comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim Frequently Asked Questions
Jan-Albert van Ree
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comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim Frequently Asked Questions
Release : 2.0
Last updated : July 17 2001
Written by : Jan-Albert van Ree
----------------
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
----------------
This article is Copyright 1999-2001 by Jan-Albert van Ree. All rights
reserved. You are granted the following rights:
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(d) the copies are in electronic form
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If you would like additional rights beyond those granted above,
write to the author at "java...@vanree.net" on the Internet.
--------
CONTENTS
--------
[1] Introduction
[1-1] The reason behind this FAQ
[1-2] FAQ revisions
[1-3] What's New
| [1-4] Where can I get the FAQ
[2] General information on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim
[2-1] About comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim
[2-2] Posting guidelines
[3] Game info
[3-1] EF2000
| [3-2] European Air War
| [3-3] Falcon 4
| [3-4] Flanker 2
[3-5] Israeli Air Force
| [3-6] F15
| [3-7] F-22 Total Air War
[3-8] Combat Flight Simulator
[3-9] World War 2 Fighters
[3-10]Longbow 2
[3-11]Apache Havoc
| [3-12]Comanche Hokum
[3-13]Mig Alley
| [3-14]Battle of Brittain
| [3-15]USAF
| [3-16]F/A-18
[4] Other useful internet sites
| [4-1] Simulation company sites
[4-2] Simulation news sites
| [4-3] Simulation fan sites
[4-4] Hardware sites
[4-5] Hardware fan sites
[4-6] Download sites
[5] Background info
| [5-1] What is going on with DID
| [5-2] What hardware....
| [5-3] My joystick/throttle/rudders ....
| [5-4] 3dfx support
[6] FAQ related info
[5-1] Submitting info for this FAQ
[5-2] Thanks to...
-------------------------
CHAPTER [1]: Introduction
-------------------------
[1-1]: The reason behind this FAQ
=================================
Well lately a lot of people seem to be asking the same questions
over and over again, instead of looking around a bit. This FAQ will try to
provide answers for some of the most asked questions. It also lists game
FAQs if available. These usually contain good information on solving most
common problems.
I will only discuss military sims in this FAQ. The civilian sims
are already covered by the rec.aviation.simulators FAQ, so there's no
point in doing all the work again.
[1-2]: FAQ revisions
====================
Mar 09 1999 : Revision 1.0
Mar 12 2000 : Revision 1.1
Mar 24 2000 : Revision 1.2
Apr 21 2000 : Revision 1.3
Apr 29 2000 : Revision 1.4
May 22 2000 : Revision 1.5
Jun 02 2000 : Revision 1.6
Jul 01 2000 : Revision 1.65
Jul 14 2000 : Revision 1.7
Jul 24 2000 : Revision 1.8
Jul 17 2001 : Revision 2.0
[1-3]: What's new?
==================
New or updated topics are marked with a | symbol in the index and
are listed here, together with the date of the addition
1.0 All new ;-)
1.1 Added more Falcon 4 info
Added F-15
Added F-22 Total Air War
Added World War 2 Fighters
Added URL list for software companies
Added Combat Flight Simulator
Updated the EAW information
Fixed several typo's
1.2 Added Longbow 2
Fixed several typo's
1.3 Added Apache Havoc info
Added Comanche Hokum info
1.4 Added DID info
Updated Flanker2 info
Added info on Falcon4 source
1.5 Added Mig Alley info
Added Rowan info
Updated hardware info
Added Falcon4 patch info
1.6 Added Falcon4 patch info
Added Comanche-Hokum info
Fixed typo's
1.65 Added Falcon4 F4Patch info
Added Comanche Hokum patch info
1.7 Updated the sim newssites section
Updated the "About DID" section
Added Falcon4 Voodoo2SLI info
Small layout changes to make for better line wrapping
1.8 Falcon 4 patches update
2.0 Added more Falcon4 info
Added USAF, Battle of Brittain, F/A-18 and info on 3dfx
Various URL's changed
[1-4]: Where can I get the FAQ
==============================
This FAQ is posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim every week,
and can be viewed at http://artsen.vanree.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER [2]: General information on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[2-1]: About comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim
=============================================
The USENET newsgroup comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.fligt-sim was created
for people to discuss all sorts of flight sims, be it military of civil
aviation.
[2-2]: Posting guidelines
=========================
Over the years, certain rules have been made for posting in USENET
newsgroups. While these are not exactly "laws", not following them is
usually considered rude. Some of these rules are
- Posts should be on topic, in this case be about flight simulation
and anything related to them. Other topics should be posted in
a newsgroup appropriate for that topic
- Using caps, posting in HTML or posting binaries is considered rude
Please set your newsreader to send posts in plain text format,
using a maximum of 76 characters per line. This makes sure
everybody can read your post
- Posting files to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim is a big no-no
Files (binaries) should only go in a newsgroup created for
binaries.
------------------
CHAPTER [3]: Games
------------------
[3-1]: EF2000
=============
Publisher : Ocean
Developer : Digital Image Design (DID)
Website : http://www.did-us.com
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs: http://freenet.buffalo.edu/~bh511/faq.html
- Patch versions
For the original DOS version, 2.04 is the latest version. There
is also the Graphics+ patch, which will give the DOS version 3dfx
Voodoo(2) and Rendition V1000 support (Under Win95 or better only)
- Running the game on a Voodoo2/Voodoo2SLI
Here's the batchfile to run EF2000 with the Graphics+ patch on a
Voodoo2 or Voodoo2 SLI. As far as I know, Banshee and Voodoo3 won't work
with the Graphics+ update. Copy and paste the following lines into a file
called EF2000.BAT and place that file in your EF2000 game directory.
--start ef2000.bat --
SET SSTV2_GRXCLK=90
SET SSTV2_FT_CLK_DEL=0x4
SET SSTV2_TF0_CLK_DEL=0x6
SET SSTV2_TF1_CLK_DEL=0x6
SET SSTV2_VIN_CLKDEL=0x1
SET SSTV2_VOUT_CLKDEL=0x0
SET SSTV2_TMUMEM_SIZE=2
SET SST_SLIDETECT=0
SET FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERVAL=0
SET SSTV2_SCREENREFRESH=60
SET SSTV2_FASTMEM=1
SET SSTV2_FASTPCIRD=1
SET SSTV2_SWAP_EN_WAIT_ON_VSYNC=0
SET FX_GLIDE_NO_SPLASH=1
EF2000.EXE
-- end ef2000.bat --
SLIDETECT turns off SLI if you have a Voodoo2SLI set installed.
So even if your driver won't allow you to turn of SLI, this will work.
To improve looks/performance, try playing with the SCREENREFRESH and
GRXCLK variables. Default for GRXCLK is 90 (resulting in a 90MHz clock)
I've so far managed to get it working up to 105 MHz (using special
cooling!) but the gain is hardly noticed on my machine.
[3-2]: European Air War
=======================
Publisher : Hasbro Interactive
Developer : Microprose
Website : http://www.microprose.com
Off. FAQ : ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/help/eawfaq.txt
Other FAQs:
- 1.2 patch
The latest patch for European Air War is version 1.2.
It's available from the Microprose website or Microprose FTP site,
ftp://ftp.microprose.com/pub/mps-online/new-versions/eawv1-2.exe
- Meatwater sound pack
Meatwater has created a new soundpack, that will make the
game sounds much more realistic. You can find his website at
http://www.meatwater.de/ with info and the download.
Current version is 2.5 (currently offline)
- Enemy Coast Ahead (ECA)
The goal behind the ECA add-on was to make the planes more
realistic in terms of fligt model. More info at
http://www.geocities.com/weurger/main.htm where they also contain links
to almost all other great EAW utilities and add-ons.
[3-3]: Falcon 4
===============
Publisher : Hasbro Interactive
Developer : Microprose
Website : http://www.falcon4.com
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs: http://www.ibeta.com/
- 1.08 patch
The latest patch for Falcon 4 is version 1.08 It fixes many bugs,
including the amount of SA-7's in campaign, wingman actions and adds
line-of-sight radar. This patch needs to be installed over a clean install
of Falcon 4. Installing it over any previous patch might cause problems
and is therefore not recommended. The patch can be downloaded from
the Microprose website or the Microprose FTP site at
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/pub/mps-online/new-versions/f4108us.exe
- iBeta/Realism Patch Group patches
The external test team, called iBeta, released several patches.
The latest is 1.08i2, which can be downloaded from the iBeta site at
http://www.ibeta.com
The realism patches have been taken over by the RPG group. The
latest version is 4.1 (5.0 will be out tomorrow if all goes well :-)
- recommended patch order
At the moment, the following is for most people the best order
to install all the patches :
1) Clean install of Falcon 4
2) Install the 1.08 US update
3) Install Realism Patch 5.0
- TNT/TNT2 bug
With the 1.08 patch however, a new bug crept in for owners of a
graphics card based on the Riva TNT or TNT2 chipset. Fonts look garbled
and are unreadable. There is however a simple fix. In the control panel
under display settings, look for a slider labelled texel alignment. It
should be set in center, value 3. Set this to 0 or 7 (full left or full
right) and all should work again.
- Vector bug
AWACS doesn't give any vectors anymore in 1.08 Replacing the
commFile.bin file with the 1.07 version will not work, since it will
always give the same bearing. With the iBeta Realism Patch 2 and
better this problem has been corrected.
- Displaying frame rate
To display frame rates in Falcon 4, first press "CTRL" + "z"
while in game, then press "r" Framerates (frames per second) will be
shown in the left upper corner of the screen.
- F4Patch
F4patch is a program by Joel Bierling to manage the various .exe
patches that are available. It's a very easy to use program, which comes
with the 1.08i2 .exe file. Available at
http://www.bierling.net/joel/pages/falcon4/falcon4.htm
- Voodoo2 SLI and Falcon 4
A lot of people are experiencing problems with the Voodoo2SLI and
Falcon 4, usually resulting in a black screen instead of the "pie" image
when loading a mission. The solution is quite simple : turn off Direct3D
for the Voodoo2SLI.
This can be done in the control panel. If your version of the 3dfx drivers
(or your manufacturers drivers) doesn't allow this, go to
ftp://ftp.nl.3dgamers.com/pub/utils/ to grab an older version of the
control panel applet that does allow turning off Direct3D.
- eRazor patch
A person, going by the name of eRAZOR on the Combatsim forums,
developed a new patch, adding DirectX 7 support to Falcon4 (and
droppping the MPR renderer) The patch was based on the 1.07 source code
which means that a lot of bug fixes in 1.08 and the 1.08i2 executable
aren't included. Most of the current fixes won't work since they change
bytes in the 1.08i2 binary, which is different from this version.
Among the improvements are better AWACS support, improved multiplayer
stability and more. Their website is at http://eteam.frugalsworld.com
- Balkan theater
Another group of dedicated Falcon fans is working on a new
theater, the Balkans. This theater is currently still in beta, and
can be found at http://balkans.falcon40.com
- Other terrains
Information on other terrains in development (Such as Vietnam,
Desert Storm, Iceland and more) can be found at
http://hangar18.falcon40.com/terhq/
- Skins
With F4Patch, adding skins has become very easy. For lots of
high quality skins, visit http://www.viperwear.org
- Patch woes
If you are feeling lost among all these patches, hop over to
http://sabre8.falcon40.com for more info on what patches to need, and
the best order to apply them.
[3-4]: Flanker 2
================
Publisher : Mindscape / SSI
Developer : Flying Legends
Website : http://www.flanker2.com
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs:
- 2.51 patch
The latest patch for Flanker 2 is version 2.51 It fixes several
issues with 3dfx-based cards. It can be downloaded from
http://www.flanker2.com (you will also need the v2.5 patch for your
videocard, either the Voodoo1/2 , Voodoo3/4/5 or the non-Voodoo version)
- Mig-29
With the 2.5 patch, the Mig-29 was added, and can be flown off
carriers as well. More info can be found in the readme files that come
with the 2.5 patch.
- New 3dfx textures
Our favourite bartender at the Pink Flamingo, PapaDoc, released
his excellent new set of textures, which improve the visuals in Flanker 2
for everybody using a 3dfx card. More info and download at
http://www.papadoc.net/ However after the 2.5 patch the need for these
isn't very urgent anymore.
[3-5]: Israeli Air Force
========================
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : Pixel Multimedia
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs:
- 1.1 patch
The latest patch for Israeli Air Force is version 1.1 It's
available in several languages, at ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/janes/patches/iaf/
It updates the terrain engine for better image quality and fixes several
other bugs. This version is also needed for Janes Combat Net.
- mission problems
Some people seem to have problems with several missions. Since
they are scripted, they must be completed within mission parameters or
the mission will fail
- Training mission 2 : Landing
Let the instructor make the full training circle. Take over,
make the same circle, ask clearance from tower and land on
correct runway (27) After landing leave the runway by using
the second last or last turn left.
- higher resolutions?
IAF can only be played at 640*480. Other screen resolutions are
not possible because of the engine limitations.
[3-6]: F-15
===========
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : Origin Skunkworks, Baltimore studios
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs:
- 1.17 patch
The latest patch is 1.17. This includes the Direct3D fixes from
the previous Direct3D patch, and all the fixes from v1.12. For Janes
Combat Net version 1.17 is required. The patch can be downloaded from
the Janes website or from EA's FTP site at
ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/janes/patches/f15/f15d3d17.exe
- reducing install size
After doing a full install, it's possible to delete the movies
from the harddisk, thus saving over 100 Mb. To do this, there's a special
utility on the EA FT site, at
ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/janes/patches/f15/movspace.exe
Read the doc. at
ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/janes/patches/f15/movspacereadme.txt
- Female Wingman ?
Here's a small gem I found on Usenet :
--------------------
Posted by CJ Martin (Staff)
on Monday, 5 October 1998, at 5:48 a.m.
in response to Question...Why no "Female" wingmen?
Well, we didn't plan to have female wingmen in the game, but if you look
at the voice actor credits, you'll see a female name there...what gives,
you may ask...
I actually cast and recorded a female wingman part during the speech
recording sessions for F-15. However, setting up the pilot selection
wrappers to allow the player to choose between a female or male pilot
turned out to be too difficult at that point in development.
But we left the female wingman part in the game...
EASTER EGG ALERT:
Here's how to enable the female wingman voice:
NOTE! Edit the F-15 registry at your own risk! If you screw something up
there, you will have to uninstall and reinstall...the below is NOT
supported by tech support!
- Run the program "regit.exe" in the F-15 directory (found on the CD)
- Click on "ADD".
- In the "value" field type "women" (all lower case, and without the
quotes)
- In the data field type "1" (the number one, no quotes).
- Click on OK.
- Close regit.exe. That's it!
What you've done is enabled wingman eight, which is our female voice. So how
do you determine who will get the female voice? If you look at your aircrew
list under the summary, every eighth wingman slot will have a female voice
(Elf, please correct me if I have this last part wrong).
Don't say I never gave you guys anything...
-CJ
--------------------
- Air-to-ground stores in multiplayer
F-15 only supports air-to-air loadouts in multiplayer
However there is a way to alter this.
You can grab LoadMaster (By GTT, now defunct) at
http://www.vanree.net/pub/utils/gtt/f15/
Put it in your F-15 directory and follow the instructions given to you.
Next time you'll take off with Mk84, AGM65 and some AIM-9 and AIM-7. Now
go blow up stuff!
[3-7]: F-22 Total Air War
=========================
Publisher : Ocean
Developer : Digital Image Design (DID)
Website : http://www.did-us.com (now dead)
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs:
- patch
There have been two patch, version unknown. One of the patches is
for people running the Glide version, the other one is for people running
the Direct3D version. Patches can be downloaded from most major download
sites such as 3DGamers, now that the DID websites are gone.
- campaign problems
Unfortunately there's a bug in the game, that gives your opponents
an unlimited number of aircraft. This has never been fixed in any patch.
The first campaign is unplayable because of this bug. Other campaigns are
less prone to it.
- 1024*768 resolution
"Manteau" recently posted a tool, that allows you to fly TAW in 1024*768
instead of 800*600 (only English patched D3D version) It's available at
http://test.disk.com/staging/taw00/
[3-8]: Combat Flight Simulator
==============================
Publisher : Microsoft
Developer : Microsoft
Website : http://www.microsoft.com
Off. FAQ : http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs/faq.htm
Other FAQs:
- patch
There haven't been many patches, however several utilities and
add-ons were released by Microsoft. Among them a modified P-51 skin, a
new mission and a Software Developer Kit. They can all be downloaded from
the Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator website, at
http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs/
- new missions
Apart from several user sites, the Combat Flight Simulator website
CombatFS has several missions for download. And Abacus, a big add-on pack
producer released several packages for Combat Flight Simulator, like
a Pacific add-on.
[3-9]: World War 2 Fighters
===========================
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : EA Redwood Shores studios
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com/
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs:
- patch
The latest patch for WW2Fighters is version 1.08. It can be
downloaded from Janes website or from the EA ftp site at
ftp://ftp.ea.com/pub/janes/patches/ww2/ww2_108.exe
- new dynamic campaign
The folks at World War 2 Fighters Online have released a utility
that adds dynamic campaigns to the game. See http://ww2f.dogfighter.com
for more information. This site also contains TONS of information about
editing every aspect of the game, and comes well recommended :-)
[3-10]: Longbow 2
===========================
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : EA Redwood Shores studios
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com/
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs: http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/combat_helo/longbow2/faq.shtml
- patches
The latest version for Longbow 2 is version v2.09. There's a patch
at the EA ftp site to upgrade your retail v2.07 to v2.09
Additional there's a Direct3D patch, specially tuned for the nVidia Riva
128, Rendition Verite V2100 and V2200 and Permedia2 cards. It also works
for other cards, but it might give some glitches. Glide mode is still the
best way (it works excellent with the Voodoo5 according to many)
- Longbow 2 on TNT/TNT2/GeForce
For those using a TNT/TNT2/GeForce graphics card and still want to
fly Longbow 2 in Glide try the Unified Glide wrapper below. I'm using
Unified version 1.16 with my CL Annihilator card with great success. Also
tried the later versions but 1.16 gave best results (YMMV).
Also, if you put the GLIDE2X.DLL right in the Longbow 2 folder instead of
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM it won't interfere with Falcon 4 or other flightsim
that auto detects Glide.
Creative Labs Unified download (requires serial number)
http://order.soundblaster.com/escripts/download-unified.asp
The "special version" of Unified
http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/redmondave/d_w_c/unified.htm
- azer2000 campaign
There is also a patch, called azer2000. This patch modifies the
campaign Fallen Crescent. It gives the Iranian side several state of the
art weapons to make for more exciting gameplay.
- resolutions
Longbow2 can only be played in 640*480. Using the hacked MetaByte
"Wicked" drivers simply stretches pixels... for better image quality try
getting a card that features Full Screeen Anti Aliasing (FSAA) Some cards
that currently have that capability are the Voodoo5 series and the GeForce2
[3-11]: Apache Havoc
====================
Publisher : Empire Interactive
Developer : Razorworks
Website : http://www.enemyengaged.com
Off. FAQ : http://www.razorworks.com/ahguide/
Other FAQs:
- resolution
Note that the cockpit in this game only supports 640x480. You can
increase the resolution, but you will see a clear frame around the cockpit.
You will also get pauses when viewing the map as the resolution changes
back to 640x480. Installing Commanche Hokum removes this restriction.
- patches
The latest version is 1.1E. The patch is available at the
Razorworks site. Ignore the descriptive information from the site as it
relates to older patch versions.
- wingmen AI
Wingman will fly the waypoints of your mission regardless of
what you do. They will NOT follow you if you deviate from the normal
flight path. Installing Commanche Hokum will fix this problem
- Internet play
Due to the client server nature of this game, it does not work
well with Internet multiplay. However, installing Commanche Hokum fixes
these problems.
[3-12]: Comanche Hokum
======================
Publisher : Empire Interactive
Developer : Razorworks
Website : http://www.enemyengaged.com
Off. FAQ : http://www.razorworks.com/chguide/
Other FAQs:
- Apache Havoc link
The game will link with Razorworks previous title, Apache Havoc.
The link will add 3 larger campaign areas to Comanche Hokum and the 2
helicopters. The link will also remove the 640x480 cockpit size
limitation of Apache-Havoc though the new cockpits are somewhat blurry.
It will also provide the campaign interface and wingman AI to A-H.
Be sure to first patch Apache Havoc to v1.1e , then run the game once (so
it goes through the graphics conversion routine) Then install Comanche
Hokum in the same Razorworks folder, and on starting Comanche Hokum
it should show on the topleft "Apache Havoc found" or something similair.
- choosing Apache-Havoc chopper in game
First select a side (blue or red) then in game look for
"attack" missions. These missions are flown by Apaches or Havocs.
Recon or attack/recon are flown by commanches or Hokums.
- extra missions
Razorworks also released a set of 5 new skirmish missions.
They can be downloaded from http://www.razorworks.com/chnew/index.htm
- patches
The latest patch is 1.4.6X , which can be downloaded from
http://www.razorworks.com/ch-x/index.htm It needs the v1.4.1C patch,
which is available at http://www.razorworks.com/chpatch/
With the v1.4.6x patch, the problems with USB controllers are finally
fixed.
[3-13]: Mig Alley
=================
Publisher : Empire Interactive
Developer : Rowan Software
Website : http://www.rowansoftware.com/
Off. FAQ :
Other FAQs: http://www.hengist.co.uk/MiGAlley/
- patches
The latest patch for Mig Alley is 1.23, which can be downloaded
from the Rowan website.
[3-14]: Battle of Brittain
==========================
Publisher : Empire Interactive
Developer : Rowan Software
Website : http://www.rowansoftware.com/
Off. FAQ :
- patches
So far there has been one patch by the Rowan team. It's available from
http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/download/bob.shtml
That page also has tons of other BoB downloads worth looking into.
- stutter tip
From several people in the newsgroup : if you have a really fast machine
and still experience stutters while in the game, try turning *UP* your
detail
levels.
- source code
Rowan/Empire are currently looking into giving the source code to the game
to the community in the form of an OpenSource release. This would allow
people to
build a new sim using the BoB source code. The only limit would be that it
any
derative would need to be OpenSource as well (the entire idea of OpenSource)
[3-15] USAF
===========
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : Pixel Multimedia
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com/
Off. FAQ :
- Patches
The latest patch for USAF is 1.02f and can be downloaded
at the Janes site. Note : this patch does NOT fix the bad flightmodels,
see below
- Modified flight models
There is a serious bug in USAF, which makes for a "bobbing" movement
of the aircraft while in flight. Several people are working on fixes. The
most
promising one is described here :
http://www.bobsyouruncle.net/Page2frameset.htm
[3-16] F/A-18
=============
Publisher : Electronic Arts
Developer : EA Baltimore
Website : http://www.janes.ea.com/
Off. FAQ :
- Patches
There is one patch, v1.01. It's available from the
Jane's website
- Additional campaigns
Several people have made additional campaigns. Matt Wagner of
EA teamed up with Jim "Hornit" Campisi and they released the Valhalla
campaign. It consists of 53 missions. Available for download at
http://www.3dgamers.com/games/fa18/
- Modifications to F/A-18
Lots of people are working on adding/modifying F/A-18 : most of
them have joined forces at TSH (Team Super Hornet) Their website is hosted
by Ham of Fast Jet Simulations. The URL is
http://ham.dogfighter.com/teamsuperhornet/
----------------------------------------
CHAPTER [4]: Other useful internet sites
----------------------------------------
[4-1]: Simulation company sites
===============================
Digital Integration http://www.digint.co.uk
Janes Combat Simulations http://www.janes.ea.com
Microprose http://www.microprose.com
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com
Razorworks http://www.razorworks.com
Rowan Software http://www.rowansoftware.com
iBeta http://www.ibeta.com
Realism Patch Group http://rpg.falcon40.com
[4-2]: Simulation news sites
============================
Simulation HQ http://www.simhq.com
SimArena http://www.sim-arena.com
DogFighter Network http://www.dogfighter.com
FlightSim.com http://www.flightsim.com
Simflight http://www.simflight.com
Frugals World of Sims http://www.frugalsworld.com
Limech's Janes Site http://www.limech.com
Simulation Combat http://www.simcombat.com
Furball Magazine http://www.furballmag.com/
[4-3]: Simulation fan sites
===========================
MigMan's Combat Diary http://www.migman.com.au
eTeam (eRazor Falcon) http://eteam.frugalsworld.com
Flexman's Longbow2 http://www.longbow.co.uk/lb2/
Ham's Fast Jet Sims http://ham.dogfighter.com
Longbow2 threats guide http://www.halo5.net/trg/
F/A-18 Resource Center http://fa18.sim-arena.com
F-15 Psycho Central http://www.ao.net/~chuck/f15/f15sycho.htm
SATCO Network http://www.satco.org
209th VFS Delta Hawks http://www.deltahawks.org
[4-4]: Hardware sites
=====================
Thrustmaster http://www.thrustmaster.com
CH http://www.chproducts.com
Suncom http://www.suncominc.com
Quickshot http://www.quickshot.com
Logitech http://www.logitech.com
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com
[4-5]: Hardware fan sites
=========================
The Stickworks http://www.stickworks.com
Thrustmaster Users Group http://cowboy.simhq.com
Fox Two http://www.fox2.net
Thrustmaster Resource Center http://thrustmaster.vanree.net
Reverse Engineering Masterpilot http://www.axom.com/toddf/qsmp/mpreveng.htm
Masterpilot Resource Center http://members.tripod.com/masterpilot/
Gremlin's Place (Suncom) http://gremlin.sim-arena.com
[4-6]: Download sites
=====================
3D Gamers http://www.3dgamers.com
Adrenaline Vault http://www.avault.com
Gamespot http://www.gamespot.com
VoodooExtreme http://www.voodooextreme.com
----------------------------
CHAPTER [6]: Background info
----------------------------
[5-1]: What happened to DID
===========================
DID was taken over by Rage Software late 1999. They released
Typhoon, also referred to as EF2000 v3.0 Their website (even the
http://www.did-us.com mirror ) has dissapeared. For the patches, check
out 3DGamers or SimHQ.
[5-2]: What hardware....
========================
A lot of people come to the newsgroup to ask about a good system
to run simulation "xxx" ... It's very hard to give an exact specification.
However here are some good tips :
The gamebox usually states a minimum, recommended and sometimes an optimum
system configuration. Minimum means it will run, but usually won't be
playable... recommended is actually what is minimally required to get some
fun out of the game. If you don't have at least the "recommended" specs
I'd stay clear (exception : CDROM drive speed, CD is usually just for
installing)
At the moment, as a general rule, anything below 500 MHz and with less
than 128 Mb memory won't be sufficient for new sims. Most people are using
256 Mb RAM, and CPU's of 800 or more Mhz are very common and affordable.
Videocards are always a hot topic. At the moment, the NVIDIA-based
GeForce3 series are the best cards on the market. Which one you
choose depends on the (type of) games you play and on your budget.
For great reviews, you can check out the following websites:
http://www.firingsquad.com
http://www.sharkyextreme.com
http://www.anandtech.com
http://www.ars-technica.com
http://www.simhq.com
Now I'm not saying you should trust these sites for 100% or that they
are/are not 100% objective, but you might pick up some decent info
(phew... that should get me off the hook :-)
[5-3]: My joystick/throttle/rudders ....
========================================
Lots of people ask questions on how to set up flightsim-specific
hardware. Here are some pointers to FAQ's / websites that might help you.
Also check out the links in section 4 though!
The Thrustmaster FAQ :
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jchall/ThrustmasterFAQ.html
Has info for ALL Thrustmaster flightsticks/throttles and how to set them
up under Windows.
CH Products Knowledge base : http://www.chproducts.com/support/index.html
All the info on using CH Products with Win3.1/DOS, Win95/98 , WinNT/Win2000
If you still experience calibration problems, head to
http://www.stickworks.com and grab CTFJ (Center the F***ing Joystick) which
should help you.
[5-4]: 3dfx support
===================
As you've all seen, 3dfx is no more... their website is slowly dying
too, and with it the download sections which hold the drivers.
However fear not : 3dfx drivers can be found at
http://www.vanree.net/pub/utils/3dfx/
http://
-----------------------------
CHAPTER [6]: FAQ related info
-----------------------------
[6-1]: Submitting info for this FAQ
===================================
If you have any information you think should be included in this
FAQ, drop me a line at java...@vanree.net, and mention the word FAQ
in the subject line.
[6-2]: Thanks to....
====================
Well here's a small list of people I'd like to thank for their
help. I'm sure I forgot about some of you, if you're not mentioned but
should be, let me know!
James Hallows - Programmer of Fox Two, Thrustmaster FAQ maintainer,
and simply a great guy!
Bob Church - Designer of electronics for Thrustmaster, maintainer
of The Stickworks and the guy that made the new
digital chips for the Thrustmaster F-16 FLCS/F-22 Pro
and F-16 TQS.
Alex Pavloff - Various titbits of info on EA / Janes
Christer Johansson - Longbow2 Glide info
Jay Livens - Apache-Havoc and Comanche-Hokum info
--
Jan-Albert "Anvil" van Ree | http://artsen.vanree.net
VanReeDotNet IT Solutions | http://www.vanree.net
Thrustmaster Resource Center | http://thrustmaster.vanree.net
Jan-Albert van Ree
MiGMan wrote:
> Jan-ALbert,
>
>
> 4-3]: Simulation fan sites
> ===========================
> MigMan's Combat Diary http://www.migman.com.au
>
> can you change this to
>
> MiGMan's Flight Sim Museum http://www.migman.com
Sorry, didn't catch that one :-( Fixed now, new version will go out next
week.
For all of you that wondered why I stopped posting :
My provider (Chello.nl , part of UPC) fucked up their Usenet servers last
year, no longer allowing me to post much over 10 lines. I've been fighting
for months, but it looks like at the moment things are fixed again, so
we're back :-)
Again, if anybody has something to add, please email me!
MiGMan
news:de6X6.132665$s21.2750310@Flipper...
<snip>> > can you change this to
> >
> > MiGMan's Flight Sim Museum http://www.migman.com
>
> Sorry, didn't catch that one :-( Fixed now, new version will go out next
> week.
Thanks!
--
Peter "MiGMan" Inglis <mig...@migman.com>
Flight Sim Museum <http://www.migman.com>
Get the Museum newsletter - send a blank email to
<migman-s...@listbot.com>
Check out PC Pilot magazine at
<http://www.migman.com/ref/mags/pcpilot/pcpilot.htm>
Jacco van Schaik
Jan-Albert van Ree <java...@vanree.net> writes:
>
> For all of you that wondered why I stopped posting :
> My provider (Chello.nl , part of UPC) fucked up their Usenet servers last
> year, no longer allowing me to post much over 10 lines. I've been fighting
> for months, but it looks like at the moment things are fixed again, so
> we're back :-)
Last time I checked their news servers were still fucked up :-( I've
switched back to using my account on XS4ALL. I knew there was a good
reason not to terminate that account (besides just being lazy, that
is)...
Groeten, - Jacco
--
Think about it: | IRL: Jacco van Schaik
|
If the wheel had never been | Mail me: jacco at frontier dot nl
reinvented, we'd still be | Spam bait: postmaster@localhost
driving on logs... | See also: http://www.frontier.nl/