khodges

My Feedback: (1)

My LHS just put G4 on his in-store computer this week. Rather interesting, to say the least. You can now fly floatplanes on it, and that's where the fun begins. The realism in some ways, is incredible. The graphics look like a photograph, but the operations, well, could improve. For instance, we loaded a Flybaby bipe (it has wheels only), and picked a water site, a river with a stony/sandy beach and wooden walkway on the near side, a power line tower upstream and a bridge even further up. When you push the button, the plane plops in the water, floating. Hold full elevator and pour the coal to it, and off she comes, and you can even land it in the water with no worries that the landing gear will flip you. If you let the plane sit long enough, it WILL begin to sink, but as long as the prop stays clear, it will run.

THEN, we loaded a turbine (Jaguar, I think). It also floats, but when you spool it up, the nose plows under. No worries, she makes a fine submarine also. We had the entire plane submerged, with just the tip of the V stab sticking up like a conning tower, and the jet merrily screaming away. Back off the throttle and it surfaces, if you don't wait too long. I haven't had that much fun with a video game in years.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

You have to have a very powerful computer to take advantage of all the graphics quality it has to offer. My computer is only "so-so".

Sure, it has some strange things that can happen, those are just bugs that will get worked out. The water is truly amazing in this sim.

micsrcfn

The Question remains... is it worth the price?


Mic

3dd

My Feedback: (6)

yes but as said you better have a powerful computer or you will be getting one soon

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

That is a highly subjective question. What is 'worth the price' to one may not be to another.

If you want to fly off water, then "I" think it is worth the price.

An r/c simulator, of any brand is worth its weight in gold. Because it keeps you sharp and definitely helps you retain your flying skills during non "real" flying times.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

After submerging the jet, I tried to fly around behind the tower aout in the river. No matter how far away I flew, whenever I turned to go behind it, I always passed in front of it. You could still crash into the trees across the river, though. Hobbico made the LHS owner buy a whole new computer to put G4 on, instead of loading it on the same one he had G3; must need a helluva lot of drive and disk space.

3dd

My Feedback: (6)

disk space ain't the problem---flat out computing cpu power and graphics power

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

khodges: The reason for that, is because you were flying a 3D sim model in front of a photograph. Those are referred to in the sim as "Photofields". In essece, it would be like flying a model in front of a billboard. No matter how you fly, you are always in front of it. When you do 'crash' into something, as the trees you found out, those have had "collision object" assignements added to them to cause you to crash if you hit them. Many photographs in the photofields have had lots and lots of collision assignments inserted into them. But I suppose not every single object is going to have one. Although, you as a user can insert them yourself by 'editing' the flying site on your own PC.

You should go back to the LHS and try one of the full 3D (no, not hovering type 3D!) flying sites.

carrellh

How can they "make" anyone buy a new computer?

SackOHammers

This exists everywhere with other products. If you want to ben an authorized reseller then you need to meet certain criteria. Now, I'm not saying that Hobbico has an authorized retailer program, I'm not a hobby shop owner and have no idea... but the concept is certainly present for many things.

For example... lets say Hobbico is making G4 available to the store owner for free or for a significant discount as a display model... then they can attach certain requirements... such as... your computer must meet certain specifications. That is perfectly reasonable.

That would be separate from Joe Blow store owner who buys a copy of G4 out-right, puts it on any computer he wants, and runs it in his store. I don't think they can *make* him do anything because there is no contractual agreement there (no discounted price and no "authorized dealer" agreement hanging over his head).

Pile-O-Wood

The CPU that comes from hobbico has G4 and all the expansion packs installed, and when they come out with a new one, you will get a CD to load the new expansion pack.