FastCargo

I have to admit, JM's insight is another reason I am coming to like the idea of the SF series coming to an end on the PC. Once the code is stabilized, there will no longer be the constant treadmill of keeping mods current. FC

Hey, we're not happy until you're not happy... FC

Folks, knock off the comments about your feelings on the TW series of sims in this thread. It's getting old, and it is not important to this thread. Constructive ideas on what to do about the monitor please. Clear as mud? Press on and come up with some useful suggestions. FC

Not necessarily true at all. I've enjoyed the following games over the years: Half Life series Team Fortress 2 Portal series Mass Effect series Call of Duty series Company of Heroes series MS Flight Sim series I could go on. But I have not joined the forums of any of those games. Because they worked well enough for my needs as they were...even some of the most buggy releases I have seen. FC

Now, just to be clear, this doesn't mean our voices have become irrelevant. But it does mean our needs for the more hardcore stuff may simply take longer to get done...or may not get done at all because there won't ever be the money for it verses the money it could make. Prime example was the mission editor, the DLC/Exp2 addon that TK himself basically said didn't come close to being cost effective unlike his other DLCs. And remember, TW sims still specialize in doing aircraft that no one else does (with the exceptions of the common F-16/F-15/A-10 - with a little P-51 thrown in). For the more exacting among us, maybe the DCS series will be what we are looking for in the long run...if the modding scene takes off. FC

Folks, he makes these skins because they sell. Because they provide a good cost/benefit ratio (less time/money for revenue generated). Because Stary, you are not a causal user. You are not the audience those skins are for. Because missiles with enhanced hit percentages are not meant for hardcore simulation fanatics. I thought more folks would have picked up on the fact that TK has been doing DLCs like this now for several months. If they weren't selling, making money, he would have given up on them. He's still selling them, and pumping them out quickly. Skin DLCs are a great money maker. Once you have the templates, throwing out a skin takes very little time. Oh, and it doesn't alter the game engine with a patch, so it satisfies those who do have modded installs because it doesn't screw them up either (as far as I know). To an extent, we have become victims of TKs continued success in the TW sims. The audience has grown outside of the original hardcore simmers that picked up those sorry ass Wal-Mart editions so long ago. There are more causal users now. We here are no longer the big fish in a little pond...the pond is at least a lake. Don't believe me? Look at the other, non technically minded things TK has done with the sim. In game update notifications, web based installer, DLC skin packs, etc. Our voices are the same...but they are becoming less and less relevant to the overall business model. This is all conjecture on my part. But someone here make a compelling, logical argument that what I'm saying isn't probable. FC

Exactly what RAVEN said...some of the cockpits have external parts as part of the LOD. Look in the cockpit directory and you may actually see the bitmaps used. FC

The bang could be an artifact of the recording... the phone couldn't keep up with the rapid upramp of volume from the high speed, non-supersonic pass, and just recorded it as 'bang'. In addition, I've witnessed multiple times of B-1Bs setting off car alarms... just on takeoff because the vibration was so strong. However, most large panes of glass on modern buildings are designed to take a significant amount of differential pressure before they crack... I'm not sure a pass of less than 0.95 Mach would cause such an event. FC

It's feeling kind of Anderson Cooper in here... FC

Interesting Spinners! However, my comment would be the camo is a little too 'splintery'. I think all the individual coloured areas would be larger. My opinion only of course. FC

A sonic boom, especially a close one, is different then when a jet comes onto your location suddenly. The biggest thing you'll notice is a 'whump' sound/feel. Like someone dropped something HEAVY nearby, or you're standing next to your favorite loudspeaker putting out the bass...that 'thump' you feel in your chest with each beat of that speaker is what a sonic boom feels like. The other thing you'll notice on a real supersonic run...there will be NO aircraft sound before the aircraft is directly overhead. No air rush, no noise from the intakes, nothing. Based on what I see and hear...I'd say they were supersonic or at least transonic. FC

Now you guys are making me get all gushy...:). FC

I'd be curious myself. Just because something is proposed doesn't mean that: A) It works or B) It's ever practical. Aircraft design has always been a balance, with things like range, speed, handling qualities and plain old physics limiting what you can and can't put on an aircraft. FC

As cool as that was...it will be a lot less cool if they end up losing their wings for it. FC

I'm not sure why folks have an issue with this... It used to be that you'd take a hit, land back at your base, and get a 'you died' message... I was of the assumption that this was fixed with this patch. FC

Here is the stick you need: http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-ST90-Joystick/dp/B0000AW9RQ The Saitek ST90. Has a digital throttle plus 3 triggers. Also, the base folds up. The whole stick when folded can fit into a shoe. Accurate enough to do air refueling. I travel a lot and I found this stick so useful I bought 2 more. Occasionally you'll see them pop up at clearance sellers for pretty cheap. FC

Shapes are one thing...avionics and materials are quite another. It's not like the F-22 and F-35 are operated in secret...their layouts and general shapes have been known for a decade or more. I'm not impressed by a shape on a flatbed. FC

Unfortunately, it's about the same status...I was in the middle of the FM work (I was going to make the Arrow and F-108 share the same FM...adjusting for ultimate top end of course) when I was sidetracked by this and that. I just realized how far behind the current engine both models are...they still are using bmps and don't even have spec maps... FC

Considering the pure magnitude of the fires...it's amazing that is still the case. Let's hope it stays that way!! FC

It hasn't been lost (in fact I'm backing it up 'to the cloud' too)...just, along with my other projects, keeps getting pushed back. Though my wife is Canadian...hmmm...better keep an eye on her... Good to see some progress on the skin. This might motivate me to finish the thing! I was fully in the FM when I took a break from it. FC

"Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth." - JMS That is exactly what we are seeing here. None of us have any real idea as to what exactly happened, and exactly who ordered what and what were the motivations behind it. So, throttle it back and keep the political speculations to a minimum. FC

Y'all be careful out there... Just found this pic of what it looked like from my old college...I just can't imagine this: Apparently, the USAFA has been evacuated...which I believe is a first. FC

I'll raise the question... FC

Topics merged...so you might see some unusual responses in the thread. Carry on... FC

I can only tell you how the EA-6B handled from the point of view of a passenger. I found it surprisingly agile for a medium bomber, even with several ALQ-99s installed. Quick too. Ezlead is the man to talk to...he dodged SAMs over Vietnam back in the day in A-6s... FC