britgliderpilot

Well an MRA2 crashed in Afghanistan recently, but I'm not sure that's what he means . . . There isn't a replacement aircraft for the Nimrod, it's true - however, the MRA4 upgrade (in progress, first aircraft to be delivered soon) includes new avionics, new wings, AND new engines . . . It'll still only be a fleet of twelve aircraft, but hey - that just might be enough.

Also suggest watching the Ka50 cold start video that was released a while ago. They may be turboshafts rather than turbofans, but the start principle is pretty much the same.

Dude . . . . . that's confusing. http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=344

Interesting, the flap animation for each wing is assigned a different argument. Should still be possible to assign wing sweep to one of them, though. You WILL need a new model - it's the only way you can sort out the arguments satisfactorily.

A long post isn't a big deal - but putting in a few line breaks makes it easier to read ;) It is true that once the technology supporting the 3D clickable pit and AFM has been developed, it is easier to implement the next aircraft - however: 1. The Ka50 is a single-seater. The vast majority of helicopters are not, and coping with that requires a significant amount of effort. 2. Getting information on the other helicopters in sufficient detail to model them in the simulation may be difficult. 3. . . . . while it probably wouldn't be much comfort, two flyables effectively doubles the workload of the beta testers. It's not all fun :P Once one helicopter's been built, it's not entirely unfair to expect another. But Black Shark is about the Ka50 - more helicopters may follow, but if they do it Will Take Time.

IIRC, it's possible - but you have to do it with a new model, by setting up the model animation to the correct argument. There's a new Tomcat model on the way, though, so it might just happen :) You'd probably have to have a separate model for AI and human use, though . . .

I wouldn't worry about performance for the moment - leave it until a firm release date has been announced and everything's settled down. As a rough guideline, if your PC runs FC fine, it should run BS fine. If your PC struggles with FC, you might want to consider an upgrade. If you ARE considering an upgrade especially for BS, then it makes sense to leave it until release . . . when previews will tell you what kind of rig you need, better hardware's available, and you've had more time to save.

Time for a Book Recommendation - Skunk Works, by Ben Rich and Leo Janos. Ben Rich ran Lockheed's Skunk Works after Kelly Johnson retired, working on the F-104, the U-2, the CL-400, A-12, YF-12, SR-71, D-12, F-117, and the Stealth Ship . . . . his experiences of all of which are described in the book, complete with comments by pilots from the Air Force, CIA, and Lockheed. It's a hell of a read. Doesn't tell you anything about interceptions by F-16s, but even so . . . .

. . . . I remember reading it, but can't find where it was and immediate sources say it's still not allowed for export. So for the time being, ignore my ramblings ;) Tell you what, though . . . . this graph from that document doesn't half put things in perspective:

IIRC the specific ban on export of the F-22 has been lifted - however, the chances of it going to SK are fairly slim. The F-35 would serve their purposes perfectly well :)

It certainly helps with gathering information :) As to whether we'll get a Hornet in the end . . . . there are more factors at play than just whether there's the info available, of course. More info never hurts, but the future projects list is always either secret, incredibly murky, or a combination of the two.

AFAIK that bloke is *just* part of a Stinger site. Note arm elevated in precisely the same direction as the launcher is pointing. Regardless of what BS will end up doing, if someone feels that infantry might be a strong addition to FC then it's worth the modding time. We won't find out until BS release what's going on, and that looks to be a little while away yet. IIRC a simple GAZ-66 has minimal hit points and little other use in the game . . . . conversion to an infantry unit would be a quick job :) It's not really a hack, it's a simple mod. Don't deny yourselves the opportunity for infantry while you wait for BS!

With sufficient dedication, you could implement infantry in FC with a simple hack. Get someone to model a simple 3D figure, and do a shapeswap with a jeep or something. Fiddle with the MeInit, and ta-daaa! Infantry :) IIRC there was someone in the Modelling forum doing clever work with camo nets and tank cover positions - it's a simple extension from that and a Loman mod can be created to add all this functionality to FC, and it wouldn't take too long. Anyone willing to take up the idea?

Trying to stop my head exploding while I test Black Shark and develop a flight sim model for a Uni project at the same time . . . . and developing a case of minor alcoholism as a result :P But tonight, I think I'm pulling an all-nighter to finish the project writeup. Ouch. . . . you could, if you so wished, drop a bigger hint :D

It's also £800 and doesn't include Windows yet ;) . . . . nice spec, though :)

Good deal on that 8800! You can pick up a 7950GT for Ј100 if you're lucky . . . but heck, at that price I'd take the 8800 and grit my teeth until they fix the drivers properly :D edit - I've just noticed that the Ј144 didn't include VAT. Still a good price for a good card . . . . but might put the balance more back towards the last gen card if you're really on a tight budget. The new 4Mb cache 6320 and 6420 CPUs look to be an overclocker's dream - out of interest, are we yet sure they're not 6600s and 6700s that failed quality control?

Could really do with a much better graphics card. X1950 or a top-end 7900 variant is best of the last generation and getting steadily cheaper . . . the 8800 will break your budget by a long way and the drivers aren't fixed yet. And 160Gb is too small a hard drive these days . . . . you can pick up a 400Gb drive for £60 . . . . Trouble is, there's not really anywhere you could save the money. Best bet is probably to buy it with the X1300 *wince* and save up for a bit until you can afford a graphics card that will deal with more than MS Paint :P

It's been known that the air superiority F-15 has the weapons software for dropping iron bombs for a little while - the USAF no longer trains for that role, though, so it's still of debatable realism. Fitting A2G missile to a single-seat F-15, though, is something altogether different. Would be interested to see the source on that.

That's a whole lot of info! :) . . . if you mean before 2010 . . . . I'd guess, on a pure gut feeling, the answer would be no. I have no doubt that it WILL come - ED's attention to detail on the Ka50 is mind-boggling, and to my mind the Ultimate Goal of a Russian flight sim developer is the Perfect Su27 Sim. When they get around to lavishing the levels of attention they're currently giving the Ka50 to the Su27, it's going to be simply beautiful . . . . . But first, Black Shark needs to be finished, and intermediate projects need to be dispatched. There's no official plan that I know of, but the general signs are that the next project will be something other than the Flanker. In the meantime, hang around, enjoy the Ka50 and whatever the next projects turns out to be :) Be careful not to overanalyze the SFM, too ;) It's not great. At the time of Flanker 2.0 it was pretty damn good, but much more information has come into the public domain since then . . . . it's just a shame that little time's been available to develop it further since then, time's mostly been devoted to the aircraft that will sell the game. A-10, F-15, published-specified Su25T/Ka50 addons . . . . We don't know the speeds from that video clip, guesswork may be inaccurate. Engine thrust may also depend on throttle position - remember the Su27 has a split throttle, it's more likely in the real world to move them slightly differently than exactly the same.

Last time I looked there hadn't been a statement on whether the Su-27/Su-33 were going to be reworked - has that changed now? It's a possibility - ED have a truckload of information on various aircraft that they haven't had the time or opportunity to implement, but every bit of info that can be gathered is a good thing :)

ED will improve fixed-wing aircraft, but don't expect it in Black Shark. That's not to say there won't be small tweaks, but there simply isn't enough time and manpower to overhaul all the aircraft. And regarding: It must be stressed again that it isn't the programmers who are doing the building of the new 3D models. You're not losing any development to the new 3D models, so just enjoy them ;)

1. Making the pixels small enough to get a decent resolution is a REAL challenge. 2. There's still no peripheral vision. So it's kind of pointless. Has anyone succeeded in making a curved LCD screen yet? . . . . . actually, has anyone had reason to try? :P

. . . . has everyone else missed this so far? Looks like we're getting a tuned-up F-15 :)

Expect BS to be slightly more challenging to your PC than FC is - in much the same way that the new 3D model and AFM of the Su25T is more challenging than the Lomac v1.02 aircraft :) More detailed simulation requires more power, it's an unfortunate tradeoff. How much more of course remains to be seen, you're best asking that at BS release. For the moment I wouldn't worry about it. If an upgrade is a possibility for you then that would be a good thing for any version of Lomac - but remember that the longer you leave it, the more time you have to save and the more contemporary the PC at BS release. To my mind the minimum specifications for FC have been nonsense for some time - although I did once get the Lomac demo to run on a PII-350 with a GeForce 2Mx . . . . .

There is a CD version of Flaming Cliffs available, and you can reinstall it as many times as you like. It does, however, use the CD version of Starforce. Sounds like he just needs the full story on SF, rather than the Oe Noes!1!onehundredandeleveen panic tales ;) There is, as yet, no indication as to how Black Shark will eventually ship. There is even less indication as to a final release date. So . . . on that basis, I'd tell him to go ahead and get FC now, it'll be good practice for him. And to answer the question you didn't ask but he inevitably will, yes, it appears to be pretty certain Black Shark will have Starforce as well.