pcpilot

So the Virginia is a different class of boat altogether from the Seawolf class? Ya, those pricetags are enough to win the war...for the enemy...

THAT is freaky stuff! Wonder how often they have to charge the batteries? Personally, I always wanted my left arm to morph into a 37mm cannon... B) :D

I think your right scout, the nationalist chinese do have a smart military. We operated with their navy on several occasions and they knew what they were doing. With the possible exception of Israel, I dont think an old FRAM destroyer was ever so ably manned. Here's an interesting link... ROC vs PRC. Another link... Republic of China Navy. Im curious about your comments Nick. Im not sure I understand where your coming from or how your comments relate to the topic of Taiwanese defence and the likelihood of war with PRC. Do you think the Republic of China is a dictatorship? Its officers are voted in to my knowledge since the death of Chiang Ki Chek. America has helped to guarantee Taiwan's safety since the Nationalist army's retreat to formosa back in 1949. But we have hardly installed its goverment. Just unsure...

Actually, I am scum... :( These very same aircraft were at the Ramona airport last month. I have digital pics and didnt post them. I am, even as I speak, whipping myself with the flat end of my flip-flop. These are great pics PG. You got most of what I got. I too was able for the firsttime ever, to walk, or should I say crouch, thru a B24. VERY cool... B) I stopped at the waist gunner position and swung the gun a few times, then noticed the pilot looking at me. Decided to leave his guns alone... Then, despite the cockpit being roped off, I fanagled permission to go in and get a few shots of the cockpit, nose-gunner/bombadier position, and the top-gunner turret. Unfortunately had to leave before I got to go inside the B17. Got some great outside shots though. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics PG. Its always neat to see old warbirds like these and to let your imagination go back 60 years to a different world... ;)

Very interesting article I found at Techcentral. It goes hand in hand with an article I read recently about the Chinese making a "reunifacation" law that would be a "legal" justifacation for attack. This all reminds me of the buildup to attack in Europe by Germany prior to WW2. I have to question American resolve to defend Taiwan right now too. During the coldwar, Taiwan would have been defended simply because it was anti-communist. Now we are stretched thin with Iraq, Afganistan, Bosnia, etc. thanks to Clinton. The Chinese have to see this as thier best opportunity to bring the island back under thier control. The economic rewards are greater than even Hong Kong, which provides further incentive to them. Their navy obviously still isnt a match for ours, in either numbers or technology. But they can focus their power in a small area of ocean, and all they have to do is get a large army across the straight quickly and half the battle is won, even if they are cut off from further resupply/reinforcement. What's America going to do then, another blokade like Cuba? Try to starve the Chinese out? That wont work cause you'll starve the indigeneus population too. As far as their technology goes, just because its behind the curve doesnt mean it aint still deadly. Ask a sailor on a boat which has just been hit with a silkworm what he thinks about their technology lag. I personally beleive we have a responsibility to defend Taiwan. Its a matter of principle if nothing else. We cant allow dictators of the communist Chinese stripe to subjugate the people of Taiwan. If the island wants to reunite peacefully thats different, thats their choice. If they are willing to consider it, the US should broker the talks and see that Taiwan isnt taken to the cleaners and her people's freedom is secured properly, unlike HongKong's. But if we do go to war with China over this issue, it will have to be for the long haul, something Americans dont seem to have the grit for these days.

Isnt this the new Seawolf class of boat? What does PCU stand for? Obviously something to do with an un-commissioned ship. With the Ticonderoga being decommed, its good to see something coming in to replace it. Read the description of some of its capabilities, pretty interesting. Sort of a multi-tasking vessal thats just the ticket for present day military applications. I've been hearing news latley though that the US sub fleet is having serious readiness problems. The story for the Virginia can be found HERE! 1st pic 2nd pic 3rd pic

I remember how impressed we were with this ships' capabilities when she came out. She's still one of the most sophisticated boats in the water. She seems awful young to be decomming her... :( Story can be found at the Navy Newsstand.

Geeze creepy, I about spit my beer all over my monitor! Hey, you wouldnt happen to be the same gyrene creepy that belongs to the Military Gamers Group would ya? Chief, that dweeb that came over to your house has probably always been one, ya savvy? ;) By the way firehawk, you have my deepest sympathy man... :D

I gotta agree, DEFINATELY a bummer. I was looking forward to this title. But I was wondering just a short while ago why we hadnt heard anything lately, then BOOM! this news... :(

GADZOOKS MAN! Sounds very interesting, Im on my way!!! :D

Unable...to speak...jaw...frozen...screens way too...awesooooome...... Look here...Subsim SH3 July screenies Mustnt slobber...

I dont know man...feeding those prisoners baloney sandwiches...now THATS inhumane. Of course, if you REALLY wanted to make an impression on them, feed them MRE's... :D

Kinda gives ya the willies thinking something this big is cruising past ya just below the surface. Neat shot though. Even on a surface ship, DD-971, Ive spotted subs' hull forms underwater in the clear pacific. We used to operate occasionally with US and allied subs, usually chasing them. I used to think if I could see them, it oughts be pretty easy for a plane to spot one once he was in the area. Even a hundred feet down might not be enough if the water is clear enough. Any comments from our webfoot submariners? You guys probably know what it was like, eh? HMAS RANKIN PS. Also a cool link at bottom of photo for the RIMPAC2004 exercises...check it out. GO NAVY! ;)

*Sailor walks into room, sees sheep in camo, and first thought that pops into his head is...* "Hmmm, some soldiers' been a mite lonesome..." *sailor hauls butt out of room...laughing...*

Thanks chain, think Ill check 'em out.

God rest his soul. My prayers are for Gods' peace in the hearts of his family during this loss. I might add it was thoughtful of you CT, to ask for Gods' help.

AAAHHHH, ya dadblamed whippersnapper! :D Hmmmm, come to think of it, old farts usedta yell that at me.... ;) Oh well, as they said on the movie city slickers...YEEEHAAAAWWWWW! "Thats a GOOD yeehaw son!"

A friend took some photos of me at a party and I thought you'd get a grin seein what your freindly neighborhood moderating smartass looks like... :D This is a reprise of a shot taken of me 20 years ago on the same spot on the porch of a 150 year old ranch house on the Barnett ranch near Ramona. This is my best freinds familys' place. Me and dan have been best freinds nearly 20 years; thats two decades...a long time...he still hasnt gotten any prettier... ;) Sweetie is always mooching, and Im always teasing her...waggin' the dog... Im not sure, but this may have been right after I released a resonating, echoing, burst of flatulance that caught everyones attention...racketyjack strikes again... One thing Ive learned in life...ok, two things... 1st, learn to laugh. A good place to start is taking a close look at yourself; inevitably you'll find something to grin about. 2nd, want fast relief? fart... :D

Thanks for the replies guys. Still doing research though. Not sure what I want to do. I may still just go with a high quality joystick and call it bueno. The cougar is the one I was thinking of, but I aint gonna buy into a top dollar heartache. I need to check out their forums when I get the chance. The CH is nice but man, they sure want a LOT for the plastic peddals. That noise Ive been hearing is my wallet whining from the strain...

This game isnt actually a sim. Its more of an operational wargame. However, since it covers the Pacific war, the navies of both sides are a major factor in combat, hence, I felt it newsworthy to include a forum topic covering it's release. This game has been under devolpment by 2by3 games and Matrix games for quite sometime. If you have played Uncommon Valor by the same people, which covers the NewGuine/Solomon Islands area of operations, then you have an idea what this game is mostly about. However, on reading the game description, it is apparent there are a number of changes, improvements, etc., not the least of which is the AWESOME size of the area of conflict. Not just a local area like the Solomons, no sir. The whole Pacific! You heard right, the whole FREAKING BANANA! :D Anyway, enough blabbering. Here is an excerpt from the Matrix website describing the game... “ War in the Pacific: The Struggle Against Japan 1941-1945™ ” is a completely new strategy game, based on the award winning “Uncommon Valor” game engine. The scale is 60 miles per hex and losses are individual vehicles, aircraft, guns and squads. Since half the planet Earth is covered by the titanic Pacific struggle, the game is massive in scope, covering thousands of ships tens of thousands of aircraft. Virtually every ship, air group and battalion sized or larger troop formation is covered in exacting detail. Massive, yet simple to play, as the computer tracks all the factors and the interface allows the player to concern himself with only the degree of detail he prefers. Phases are one day, composed of two 12-hour impulses. A turn is composed of 1 to 7 phases, at the player’s discretion. He may also choose continuous play and may interrupt that by pressing a key. War in the Pacific has detail never before achieved in a game of this scale before. Key Features: WitP covers the entire Pacific Theater of WWII from Dec 7th 1941 until June 30th 1946. Huge game map - 148 X 148 hexes with each hex representing 60 nautical miles. The armed forces of every major nation are represented. The Japanese control their production. Oil and Resources added to the game for production. Complete player control of aircraft upgrades. Course and Speed – Course and speed is now provided with spotting reports. Divide Units – land and air units can be divided into sub units and recombined as needed. Table of Equipment - An option has been added that allows the player to view the TOE for the selected ground combat unit. Coastal Defense Units will now protect friendly mine fields. Air Dropped Mines - Starting in 1943 the Allied player may mine ports by using air dropped mines. Air Dropped Supplies – Supplies may be air dropped onto any friendly hex. Air Transport Pick Up Option – You can now fly from one base, pick up troops at another base and return them to the first base. Target Selection – It is possible to select a target that is out of range so that you can set up a carrier strike the turn before. Atomic Bombs – When available an atomic attack can be made on any city with industrial center. New City Attack Option – The player can select a city to attack and the industry within that city to be targeted. New Fire Bombing Mission - City attacks on Manpower have a chance of creating high fire levels that will cause damage to any and all industry within the city and has the possibility of creating a firestorm. Kamikazes – After January 1944, if the Allies get too close to Japan, the Japanese player can form Kamikaze squadrons to smash into enemy ships and drive them away from the homeland. New ASW Taskforce – Use the ASW Combat task force to locate and attack enemy submarines before they are able to fire their torpedoes. New Escort Taskforce – Use the Escort task force to escort your damaged vessels back to a safe port. Manchukuo Garrison Requirement - The Japanese player must keep a certain number of assault points in the Manchukuo area or the Soviet Union may be activated. Political Points - Each day, each player accumulates political points which can be used to reassign assets to the various headquarters or to change leaders. Preparation Points – Ground units can prepare to attack a given location by setting its future objective and accumulating preparation point prior to making the attack. Ship Repair- Now you have a choice of where to send damaged ships for repair. Each side has a number of different ports to choose from and each port is rated for its own repair capabilities. Special Ships - A submarine, PT or DD tender may help two ships per turn repair (they give a bonus equal to increasing the port size by 2). A repair ship may help four ships per turn repair. Training of LCUs – Land combat units can now be trained, until they reach 75% experience. New Set Speed Order – Take full control of your task force and pick the speed setting you want. New Reaction Range Order – Rein in your aggressive commanders by setting the maximum range they are allowed to react.. New Unload/Don’t Unload Order – You decide if the taskforce will unload upon arriving at its destination. Now you can send that taskforce into a port to refuel without it unloading its cargo. New Do not Refuel Order – Tired of having merchant ships suck up all the available fuel? Now you can set them to Do Not Refuel and save that fuel for you war ships. New Auto-Disband Order – With this set to on the taskforce will automatically disband when it reaches its destination saving. This is a great option when sending ships into port for repairs. New Max Range Settings for Air Groups – Worried about that invasion taskforce just off the coast? Set the max range for your air groups to 1 an ensure they defend their home island. New amphibious assault rules that make use of specialized ships and landing craft. Filters have been added to most information windows, which allow the players to easily find the information they are looking for. Engineers and Demolition - There is now an added demolition routine that looks at the number of engineers at a base when it is captured and gives them a chance to damage factories, airfields and ports before the capture. British Ship Withdrawal - Withdrawals of British Ships (Human player only and only in full map scenarios) – On the first of each month the computer will calculate which, if any, ships must be withdrawn by the human player by the end of the month. Chinese Partisans - All Chinese Nationality bases that are controlled by the Japanese are subject to damage by partisans, if not adequately garrisoned. Matrix WITP website is HERE! Take a moment and look at the screens, very nice! Only thing that caused me discomfort was the astronomical price of $69.99! Someone thinks mighty highly of their coding work. And work it is to be sure, but Uncommon Valor took something like 6 or 7 patches to finally settle down to a relatively bug-free game. I think I'll wait on my purchase and read some reviews and keep an eye on the Matrix WITP FORUMS before I even THINK about shelling out that kind of dough.

Wasnt there a stick modeled after the F-16 controls that cost a small fortune but was built to last? Suggestions needed, thanks.

Dont dink around! Get on over to Koger's RJW website and take a close look at this new game whose mast is just now visible on the horizon.. The get back here and tell me what you think...BOATSWAINS MATE! Sound General Quarters! How do you say that in Japanese? :D

Found an interesting story about the wreck of the U-701 off Hattaras in 1942 and the efforts of various locals, diving and govermental groups to preserve the wreck for posterity. I've always personally felt it was appropriate to protect these sites, not only for the historical significance and the diving experiance, but also out of respect to those who may very well be entombed there. When you consider the ordels they must have faced in their final moments, to loot a wreack for artifacts just isnt right. Im pleased to see that a strong effort is being made to move forward with making this wreck at least, preserve. The article can be found HERE!

Im leaning more and more to getting a TIR. Your review helps a lot in letting me know what to expect. I was wondering also what the differences were between the different TIR's and you gave me a very good clue. Thanks. Im curious in hearing from TIR users just were they wear the reflective dot. Seems silly to put it on my forehead and I dont use a mic but very seldom. Any other good ideas out there?

You have GOT to see this trailor...verrrrrry nice! All ingame shots. The terrain looks like only Akella can do, absolutely awesome. The ship and aircraft models look outstanding, and the water...why it actually had WHITECAPS! The game apparently is going to focus on the Russian PT boats at first. But if they dont add US PT boats, Im gonna commit harikari right on Akella's doorstep... :ph34r: This is lookin good, Im gonna be watchin this one... ;)