Goran_M

So here's the situation. I was getting bored so I started another small project. The Saab is being animated. The 747-200 is waiting on more manuals and UV mapping. In any case, the modelling is just about finished. Very little of the VC left to do. Hawker 4000 is going to be re-textured by Theo as he wasn't happy with how it turned out the first time. Not to mention he's learned a few new things. The Bonanza A36/G36. Well, they are coming after THIS project as they are all made by Beechcraft and the Sundowner (C23) uses a lot of of the basics. The Sundowner is also the reason it has been very quiet. I've been very busy with fixing a few Saab mesh issues as they were being brought up and building the Sundowner. The Sundowner, a plane I have about 80 hours of flight time in, is the first plane I actually did a long distance solo in about 10 years ago. YHOX to YGLB. A damn good plane and very reliable. There will be manipulators and a full 3D VC. Plus a small tutorial replicating my first solo flight from Hoxton Park to Goulburn.

It's certainly not out of the question. But it's definitely way too early to plan for something like that. At least the important stuff is already made.

Doesn't matter anyway. Cameron and I spoke about it and he is against the idea of an INS-less version. It may be boring having to wait for the IRS's to align, but they will probably have aligned by the time the before start checklist is complete.

I know I've flown a few short trips with the 742 every once in a while. lol @ CTRL-E. If you do that, I'll animate some 3D question marks coming out of the cockpit and a speech balloon that says "you're kidding, right???" This something I have seriously considered. Apparently, the very early 747-200's did not have an INS or FMC. They used radio navigation. And sure enough, the BA manual I have that shows all the panels of the 747-200 has a mode knob that does not have an INS option. I'll talk it over with Cameron and see what he says. It's still definitely possible to do short flights with the 747-200. I actually plan on adding a few tutorials to come with it. I have written 3 tutorials for the FS9 version. London-Milan London-New York London-Kai Tak One thing is for certain. You won't be bored with all those systems to monitor. Goran

Not at all. There have been some things happening with the 747 project that I cannot talk about yet. It is still moving ahead. And I can say with 100% certainty, that it will definitely be finished, hopefully this year. Keeping in mind the manuals will be quite extensive and they take a bit of time to create. It's not me being a tease about it. But I have been talking to certain individuals and there have been some, shall we say, (positive) developments. I will be posting these developments very soon when everything is 100% official. It is kind of official now, but I am waiting for the green light from someone to really set it in stone. What I can say is the 742 is about 95% finished. I'm waiting on a whole stack of manuals to get shipped from the UK and then I will get started on the other 2 engine variants. What I have been modelling is the RR variant. I still need some more information on the RR engine type and that's what I have been waiting for along with the PW and GE tech specs. Theo cannot UV map or texture the 747 as he is still quite busy with the Saab texturing and we want that done before programming for the INS gets underway. The INS cannot get underway yet as the programmer, who is still ready, willing and able to program it, is still busy with another project he started last year. As that project will be paying his bills, I dare not ask him to drop it and start programming the INS for me. I'm waiting for him to finish that and THEN he can get underway with the INS programming. Also, another thing I can mention is the 742 will have a number of other custom systems programmed into it. Really juicy stuff. Going by this programmers credentials, this will be a "study" sim of a 747-200. Steep learning curve? You betcha! All will be known within the next week or 2.

With what?

Looks simple enough. It's a pretty full plate of repaints we have at the moment but I'll talk to Theo and see what he can come up with. If it doesn't ship with the original package, it'll most likely be made soon after we get the original package out the door. Goran

Welcome aboard, Jim. Remember, above all else...have fun. Goran

awwww, ok. If Theo agrees to texture it, I guess I could finish that one up.

Repaint list so far: Definites:- Air Rarotonga Regional Express Airlines Sprint Air Next Jet Penair Northwest United Express A repaint kit will be made available very soon as a separate download. Also...price. After thinking long and hard about this, I have come up with a fair and reasonable price. I don't want to really come out and say what the exact $ amount is that we have in mind, but what I will say is the Saab 340A will be less than $30. I'm still deciding what kind of pricing system I am going to implement for the B variant. Whether it will be a whole new add on or a simple upgrade to the A variant remains to be decided upon. It won't be a quick upgrade as there has been talk of a custom FMC which requires programming and that will not be something we can push out quickly. If there are any questions about any of this, please feel free to post them in the forums as opposed to sending them to me directly. Cheers Goran

Everything on the Pennair is very easy EXCEPT the animals. We can't really find a decent high res image of a Pennair animal. Sure, we can find a hi res image of an average animal but it's not the same. So, if you guys can find a Pennair animal, no problem. We've looked and so far no luck. On the other hand, we can make a non animal Pennair. Goran

We wanted cheap air conditioning. Actually, Theo is refining the windows that Reuben made. We can't add them yet as that would mean adding a mesh that is a solid surface that has not been made transparent. Flying blind seems a little bit dangerous. When we're happy with how the windows look, we'll throw up a few more screenshots.

no more "estimate dates". Yes, soon. Notice the fps. 77 in the air and 53 on the ground.

First couple of screenshots of the saab in sim with the exterior (nearly) fully animated. I say nearly because the landing gear still needs to be fine tuned and the gear door adjusted. Anyway...

I am being picky.... Main gear "spade" doors arent that big or that shape and the nose gear doors should be open. Other than that, pretty speccy, well done. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Provincial-Airlines/Saab-Fairchild-SF-340A/1666147/&sid=03ceb38984cea44a72e3ed3dc5bf40e5 There is still some testing to be done. That includes giving it the once over about 4 or 5 times to make sure everything is how it should be. The gear doors for the nose gear are there but they are closed. They are not closed for any particular reason. They just are. To fix the main gear doors is a matter of selection and repair which will take about 2 minutes. The shape is actually that shape on the 340A. I have some close up photos. All will be as it should come release time. I have about 400 photos of the Saab and they have all been put to good use. I'm actually flattered that someone would take the time to do such scrutinizing. Cheers Goran

That's what Cameron said about your programming. :-* :-*

Well it's past the first half of March and still no Saab. Crossing of the fingers doesn't work. Exterior, from my understanding, is done with animations. FINALLY. Work continues. Interior shouldn't take too long. The B variant will follow soon after. Before the B variant is finished, I'll let my little bit of "news" out of the bag. Goran

Forgot two more aircrafts: Beechcraft Bonanza Pilatus PC-12 NG I'll be finishing off the Bonanza A36 and G36 in the very near future.

Gorzmo It's V2 of Gizmo ;D

I said early March. I didn't say 2010. Kidding! All joking aside, it's being worked on. I know I've said it before, but it's very soon. Theo has been getting the night lighting done and it looks damn good. The animating is being worked on in AC3D now. Blender was being a little difficult and AC3D is able to show animations in real time within the actual program. In saying all this, I will have something to mention in the very near future which will make up for the delay in getting the Saab out. More on that in another future post. Goran

You sound like Homer Simpson when he gets a donut.

I've learnt the hard way, it is impossible to give precise release dates unless the developer is 100% satisfied the project is complete. Then he/she can say the add on will be released at a precise date and time. In every project, there is always something to add/fix. The Saab is now completely out of my hands and in the hands of the person doing the animations and while that is being done, Theo is working on the night lighting textures.

The WHQL signature costs quite a bit of money. I'm not exactly sure, but I have heard stories of companies paying Microsoft upwards of $10 000 to have a driver WHQL certified. With most games, a card will run at about 60-70 degrees Celcius. However, running a game like Crysis, with high detail, the temp on my GPU reaches high 70's-low 80's. I'm fortunate that I don't depend on the drivers to control fan speed. I have a Zalman cooling fan that has adjustable speed (a small dial on the control box) and is connected directly into the PSU wiring. Not the card itself.

I was reading Nvidias forums and there are a few people demanding some kind of compensation for destroyed graphics cards. Some cards reaching up to 157 degrees celsius. 1 person even added a somewhat dodgy legal post threatening nvidia with legal action and a class action. The post right under his says "Did you ever read the Legal Mumbo Jumbo before you click "Agree and Download"?" It's extremely unfortunate this has happened but the guy is right. Nvidia have covered their bases quite well. Here's the link if you want a good read. http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=161391

TBA We don't know yet. It could be anywhere from $15 to $40.