Video Games

May 12th, 2019 at 6:45:20 PM permalink
DRich
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 51
Posts: 4942
What is the latest professional flight simulator? I am not interested in games or military, just the best realistic flight sim.

I was upset when Microsoft quit doing theirs as it was pretty good. I'm going back ten years or so.
At my age a Life In Prison sentence is not much of a detrrent.
May 13th, 2019 at 6:57:58 AM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
Posts: 3687
Quote: DRich
What is the latest professional flight simulator? I am not interested in games or military, just the best realistic flight sim.

I was upset when Microsoft quit doing theirs as it was pretty good. I'm going back ten years or so.


I haven't loaded one up in a long time, but I believe FlightGear and X-Plane are still at the top of the heap, and are under active development.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlightGear

https://www.flightgear.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Plane_(simulator)

https://www.x-plane.com/

http://www.x-plane.org/
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
May 13th, 2019 at 10:45:55 AM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18631
I started playing one of those city building games that is almost always showing up in my news feeds. Wasn’t much skill involved but I played for a year until I finally deleted it.
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
May 13th, 2019 at 6:03:56 PM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
Posts: 3687
There is a sinmcity app game.

They all end up being the same thing - a lot of waiting, or decide to pay for the things you are waiting for.

I am playing star trek fleet command now - same thing- fire off an action and wait.

P.s. I refuse to pay a single cent for those games.

The traditional games - full SimCity , Civ V - you could just play and play.

There was some waiting involved, or some resource gathering, but nothing like the "micro-transaction" economy (or waiting) that has become the norm in casual/app gaming.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
May 15th, 2019 at 7:10:56 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18631
Anyone have a recommended version of Civilization VI. Should I get something with add-ons, or just the standard?

Also, I see something listed as Digital PC, versus PC. What is Digital PC?
You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
May 15th, 2019 at 7:45:47 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Unsure about your second question. I'm familiar with the comparison terms "digital v physical", aka download via internet v download via a physical disk, but clueless as to what Digital PC v PC means.

On the DLC, I personally favor reluctance except in certain situations. As I am loath to ever burn a dollar, I don't spend without certainty and so usually only ever buy the base game and get expansions once it's proved. In this case my faith in Civ borne of 2k+hrs of non-waning pleasure in V made me comfortable enough to splurge straight away, though the 80% off was certainly the catalyst.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
May 16th, 2019 at 7:50:50 AM permalink
DRich
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 51
Posts: 4942
Quote: Dalex64
I haven't loaded one up in a long time, but I believe FlightGear and X-Plane are still at the top of the heap, and are under active development.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlightGear

https://www.flightgear.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Plane_(simulator)

https://www.x-plane.com/

http://www.x-plane.org/


Thank you.

I just read a review that said FlightGear is the best free flight simulator. What would be considered the best overall? Our company is looking at getting a few new planes and I want to brush up on my familiarity.
At my age a Life In Prison sentence is not much of a detrrent.
May 16th, 2019 at 11:53:23 AM permalink
Dalex64
Member since: Mar 8, 2014
Threads: 3
Posts: 3687
Well, like I said I've been out of touch, so this really a long-standing impression or feeling of mine.

There are several other flight simulators out there, but I think the best free one under continuing develoment is FlightGear and the best paid one under continuing development is X-Plane.

You can still get MSFS-X from Steam, by the way. People are still keeping it alive. It was written in 2006.

There is a Lockheed Martin flight simulator https://www.prepar3d.com/ which I think is based on MSFS-X, but is specifically licensed NOT for entertainment.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
July 12th, 2019 at 5:33:54 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Maybe DRich would be interested...

Buddy of mine got TrackIR and gave it to me to take a spin. It's...something else lol

Think it's like $150. There's a little rubber padded clip thing and a sensor (~1" x 2") snaps onto it magnetically. That goes on your TV. Then there's a little "T" shaped piece of metal that has 3 tiny reflectors on it. It clips onto a hat/visor bill. Done. Physical installation complete.

Plug in a single USB, Google the driver and download it, it's up and running in 5min. Have the app running when you launch the game and that about entails all the setup needed. You can (in app) adjust several parameters, things like centering, adjusting sensitivity, things of that nature. Even so, it's like 6.5min. Setup's a breeze.

It's trippy as hell. Hopped in an F/18 and I was right there on the deck. Move my head and was able to see just about everything. I set my sensitivity lower to compensate for my perpetually tapping foot, which gave it more stability at the cost of having to turn further to see all angles. Looking dead behind me would get old quick, what with having to turn head 45* but keep eyes on the screen, but you (hopefully) don't spend a lot of time doing that. I also found it difficult to look in my lap or above my head. It seemed to oscillate left and right as if it couldn't tell exactly where I was. Not sure if that's a product of the system or because I'm using in wholly wrong (it's made for a 27" monitor at eye level, I use a 4X" flatscreen well above my head), but it was limited to just those areas.

Otherwise, it was quite the experience. Lean forward the way you do naturally when squinting and it zooms in right where you're looking. Now you can read radar without taking hands off the HOTAS to hit the zoom hotkey. If tracking a plane around you, you can just look for it, instead of looking with the wizard hat and trying to keep up with manual inputs. Whereas before you had to roll the plane, take hands off to find the zoom key, hands back on for wizard hat, locate, then hands back off to unzoom, re-center, and hands back on, all while trying to hold a roll so you can see the target... now you just hold the roll and LOOK. My god, it's so much better.

I would say to test one first. As I oft have TV or something else going, looking to the TV makes my entire screen turn with me in periphery. That's a bit disorienting. You also can't be a fidgety fella; toe tapping and head bobbing don't mix, to my chagrin. And due to my setup, I haven't yet determined whether the difficulty of looking at your lap is a system weakness or just my incompetence. But damn... for $150? It's positively an ease to setup and works damn near exactly as advertised.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
September 18th, 2019 at 3:42:06 PM permalink
terapined
Member since: Aug 6, 2014
Threads: 73
Posts: 11786
Playing Subnautica
So far loving it.
Underwater exploration game
You are on a spaceship about to blow up
You are dumped into the ocean of another planet with a lifeboat pod
Been exploring the weird ocean with weird creatures.
Its pretty fun
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own - Grateful Dead "Eyes of the World"