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FastCargo

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Posts posted by FastCargo


  1. In my last PM to TK, I relayed the information about the Facebook page with links to the pirated PC games. He thanked me for it, but also relayed that it was another reason they were happy not to be working on PC these days.

     

    Now, that pretty much is the wording he used. Based on the rearranging of the ThirdWire page, it appears that the focus is now exclusively on mobile. Obviously, he isn't working on PC right now or at least in the near future. As for the long term future...who knows.

     

    What does this mean for the SF community? First, it means for at least the near term, the complaint about the constant flow of patches is probably moot. Any mods you make now will probably continue to work for a few years. Second, it also means there probably isn't a major change to the engine coming from TK for a while, if ever. So, don't whine here if there is something the engine doesn't do that you want it to...whining here will not change anything at ThirdWire.

     

    Now, as far as policy regarding the manipulation of the game engine by people other than ThirdWire (ie hacking). From past correspondence with TK about the issue, he seems to have no problem with it, obviously cautioning that future 'patches' could break previous mods.

     

    But let's make a few things clear. First, this specifically means that the engine is NOT open source. If there are modifications performed, those modified files will not be distributed here. If you want to create a 'patch' that modifies an end user's legitimately purchased game, it must be understood by all parties that there is no warranties implied by anyone and that it is very, VERY clear what those patches do.

     

    Second, the ThirdWire series is NOT considered abandonware. Period. The links to purchase the games still exist on the TW site and still are functional. Do not be the person that attempts to distribute core files on the mistaken belief that the game is abandonware. Even if those links go away in the future, it is not to be assumed that the PC game has been abandoned, especially if ThirdWire still exists as an gaming company.

     

    In short, don't be stupid...it just creates more paperwork.

     

    FC

    • Like 9

  2. I wonder if a large "mothership" can be made as an aircraft carrier. can it be a few hundred feet tall? say have the main "carrier" about the size of a regular carrier except it's set on an invisible "pole" that leads down say a few hundred feet to an invisible "hull" so that the mothership carrier seems to be flying?

    I actually tried this a few patches ago. I couldn't get it to work much beyond about 50 feet off the water. There seemed to be a hard limit.

     

    Too bad...I was thinking about a 'Crimson Skies' type mod using zeps as aircraft carriers.

     

    FC


  3. "To fly west, my friend, is the one final check we all must take." - Author Unknown

     

    Always wanted to sit down with him for a beer and swap flying stories about the Deuce, F-5, and Beale AFB.

     

    I regret not ever getting the chance.  He was a rarity even in the flying world...a U-2 pilot.  He got to see the Earth from a viewpoint 99.99% of us never will.

     

    You have earned your rest, sir.

     

    FC

    • Like 1

  4. Min and MaxExtentPosition represent  the 'corners' of a box that encompass the part of the aircraft you are defining.  It primarily serves as a 'hitbox' with a secondary function of a radar size definition...the bigger the box, the bigger the radar signature of that part.

     

    CollisionPoints on the other hand definite a line or 'plane' of a part that is used to determine collisions with the ground or objects.  So vertical stab may only need two points to make a 'line', where as a wing might require several points to make a 'plane'.

     

    Neither one really have anything to do with the actual LOD shape, but there is a MAX addon that can make a list of Min/MaxExtents.  In addition, LODviewer now provides that same functionality.

     

    FC 

    • Like 1

  5. Interesting info.  I'd be curious to see how that translates into real world endurance figures.

     

    Unfortunately, ANY media is subject to degradation in the long run.  Tape, disks, optical, all media degrades.

     

    One thing we have been doing is for our pictures and certain documents, is printing out (in the case of pictures, having them professionally printed) on long term storage media (ie paper) and sealing them anyway in environmentally secure containers.  That kind of media can outlast current human lifespans, and requires no technology to access.

     

    In any case, for stuff you consider mission critical...backup, backup, backup.

     

    FC


  6. Here's a simple way to understand it:

    "If you cannot regulate yourselves, we will do it for you...and you won't like it."

    The ISPs, including mobile providers, have no one to blame but themselves.

     

    I am not a fan of large governments, but governmental intervention is not always a bad thing.  It can result in things like establishing standards and enabling protections.  Does anyone think auto makers would create cars that last as long, be as safe and efficient as they are now if the government had not passed and enforced standards that they needed to adhere to?  What about things like telephone and electric power regulation?  Far as I can tell, the world hasn't ended, but both have been Title II for a long time.

    There has been very little I have seen that says the government is going to start enacting some sort of draconian censorship measures or tax the snot out of the internet.  As the NSA revelations have shown, they didn't need NN regulations to get into everything already.

    And as an additional note, ISPs have already been caught doing the exact things NN advocates warned about.  People talk about Netflix as the prime example, but it goes beyond that.

    http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-looks-settle-ftc-lawsuit-over-premium-sms-charges/2014-10-22

     

    http://www.techvibes.com/blog/whats-in-a-text-message-the-real-cost-of-sms-and-just-how-badly-wireless-carriers-are-ripping-you-off-2011-07-05

     

    http://fortune.com/2014/04/22/why-the-feds-should-block-comcasts-merger-with-time-warner-cable/

     

    http://gizmodo.com/the-comcast-time-warner-cable-merger-may-not-happen-1682094691

     

    http://jirout.me/att-data-overage-fees/

     

    http://bgr.com/2015/02/26/verizon-fcc-net-neutrality/

     

    Somebody stop me...I've got more...

     

    Oh, and remember when AT&T said they weren't going to invest in more high speed because of the impending NN vote?  About that...

    http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/technology/article10441850.html

    Seems like there's still competition even under impending Title II regulation.  Bluff called.

     

    And don't get me started on the idea a few years ago of mobile ISPs charging for 'tethering'... an ability that cost them absolutely ZERO dollars but they charged for it anyway...it took the FCC to weigh in with a lawsuit to get Verizon (and by extension, other mobile ISPs) to stop doing that shit.

    http://lifehacker.com/5933152/the-right-to-tether-what-the-verizonfcc-settlement-means-to-you

    FC

     

    • Like 1

  7. ahh Meteor... then A-10 followed by the better Khan*

     

    I think I might be getting this slowly

     

    FC is this possibly anyhow related to that cool A-10 -styled what-if Meteor mockup with engines in the rear of fuselage I've seen floating around Facebook few days ago? That was a cool design for sure

     

    *go back to your caves 1960s cavefolks, it's XXI century Star Trek and acting we're refering to here :tongue:

    Why, yes, yes it could be...

     

    Prototype.jpg

     

    Now...ignore the slightly strange paint job. The mapping is changed and still needs to be fixed...I only spent a few hours on the model it so it's not complete yet.

     

    But, lets have some fun in the community and answer the following questions in a reasonable 'what if' way:

     

    1. When would this aircraft have come into existence?

    2. Why was it made?

    3. Who would have made it?

    4. What would be its official designation/name?

    5. And what would be its unofficial, but cooler, name?

     

    I am truly looking for original ideas here...so fire up those story telling neurons! And for reference, this is the original model that I saw that gave me the inspiration:

     

    10994172_780801855329466_8217868736080161536_n.jpg

     

    FC

    • Like 4

  8. Nice try. They're trying to say this is a power grab.

     

    I'm pretty sure the government would have been happy to have left this alone, if the ISPs hadn't been screwing around.

     

    "Regulate yourselves, or we will do it for you" is a phrase ISPs should have heeded...which brings us where we are today. The dissenting members of the FCC are worried because the momentum is there for it to pass. There are simply too many incidents of ISP f*****y to be ignored, too many incidents of ISPs actively screwing over their customers.

     

    FC

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