Revvin

vBulletin is a great piece of software for running a forum, though at the moment I prefer Invisionboard but there really isn't much to choose between them features wise.

Well it's always dissapointing to see a game you're looking forward to buying be delayed but if it means a more stable playable sim then it will be worth the wait. It's good to know ED won't be rushing a product out of the door just to get revenue in. Autumn is going to be good for sims if they hit this release date as 1C:Maddox Battle of Britain sim is due in Novemeber 2006 according to their web-site. Does anyone know if there is going to be an updated manual for sale like the one they have on the web-site now?

The more sims we have to choose from the better, I'd sure love to see some in game shots though.

My squad ran TS for WWIIOL and IL-2. We tried many other voice apps but we found TS easier to use yet offered a very nice set of features. We found no real discernable difference in voice quality between Teamspeak 2 and Ventrilo. The final nail in the coffin for us was that you need to rent a Ventrilo server from a hosting company if you want more than 8 player slots. I'm not adverse to paying for voice comms, I registered Roger Wilco years to donate to the development and would have done if that had been an option with Ventrilo but it seems to developer is only keen to do sales with larger hosting companies.

Nice comparison, I've not tried the X52 (although i have owned other Saitek gear) so I can't comment on that but I thought your comment: A huge exageration IMO, there is a transition between the one spring off-loading and the other loading but 'hitting a wall' is overstating it quite someway. I'm not aware of CH saying there is no full driver support for WinXP, they fully support Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP as well as having a very stable open BETA for Windows XP 64 Bit which I am using now. As far as i'm aware only Thrustmaster are yet to release 64 Bit support with CH, Saitek and Logitech having drivers. CH have gameport drivers for Windows XP but the gameport programmign software - Speedkeys does not work due to Microsoft changing the way the sticks interacted with the keyboard input apparently. Not sure what you are trying to do here, you can create, edit and load profiles in one program - Control Manager, however there is the optional CMCC program which you can run on startup that will give you a tool tray icon to give you quick access to load profiles as well as makign sure the same profile you had loaded before rebotting is still loaded after you re-boot Windows. I agree with you on the GUI, I like CH's and Saitek's more graphical interface for programming. I did like my old Saitek gear but CH has the edge for me, that said though if CH dissappeared and I had to choose a new stick it would probably be Saitek.

I've not had any issues with Starforce using a CD writer and a DVD writer, I've recently backed up a couple of CD's worth of game patches, add-ons etc without any issues.

Shame, it would be nice to meet them

Looking good so far! Best sig quote I've seen in the other threads you've started "Lefties...the only ones in the world in their right mind." :D

Thirdwire's sims are always a little on the light side when it comes to avionics. The fact that it's got so many flyable aircraft makes me wonder how far in depth they have gone. Might be worth a look though.

Drop on by and say hello Raploc, and if you have any questions on programming don't hesitate to ask <S>

Please check my last reply at the CH Hangar

It looks very impressive, I enjoyed the last one so I'm sure I'll enjoy the sequel as I did GT Legends by the same team. At the moment I'm playing netKar which IMO has set a new benchmark for realistic looking cockpits. For those who like clickable cockpits it has one with toggle switches to switch on the electrics and ignition you need to press. Handling feels great, I also have LFS and rFactor but i prefer netKar PRO's handling as I feel I can push the car harder and yet still gather it back in if I push a little too hard because of the feedback from the wheel, the sounds and graphics. Initially I was dissapointed as it's a little rough around the edges but after perservering with it I'm hooked. I posted a first impression here.

I've been let down by other manufacturers of joystick, the last brand almost killed my enjoyment of sims completely. I switch to CH Products USB range and never looked back. My Fighterstick is 2+ yrs old and feels the same as it did the day I took it out of the box, the only thing that has changed is the software and it's been an improvement with every version with new features. CH make their kit to last, they know how to make tough controls because they make aviation and industrial grade controls. Precise, very durable and insanely programmable.

This will only serve to hurt the flight sim genre. It gives Ubisoft more reason to dump the flight sim genre when they are one of the few large global publishers still publishing flight sims, it may hurt ED if they are forced into changing their copy protection system which will cost them money and money from any delays this would cause. The only ones who win here are the lawyers unfortunately

Nice job thanks!, not new to Lock On but not spent much time in the F15

I don't wish to de-rail this thread, I'll take no further part in it. Again apologies to S77th-GOYA who started this thread.

I find it hard to rationalize your comments directed at ED and their way of communicating when it's clear that there is a language barrier (the fact that their business is mainly directed at the Russian market) and yet you are quite happy to pay to get information from XSi which other developers give freely. I find comments like loathsome and xenophobic, more so when you go trotting back to the FighterOps forum to say the same thing. I'm sorry S77th-GOYA, I wished this thread could have just concentrated on the good things to come.

That's what I meant, they already have a game engine so why no shots yet? I hope they do get to release something, my interest in what they are doing has got me tinkering with the idea of getting X-Plane as well but the dev team was born out of such a mess (the whole G2i saga) I'm still a little sceptical. If they do get to release I'm sure they will have a customer here, IMO there can never be enough flight sim developers so the few we have I like to support. Has anything like in game shots been released to Area 51 customers yet?

Has there been any in game shots of FighterOps? I just wondered as I've not seen any online and find it odd if its that close to release and that they already had a game engine.

The Saitek is a good buy if you're on a small budget, I would recommend CH gear though if you have a little more cash or are happy to buy the stick, throttle and pedals individually if your budget is tight (you can pick them up for less than $100 a piece). I've owned a Cougar but it was far too unreliable for me, 3 of them broke over an 18 month period and the lack of confidence in the stick in the end nearly ended my flight simming. Centre play issues, peeling paint, faulty electronics and poor construction were the issues I had. My CH Fighterstick and Pro Throttle on the other hand are still working flawlessly 2+ years after buying them, infact they feel the same as they did the day I took them out of the box. CH has used their 25 year experience in making aviation and industrial grade controls when they developed their gaming devices and it shows, these controls are very tough and very durable. I have a CH Fighterstick, Pro Throttle, Pro Pedals, Flight Sim Yoke and Throttle Quadrant but tend to only use the Fighterstick, Pro Throttle and Pro Pedals for Lock On but I know Ruggbutt has a pretty nice setup that includes the Throttle Quadrant too. He has some nice handy scripts such as the airbrake automaticalyl being retracted if you move the throttle past a certain setting. Apart from that you have up to four separate modes for each button as well as a shifted state for each button so the number of commands you can assign can run into the hundreds. You could have separate modes for air to air, air to ground, refuelling etc and have different axis settings for each. For future compatibility Saitek and CH have 64 bit drivers available now, TM on the other hand are stalling andthis may be due to a post that appeared on simHQ from a TM beta tester where he said that TM were having trouble getting their chip supplier to assist them with 64 bit drivers. How true that is I don't know but like I said he was a BETA tester with better information on the subject than most. Bob Church is well known by Thrustmaster and Saitek users for his various utilities and chips, he now works on the CH software which is constantly evolving with new features based on his extensive knowledge. The last few version included a number of user suggestions so it's clear CH listen to their customers. Buying a new stick is a very subjective thing, if you can try them out in a shop then do so but my suggestion is to buy CH.

There have been no sims released in the last few years that have had the kind of manual we got years ago with the likes of the Microprose sims. Even the Falcon fanboi's felt silent after years of criticising Ubisoft and ED about the lack of a manual with Lock On when Flacon 4: Allied Force also shipped without a manual. IIRC there was a discussion years ago about the size of packaging, for Europe at least where there was some kind of legislation to make packaging more enviromentally friendly so games went to DVD style packaging like console games I don't know if that's true but it was talked about years ago when games switched to plastic DVD boxes. Aside from that the shops will want DVD packing so they can fit more games on the shelf as oppossed to the old days of big eye catching boxes. I'd love to see a return to the old glossy manuals we used to get but can't see that happening so it's good that ED have come up with a way to get a hard copy and good that sim friendly online shops like GoGamer and Simware are stocking it. I probably would have bought one but I already gave our office colour laser printer a thrashing months ago :D

You mean there's something else to do other than bitch about flight sims? :D

Such a rareity to get such good feedback from developers like this, can't wait for the next release!

It might get you by for now if you already have a camera but in my experience nothing comes close to the real deal TrackIR. If you've not already got a camera then save your money and buy a TrackIR when funds allow.

There was a thread at SimHQ about this except it vanished when someone posted that apparently the reason for the delay in the Cougar getting the 64 bit drivers was because Guillemot have not been able to secure a deal with their chip suppliers. Apparently they supply the drivers and don't seem to be bothered about releasing 64-bit ones which leaves Guillemot and their users high and dry it seems unless they change their minds. If this is not the case it's odd the thread was deleted :icon_conf