Jomni's Games

Old School ARMA

2012-01-26T22:28:00.002+08:00

Before ARMA, there was Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis. I remember playing that game a lot. But when Bohemia Interactive and Codemasters parted ways, Codemasters released more Operation Flashpoint titles using a different engine. Bohemia Interactive stuck with the original game engine which is also being used by armed forces around the world in the form of VBS2. They renamed the series as Armed Assault (ARMA) and the original game was renamed as ARMA: Cold War Assault. My old copy of Operation Flashpoint doesn’t work with modern operating systems flawlessly anymore. So I grabbed a copy of ARMA X, a collection of all ARMA titles and expansions to date. Now it’s time to relive fond memories from Operation Flashpoint in all its glory.

Well at least in theory. Core gameplay is still similar to modern iterations of ARMA but the graphics are just awful (in today’s standards). So will I continue playing it? I guess I will because the combat is still as real as it gets if you get past the graphics and the bouncing vehicles.

These are screens of the opening cutscene of the campaign. Cutscenes are actual recordings of the game engine and the people look really funny.

Training mission

More cutscenes (that can be quite lengthy)

Finally, the first real mission. Engagement range was quite far compared to standard first person shooters or even the new iterations of ARMA. And aiming is really hard since the crosshair does not accurately follow mouse movement.

X-Plane 10, Air-Child Virtual Airline, qpac A320

2012-01-20T10:18:00.003+08:00

I finally got comfortable with X-Plane 10 to be able to fly an Air-Child Virtual Airline flight from Tokyo Narita (RJAA) to Kansai International (RJBB) in Japan. I am flying the wonderful A320 freeware made by qpac. Why is it wonderful? Well first of all, it is free. And second is that it does fly-by-wire really well compared to A320 add-ons I have for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The plane is still not optimized for X-Plane 10 and it has some problems like plane parts and pilots not falling into place.

You can see below that X-Plane 10 renders exhaust fumes.

X-Plane also simulates the sensation of flying really well with good ground textures, interesting cloud and fog transitions, head /plane bobbing and fast frame rates. Night lighting is also spectacular.

Weather is not good around Kansai International but visibility on the ground is good once you get past the clouds.

The qpac A320’s autoland functionality works like a charm.

But there are things that I don’t like about X-Plane.

1) Airports are bare. You need 3rd party add-ons to liven up the scenes.

2) The ATC does not work well. The developers admit that it is still a work in progress. That is why for X-Plane, I will fly in the VATSIM multiplayer environment with human ATC and pilots.

3) You can see occasional stalls, crashes, and ATC nagging because AI plane pilots can’t handle their planes. Not a problem with VATSIM.

4) Urban environments are non-existent. In X-Plane 10, the ground is all grass, then real-world roads based on Open Street Map are placed on top. Then along the roads, they put some auto-generated buildings. At the current state, most of the buildings that you see are suburban residential types with lots of greens in the middle due to the grassy base ground texture. Would love to see more improvements here.

I feel that Microsoft Flight Simulator still gives me the best overall immersion with populated airports, functional ATC, realistic urban environments. It really feels like flying in the real world and is very entertaining. X-Plane 10, on the other hand, excels on simulating the feeling of flight but lacks in all other aspects that make a holistic flying experience. X-Plane concentrates on the flight simulation and is of a more serious tone in general. Not to mention that the default color pallets of X-Plane are quite dark. One thing going for X-Plane is that it is still being worked on by the developers while Microsoft Flight Simulator is not being enhanced anymore except for 3rd party content.

I just broke my new toy!

2012-01-07T15:47:00.003+08:00

As mentioned earlier in my previous post, my Air Hauler company is getting an Airbus A330-200F. The first cargo flight is from Singapore Changi Airport to Male International Airport in the Maldives.

The taxi and take-off was pretty standard and uneventful.

But as the plane increased speed, I forgot to raise the flaps and it got damaged (stuck at the #2 position). Because I cannot reach cruise speed and altitude anymore, I called air traffic control and requested for an emergency landing. My landing speed was pretty fast since I can’t lower the flaps further. I could have dumped the fuel somewhere to reduce weight but it didn’t cross my mind. Anyway, I landed my plane a bit off-center but thankfully there were no additional incidents.

I then called it a day and had my relief pilot do the delivery job to the Maldives after some repairs. Lots of lessons learned in this session but at least there were no major accidents. Anyway, we got some cool pictures of the Singapore skyline, Changi Airport, and the company’s new plane.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: CLS Airbus A330-200F
Scenery: SceneryTech landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme, REX, REX Natural ENBPlus

My Air Hauler Fleet for 2012

2012-01-04T21:48:00.003+08:00

Air Hauler is a cargo airline management add-on for FSX. My company, Haul-in-1, operates from several hubs across Asia Pacific (Changi, Clark, Kansai , Darwin, Melbourne).

Here’s the current fleet.

1) Lockheed L-100 Hercules (x2) [CaptainSim C-130 X-perience]. Short take off and landing capabilities make it an ideal aircraft for remote Australian airports.

2) Boeing 737-800 (x2) [Overland Boeing Collection]. These narrow body aircraft has the range to access several Asian destinations. It’s small size enables it to land on smaller airports.

3) McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F (x2) [CLS DC-10 Series]. The DC-10 is a classic wide body freighter that serve(or served) several cargo companies around the world.

4) Airbus A330-200F (x1) [CLS A330 Expansion]. This will be the newest, largest and most advanced aircraft of the fleet. It will start operating mid January 2012.

5) Boeing 757-200F (x2) [Just Flight B757 Freemium]. The company also operates two 757s for UPS. (The provider of the add-on, Just Flight, has yet to release the paintkit for this plane).

2012 will be an exciting year for Haul-in-1. We also have plans to acquire an old B747-200F in the future.

REX Natural ENBPlus

2012-01-03T20:19:00.003+08:00

The guys behind Real Environment Extreme, the add-on that enhances FSX visuals, has released a customized ENB lighting mod. Registered members can get it here.

Here's a couple of pictures of my Embraer landing in Hong Kong. I love how the details pop out compared to my previous pictures. Take note that I also use Shade add-on for FSX.

Steel Armor: Cold War Tank Showdown

2011-12-27T14:02:00.009+08:00

Steel Armor: Blaze of War may not be as detailed as Steel Beasts but it has some elements that make playing it an enjoyable experience as opposed to serious simulation / work. The game has a campaign which starts off with a turn-based operational segment where you move platoons across a map divided into square sectors. Then engagements are resolved in real-time (only if playable tanks are present in the battle). You give tactical commands to the platoons and you can also man one of the two playable tanks, the M-60 and the T-62. The campaigns are historical and interesting, ranging from the Iran-Iraq War, to Afghanistan, and Angola.

Tanks during the middle of the Cold War aren’t as sophisticated as the ones during the end of the Cold War (M1 Abrams, T-72/T-80). Back then, laser rangefinder technology is still at it’s infancy and not widely used outside the U.S. and NATO forces. So tank gunnery still needs skill. But the M-60 has an advantage over the T-62 as it has a fire control computer which calculates and sets the gun elevation based on the range input and the ammo type. The crew just needs to figure out the target range by using their various sights, input it into the computer, and then point the crosshair on the target. The T-62 gunner, on the other hand, uses various scales in the targeting reticle to manually gauge distance and appropriate gun elevation.

Here’s an AAR of a quick battle I usually fire up as gunnery practice. I take control of two Iranian M-60 tank platoons (4x M-60) against three Iraqi tank platoons (3x T-62, 6x T-55). Graphics quality is quite poor because I cannot use the highest settings for some reason (the screen goes black). I hear, the game hates nVidia.

Below is the basic battle plan. 1st platoon moves to contact while 2nd platoon provides overwatch. Since this is a Russian-produced game, the good guys (player side) are in red.

I start the game in the command tank of 1st platoon (A-1), and we get rolling.

I switch to the gunner position and set the computer to a range of 1600 meters. Tank A-2 and A-3 spots enemy tanks.

Look out at the reticle and I see my friends engage the enemy. One of them is missing a track already.

We get to destroy a tank. Notice the burning crew running for his life.

Things are getting hot. My tank commander and driver gets hit in short order. We evacuate the tank soon afterwards.

Battlefield situation: 1st platoon decimated.

I now switch to 2nd platoon tank A-1. I take aim at a tank behind the bush and fire. I score a hit on the equipment and crew and set the tank on fire.

Another tank is spotted. I miss two shots and readjust the range to 1,500 meters. But my friends managed to take him out.

We spot a tank in a hull down position along the gully. After a few misses, reset range to 1,200. Manage to hit it and damage its weapons.

After more shots at some tanks that I don’t see quite well, we see another Iraqi tank that is clearly making a push. HEAT rounds down to 4, I set range to 1,400 and take a shot. Made multiple hits and wasted a lot of rounds on it. Left with no HEAT rounds and used up a few high-velocity APCR rounds.

Just when we thought that we got the tank, it started to move! That bugger is still alive. So the platoon pounded it with all that we’ve got until we see smoke.

Things got pretty quiet. Though the platoon is still intact and we can still probably push for the objective and take out the remaining Iraqis, we don’t have much ammo aside from HE rounds. I instead called for a cease fire. Iran won a minor victory taking out 5 tanks (2 might just be heavily damaged or abandoned) while losing 4 tanks.

I survey the battlefield to get a closer look (and to see some tank eye candy). First up is the decimated Iranian 1st platoon. Looks like those 115mm guns of the T-62 are quite lethal.

Then we have the Iranian 2nd platoon who survived the battle unharmed.

Burning T-62 from Iraqi 1st Platoon.

An immobilized T-62 getting its tracks fixed. Wonder how pounding on the wheel with sledge hammers can fix those tracks.

Here’s one of those troublesome T-55’s hidden in the gully where I wasted a lot of ammo. Looks like it’s still ok (green icon) but I swear I think I damaged its weapons during the battle. This guy apparently hid there for the rest of the battle.

Another T-55 in the gully. This one really took a lot of hits but the final status is just ‘damaged’ or incapacitated. 3 out 4 crew are dead.

And finally another Iraqi tank getting some repairs.

Before I forget. The US Army Tank Gunnery Manual (1977) (part 1, part 2) is a must-read as it talks about the tank capabilities during that time -- which are the two playable tanks in the game (M-60 and T-62).

Dashing through the snow… in a Dash 8

2011-12-24T14:16:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Here’s a couple of pictures of the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 flying over snow-covered Japan.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Dreamwings Dash 8 Q400
Scenery: SceneryTech landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme, REX, Shade, ENB series mod

Embraer 175: Brazilian Beauty

2011-12-16T20:48:00.003+08:00

I recently got the Embraer E-jet Package from Just Flight (developed by feelThere). It features the Brazilian aircraft company’s premiere small-sized airliners: the 175 and 195. I took the 175 for a spin and here are some pictures and impressions.

Cockpit layout reminds me of Bombardier planes. Not surprising since Embraer also makes smaller business planes that are similar to the Learjet. The control yoke is unique as it sports a bull-horn configuration. Which reminds me of motorbikes. Pictured below is the virtual cockpit (VC) in “cold” configuration. It is fairly detailed but my complaint is that the autopilot panel buttons and knobs are not modeled in 3D but is just a flat 2D panel pasted on the VC. Other cockpit features are windows that can be opened and functioning windshield wipers. Aside from usual instrumentation, feelThere included some nifty add-ons. I also opened up the add-on Map! panel which looks like the usual navigation maps that passengers tend to see. On the upper-right, you can see the Call! panel which is an audible co-pilot checklist.

The aircraft’s avionics is quite advanced and is comparable to the ones that you can see in bigger jets from Airbus and Boeing. This add-on package models everything from full FMC functionality, manual flight planning, performance setting, VNAV, LNAV, TCAS, Weather, and even autoland.

Taxing to the runway in Kuala Lumpur International (WMKK). Quite a gloomy day.

Take off and climb. The plane also features two cabin views. A right window seat view and also an aisle view (not pictured).

Cruising at 27,000 ft. I used flight computer guided climb in this flight (VNAV). Other climbing methods are the conventional rate of climb settings (in feet per minute) or flight path angle settings.

As I approach Changi International Airport (WSSS) in Singapore I tune into the ILS guidance and set the approach speed for autoland. This is my first time doing autoland in FSX and was actually quite nervous and wasn’t sure if it will flare before touching down for a soft landing. Good thing it did at the last minute. Autoland was quite accurate. When I manually land a plane, I tend to lower the rate of descent early. As a result, I would touch down quite late and sometimes in the middle of the runway.

Parking the plane at the gate with a couple of SilkAir A319s and a Singapore Airlines A340 taxing in the background.

With the sophisticated functionality being modeled in this FSX add-on, this is clearly my favorite small airliner from now on.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Just Flight / feelThere Embraer 175
Scenery: SceneryTech landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme, REX, Shade, ENB series mod
AI: Just Flight Traffic X

Incredible Battlefield 3 Kill

2011-12-12T19:20:00.002+08:00

The following video is unbelievable.

Shogun 2 Blood Pack

2011-12-03T09:48:00.002+08:00

Creative Assembly recently released a Shogun 2 add-on called Blood Pack. It includes blood spraying and dismemberment animation. Though I initially thought it was cheesy and unnecessary, it actually added to the immersion. Shogun 2 is about melee combat and I guess spraying blood, flying limbs and heads are to be expected. Old Japanese woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e) can be particularly gruesome as well. So all this excessive violence is not out of place given this context.

In my recent battle, I sent an army to attack a depleted and exhausted enemy. But his ally ambushed me on the way. Luckily, the terrain was good for defence so I rushed my troops up the hill (dormant volcano?).

Archers shoot at oncoming spearmen.

Samurai intercept.

Blood battle ensues.

Heads start flying.

Daimyo body guards from both sides join the fray.

Mop up of remaining enemy. My Yari Ashigaru attacks their archers. Multiple impalement.

More flying heads. I just noticed that the spearmen actually used swords when in close combat.

Thanks to the terrain, I was able to fend off the ambushers from both sides.

Cargo Crazy

2011-11-13T12:49:00.004+08:00

I love flying cargo planes. So here’s a couple of shots from my recent flights.

UPS 757 at Hong Kong

FedEx DC-10 at Kuala Lumpur

[Update] DHL B767 at Miami

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Just Flight B757 Freemium, CLS DC-10, CLS B767
Scenery: SceneryTech landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme, REX, Shade, ENB series mod
AI: Just Flight Traffic X

Freeware B757 that’s like payware

2011-11-09T20:20:00.003+08:00

Just Flight just released a Boeing 757 add-on for FSX for free. Yes that’s right. It doesn’t cost you anything to get this plane. The package only comes with one plane model: a 757-200 without winglets which only sports the British Airways livery.

The plane offers what you expect from any regular payware. You get a good looking exterior model, custom sounds, a Virtual Cockpit with many clickable buttons, and basic Flight Management Computer (which does not have VNAV and custom flight plan functionality).

So what’s the catch? This is actually Just Flight’s experiment on the “Freemium” concept. This is common in many online and iPhone games where you get the main game for free but one needs to pay for additional stuff. So if you want additional liveries and variants of the B757, then you need to pay. The price is actually not bad and you check it out in their website.

This scheme is not like CaptainSim’s gimmick of selling an exterior model for a cheap price to offset the cost of the whole package once released. In Just Flight’s scheme, you get a fully functional plane for free. And you just buy what you want so total cost is drastically lower. But if you’re a fan and buy every add-on package available, it adds up to the cost of a regular add-on plane.

Anyway, just don’t expect too much from this Just Flight plane as it does not aim to be a hardcore simluation like CaptainSim or PMDG.

One last thing, Just Flight has yet to release the paint kit for these probably to entice the people to make micro transactions.

Here are some pictures of my test flight from London to Madrid.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Just Flight B757 Freemium
Scenery: SceneryTech Europe landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme Europe, REX, Shade, ENB series mod
AI: Just Flight Traffic X

Tiger in the Tropics

2011-11-04T22:17:00.005+08:00

The following is a short afternoon flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to test out some newly acquired Flight Simulator add-ons: ISG Panels and GEX Atlantic and Pacific Tropics.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Overland A320 fitted with ISG Panels
Scenery: SceneryTech Indo-Pacific landclass, Ground Environment Xtreme Atlantic and Pacific Tropics, REX, Shade, ENB series mod, Samsoft Singapore
AI: Just Flight Traffic X

Take On Helicopters: Pre-flight inspection

2011-10-31T21:56:00.003+08:00

An educational training mission in Take On Helicopters is the pre-flight inspection. Before this, I haven’t played a sim that lets you do this. I don’t think all the missions in Take On Helicopters have this sequence but I found this a neat experience.

The guy in front is my flight instructor. Notice that he has an iPad strapped to his leg for an Electronic Flight Bag.Checking Pitot Tubes for blockagesChecking static ports and skids.Checking rotor blades for damage and to ensure smooth turning.Checking fuel tanks. I noticed that there’s a bird’s nest inside!Checking the stabilizers and tail fins.Checking the tail rotor.That’s it, I’m good to go!

Take On Helicopters

2011-10-30T21:13:00.003+08:00

I just started playing Take On Helicopters. It a civilian (and military) helicopter simulation based on the Bohemia Interactive’s Armed Assault game engine.

There are three levels of difficulty ranging from Beginner, Trainee, and Expert. But within each level you can still fine-tune the settings to create a hybrid. I first started flying in Expert mode and it is really hard core. It is very difficult to keep the helo stable and you have to constantly apply and adjust trim. So I settled for Trainee. Flying in trainee mode is more manageable with selectable auto-trim. But it is still more involved than flying helicopters in ARMA. You can actually do manual start-up procedures like in FSX by licking stuff in the cockpit. But if you’re lazy like me, you can do also auto-start.

The game has a lot going on. There’s a story-based career mode, detailed training exercises, and random mission templates. Not only are you flying a helicopter, you are flying one with a purpose. Just like ARMA, a mission creator is included for “unlimited” scenarios.

Below are some screens of a random emergency response mission. Too bad I was not able to take pictures where I lowered the winch and the paramedic picked up the patients.

En-route to the hospital.

Dropping off the patients.

On the way back to the heliport.

The sky is active with AI aircraft.

Closer look at the virtual cockpit.

A View of the Seattle skyline.

C-17 Globemaster III: Hauling Cargo from Southern France to Northern Italy

2011-10-24T21:12:00.004+08:00

The Virtual Air Mobility Command (www.USAvAMC.com) is currently conducting Exercise October Sky for pilots who are based in Europe like myself. Below are pictures from one of the legs.

Take-off from Itres-Le Tube Air Base (LFMI) in France early in the morning.

Landing at Aviano Air Base (LIPA) in Italy.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Aircraft: Area 51 C-17 Globemaster III
Scenery: SceneryTech Europe, Ground Environment Xtreme Europe, REX, Shade, ENB series mod
AI: Just Flight Traffic X

Ace Combat Assault Horizon, Another Ruined Franchise?

2011-10-16T07:29:00.009+08:00

Video courtesy of Namco Bandai.

I have played all titles of Ace Combat except Fires of Liberation (XBOX 360). Assault Horizon is the newest instalment and I got the chance of picking this up. After playing a few missions I have the impression that the game has the word “Gimmick” painted all over… probably to distinguish itself from its predecessors and competition.

Gimmick #1: Dog Fight Mode (DFM)

When you get close to a bandit’s tail, you will have a visual queue which prompts you press some buttons to go into DFM. In this mode, the game becomes “on-rails” where you automatically chase the enemy. All you have to do is to keep the evading enemy in a circle until it becomes red. When you release missiles at this point, they become more accurate.

The enemy can also use DFM against you. To evade, you have to slow down. When you see a visual queue, press the buttons to reverse the situation. Now you are chasing the enemy.

This makes the game totally arcade without any believable flightsim experience unlike its predecessors. It makes chasing anyone’s tail easier and really frustrating when you are the victim of this gimmick in multiplayer mode. So what I do in multiplayer mode (deathmatch) is to just fly away from the dogfight and engage beyond visual range (BVR) using long range missiles. I know it's a cheap tactic but it's less frustrating.

Gimmick #2: Helicopters and the AC-130

You heard that right. The game now have helicopters. I had a mission where I get to fly the AH-64 Apache Gunship. Controls are ok but it is drastically different from flying the jets so a lot of practice is necessary.

And of course, the gimmick introduced by Call of Duty Modern Warfare finds it’s way into Ace Combat as well. I did a mission in the gunner’s seat of the AC-130.

Gimmick #3: On-rails gunning

There are more on-rails gunning in store as they make you a door gunner of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

Gimmick #4: Black Hawk Down rip-off mission

One of the AH-64 gunship missions feels very much like a Black Hawk Down scenario. Setting is in East Africa, just like Somalia. You escort Blackhawks filled with Delta Force troopers who are supposed to raid a building in the middle of a run down city, just like Mogadishu. Of course all hell breaks loose and you have to protect the Delta boys as they do their mission.

So far those are the gimmicks that I saw during my short play through. Who knows what will come next? On-foot FPS mode? Race car driving? The game is actually fun and the graphics are nice but it just does not feel like Ace Combat anymore.

Perhaps Namco described the game correctly in the box. They call this a “shooter” and not a game about flying as I thought throughout the years.

ATC = Air Traffic Chaos

2011-10-07T23:44:00.002+08:00

Chaos at Gimpo Airport, Korea (RKSS). Air Traffic Control will surely be stressed out.

As you can see a lot of planes want to land. Many will eventually be ordered to go around.

Departing flights are also forming up.

And planes that landed on the other runway are stuck in the middle to give way to landing and departing aircraft.

I will post a video of this even sometime.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X experience helped me in Falcon 4

2011-09-29T07:25:00.002+08:00

Falcon 4: Allied Force is still relevant in this day and age. Despite out-dated graphics, the simulation of the F-16 systems and the dynamic war environment is still unmatched by any commercial simulation around.

The game has a very steep learning curve and it takes time to master the game. I played this years ago and shelved it due to frustration. But after getting quite competent in Microsoft Flight Simulator X, getting back into an F-16 cockpit in Falcon 4 seems to be a breeze.

Here are the points where I think FSX helps:

Full understanding ATC procedures.
The logic behind runway nomenclature.
Throttle and stick coordination in manual landing.
Understanding radio vs. GPS navigation. Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) is similar in concept to VOR in civilian flight (FSX).

FSX does not teach you to operate the sensors and weapons system. But the superb 700 page manual will teach you all you need to know. FSX also does not prepare me for the combat and life is short once things get hot. But the best way to survive is to avoid those situations like taking down bandits beyond visual range (BVR) and avoid SAM concentrations.

As a parting note, here are some tips to make Falcon 4: Allied Force look nice in modern PCs.

Create a file called BFOps.cfg in the Falcon main directory with the following line: set g_bForceSoftwareGUI 1. This will turn off anti-aliasing (AA) in the GUI so that you won’t get graphics corruption. AA is still present when flying.
Get HiTiles. This hi-res tile sets will make your terrain so much better but still not at par with modern sims.
Get hi-res cockpits. This enables you to run the sim at higher resolutions.

And now for some screenshots.

The Real Angry Birds

2011-09-20T21:54:00.002+08:00

Nope, it’s not the one pictured above. That is my custom A320 paint in Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

Rovio has released some pictures of a Finair A340 with Angry Birds livery in their Facebook page. The plane is a part of a promotional flight to Singapore.

RAF A330 MRTT

2011-08-28T08:47:00.006+08:00

My pilot in Virtual Air Mobility Command is stationed in Brize Norton, UK. I guess it’s a chance to pilot RAF aircraft as well. So I took an RAF A330 MRTT for a short spin around Europe. The following series of pictures is a flight from Ramstein Air Base, Germany to Brize Norton, UK.

I used the CLS A330-200, which I painted myself. I used ADE to add more parking slots and static aircraft to Brize Norton, my European home base. And for the video, I actually made my own music using Aucustica Beatcraft and Mixcraft 5.

REX, GEX, and Scenery Tech are used to enhance the environment.

I'm adding a night shot. I made the formation lights "light up" when night textures are activated by the sim.

My Angry Airbus vid was featured in Diggination

2011-08-14T21:55:00.002+08:00

Looks like people are talking about my Angry Airbus video.

The video was featured in Diggination

The segment starts at 24:29.

Area 51 C-17 Globemaster III

2011-08-13T09:12:00.002+08:00

The Area 51 C-17 Globemaster III is a fun plane to fly. It’s big and powerful but handles itself well at slow speeds. Approach speeds can go as low as 100~ knots when not heavy.

The exterior model looks good. And the package comes with 3 liveries (US, UK, Qatar). The cargo door, rear doors and front door are animated.

The 3D cockpit is functional and has a HUD. Despite varying degrees of brightness, HUD graphics are sometimes blurred and not too defined. It has a very basic FMC where it only shows flight information and no other useful functionality.

My biggest problem with the add-on is the lack of documentation. The manual is just an illustration of the buttons you can push. There is nothing about aircraft performance so I have to search the internet for some info. But since a lot of stuff are classified (I suppose Area 51 also cannot find the info as well), I just did some trial and error and experimentation to get comfortable with the plane.

I also joined the Virtual Air Mobility Command to add some immersion and did my first cargo flight from Travis AFB to Nellis AFB.

RSAF C-130 Flyby

2011-08-07T20:38:00.002+08:00

In celebration of Singapore’s National Day (9 Aug), I flew an RSAF C-130 past Marina Bay in the Central Business District. This is the area where National Day festivities are to be held.

NATO Counters for Panzer Corps

2011-08-06T08:01:00.002+08:00

Panzer Corps is the modern incarnation of the classic Panzer General. While the graphics are really nice and the units are fairly detailed, I tried my hand at modding the graphics into “traditional” NATO counters just to see what it looks like.

The counters have some advantages:

Easy identification of unit type due to the NATO symbol
Easy identification of nationality due to the counter color
Easy identification of equipment due to the text

Disadvantages are:

Familiarity with NATO symbols are necessary
Shared unit graphics between countries will sometimes give you a non-matching counter color
Shared unit graphics between equipment will sometimes give you the wrong text

I am just about 60% though replacing the standard unit graphics. Afterwards, I will find the counters that are shared between countries and equipment and make unique graphics.

I will not be changing the graphics for ground structures, aircraft and ships.

Goodwill Flight

2011-08-01T21:15:00.002+08:00

This series of pictures and video showcase my newly acquired Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons. (1) Just Flight / CLS B747-200 and (2) Ground Environment Extreme Africa and Middle East.

Departing Tehran, Iran (OIIE)

Flying over Turkey

Arriving at Tel Aviv, Israel (LLBG)

Happy Landings

2011-07-29T09:25:00.004+08:00

The following are landing shots of my flights during the past weeks. Be sure to check out the video as well.

Angry Birds Airbus A319 (Overland) at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Haul-in-1 Boeing B737 (Overland) at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Korean Air Boeing B737 (Overland) at Jeju, Korea

FedEx DC-10 (CLS) at Manila, Philippines

Haul-in-1 DC-10 (CLS) at Bangkok, Thailand

Photorealistic Himalayan Scenery for FSX

2011-07-27T20:11:00.002+08:00

Sim-Savvy Photoreal America owners will soon be getting scenery for the rest of the world. Though the level of detail is less than the North American scenery, it will be suitable for high altitude flying. I mainly fly around Asia so I haven’t bought Sim-Savvy yet but I am interested in what the world coverage will look like. Sim-Savvy has been kind enough to give me access to a demo of the Himalayan region.

Nok Air

2011-07-23T21:35:00.005+08:00

I just realized how my Angry Birds aircraft paint scheme closely resembles Nok Air.
Pictures from airliners.net

Angry Airbus Video

2011-07-19T08:38:00.002+08:00

I made a short video featuring the Angry Birds aircraft livery.

Angry Airbus

2011-07-17T16:47:00.002+08:00

I painted some Airbus planes with the Angry Birds theme just for fun.

A320 Red Bird…

A319 Blue Bird…

A321 Yellow Bird…

Of course I just have to make an A380 Big Brother Bird…

I wouldn’t want to leave the pigs out. So the Pig is painted on a Boeing since it’s Airbus’ rival after all. So here’s a 737-800 Pig…

Overland aircraft models were used and Angry Birds logo and character faces courtesy of Rovio.

Air China B737 Beijing, China (ZBAA) to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia (ZMUB)

2011-07-10T22:05:00.006+08:00

I decided to fly to Mongolia. It is a place that I’ve never been to both in Microsoft Flight Simulator and in real life. Apparently I hear that July is the peak tourist season because of the Naadam festival.

For this flight, I flew an Air China B737 with a wonderful Phoenix livery by Syamsani Shamsuri.

I departed from Beijing (ZBAA) close to noon time.

After flying for two hours, I began my approach on Ulaan Baatar (ZMUB). Runway altitude is 4,000 feet. Weather wasn’t good during the landing. I checked the net and it was actually around 88% humidity at the time of the flight.

FScene X textures and SceneryTech landclass did a decent job in recreating steppe terrain at low altitudes. But at high altitudes, this area looks boring in FSX with vast areas of forest and grassy plains.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737, Air China livery by Syamsani Shamsuri
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X textures, SceneryTech landclass

DC-10 Singapore (WSAP) to Jakarta, Indonesia (WIII)

2011-07-06T13:13:00.003+08:00

My Air Hauler company recently leased a DC-10. The plane is a classic cargo plane widely used by FedEx. The following are pictures of a trial flight from Singapore (WSAP) to Jakarta, Indonesia (WIII).

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: CLS DC-10
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X textures, SceneryTech landclass, Samsoft Singapore X

F-8 Crusader Vintage Picture

2011-07-02T10:16:00.002+08:00

Picture taken from Strike Fighters 2 and edited using Gimp. I got the instructions from this site.

Happy 4th of July to the people in the U.S.!

How I fixed transparent cockpit textures in CLS aircraft

2011-07-02T09:13:00.005+08:00

I like the CLS add-on aircraft for MS Flight Simulator because they are easy to use and not “hardcore”. But they have a common problem when installed in my system. Some parts of the 3D virtual cockpit panels become transparent.

The following are the steps I did to fix the problem.

DC-10:

I got the d10vc1bk.bmp file provided in this forum post and pasted in the panels folder.

A330:

In the panel.cfg, I changed Vcockpit01 background color to 2,2,2.

A340:

In the panel.cfg, I changed all Vcockpit background color to 2,2,2. I then copied gbg.bmp file from the A330 and pasted it in A340 panels folder.

Beluga:

I noticed that the panels are exactly the same as the Overland A310 that I already have. So I copied A306_main.bmp and A306_pedestal.bmp to the Beluga panel folder. I then changed panel.cfg Vcockpit background colors to 2,2,2.

A Tour of the Spratly Islands

2011-06-30T21:24:00.004+08:00

The Spratlys is a group of several reefs, islands and atolls in the South China Sea. The reefs and islands are being claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia. There is military presence in these islands with soldiers on guard. Imagine being sent in this area to guard a rock. The Philippines has civilians in the area and has established a village/town in one of the major islands.

Control of these islands means control of the natural resources around it. There are rumours of oil but until now, no significant evidence has been found.

This island group has is in the news lately due to China and Vietnam’s sabre rattling. The Philippines has joined the fray.

I decided to take a short tour of the islands in FSX to see what’s there. As you will see, FSX doesn’t show a lot. It’s mostly water, some shallow areas to depict reefs and some generic-looking islands.

My flight will start in Puerto Princesa (RPVP), Philippines. Go north west to fly over Philippine-held Thitu Island (Pagasa Island). I will turn south and head to Malaysian-held Swallow Reef (RP10) for landing.

Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan province, Philippines. I took off from the international airport (RPVP).

I headed north west for 180 miles until I reached the first set of islands. I am not sure what these are based on the GPS coordinates.

I flew for another 80 miles and reached Thitu island. This is the 2nd largest island in the Spratlys and is supposed to be populated by civilians (Philippines) and guarded by some marines. The longest runway in the island chain should be here. But apparently, Microsoft decided it’s not significant and made this a deserted island.

I turned south to see more islands. The largest island, Itu Aba (Taiwan) should be somewhere here. There should also be some Vietnamese and Chinese held ones in this area.

Finally reached Swallow Reef airfield after flying south for 200 miles. This used to be a reef but Malaysia made it into an artificial island to house an airfield, a naval station and a dive resort. Again, Microsoft didn’t bother putting anything but vegetation. But at least they got their airfield.

So that’s my tour of the Spratly islands. Hope you liked it. It’s a shame that there’s not enough detail in FSX. But you can’t blame them since not a lot of people would think of flying around this little-known area in the first place.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Default Mooney Bravo
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: FScene textures, Scenery Tech landclass

F-100D in Strike Fighters 2

2011-06-27T21:40:00.004+08:00

Currently playing a campaign in Strike Fighters 2 Europe. The Cold War turns into a shooting war when the USSR invaded Germany. My squadron is flying the classic F-100D. Here are some screenshots. I have to admit that I edited the contrast a bit to make them more dramatic. The terrain and clouds are 3rd party mods found in www.combatace.com.

And here are some videos.

STAVKA-OKH AAR

2011-06-25T07:26:00.009+08:00

Lots of acronyms in my title. STAVKA-OKH is a strategic wargame depicting the clash between the USSR and Germany during World War 2. STAVKA is Russia’s top military command while OKH is Germany’s. You play as the commanders of either side and suggest one of three plans for each season to either Stalin or Hitler. The Russians win if Berlin is captured. Germany wins if Leningrad and Moscow or Stalingrad and Moscow is captured. A "draw" happens if the objectives aren't met by 1947. There is also a role playing option where you can support or go against your nation’s political party and this will affect your character’s fate after the war.

The following is a report of one of my previous games as OKH.

Summer 1941: Plan is a pincer movement concentrating forces in the north and south.

Autumn 1941: We’ve made significant gains. Pincer movement continues.

Winter 1941: Leningrad is captured and we are at the gates of Moscow. Almost all forces are assigned in the center.

Spring 1942: That winter turn was a disaster and we lost a lot of ground. Apparently Hitler overruled my plan. Notice that I changed my party stance to “No”. I don’t think we will win this so I must change my image to get a favorable fate when Germany capitulates. As for this season's orders, I selected the plan that will generate the most reserves for the summer offensive.

Summer 1942: The lines held. Now it’s time for the summer offensive. I chose a north and center axis of attack.

Autumn 1942: Hitler overruled the plan! Gained some ground but not significant enough. I chose to build up reserves for the Russian winter offensive.

Winter 1942: Still trying to build reserves for this season.

Spring 1943: Stalemate. Another season of building reserves. But I plan to push a bit in the south.

Summer 1942: Hitler overruled my southern attack. Looks like he favored a general advance and we gained some land throughout the front. I ordered a big push in the center this season.

Autumn 1943: Big push wasn’t big enough. And I lost ground in the north and south. A more balanced placement is in store for this season.

Winter 1943: During winter, chose the plan that will build the most reserves for next year.

Spring 1944: A successful Soviet winter offensive but this one is expected. I plan a pincer move this spring and build a lot of reserves for the upcoming summer offensive.

Summer 1944: Lost ground because of inactivity last season. Now I plan an major offensive in the center with some diversions in the south.

Autumn 1944: Hitler overruled my plan. Last season was a stalemate. Time to build up reserves again.

Winter 1944: Hitler didn’t like my reserve building and made the armies push forward last autumn. Russians were passive as well. Looks like a major winter counter attack is in store as usual. I plan an all out defence in the center.

Spring 1945: We held. How long will this stalemate last? A balanced center-south plan was selected.

Summer 1945: Lost a lot of ground in the center. The Russians doesn’t seem to be running out of troops. I chose to focus in the center.

Autumn 1945: Hitler overruled. Though we gained some ground in the center as planned. This season’s plan is to keep the pressure in the center.

Winter 1945: Soviet autumn offensive was devastating and they still have a lot of troops left. Nothing to do but keep defending in the center to delay their advance into Berlin.

Winter 1945: Soviets gained a lot during their winter offensive.

Summer 1946: We’re surrounded!

Game over. Germany lost. Because I did not support the party, my fate was quite favorable. "Regarded as the best German strategist of war despite its defeat, post war memoirs are regarded as masterpieces."

Queue Jumper at Brisbane (YBBN)

2011-06-18T15:20:00.002+08:00

A lovely evening landing at Brisbane (YBBN) spoiled by a queue jumping Virgin. The ATC eventually ordered the offender to turn around and clear the way for my landing.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800, Custom Haul-in-1 Paint
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: ORBX AU, Ants Brisbane

Tweaking FSX Visuals

2011-06-13T20:55:00.003+08:00

Here is yesterday’s picture:

Here today’s picture with nvidia Inspector antialiasing settings:

Here is today’s picture with nvidia Inspector and ENB Series bloom increased to 20:

Here is today’s picture with nvidia Inspector and ENB Series bloom increased to 25:

Finally using Smutley’s (Flightsim.com member) ENB Series configuration:

Do you trust the ATC?

2011-06-12T21:15:00.002+08:00

My recent flight is quite interesting. I was flying some Frozen Fish from Darwin (YPDN), Australia to Ujung Pandang (WAAA), Indonesia. The ATC at WAAA directed me straight into some mountains. I am using Radar Contact instead of FSX default ATC.

Do I have nerves of steel? Of course not! So I increased speed, turned and climbed to about 6000 feet.

My adrenaline was pumping as I fly close to the mountain and above the rainforest. Low clouds just add to the tension and excitement.

Once clear of obstacles, I was directed to turn to the runway.

Landing was a greaser.

But ATC is sleeping again. As I turn into the taxiway, I was going head-on to a Garuda Indonesia B737. No warnings from ATC. No instructions to hold for both our planes.

I quickly turn at the next corner, but that Garuda plane just keeps coming.

I got out of the way just in time. It all ends well. These little incidents keep us simmers on our toes.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800, Custom Haul-in-1 Paint
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: FScene X textures, SceneryTech landclass

Combat Mission Shock Force AAR: Bier und Brezel

2011-06-04T16:45:00.005+08:00

I played a CMSF NATO mission called Bier und Brezel and took the German side. I don’t know German but the title seems to be “Beer and Pretzels”. As it turns out the mission is not as easy and casual as the title suggests.

Situation: My German motorized company was under attack by a massive Syrian force. They were ordered to hold their positions until help arrives.

The Germans were lightly armed. Infantry only had a few Panzerfausts and supported by light APCs and some Wiesel’s that carry TOWs.

1 minute: Syrian artillery hammered the defenders.

9 minutes: Syrian forces organized their lines in the protected areas. There were several exchanges of ATGM fire from our Wiesels and their BMPs. Though we took out some BMPs the Wiesels were quickly destroyed as well.

11 minutes: Artillery barrage hit 2 PLT in the Syrian Military Area (right flank) while mechanized infantry moved in.

17 minutes: Artillery barrage hits 1 PLT in the Greenhouses (left flank). Looks like the attack will begin at any moment.

25 minutes: 2 PLT losing ground in the right flank. They were helpless against the BMPs.

30 minutes: 1 PLT was attacked and quickly defeated.

52 minutes: Both left and right flanks were lost along with 1 PLT and 2 PLT. 3 PLT still held the crossroads in the center.

52 minutes: Syrians attacked the crossroads. MGL team fired on infantry.

58 minutes: Syrian BMPs move in and took out any resistance that faced them.

1 hour 1 minute: Help arrived but a little too late as I have already lost the objectives and 3 PLT.

1 hour 2 minutes: Leopard 2s snipe enemy armor. Some Leopards were lost due to either ATGMs from BMPs or helicopter strikes. The Syrians had helicopters hovering the battlefield for most of the mission.

1 hour 9 minutes: Marders from one Mech Infantry Platoon move into the crossroads and took out some BMPs. Some Marders were lost in the process. But not infantry as they dismounted earlier.

1 hour 17 minutes: Another Leopard was lost. BMPs on the left flank are on the move.

1 hour 20 minutes: Crossroads cleared by mechanized platoons.

1 hour 23 minutes: The last remaining mechanized platoon was ordered to move into the houses to deal with the Syrians in the left flank.

1 hour 25 minutes: The Syrians surrender. It was a bloody battle for both sides. Notice that I lost 3 tanks out of 4. Definitely not “Beer and Pretzels”. I think I could have done better. Better management of ATGM assets (Wiesels) would have destroyed more BMPs at the start, giving the underpowered infantry some breathing space until help arrives.

Closing: Despite the victory, German leadership was questioned regarding the incident. Why weren’t the motorized company withdrawn? Withdrawing and regrouping with the mechanized company and tank platoon might have avoided the casualties and achieved the same objectives (defeating the Syrians).

Rush hour traffic in FSX

2011-05-29T20:59:00.010+08:00

Those little moving cars in FSX just makes the world more alive especially at night. Below are some pictures from my recent flight to Carins, Australia.

To appreciate those little cars, I made a short video of the landing.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800, Custom Haul-in-1 Paint
Environment: REX 2, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: Orbx Australia

Open Clouds is not free anymore.

2011-05-27T20:33:00.006+08:00

Open Clouds, the FSX add-on that simulates several layers of haze is not free anymore. The software updated itself today and I now get this screen:

But it is not a one-time purchase. The licence key expires. This site shows the pricing scheme. I am amazed with what the software can do but a monthly fee is something I did not expect.

C130 Custom Paint

2011-05-26T22:12:00.006+08:00

This is a custom paint job for the Captain Sim C-130. I will buy this plane for my Air Hauler company next month after paying the monthly installment for my current aircraft.

FSX: Mt. Fuji

2011-05-21T15:46:00.003+08:00

This stunning add-on scenery was made by Kenichi Ochiai. It is freely downloadable from www.flightsim.com

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: default Cessna 172
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: Mt. Fuji (Kenichi Ochiai)

FSX: Not the best of landings

2011-05-18T20:58:00.003+08:00

Night + haze + gusts of wind = embarassing landing.
Must learn how to adjust ILS course to consider wind direction.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800, Custom Haul-in-1 Paint
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: FScene X textures, Scenery Tech Indo-Pacific landclass

ARMA 2: Urban Operations

2011-05-16T16:19:00.006+08:00

Here's a video of a custom mission in ARMA 2. In the video, you will witness some of ARMA 2's weaknesses. Particularly pathfinding in confined spaces where AFVs bump into each other and buildings. Also there's a part where the enemy AI just stood there and did nothing. Maybe I missed something in the editor.

FSX Video B737 from WSAP to VTSB

2011-05-15T07:27:00.006+08:00

Made my first FSX video using FSRecorder, Fraps and Windows Movie Maker. The thunderstorm wasn't there when I actually flew but only appeared when I updated the weather during replay. Enjoy!

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800, Custom Haul-in-1 Paint
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries mod
Scenery: FScene X, Samsoft Singapore X

ARMA 2: Defending Against a Special Forces Night Ops

2011-05-14T14:34:00.006+08:00

In relation to a previous post about Special Forces night ops, the following ARMA 2 video shows us what it feels like to be on the receiving end.

For this mission, I used the web-based editor called Planned Assault. For those who have no clue about creating missions for ARMA, you can try this service to make basic (but potentially large scale) missions.

ARMA 2: Special Forces Night Ops

2011-05-09T06:10:00.007+08:00

Inspired by current events, I tried my hand at creating missions in ARMA 2. Took some time before I figured out how to do "triggers". Still have to learn how to make mission briefings. But for personal use, the scenario is good enough for me. Good enough that I can play it again and again and get different experiences and results.

This mission involves two Delta Force teams tasked to take out a guerrilla warlord in a small mountain village called Chak Chak.

The following are lessons learned during the operation:

Don't assume that the enemy can't see you during night ops. Despite the lack of night vision equipment, they will know where you are due to sound, moonlight, or muzzle flash.
Night vision equipment can actually be a disadvantage in long range firefights because you can't use telescopic sights (unless they are night vision equipment themselves). Iron sights and holographic ones are okay, but not ACOG and scopes.
Cover is equally important in a night engagement as blind fire can still be very effective.

Below are two videos of the action which play out differently. Best viewed in full screen or at a higher resolution. The first is a successful mission where the other team took out the warlord.

The second is another successful mission and a more intense firefight. The team took casualties but I myself (actually I took control of the SAW gunner) was able to eliminate warlord.

My Cargo Company’s first Boeing 737

2011-04-27T21:36:00.002+08:00

My Air Hauler company now has enough cash to lease a Boeing 737. I made a special paint as well using Gimp. This is my first attempt to seriously paint so the design is very basic. This is also my first flight using a brand new PC. Anyway, hope you like the pictures.

In the approach, I actually missed tracking the ILS due to some distractions. But manual landing was quite smooth.

I kinda forgot to install World of AI so that will be on my to-do list.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B737-800
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X, Samsoft Singapore X

Learjet 45 twilight landing at Clark International Airport

2011-04-17T18:07:00.003+08:00

The REX 2 add-on can really bring out some stunning visuals in Microsoft Flight Simulator X. I recommend it to any flight simmer who wants to enhance their flying experience.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Default Learjet 45
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X

Unlikely Allies: U.S. and Libya (Supreme Ruler 2020 Report)

2011-04-09T14:33:00.007+08:00

Just started a new campaign in Supreme Ruler 2020 as Libya. Libya is an oil exporting country and with a population of just 6 million, GDP per capita is quite high in the game. For the first year of gameplay, I have been constantly trading oil with the U.S. and finally made them my ally.

In Supreme Ruler, you take control of a country and take care of its economy, trade, diplomacy, military, and some domestic matters. The goal is world domination. So every game ends up in war and the elimination of opposing countries. Not very realistic if you ask me. There is an option to change the victory conditions to points awarded based on some performance stats. But still, you need to go to war and eliminate some countries. Since the game is a total "sandbox", anything can happen like the alliance that I have created.

Ever since, I have never played a campaign for a long time because once war starts, I'm too overwhelmed by all the micromanagement. Hopefully, I get a grasp of the military aspects this time around.

Supreme Ruler Cold War is in the works and I hope there is more focus on sphere's of influence to achieve a non-military victory.

Learjet over Kuala Lumpur

2011-04-03T17:01:00.001+08:00

Here's a picture from my latest flight.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Default Learjet 45
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X

Playing with the ENBSeries Mod

2011-04-02T16:43:00.007+08:00

The ENBSeries mod makes the lighting in Flight Simulator more dynamic. I used to avoid installing the ENBSeries mod because I think it's too artificially bright and shiny. I did say in a previous Battlefield Bad Company 2 blog post that bloom is overrated. But the dynamic lighting really looks good with REX2 textures and makes the clouds pop out.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Overland B747
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds, ENBSeries
Scenery: FScene X

iPhone Game: Bomber Captain

2011-03-21T09:33:00.012+08:00

In Bomber Captain, you take command of a B-17 flying bombing missions against the Axis over Europe during World War 2. You make the plane bank by tilting the iPhone. You fire you guns by tapping on a location on the screen. You can actually fire at two directions simultaneously as the game uses the iPhone’s multitap functionality. You press an on-screen button to open bomb bay doors and another on-screen button to drop the bombs.

In my 2nd mission, I am tasked to bomb an Axis airfield on the coast of Norway.

You start the mission in the danger zone. This is where the fighters begin to intercept you. You can see a Me-109 passing my bomber.

More enemy fighters and some flak. I lose a gunner (row of figures on the upper left of the screen). It seems that the field of fire of the gunner positions are modeled. Your ability to fire back diminishes as you lose gunners.

I take damage from flak. One of my right engines is on fire. When this happens, your plane will continuously bank to the side of the damaged engine. You must continuously tilt the iPhone to the other direction to steady the plane. It gets worse as more engines get hit. When 4 engines are damaged, you crash.

Over the target, I hit the runway.

After bombing two more targets (hangars), it’s time to go home. At this point I only have 3 gunners left.

Flying back is not safe as you are still pursued by enemy fighters. I finished the mission with only one gunner left.

Debriefing: It was a successful mission where I hit all 3 targets and shot down 9 aircraft. But I lost 6 gunners in the process.

Bomber Captain is a fun little game. Though I’m still not sure if the novelty will wear off after a few missions like most iPhone games. But at least the initial impressions are good.

Wargame Name Generator

2011-03-14T16:21:00.005+08:00

This is inspired by IronX's post in the Wargamer forums. Wargame names seem to be a random combination of re-used words. Check out the name generator I made in Google Docs.

If you want to play with it, here's the link. Just press Ctrl+R to generate a new name. Be mindful that this is a freely editable document so some people may be using it at the same time and messing with the sheets and cells may have consequences. Have fun!

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Impressions

2011-03-14T09:15:00.003+08:00

I know it’s a little late to give some impressions about Battlefield Bad Company 2 but I just got it yesterday. I actually stopped buying shooters for the PC and made the PS3 the main platform. But last weekend was Battlefield weekend for EA and they were selling all Battlefield titles at a significant discount though their online store. I got Battlefield Bad Company 2 Deluxe (which includes the Vietnam expansion and some extra weapons) for just around SGD 30. Not bad considering the console version is more twice that price.

At least it runs!

Yes it runs on my 5 year old PC that doesn’t have the best video cards around. I set it to low graphics quality to make the gameplay smoother. If I bought the PS3 version then I would be experiencing full graphics on my 37 inch HDTV.

Bloom is overrated!

Bloom is a graphics effect that makes lighted surfaces glow (supposedly for more realism). But when bloom is overdone especially in a level with a lot of snow, then everything around you is glowing like they’re emitting some radiation or something. Totally not realistic and painful to my eyes.

Same old singleplayer experience.

I played the original Battlefield Bad Company in my PS3 and I haven’t finished the singleplayer campaign. The characters and the plot just doesn’t encourage me to continue playing. In BFBC2, it’s the same set of characters and the same experience.

Where is everyone anyway?

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things regarding multiplayer and I enjoyed the experience in the original. So nothing can go wrong right? Wrong! I searched for servers and all I see are empty ones. I live in Singapore and those with low pings are Australian servers which aren’t well populated during my playing hours.

Ping discrimination!

This is something that ticks me off. Servers kick me out because I have a ping of more than 300. Is it my fault that low ping servers are unpopulated? Is it my fault that I live in the other side of the world? Do I really mess up other’s gameplay experience? I’ve been playing games like World of Tanks with pings more than 300 and it does not affect gameplay (significantly). My multiplayer gameplay in the PS3 is not hampered by any overt ping problems. Or maybe it's just because there are more players in my region to match with.

What, no laser range finder?

I know it’s the same with the other battlefield games but I just realized that for a modern combat game you still need to elevate your crosshair to be able to hit a target with your tank cannon because trajectories are modelled. This is so “World War 2”! In the modern world tanks have laser range finders where you just point the crosshair on a target, send a pulse of laser to determine range, and the computer will just calculate the proper elevation for you. It’s funny how Battlefield Bad Company 2 makes you fire your cannon like World War 2 tanks and World of Tanks makes you fire your cannon like modern tanks do. Games these days are really screwed.

Still fun?

I have mixed feelings. Gameplay is still fun but there are just some experiences that I don’t like. It doesn’t mean other people are experiencing the same stuff though. Gameplay experience for PC users vary a lot just like their hardware configurations. At lease in consoles, gaming experiences are relatively consistent.

The game takes up 10GB of my aging hard disk that is almost full (I keep 100GB free out of 500GB all the time). This makes me want to uninstall it soon to make way for other more worthwhile games. Only time will tell. I regret my impulse purchase and wish I got the PS3 version instead.

Technorati Tags: PC,Shooter,Battlefield,Battlefield Bad Company,Review,Impressions

In the News: Tsunami in Japan

2011-03-12T22:07:00.004+08:00

The legendary Lockheed C-130 once again takes flight. This time, I am dedicating this flight to the Japanese people!

A Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) C-130H is on a mission to bring a rescue team and their equipment to Sendai.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Captain Sim C-130
Environment: REX 2, Open Clouds
Scenery: FScene X

Technorati Tags: PC,Simulation,FSX,News

Flying Music: Van Halen - Dreams

2011-03-07T14:22:00.006+08:00

People don’t make music the way they used to. Van Halen’s song 'Dreams' is very inspiring aviation music. And here’s a jaw-dropping video with the Blue Angels. Actually other Van Halen songs like 'Jump' and 'Right Now' are also good for flying . Enjoy!

Van Halen–Dreams

Technorati Tags: Flying Music,Van Halen,Blue Angels,Simulation

In the News: Christchurch Relief Flight

2011-02-25T20:00:00.004+08:00

I used to think that there’s no point flying military planes in Microsoft Flight Simulator because the game was not made to handle areal combat. Even though there are add-ons that give you weapons and enable you to destroy things (Weapon for FSX and TacPack ), Flight Simulator will never be a true combat sim unless the AI is capable of shooting you down. But recently I figured out that there is a class of military planes worth flying in FS. I am talking about military cargo planes in particular, and the Captain Sim C-130 is one of the best.

My first C-130 flight is dedicated to the people of New Zealand. I flew a cargo of relief goods from Richmond Base in New South Wales, Australia to Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand using a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130E. I believe the RAAF does not use the E model anymore but use both the H and J models. The paint scheme is also different these days. But this is what is available in Captain Sim and I can’t seem to find any 3rd party RAAF paints compatible with the FSX version.

So here are some photos of my flight.

Take-off from Richmond Air Base at dawn.

Flying across the ocean.

The Captain Sim C-130 has some very nice 2D interiors. Here we have the navigator station and co-pilot panels.

Approaching New Zealand. Notice the snow-capped mountains.

Descending into some low level clouds.

Approach and landing.

Taxi and unloading the cargo.

There you have it. The Captain Sim C-130 is a pleasant plane to fly. Given that it does not have most advanced avionics found in modern jetliners, it gives the pilot some additional challenges. Both the exterior and interior models are superb. I highly recommend this add-on to any flightsim enthusiast.

Sim: Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Plane: Captain Sim C-130
Environment: REX 2

Technorati Tags: PC,Simulation,FSX,News

Squad Battles Modern War: Operation Anaconda Results

2011-02-21T23:59:00.004+08:00

The battle ended with a draw due to the desperate assault that I managed to pull off nicely during the last turn. Looking back, I may be able to take more objectives and win if I were more aggressive, especially in the western area. It seems the US forces can take a lot of punishment and still prevail as shown by the valiant (and leaderless) 2nd platoon. Being conservative is just wasting their potential. With this in mind, the game plays out quite differently from other Squad Battles titles.

Thanks to landser from The Blitz community for playing out this scenario with me.

Navigation:

Go to Turn 20

Technorati Tags: PC,Strategy,Squad Battles

Squad Battles Modern War: Operation Anaconda Turn 20

2011-02-21T20:07:00.003+08:00

No significant developments in the western side.

In the eastern side, a miracle has happened. Ragtag elements of 2nd platoon rallied by themselves and managed to capture the objective hex sending the Taliban running. The victory status changed from a “Loss” into a “Draw”. Let’s see if they can hold out for the last turn.

Navigation:
Go to Results
Go to Turn 19

Technorati Tags: PC,Squad Battles,Simulation