hit games that excel in all areas is well established, and we look forward to continuing that tradition as Cryophyte Entertainment, Inc.”
For those of you that didn't visit the forums over the weekend Paul Wilson has released the 1.08i2 version of his V7 1024 x 768 Falcon 4 cockpit. This will also work fine on 107992 but it does not have any of the efalcon specific functions. An efalcon version should be completed by next weekend.
BBall has updated his column with more information detailing the road back to the 757 cockpit. Here's a snippet:
"“All right genius, the clock has been ticking for several days now, and what have you accomplished toward the metamorphosis from village idiot to 757 qualified line Captain? Are you ready to waltz in and do the two-day simulator check ride? How about if they threw the keys to the jet at you and said, “take her over to Detroit”, are you ready?” I’ll answer that in a minute, first let's see what we're up against."
Furball Magazine have posted their latest "News From The Front". Here's a snippet:
"Now, over to Flankerland, which is literally holding it's breath for 2.5 to come out. While Carl Norman's team sorts out the details of their teaming up with UbiSoft (weird, eh? Seems like France is taking a leader's role in the flight sim business), you can take a look at a couple of new previews, by TM FlightSim and World-At-War."
Today, Targetware released the first public revision of its open architecture graphics specification. The document was assembled by David 'datter' Titus, Targetware's Art Director. It provides the basic art specifications that are required in order for the player community to create their own 3D plane models and customized aircraft skins for the Targetware flight simulation engine.
Using the Targetware engine in conjunction with these player developed aircraft and terrains, players may represent various air combat theaters covering many different eras of aerial conflict, by building their own hosts through community development projects. A good example of this is the recently announced community development project spearheaded by Micah 'Yak' Bly. This initial player development team is composed of a diverse group of avid flight-sim enthusiasts from every corner of the world. The goal of their effort is to create a Targetware server environment focusing on aerial conflict as it occurred in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Shrapnel Games announced today that the highly anticipated air traffic control simulation, Air Command 3, has been sent to duplication and will be shipping by April 1st. More details can be found on our website at http://www.shrapnelgames.com.
Richard Arnesen, Director of Covert Operations for Shrapnel Games, said, "Now folks will get a chance to see what we have been raving about for months now. Air Command 3 is an extraordiniary product that carefully balances realism and playability to create one of the most addictive and fun gaming experiences to come out of an Air Traffic Control Sim in some time. Try out the demo you won't be sorry!"
With the assistance of an actual Air Traffic Controller, Developer Joe Jaworski has balanced game play and realism to give the gamer a feel of what it is like to direct air traffic at a major international airport. Multiple difficulty levels, pilot digitized voices, and an airport editor provide for many hours of nail biting game play. Added to the final release are pilot miscommunications and errors.
Eurogamer have posted a preview of Eurofighter Typhoon. Here's a snippet:
"The hardcore crowd are going to find much to dislike if they expect a worthy successor to EF2000. That spot has been filled by Falcon 4 and others, which is why DID have sensibly chosen not to compete there. Eurofighter Typhoon has many omissions, from the basic HUD symbology to a simplified flight model. You will search in vain for bomb ripple modes - just pull the trigger very quickly. Equally the flight model remains unencumbered by weight considerations and is grossly overpowered: I managed to reach 70,000 feet on afterburner alone while keeping the nose vertical."
Tech Extreme have posted a review of Battle of Britain. Here's a snippet:
"When you enter a fight, you will notice that aircraft bleed of airspeed realistically when pushed to their limits. What you will also notice is that these beasts are not as easy to control as other flight simulations have made them to be. For starters, compressibility is readily apparent in this sim. Compressibility is a state where your aircraft’s control surfaces cannot be operated due to high speed, since the air pressure on your control surfaces become so great that you are simply not able to move them until you reduce speed. You will start to notice sluggish response once you start going above 325mph. This problem becomes deadly if you enter a dive and are not able to bleed enough speed to regain surface area control."
SimHQ have posted a review of the book "Black Cross/Red Star: The Air War Over the Eastern Front Volume 1 Operation Barbarossa, 1941 by Christer Bergstrom and Andrey Mikhailov." Here's a snippet:
"The initial chapters on the doctrine, training standards, materiel and tactics of the opposing air forces alone are practically worth the price of the book. I learned how Germany’s reliance on Blitzkrieg doctrine heavily influenced all aspects of the Luftwaffe, explaining such factors as why the Luftwaffe lacked strategic bombers. The Soviet Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily or “VVS”) also placed heavy reliance on the creation of a ground attack aircraft force capable of providing the Red Army with excellent close air support. The two sides differed widely in training standards at the start of Barbarossa."
Thrustmaster have posted an article about the European Air War - Pacific Tide Campaign. Here's a snippet:
"The 1942 Guadalcanal Campaign replaces the 1943 Europe Campaign slot with a campaign starting in August of 1942. This is the start of Operation Watchtower and the 1st Marine Division lands on Guadalcanal, Tulagi and other small islands. The aim of this campaign is to simulate the air and air to ground/sea war in the Solomon Islands between American and Japanese naval air forces. There are also a few USAAF squadron forces participating in the campaign, nice for those who like to fly the Mustang."
I have posted a preview of Microsofts Flight Simulator 2002 taken from their Gamestock fact sheet. The preview contains some .... yes you guessed it, screenshots :) Here's a snippet:
"Microsoft® Flight Simulator 2002" Professional Edition is the revolutionary new version of Microsoft's highly realistic aviation simulation-the best-selling PC flight simulation ever produced. "Flight Simulator 2002" introduces many exciting features, including interactive air traffic control (ATC), auto-generated scenery, plus challenging new aircraft - even a floatplane - and stunning visual enhancements that truly make "Flight Simulator 2002" Professional Edition "As real as it gets."
T-Bone has released his Platinum Edition Skyfix for Falcon 4. He found a bug in the earlier release and has now fixed it so you may want to download it again.
Leo "Apollo11" Rogic posted news of a fix for the "Nuke Bug" in Falcon 4. This fix was the results of the compined efforts of Leo, Joel, Alex, and Sylvain.
VFA 25 have posted a mission building guid for Janes F/A-18. Here's a snippet:
"The first rule of thumb is to decide beforehand what type of mission you want to build. With the mission builder you are telling a story. Why are you going to risk life and limb or face impossible odds unless there is some purpose behind it. The best missions are missions that tell a good story. The mission itself might be completely boring or not well executed, but if you have a good story line going, you will want to play anyway (at least for the first time)."
Today, Targetware announced that it has authorized the use of its dynamic flight simulation engine, to form the core of what is anticipated to be the *first* of many community development projects. Spearheaded by Micah 'Yak' Bly, this initial player development team is composed of a diverse group of avid flight-sim enthusiasts from every corner of the world. The goal of their effort is to create a Targetware server environment focusing on aerial conflict as it occurred in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Placing a high level of emphasis on historical authenticity and realism, Bly stated that the primary objective of this team is to design and implement "the most accurate, most intense PTO theatre ever modeled in a MMP (massively multi-player) game".
Anyone wishing to participate with this community development team, who possesses 3d modeling, aircraft skin design, terrain modeling, or detailed historical research on the period, should email Micah 'Yak' Bly at micahbly@visi.com
I have posted part 2 of Chunx' article entitled "A Typical Day At The Office". My apologies that this has been posted several days later than originally planned. Here's a snippet:
"Swinging wide around the small city outside of our base, I call Tower and announce "Vampire 32 is 11 miles southwest for the overhead, carrier." (translation: the overhead is the visual "break" entry into the pattern. The "carrier break" is the specific entry we normally do at the ship, and is made from at a height of 800ft AGL, whereas a normal break is done from 1500'AGL. Needless to say, the carrier break is much more "sexy" for our mechanics on the ground to watch. Whenever possible, we try to come into the carrier break for "max style points."
HiTech Creations has released a new version of Aces High, the popular massively multiplayer WWII air combat simulator played over the Internet. The release of the new update, Version 1.06, expands Aces High with the addition of 8 new planes and new feature updates.
"Our goal is to set a new standard in the number and variety of planes and vehicles to be found in any one sim," said Aces High producer, Doug Balmos. "We've added 27 new planes, vehicles, and boats in the past year and we expect to exceed that in the coming year. Over time, this continued development will lead to a greater expansion in the gameplay and also allow just about any historical WWII air battle to be reenacted."
Some of the new features of Version 1.05 include:
· A simple to use system to send "check six" warnings to your allies. · New cloud patterns for heavy overcast skies. · Improved night time lighting and effects. · New planes bringing the total vehicle count to 42. Tempest V- British thoroughbred capable of chasing down V1's. Ta 152H- The ultimate Focke Wulf. La-7- One of the premier Soviet fighters of the war. Ar 234B- The jet powered German bomber. Fw 190D-9- The famous "long-nosed" Focke Wulf. Fw 190F-8- Heavily armored ground attack version of the Fw 190 family. P-51B- The plane that spearheaded Allied air superiority over Germany. Yak-9T- A high velocity 37mm cannon makes it a dangerous opponent.
