One of the biggest disappointments with FSX for scenery designers, when the sim was released umpteen-and-a-few years ago, was the fact that ACES neglected to include something called “conditional animations”. That means nothing to most people, but if I said “opening hangar doors”, “custom windsocks”, “piles of snow” and “this product is not compatible with DX10 preview mode” then that might mean a little more. Basically, if you wanted to include anything that animated outside of a simple loop, or only displayed given certain criteria, then you either had to use FS9 models and code, or write a complete module…
Browsing: Editorial
With the well known phrase that “history is written by the victors”, we don’t tend to mention anniversaries of military events here on simFlight… We’d rather not have the politics involved with them, thanks. However, there’s a good reason to mention the events that started this week 75 years ago, because there are some pretty good simulations out there based on them.
Many users of Microsoft operating systems just tend to set their updates to ‘automatic’, or click install on anything ‘recommended’ or ‘important’ without looking what the update actually does. Sometimes, the result of this can be downright dangerous – updates have, in the past, disabled hardware or software and, on rare occasions, made your OS completely unusable until the ‘update’ is manually removed. Sometimes, it’s hard to work out what the update actually does, until you or someone else digs a little deeper: Such is the case with KB 3035583 “Update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates…
Pretty much every PC user over the years has experienced problems caused by heat build up in their system. How many, though, actually delve into the problem beyond de-clogging fans and vents occasionally? Topskills author Bill Stack was suffering from problems caused by excessive overheating, but went a little further than the internet’s combined wisdom suggested, to find a simple cause, with an equally simple solution. You can read his Op-Ed article by clicking “Read More”.
It’s hard to write about a new release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X, as if there was ever a topic that’s been beaten to death more than once, it’s a list of the advantages and flaws of the “final proper part of the MSFS franchise”. FSX is a title that refuses to die, though, well outlasting its successor like a classic aircraft that won’t go to the scrap merchant willingly and now re-released as the “Steam Version” by new franchise licensees Dovetail Games. What we have here isn’t really a “reboot”, “remaster”, or true successor to the venerable sim, however…
Yesterday saw the coming together of some of the major names in the industry, at the RAF Museum, Cosford, to put on “Flight Sim 2013” – jointly hosted by Just Flight, Flight1 and in association with PC Pilot magazine. Alongside the hosts, other big names such as Aerosoft, Saitek, Mutley’s Hangar, VRInsight and Tim Arnot, author of Plan G, were presenting their wares (and in Tim’s case, debut novel!), alongside developers, VAs, FS user groups and more.
Do not be pessimists. Anything that could make change Microsoft mind about Flight Simulator series can be tried and may be positive. If you hope for a new Flight Simulator title developed by Aces / Microsoft, then you can take a few seconds and sign this petition. It asks Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, to reconsider the 30 years long flight simulation series that they gave up.
I wish I could verify that no news mean good news. But I’ve not found any public communication towards Computer Pilot fans on their website or Facebook since the end of November. Well, to be true, in December, we’ve seen an iPad app released. Good. But the January / February issue was due for release this month and today is January 29th. What remains positive at least, is that Maui Artwork who purchased the press magazine is still active and publishes their German language Flight! Magazine on a regular basis. Maybe I’ll create a no-content news subcategory about them, NLS A380…
…or, at least you’d think so from some of the (over)reaction around the hobby. Yes, the inevitible has happened and Microsoft have announced that they are ending support for Flight Simulator X. This is, whether you are a fan of Microsoft or not, definitely the end of an era. It does not, though, as some have suggested, mean that you will no longer be able to install FSX or activate it. What it means is that MS will no longer respond to support e-mails about it, which may cause issues for some that will require work-arounds, but for the vast…
Microsoft announced on Facebook that Flight development has ceased. Anyway, Flight will remain available for free download and the additional content for sale will be found in the same places, to cover a part of Alaska or Hawaii islands for example. The few people that purchased addons are not limited in use. For its five short months of life, I haven’t seen great enthusiasm and a massive community either behind this PC game. The most obvious and repeated criticism towards Microsoft has been to miss a Flight Simulator sequel : realistic, global, opened to third party developers. Will Microsoft listen,…