Was looking around when I notice this on the Project I3D website: B1B lancer patch in final stages, VC texturing is coming along nicely now, with help from new designers .. we hope to have it to you shortly! Also with a little suprise, the B1-A
FlightTracker V7.01 for FS2000/2002 has been released. This version has numerous bug fixes and extra features, and is well worth a look if your into the Civil side of flight simulation.
For those of you who have not encountered Flight Tracker before - heres what it does!
An ACARS utility and a logbook all in one. It automatically records and logs detailed information for your active flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The FAQ's at lo-mac.com have been updated to include details on the upcoming Lo-mac demo. Heres what has been added:
Will there be a demo and what is it likely to contain?
Yes, a playable demo is planned for Lock On, shortly before the game is available in stores this summer. The demo will allow players to fly the A-10A and the MiG-29A with a mission or each of these aircraft. The demo will be for single player use only, and will each plane will have a very limited fuel supply
HotDogOne.Net has found a new home on the flighthangar.net servers. The site features a new layout and feel. Currently there is only one photogallery, but more will be appearing over the next few weeks.
I look forward to hearing any comments you might have.
In case youve missed it - Terrapin over at Flighthangar.net has added a few new features to make Flighthangar.net even better than before!
There's the new Aviation Media section - where there are some high quality photographs being uploaded by some talented individuals. The new Chat section looks like it will be a fun place to hang out - and you'll prob find me there too!
Yes, it's time for another video! This week the video shows a MiG-29A conducting an air-to-ground rocket attack. Supporting the Fulcrum is a flight of Ka-50 attack Helos
There is a free offer for 7 days to play WW2 Online.
Here are details
A new 7-day FREE trial kicked off today powered by our friends at GIGEX.
Now's the time to tell your buddies to download and try WWII Online for FREE.
Once a player ends his 7-day FREE trial, he can purchase an activation key for $19.99 and get another 30 days of playtime before the monthly subscription fee of $12.99 kicks in. There's no need to go find a retail box, now they can buy online!
You can get the links and more informatin from
HERE.
The forums are currently down. I am investigating but early indications are that they are being subjected to a denial of service attack. I hope to have the boards back as soon as possible.
Its been widely reported on the forums (and I can confirm from seeing it myself) that FSAA now works in Falcon when using the Catalyst 3.4 driver set from ATI!!!!
ATI have released the long awaited Catalyst 3.4 drivers. Below are some of the notes from the readme log.
DirectX 9 Performance Improvements
The following is a list of DirectX9 Performance Improvements noticed in the latest release of CATALYST™.
* 3DMark03 scores are improved as much as 8% across our entire DirectX 9 (dx9) product line * The difficult Mother Nature (dx9) test now runs as much as 20% faster than previous drivers * Anti-aliasing performance in 3DMark03 are improved as much as 15% * Anisotropic Filtering scores for 3DMark03 are up moderately for the RADEON™ 9500 PRO and the RADEON™ 9600 PRO (3-7%), while the RADEON™ 9700 PRO gains a stunning 32% improvement running 8xAF at high resolution
Shader Performance Improvements
The following is a list of Shader Performance Improvements noticed in the latest release of CATALYST™.
* ChameleonMark framerates are up as much as 80% on the RADEON™ 9700 PRO * CodeCreatures runs as much as 7% faster in 4xAA and 10% faster with Anisotropic Filtering
Performance Improvements in Direct3D Games
The following is a list of Performance Improvements noticed in Direct3D game in the latest release of CATALYST™.
* Anti-Aliasing performance for D3D games such as UT2003 has improved as much as 18%. With Anisotropic Filtering enabled, UT runs as much as 13% faster.
Performance Improvements in OpenGL Game
The following is a list of Performance Improvements noticed in OpenGL games in the latest release of CATALYST™.
* Anti-Aliasing performance for Quake Engine games is improved by approximately 5%. Serious Sam shows a 14% improvement on the RADEON™ 9700 PRO and a remarkable 53% performance gain on the RADEON™ 9600 PRO. * Anisotropic Filtering performance for OpenGL games is also improved. The RADEON™ 9700 PRO gains 10% in Quake III. Jedi Knight II runs 11% faster on the RADEON™ 9600 PRO. Serious Sam framerates are up as much as 30% on the RADEON™ 9600 PRO.
There is a new section in the Frugalsworld forums for the recently announced Knights over Europe. The forums have already attracted the sim's developers, so hopefully we will be kept well informed.
Here's a short quote from the producer AspectSim-JP4 Not more than a few days ago someone let us know that the cowling on our Fokker DrI was wrong. We checked our references and it turns out they were right. As a result we’re correcting the model. If you like sims in general, great! If you are a WWI aircraft expert, even better! Either way our goals are the same, we want a WWI aerial combat experience that you can’t get enough of.
The latest Patch (1.2) for Raven-Shield has been released. Here's a run-down of whats new!
Overview --------
There are two main reasons behind the release of 1.2. First, it enables compatibility between versions using different alphabets (cyrillic, latin, asian, etc.). Secondly, it serves as a client upgrade to support future Linux and Windows(TM) stand alone dedicated servers.
Details -------
* Enables interoperability between localized versions, with different alphabets, for internet games. * Fixes the "ready button" problem where players could not press it and had to wait for the in-between round timer to run out. * Fixes the crash issue with the server list. The list is now displayed in a multi-page format with a maximum of 400 servers per page. * The server filter settings are now kept even when you quit the game. * Karma (ragdoll effect) has been updated, after much research and inspired, in part, by work done by the community. * Includes support for future Linux and Windows stand alone dedicated servers. * Removed the network connection check that was done even when in single player mode.
Other -----
We acknowledge the absence of an interface to indicate that a map is being currently downloaded. We are hopeful that a fix for this issue will be available in the next patch.
ASE will be "officially" supported in the next patch. We are still experimenting with an easy, user-friendly way to deal with it.
Linux and Windows(TM) stand alone servers will soon be available for people who wish to run dedicated's on their T1+ ;-)
I have posted a review of Volume 1 of Visual Flight/Get Mapping/Just Flight VFR Photographic Scenery. Here's a snippet:
For my first flight I took off from Southend airport and within minutes I was completely amazed. The difference in the scenery really is incredible. I was able to recognise the area around Southend airport in an instant. The flight from Southend to Basildon following the A127 was the most enjoyable flight I'd had in FS2002. It was fantastic being able to recognise landmarks like Rayleigh Wier, my childrens schools and of course my own house. I then flew along the Thames enjoying the view and was particularly impressed by Tilbury Docks.
Code One have posted an article about F-16 Operations At Kunsan Air Base. Here's a snip:
Hokaj turns north and points to a razor-wired fence that runs along the coastline and marks the western perimeter of the base. “Rumor has it that North Koreans being trained for their special forces have to touch that fence to graduate,” he notes. The story carries more weight than the typical urban legend: mini submarines from North Korea run aground and get entangled in fishing nets off the South Korean coast with a disturbing regularity.
Ok - first up an apology to everyone for letting the news go un-updated for a week or so. (Sorry Frugal!) Its been a busy few days (My Sister had her third child - a little boy! Horrah!). Followed by a few days concentrated job hunting and a trip to see a very big ship on Friday :-)
Photo's of the USS Harry S. Truman will be viewable soon hopefully!
If you come across anything you feel should make the newspage here at Frugals, please send me an email at: hotdogone@frugalsworld.com
Rage 3D are reporting that ATI are cancelling the release of their Catalyst 3.3 drivers, instead they are planning on releasing the Catalyst 3.4 driver set sometime in the May 12-15** date range.
ATI's Catalyst Development team have not announced the actual 'bug fix' list, but they have made statements on a few forums indicating that Radeon 9700 Pro owners should expect a large improvement in performance with the 3.4 drivers.
Futuremark have released a new patch to their popular 3dMark03 benchmarking software. You can find more information, and download this patch at the Futuremark website:
HERE.
On September 26 and 27th of this year, the biggest event in Flight Simulation will take place in Reading, Pennsylvania - the AVSIM 2003 Exhibition and Conference. The Exhibition and Conference will take place on the property of the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM) where some of the most famous aircraft in aviation are housed. You will be able to get up close and personal with the famous R4D, explore "Briefing Time", the famous B-25 Mitchell, and see a brand new acquisition of the museum; a TBM Avenger. You will also be able to stroll through the numerous exhibitions of companies that you all recognize. You will see the latest offerings in hardware and software for flight simulation. You can attend two days of paper presentations from knowledgable contributors to our hobby. You can attend our Friday night cocktail and carvery party, and attend the biggest event of the year; the 2003 AVSIM Awards Banguet on Saturday night. Don't miss this event! You can register and make hotel reservations here. You can join in discussions and seek more information in our exhibition and conference forum.
The following has been posted on the Raven Shield website.
This just in from the RvS development team...
* Linux Servers are working but need to be tested on Red Hat. They will be released at the same time as the 1.2 patch. * ASE is now supported and being tested. * The NoLoop server crash when refreshing the server list is being fixed. * The "ready" button bug is under correction. * Some of the issues related to the localized version have been fixed. Specific fixes will be released soon. * Other minor issues are also being fixed.
If you have any comments or questions, please let us know. Thanks!
