Tonks wrote:Well, seen 9 out off the 12 programmes so far and they continue to be excellent... should have the rest watched over the weekend... gota go back to work tomorrow :k:
BTW... I am talking about the original subject of this thread, just in case you wondered :dance:
Tonks
I think Channel 4 showed the complete series some years ago, I enjoyed them so much I downloaded Orbiter to see if you could re-create it in a sim. Well, I used to think FS could be difficult, the learning curve with orbital mechanics is steep, to say the least!
In the end I gave up and downloaded the shareware version of Eagle Lander 3D. It allows you to recreate the last five minutes or so of Apollo 11's landing on the moon. Even then I will crash 8 times out of 10!
Orbiter is a complete b*gger to master, but it is well worth the perseverance, as it has the most amazing graphics I've ever seen in a free sim. I would suggest Jim Williams series of '60s NASA rockets (available at AVSIM) as a starting point, they can be flown ito orbit or to the Moon with a mix of autopilot and manual commands which only take a few flights to master. Surveyor or Vanguard are good starting points, I'm almost to the point where I can actually land Surveyor on the Moon! :dance:
Orbiter is a complete b*gger to master, but it is well worth the perseverance, as it has the most amazing graphics I've ever seen in a free sim. I would suggest Jim Williams series of '60s NASA rockets (available at AVSIM) as a starting point, they can be flown ito orbit or to the Moon with a mix of autopilot and manual commands which only take a few flights to master. Surveyor or Vanguard are good starting points, I'm almost to the point where I can actually land Surveyor on the Moon! :dance:
Apparently they have just released a new version of Orbiter, have you tried it yet? I haven't reloaded it since my big PC disaster last year, looks like it could be time for a reassessment. :think:
No, Ive got quite an old build with the lower-res textures, and it's still amazing! I think the bulids coming out for the last year or so are pretty much the same though, the changes are maninly minor and more or less 'invisible'
Orbiter is a complete b*gger to master, but it is well worth the perseverance, as it has the most amazing graphics I've ever seen in a free sim. I would suggest Jim Williams series of '60s NASA rockets (available at AVSIM) as a starting point, they can be flown ito orbit or to the Moon with a mix of autopilot and manual commands which only take a few flights to master. Surveyor or Vanguard are good starting points, I'm almost to the point where I can actually land Surveyor on the Moon! :dance:
Oh, I agree, for a free sim the graphics really are amazing. It's still on my hard drive, so maybe I'll fire it up again soon. I'll certainly look into the Jim Williams stuff from AVSIM, was he the guy who produced the Gemini that would fly you into a *perfect* orbit on autopilot?
I don't think so..although I've got the Gemini you mention and it is awesome
Jim's stuff is the likes of Vanguard, Explorer and Surveyor, the very early attempts (late 50's-very early 60s) to get satellites into orbit or onto the Moon.