FastCargo

No...it is part of the core files.

Your best option is to buy Wings Over Europe.

Second best (ie more expensive) is to buy SF2 Vietnam.

FC

Apple is growing in mobile--phones and tablets--not desktop comptuters where it only has 7% of the market. Killing the desktop computer ecosystem doesn't get you ahead in mobile. So I guess time will indeed tell.

Windows 8 still allows traditional desktop interfaces, and runs traditional apps quite well....while allowing those who like the option of the "don't call it Metro" experience.

You can also look at Apple as taking the lead in PCs, if you count tablets as PCs. There are so many people who have dumped their laptops because their iPad does everything they wanted their laptop to do...without the complication of the typical PC.

Simply put, those who are familiar with their computers, like PC gamers, are the minority. How many users barely use their computers for things like watching YouTube, surfing the web, looking at their pictures, light word processing and maybe video editing? They are the majority...and as smartphones get more prolific, I guarantee you will start seeing more and more desktop/laptops using that kind of interface, because that is what those people want.

FC

As to why you'd want to install a phone OS on a desktop computer in the first place, I have no idea.

That's very easy to answer...consistency of experience.

If you can have one OS that runs on your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and your interaction is the same with each of them, that is huge. One can already see that Apple has been moving in that direction for sometime, and we all know how they are continuing to grab market share. What Microsoft is trying to do is leapfrog them...hoping to lure folks into their 'ecosystem'. Time will tell if they are successful or not.

FC

Oh, totally missed that...thanks Brain!

FC

No...that is piracy.

FC

No...you can still over-G the aircraft.

The FM is one of the 'beta' things about the aircraft...it's a bit too responsive in some areas.

Now, having said that, in the real aircraft, you can over-G it using some sort of switch that overrides the G limiter.

So in some ways, it sort of mimics real life...

FC

Yea, unfortunately, without the MAX file, the only way to fix it is to fly it in Normal mode, or not load those pylons affected.

FC

Question for those having roll issues...do you fly it in 'Hard' mode? If so, try it in 'Normal' mode and report back with results (both clean, and loaded down with ordinance).

FC

When you read this article, you will find out just how insecure any passwords are now: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/11/ff-mat-honan-password-hacker/

Panama, you may want to try posting that link while NOT logged into your email account...

For those who are wondering what Panama Red is talking about...start here: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/apple-amazon-mat-honan-hacking/all/

FC

Prezmek, I wouldn't be that concerned.

Obviously, like any door or alarm system, with enough attempts, someone can break in.

Having said that, most breaches are because folks don't use strong passwords.

What I would recommend is first, check your computer to make sure it has no viruses, especially things like keyloggers.

Once that is done, check your password or your account for any unusual emails having been sent out from it. Also, I believe Google allows for two-factor authentication...if you are concerned, enable it. It will make it more difficult to take over. If your account itself doesn't show any actual odd activity, it was probably just a random, bot powered fishing attempt that failed.

FC

use ALT+N keys and you will never have fuel problems

I don't know..I've run out of fuel even after using Alt-N.

FC

HAWX is in no way related to Ace Combat...totally seperate development houses and publishers. The gameplay is similar to Ace Combat...but that is it.

Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters - another craptastic entry - http://www.evolvedga...ASF-english.htm

If you count the F-22 just on its own, you can go all the way back to the mid 1990s with titles from Novalogic, Interactive Magic, and DID.

And the Jetfighter series of games...with the F-22, F-23, and even the F-35 (Jetfighter V).

In short, bringing shiny new airplanes to the PC is nothing new.

And like they say...the gameplay is the thing. Everything I've read about AC:AH says it is pretty bad...even as an arcade shooter.

It doesn't matter how shiny your new car is if it can't make the first corner...

FC

If he's unable to ID the font...he can always make one. There are several free services that allow you to do this.

FC

Looks like we're going to need a new Bone cockpit...

http://sstc-online.org/2008/pdfs/PEH1960.pdf

http://www.tinker.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123327701

FC

Could be a start for what?

It's Ace Combat...you're not going to get anything more that you already do.

There have already been games out with 4th and 5th gen aircraft for some time.

Also, there was another thread on this subject (which has disappeared, not sure how) in which most of the folks said that this version of Ace Combat was craptastic...so I don't see any benefit to us releasing it to PC.

FC

OpenCockpit=TRUE in the cockpit.ini

Also, ShowFromCockpit only works at the Component level,not at the System level...

FC

Guys, 1' thing 'per post please.

FC

To keep the postings somewhat orderly, each individual post is limited to one 'thing' per post. No limit to the amount of posts, I just want to not have to trudge through lines of crap just to see the next person's post.

FC

You did miss it.

...normally X-Plane on ALL platforms is a payware program, but due to some sort of patent issue, the Android version is free!

Additional aircraft and/or terrains are available for $0.99 each.

FC

UK doesn't fly in adverse conditions?

Not conventional, fixed wing, carrier capable aircraft, no.

FC

As part of the 'simming on the go' series of reviews, CombatAce looks at Laminar Research's X-Plane for Android.

Normally, we would not review X-Plane because it is a civilian flight simulation...and after all, we are CombatAce. However, X-Plane for Android has some limited air combat options. In addition, it is a well regarded flight simulator, using 'blade theory' for flight dynamics and even includes multiplayer. So we decided it was worth a look. How does it fly? Let's jump in...

As you can see at the top, this is the screen that greets you when you start X-Plane. Nice reference to the full PC version right there in the screen...more or less free advertising! And speaking of which, normally X-Plane on ALL platforms is a payware program, but due to some sort of patent issue, the Android version is free!

Looking at the Google Play store screen for X-Plane, you would think it has a remarkably small footprint. What isn't specified is that after you install and start it, it has to download more content before it would run. This only has to occur once, but makes it unclear how much space the program actually takes up. The current version requires at least Android version 2.2 to run.

Included in the basic free level are several aircraft and terrains. Terrains are a decent variety, ranging from southern California to Austria to Hawaii, etc. Aircraft are mostly light general aviation, business jet...and a JA37 Viggen hidden in the back! Additional aircraft and/or terrains are available for $0.99 each. The terrains are more famous areas, but additional aircraft are a really wide variety from the A380, F-22, Huey Cobras, to more exotic types like the XB-70 and X-15.

Unfortunately, the first obstacle to getting some air combat goodness rears its head. Only certain aircraft have air combat capability...namely, fighter types like the Mig-21, F-14 etc. No bombers or helos have combat ability in this program. In addition, none of the air combat capable aircraft are free...the Viggen isn't armed. Since I wanted to shoot stuff, I ended up purchasing teh sexplane (F-14) and the B-1B to see if we could drop bombs (nope).

Settings

X-Plane, being based off the PC version, means you have the power to tweak just about everything in the flight scenario, as is typical for this kind of program. The following thumbnails show all the different option screens , click on the appropriate link for a more detailed view.

Location

Flight Conditions

Weather Conditions

Time Of Day

Weight and Balance

Failures

Aircraft

Calibration

Most screens are pretty self explanatory, there is even an accelerometer calibration screen, to get detailed readings on what the phone/tablet is sensing.

Basic Flight

The flight typically starts with a HUD view:

Basic pitch and roll controls are through the accelerometer. The secondary controls are on screen, including things like sweep and flaps. Note that except for the rudder, the other secondary controls have a 'lag' associated with them...ie you use the control to 'set' the flaps, then a dimmer marker which actually shows the position of the flight control moves to match what you set. Nice touch of realism to those controls.

To bring up additional views or the options, merely touch anywhere on the screen not associated with a control. Several transparent tiles will pop up temporarily, and disappear after about 5 seconds. Touch any of them while they are visible to change or activate the desired option (see the flight dynamics screenshot for more detail on what this looks like).

Included views (besides the default HUD view):

Cockpit view. Cockpit views tend to vary from aircraft to aircraft, but they are all similar in that there is no view outside, betraying X-Plane's civilian based roots. A better description would be Instrument View.

Flyby, fixed location, and external views all look roughly similar, just different in how they interact with the camera. One glaring omission is lack of any flight data in these views.

X-Plane also has a replay function, where you can look back and replay the action from different viewpoints. You cannot alter the outcome, and there are some glitches, usually related to visual damage still showing even if you rewind before the point where the damage occurred.

Flight Dynamics

The way aircraft feel in X-Plane are the highlight of this program. Aircraft are affected by weight, speed, Gs, etc. in a very believable fashion. This is not surprising, based on Laminar Research stating that 85 percent of the flight dynamics code in the PC version is incorporated into the Android version. The aircraft just seem to feel right compared to most other flight programs on Android. There are some exceptions...the F-14 for instance seems to gain speed far too quickly when the wings are swept back.

X-Plane has a nice option to actually 'see' what it is calculating in real time on the flying surfaces. You can see the vectors for lift, drag, and thrust all change as you fly the aircraft around. Quite fascinating from an air enthusiast point of view. Minor nit...the B-1B does not appear to be calculating lift from the body...whereas the real thing generates over half its lift from the fuselage when the wings are back. Flight controls appear to move correctly...makes sense based on how X-Plane works.

Weather, turbulence, wind are all modeled. Aircraft and terrain collision are also modeled. Overstress, surprisingly, does not seem to be modeled. The terrains 'wrap'....you simply appear at the far side of the map when you hit the edge.

Lights are on all the time and no atmospheric effects (vortex, Mach 'cones', etc) are modeled.

Damage effects are limited to big flames when destroyed. No airframe destruction is modeled...when hitting the ground, you simply bounce along until running out of momentum (while flaming of course).

Carrier Operations

Depending on the aircraft and terrain, you can launch and recover on aircraft carriers. The launch feels a bit simplistic, but the recovery makes up for it. The combination of the flight dynamics, sense of speed and grading system urges you to try to nail it down, giving you a challenge you'll keep coming back to.

How we lookin?

Part of the enjoyment of flight simulation is viewing the aircraft we enjoy flying. Sadly, X-Plane models are uneven in quality. The civilian models aren't bad...planes like the Avanti are quite nice. But the same can't be said for at least the military models I played with. Some screenshots:

The last screenshot is my B-1B model that I created in 1995 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1. It is kind of sad to see a model created almost 15 years later that actually looks worse than mine. Stretched and mirrored textures, inaccurate or excessively blocky contours characterize the 3 military models I played with. I'm not looking for the PC version in visual fidelity...but something at least to the quality of the ThirdWire Android offering would be nice. It mainly just adds to the feeling that the air combat was just 'tacked on' in X-Plane.

Lets shoot some stuff down!

If you're looking for variety in your air combat, you won't find it here. You and your opponent's armament consists of guns and Sidewinder missiles. That's it. For single player, there is no choice of opponent or armament. You can choose where to duel though. As mentioned before, only certain aircraft are even armed and only certain terrains allow for air combat.

Based on the screenshots, you would think there are things missing. And you would be right. Other than the 'box' around your opponent, there are no visual or auditory cues to let you know you have a lock. No gun reticle, funnel or line. There is a cue at the edge of the screen to show the direction of your opponent when he is off screen.

No ECM or expendables are available. You do get an audio warning tone if your opponent has a missile in the air. Basically, most of the time, your shooting consists of either launching a missile and praying, or filling the windscreen with the target before gunning him. Missiles themselves seem to be all aspect (having been face shot a few times to verify this).

Based on what I could tell, any modern western fighter you buy will have the MiG-21 as its opponent...mainly because that seems to be the only eastern block aircraft available for X-Plane.

The AI opponent is a little uneven. I did notice that he would sometimes use a vertical loop verses a horizontal turn to maneuver. But there never seemed to be much blending of the two to turn at an oblique angle. It doesn't help that the AI cheats...I found him on the ground sometimes, fully intact but making like a tank...which makes trying to get 'in plane' difficult. But I can verify that a strafing kill works...

Multiplayer

There is possibly a redeeming characteristic of air combat in X-Plane we haven't talked about yet...multiplayer. X-Plane supports multiplayer over wifi. Within multiplayer, collision and air combat effects are modeled (with sometimes hilarious results).

Both devices have to be on the same wifi network. Connecting to each other is pretty easy...just wait until you see each other on the Multiplayer screen and then select.

Minor issues include each player can have totally different simulation situations (ie different locations, weather, time of day, etc). Which means if you pick different terrains, you won't ever see each other. Or the playing field itself could be very uneven.

The largest issue with multiplayer is because it is wifi only, you have to be in the same local wifi network. Which means you're hanging out together already. In which case, why not play something more optimized for multiplayer (like a console). In addition, both of you must have purchased aircraft that are air combat capable. PCs and consoles do multiplayer much better in that you can game over the internet...something you can't do here.

Conclusion

X-Plane is a good mobile flight simulator...but it isn't so good at air combat. Highs include fairly realistic flight model handling, especially for the civilian aircraft, and a wide range of adjustments available for the simulation 'world'. Lows include very uneven external model appearances, and sometimes dodgy combat AI. Multiplayer can be fun in specific circumstances.

I would recommend trying X-Plane for Android for basic flight simulation, but have a hard time justifying spending money for the available air combat.

Reviewed on a HP Touchpad running Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

Mike,

That's right. Specially, the SF2 series all support bump and specular mapping, but only on DX 10 or 11. On DX9, those features are disabled. But most of the other coding features are supported.

FC

In Strike Fighters 2 Europe the F-15A Eagle can be played until 1997 without modding!

Really?

Well, well why don't you go over to the ThirdWire forums and tell TW about your stock SF2E install that allows you to fly Eagles in 1997. I'm sure they would be very curious as to where you got that particular version of SF2E.

FC

The problem is I have just bought one of these with upgraded specs...

http://laptops.techcrunch.com/l/937/x15e

And all of a sudden I want to play games again...especially coming from my Dell m1530....

FC

I don't recall exactly when I saw it for less than $10, but it was this week. Anyway, the F3 GOTY version is still $12 till the 27th, including all the DLC.

 

I find the Fallout games are very good deals when it comes to $/hr!

Actually, the plain jane version is still only $5.99, with the GOTY edition at $11.99. Man, either one is a deal...

FC