FastCargo

This is why my wife and I have made living wills and advance health care directives. We wanted legal documentation to avoid any issues should we not be able to speak for ourselves... I would highly recommend, depending on your country, to get one for yourselves. You shouldn't worry about the decision...but what happens if you can't make or communicate your decision. Get it in official, legally recognized documentation. It is better for you...and your family. Hopefully, you'll never have to deal with it... FC

There are 2 issues with suicide that drive most laws that are on the books: 1} It is irreversible...ain't no coming back. 2) It goes directly against one of the most primal instincts a human has...the instinct for self preservation. Assisted suicide can also be argued against, first because of the doctors Hippocratic Oath "First, do no harm" , and second the idea of abuse of a law authorizing such things:"But my pain in the ass wife asked me to beat her with a baseball bat...". Having said all that, I ultimately think if someone wants to end their own life, and they are in full possession of their facilities, and can make their intentions and reasoning clearly understood to the appropriate agencies, that they should be allowed to do so. But it is not something that should ever be rushed into. Lost a few friends who made that rash decision...still haunts me to this day. FC

Ewww.....

Okay folks, lets do some thinking here...some serious "running a business" thinking. TK's sims have had DLCs for several months now...enough time for a business to evaluate the cost effectiveness ratio. For those not sure what I'm talking about, it's the cost of making the DLCs vs the revenue generated selling the DLCs. Guess what...TK is still doing DLCs. What does that tell you? It tells you that the DLCs must be bringing in the cash at an effective ratio. Which means there are enough people buying them for TK to at least break even. Does everyone understand exactly what this means? It means that the amount of casual users (folks who want nothing or little to do with mods, or skinning, or templating, or the ini dance) far outstrips the amount of users who don't mind diving into that stuff and worry about things like the proper ejection seats. You go where the money is...in this case, the money is in DLCs. Which means things like new features are on the back burner...or are actually being funded by the revenue from the DLCs. I see the EXACT same concerns in the model rocketry world. Why are the rocket shelves filled with RTF (Ready To Fly) or E2X (Almost ready to fly) models verses magnificent 'builders' models like the Saturn V (which was recently discontinued). The hard answer...those are what generate the revenue. FC

Oh damn Russ! That looks sexy! FC

Monolith...if there is ever a company that gets shafted for being different, it's those guys. NOLF, NOLF2, TRON 2.0...all fantastic FPS games that simply didn't make the sales numbers. Then there is The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. A fantastic FPS, multiple award winner, a good game not just for movie tie-ins, but in general. Rated highly by critics and gamers. And nobody bought it... FC

I actually have been able to get SF2 to run on an Intel Atom processor powered Dell Inspirion Mini 9 netbook. And believe it or not, it runs fairly smoothly. Of course, all the graphics settings had to be turned down to low... FC

Here's what I want (and yes they are remakes): I would love older games with modern engines. Here are some: Interstate 76 (with cut scenes in engine - a la Half Life) No One Lives Forever (the original...the sequel is still 'Good Enough') BattleZone Homeworld Strike Commander (this is one we could almost do now with custom missions in SF2 - it would just lack the storyline cutscenes) Wings of Glory Deus Ex (Oh HELL YA - BioWare...) Don't alter the storylines, or basic gameplay, just give me a shiny modern engine. FC

Jimmy, You practicing to be a Princess Kate paparazzi? :) FC

Your "Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family" GPU cannot handle the sim at your current settings. Looking at threads from 2009 on a gaming website, commenters back then were saying that chip was slow...3 years ago. You are going to have to turn your graphics settings very low to solve this issue. FC

Well, the AI flies at Normal flight model. You're flying at Easy flight model. Try flying at Normal flight model and see if there is a difference. FC

There is a Meteor MAX file available to modify to a 2 seater: If there is someone interested, I can send the file to you on the condition that it's only used for creation of the 2-seater (the current single seater model is committed to another mod project). Nothing nefarious here...I created this model from scratch so there aren't any ownership issues. FC

Intel graphics solutions are notorious for not running SF2 with any sort of decent graphics settings. Also, if that is SF2:NA, I suspect that makes it even worse. FC

I have to ask though, what do gamers want? How many folks bitch because a successor to a previous FPS is 'more of the same'... Yet, when a developer decides to shake up the proven seller it's 'ya done messed it up!'... So, ask yourself the question...'What would I want in a successor shooter?'...lets use BiA as a reference. And be specific...no 'I want a better experience' which is the same as saying 'I have no idea but I know when I see it'...a bulls**t answer. Also, the answers have to be feasible and cost effective (ie, no 'AI that would pass the Turing test'). Finally, the answer has to guarantee to sell at least as well as the previous iteration of the franchise. FC

It's possible to do in SF2...I created a mission that did exactly that. FC

Words are not adequate enough.

Uh...yeah...those will work. FC

I'm a fan of low level flying (having of course done it back in the day) but it bothers me to see flying that: 1) Endangers spectators and/or 2) Is unauthorized, unpracticed or impromptu (in non-combat situations) Pilots have a responsibility to protect people on the ground and to protect the assets taxpayers have paid for. Note this is different from authorized displays like airshows, air races, memorial flybys, low level training, etc. where there are clear rules and limitations. FC

DA beat me to it... "Don't touch it!!! It's the History Eraser Button you fool!!" FC

That's what I'd be curious about. Models I've never been concerned about if the program has exporters for the most common 3d programs...its all the other stuff.... FC

I was thinking that as well. The timing was unfortunate and reeks of conspiracy, even though I personally don't believe there was such a conspiracy. The problem is that a simple coincidence can have larger ramifications if certain conditions already exist...unfortunate ramifications that can be hard to shake even if the air is cleared. FC

I am very skeptical of this. MSFS is what everyone thinks of when they hear PC based flight simulation. And that's from a company with extremely deep pockets catering to a significantly larger market. And look what happened there. Hardcore military flight simulation is a niche market of a niche market. I don't think the volume will ever be there to support what you are saying. I hope I'm wrong....but based on previous history, I doubt it. Any follow on sim I decide to mod for must have at least the same capabilities as the TW series and be as easy to mod for. Otherwise, there is no reason for me to jump ship. FC

Viragonian Air Force, Planet Terra. And I'm with ya Spinners...F-106s do look sexy with canards. Though I was ambivalent about the F-106X: FC

D-70 Triad I: N-97A Triad III: N-97D Triad III: N-99 Triad V

Wooohoo!!!