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Alphasim Hudson is out !

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 11:41
by Paul K
It looks bloomin' gorgeous too ! :dance:

EDIT: Hmmm...the 2D panel isn't up to much, is it ? :think:

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 11:52
by DaveB
Ker-ching!!

There goes a few more quid!! :lol: Tks Paul :wink:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 12:32
by DispatchDragon
Guess I will be pounding the plastic when I get home from work :)
Hope SWMBO doest notice
Leif

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 17:36
by DaveB
Quite frankly.. a little disappointed.. especially given the $40nz price tag :sad:

2D panel.. Not up to much as Paul has already said. :huf:

Tail gear doesn't rotate and contact point is off the deck. :huf:

Impossible to turn aircraft on the ground using diff braking (braking too fierce). :think:

Aerial wires.. GOD.. :doh: These can probably be seen from space! :huf:

Takeoff roll.. as the tail lifts, the main gear unsticks too! :dunno:

I'm not sure how long it takes to get from SeaTac to Boeing Field but I've already had enough :roll:

As I said.. disappointed :sad:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 21:50
by Paul K
DaveB wrote:Quite frankly.. a little disappointed.. especially given the $40nz price tag :sad:

2D panel.. Not up to much as Paul has already said. :huf:

Tail gear doesn't rotate and contact point is off the deck. :huf:

Impossible to turn aircraft on the ground using diff braking (braking too fierce). :think:

Aerial wires.. GOD.. :doh: These can probably be seen from space! :huf:

Takeoff roll.. as the tail lifts, the main gear unsticks too! :dunno:

I'm not sure how long it takes to get from SeaTac to Boeing Field but I've already had enough :roll:

As I said.. disappointed :sad:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Dave, I knew the aerial wires would be a problem. More cables than wires, aren't they ? :lol:

I feel a bit guilty; you've spent all that money and because of your views, I'm not going to buy it now. I almost feel like sending you half the purchase price for your troubles.

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 22:15
by Nigel H-J
This unfortunately, is one of the biggest problems with payware........you see a product that appears to be just what you want, download it or purchase it from a shop then find it is not up to the standard that you expected it to be with no option of being able to return it and obtain a refund.

What makes it even more disappointing is that the company would be aware of these problems that Dave reported but yet still allowed it to go on general sale.

Sadly I consider this to be totally unfair for the purchaser who would have no recourse on the product apart from hoping that a patch will be made available at some point in the future.

This is one reason why I do not very often purchase payware aircraft as I have spent a lot in the past on aircraft that have left me very, very disappointed and frustrated.

Posted: 09 Jun 2007, 22:30
by DaveB
:lol: :lol: :lol:

That's a very kind gesture mate but fear not, I've been disappointed before and I'm sure this won't be the last time :wink:

Just to make sure I wasn't gobbing off out of turn, I've since read the readme and taken another look at the old girl. TBH, the paints are rather good.. all four you get in the package (two RAF, one USAAF and one RAAF).
The non-castoring tailwheel is a let down and looks totally naff.

The AE wires.. abominal.

The brakes.. they really are far too sharp.

The takeoff roll..
The tailwheel starts to lift at around 70kts and before the aircraft has levelled, the main gear is off.. at 74kts!! As soon as you see the nose dropping, you have to push like stink on the stick to stop it taking off '3-pointer'. I've found pushing the stick earlier doesn't really stop it either so you end up taking off and landing again :shock: Annoyingly.. once it's back on the deck and continuing it's takeoff roll, the speed will increase but it won't lift off on it's own without a decent tug. One would expect the thing to try and leave mother earth but it doesn't.. not at SeaTac anyway. Given another 10000ft, perhaps it would. Odd, very odd.

Once in the air, you can throw it around almost fighter-like which is fun.. well, nearly.

So.. it looks great but those looks are totally ruined by naff AE wires. It has lively inflight handling but decidedly odd ground handling. The panel isn't up to the standard we've come to expect. Quality of paints are well above the norm. Fowler flaps look and animate a treat. Non-castoring tailwheel less so.

I want to like it.. I really do. I could almost forgive the tailwheel.. I could almost forgive the panel.. I could almost forgive the rather poor ground handling and odd takeoff characteristics.. but those AE wires ruin it all. I won't be taking this one out much, if at all.

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Posted: 10 Jun 2007, 12:27
by snave
Alphasim do have a history of upgrading initial releases based on feedback. None of the issues are truly `showstoppers` with the exception of the wires, which I presume are in the .mdl?

Brakes can be softened, castoring wheels can be fixed (as long as the part is animated as such) by messing around inside the aircraft.cfg, panels can be tweaked.

As to whether this should be necessary in a payware aircraft..? :think:

Well, Vista is still being tweaked by its developers, same as FSX... :k:

...And just like Vista, when it's been tweaked to my satisfaction, then I'll buy it. I just love the Law of Commerce! :huf:

Posted: 10 Jun 2007, 13:42
by Paul K
Like Dave said, this is an aircraft you really want to like. Aerials notwithstanding, its a beautiful looking model, and with so much work having gone into it, it really would be worthwhile polishing it up a bit. As Oscar Wilde famously said on his death bed, " Either that 2D panel goes, or I do ".

Posted: 10 Jun 2007, 13:45
by Nigel H-J
Dave, just a suggestion, have you tried applying slight elevator trim down for the take-off as this was quite the norm when flying taildraggers.

Just a thought.

Regards Nigel.