PC Pilot Subscription

[Swanoir]

Not sure where to post this, I trust my learned friends will move it if needed.

My lovely wife bought me the 2 year subscription to PC Pilot, including the free Commuter xpress2 addon. I would like to offer my thoughts on this particular addon, purely in the interests of informing you, my virtual friends.

Obviously, being free, I can't complain about this product as I don't have a leg to stand on. Also, and let me make this absolutely clear, I can't say a single negative word about the contributors to the program as I have a huge amount of respect for them including Barry Blaisdell etc of PAD fame.

However, I have to say that the visual models are very poor indeed, the panels aren't good, plus the sounds and gauges are aliased to the default a/c. To be honest, it's really quite a ropey addon with very little to contribute to your flightsim experience.

Before you all lynch me and sacrifice me to the god of FS for such blasphemy, just let me qualify my views.

I don't need to tell you ugly lot that the state of freeware in our community is absolutely brilliant. Commuter xpress2 is nowhere near that quality, certainly not as good as comparable freeware a/c of the same type.

Also, in a way, I have paid for this product. In fact, it really was this offer that made me insist to the wife that this would be the only birthday present worth getting (normally I just pick up the odd copy of PC Pilot from WHSmiths).

So, before I get 'orrible things through my letterbox, Commuter xpress2 is awful, BUT, it's free and the lads who made it obviously put their all into it.

Summary:
Commuter xpress2 is not ideal if you paid for it, tolerable if it's free...

Oh, and as for the quality of PC Pilot itself, don't get me started...

[DaveB]

Tks for that. It can stay here unless someone else decides to move it

Wasn't Commuter Express payware once upon a time?? Maybe I'm getting mixed up Whatever.. if it IS what I think it is/was.. it's probably very long in the tooth now and as such, of poor freeware standard.

PC Pilot..
I find myself agreeing with you. The last few copies I've received were due to me (as part of an overall team) being mentioned and I rarely buy it. I've always found it to be similar to the Daily Mail.. somewhat out of date even on the day of release. Ah well.. you can always say 'No Thanks' to any repeat subscription

ATB

DaveB

[dom1]

I agree - I used to get PC Pilot without fail for around three years when I started with FS2002 then moved to FS2004 but then I found they were repeating the same kind of articles when FSX came out and it no longer seemed worth getting (as I'm a diehard FS2004 user). I have a quick look at it in WHSmiths from time to time which tends to reinforce the view that my money is better spent elsewhere.

As to the Communter Xpress thing, it's one of the range they still sell in PC World full price, published by First Class Simulations I think, and it would seem of the same quality as their other packages. Not much of a free gift really

[tonymadge]

I have not bought PCPilot for a long time now, I did a few articles for them a while ago and reviewed Dm and Rp's great planes also did some payware stuff and to be honest I wasnt over impressed with what I saw on the payware side on some of the stuff, I found that you could get the equivalent freeware models which made some of the packages not really good value.
I got dropped off the scene as I wanted to concentrate on freeware as I saw it as the life blood of F9 at the time FSX was not out.
But they were less interested in that and prefered the payware more and more as no doubt it got more "income". When the old team left as the magazine was sold off, the new boss did not even bother to reply to me when I questioned the tail wagging the dog... But now it seems that Jane-Rachel Whittaker odd name for a bloke Started doing virtually all the reviews and god bless he/she/confused... said they were all fantastic every time, oddly enough maybe a coincidence... a couple of pages later were always big adverts for the payware she/him/it had written about Odd me thinks...
I believe that if your paying good hard earned money then you should get honest reviews without fear of bias.... Or am I too long in the tooth to believe in honesty

After a Google search I found this info on Jane-Rachel Whittaker

Nick: Janey
Name: Jane Rachel Whittaker
Doing: Game design, Doctor Who fanatic
Birthyear: 1967
Country: England
Ataris: Jaguar, Jaguar prototypes, STe, STfm, STm, TT*2, Lynx



So it is a bloke...wearing odd trousers???

[DaveB]

Hello Mate

No.. not long in the tooth at all. It's like the old story.. you can't give someone a bad reference. What blx is that! Reviews in these mags should be done by folk who know what they're talking about and should reflect what you're going to get be it freeware or payware. I suppose you can 'read into' what's not been said but that's a disservice in itself.
Not a job I could do to be honest. If something is pony.. I'd have to say so and give my reasons why. That said.. I suppose I could write reviews in an new version.. un-PC Pilot

EDIT after TM posted that shot..
Speechless
ATB

DaveB

[tonymadge]

Yeah the picture just adds on credibility to his reviews

[Swanoir]

This'll tickle you...
Just had a quick test flight in the above mentioned Abacus Dash 8. In the British Airways livery, if you turn the lights on, the entire livery changes to 'Prestige Air'! I don't think I've ever seen that trick, freeware, payware or otherwise!

[Garry Russell]

Amazing

Garry

[DaveB]

Perhaps the James Bond 007 version

ATB

DaveB

[tonymadge]

or maybe its just shyte