Video of the future of flight simulation

[Guest]

I know this is the FS2002 Forum as I visit here quite often... There has been much talk about lighting, etc... in FS2002 and I just wanted to show what it "could" look like someday as the standards are being set right now by IL-2/Forgotten Battles. Check out the video below. It's well worth the download and will give you a good idea of the graphical splendor of IL-2.ftp://ftp.ubisoft.de/il2fb/impressionen.zip Notice the lighting at different times throughout the day... Notice the "blinding effect" by the sun -- certainly a fantastic effect of and by itelf. And, what's great is all this is done as icing on the cake -- the flight and physics model in this sim are unmatched by any other (I've been simming for 20+ years). We're talking about the ability to control propellor pitch, mixture, etc, spins, stalls etc... No "look up table" based flight models here -- it's equation based. The sense of speed down low is unmatched by any sim as well. Keep in mind that in the video, most of the scenery is shot flying at about 1/3 the speed that you would be flying a WWII fighter.Note the European style of buildings/houses appropriate for the areas. Note the historically accurate buildings and their placement. The video start in the summer season and ends in the winter. Note that in the video there is no cockpit shown (another area IL-2 excels in in the area of virtual cockpits -- still unmatched by anyone for realism and accuracy) there is a bit of "jerkyness" in the film that is a result of the video process and not indicative of the fluid 40+ framerates that one would expect when playing IL-2 on a machine that will run FS2002 at 25+ FPS. This post is not to put FS2002 down, it's just to show how wonderful IL-2/FB is and what could be possible if this development team made a civil sim...Enjoy and let your imagination run. There is finally a developer creating sims that will take us into the next decade. Believe me when I say that I have not other vested interest in this "advertisement" except my enthusiasm for such a fine piece of coding art that I'd love every flight simulation nut like myself to be able to experience.http://www.il2sturmovik.com/

[gosta 0]

Hi there,although I'm not even remotely interested in combat sims, that video is stunning - just the water effects alone are worth getting the sim for...Thanks for the heads up.Cheers,Gosta,http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Guest]

Simply Stunning! Love the water too. MSFS will probably get there some day.Ken Peckham CEOB&B Sim Technologies"We put you in the left seat"SimBuilder2@aol.com

[Guest Stompy]

Yeah holy crap. I love IL-2 and everything, but I was about to reply to this thread saying that graphics aren't everything, and sure the flight dynamics might be great but there's not ATC or anything...and then I decided to download the video and check it out.Damn! I guess FB had a lot more updates than I was expecting! That's freakin gorgeous! Now I'm trying to find good FB pictures to use as my desktop. :-)

[Guest]

Yeah,I try to encourage excitement for IL-2/FB any chance I get as the developers (Oleg Maddox and crew) are very dedicated to the community and listen to their customers.Half the time I don't even fly the sim for it's "combat" side -- just practicing touch and go's in an ME109 or a P47 is enough of a thrill. I tried the same thing in FS2002, and there's no comparison. The "feeling" is fantastic. If you have a track IR and can pan around the cockpit, it's the closest thing available today to let you experience what it was like to fly a warbird. The great sound engine of IL-2 has been tweaked as well in FB for even more realism. It really is special to start the engine and hear a throaty rumble as each cylinder pops top life.Can't say enough about what an achievement this sim is. I think no matter the genre that one flies, this sim is a "must have" for anyone with more than a passing interest in sims. This is groundbreaking stuff for sure.

[Gridley 257]

1C is using this engine to develop a ground based WWII tactical wargame as well. See screens here:http://www.codemasters.com/battlefieldcomm...ieldcommand.phpImagine a 3D environment simulation that looks as good from the ground as it does from 1000m! Imagine what a civilian sim could do with this engine!

[Guest]

Absolutely,Your point is well taken. I suppose that it would take 20CDs (or 5 DVDs) worth of material to make FS2006 this superb. That is my only quess as to why the FS series does not this level of technology.Simply breathtaking!Robb

[Guest LarryJ_KMSO]

IMHO, video is worth the download, ~16 MBAt times like this, I especially feel the loss of Rich Harvey. What we enjoy in FS2002, IMHO, was the result of competition provided Terminal Reality and by Rich's genius. M$ will coast until the competition heats up again.Looks like UBISOFT has the talent to give M$ a run for their money. I'd pay $100 US for a civil fs engine that has a factory installed external interface to the engine internals somewhat similar to what Pete Dowson's FSUIPC program gives us with FS2002. May be UBISOFT could sell subscriptions rather than individual programs?LarryFlorence, MT

[Guest KenG]

I will admit that the graphics are very impressive. In fact, since I recently got a new computer that can easily handle it, I might just go out and buy it.However, Hans, the apparent author of that video, needs to work on his roll control. I hope he doesn't fly like that in real life. He'd need an extra job just to pay for all the barf bags for his passengers. ;-)Other than that, I was very impressed. I've always enjoyed the screenshots when I've seen them, but just have not been compelled to buy the game because I've never been into (or any good at) combat sims. I might just try this one out. If for no reason other than its sheer beauty.

[Gridley 257]

>In fact, since I recently got a new computer that can >easily handle it, I might just go out and buy it.Careful with that assumption! Forgotten battles can bring even the best of the best to a halt if graphics drivers, etc. are not properly installed and updated. A glance at the SimHQ message boards shows that people with 3+ GHz computers are getting stutters on the larger maps (Leningrad) with many planes in the air and full detail. As mentioned previously, 1C:Maddox's top guy Oleg is dedicated, and a patch scheduled for may will address these issues no doubt, while adding more flyable aircraft, this sim can push the rendering limits of even the best of the best and it shows! I can attest, I've often ditched my plane just to see the genlty rippling water with full reflections. Gorgeous.

[Guest]

A few words here about PC speed. It all depends in the settings. The water in the vid is the "best" (perfect setting) and can give 30+ framerates if you have a 2.8-3.0 GHz pentium with a 9700 Pro.But... This same machine can also do 70-80+ frames in an interior view with the cockpit on assuming that only the "excelent" water is chosen which looks very good (although not "quite" as good as what's in the video).There map loading stutters are primarily caused by a known bug in the XP OS and there is a patch by MS that has fixed 90% of these glitches...I play the sim with a graphical quality near what's in the video (with slightly less detail in the water) and I still get 35+ in the full cockpit views with 70+ ouside views and I am using a XP 1800+ and a GF3.This sim should be on everyones shelf even if you don't like combat --the flying experience is worth the $ alone, no questions asked... Hope you can get as much enjoyment and amazement out of it as me. I've been playing it over a year and I still feel like a kid in a candy store, discovering tasty new treats each time I fly... It's that good.

[Guest]

MS rebuilt the weather engine for the CoF. Hopefully if and when they decide to rebuild the scenery engine they end up with something along these lines. I can't wait to see what the new lighting looks like in CoF but hopefully it matches or exceeds what I've seen in this video. The sun glare as mentioned eariler is stunning. I won't even begin to praise the water effects. Kil~

[Guest]

Doesn't IL2 use OpenGL?If so, there isn't a snowball's chance in a lava flow that a Direct3D-based sim will get even close. X-Plane has proved that fluid dynamics are best replicated in OpenGL, D3D does good things with effects and lighting and is great for 1st person shooters where texture throughflow is at a premium.If only FS could be made in OpenGL rather than MS's proprietary engine (no chance whatseover of that happening). (sigh)ChasW

[Guest]

>Half the time I don't even fly the sim for it's "combat" side>-- just practicing touch and go's in an ME109 or a P47 is>enough of a thrill. I tried the same thing in FS2002, and>there's no comparison. The "feeling" is fantastic. Can't speak for FB, and I've been using IL-2 for over a year now. And BTW--- the "water" looks great in the video! But as to touch & goes, and the feeling of flight, that same "thrill" is actually available within FS2002 also. It just takes some third party aircraft as well as their VC's to do it! Should FB be radically different than IL-2 when it comes to flight dynamics and virtual cockpits, then I take it all back! :) And I'm not complaining about IL-2 either, since I really do like it. It's just that I've seen a few FS models that can even better it's flight dynamics in specific areas of the flight envelope, as well as some excellent VC's produced by 3rd party vendors for MSFS. What I'm trying to say is ...............yes, there is a comparison, if you've found them..L.Adamson ---- (had to add middle initial to get back here.)

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Great to see you back Sir....! Hope you bless us with some of your great screenshots again!-John