Abacus commuter package release

[Guest James_Eden]

It's stuff like this that makes me less and less inclined to come here each day. Jon is a very good friend of mine, and he finished his part for this a long time ago. He has included an amazing VC in it. I can assure you that Jon has not been tempted by payware, but rather turned away from FS for the time being. If you don't want it, don't buy it. Amazing to think that you would think of someone who has given so much to FS for so long give it all away without putting some effort in.;( James EdenNZWN

[Guest yarvelling]

The Aerosoft Commuter package is pretty good, but looking at the Abacus website it shows the usual substandard fare. From past experience of Abacus; the most recent being having been loaned by a friend, the Military collection, I wouldn't bother with the Abacus commuter pack. In the military collection, the textures look very 'hand-drawn'....drawn in MS Paint!! The textures for the KC-135 (nice model) don't even fit properly, or line-up correctly!! And the panel is a joke....hideous....at least one of the 'key' buttons don't even work; such as AutoThrottle, the guages don't fit their surrounds, and once again, it looks like it was drawn in Paint! The V/C is appaling: no textures, and the superimposed guages are in a completely different layout to those in the 2d panel! The lighting effects are very basic and don't bear resemblance to those of a real KC-135. The flight model is a little 'off' too...I'm sure that a fully laden tanker like this does not leap off the runway at low speed and then handle with a similar feel to a Combat Sim Spitfire!!!! Shame....as I mentioned, the model is quite nice really. Being a fan of this type, and having them flying overhead almost daily, I was pleased to find a far superior model by Rok Dolenec, and married-up to a decent 707 panel, it's a pretty good experience. The other aircraft in the Abacus pack got no more than a passing glance through the Aircraft Selection menu.It seems to me that Abacus take/buy a fairly decent freeware plane occaisionaly and then ruin it, or just cobble together what they can in as short a space of time as possible and then rush it out onto the shelf hoping that newbies etc. will snap it up: which it seems is exactly what happens....my mate who bought that military collection is just that type!! He knows better now though!!I'm not in the habit of slaggin' off developers, but Abacus really are one of the most cynical 'developers' out there; preying on the 'ignorant' newbies in the way that they do, and so I feel no remorse about having a go at them!!With SO many wonderful freeware aircraft available, and many fabulous payware packages as well, there really shouldn't be any room for the Abacus marketing machine......

[Guest JDH]

I just looked at their CRJ too! God, I haven't laughed so hard in ages!!! POSKY must do the same, I am sure!

[Guest]

correct. Abacus is aiming mainly for the entry level market of package CDs with loads of stuff on them (like this package too) to people who just want a ton of aircraft...Many are sold under license by other brands in different countries, sitting on shelves in supermarkets and electronics megastores.Thus Abacus has the ability to reach masses of users who are completely unaware up to that point that there even is an addon market for flight simulator.Some of them may even see that package and get interested who never had flight simulator to begin with.Some of those people may end up here or at other sites at a later date.As such Abacus products are not (no longer?) meant for those who have gotten used to the level of detail offered by companies like Flight1.In fact, if offered an aircraft like the Flight1 DC-9 or Cardinal I think most of them would give up as it would be far more complex than they are willing to cope with.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

James...I have cooresponded with Jon quite often. I've always found him great to discuss things with, supportive of my own projects, and I think he's one of the better developers out there for MSFS.I am not trying to insult him in any way--it's because I am so familiar with his 146 and other projects that I was curious to see him involved in the Abacus package. Jon could easily sell his work on his own--his 146 is the best there is, same with his other projects.One of the reasons I am growing less inclined to come here every day is everyone gets their feathers ruffled, or turns these threads into some type of personal attack. With all the fraud going on where freeware projects suddenly end up getting sold on ebay, people should applaud the interest rather than the apathy most people display'nuff said...

[Guest Tim]

HiIt says at the bottom, the aircraft are by Jon MurchisonDave EckertTrevor HaleRichard BarkerFrancisco Sanchez-CastenerWhich can nearly all be found in the avsim library. You also get panels with the aircraft - like someone said above the one for the 757 is by Lonny Payne, and ATR panel is from the freeware package by Francisco(?) etc but I was wondering apart from the Tony D'Ambrosio gauges maybe -what is the pricing paying for?As far as I can see you only get some flightplans - I maybe wrong though.

[Martin Georg EDDF 0]

>Hi[...]>Which can nearly all be found in the avsim library. You also>get panels with the aircraft - like someone said above the one>for the 757 is by Lonny Payne, and ATR panel is from the>freeware package by Francisco(?) etc but I was wondering apart>from the Tony D'Ambrosio gauges maybe -what is the pricing>paying for?Well, besides the RealCTR gauges themselves it

[Guest Gdavis101]

You have to wonder! After reading this same review I went to their website just to have a closer look, no intention of buying, but I managed to get into the downloads and into the try before you by stuff.. Downloaded the CL 415, that was a favorite of mine in FS2002, and went to use it.. WHAT A JOKE! I quickly deleted it. I don't really understand what they consider quality, years and years ago I used to buy ABACUS, in fact the last addon I bought from them was the PBY.. It never did work in the water!

[Guest]

>>I think there are lots of people out there, just like>myself,>>who will only fly an airplane if it has a VC. >>I think you are wrong.Can you explain to me why I'm wrong? Just because a few dedicated simmers here love to fly looking at postcards that doesn't mean a good number of people enjoy flying realistically in a VC

[michal 44]

No one is 'right' or 'wrong'. Instead of this arguing it is much better to go back to the last Avsim poll on the subject where users were asked about this 2D/VC preference. I think if I recall correctly majority preferred the 2D cockpit. I was even surprised how VC-lovers were in relative minority. At least this is how it was when that poll was conducted - about a year ago ?Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

[blave 0]

Disclaimer: practically every time I see a post about Abacus, I can't help posting a bash post. That said, this one has new data (i.e. the bit about the Dauphin below).---There are at least two reasons why I'll never purchase another Abacus product - or at least, until they change their business model and get a clue about ethics.Reason 1: I bought the Sky Ranch product when it came out as an xmas present for myself. I have never been so disappointed in a payware FS product, and ironically it's the only one I haven't bought on-line with immediate download. As a comparison, Emma Field totally blows it away in every respect.Reason 2: A friend bought me the Abacus helicopters add-on a while back as a gift. That package includes a number of aircraft, one being the also-available-as-freeware (in Avsim's Library!) FS2002 Eurocopter Dauphin AS365 twin-engine helicopter - the author's first name is Antti; I can't remember his last name right now.In FS2002 this is the best add-on helicopter you can get for several reasons, but in FS2004 the excellent autopilot implementation is totally non-functional due to changes in the way FS2004 handles joystick input. Yet, the release notes/manual for the product make NO MENTION of this FS2004 incompatibility and in fact those documents are the same as what is available for the freeware version. (Another FS2004 artifact is that the main rotor is not animated - i.e. doesn't spin - in the virtual cockpit.)Ironically, the Dauphin has by far the best external model and virtual cockpit of any of the included aircraft, and I believe this is because all of the others were created using Abacus's aircraft creation product (I do not know what Antti used for the Dauphin). All of the others - including the Robinson R44 which is what I was most interested in in this package - are quite poor by comparison, and are what you'll find in lower-quality freeware aircraft these days.In sum, as mentioned in a couple other posts here, Abacus is counting on the casual FS user that does not know about things like Avsim and quality freeware aircraft, and is more than willing to have those folks part with $30 or so due to their un-informed-ness.The final irony is that Abacus has been in the FS add-on business for many years and has outlasted a lot of other companies. It's kinda pathetic that they take the tact they do given their longitivity in this "industry".Gee, do you think that was my opinion?,Dave Blevinshttp://www.flightfactory-simulations.com/h...ster_banner.jpg

[Guest panzerschiffe]

>>>I think there are lots of people out there, just like>>myself,>>>who will only fly an airplane if it has a VC. >>>>I think you are wrong.>>Can you explain to me why I'm wrong? Just because a few>dedicated simmers here love to fly looking at postcards that>doesn't mean a good number of people enjoy flying>realistically in a VCYou provide no evidence to support your claim. Perhaps AVSIM should do a survey.The evidence I provide:Several hundred thousand downloads of freeware aircraft from this site that do not have VC's.Another issue is finding gauges to use. Being a relatively lowly freeware aircraft designer, I cannot afford to comission gauges, nor call on "veterans" to assist me with the creation of gauges. So my planes are crap because providing a VC is beyond my means?If your statement is true, and I certainly hope it is not, then all of my work and the work of other freeware aircraft designers, for whom VC's are beyond their means, would be in vain.

[Guest]

The reason most people fly airplanes without a VC comes down to the fact most of us cannot afford to purchase payware all the time. I never said it is in vain, I just stated there are people who cannot fly a plane unless it has a VC like myself. Using default gauges I have no problem with and don't know why people do. If they want some special gauges then they should purchase payware. I don't expect people to put a VC in every aircraft they create, obviously not everybody has the time. You are somehow taking my comment and turning it into a personal insult and I don't know how that happened. All I stated was that many people enjoy the feeling of flying in a VC, it's like being there. I'm sure you make wonderful aircraft and I am glad there is such a great freeware base with people like yourself, if making a VC is beyond your means then it is beyond your means. I don't expect anything since it is free to begin with. And again, sorry if you took that as an insult it was a mere statement that I think there are more people out there who really enjoy VCs. Nothing againts your airplanes

[FlyinIron406 3]

I like planes with VC's, they are simply Eye Candy....but fly with them, noooooo!I have PMDG,PSS,F1 (Meridian,310), Carenado planes. I agree VC's are nice, but I love planes with out them!iFDG (MD-11, A32x series), Posky (all), countless others!I personally like the wingview!P.S. what is website for Abacus?