Flight Simulators: G-3 User Report

"Charlie" wrote

I have to agree with you in that G3.5 is a vast improvement over G3. And the price is right if you are a G3 owner - FREE!

Ed Cregger

Geez, Ed and Charlie, my experience is (kind of) just the opposite of yours. G3 and its various versions up through .448 was no problem for me or my computer (and its more of a "home/business" machine than a game machine). It ran and performed terrifically with a few exceptions that were the fault of a cheap integrated video card. I learned to fly with it and soloed on my second day of actual flying with an instructor. That simulator was (and is) a wonderful tool for me. The only problem I have is with the computer; I can't get shadows because the video card won't handle them. Its also a little slower than what your game machine is capable of, Charlie. The video card is the one that came on the mother board. I'd like to switch to something better, but at the moment its pretty difficult to justify the expense.

You may not have read what is happening on the

website, but Jim Bourke and his crew are working on a large fix to the flight physics portion of G3.5. Seems that it acts a bit strange during certain maneuvers with certain planes. The custom planes are the ones most grievously affected. In any case a revised version will be coming out as soon as they get the thing rewritten.

I haven't downloaded the new version (G3.5) yet, because I very much enjoy some of the custom planes that one guy in particular developed for G3.448 and prior versions. I like some of the warbirds, but some of the planes like the Ultra Stick and the Extra 300, 330 and those types are really nice performers on G3. My understanding is they aren't very nice performers on G3.5, so many folks aren't downloading G3.5 until Knife Edge comes out with the revised version which corrects some errors with flight physics.

Your comments have me wondering why some folks love G3 (the original) and why some folks found it didn't work for them. I was aware that Ed didn't think much of it from his early comments about it. I couldn't understand his attitude at the time, but now that you have indicated you had a problem with it, I am wondering if it was a problem with some computers, some video cards, some conflicts, etc. I only know I never had a problem with G3.

I am looking forward to "the fix" even though I don't perceive that anything is broken since I haven't downloaded G3.5. Take a look at some of the comments on the Knife Edge site and draw your own opinion. I'm at a loss to explain why some find the old version better than the new and vice versa. I wouldn't download any of the custom planes until the fix is introduced, however. (Besides, the organization of the custom planes is pretty poor, and they aren't easily identified. And there is lots of duplication of various planes for color schemes. Unnecessary, in my opinion, but I've already said I'm a geezer.

This is by most estimations, the best RC flight sim out there at present. But they are playing with it to such an extent that some youngsters see it as a game rather than as a tool. I guess that the geezer in me. It can probably be both and likely is.

Harlan

Did not know about Knife Edge. Thank you. Probably could have read the literature in the original box? It might have helped a lot along the way. But then the Geezer in me (well past full SS retirement) was quite content with just being unhappy. Now that I have seen good simulator action-- what was it? ". . . after they've seen Paree. . ."-- I couldn't and wouldn't want to go back.

| About a year and a half ago I bought a new, game optimized high class | computer system (Dell) mostly for use with R/C flight simulators.

Dell isn't really known for making good gaming systems. I know they've been trying lately, but most people who buy systems for games don't buy Dells -- or any prebuilt computer, for that matter. (Except for things like Alienware, of course. Which Dell bought recently ...)

| Performance has been dismal. Planes will not respond to control | inputs and crash if any change is made to throttle, etc. Some days | or time of day has been better or worse than normal, but overall, | flying the simulator has been a nightmare. I have flown a few | 'real' R/C planes and it was not like that at all.

I've found that changing the throttle often leads to a crash in my R/C planes! As long as I'm not flying a glider, as long as I don't ever advance the throttle, my planes never crash!

| I have been through stuff like this before and know from experience it | is not me. Of course no one ever apologizes when it is eventually | proven that the machine or device really was defective. | | A couple of days ago I downloaded the Version 3.5. Broadband at the | wrong time of day took 40 minutes. At a good time of day it might have | downloaded in 10 minutes. NEW BALL GAME.

Wierd. It sounds like what really happened was that G3 didn't like your video drivers or something without an update, which you got as part of the 3.5 patch. Or maybe you got your drivers updated sometime before you got 3.5?

G3.5 shouldn't have increased your performance or anything like that. Really, all it does is give you some new planes, some new airports, some new textures (that's all the night-flying is -- new textures. But it does work nicely!) and some new features like streamers, variable props and the new trainers.

You probably should have called KnifeEdge's technical support when you first found that G3 didn't work well.

| On 3.5 the planes all fly beautifully, all controls work perfectly. | It is sheer delight!!!!!!!! WHOOOOPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

G3.5 is nice, I certainly agree. But the planes flew just fine for me (and probably most users) and G3 didn't crash before I got it.

| The video card is the one that came on the mother board. I'd like to | switch to something better, but at the moment its pretty difficult | to justify the expense.

To be fair, a good video card will probably cost you less than G3 did. | You may not have read what is happening on the

| website, but Jim Bourke and his crew are working on a large fix to the | flight physics portion of G3.5.

I've never found the physics to be that bad. The most glaring exception has always been what happens in crashes -- sometimes your plane would literally explode, with parts flying hundreds of feet in the air as they took on a life of their own!

(To be fair, that seems to have been reduced greatly in recent patches.)

| Seems that it acts a bit strange during certain maneuvers with | certain planes. The custom planes are the ones most grievously | affected. In any case a revised version will be coming out as soon | as they get the thing rewritten.

I'm not seeing any problems. But maybe I just don't use custom planes enough.

| Your comments have me wondering why some folks love G3 (the original) and | why some folks found it didn't work for them. I was aware that Ed didn't | think much of it from his early comments about it. I couldn't understand his | attitude at the time, but now that you have indicated you had a problem with | it, I am wondering if it was a problem with some computers, some video | cards, some conflicts, etc.

It sounds like it. Certainly, G3.5 should not be *that* different from G3.

| This is by most estimations, the best RC flight sim out there at present.

I'm not so sure about that. There's a lot of really good competition out there now. I guess it just took Reflex XTR to come out to really kick KnifeEdge in the shins and make them realize that if they don't get to work, they were going to fall behind. And work they did -- G3 is a massive improvement over G2, and I'm not just talking about graphics. G3.5 is a minor improvement over G3, but it's still nice.

| But they are playing with it to such an extent that some youngsters | see it as a game rather than as a tool.

Flight simulators have always been like that.