JediMaster

You can't make any launch from the Cape secret. The S5 was never used for anything but Apollo and Skylab. There were no alternate S5 launch sites, just the Cape.

The only possibility is saying a Skylab launch was actually 18, and that would be bizarre. It would have been long after 17, for one, and too many people are involved in a launch that none of them would've said anything for years about the fact that they didn't ready a small station but actually another lander.

So while it might be a fun thing to watch, expect nothing "realistic."

I thought the gap from H&D1 to H&D2 was long (anyone get the expansion for 2? Sabre Squad? great stuff), but H&D2 is now what, 6+ years old?

They made Mafia 2, which offers some hope, but I fear H&D3 might just be CoD:WaW2 from a different developer...

One problem with a Vietnam FPS is I don't think you could really do it better than VC1. Sure you could give it better graphics, but that's about it. The sound, atmosphere, story, and levels presented pretty much covered it all at the best level imaginable. Anything else would be, well, VC2 without bugs at best!

I mean, every other conflict pretty much had multiple terrain types and missions. Nam is jungle fighting, tunnel crawling, and what, hilltop defense?

You play the best WWII ones like Hidden and Dangerous or even the early MOH and CoD titles (pre consolizing) and there's just so much to cover between the 3 continents and island hopping.

There are no new ideas. It's all old ones dressed up in shiny trappings as if they're new. The only question is how well the old idea is dressed up and if it's worth seeing.

Indeed. Unfortunately, in the current world of 24hr news cycles, in just 6 months it will be more "history" than anything else.

Since it doesn't affect the economy, China, or who will win which upcoming election, it will just be another bullet point on "things that happened in 2011".

When I say "idea" I mean "got off their asses and built one." Talk is just talk, it means little.

As for why some seem so willing to start a fight with China, I think it has 2 aspects. One, it's the "America first" mentality taken to the extreme that we must STAY the biggest military force. They can accept China being physically larger with more people and land, but not that there's a country out there (other than Russia w/its nukes) that we can't say jump and get a "how high?" response. Two, it's the communist thing. If China was a big happy democracy like India, you'd see a lot less gnashing of teeth. After all, while India isn't an ally, it's also not a rival. We have some overlapping interests, some competing ones, but no one would ever imagine us fighting each other...perhaps it's the British colonial connection?

The idea that a communist country could ever surpass the US in economic and/or military strength after just a few decades is galling to them.

Hopefully, no one that feels that way will be in any position of real power or influence for the forseeable future.

No, but it does have a lot of missions and campaigns made by others out on the net you can grab and fly.

It does have a steep learning curve, mainly for just flying it. The avionics are less complicated than they look...I mean, you can really get in depth with them, but you can fight effectively with just a passing knowledge of it. All you need to know is how to use the TV Shkval for finding and locking up targets and how to use the gun and Vikhrs. It's really not that tough to fire weapons with. The hard part is the thing is a beast to fly, it requires a lot of finesse and practice to control it well, and when in combat you may find that you don't know it as well as you thought you did, and crash into terrain just trying to avoid enemy fire.

I spent $50 for it back in 2009, I don't think you should hesitate at $27.

I don't think the idea they'd attack us directly has ever been an issue. Rather they'd be involved with one of their neighbors we have close ties with that would draw us in. Remember, the USSR and the USA never attacked each other directly, but thru proxies fought for decades.

Besides, the US and China HAVE done that already in the past in both Korea and Vietnam. Fighting N Korea, in come the Chinese. Fighting N Vietnam, get too close to the border, in come the Chinese.

I forget his name, but there was a guy on SimHQ years ago that 1 MiG kill in Vietnam but it didn't "count" because it was a Chinese MiG that was technically over their side of the border (the old attack over the border, retreat back, shot down over own soil). It wasn't nearly the same thing as in Korea, but it did happen.

Taiwan is a sore spot.

The Spratly Islands are a sore spot.

The South China Sea is a sore spot.

An unmanned carrier is no threat. Likewise one manned by those with no experience, and no allies to give it (as I mentioned the Russians have barely done anything with theirs, and no other country using carriers is likely to give many pointers), is no threat.

If you think they can go from having one carrier that is just now getting seaworthy after 10 years in a dock to a fleet of carriers (I said fleet, which means at least 3-4) manned by experienced crew that would be seen as a threat in just 5 years, you're either irrationally scared to death of the Chinese or you underestimate just what it took the USN to make its carriers into something worthwhile. You can copy design plans, you can't copy soldiers.

Also keep in mind that at that small size, they'd need to have 3 carriers sailing to the same place to put out the same number of planes as just one of ours.

The Swiss AF is lucky, they get to fly over some of the most beautiful terrain in the world.

How long ago did the Kusnetsov enter service? Where is it now, and its sister ships? What presence does the Russian navy have on the world scene? The only 2 parts of the Soviet navy the US ever feared (aside from the missile-armed 22's) were the subs and the ASW units. When the USSR collapsed, those arms wilted with the rest of the military and have yet to recover to where they were. They got the idea about having a carrier late and it never paid off for them.

Having a carrier that sails isn't the same thing as being able to project power with it. The US had them, lots of them, for decades before they became viable tools.

The reason so few nations have them is they cost a lot for what they do, and you can usually accomplish a similar objective with just some guided missile subs with cruise missiles for a LOT less money, time, and expertise.

This is purely an image thing. I think the USN is far more concerned about Chinese subs and missiles than this.

I don't blame them, for being the largest country in the world with the (now) 2nd largest economy, their ability to operate away from their borders is effectively zero. It's a matter of pride, and I don't begrudge it to them. Besides, as Typhoid mentioned this will actually hinder their naval development more than help it. They've already spent 10 years and who knows what resources on it and it's still far from being usable.

Might the Chinese navy have a fleet of carriers sailing the world's oceans in 2050? Maybe. At that time, I'm sure they'll be seen as a serious force, but to sound any kind of alarm over this now, well...I say we keep watching the subs and missiles now because THOSE are the power of their navy.

Since these are the WHQL ones, my guess is the betas were so free of major issues they reissued them as WHQL with the incremental number change. I bet you'd have to look really hard to see a difference between the .19s and .26s.

No, sorry. Although parts of it can be used offline once it's setup, it has to be online for the initial setup. If you don't have any way of connecting at home, it won't complete.

A used Cougar? HOW used? Barely/lightly I'd say 125 was a great price. Moderate to heavy, not so much. It may work great today, but in 6 months it may have enough wear you'll dislike it.

I have a G940. It has its issues, but overall I like it well enough. The Warthog is just overpriced to me. $500 and you don't even get rudder pedals. I don't think any set is worth that, no matter how nice.

I think FAS has some info, too. Not sure how much.

PacFi came out when, 2006? Lots of water passed under the bridge since then.

"Based on true events" such as "there was a WWII" and "the USA is a country" and "P-51s existed."

I was just looking at that thread, and the talk about "premium DLC" has me thinking.

Maybe for people that don't want to buy a full expansion or game, he could put the planes out separately as DLC? For example, if you didn't want to buy Expansion 1 but still wanted the P-51, here it is for $12. Do it months after the expansion release, when you figure everyone who wanted it has it already, so as not to cannibalize sales of the expansion, plus you offer it as an incentive...buy the expansion now, get the plane now, or wait for the DLC much later at a lower price.

I think the terrains should stay tied to a full release, though, because obviously (given the fact that he's only got 4) they are the most resource-costly to do.

Did you patch? Did you get a DLC? Any of those will overwrite your options.ini AFAIK.

I also remember him from the Blue Thunder TV series with then-unknown Dana Carvey.

It's a blast and even funnier than SP.

Yeah, you have 3 .ini's to check. The options.ini, the ones for each terrain (which will have to be extracted for a stock terrain), and the _DATA for the plane itself. If all 3 aren't post-1982 you get stuck.

I know the Desert terrain isn't date-limited, but I'm pretty sure all the others are.

It's a bit of a catch-22. If TK says too little, people pounce on every little thing he says and draws (what can be highly erroneous) conclusions from that. Conversely, if he's more open about what his plans are and then he fails to make it on the timetable people were expecting (or at all), people will pounce for broken promises, etc.

It's apparent he's decided over the years of experience to stick with saying the bare minimum and merely correct highly inaccurate speculations, while leaving the lesser stuff alone.

Borderlands is an FPS/RPG, but the emphasis is on FPS as opposed to the new Fallout games which are RPGs with an FPS mechanic like Mass Effect I guess. The story is silly and the characters are vulgar (although usually not profane), but you level up and acquire weapons and things as well as perks/powers as you go around killing all matter of beasts and evildoers. The main thing is the game has 4 different characters and playing it coop is a blast, even if it's just 2. Also has wheeled vehicles which are quite fun.

It's not so great SP actually, it can feel a bit shallow despite how long it takes to go thru, but it shines in coop.

That's just it, that stuff is pricey.