SDirickson

I've just gotten the urge to go back and replay Longbow II. After finally getting it to run on my WinXP, Radeon 9800, DX9b PC, I was wondering if any of you folks out there know how to up the resolution, turn trees on, and basically make the game play like never before.

Has anybody tried this? I'm ready to retire my X-45 stick and I want to replace it with a CH Fighterstick. However, I still want to use my X-45 throttle. Will this work? Will the CH Control Manager like seeing both the Fighterstick and my USB Pro Pedals, and will Il-2 be able to handle all three controllers?

Hola, just wanted to make sure you guys know we're still watching your progress. I can't wait to see the first demo, let alone the full sim make it out. Keep up the good work!

Those screenshots look great. I can't wait to see it with the coastline objects and scrub objects in place. I'm looking forward to low level CAS flights in the Pucara. Depending on how much the terrain code gets optimized, would it be possible to add auto-generated scrub brush and, heaven forbid, grass added to the scenery? I'm thinking of something extremely low detail, just to break up the straight edge terrain look common to a lot of sims. Look at Lock On as an example, the tree lines on the farm tiles do a lot to add to the feeling of low level flight.

Keep up the good work all around. Ever since Jane's IAF, I've been waiting for a decent sim that modelled that era of aircraft. As fun as an F-15E or F-22 can be, there is something satisfying about dropping an iron bomb on a target with nothing more than a depressed gunsight.

I've always thought, when you play a simulation, you spend 95% of your time in the cockpit. Stands to reason, the cockpit should be as graphically intensive and realistic as the rest of the sim. Though most sims now use the position of the sun and launched weaponry to cast a glow into the cockpit, I have yet to see actual shadows from the airframe. It would definately be a step in the right direction.

I've been going to the freefalcon forums at least twice a week to see any of the new developments on the Angola project. Frankly, I put away Falcon 4 until it was released. If this merger would happen, it would be incredable. I can honestly say that I would buy this sim over any other on the market, period.

He's the sole inventor, and until recently sole programmer of the X-Plane series of simulators, arguably the most realistic sim out there. Maybe you could talk to him, see if he can give you a hand on any of the physics and aeronautics modelling stuff you have questions on. He'll probably empathize a bit, since he once had to start from scratch as well. He's also pretty open and helpful, at least to his X-Plane fans who constantly email him about new feature requests or bug reports (like me).

Everyone needs to head over to SimHQ and read the previews for T-72, a new tank sim released in Russia (Are we seeing a trend; Il-2, Lock On?) Awesome graphics and hyper-realistic. They're trying to find a western distributer, so right now you'll have to suffer with a demo in Russian.

Just wondering if anyone here has any interest in tank sims like Steel Beasts. I just picked up Steel Beasts Gold online for $15. Graphics are a bit dated, but its still the best out there (in english at least). I can remember an Army recruiting trailer coming to my HS with a tank sim in it, basically a tanks gunner controls with Steel Beasts programmed into it. I remember everyone before me shot like s**t cuz they didn't laze the targets for range info or lead. Then I popped 10/10 and the sgt's jaw dropped.

Kickass looking movie. When will we be able to see the headshake and eye behaviour that was talked about a while ago? Will the HUD move in relation to where the head is, disappearing off the side of the glass if you tilt too far from center? Is there going to be TrackIR 6DOF support? I know, those are pretty specific questions when you have a lot of other important stuff going on.

I think a lot of your die hard BioHaz fans already had PF as well. Not that is would really stop any of us who are artistically empowered, ha. A week is a short time though, PG is right. Gotta have time for word to get out, for people to make an image, submit it and then close the submissions for voting.

This seems like a pretty dumb question, something I should by rights find out myself, but is it necessary to regularly update drivers for my SB Audigy II card? Do they release new EAX code that significantly increases FPS or reduces stuttering? I can't ever figure out why in LO-MAC I still get stuttering problems and low FPS, even at medium settings, with my Radeon 9800 PRO, a P4 3.0ghz and a gig of RAM. Its an Alienware rig, for chris'ake. Even in Pacific Fighters I get s**tty sound and the occasional stutter, even with a steady 35 - 40 FPS at perfect settings.

Definately enjoying the Hellcat and Corsair. Pretty agile little birds. They can almost boom and zoom as well as the Jug. Anybody tried out the gyro sights in the P-51? Fly the latest one, then twiddle all the automated bombsight controls until you see a 'Gyro Sight' message. You'll definately see why it was nicknamed the Ace Maker.

In regards to moving elevators, he might have meant on the carriers. It would be pretty awesome having to taxi from the hanger deck out to an elevator and up to the cat. But it would need deck hands.

I haven't had this much fun with a sim since Jane's WWII Fighters came out. Theres a major difference 'tween the two though. I can run Pacific Fighters at perfect settings with 4xFSAA and get damn respectabl frame rates. This, coupled with a TrackIR2 means I'm in simming bliss. Nothing better than coming in to a carrier shot up only to bounce on landing and get slammed into the deck by the hook. Or to come diving out of the clouds on a swarm of Zeke's in your Hellcat. Or flying CAS during the island hopping invasions. Jesus this thing is fun. Now to get those little things added to the sim, like more weather effects, better radio simulation with the carrier and flight groups and net barriers on the carriers. Oh, and some more varied terrain textures and water colors. I have a feeling its in the works though. Lets put it this way, what better way to spend election day than recreating Pearl Harbor while your absentee balot is safely being counted home in Texas?

I keep having a problem with bouncing on landing, especially with the Corsair and Hellcat. I'm probably just coming in too fast, but I always bounce with the hook still caught. Needless to say, it slams me into the deck every time. Pretty impressive though.

I've had pretty good success by just using the normal brakes, full rudder and then using the throttle to control turn rate. I can normally keep the aircraft within its own wingspan. Thats my problem, I can never pick a single aircraft and focus on it. There are so many, and they're all so well modelled I keep switching back and forth between 'em all. I'm gonna try and do a campaign soon, maybe that'll keep my attention centered.

I just read GameSpy's last 10 in their Top 25 flight sims of all time. Pitiful. The only actual flight sim on the list was LOMAC, at a dismal #18. We need to set up a poll of some of the greatest say 50 flight sims, and pick the highest voted 25 out of the list. Present that little present to GameSpy and see how they like it. It makes me sick having games like Air Force Delta Strike in the Top 25. Especially not a console game that doesn't even need a stick. Correction - The also had Microprose' B-17 Flying Fortress. Rather than comment on the difficult and realistic flying experience, they merely said that most of the time you'll spend behind the guns, fending off enemy aircraft'. Anybody who had played the game knows you spend most of your time navigating, flying and just trying to keep your shot up plane in the air.

Kinda sounds like a problem I used to have with my ram, though I'm no expert.

Haha, I think you'd have a hit put on you by some of these folks if you didn't include helo sims. Just because they beat the air into submission doesn't mean they aren't flying.

Lets see, we've got: JFA-18 JF-15 JWWII Fighters JLongbow 2 JLongbow JATF JU.S. Navy Fighters Thats seven right there. USN'97 definately deserves more credit. I still occasionally bring it out and do some of the Vietnam missions. It had an awesome mission editor and quick mission utilities, as well as a gigantic number of aircraft.

So close, yet so very far away...

Lets see what the fortune cookie's got for us today... Post #7

We don't care what you work on so long as everything is coming along smoothly. And as for being satisfied with a 'pretty good' flight model... definately go for the best. We'll take a lot of slack in regards to visuals if the gameplay is right on.