Gunrunner

Doesn't quite compute outside of SF2 unless one is willing to consider that in the DCS series a flyable plane is worth $22.5, interesting exercise but not necessarily a useful metric. It serves however to put the price of full planes DLC into perspective.

What do you call a "personal attack", disagreeing on something and motivating that disagreement with facts and rational arguments ? Grow up will you ! Of course it is personal, the man is spewing lies, either deliberate or through sheer ignorance or mental issues; doing so he is implicitly and at times explicitly insulting people not sharing his opinion as well as propagating ideas entirely removed from facts. Even if he does so based on ideals I share, it doesn't mean he should not be ridiculed for it. You can't dissociate the speech from the speaker. What exactly is out of context, enlighten me... are yesterday's posts that old, especially when it IS the subject of this thread ? Just because I'm forced to recognize the member in question has not made a valid point doesn't mean he's right... Calling the individual in question a "son of a whore", now that would be an unsubstantiated claim, an insult and entirely irrelevant to the topic at hand, it would be indeed stupid and gratuitous and make me a complete asshole. Calling him an idiot or a troll because it is easily demonstrated (as I did for most of his point, until he decided to claim I was misinterpreting his questions and objections, because you know, he is necessarily right, so if you disagree and object, it's obviously because you are too stupid to understand him) that he bases his vitriol on very poor research, faulty logic, self-centered bias, self-aggrandizing and immunity to facts is actually a very tame way of describing what he is... The logic he showed so far would be right at home with the "but Evolution is only a theory you know" crowd.

I think it's older than that in the SF community and originated on TW boards when TK used to give us "two weeks" as an answer frequently (I think it was about the release of WoE, but I may be wrong on that one)... Add a little Total Recall geekery and the adoption of the answer by many modders and there you have it.

The reason is not the difference of opinion, but the fact that 1) it was going nowhere and 2) that the OP wasn't here for an exchange of opinion but to deliver his absolute truth and belittle those not sharing it... and when someone like myself intervenes, it's a recipe for trouble and a mod decided to close it down before things became hairy and someone not ready for it made a complete fool of himself; That was the right decision. I'll reiterate, my problem is not with "I don't like digital distribution services (from now on DDS)" but "I blame DDS for all the wrong things, most of which are simply lies and imaginary, and just can't admit I was wrong". It never was about DDS, it was all about said member self-aggrandizing and showing contempt to people disagreeing with him, he did not want to listen to reason, he just wanted to show what a brilliant individual and rebellious mind he was, far too good to use DDS, in opposition to the masses of blind idiots disagreeing with him. He bragged about his ridiculous hardware setup (come on, 4 low capacity SSDs in a RAID 0 ? 8Go of high latency OCed RAM ? what is he, 12 ?**), about the perspective supposedly given by his age, when that didn't work he switched to bragging about the "great" people he supposedly knew, when that didn't work he tried evasively to brag about his own accomplishments (without any solid information in case we could verify them or use them against him later when he'll claim something else). There is also a cultural difference with what you call "name-calling", but I guess that's to be expected when painting millions of people with a wide brush as complete morons but not saying so directly is OK, but telling one individual making no reasonable arguments or using obvious lies that he is behaving like a complete idiot is out of the question... ** Let me explain that one, said member pretended being a hardware enthusiast and expert, having come to his current configuration through a lot of thought, research and testing. With the kind of SSD he uses, the life-expectancy is inversely proportional to the capacity of the drive, so he deliberately chose the drive with the lowest life-expectancy. With the kind of SSD he uses, the price-per-capacity sweet-spot is, depending on when and where he bought them, in the 60 to 240Go range, meaning that he is relatively paying more for less by going with the lowest capacity. With the kind of SSD he uses, the drives performance of the lowest capacity drives are inferior to the other drives in the family. Due to the SATA controller he is using and Windows 7 way of dealing with SSD, the read/write performance boost of RAID 0 SSD is denied by performance hits under certain kind of load, meaning that with his setup, he's getting less performance when most needed (One should note however that his choice of another SSD based solution for hosting his games was very good as it is suffering far less from such drawback). To my knowledge, the particular controller for his system RAID array still doesn't allow the use of TRIM, meaning degrading performances over time as files are modified/deleted, which is a common occurrence on a system drive. In short, had he gone for a RAID 0 array of 3x 60Go drives, he would have had equal or better performances, for 50% more capacity, a longer life expectancy for only a handful of dollars more. Or he could have gone with a 120Go to 240Go single drive, at the cost of reduced theoretical peak performance and average performance but equal or greater capacity, better practical peak performance, better life expectancy, better performance over time, and far less money (as the dedicated controller would not be needed). Of course that last solution sounds far less bad-ass and would yield only around 7.2-7.5 WEI and that would be unacceptable (remember, the global WEI is the lowest subsystem WEI). Now, to the RAM... There are HUGE price differences when it comes to the frequency supported and the OC supported. He decided to go with a modest amount of high-speed RAM and OC it. Trouble is, frequency is not the only parameter affecting RAM performance in a system. Memory also has timings, let's make it simple by saying that frequency determines how often RAM talks/transmits to the rest of the system and timings determines how long it takes between receiving an order and executing it. Usually, the higher the frequency, the higher the timings. Some platforms and workload benefit from timings more than from frequency, others are the exact reverse and many are more sensitive to the capacity, regardless of memory performance. On current Intel gaming platforms... timings are the most crucial element, with frequency having far less impact unless you go really high, and even then, you are better served by going for low-frequency, low-timing memory as 1) it's more stable 2) it requires less current and thus 3) it heats up significantly less 4) It's cheaper allowing you to field more capacity. Once again, a bad decision due to the fact that he wanted something "top-of-the-line", he would have been better served by 16Go of low-latency, low frequency RAM, twice the capacity for up to half the price, however that wouldn't have allowed him to overclock his CPU (but who still cares about that ?). Likewise, such a real-life performance based RAM configuration would yield a lower WEI... One must assume that the careful thinking went more into optimizing theoretical benchmark bragging rights rather than adapting the hardware to the intended use and getting the most coherent configuration for the most stability, heat dissipation and money spent.

And what if Ed Roberts was a family friend, how does that make YOU in any way competent or knowledgeable ? Does one man's accomplishment by some magic rubs off on people he happens to know ? What sort of logic and appeal to authority is that ? Should I take credit for the accomplishments of friends, relatives, professors, colleagues as well or does that rule only apply to you ? As for your claim of being a hardware enthusiast just because you think that throwing money and childish tricks will make you a "power user", let's not get into that, I don't want to grow contemptuous, clearly we don't belong nearly in the same computing culture, in my world, computers are above all work tools, not the latest way to compare penises, stability and adequation to the workload are more important than theoretical peak-performance. But just one thing... since when assembling a modern computer is "building your own hardware" ? I'm giving you facts, I'm countering your arguments one by one and still you refuse to admit that you are mistaken in both your target and analysis and keep on piling up more strawmen, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, I think I might allow myself to call it a duck.

A field on a misty morning ?

Tamper, automatic updates are on by default but can be disabled on a per game basis, just because you don't know how to use a tool doesn't mean it doesn't work. Yes, by default it launch at start-up... by default, nothing is stopping you from changing that as I and countless other Steam users do, once again, if you don't know how to use a tool, don't blame it on the tool. And who's forcing you to use Steam, is anyone putting a gun to your head ? You want the liberty of using your computer as you see fit, do so, don't come ranting because some new game requires a DRM, or to update your graphic card driver, or whatever conspiracy you're seeing... As for the generational contempt, I don't give a fig about your discussion with other people on other boards, in the present case YOU were the once trying to use your age and my supposed own as a reason to explain away our differing opinion on the matter at hand. Seriously, you have absolutely no clue on the topic, on the history of personal computing and try to gain some legitimacy by using your "old age" as an argument ? You are ranting about people going after bells and whistle software, but you are the kind of people running an OCed rig and a RAID 0 array of SSD, proudly displaying his WEI and you talk about unnecessary encumbrances... Can't you be more ridiculous ? You, sir, are a poser and a vile troll.

Tamper... Look, it's one thing to make a personal choice not to use something, it's another entirely to try and justify your not doing so by inventing counter-factual arguments, no-one's going to blame you for not liking it, but by giving idiotic reasons, you will be seen as a complete idiot, which I assume you are not. My beef with you is not that you don't want to use Steam or whatever, it's that you are claiming to do so based on entirely irrational arguments. As a matter of fact I did dislike Steam too... a bit of research later, I end up defending them... What's the point of possessing the media, just for the sake of it ? And once again, with Steam I just save and burn it if I want... sure I would need the Steam software just to restore it, but with physical media it's the same thing, if I didn't play my card rights, a few years down the right I might not have the right media reader or the OS might not read the installer. There's no functional difference here, you'll always have to jump through hoops for what becomes legacy software. Trading liberties... Tell me, what liberty is digital distribution taking away from you exactly ? I don't get it... Marketing... Seriously, you know that Steam was started by a game developer/publisher, they don't use invasive ads like Impulse did (and does), they don't sell marketing data, they only deal in statistical data. Steam was built first and foremost to help Valve push their own games online without the cost of physical distribution and having to negotiate with retail channels, that's where the value proposition is, this is not Facebook. I never lost a game, yada, yada... good for you, but people move, physical supports degrade and many people have lost games to these events, sure, had they been more cautious it wouldn't have happened, so what ? You mean that the only point of view and valid experience to appreciate the value of anything is Tamper's ? Are you an egomaniac ? If you don't find the answer to your questions, then maybe you should ask your questions more clearly and not hide them among so much drivel. Let's assume for a moment your question are you emphasized quotes (even though they technically are rhetorical questions) : - Would Steam exist without advertisers putting money into it ? Yes, as would Impulse, Origin etc... for the simple reason that advertising/marketing doesn't finance these services. Steam is backed by a game developer/publisher, Valve, it makes money off the cut it takes from sales. Impulse was backed by a game developer/publisher, Stardock, before being bought by a game retail chain, GameStop, once again, money is made off sales, not advertising. Origin is backed by a game publisher, Electronic Arts, once again, money is made from sales, not advertising. Publishers subscribe to these distribution channels because they offer convenience (easier, cheaper distribution; easier, cheaper patch distribution), better additional revenues (by making the sale of extension and DLC a simple procedure). Consumers subscribe to these services because they offer better prices, the same convenience when it comes to installing, patching and extending; and more importantly... no functional difference with the physical variant as the downsides you decry are NOT a function of the distribution channel, but of the game or their DRM themselves. Now, is that at last clear for you ? That argument would be far more at home in a rant about Facebook (don't get me started on that steaming pile, or maybe you should, you'd see we agree and that my current disagreement is mostly on your chosen target, not your values in themselves). - Would digital distribution exist if there was nothing to sell you ? Would a bakery with no bread to sell last long ? Of course if a game retailer had no games to sell, it would not exist, having no reason to exist in the first place... what's supposed to be your goddam point here ? - How did we manage to be just fine all these years without digital distribution ? Guess what, gaming has changed, publishers have becoming paranoid about piracy, they have become dissatisfied of fattening retail channels not respecting their end of bargains. Developers enjoy the ability to patch quickly, often and to do so reliably and consistently, they also learnt to love the ability to have large games without having to think in terms of production constraints (ie. not having to cut content because it would mean one more optical disc in the box). Gamers enjoy not having to constantly switch media, not having to search for the latest patch, having patches disappear with the publisher, being able to quickly install/uninstall games without having to shuffle through kilos of 500-CD cases (guess what, I own over 2000 optical discs of games, including archived floppies and so on... I absolutely don't miss having to rely on those). Another game changer was the rise of online gaming, which is, at least at my scale, a pretty recent development... and that requires different infrastructures, measures to fend off cheating if you plan on having competitive gaming and it's cheaper to rely on specialized platform than having to develop a system for every game. In short, this is a Luddite argument... How did we manage to eat just fine all these years before some smartass invented fire ? How did we manage to live just fine all these years without electricity ? The list of such dumb questions is endless... And keep the generational contempt to yourself will you, you obviously have little clue on how old I am or how far back my computing practice dates... And you really should know that age doesn't make you wiser, it only makes you older; there's no age to be a clueless idiot... or to use your brain.

What, did Steam run over your puppy ? This, kids, is why you should stay off drugs (or on them if prescribed by a doctor). Kidding aside, let's make it quick... Loss of ownership : Guess what, buster, even in the time of floppies and reams of paper with BASIC code printed on them, you never had such thing, only a licence to it. Targeted advertising : Where, how, when ? Online tracking : Steam tracks nothing beyond hardware configuration and gaming stats, I care about that as much as I care for the fact my pharmacist knows about my health, my librarian about my reading habits and topics of interests etc... IF Steam did track something not related to the function it serves, then I would share your outrage, however in this matter it's completely irrational as it ignores the real world precedents, or do you really think that knowing your hardware (any website can acquire that without your knowledge) or knowing what you play and when you play it has any value beyond the statistical ? Steam deciding what you can run : Errr, nope, it even accepts to sell me games they know I CAN'T play on my hardware, the only restrictions are those put by publishers restricting digital sales in some territories, but if you are allowed to buy it, you can run it. Steam deciding how you can run it : Once again, nope, you can mod it to your heart content, update with a non-Steam installer, use no-cd hacks... unless disallowed by the game's DRM itself, it will work, Steam doesn't prevent you to do so, once again, it's the publisher's fault if you can't. Steam deciding when you can run it : Nope, usually when Steam servers are out, you can still run your games, unless the publisher decided not to let you, likewise, if the publisher decided to add DRM so that you can't play with an internet connection, this has nothing to do with Steam. Steam deciding on which computer you can run it : Once again, partially wrong, you can only run your games on one registered computer at a time, however you can easily register more computers. More restrictions DO exist, on a per-game basis, depending on the game's specific DRM scheme, once again, it's due to the publisher's policy and not Steam. Also, Steam restrictions are somewhat reasonable as the licence for most games is for personal use on ONE computer at a time, however they do impose unnecessary restrictions on software not having such limited licencing terms, however that is bound to change in a few month with Steam going into software beyond games. Making the most money : You know what, Steam constant offers makes it so that I spend less money on more games than before Steam... I spend LESS on things I would have bought full price anyway AND that allows me to spend money on indie games and STILL, I'm spending less than by buying through traditional channels... yeah, those damn greedy corporations after my money, how dare they make me spend less money and help finance independent game developers (as a matter of record, I usually buy indie games both through Steam, as a matter of convenience, and directly from the developer where available) ! Your concerns are valid and I don't like the way first-to-second-tier gaming is going either, but mistaking the source of the problem and laying the blame on one of the best player, one pushing indie developers hard (even though they'd be happier with less sales or a larger cut), one constantly pushing for more user-friendly DRMs and equalizing force in the field (well, Impulse was interesting until bought by GameStop) is utterly stupid. The enemy is EA/Ubisoft, not Steam. And don't start on it being a generation thing, it's about being rational and clearly identifying the source of the problem.

What I don't get is how CarlosTex is not banned from TW's board, he's bloody obnoxious.

That one's already been shown here years ago... and learn to use a search engine ;-) (hint: open Google, choose the specific images search engine then drag and drop your image in the search box... and voila, instant response)

I've found and reproduced interesting bugs, but can't remember if they're old or new. 1) Once upon a time, when reaching Mach 1 some noises disappeared, not anymore (however that might be because TK got annoyed by it being reported as a bug). 2) If you visually or radar target an aircraft, while having an IR missile active but not locked, go into map view, then into the cockpit, for a short time the IR missile will use a lock growl, HUD or lights will show it locked, even though it is not, then it's back to normal search (I tried firing while reported as locked, it's not working, so it's purely a cockpit status bug). 3) In single missions Limited Nations and aircrafts User Lists seem to be ignored, leading to having Soviet Hunters appearing over North Vietnam (I'll have to verify that with a fresh install in case one of my modifications is doing that though but I don't see how). Can anyone confirm any of these ?

Well, there's no correct phrasing as neither the Foch nor Clemenceau wore those warnings to my knowledge. However if you insist on having them I may try to have a better translation, your advert idea is a nice one, in the mid 80's Citroen had a Visa GTi catapulted from the Clemenceau for an ad. Citroën Visa GTi

Does it come with a Dave action figure with the Collector's Edition ?

So basically we now have 5 factions beyond TW's forums... - CombatAce/Mirage Factory and allies - SimHQ - YAP - Capun/DAT - InSky A few people navigate between some of these but otherwise due to disagreements on the definitions of fairness, respect for intellectual property, quality control or tolerance to criticism, there's little communication.

Weird... another hypothesis, in some countries, you can't use a card for store/internet purchases if you haven't "activated" it by using it in an ATM first, maybe you have a similar arbitrary rule you weren't aware of.

Just a wild guess, have you used your credit card on other international sites, sometimes banks have international payments as an option, and if it's not activated on your card, the payment processor used by Amazon will reject the transaction as it originates from a foreign country. Your bank might be the one with the answer.

Nice piece of work, however I noticed you have "inverted" faces on the rudders (they face inward rather than outward), should be quick to fix when you feel like it.

It's because you made a basic mistake... [Decal010] MeshName=RightVstabilizer DecalLevel=2 DecalFacing=LEFT FilenameFormat=SovNums\BLUE-MODERN\SovietNumBlu_ Position=8.077,-0.50 <= here, you kept the position for the nose part... try using something like -7.023,1.448 Scale=0.5 DecalMaxLOD=4

Reminds me of a joke... A time traveler walks into a bar... "Bartender, a round of beer for everyone, I'm paying ! I'm back from 1932 Germany when I killed Staubmann" "Staubmann, who's that bloke ?" "Oh ! Of course, my sweet, innocent friend, you can't know, thanks to me there has been no World War II, no million of Jews killed, no atomic bomb, you've known peace, all because I killed Staubmann..." "Oh, we've had that alright and you meant Hitler didn't you ?" "Hitler ? Another one ! It's the eighth time that happened, how many more Germans will I have to kill ?"

We'd also need the graphic settings you're using with the game. Also, while playing, press Alt+D, it should display your FPS (current, average, max and delta) it would help understanding what you qualify as "slow" (some people consider 20FPS as a slide show, others as playable). Given your configuration I'd say graphics are the weak link and you should reduce advanced effects and quality here and there to make it playable.

The F-14 has a shadow problem with its landing gear (all stock, fully merged). It's the first time I've seen this in a stock model.

It only improves load times with SF2, however, on heavily modded, full details games, in addition to enough RAM (both system and GPU), it's a good way to drastically reduce them. A warning though, most SSD's achille's heel is dealing with a large number of very small files, offering good performances at first, then quickly slowing down or even regularly freezing, and guess what... a heavily modded SF2 install consist of thousands of small to very small files, so you have to be careful when chosing your SSD.

Come on, the scumbag is finally dead, let him rot in peace and forget about him, with a little chance he wouldn't have done too much damage to an idea he is credited to have popularized.

Let's face it, sinusitis and work caught up with me so the pace had been glacial until now and still will be slow once I get better, I'll try to update the pack more often than planned, as skins are finished, in no particular order. Well, that and fiddling with Super Mystère and Sabre Dog skins and decals.