Flight System G940 from Logitech

Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 1:58
Kevin Glover asked if he could contribute a review after he received the Logitech G940 flight control system. Not known for turning down flight sim enthusiasts who wish to contribute, we said sure. Here's what Kevin has to say about his Gold Star Awarded G940 system.

"The Logitech G940 is the equivalent of the F-22 in controller circles; bigger, better, and revolutionary. This package comes at you with an extensive list of features and a very sleek physical appearance. In the box you’ll find a quick-start guide, a sheet of decals to apply to buttons, a CD with Logitech’s drivers and profiling software, and the AC power cable. The Logitech Profiler is, in my opinion, a very intuitive program which will allow the user to gain a good deal of versatility from the controller. I must admit that I was rather daunted at the prospect of learning how to use this Profiler and after using the Logitech program, I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I discovered that this program is considerably less complex than other managers."

"The pedals - The base of the pedals has two retractable carpet grips, in addition to the rubber grips for slicker surfaces. In my opinion, the pedals themselves are very comfortably sized and I can wear my bulky shoes and still have them fit comfortably on the pedals."

"The throttles - Most certainly one of the biggest selling points of this product is the ‘dual throttle’ feature. By means of a small metal rod in the base of the levers, the user can alternately lock or unlock the throttles and thus operate them separately or together. Perhaps one of the more interesting features of the throttle are the eight buttons which are purported to be capable of changing color in relation to such things as gear or flap position in-game."

"The joystick - The stick features one POV-switch, a two-stage trigger, a pinkie trigger (intended for the little finger to operate the shift control, but it can really be used for anything), as well as other assorted buttons. Most interestingly, there is an odd little miniature axis, complete with pushbutton, mounted on the top of the joystick above the POV. The joystick is fairly heavy, which is definitely a good thing since extra force is used upon it to overcome the force feedback. The base is rather large and comes equipped with rubber grips to prevent sliding. One rather nice thing about this stick is the addition of three axes on the base of the unit. These are intended to control trim on an aircraft."

"the G940 uses something called I-Force technology from Immersion Corporation. I-Force is a pre-coded engine that controls how the joystick responds to stimuli from whatever game you’re playing. As products with I-Force have their own chip dedicated to processing FF commands, it is intended to take some of the load off of the CPU and actual game engine. Additionally, it can coordinate the motors to replicate multiple forces, such as rolling along a dirt strip with wind gusts at the same time."

After taking this system for its test run through various flight regimes, Kevin concludes, "I will be one of the first to compare this unit to the Saitek X-52 Pro. The X-52 has had a long and glorious career as one of the pinnacles of the flight simulator world – change, however, is a good and constant thing. My overwhelming feel is that Logitech's Flight System G940 is truly a quality unit and I feel that I can confidently say that this is the definitive HOTAS or Force Feedback-enabled system available."

Cascade Game Foundry: New Sim Development Studio

Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 23:25
Cascade Game Foundry Forges Ahead, Opens New Simulation Game Development Studio

Founded By Former Microsoft Aces Studio Veterans

Seattle, Washington, October 12, 2009 – Cascade Game Foundry, a new game development studio in Washington, today announced their entry into the simulation marketplace with an experienced team of industry pros poised to create a portfolio of innovative and engaging products which will appeal to both aficionados and people new to the genre.

The two founders, Creative Director Rick Selby and Managing Director Kathie Flood, are no strangers to simulations – both are former Microsoft Aces Studio leaders and industry veterans. Not only will Cascade Game Foundry address the significant hole in the simulation market left by Microsoft’s recent departure, it will push new boundaries with the latest in cutting-edge graphics, simulation and web technology.

“The beauty of starting a new studio is that we get to reconsider all our preconceived notions,” comments Selby, a former Lead Product Designer at Microsoft. “Our previous efforts focused on building traditional simulation titles. However, now we get to redefine what a simulation game can be. As a designer, that is incredibly liberating.” From a gameplay standpoint, Cascade Game Foundry is looking to broaden the market. “The hardcore simulation fan is the critical foundation, but why stop there?” says Selby. “We want to deliver unique experiences that appeal to diverse audiences around the world.”

Flood, a former Microsoft Senior Program Manager with 15 years of industry experience, is excited about the possibilities. “We want to combine the naturally inquisitive nature of the human spirit with the stunning resources of the planet. The simulation market is known to be a strong, consistent performer, but our vision extends beyond flying and railroading,” she says. “Think of SCUBA diving off Hawaii, traversing the Andes, hiking the Great Wall of China … the possibilities are endless.”

Selby and Flood are joined by a number of other former Aces members and game industry veterans. “We have an incredible team lined up across all disciplines,” adds Flood. “Every person has numerous years of professional experience and a proven track record of delivering multi-million-selling titles. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to reinvigorate the simulation market with a quantum step forward and our products will convey that sense of passion, fun and excitement that we have always had for the genre.”

“If you love simulations, the news is going to get better and better,” hints Selby.

Cascade Game Foundry, LLC is hard at work on the design and demo for their first project.

Cascade Games Foundry

New Wilco titles in the Avsim Store

Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009 - 22:00
The Avsim Store has just added a few more titles from Wilco available as instant downloads: The Tilt Rotor and the E-Jets Series. This adds to our collection of Wilco titles comprised of the Boeing 777, the CRJ Regional jet, the Airbus A400 and the Cessna Citation X. All are available as instant downloads.

Visit the Avsim Store today.

Approaching Innsbruck from Aerosoft

Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009 - 18:40
Staff reviewer Viktor Lakatos heads to Austria to check out Aerosoft's Approaching Innsbruck. "Innsbruck airport gives us something special. It is not a JFK, Heathrow, Frankfurt, or Hong-Kong-scale airfield. However, this airport is also a famous one, but not because of its complexity, nor its passenger statistics. Its location and unique surroundings put it in the list of the most enjoyable airports in the world."

"As we look down at Aerosoft’s Innsbruck scenery from a bird’s eye view, we can see a nice photographic landclass with relatively smooth borders. The GMAX designed 3D objects have good quality; we meet many custom buildings that also raises the level of reality. The city is alive: vehicles are moving in the streets continuously, traffic is always huge on Motorway A12. I cannot go on without making a note on train traffic. As the train passed the level-crossing, the gates opened. Great small details: the pantographs of electric locomotives were sparking."

"Innsbruck is a relative small airfield with one concrete strip. Taxiways A and B connect the apron with the runway. Taxiway Z couples the northern hangars to the runway. Good news for helicopter fans, there are two helicopter landing facilities included in the scenery. I liked the nice grass texture between the apron and the runway. The night textures are very nice, although dark vehicles are moving on the apron at night. I cannot say anything bad about the textures at all. The airport is fully compatible with Aerosoft’s Airport Enhancement Services"

Viktor goes into the details of the approaches into Innsbruck and some of the special limitations of arriving there by taking you through the approach, with tips to help you along the way. "Aerosoft’s Approaching Innsbruck is a definite must-have for those who fly not (only) because of the moving jetways and automated docking guidance, or large airports with tons of ‘shiny’ features, but like challenges and are not afraid of navigating in foggy weather between high snowy peaks. Aerosoft’s Approaching Innsbruck scenery shows that Innsbruck is in deed: A small, lovely airport at a beautiful place."

French language Fs2Crew 2010

Posted: Sunday, October 11, 2009 - 14:28
Fs2Crew release French language Fs2Crew 2010 FSX default 737 'Voice Commander' Edition, with a new interface using voice commands and instructions to communicate with various crew members.

Now,the simulation becomes interactive without pressing buttons on your joystick or keyboard, the French main OPS manual is available in the FS tutorials, for a look at the French manual in pdf form visit the Website.

Ultimate Airport Environment

Posted: Sunday, October 11, 2009 - 14:15
Zinertek is pleased to announce the release of Ultimate Airport Environment for FS2004. This package greatly enhances all the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 default airports throughout the world. You will see more realistic and detailed airport buildings, terminals, runways, taxiways, tarmac surfaces, hangars, warehouses, and much more! For more information regarding this product visit Zinertek's Homepage .

AVSIM Back 100% and Growing

Posted: Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 18:16
Tom Allensworth, CEO and Publisher of AVSIM, today issued this statement; "We have just concluded our AVSIM Board of Director's Meeting at the Chicago O'Hare Hilton and are now looking forward to tonight's Social at the hotel. We are looking forward to meeting our fellow flight simulation enthusiasts and discussing the future of the hobby and AVSIM. We look forward to seeing you here.

We also want to take this moment to proclaim that AVSIM is 100% back in operation and we are now setting the course for our future growth and expansion of our features and offerings. That we are able to do this at all has been made possible by the thousands of donations that were made to AVSIM at the time of the hack in May and which continue today. We are extremely proud of the community's support in helping us to get back online, and for being patient and understanding of the challenges that needed to be overcome to get us back to full operation.

But, we are not finished. Prior to the hack we had planned on updating the library system and a complete revamp of the AVSIM Web Site. Now that we are back to full functionality, we are moving again to implement those changes.

We wanted to thank all of our supporters and those who gave so generously, and to let you know that we are committed to improving the AVSIM system. Thank you and we hope to see you in Chicago tonight!"

P - 38 Lightning Demo & Service Release

Posted: Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 14:31
Flight Sim Developers P 38 Free Trial Demo and a stand alone Service Update have been released, the Classic Warbird from FSD has been updated to include new features and requested modifications and these have been released in the form of a Service Update , current owners will find all the requested features and fixes on this small installer.

FSD is also pleased to announce that its full featured P 38 Free Trial Demo is ready to bring this aircraft to you for an hour free of charge, the Demo is a complete version of the aircraft with all the paint schemes and models but time limited, visit the Flight Sim Developers Homepage for complete details and pictures of the release.

Add-on Scenery for LPPR Airport in Portgual

Posted: Friday, October 9, 2009 - 19:59
Tropicalsim has released a scenery of Francisco de Sá Carneiro International airport ("O Porto / LPPR"), in Portugal. Also regarded as one of the main entry gates to Europe. The scenery is availabe for FS9 and FSX. The product is expected to be very realistic and detailed with great visual and also with minimum impact on frames rate. More information visit TropicSim website.

Add-on to Enhance Force Feedback Effects

Posted: Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 19:43
Dirks Software has announced release of "FS Force 2.5". FS Force is an add-on module for FSX which provides force feedback effects in response to changing flight conditions, on the ground or in air.

On the ground, you'll feel bumps, dips, pavement grooves, sharp cornering, braking forces, hard landings and more. In the air, you'll feel realistic trim forces, and centering forces that vary with airspeed. You can also add friction and damping to the flight controls to further enhance realism. Two new features in this latest release include the "stall buffeting and stick shaker forces".

FS Force version 1.o is still available for those using FS9. Complete details can be found on the FS Force website.

New Website for Home Flightdeck Builders

Posted: Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 19:32
A new website has been launched to show case home made flight decks called myflightdeck.org . This website aims to showcase various home made flight decks and also a platform where flightdeck builders interact with each other. For more information visit myflightdeck.org's home page .

Strike Fighters 2 Series from Third Wire

Posted: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 23:53
Staff reviewer Peter Clemenko III jumps into the cockpits of various military fighters in a series of releases by Third Wire - Strike Fighters 2, Strike Fighters 2 Vietnam, and Strike Fighters 2 Europe. "Strike Fighters 2 is more based around the Middle East, where the Vietnam title is, you guessed it, based in Vietnam, and Europe is Cold War era Germany. Each one comes with a multitude of aircraft, and a good array of campaigns and weapons."

"As far as content goes, with the various products installed, you get plenty of campaigns along with a random mission generator. The biggest issue I had though was there were no pre-set missions, mission editors, or training missions, and no multiplayer. The campaigns are pretty good, however they seem a little repetitive. However, the sim does well to mix up air to ground and air to air ops, even though the missions felt canned."

"The AI in this sim seems to be pretty good. I don’t want perfect AI that never makes mistakes as that would just ruin the feeling of it being human. The graphics seem pretty decent, and as such, I enjoyed them. I enjoyed the little details I noticed such as the pilots head pivoting on a swivel in the cockpit from the external view. I also noticed that the cockpits were pretty good, and there were plenty of them, including various cockpits based on numerous versions of the same aircraft. That was a nice little touch."

"All in all, Strike Fighters 2 is a breath of fresh air up to a point. There are some major let downs though. The biggest one I can think of is the fact that they pulled the Multiplayer option (which was in the first version), and they didn’t include any training missions."

vroute Support For Jetstream JS4100

Posted: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 14:46
"vroute" is the first flight planning and preparation tool to offer full support of the PMDG's latest product - the BAe Jetstream JS4100 - both in route export format and fuel calculation. Route export - users can now export any of the available routes into PMDG's file format. In less than a few mouse clicks, the FMC gets preloaded with the selected route. This saves time in FMC programming and reduces the risk of mistakes, resembling the way airline pilots do with company routes. In addition to the Jetstream 41, vroute supports many other add-on aircraft formats, including PMDG 747 and MD-11, Level-D 767, PSS and Wilco Airbus / ERJ. Fuel calculation - Calculating the required fuel is no simple task, especially when one has to consider factors such as high-altitude winds, impact from payload and distance to alternate airport. Complete details can be found at the "vroute" website.

Library Update Newsletter Back Online

Posted: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 22:19
Avsim Members can now receive daily notifications of the latest arrivals in the Avsim Library via their Email again by clicking the List Server link here or on the top of the Front Page and follow the instructions to get your Library Updates delivered directly to you each day .

New Home Cockpit Building Website Announced

Posted: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 2:21
An all new web community has been launched dedicated to home cockpit builders, called Cockpit Builders . This is a non commercial website and hopes to support anyone taking on the challenge of recreating a favorite aircraft in a more "Life Like" atmosphere by providing a large group of people to look upto for interaction, exchange of views, advice, etc. For more information visit Cockpit Builders Homepage.

From the Library Director

Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 - 18:00

It is great news to report the library is now, once again, back to a normal state. AVSIM is very proud to have endured the hardship and prevail with the full support of the community we serve. I would like to thank everyone involved in the process. Further, I believe we should all come together and thank the library managers who endured vigorous waves of e-mails, forum postings, and harsh criticism. Thank you to Rick Case, Gary Buska, Jerel Hayes, Hendrik Herryjanto, Momtchil Dobrev, and Mark Plumley.

The very threads that piece this community are the men and women who serve it. It is rare and far between we get a chance to thank them. Once again, thank you gentlemen for your hard work. The community and I applaud you.

Respectfully,
Chase Kreznor
Library Director

Roussillon Aéro Simulation Releases More Gliding Mission

Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 - 17:54
Roussillon Aéro Simulation introduces 8 new FSX gliding missions around Australia. For more information visit Roussillon Aéro Simulation Homepage.

DBS Studio Releases New 2D Panels

Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 - 17:30
DBS Studio announces the release of a new series of easy-of-using authentic 2D panels for Flight Simulator 2004 and Flight Simulator X. DBS's Yak-40 Panel presents an authentic Russian "Classic Age" aircraft environment, combined with easy to use pilot's operations; such as fast start, easy takeoff, easy flight, and easy landing. Full information is available at the DBS Studio website.

Historic Jetliner Group Update

Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009 - 17:24
Freeware HJG have released a flightline full of new and upgraded files featuring yet more high quality classic/nostalgic jetliners for both FS2004 and FSX. Latest textures for HJG Boeing aircraft include an extremely rare B707-320B SCD (only 5 of these aircraft were ever built) in the late 1970's livery of a major Hong kong based international airline. Early production B727-100 aircraft supported by liveries for 3 Mexican carriers from the 1990's, and the late 1990's identity of a lesser known operator from the African Congo. Late production B727-100 aircraft are represented by 2 variations of colourful and patriotic livery applied to the aircraft. For a complete list of all the new files, visit the Historic Jetliner Group website.

Library Upload Capability Restored

Posted: Sunday, October 4, 2009 - 17:26
Our tech team has been hard at work since the commencement of the AVSIM restoration to bring the website back to its previous state. We are happy to announce that as of today, our Library upload capability has been restored.

Your uploads will go through the same process as before, approved and edited by the Library Managers ans then placed on our electronic shelves for your access. Thanks to all of our Library users for their patience. Let the uploads begin....