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#1408467 - 07/07/06 11:46 AM Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Grunt0331 Offline
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Grunt0331  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
I'm an old time combat sim pilot...I've got them all. Falcon, LOMAC, SF: P1, WoV, WoE, EAW, All of the Janes titles, etc. That being said, I never picked up any of the FS titles...

I frequently visit the screenshot forum and find myself frequently captivated by some of the FS2004 screenshots. So much so, that I've been toying with the idea of finally picking the sim up...

However, is there anything to do other than take-off, fly and land? There are some great military aircraft mods, but how well are they modelled. Are weapons systems deployable? Is radar modelled? Even if weapons do work, is there anything to blow up? I know its not meant to be a combat sim, but I know if there is nothing to do but fly once I get into the air, I'm going to lose interest fast...

Anyway, combat aircraft aside, what else is there to do other than just fly around and take screen shots...there has to be something thrown in there to make it more entertaining, right?

Thanks in advance


de.ci.sive.ness\ n. 1. Ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in clear, forceful manner. 2. See United States Marine.
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#1408468 - 07/07/06 01:22 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 586
Cheapshot Offline
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Cheapshot  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 586
There's nothing to blow up AFAIK. You fly around, pont to point.

One question though...how much knowledge do you have of actually aviating?


"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, there you long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci
#1408469 - 07/07/06 01:29 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 481
awj112 Offline
Member
awj112  Offline
Member

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 481
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
As a combatsim convert, I think FS 2004 is worth the pickup. Unfortunately, there is nothing to blow up but as you said, there are plenty of military aircraft available. Quality generally varries. If you hang around long enough, you will become very familliar with Kirk Olssen's name. His models of the F-16, F-16I, F-86, and Mirage are legend around here and more important, free. Carrier ops can be fully modeled. I actually picked up FS2004 to learn carrier ops for Jane's F/A-18; the odd thing is I haven't touched F/A-18 since.

Cheapshot posted before mine was finished but that is another plus to FS 2004, your knowledge of flight procedures will improve vastly.


Controller: "Air Force 53, it appears your engine has... oh... disregard, I see you've already ejected."
#1408470 - 07/07/06 01:43 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,079
Frodo 13 Offline
Hotshot
Frodo 13  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,079
USA
Dynamic weather, travel the globe or locally. Fly either VFR, IFR or contact the ATC and file your IFR plan while in flight. Third party add ons. HUGE community.

Be a wannabe commercial, bush, MIL, or GA pilot. Join VATSIM with human ATCs and pilots - lots of activity!

Lots of different planes to choose from from Liners to sailplanes.

It is all about flying.

#1408471 - 07/07/06 04:16 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,769
Jib02 Offline
Senior Member
Jib02  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,769
Chandler, Az, Post Falls, Id
Some of the aircraft do have guns modeled and they can be fired but nothing blows up. This is REAL flying without the iron around you. You can cold start like reality. You can control and design your own AI aircraft takeoffs and landings and fly anywhere in the world. It's a geography lesson of the world. Lots of night flying. Thunder and lightning. Setup various weather conditions to fly in.

Regards
Jib01/02


Regards
Jib01/02
#1408472 - 07/07/06 05:09 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,046
Crop-Duster Offline
Hotshot
Crop-Duster  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,046
Gatineau(Hull), QC, Canada eh
Flying in real weather, crosswinds, gusts etc are what this sim is all about to me. And the wide variety of good aircraft to fly.

As you know only few if any combat air sims model weather as well as FS2004

#1408473 - 07/07/06 09:27 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Grunt0331 Offline
Member
Grunt0331  Offline
Member

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Thanks for all the feedback...

How about random systems failures...is this something that is modelled in FS2004?

Thanks


de.ci.sive.ness\ n. 1. Ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in clear, forceful manner. 2. See United States Marine.
#1408474 - 07/07/06 10:52 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,079
Frodo 13 Offline
Hotshot
Frodo 13  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,079
USA
Failures you can control/set. Something similar to LOSmack's

#1408475 - 07/08/06 06:57 AM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 9,710
Legend Offline
Legsie is such a
Legend  Offline
Legsie is such a
Hotshot

Joined: May 2000
Posts: 9,710
Zutphen, NL / ShangHai, China
It doesn't get any more exciting than flying around in bad weather, only relying on your instruments, with a fuel needle that seems to be running to the "empty" position, an engine that is NOT overpowered like those military engines are, and knowing (but not seeing) that mountains are nearby...

...there's also a (payware) mission generator that will give you a purpose when flying around.


There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
#1408476 - 07/08/06 08:40 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 350
boshar Offline
Member
boshar  Offline
Member

Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 350
the Netherlands
Lets face it how many military pilots actually get to experience real combat. You can use FS2004 to simulate al lot of what the real pilots do. Learn to operate the aircraft. Learn the theatre of operations. Fly a training bombing mission (get to the coordinates at the right time pas the target). Some add-on aircraft have radar and you can see (+ intercept) the build in AI traffic (sort of a scramble mission).

There are so many other things to do though. Bush flying visiting the remote Alaskan and Canadian airstrips is so much fun. I hardly touch the combat stuff nowadays. There is so much to do and learn in FS2004.

#1408477 - 07/08/06 10:42 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 902
2005AD Offline
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2005AD  Offline
Member

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 902
I just went for a quick dusk flight in the Wings of Power Spitfire Mk1. Things started out normal enough but as time passed the weather got worse and it got very dark quicker than I thought it would. What started out as a simple flight turned into a nightmare with very heavy crosswinds with heavy turbulence and low fuel. Landing was extremely tricky and I barely made it down in one piece in very hazardous conditions.

Not all white knucke rides have to consist of combat. There is no other sim that can do real world weather conditions like FS2004.

#1408478 - 07/09/06 07:56 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 262
RevRaz Offline
Member
RevRaz  Offline
Member

Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 262
S. California
Link?

Quote:
Originally posted by Julian Data:
Join VATSIM with human ATCs and pilots - lots of activity!


#1408479 - 07/09/06 10:02 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 22,854
Rick.50cal Offline
Lifer
Rick.50cal  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 22,854
Yesterday I flew an SR-71 recon mission. Took off from Mildenhall in the UK, aiming right at Beirut Airport. Takeoff with 25% fuel, air tank at 25,000 feet over the chanel. Then accelerate to Mach 1.1, climbing at 4000 fpm. Took a good 8 minutes to finally get to Mach 3, but then it's a nice easy climb to 85,000 feet, then an acceleration to Mach 3.31 . Took a few pics of Beirut and a slight left turn to get Damascus pics. Then it's a very hard turn (manually as the AP won't keep up) of about 85 degrees to pass over Amman Jordan, but without exceeding the maximum G rating of 2.2 , then Gaza strip airport.

I'm now at about 45% fuel load. Outside air temperature is about 768 degrees, owing to the high speed. Indicated airspeed is only 360 knots, but groundspeed is a whopping 1900 knots per hour!

Next up is Cairo, and then a long cruise to Trippoli to visit Khadafi in prep for the strike. Now for the long trip home to Britain, I'm now finding myself with just 6% fuel and I've not even made landfall in France yet. At the Channel, I'm now down to 2% fuel, and kill the throttles to decend. I turn one engine off, to save fuel, and restart it at 10,000 feet, so I can have power when i drop my gear and have a modest angle of attack.

On the ILS approach to Lakenheath (a few miles from Mildenhall, this airbase also used to house the Blackbirds for many spy missions), I choose to hand fly it instead of resorting to the AP. 200 knots on final, I cut the throttle at about 200 feet AGL, and slowly flare, touching down at perhaps 170 knots. Out goes my parachute, all is well!

Older screens of ealier flights:
http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002418#000000

http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=101;t=001834#000000

What has changed since those earlier flights? Well, new flight dynamics. The panel is a bit better now. But the biggest thing is that we now have two new models to work with, each with new repaints too. Those aren't shown there... maybe soon for a re-release.


POLITICS, WAR, ECONOMY, CONTROVERSY! and other heated discussions and debates in the PWEC sub-forum at the bottom of this forum main page. See you there!
#1408480 - 07/10/06 07:39 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Grunt0331 Offline
Member
Grunt0331  Offline
Member

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Quote:
Originally posted by Rick.50cal:
Yesterday I flew an SR-71 recon mission. Took off from Mildenhall in the UK, aiming right at Beirut Airport. Takeoff with 25% fuel, air tank at 25,000 feet over the chanel. Then accelerate to Mach 1.1, climbing at 4000 fpm. Took a good 8 minutes to finally get to Mach 3, but then it's a nice easy climb to 85,000 feet, then an acceleration to Mach 3.31 . Took a few pics of Beirut and a slight left turn to get Damascus pics. Then it's a very hard turn (manually as the AP won't keep up) of about 85 degrees to pass over Amman Jordan, but without exceeding the maximum G rating of 2.2 , then Gaza strip airport.

I'm now at about 45% fuel load. Outside air temperature is about 768 degrees, owing to the high speed. Indicated airspeed is only 360 knots, but groundspeed is a whopping 1900 knots per hour!

Next up is Cairo, and then a long cruise to Trippoli to visit Khadafi in prep for the strike. Now for the long trip home to Britain, I'm now finding myself with just 6% fuel and I've not even made landfall in France yet. At the Channel, I'm now down to 2% fuel, and kill the throttles to decend. I turn one engine off, to save fuel, and restart it at 10,000 feet, so I can have power when i drop my gear and have a modest angle of attack.

On the ILS approach to Lakenheath (a few miles from Mildenhall, this airbase also used to house the Blackbirds for many spy missions), I choose to hand fly it instead of resorting to the AP. 200 knots on final, I cut the throttle at about 200 feet AGL, and slowly flare, touching down at perhaps 170 knots. Out goes my parachute, all is well!

Older screens of ealier flights:
http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002418#000000

http://www.simhq.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=101;t=001834#000000

What has changed since those earlier flights? Well, new flight dynamics. The panel is a bit better now. But the biggest thing is that we now have two new models to work with, each with new repaints too. Those aren't shown there... maybe soon for a re-release.
Alright my friend...you pushed me over the edge and I just picked up a copy on my lunch break...where can a get the latest version of your SR-71? Thanks again!


de.ci.sive.ness\ n. 1. Ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in clear, forceful manner. 2. See United States Marine.
#1408481 - 07/11/06 05:11 AM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 22,854
Rick.50cal Offline
Lifer
Rick.50cal  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 22,854
Well, unfortunately it's in components right now, and undergoing pre-release testing, and it's mostly not up to me but the guy who made the flight dynamics real...

...that said, there is a much earlier "preview" available from about two years ago: Look for the PSS SR-71 and it's addons, in particular the addon (download it for the sound pack) for FS2002, then install the flight dynamics update by Paul Varn for FS2004. That's a VERY basic model, made for FS2000 or even before...but it does work in FS2004.

There is a MUCH newer and nicer SR-71 from Alphasim which is now freeware, and I'm specifically trying to addapt Paul's very latest dynamics (much better than the one you can download, but that one is at least functional) to this new higher detailed and painted model. Probably about 8 repaints available for it.

Also, there is a new freeware A-12 early variant, actually the M-21 mothership, which was basically an early SR-71 that carried the D-21 drone. I'd like to addapt that dynamic too, but that's for after we can sort out the SR's dynamics.

That said, there is a lot of C-130 addons, panels and repaints, Antonovs and Galaxy's, I'm flying a U-2 and tweeking the panel for it right at this moment. Also, check Hovercontrol.com for a huge number of freeware helicopters, they have CH-54's, UH-1's, UH-60's, scenery like Aegis cruiser's helipads and tons more amazing goodness!


POLITICS, WAR, ECONOMY, CONTROVERSY! and other heated discussions and debates in the PWEC sub-forum at the bottom of this forum main page. See you there!
#1408482 - 07/11/06 06:46 PM Re: Fundamental Question...  
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 42
Rufus Offline
Junior Member
Rufus  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 42
San Diego
If you want a very realistic Flying / ATC experience, then FS9 + Vatsim online is the ticket.

Many ARTCC's are manned at different times. So if you want to file a plan, call Tower, transfer to Center, then Approach, you can't ask for a more realistic experience.

BTW, you can blow up things if you are in designated MOA's. (basic modifications of the Smoke routines, however no damage or targeting avionics). Even Air to Air Refueling and Carrier ops are done regularly depending on the Vatsim mil org.

There are several Virtual Airlines or Virtual Military Orgs to fly with, or just fly solo. All real world protocols and flight restrictions are mostly observed..


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