What are you playing right now?

[soloist]

I would think that descending early would
be the solution, but easier to mention
than to actually attempt to contr-
ol such a behemoth (laughs)! I-
s there an updated version
available just yet? Tis a
shame if there is not,
because such a ser-
ies would be pri-
me for aviat-
ors or thos-
e intere-
sted in
the f-
ield.

[GreenTea]

Just picked up Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings for PC. Having a lot of fun with it, even though I'm seriously getting my a$$ kicked.

[KenseidenXL]

I don't mess with sims. I can fly the real thing.

[soloist]

Flight sims do make for a reasonable alternative
for those of us who do not have access to the
actual or have little time to spend on t-
he hobby/interest, though. Twoul-
d be grand if other variables c-
ould be adjusted such as h-
aving other planes giv-
ing chase. By the w-
ay, I have inves-
ted in these b-
udget gam-
es just y-
ester-
da-
y.



Currently playing:

-Saints Row (360)
-Flatout 2 (PS2) just started
-Beyond Good and Evil (PS2) just started
-Beat Down (PS2)

[Diofan]

I don't mess with sims. I can fly the real thing.

As Soloist pointed out "Flight sims do make for a reasonable alternative for those of us who do not have access to the actual or have little time to spend on the hobby/interest". Have you EVER tried the sim? As a pilot it would be interesting to get your take on comparing the sim to the real deal.

To answer yous question Soloist, yes there are updates/addon packs you can get. the newest flight simulator (Version X or ten) is expected to be released on October 2 this year.

This classic PC flight simulation series has been around for almost 25 years now and it's been crafted to a near art form now. As expected from this series, the latest sequel looks gorgeous. Cities and landscapes are more detailed than ever. Cars move along roads and wildlife run across the wilderness. How often you'll see this from 10,000 feet in the air, we're not sure.

A new addition to the series is mission-based gameplay. Now, rather than just flying around aimlessly you'll be tasked with competing in air races or bringing relief supplies to the Congo. There will be a total of 50 different missions for armchair pilots to test their mettle on. Another new feature is an improved online mode which lets players be a pilot, co-pilot, or even an air traffic controller. You can talk to other players online using a headset as well.

Also included is the usual collection of aircraft, including the DHC-2 Beaver floatplane and the AirCreation 582SL Ultralight. You'll be able to take these planes to more than 24,000 airports, each with AI-controlled jetways, moving baggage carts, and fuel trucks. Flight Simulator X should be available in stores this Holiday season.

System Requirements:
* Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 / Vista
* PC with 1 GHz equivalent or higher processor
* 256 MB of system RAM for Windows XP SP2 / 512 MB Vista
* 14 GB available hard disk space
* 32x speed or faster DVD-ROM drive
* 32 MB DirectX 9 compatible video card required
* Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
* 56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play

I would think that descending early would be the solution, but easier to mention than to actually attempt to control such a behemoth (laughs)!

Tried that. What would usually end up happening is UNDERShooting the runway. With the big jets I don't have the luxury of a tachometer to tell just how much thrust the engines are putting out (or that I could see). With a single prop (or any prop airplane) they have a tachometer, you watch that tachometer when making an approach, drop it down to about 20-25 thousand RPM, set the flaps and the plane will almost land itself.

[soloist]

Fourteen gigs of harddrive space? That is quite a bit, but considering
how deep this sim is, I can understand why! Tis amazing the amo-
unt of depth goes into creating these environments such as the
cars and wildlife you mentioned, Diofan! I am hoping that c-
ollision detection for such inclusions are just as accurate,
though if the player is not allowed to interact with th-
em, I would understand why this would have to be
(sensitivity control). Playing the role of air traf-
ic control and co-pilot should do well to allow
the player options to fulfill roles that shou-
ld guarantee a different experience for e-
ach position. I would think that you w-
ould play such a title with a sim-con-
troller or one resembling an auth-
entic flight controller, though I
know not if such an item exis-
ts for PC use. Is there such a
controller available for th-
e PC that would include
a rumble feature at a-
ll? That would help
in making the ex-
perience seem t-
hat much mo-
re realistic!
At least I
would
thin-
k!!

[Roemello]

Good buy on Beyond G & E, Soloist! I had fun going through that one, though it was a bit short I thought Which may actually be good for you since ya got plenty of other titles still to get through

As for me.... still the same line up as last time I posted With focus on Oblivion... I've been trying to get all done in that one... currently shooting through the Thieves and Dark Brotherhood quests before going back to the main questline.

[KenseidenXL]

As a pilot of over 10,000 hours of logged flight time, a PC sim can never be an adequate substitute for the real thing. Try a carrier landing at night, in bad weather.

[soloist]

Yes, I remember reading a review for Beyond Good & Evil
which indicated that the adventure was a rather brie-
f one and just when you really get into it, the adve-
nture ends - leaving you waiting or expecting m-
ore. Speaking of Oblivion, have you managed
to locate any of those spells at all Roemello?
I hope to search for some of them at som-
e point today... but we shall see. For t-
he moment, I have been playing Fl-
atout 2 which is a wonderfully c-
reated game and MUCH better
than its predecessor in so m-
any ways! More on this l-
ater. Samurai Warrio-
rs is another game I
recently invested
in that I am en-
joying along
with the O-
kami. M-
aybe K-
irby i-
s ne-
xt.
Cong-
ratulati-
ons on acqu-
iring such an e-
xtensive record in
flight-time, Kenseide-
n! While flight-sims or a-
ny sim for that matter can
never fully and faithly replac-
e an existing experience at all, it c-
an help those who otherwise would be
too fearful to actually fly a plane to beco-
me more seasoned in terms of conquering th-
eir fear and maybe even developing an interest
in it. The average person lacks access to facilities th-
at house such aviatic contraptions... so for those who c-
annot afford fees or have no such place nearby them at all.

[Roemello]

Yeah, so far I've found 3 tomes... all of which were in Oblivion gates. Haven't come across any on the outside world yet, though I've been more focused on actually completing than looking for da tomes Yesterday I got screwed outta my horse... I go chasing some assclown bandit to kill him and go back to my horse just in time to see it slaughtered by a Minotaur :p

[soloist]

Ouch! Painful it is to learn that your trusty steed
has met its fate and with you being in a positi-
on of unavailability in terms of support an-
d potentially positively affecting the ou-
tcome (laughs). I rode the Unicorn, b-
t after leaving it, Minitaur Lords b-
egan attacking me. I ran, but u-
pon finding the Unicorn agai-
n and attempting to ride i-
t once again, it attacke-
d me (laughs)! Needl-
ess to say, I did no-
t save that gam-
e. What Obliv-
ion needs n-
ow are m-
ore crea-
tures a-
nd qu-
ests!

[Roemello]

There's a unicorn in there?! Is it faster than the black horses of Cheydinhal?! If so, I need to get me one of them!!! Only thing about Oblivion that gets me is the looooooooooooooooooooooooong time it takes to traverse the land when having to go back and forth from this town to that town doing quests

[soloist]

Indeed there is a single Unicorn in existence in the land
of Tamriel! It is near the Inn of Ill Omen. I believe th-
e location is east of it. The only problem is that it
does not stay with you after to dismount the c-
reature. It simply and slowly walks back to
where it came from, and the other prob-
lem is that you cannot ride it unless
your hero or good-deed sense of b-
eing is high. So if you are not
considered a hero and get
negative reactions fro-
m citizens, chances
are that you will
not be able to r-
ide the Unico-
rn. It attac-
ks villain-
ous bei-
ng to-
o!!!

(bad rep = non-ridable and attacking unicorn)

[Roemello]

bwahahaahahaahaha I better hold off on that til after I've finished the Thieves and dark brotherhood quests then and get back into the Fighters and Mages guildes after I got kicked outta both :laugh: Although I still get good reactions from citizens since my deeds in both guildes have been done in stealth... nooooooooobody knows :lol::dgrin:

[soloist]

There is another horse faster than the black horses
of Cheydinhal (sp?) which you should obtain a-
fter completing all of the Brotherhood ques-
ts (or was it the thieve's quests?). It has
red eyes and its very own armor as
well! I never really used horses
that much, but they do com-
e in handy when getting
to and from dungeon-
s safely without b-
eing pursued!!
I forget th-
e horse-
s na-
me
!

(Nightmare?)