127 replies to this topic

[Ted_Ball]

Ah yeah, that is impressive MERACE.

 

 

 

I just had a quick flight from an airfield in the middle of it but it said the wind was only 15 km/hr so there wasn't much effect. I'll try again because I want to see how much a 100 +  km/hr gale throws the little Robin around and if there is any control.  Very cool

[Ted_Ball]

I love landing - especially on a beautiful day in a beautiful location.

This is Cape Newenham on the west coast of Alaska. Anchorage is about 730 km to the north/east.

 

[Ted_Ball]

I attempted a landing flying from the external view (for director's cut vids).

 

A good example of a bad landing.

 

[bgast1]

I am very much thinking of downloading this. Ted are you playing from your computer? Can this game be played with just the x-box controller, or mouse and keyboard? Even though I am sure that it would enhance the experience, I don't want to spend a ton of money on equipment. Also, does anyone know anything about the game in VR, I have a couple of VR systems. Did you get it from Steam or some other place?

[Ted_Ball]

I'm playing from an Xbox S on my PC monitor. My son tried in on his high endish PC when it first came out on PC and the frame rate was awful.

 

I don't think I'd like to fly with keyboard and mouse. The controller is very successful for flying. I wouldn't bother getting a yoke and pedal setup unless I had plenty of money and was simming to the max.

[Ted_Ball]

Well.

 

I set off on this adventure almost five weeks ago. There's been no hint of getting bored with the sim or hitting the wall, in spite of some long featureless flights. I look forward, just about every day, to flying. The anticipation is there for what's to come and it's probably going to take me close to a year to get back home.

 

I would imagine there wouldn't be many people who would attempt an around the world trip in a tiny plane but it has certainly kept me interested. It was always the longevity appeal of games that was important to me.  Sierra Nascar and Grand Prix Legends for about 3 years, World of Tanks for another three years, Perfect Golf for quite a while - but I always hit the wall eventually. I'm not sure how long I would keep flying after this trip is over but it's going to be a daily ritual for a long time until that day.

 

The reasons being that there is a quality in detail and graphics and gameplay that have the ability to make you feel you are experiencing the art of flying - like any good sim can. Sometimes (a lot of the time) the scenery is superb and has a degree of realism that is gaming breath-taking.

 

I am also educating myself about this planet in a way that could only be achieved by actually flying. I now have a perspective on the vastness and beauty and magnitude of this world that has surprised me. And that's without, the cost, the time, the logistics, the weariness, the officialdom, the anxiety, which becomes the terror, the danger, the loneliness, the sleeplessness, the cold, the heat and so on that one would have to put up with in real life. If I had a real choice, I would be sitting here at my computer every time. Thank you.

 

I haven't even got the most out of the game that has been programmed in. I could increase the realism by a large factor and learn stuff about navigation and radio communication etc. that would provide me with a high standard of expertise in the technical side of flying.

 

There are some small quibbles with graphics. Some flat plains can have casino carpet-like repeating patterns and there is some pop-up (or it would be better described as delayed rendering). These are distractions but not something that could be complained about in the overall scheme of the game. I'm impressed. I'm not surprised. As the basis of a flight sim it is top class. If it improves over the years it will be amazing.

[Ted_Ball]

I was able to obtain the co-pilot services of a mature woman whose name is Sarah at King Salmon Airfield.

 

She's a strange one. Sarah wanted to bring along a weapon. I asked her what for. She said there were bears out there. She was putting a rifle into a big bag and I asked her with dismay if that was a bump stock. She said, no of course not as she hurriedly jammed it in to the bag along with what looked like an arsenal. "How many bloody bears are there?", I asked.

 

She also kept asking me if I wanted a tea party or something. I replied that I don't even drink tea. (I have a vodka habit now.)

 

Anyway, she wanted to do some narration of our flight from Anchorage - so here it is!

 

 

*(I found a site where you could type in text and get an mp3 of speech in various accents. They sound like bad actors but it's not bad for a free site. You can add some html code to make it slower or faster or whisper etc. etc. It is better than adding text to the vids I suppose. (And more fun. Sorry.)

[Ted_Ball]

* New improved version of above video substituted. The final joke makes more sense. I'm sacking bloody George Lazenby too.

[Ted_Ball]

I had been flying along and I dozed off at my computer. (I'm getting old.) It was a little microsleep, and when I came to the engine was screaming and the plane was at a crazy angle and spinning down.

 

I instinctively pulled back on the stick and after a few worrying moments the plane finally responded. I was experiencing sim gaming terror. How cool is that?

 

Luckily I was over the sea and the Robin finds it's own altitude of 5000 feet.

 

Anyway, flying through horrendous weather down the west coast of British Columbia. Total grey-out at 5000 feet. I suppose I can expect rain in Seattle.

[Ted_Ball]

[Ted_Ball]

[Perculator]

LOL, Ted, would it be safe to assume you did not grease the landing?

[Ted_Ball]

Ah Perculator. What about the poignant editing? The pathos of a final goodbye for Alanis without a touchdown which would have been mundane and anticlimactic. Maybe a longer fade-out would have been nice. 

 

But you're correct !

[Ted_Ball]

I made the short hop from Vancouver to Seattle on a beautiful afternoon. No rain, strangely. 

 

There was a moonfall over Mt Rainier which was yet another magic but realistic moment in this sim. I would have liked to see the moon actually set (which would happen) but I was a bit early. 

 

 

I'm really looking forward to the next week or so of the journey. I don't know if I'm an America-phile or not but I've grown up with American culture on TV and movies and music and I've read extensively about American history - so I'll be visiting famous west coast places and sights (and some golf courses as well). Let me know if you want to see anything and I'll add it to the itinerary.

[tanman05851]

Perhaps you could check out TokaTee (the name gave us many laughs as college students in the 70's) in Oregon.Sadly no one ever made the course in PG even though it's a top rated course.

[tanman05851]

You could give Jimi Hendrix a buzz at the Renton cemetery.Mt Hood ,Columbia River Gorge(including Multnomah Falls) and Crater Lake are Oregon must sees.
So many things to see just on the West coast.

[Ted_Ball]

No problem tanman. On the list.

[scrambler]

Me and a friend will be riding motorcycles down Lost Coast highway in Northern California in a couple days. Keep an eye out for us if your in the area. The giant redwoods should be cool to fly over.

[Ted_Ball]

Appropriate song...

 

[tanman05851]

The only time I visited Seattle was Thanksgiving of 1974.Downtown could have been used for a post apocalypse type of movie it was so deserted.Boeing was the big employer and it was in trouble.There was a billboard"Will the last person leaving please turn out the lights."Hard to believe now.
Also went to visit Jimi.It was a much simpler grave back then.I'd never seen so many flowers on a grave before.RIP.