[Thanks for keeping the old posts active!]

I'm not sure who I thank for keeping the old posts active, so THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I've had time here and there to read some old posts and decided to read about the '04 Max Cup. Wow! That must have been fun. Also, the repaint contest for that event was good too. Don, do you know why there was never a race in the following years? Was there not enough people, staff, and support to put another one together for FS2004? Maybe I'm not done reading yet and the answers are still there. Or maybe I need to read the Condor forum, but since I don't have it and don't plan to get it, I'm going to leave that forum unread for now.

Welp, I've got a lot more reading to do.

sf4JC

[Simplified tow plane change.]

Thanks for the info! I'm going to possibly give this a try later when I have the time. But I may just do one of his methods that makes a second copy of the plane, and then I can still fly the Muale if I need to. I'm assuming I can follow your instructions for the duplicate plane, is this correct?

sf4JC

[TN to GA]

Wow! I was just looking through some old threads that I thought that I had read in the FS2004 section and found out multi races have been done, or at least one that I skimmed through. That is awsome to think about. I've only competed online in a different sim (NR2003), so that old thread really excited me. Now I REALLY hope CCS or something simular can work soon.

sf4JC

[TN to GA]

I'll look into the ssa.org site and look for any nearby clubs and gliderports. I live in Waterloo, IA so I am sure there are a few near here maybe. I'd really be interested in seeing a wench system work since I've only seen an R/C system work.

As far as the badges go, I had no idea what they meant, and still don't totally, I'd have to do some more reading. I think I remember seeing SOAR having somewhat the same badges for flight simmers. Since the menu change, I'm not sure if it's still available or if the interest is still there or not.

Now, on to the weather, I love how the current weather can be simulated inside FSX. I sorta got to use realworld weather in FS2004 when I had the time to use it. I still think it would be awsome to run a contest using this option, but I realize some of the limitations to this, one being that competetors on the opposite side of the world would have to wakeup in the middle of the night to compete. Being a part of a sim community like this is nice. You can be a part of it to whatever time allows you to be. At first glance when trying to download some old contests, I thought the time frame to enter your own race results were a little much. But then I thought, if I were to compete, I would have to set a convenient time that I could devote to the contest, so the time frame became more clear to me. Just wish there was a way to get everybody together for an online event, though my participation may be pretty novice to say the least. Not sure how bad it would bite into my framerates as well.

sf4JC

[Add-ons for the Newbie]

Don, I'm using the same files that I entered into FS9. It sounds like Peter knows what he's talking about here. I'm really hoping there is a solution to the problem he's talking about. But I don't see Microsoft making an "update" just for that, I can always hope for it though.

Hey Peter, I've never actually downloaded your product, but if I remember right, did CCS use some of its functionality? I think I remember trying thermal soaring a year or so ago and I liked the tracking down of thermals with clouds. It reminded me of the glider regattas our R/C club used to host each year. Hope your product will run in FSX soon, I think I'll try it out.

sf4JC

[TN to GA]

Thanks for the comments. I've been wanting to try one of his methods since I have the Deluxe Edition. I just didn't know if others were enjoying his methods, or if it is too much work to go back and forth, which would sorta take away from the enjoyment. I've never flown in a real glider, and have never seen the operations of such, but thought it would be nice to get close to simulating it.

Do you fly real-world weather a lot in FSX?

sf4JC

[Add-ons for the Newbie]

Well, I tried to up the slope lift scaler to see if there would be any difference, and I believe your right. It just seems like the lift was coming from the general ridge area, and not from turbulance. I should have believed you the first time. I was really hoping raising the scaler number would provide better results.

I would have really liked to have seen CCS work in FSX and with real-world weather. It would have been awsome to be in a contest that a person could compete against others as well as compete against natures changing conditions. Then again, I forgot that there is a time difference between competetors, and only those that could compete in a given time frame could compete, leaving everybody else with just the results to view after the event.

sf4JC

[TN to GA]

Hello Wiley, I noticed your towplane is not the default so I just thought I would ask. Are you using any of the towing methods Thomas Murr has come up with?

sf4JC

[Add-ons for the Newbie]

Welp, my findings are a little disheartening. I always thought I was gaining altitude by just listening to the vario. Since I really didn't get to slope soar in FS2004 that much when I was looking into it over a year or so ago, I had nothing to gauge my flight performance against while in FSX. I just thought I was inexperienced and also not soaring in ideal weather (I always fly real-world weather updated every 15 minutes).

But now, being able to fly in FS2004 along side FSX, there's a huge difference in slope lift. I downloaded an old race file for New Zealand and stuck it into both sims (by the way, it seems as though those files worked in FSX without any problem). So I went out and really soared in FS2004, gaining 1000ft like it was nothing. I went to the same coordinates in FSX and could keep it in the air for a lot less time. At the most, I could only gain possibly 10-30ft in spots. The rest of the time I could hear the vario, which sounded like I was gaining altitude, but the altimeter said I was barely gaining 0 to 5ft or so.

I know I'm still fairly new to slope soaring, but I tried to keep my flying consistant in both sims while testing. FS2004 is on the laptop with a game controller, and FSX is on the main computer with a joystick. So my results are as good as I could get them. I didn't try to fly in other regions, but I don't think that would have given me any different readings.

So I know that CCS2004 does work, just not as good as what I had hoped. Maybe changing the slope lift scaler to a higher number would make the results better. But I'd like to see those numbers stay the same so a person wouldn't feel others could have an advantage in one sim over another in a contest. There again, maybe contests would be only for each individual sim, I've never coordinated a contest so I don't know if this has been done or not with CCS2004.

All in all, I came away from this knowing I'm not that bad as far as finding slope lift. Maybe I need to soar in FS2004 more to find out what slope soaring is all about. I sure enjoyed the FS2004 flights a lot better than in FSX, seemed like I was really struggling with FSX slope soaring.

sf4JC

[Soaring the Andes]

I am using the default thermal lift on these Andes flights.

Don

Thanks for clearing that up for me, although, I started getting my hopes up that Microsoft added slope lift with SP1. I haven't soared but a few times since I downloaded it because I've been flying powered flight looking at scenery and also adding this P-38 to my collection. I'm really looking forward to the fall release in hopes of joining or even possible planning soaring events in multiplayer competition. I had this plane so I painted it up for pylon racing. The car is from the NR2003 sim.

sf4JC

[Add-ons for the Newbie]

Sorry guys, I wasn't able to test yet. But I should have my findings by Saturday afternoon, if everything goes as planned. I've been helping my wife in her classroom off and on. I'm also going to be slightly busy over the weekend, so I'm going to try and get it done as soon as I can.

Don, I think I have slope files for most of the Appalachian mountains, the Alps, and I think New Zealand. I'll have to check the old computer to see which files I've downloaded. That and turnpoints, something tells me I downloaded a few of them too.

sf4JC

[Soaring the Andes]

Don, I guess I'm confused with FSX and slope soaring. I thought in order to have slope lift available, a person needed to create it. Were these flights slope or thermal flights, or both?

When I forget to turn on CCS2004, I get no lift in the ridge area I'm flying in. But with it turned on, I do. Did Microsoft add slope lift to FSX in certain areas of the world?

Also, I guess I assumed a person could only slope soar in "missions". Did I assume this wrong?

sf4JC

[Add-ons for the Newbie]

These utilities are all for FS9 and do not work in FSX.

Don, I think your info may be wrong, but please correct me if I am wrong. I have FZviewer working in FSX and also have the FSSound.dll installed and have not had any problems to my knowledge. I also have CCS2004 intalled and it seems to work for slope soaring, I'm not sure about thermal soaring. I have been using real-world weather and I always get lift near ridges. I'll have to run a test run in both FS9 and FSX with a set wind direction and speed to verify this. Someone else here said that it doesn't work too, so maybe it's just coinsidence that I'm getting lift near ridges. I'll come back with my findings.

sf4JC

[Introduction and Observations]

As far as competitions go and cheating, I think Microsoft will most likely resolve that issue, in FSX anyway, somewhat in the fall release. I have been a competetor in the NR2003 racing sim for a while and I have yet to come across a thread that would give an edge to a cheater, with acception to a few about Damage being somehow disabled after getting some, and that is a little cloudy in detail, and that sim is about 4 yrs old now. But in those cases the cheater is usually brought to light and made public. I can't see how Microsoft would miss the mark on cheating, but in this day and age and morality, who knows what will happen.

The only problem that I can see with this issue is that, a person is going to have to buy the fall release in order to use it's functionality probably, I'm not sure. I have already made a "budget" for it, so I know I'll be getting it and I won't have to be bothered too terribly much until it's release. But who know's really, only time will tell I guess.

sf4JC

[New Direction for SOAR]

Thanks Don!

[New Direction for SOAR]

Hello Don. I noticed the "Links" link is not available anymore on the menu. I was just wondering if it was deleted by accident, or on purpose, or maybe even forgot to put it back in? I've been interested in other real and virtual soaring sites that may offer aircraft, missions, and other stuff that may have been of some interest to our community and what sites they go to. I also thought it would be good to have for new members to checkout.

Not sure what anybody else thinks, but I would love to see it back on the menu if you could. Thanks.

sf4JC

[FSX sp1 is out!]

Welp, not only did I get Teamspeak server to work on the laptop after weeks and weeks of agony, but I got a chance to install the SP1 update this morning and run FSX on the main computer for a while. And it's just like I read in one of the blogs. It's more than just a small improvement like some had said it would be as far as the performance goes. I was able to move some sliders up 1 or 2 notches with better fps than before. I still need to mess around with the ground not being so blurry though. But all in all, they did a good job with my performance on a 2 year old computer that wasn't the best at the time. The only modification I made about a year and a half ago or so to the computer was add a 512MB video card which I'm sure helps a lot.

I hope it goes well with everbody else as well!

sf4JC

[FSX sp1 is out!]

You can download it at Microsoft Flight Simulator Insider (http://www.fsinsider.com) in the Downloads section. It's been out since the 15th but I've been to busy trying to get TeamSpeak server and FSHost to work on a laptop while I'm on the main computer running just FSX and Teamspeak client. I have not been able to make out "heads or tails" from the Teamspeak forum to fix the problem. But I did get closer to it yesterday, the tester said it could hook up to the server via TCP and HTTP, but just not UDP which I think is the main one it needs to use.

Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone know sp1 is available for download. Can't wait to hear from freeware developers on how things may be going with new &/or improved products.

sf4JC

[Thank You Don!]

Thanks for accepting me into the SOAR community. I was getting worried maybe SOAR wasn't accepting new members. And Thanks also for letting me in to the messageboard, it will surely provide me with help when needed and general chit-chat along the way.

Thanks Again!

sf4JC

[Multiplayer Air Racing - FSX]

Whoops?! I forgot that it was going to cost the community to get the update. But I for one am going to get it anyway nomatter the cost, unless it's over $50, than I will have to consult with my accountant, aaaaaa I mean my wife before upgrading.

I have been trying to use CCS in FSX for a short period, and since I didn't use it much in FS2004 for slope soaring I'm not sure totally what I'm doing, if even I'm doing it right. It seems like it's working okay, but I'm using real world weather updated all the time for my weather conditions. So it could just be bad flying conditions for that given day and area.

sf4JC

[Multiplayer Air Racing - FSX]

Nothing has really been said about this upcoming option in the fall release, and I was just wondering if anyone knows if it's features will help contest directors with sorting through contest results. And do you think this will also bring people back to FSX? I guess only time will tell, I just can't wait till the fall. Hopefully SP1 will provide freeware developers with good and unchanging software development info as well.

sf4JC