I have posted Chunx' latest log book article entitled "The Chunx’ Version Of ‘Empire Of The Sun’" Here's a snippet:
"Fast forward fifteen years and to NAS Miramar. The approach end of the base’s primary runways are “T-capped” by a thoroughfare called Kearny Villa Road. Throughout the year you will find folks parked on the shoulder of that road, just watching the jets fly by as they enter the break and landing pattern. Since a lot of Field Carrier Landing Practice was held at the NAS by squadrons about to go to sea, the pattern was usually chock full of Tomcats and E-2 Hawkeye planes as they practiced touch-and-go landings. Most planes crossed the road just a few hundred feet above the ground as the pilots concentrated on their landing technique."
SimHQ have posted part 2 of their history of the A-10. Here's a snippet:
"The A-10 has a very good instantaneous turn rate, but the sustained turn rate isn’t as good because the aircraft does not have enough thrust to maintain its speed. However, it is still capable of more than 15 degrees per second maximum instantaneous G just prior to wing stall. There is a stall warning system which will warn the pilot that he’s getting close to a stall by sending out a ‘chopped’ tone. This system will also give a continuous tone when the aircraft is at its best performance, and for the best results you should hear that tone without getting to close to the stall point."
Dan "CRASH" Crenshaw has posted his report of E3 at SimHQ. Here's the intro:
"With all the talk of the simulation genre dying, what was one to expect? Fortunately, I have never agreed with this sentiment and E3 2001 was more than happy to support the falsehood of the premature announcement of the death of sims."
BBall has updated his column. I'll let this snippet speak for itself:
"Then I learned about this thing called “honor”. I guess, like most children, I didn’t totally understand what it was all about, and when my father shipped out to conduct war in a place I had never heard of, I was confused and scared. I never gave much thought about what he must have been experiencing. Now as an adult, I think I know what he was feeling; he too was scared. But he was bound by this thing called duty to his country, and I somehow knew that this was connected to that word: honor."
An essential read. To jump to BBall's column, click
HERE
You may have noticed the name Streaky on the news posts of late. Jason "Streaky" Cramer is the latest addition to the team and joins us as News Editor. I've finally got my lazy ass into gear and posted his bio on the staff bios page. Jason has the distinction of being the only member of the team that I can scrounge smokes from as he lives up the road from me and works for the same company :o) I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing him an overdue welcome.
I have posted some new Project1 screen shots taken from the build shown at E3. There are 12 that you may have seen on other sites and 12 that are exclusive to Frugal's World.
Costas of FurballMag has posted his angle on E3. Here's the intro:
"Mmmmm, I just LOVE this time of season. Mid-May, summer just around the corner, first trips to the beach, babes start wearing hot pants and other thin garments, and... E3! Yup, 'tis the season to be exhibiting, whatever that means... :-)"
Keep focused Costas :) Read his report in "News From The Front" by clicking
HERE
As we're close to the impending UK release, RacingFaction have posted a review. Here's the intro:
"It's taken a long time for Papyrus' NASCAR Racing 4 to reach the UK but that is understandable. The most popular motorsports here are Formula 1, Rallying, Touring Car, and Superbikes. All of these rely on occasionally turning right and using nimble vehicles than can negotiate all manner of corners and courses. NASCAR seems so alien to many British racing fans with its two-ton barge-like cars and super speedways. Eddie Irvine's comments at last year's F1 race at the Brickyard that NASCAR was, "just a bunch of farmers driving round a field" was hardly going to win the sport any more converts here. There's also the matter of sports coverage. Last year British viewers could watch live NASCAR races. Now Sky Sports shows IRL races live, while Eurosport shows CART live and NASCAR highlights delayed by a week. It's a wonder that Sierra decided to release the game here at all."
Thrustmaster have started to post an in-depth review. Here's a snippet:
"The avionics and targeting system are somewhat streamlined. There is no velocity of closure in the HUD, and cockpit switches are not clickable or mouseable. The “T” target key locks the highest threat, and the player won’t always agree with the selection. The player is then forced to page forward or back according to distance from the aircraft. A “lock central target in HUD” key would be a simple solution and may yet appear."
SimHQ have posted part 1 of a nice history of the A-10. Here's a snippet:
"You’re sitting in a titanium bathtub (545kg) which is not a single forging but assembled from multiple plates of varying thickness, and in some places the armor is 38mm thick. The windscreen you’re looking through is 3.8cm(1.5 inch) thick and your ass is parked in the ACES II ejection seat, which is really a very comfortable "chair." It’s often said that the A-10 was designed around its large cannon, which off course is true, but there were other important factors in its design as well."
Gamespot take a look at Ubi Soft's next offering along with some screenshots. Here's a snippet:
"Featuring some classic modern warplanes like the F-15C Eagle, as well as the deviously nimble Russian SU-25 and SU-27, all the planes are accurately modelled and should perform exactly like their real-world counterparts."
An interesting thread has developed on our Falcon forum, Eric Marlow aka "Snacko" has responded to some concerns expressed. Here's part of his response:
"Guys - just know I am still here and I understand many of your concerns. The next few weeks and months will be exciting as we get this ball rolling. Without a doubt, I am the same "Snacko" that I was when I was actively involved in the iBeta Realism Patch team - my emphasis to realism is unwavering. LET ME REPEAT: FALCON WILL NOT BE DUMBDED DOWN!!!! Just because it makes sense to include additional (not changed or removed, but ADDITIONAL) feature for the casual user does not mean that the world is coming to an end. You can feel free to let everyone else know this as well."
Gian "Phaetn" Vitzthum reports for Dogfighter on the second day of E3. He checks out Project 1, Eurofighter Typhoon, WWII Online and new developments at CHProducts. Here's a snippet:
"Much like at last year's E3, Dogfighter.com met informally with Tsuyoshi Kawahito (T.K.) to discuss his current flight sim in the works at Third Wire Productions. T.K. was Lead Designer and Programmer of European Air War and Lead Designer of Jane's Longbow 2. Third Wire still seeks a publisher for their latest endeavor due to be released in roughly a year: "Project 1" is a jet combat simulation based on 1960s aircraft in a fictional conflict, pitting American and Soviet aircraft against each other."
I couldn't resist posting a link to this so apologies Frugal :) but anyone interested in GA sims and FS2002 in particular are probably aware that a number of new screenshots are filtering through from people who attended E3. Gamespot have posted another twenty which I haven't seen before and, IMO are simply jaw-dropping.
Bombs-Away have made a small add-on available from their web site. Here's the description details from the Readme file:
""B17 2 Fighter Duel" can quickly & easily modify your R&R file to generate custom Fighter Duels. Execute the selection though Quickstart Mission #5 "Fighter Sweep over France" within the game."
Rage have made patch v1.1 available. This is the list of fixes:
"Fixes the 1 fps slow down reported on certain hardware. Fixes hangs and crashes related to jumping into the cockpit. Fixes the 3dream material crashes in the cut scenes."
Hunter's updated his column with a look at the state of F4 now and a look to the future. Here's a clip:
"Remember 7 dec 1999. We all were wondering and running around saying doom and gloom stuff. Well it's 2.5 years, and guess what people! WE ARE STILL HERE!!! WE ARE ALL STILL FLYING !!! And F4 is STILL THE BENCHMARK!!"
Bryan "Biff" Burchfield reports for Dogfighter on the Cougar and IL-2 with some nice screenshots. Here's a snippet:
"The flight modeling and gameplay are as realistic as everything else in this sim. The aerodynamics are all calculated, so when an aircraft loses a control surface it behaves as it should. An aircraft with a wing blown off whifferdills to earth in a scarily realistic manner. The AI is also well done. I watched as a string of IL-2s swooped in to strafe a column of trucks. As soon as they were spotted, soldiers began bailing out of the vehicles and high-tailing it off the road. "They're not stupid," reassured Oleg."
Dogfighter have posted a short piece about the Cougar including some sceenshots of the configuration software and the all important price. Here's a snippet:
"On hand were Guillaume Lelevé, Project Manager for the product, and Dr. James "Nutty" Hallows, who is creating the Foxy Software that will accompany the controls. Pricing for the unit has been announced as US$299 for the all metal unit the replicates F-16 Block 50 controls. Separate handles will be made available in the future so they can be interchanged to suit different aircraft."
I have posted part 1 of my Thrustmaster Hotas Interview. This part concentrates on the hardware. Here's a snippet:
"What I was shown absolutely stunned me. I expected the Cougar to be something akin to the Digital F22 but made of metal. Far from it, the capabilities of this hotas are way beyond anything that has gone before. Thrustmaster didn't just raise the bar with this hotas, they sent it into orbit!! By the time this interview was over James had a huge pool of drool to clean up. James showed me that something I have believed for years was wrong. Here I was at 38 years old and I just found out that there really is a Father Christmas, and his name is Thrustmaster :)."
Ubisoft have issued a press release regarding the release of the game. Here's the 'important bit':
"May 2001 - Ubi Soft Entertainment are pleased to announce the release date for the eagerly awaited World War 2 flight simulator IL2 – Sturmovik. Originally slated for release in summer 2001, additional fine-tuning of the single and multiplayer aspects of the game mean that IL2 will be leaving its development hanger for a release in November 2001."
You can however read the full press release by clicking
HERE
SimHQ secured an interesting interview with G2Interactive regarding their acquisition of the licensing rights for Falcon. Here's a snippet:
"Our working title is "Falcon V." We are using the Roman number "V" to denote the next product instead of "5.0," as we feel it gives the product the sense of stature and significance that it deserves. As far as the environment, the campaign scenarios and terrain will model the regions of the Taiwan Straits. Most of you probably are looking at our choice here with a "sly eye," but I must give you a bit of background here: my soon-to-be wife’s family is making me do it ;-) She’s from Taiwan and I told them I’d be there to protect them if the PRC invades."
Dogfighter have posted a review of the Super Hornet Gold Edition. Here's the intro:
"A little more than a year ago I examined the North American release of Digital Integration's much anticipated F/A-18E Super Hornet (DISH) for Dogfighter.com. It was in direct competition with Jane’s release in January of last year of their own sim featuring the F-18 Super Hornet. Since that time rumors of DVD releases of DISH, new mission packs and even dynamic campaigns have circulated, withdrawn, and then reappeared. It all seemed a bit confusing for the simulation community and it was difficult to gauge what was happening to the title, but expectations were high. The folks at Titus Software and Digital Integration have now released Super Hornet Gold Edition with twenty new missions based in the Balkans and our questions have been answered. Rather than delving into a complete examination of Super Hornet, this article is more of a glance at what has changed since the original version because most of its attributes remain unchanged."
I have posted BBall's latest logbook article entitled "You Want Me To Do What??" Here's a snippet:
"So exactly what hurdles did we have to jump through at this Mayo Clinic "circus of the damned"? Lots, and in all categories. We showed up with explicit orders to "fast" for the twelve hours preceding initial testing the first morning. These would include an extensive amount of blood work, and hence the fasting part. We all sat around the dinner table at the restaurant the night before and pondered our collective fates. After showing up the next morning famished, we did the blood test thing, then went our separate ways to the ensuing craziness."
Rage have released a 3DFX patch for Eurofighter Typhoon which fixes lockup and crash problems with earlier generation 3DFX cards. Thanks to Andre for the notification.
AVSim have posted a update to the Project 1. I repeat it here in it's entirity:
"The lead developer Tsuyoshi Kawahito is a legend among combat flight simmers. After being involved with Janes/EA's landmark simulations Longbow and Longbow 2, in 1998 he created the classic European Air War, marketed by MicroProse, a game which revolutionized Second World War flight simulations. EAW has one great asset-its code is easily cracked by third-party freeware mod-makers, much like Microsoft's Flight Simulator series. This was not lost on Kawahito, and shortly after EAW, he assembled a top-notch team of programmers and artists in a new company, Third Wire Productions. His goal: Continue what EAW, a game open-source enough to easily modify, started: gamer involvement in the design and perpetuation of new simulations. His target: the 1960s, a decade overlooked by almost all other flight sim designers. Kawahito began with 1960, and so will you, when you step into the 3-D rendered cockpit of one of the four flyable jets. The McDonnell-Douglas F-4E Phantom II and A-4 Skyhawk, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and the North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre will all be flyable in the game. TK carefully selected these aircraft with a specific goal in mind: representation of more than just the US armed forces of the era. What these four aircraft have in common is that all were exported to other nations in great numbers, with the F-4E and A-4 serving even today with nations including the Republic of Korea, Israel, and Argentina. With Project 1, Third Wire intends to open the door to user modification from the very first line of code-a revolution in combat simming. Previously attempted only by Microsoft in its Combat Flight Simulator line, TK and his team will apply that philosophy."
Furballmag have posted their latest "News From the Front". Here's a snippet:
"Of course, that means I'm back to flying with just a stick. Well, actually, I don't really mind. Better than having no working controllers at all. And to be honest, I've only been flying with a throttle for just almost 2 years, compared to almost a decade of HOKAS experience ("Hands-On-Keyboard-And-Stick"). I guess I can remember some old tricks, until the Cougar comes to us."
SimHQ have posted a review of the VisionTek GeForce3 card. Of specific interest is the FPS comparisons in regard to various sims. Here's a snippet:
"One of the biggest differences between the GF2 and GF3 is the size of the chip. A GF2 GTS was about ~28 million transistors, but the GF3 is pushing 57 million transistors on .15 micron! That is double the size of the previous generation and more transistors than an Intel Pentium 4 chip by over 30%! The main reason for the increased size of the GF3 was the adding of programmability to the chip. Giving developers the tools to develop for DX8 functionality demands a great deal of freedom and innovation. GF3 allows it through programmability."
Another link at SimHQ. They have had their first submission of a .cam file for BoB, "Attack on our Convoy - Typical day in the life of my RAF pilot." by "mrcynic"
After much soul searching, Frugal has posted this heartfelt outpouring. He details this addiction in his latest column:
"I realise that in order to get help with a problem you have to first accept that you have a problem. I have been in denial of this problem for some time, even telling myself that I could give it up if I wanted to. But today I have come to accept the cold hard truth. My name is Frugal and I am a simmerholic."
Sim-Arena have produced review of Papyrus' game to their usual high quality. Here's a snippet:
"The graphics as a whole in this sim are nothing short of being top notch. Sitting in the drivers seat of the car, I get the "here I am" feeling of having limited peripheral vision. Watching parts fly off cars during hair-raising wrecks can make you cringe. Watching your pit crew work their magic can leave you yelling at your computer screen 'Come on guys, move it, the leader is in turn 3'."
Mmmmm, Gamespot had a detailed look at the beta of this highly ambitious and eagerly anticipated all-rounder. Here's some of their lengthy observations:
"With a huge map, hundreds of choke points, a plethora of different vehicles, and a large population of gamers trying to do their own thing, modeling an army's organization and objective-oriented operations may seem difficult. Engagements will be driven by mission assignments, so you won't just be jumping in a tank and driving off to find the enemy. Just as CPs will regulate movement across the map, missions will determine in which direction that movement will take place."
Better late than never I suppose :) Gamevisions have written a review of Rowans Battle Of Britain. Here's a snippet:
"Combat is precise. Unless you are tailing your enemy, the odds of hitting him are marginal. You have a (realistic) tiny dot for a reticule, and a fine stream of (highly limited) ammunition. If that wasn't difficult enough, you must keep your enemy in your sights or risk loosing him. They had no radar or sensors back then. Visual was the only detection system...bad news if you have a bogie on your tail, or if you lost your target thanks to tricky maneuvering, or a gust of wind that knocked you off course. In fact, it is so precise that the Lutwaffe is far more difficult to play. Why? Because, among more technical reasons, all the radio chatter is in German. Since I don't speak German, I had to read the subtitles which lost valuable time in tracking my target."
Some might argue that they were a little over generous with the percentage scores but read the whole review by clicking
HERE
Thrustmaster have been quick to post an article about the Eurofighter, it's systems and tactics. Here's the intro:
"You’re tired of F16s and F18s, and you want to fly a state-of-the-art modern fighter aircraft. You’re looking for a good simulation of the combat experience, and you don’t care if every key and button is modeled. In fact, a little simplicity for the sake of gameplay might be nice. Rage Software’s Eurofighter Typhoon could be the game for you."
Check out this great article at SimHQ regarding fighter pilot coms. Here's a snippet:
"Brevity Code, when used properly, can be a very powerful tool in air combat. There are a few caveats, though. The first is; everybody must understand all of the terminology. Secondly, it must specifically describe an event, observation, action, or status. The radio call ‘Bandits,’ is worthless unless accompanied by who it applies to and a relative position call. Third, it must be structured to insure that it’s understood by whom it’s intended for. Conversely, it mustn’t be misinterpreted by other flights on the same frequency. An example would be the typical ‘bad bandit call.’ Imagine you’re escorting a flight of strikers, and out of the blue you hear ‘BANDITS! BREAK LEFT!!’ What do you think EVERYONE on that frequency is going to do?"
Furball Magazine have posted their latest edition. Here's the intro:
"Great... just as I had my Falcon fully eRazed, tweaked, and patched, and after printing all the eFalcon manuals and memorizing all the new functions there are (well... OK, I'm still getting there...), my HOTAS starts playing tricks on me! Must be a bad connection with the keyboard pass-through plug... maybe tightening it up with some duct tape will help. Of course, this only happened about a week after I got my new MS Internet Keyboard... I wonder if this piece of hardware requires a Microsoft stick to work properly. Is it possible that ole Uncle Bill is going back to his tried-and-true marketing techniques? :-)"
Dogfighter have posted a nice in-depth review of the CH Products USB pedals. Here's a snippet:
"The base for the pedals is thirteen inches wide by fourteen inches deep and is constructed of solid and heavy duty plastic that doesn't slip or tip. Users of other pedals will note that the dimension for the width is quite a bit smaller than most other manufacturers'. Pedals are separated by less than four inches from inside edge to inside edge, with a measurement of only eight inches from center to center (about half the distance of some other types). While at first this may seem rather close, one quickly gets used to it and it serves particularly well when the pedals are used for driving games. Another obvious benefit is that they take up significantly less room under a desk than other styles."
Dan "CRASH" Crenshaw has written a review at SimHQ about Digital Image Design's new Flight Sim. Here's a clip:
"Once in the air, you get to play a bit with the avionics. Again, this is not, nor has been marketed as, a "hard core" sim. Avionics are very simple. If you are familiar with EF2000, this will be the shortest learning curve of all time for you. My neighbor is an avid EF2000 fan...he sat down and was in the air in minutes and fighting with little need to look at key commands. I walked away and two hours later, he was still flying and fighting with not a hitch. To be fair, the Eurofighter cockpit is a "glass cockpit" that will also take advantage of voice command technology. DiD has tried to duplicate this work load lowering system in the game. If you are a die hard button pusher, this is not the game for you."
Vexx from Sim-News has written a short article about AIM-9 modes in relation to multiple bandits. Here's a snippet:
"The default AIM-9 avionics and functionality in Falcon 4.0 doesn't offer as many options as the real pilot has at his disposal. For instance, UNCAGE and CAGE modes were a function of the BORE/SLAVE switch in 108i2. BORE is actually a line of sight option. SLAVE directs the missile seeker LOS to the radar lock target. BORE directs it forward, regardless of the radar lock."
