Classic British Flight Sim

I s'pect you've all heard about this.

Mayb some not.

So have a looky:

http://www.captainsim.com/products/w001/video.html

At £12.66 and a free SDK to do your own stuff (like add the HUD to your other VC's), I think it's a bargain.

Except for above mentioned possibility to add it to other VC's, weapons systems control is via a 2D panel only. Won't be long before people are uploading their own versions, though.

The VC WCS does work 'out of the box' with the default F-18 and Capt Sim's own XLoad F-18D, though.

Lots of AI and conflict-era stuff included, too (Far East WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq etc).

List:

http://www.captainsim.com/products/w001/

JD

Give it a pass. VRS's TacPack will be much better and more versatile, plus it's fully multiplayer capable.

Well I might try the VRS pack - but it isn't released yet and this one is - and not at all expensive, either. Plus I have the SDK, so I can fiddle - but from what I read on the VRS site, theirs will be available to developers only.

Add to that the fact that theirs will (unless they changed it since I read the info) only work with their own F-18, until a developer makes it for their own 'planes, and that we haven't seen a price yet and I'm quite happy to shell out £12.66 for this, Chris.

Plus you get the nice military AI aircraft without having to fiddle about.

JD

Well, the VRS Tacpak will be $29.95, ($10 less for pre-order) which is double the price of the CS offering.

Initial relese of the Tacpak will be for their Superbug with "drop-in" pack available later for 3rd party aircraft (Extra cost? ) The SDK look like it will be available to all.

Tacpak looks like a more complete and better thought-out package, but the CS one is here now, it's fairly cheap, and it works, although there are issues and it's by no means perfect.

The initial release will be for the F/A-18 only, but the development pack will be available to anyone who asks for it in Phase 2. Additionally, for "twice" the price, consider what you're getting compared to the CaptainSim offering - fully functional weapon system including A-A and A-G (no guns yet, the FSX game engine just doesn't want to work for them) that works over multiplayer and shared cockpit and you'll get to "demo" it on their SuperBug. There won't be any additional cost for "3rd party" unless that "3rd party" charges for it as an addon to their existing product. I suspect most "upgrades" will be free since they're not charging a license for the SDK or anything, just for the TacPac core.

The problem with the CaptainSim one is basic to me - they released it in a hurry to "beat" VRS. It's half-baked (no multiplayer for example when that's something that several have been working on and succeeding in, not just VRS) and it requires you to use "their" HUD for it to work. Sorry, but for even that price, it's something that most gauge developers could have (and several already have) done for FSX and release(d) for free.

BTW, here's part of what's been in development "in house" at the vUSAF for a bit -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSAZYQ9l6Lg

Right now, it's just a targeting and guidance module for the AGM-65, but it's one component of a much larger project that's ongoing.

Oh, I agree CS released a half finished product, and I'm sure when the VRS Tacpak does come out it will be a far better product, especially if you have their F-18 (I don't).

Chris Trott wrote: Sorry, but for even that price, it's something that most gauge developers could have (and several already have) done for FSX and release(d) for free.

Where? I don't recall seeing any free gauges that offer the ability to shoot down AI aircraft

I showed you an example of part of what can be done. I don't know about A-A stuff that's been released, but there's at least a couple of A-G addons available. I've seen posts about other A-A stuff over at the Outhouse, but since I'm not an FSX guy or do the combat side at the vUSAF much, I don't get too involved, I just know that I see the results.

Well imho the CS release is more a fun thing.

It can, however, be made into something much better by anyone who wants to do so.

I think the VRS one will probably cost more than I'm willing to pay - that was definitely the case with their Hornet, which is why I said I might get it later - when (if) it gets adopted and released as an add-on for certain other aircraft.

Another thing I've noticed is that all the weapons are modern American. So what am I going to use on, say, my MiG-29 or my Hunter? That was one thing that pleased me about the CS one - a good variety.

• M60C gun
• GSH-30 cannon
• M61 Vulcan cannon
• Hydra 70 rockets
• Zuni 127 rockets
• AIM-7E Sparrow III
• AIM-9 Sidewinder
• R-73M2
• R-60
• AIM-132 ASRAAM
• AGM-88 HARM
• Kh-29
• ALARM
• AS.34 Kormoran
• Expandable to unlimited

Also, the AI aircraft are almost worth the cash on their own (I said almost... ) - but it is another point to bear in mind.

JD

'Scuse the double-post, but I was thinking about this whilst out walking the mutt, and I think that it's very possible that VRS either spoiled Capt Sim's plans or peed on their fireworks.

I reckon CS were planning this all along, had started working on it and were planning to drop a bombshell (pun intended) by releasing it completely unannounced.

But suddenly VRS started advertising and pushing their product all over the net, with release touted for 'Spring 2011' and CS was in a kerfuddle. Should they continue to develop 'their' baby and hope that people would still buy it after the VRS version was released? Chances are, the VRS one would cost a bit, so people might well not want to pay twice for, effectively, the same thing. Or they might be happy with their VRS weapons and leave it at that.

So they had to either hurry up and release something, ditch the whole thing or carry on developing and hope that it was better than VRS.

My guess is that they thought they would do a little release-polishing of what they had (i.e. wrap it up for the punters) and throw it out there now, to see what the response was. If lotsa people bought it and showed enthusiasm, they would continue to develop, knowing that a certain amount of sales were in the bag.
If interest was low (and their feedback/request forum for this pack is indeed rather quiet) they would just quietly let it slip into oblivion.

Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that this last is what will happen. I really hope not - if they continue to develop it, it could be as good as anything out there this is Capt Sim we're talking about, after all - and competition is always nice for us punters

Time will tell.

JD