tn_prvteye

Well, I don't consider I'm "settling" for anything when I play the SF series. I have a great time flying them. And I fly for real, so you'd think that I'd be the hardest customer base to impress. If you really want hard-core FM, then go fly for real. I'm serious. After you've done the real thing for awhile, you realize that "Full-Real" Flight models are really a joke. There's absolutely nothing that a home PC can do to fully replicate flight. I don't care how much money you throw into a project or how talented the developers are. Can these sims be fun and entertaining? Sure. Do I prefer these FMs to as "realistic" as possible given the restraints? You bet. But I don't just sit on the sidelines and whine about every new sim that doesn't meet my expectations. With the SF series, it's so easy to mod, that even I have done FM mods for stock planes. Nothing big...just some tweaking to improve somethings I didn't like. The capability is there with TK's sims to make it as complex as you wish...it will just take some time and effort on your part to do it. And I also hate the fact that you can't walk into your local EB Games and have a plethora of sims to chose from. But I live with it and adapt. Could be worse, that's for sure.

Well, if you're waiting for an ultra-realistic and hyper-accurate WWI sim, you're going to be disappointed in life. It will never happen. EVER. But with the SF series, we've been given the tools to make it as close as we can given enough effort. You want that hyper-real sim? Make it yourself. And that's what the OFF team is doing...and I applaud then for it. But the SF engine is MUCH easier to work with than CFS3. I'm still gonna d/l Phase 2, and if I like it, I'll donate. I've played Phase 1 and liked it, but still thought it was missing "something". So I don't play it anymore. Like I've said before...room for both FE and OFF. But you will never get ultimate realism anywhere...unless save up some money (around 20K), and buy a full scale replica of a Nieuport 11 and get your PPL. And I hate to tell you this, but unless you're flying a full-scale motion simulator in the military, or an instrument simulator designed for instrument pilots...all flight-sims are GAMES. No one is really a WWI ace, we can't go back in time to 1917, and if you DID suddenly find yourself flying at 10K feet in an Albatross, you'd be dead in 60 seconds. They are games designed for entertainment. OK, rant off...damn too much booze tonight.

It just seems like sometimes, they WANT to find things wrong with a sim. I swear you could strap them in a real Sopwith Camel and they'd complain that the instrument panel is the wrong color. I really hope cooler heads prevail, and the excellent WWI modders (of which there are many) can work to make this the most expansive SF based sim yet. One of my first posts about FE was optimistic, but after a week of demands and complaints, I'm starting to lose the faith. And yes, it's a bit cowardly to rant on this forum. But I didn't want to make things worse at SimHQ, and I know the SF regulars here could relate. Again, I just needed to rant to some folks who I knew would understand. Whew...gotta take a nap...too much beer and turkey...

Actually, not the sim...the people already complaining about it. I'm an avid WWI freak. I love WWI aviation. I build scale models, read books, and fly what few sims there are available for it. And I'm very excited about First Eagles. I'm fully aware of it's limitations and it's "lite" sim status. I've been playing Strike Fighters since 2002. I'm very familiar with the engine. But I'm still looking forward to First Eagles. What is really starting to get on my nerves is the attitude of some of my WWI brethren. To be blunt, they are freakin' snobs. Sure, I'd love for FE to be the most realistic and authentic WWI sim ever, but it won't be. But it will be fun. But there are people already complaining about the screenshots saying that so-and-so NEVER flew with this or that squadron...and that this is an arcade (baby) sim. And they wonder why so few WWI sims are made. The WWI fan community can be some of the brightest, best, and friendliest bunch around. Or they can be the most uppity, wholier-than-thou, rivet-counting (fabric-counting?), anal-retentive, curmudgeons. And yes, I'm aware that we all want that "perfect" Great War sim. But it's NEVER going to happen. OFF has its limits...RB3D has its limits. FE will and the next WWI sim will, too. Get over it, relax, and have a good time. Sorry...had to rant there.