PeterR

Hi! Pleasure to meet you, PeterPiper. 🙂

Considering the computing power needed, unless you already built a gaming rig not too long ago, I can see a lot of new PC and component sales. I'm not sure how much will be spent on flight sim controllers, though. If newcomers are buying a lot of flight sim specific gear, it may be worthwhile to wait for them to start selling it off after the honeymoon period is over. Then again, that may not be the kind of gear that more dedicated simmers would want. 🤷‍♂️

Prior to PC's, I flew using a joystick. PC simming has always been via HOTAS. So, it goes without saying that the first time I tried a yoke in a sim was really difficult and unnatural. The many more years I'd been driving than flying didn't help either, since the yoke looks, but does not operate, like a steering wheel. However, all the real-world flying I've done has been with a yoke. So, I'm OK operating with either, but I still prefer the oneness I feel with an aircraft when I have a stick in the right hand and throttle in the left.

Thanks for the welcome, Chock and stans! No worries, vadriver. FS2020 definitely has kinks in it. But prior versions had their growing pains, too.

Greetings all, Although I've been a member of AVSIM since 2002, I've been away for over a decade. I still can't believe it's been that long. So, I thought I'd start here and say hello as I'm sure a lot has changed, not just the forum software. I was thinking about all my old hardware the other day that used analog joystick ports, the PS/2 keyboard connector, and serial ports to interface with FU2, FU3, FS9 and FS X, and boy did I feel outdated. It's a good time to be back in the simming world, though, with FS2020 especially for bush flying. The virtual world is so much more conducive to flying low and slow, now. Since it's been so long, I'm not sure how many of the founders or pilots from BFU are still around, or if anyone still remembers it. It'll be fun rediscovering the AVSIM community and seeing what has and hasn't changed. Keep the blue side up! Peter

Thanks for the like, Ron. I've been away for a while, so you're one of the first ones to get a chance to like a post of mine since that feature was added to the forums. And thanks for the invitation. It may be prudent for me to get my wings back before sightseeing or I might end up plowing the fields rather than admiring them. :lol:

Great way to prevent the wings from obstructing the scenery.

Neat idea John.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)

Hehe. Glad you found the culprit. Comparing with others is a good debugging tool.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)

Came up when I tried. Even the forums are working. The forums were offline a while back but they seem to be up now.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

DXT compression is lossy so you always lose detail, whether or not you can see it. Textures comprised of large regions of solid color will not display artifacts from the compression so you won't notice much of a difference in quality.As Stratobat related, fine details are the most susceptible to degredation since, like JPEG, DXT reduces data in square regions of the texture. When the area is compressed, the detail is reduced. This artifacting is also noticeable with lines and curves in high-contrast areas (e.g. dark lines against light backgrounds). You won't notice it at all in regions of single color.I've done some repaints that looked beautiful in 32-bit. However, when compressing them to DXT3, almost all the subtle nuances of the paint disappeared. I've also had stripes get mangled by the compression. So there can be a significant difference.If you want to optimize the size of your textures while still maintaining the best quality, put textures with low or no detail into DXT files. Then, put gradient and high-detail textures into 32-bit files.As with other kinds of compression, knowing your content and what works best with what kinds of compression (or none at all) are the keys to providing the most "bang for the buck".Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

That's sooooo cool, Pete! Gotta keep that in mind if I ever get over to Florida.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Eddie,With the Radeon cards, you can't span DirectX graphics across two monitors like you can with the Matrox Parhelia or Nvidia cards. To have video on both screens, start FS, create a new window in the sim, undock it and drag it to the second monitor. Then, resize the window to fill the screen. You'll have to adjust the point of view and zoom in each window to get the right alignment.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Just heard the news. Very sorry to hear of your mother's passing, Tom. My sincere condolences. Take all the time you need. We'll all be here when you return.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

I use Paintshop Pro for painting as well as other graphics work (online, print). I like the price and the ability to have both vector and raster graphics in the same file.Even if your tools are a little old (I'm using PSP 7), as long as it has the "basics" (layers, gradients, masks, non-rectangular selections, etc.), you'll be fine. Knowing your tool well is more important than having a gazillion esoteric features.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Mark,I've used the switching planes method too but I quickly found, at least on 2002, that doing it too many times or too quickly would crash the sim. It's great that we won't have to endure those things anymore with Dan's clever tip.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)

Thanks for the tip! Although FS9 loads up much faster than FS2002 did (oh what a bear that was), not having to re-load the sim each time is definitely a bonus.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Give it a try and see if you like it. Some converters can be jittery or have low resolution. Best thing to do it try it and then you'll know if it's good for your purpose.Let us know how it works out.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Hi John,First, it's important that you have enough resolution for your interior textures. I've run into many aircraft where the interior bitmaps were very low res and so fabric doesn't look too good (i.e. pixelated).The next part, I'm not 100% sure about how to handle since I haven't done the modeling side of things. You need to make sure that the textures aren't applied in such a way that their aspect ratio changes. In other words, the textures shouldn't stretch to fill an area. It's also helpful if you tile textures that they all line up. Try using a bitmap with vertical and horizontal centerlines so you can see if they line up with each other. Otherwise, it's very difficult to get things such as weaved fabric to line up across a large area.Hope that helps some,Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Slashdot had an that the multiplayer network engine, [link:www.opentnl.org/index.php|TNL], used in games such as Tribes and Tribes 2 is now available under the GPL. Might be useful for multiplayer in FlightGear?Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us![link:forums.avsim.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=108|Forums] * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

I use PSP 7 and DXTbmp. I like PSP because of its ability to work with vector and raster graphics in the same file (and the price is reasonable too). I do most of my paints with vector graphics but sometimes you just have to have a bitmap layer to splash some oil and dirt around. ;-)PSP is also good with fonts. You can deconstruct vector text into curves and tweak each letter individually. Great for nudging a standard font into the shape of a proprietary logo font.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/index_NewRecruits.html]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

>As Peter said this would be a multiplayer issue and would be>considered bad etiquette. Most modern Windows sims have the>ability to boot players. If you take a page from MS, the guns>and damage boxes would be in a separate file. Without one, the>747-400 wouldn

>But as I mentioned, one thing I'm sure no one wants is to be shot down>while on short final in a 747-400, or for their touch and goes to be>interrupted by a strafing P-51.This sounds like a multiplayer issue rather than a flight sim issue. The multiplayer host should define what's legal or not for all the clients connecting to it: no weapons, all weapons, guns-only, etc.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/join.htm]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Sounds like the main sim executable might be damaged so Windows thinks it's not a Win32 application. Or maybe some compatibility setting in XP is needed? In don't know since I don't use XP. Maybe someone else knows. You might try reinstalling the sim just in case the file is damaged.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/join.htm]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table

Water bombing and fire would be cool for bush ops!If combat capabilities are not in the interests of the FG developers, would they accomodate the code having hooks to an add-on that would supply the needed functionality? That way, there is still a single FGFS that is a civilian simulation, but a combat extension can be downloaded and installed for those that want the functionality. Just as FGFS can support different flight dynamics models, I would envision combat-related engines being pluggable into the system.Peter http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/PeterR.gifBFU Forums ModeratorRenegade/Seawolf Design Group (RSDG)[table border=2" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1][tr][td][table border=0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0][tr][td bgcolor=#6f0000]http://bfu.avsim.net/sigpics/logo75t.gif[/td][td align=center" bgcolor="#FFFFF6]Bush Flying Unlimited"At home in the wild"Looking for adventure? Come join us! * [link:bfu.avsim.net|Web Site] * [link:www.cafepress.com/bfu,bfu2,bfu3,bfu4|BFU Store] * [link:bfu.avsim.net/join.htm]Join!][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table