motion platform:Black Shark

[rapid]

I had a fly of the Black Shark on the RC Simulation stand at the flight and Sim show at Birmingham today. I expected to find the BS Sim set up as per normal with just a computer with yoke and thruster but to my surprise it was linked to a D-Box Personal Motion Platform.

I have to say that D-Box Personal Motion Platform added to the realism of the Black Shark experience. The chair was very comfortable to sit in and I found the vibration excellent which added to the visual experience of the flight.:pilotfly:

When I turned the Black Shark the chair lifted and tilted when I increased the Collective you could feel the roar of motors via the D-Box wow what a way to feel the turbulence that is incorporated into the game.

If you got the Room and the cash its a no brainer, Thank you Jim Mack for answering my questions that you have already heard over a thousand times and thank you Bob letting me be first in the chair.:thumbup:

Edited November 10, 2008 by rapid

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

Awesome stuff love to see pictures/video of that, its amazing how far we've come from just simming with a joystick and keyboard!

[Nate Dogg]

Yeah the D-BOX is good, but for 16,000 AUD i think its way overpriced. I spent a day setting up FSX with a d-box platform. I must say its very user friendly, and easy to set up, most of my time was spent setting up FSX graphics. Im not sure if it was the FSX coding for dbox or the dbox system itself, but there was always a lag between input at the controls and the platform, a noticably. After a while it got rather annoying. Things like taxiing, left and right rudder input was converted to roll (tilt). And the vibrations would shake your teeth out on anything but the mildest settings. So i left with a mixed opinion of the system, great if it was 5k or something but not 16k. The other wierd thing to get used to was that the monitors weren't connected to the platform, so when the game view tilted and the platform tilted the effect was two fold. Putting the monitors on the platform would destroy them with the vibrations i would imagine. Great system but needs better programing i think.

Just my experience.

[Weta43]

There's a youtube clip of someone "rallying" in a more full on motion platform than a d-box, with the monitors attached to the platform - all seemed to be working OK there...

Maybe you just have to consider monitors consumables :-)

[HitchHikingFlatlander]

For someone like me with a projection set up it just wouldnt work. I'd have to mount the proj. and screen on the rig. I'm cool just being stationary at the moment, I'd rather spend that cash on a full blown pit anyways.....

[deviletk]

Yeah those motion platforms are yummy. Little too much money so far. I found this one years ago and got blown away.

 

Website: http://www.force-dynamics.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRdF0wOBi4w

 

Wished i was there to try BS with the motion platform...

 

EDIT: Read the FAQ on that site. Interesting about G forces and motion: http://www.force-dynamics.com/301/faq301.php

 

Regards

Alex

Edited November 9, 2008 by deviletk

[rapid]

When I tried the D-box the monitors where not connected to the D-box motion platform.

The vibrations on this occasion where not violent the price quoted is for a FULL system the chair on its own is around £4000 I think.

I the system that i tried out BS on had 3 monitors and was also running Trackir:pilotfly:.

Still one can always dream;)

[JimMack]

Awesome stuff love to see pictures/video of that, its amazing how far we've come from just simming with a joystick and keyboard!

 

At the Birmingham FS Show on Saturday, on the RC Simulations stand, we were showing Black Shark running with Matrox TripleHead2Go, TrackIR, MRCV Helicopter Controls and D-Box Personal Motion Platform (see http://www.rcsimulations.com for details on MRCV and D-Box).

 

This is possibly the ultimate setup for running Black Shark, and in my view, in advance of many military spec simulators including, obviously the sim software :-).

 

Though ED have written special drivers in Black Shark for D-Box, this is the first time to see if they actually worked! They did, and no problems of lag as reported above for Microsoft FS.

It is an incredible experience, one feels everything, changes in flight configuration, weapons firing, taking damage etc. I've only flown in a helo in the second seat, but the vibration cues seemed real to me.

 

For anyone wanting to experience it for themselves, the next outing will be at the FS Party in Bristol, UK on 29th November.

[G3]

Maybe you just have to consider monitors consumables :-)

 

:megalol::thumbup: my thoughts exactly.

good to see the th2go setup with BS and motion platform.

 

 

o/t and thinking out loud:

wonder if you can you stack 2 th2go 3x2 on sli system

the verticle view seems so slotted, similar to loFC.

 

hey Nate, He's the guy who first helped me with the th2go

view settings :thumbup:

[diveplane]

At the Birmingham FS Show on Saturday, on the RC Simulations stand, we were showing Black Shark running with Matrox TripleHead2Go, TrackIR, MRCV Helicopter Controls and D-Box Personal Motion Platform (see http://www.rcsimulations.com for details on MRCV and D-Box).

 

This is possibly the ultimate setup for running Black Shark, and in my view, in advance of many military spec simulators including, obviously the sim software :-).

 

Though ED have written special drivers in Black Shark for D-Box, this is the first time to see if they actually worked! They did, and no problems of lag as reported above for Microsoft FS.

It is an incredible experience, one feels everything, changes in flight configuration, weapons firing, taking damage etc. I've only flown in a helo in the second seat, but the vibration cues seemed real to me.

 

For anyone wanting to experience it for themselves, the next outing will be at the FS Party in Bristol, UK on 29th November.

 

wow very nice jim.

 

anyone like me who is poor, for a cheap but also effective method is purchasing buttkicker gamer, its a really powerful bass unit , works great for flight sims .

 

link= http://www.thebuttkicker.com/gaming/index.htm

Edited November 10, 2008 by diveplane

[crazysundog]

I cant wait to get a buttkicker, I use headphones so as not to disturb the missus and baby, and dont have a FFB stick, so i figure this will be the next best thing...

 

maybe for christmas

[diveplane]

I cant wait to get a buttkicker, I use headphones so as not to disturb the missus and baby, and dont have a FFB stick, so i figure this will be the next best thing...

 

maybe for christmas

 

yes its fairly silent in running till you turn it way up , that 100watt amp really does kick out some power, you can feel the vibrations all the way down your arms to the stick while holding , so no need really for a FFB stick.

 

believe me you wont be disapointed.

 

yes i run a headphone setup too.

Edited November 10, 2008 by diveplane

[rapid]

yes its fairly silent in running till you turn it way up , that 100watt amp really does kick out some power, you can feel the vibrations all the way down your arms to the stick while holding , so no need really for a FFB stick.

 

believe me you wont be disapointed.

 

yes i run a headphone setup too.

 

so you feel that buttkicker and a FFB joystick would be over kill?

 

Ps Saitek have a FFB headset comming to the market!:cry:

[diveplane]

not over kill if you adjust settings, real aircraft most vibrations are reflected back via springs in the controls. very little vibration on the ka50 controls.

[Corsair8X]

The ForceFX headphones from eDimensional exist right now. I really like mine. I've been thinking about the Buttkicker but was concerned that it may create too much noise. Sounds like it can be quite silent as long as you don't crank it which would be great for me.

[rapid]

not over kill if you adjust settings, real aircraft most vibrations are reflected back via springs in the controls. very little vibration on the ka50 controls.

 

Thanks for the reply diveplane, looks like butt kicker it is then. My original plan was to buy a x52 Pro and replace the joystick with a saitek Cyborg evo FFB.

So there are forces at work on the cyclic in a helichopter?

[Slayer]

Good luck finding MRCV Helicopter Controls...not for sale for the immediate future because of high demand/low production and no timeline on when its available :/

[Stalintc]

I nipped into Bobs office at RCSimulations yesterday to pick up my trackClip Pro (Get rid of that sodding hat!!!) as I live not very far away since my hometown is Bristol.

 

And I must say I was very impressed with that motion setup that he has got with the full metal panel cockpit flooring! the triple head setup is just lovely to look at too!

 

I spent a good hour with him talking about black shark and all the gadgets etc that he supplies and works on, such a fascinating man, with an amazing knowledge of flight simming! top bloke!

 

I went in for a TrackClip and came out with a set of Saitek Rudder Pedals too, which I think is brilliant as ive never had a set before! :)

[rapid]

Yes Bob and his wife are wonderfull people. One thing I would say about Bob he is one serious Simmer.:pilotfly:

[JimMack]

Yes Bob and his wife are wonderfull people. One thing I would say about Bob he is one serious Simmer.:pilotfly:

 

Yes - Bob is a top bloke. First met him in the mid 1980s when I was running Mirrorsoft (Spitfire 40, Falcon, Flight of the Intruder etc). The reason for his company name - RC Simulations - is that his first product that he sold in the UK was a simulator to train radio control pilots which ran on the Amiga home PC. Happy days!

[Gary]

JM,

 

Ah, Flight of the intruder....that brings back memories.....

 

"Devil 501, feet wet"

 

How about Digital Intergrations F16 Combat Pilot....remember that?

 

Gary

Edited November 11, 2008 by Gary

[Cowboy10uk]

yes its fairly silent in running till you turn it way up , that 100watt amp really does kick out some power, you can feel the vibrations all the way down your arms to the stick while holding , so no need really for a FFB stick.

 

believe me you wont be disapointed.

 

yes i run a headphone setup too.

 

Hi Diveplane, I take it you've been using Buttkicker with BS, if so can you confirm that it will simulate the vibration you get when flying a helicopter, The vibration that the motion platform provided was amazing and I felt it really added to the immension, Am looking for something that will do a simlier job but sadly I cant afford the 4K that Bob is asking for :) I'm sure i saw a seat cover that did a similer job a few yrs back, though not too sure what it was called.

 

Cowboy10uk

[JimMack]

JM,

 

Ah, Flight of the intruder....that brings back memories.....

 

"Devil 501, feet wet"

 

How about Digital Intergrations F16 Combat Pilot....remember that?

 

Gary

 

Yes - remember well DI's F16, because it was a competitor to our Falcon series. But I think the best title from DI was TORNADO, which had features that have not been repeated. I can assure you we have a copy of TORNADO at ED, we are still learning and evaluating!

[Cowboy10uk]

Ah Tornado, I loved that one and still have a copy upstairs, Though I have to say my fav was microprose F14.

[Gary]

Yep, had Tornado too (I had forgotten that and your right, it was very good)

....remember then manual, it was very good for its day.

 

Don't think there was a serious sim in that era I didnt have.....

 

Funny you mention Bob's software for the Amiga...I bought that computer just to play F/A18 Interceptor!...

 

Another one that comes to mind..

 

ATP....enjoyed that

 

Regards,

 

Gary