Sale on Virtavia products

[GHD]

And the total is wrong in the first one

[DaveB]

Dear Lord.. darned good job you spotted it!

Re charging for downloads after your 12months has expired.. I used to get a 12month backup guarantee from Simmarket.. cost a quid or so. Truth of the matter is.. I've been back to Simmarket on numerous occasions to download stuff that I bought years ago and it still lets me pull the files regardless if the particular file had this 12month backup paid or not.
As an aside.. JF don't charge (or offer) anything for their backup service. You buy the stuff and it remains there which is how it should be

ATB
DaveB

[J0hn]

The good news is that the Javelin is looking very nice in P3Dv2.2...





The not so good news is that my controls are totally borked - even though I only just set them on the previous flight

Looks like I'm going to have to spend some quality time together with FSUIPC tomorrow.

[DaveB]

Oh dear.. at least it's not CTDing now which is something

Just had a look on one of my old discs and I have the Javelin but I obviously either didn't download the FSX version or it wasn't available. My model dates back to 2008 so I'd have thought the FSX version would have been released. Been too long ago now. I remember there being various bits wrong with it (bits I'd have not noticed unless pointed out). I think in the end.. it just didn't float my boat.. unlike the Matchbox version I had as a kid

Still toying with the Apache 'D' but still reluctant to spend another tenner

ATB
DaveB

[J0hn]

The CTDs were being caused by two FTX products that P3D didn't like. Southern Alaska and an airfield, CBB7. Of all the FTX sceneries I have installed, why it picked out those particular two, I've no idea. Maybe because they have entries in the xml.dll file and the others haven't?

Didn't have time to do the controls, either - been too busy trying to get the TrackIR working in CFS2 (and flying the old JF, Flight1, Capt Sim and Alphasim jet add-ons for it). It's been a testing test!

[DaveB]

Ro..

I cracked and bought the Alpha/Virtavia Apache D! Hens teeth.. will I never grow up

Glad I did though. It has less detail than the Area51 model but for me, that doesn't really matter. The A/V model runs well on my system and the textures, though a little odd in parts, are head and shoulders over the A51. The rotor blades don't bend up under power but I consider this a major drawback of the A51 model as the animation is pony. The A/V looks like how you'd expect.. a blur. TBH.. it's little different from their A model AND.. it flies pretty much the same too.

I'd not have bought the A version at all and it's always looked odd not having the radome above the rotors and of course.. the UK don't have the A. However.. that's all Alpha had at the time and I wanted an Apache

One thing I've noticed since this sale has been on.. I have a large number of the models on offer bought as FS9/FSX as they all were for a time. However.. these were only compatible with FSX 'pre' SPacks (there weren't any SP's then) and the gripe for me is that these models (the vast majority) don't work with SP1 or SP2/ACC. I'm not gonna buy them again just to get the SP2/ACC updated models and as far as I know.. any updates offered (free to existing customers) were only short lived.
Another point regards the pricing. There is absolutely no way the Dauphin is worth over a tenner (having seen it in the flesh).. there's no comparison between IT and say the Apache/SeaKing/Chinook. They made the Merlin freeware (hardly surprising with it's wobbly rotor head) and the Dauphin is IMHO worse. It doesn't have a wobbly rotor head but it deserves to be freeware a lot more than the Merlin!
Rant over.. money spent

ATB
DaveB

[rohan]

You have my sympathies, dear chap ...

... as I do find myself in the same boat sometimes. Last night I discovered the FranceVFR French Islands pack at SimMarket. Rather attractive and interesting scenery somewhat reminiscent of Hawaii. I almost bought it on the spot, but then thought I should ask for any comments here before committing myself. Before I could do that, I realised that it's almost the same price as the B1900 from JF, which is burning a hole in my credit card trying to get out at full price ... and that's on top of the intro offer on Marsdonshire from JT which expires on Sunday.

As for the old Alpha models, I didn't think there were many for which they did updates or rebuilds for FSX. I wonder if it's a case of the suppliers being over-optimistic about FSX compatibility, since I seriously doubt that they test and check this sort of thing.

And thanks for the input on the D - I'd be more inclined to buy it now if there were more repaints for it. Perhaps next time ... and I'm not sure about the CH47 yet. I've noted your comment about the twin engine FDE and that intrigues me, but I think I should spend some time with the freeware models before the next sale. The Dauphin is off the list as is the Scimitar, but I'm still tempted by the EC130 and AW109 in the next ND sale despite having reservations about ND models because of their later FDEs.

[J0hn]

I'm a little surprised at what you said there, Dave (though I knew you'd crack with the Apache ). It's probably that you are more of a perfectionist, or at least expect more from your FSX models than I do.

I have lots of 'old' Alphasim models that were built for FS9 and use them frequently in FSX with either no issues or ones that are very easy to fix, such as the odd non-working gauge or frosty canopy. Okay, some of the helicopter rotor blades are not entirely transparent to background images or clouds, but as I spend most of my time in the VC, it never bothered me too much. I think I see FSX and all PC sims as a game, really, rather than expecting too much realism from them. Don't want it too serious!

Talking of that - I was amazed to find that the Iris Phantom FG1 (for FSX) works just fine in FSX SP2, but when I tried it in P3Dv2 yesterday, the canopies were all frosted up. They are clear for a second, then as the model completes it all frosts up. I've not tried fixing it yet, but I am surprised it happened.

[DaveB]

Mornin' Ro

I saw the UKMIL Chinook languishing on a HD yesterday. I'll see if I can find it again and install it

You're wise to scratch the Dauphin from your list.. disappointing as this will be. It's most certainly FS9 quality and not good FS9 quality at that. The Scimitar.. this is another one that was sold initially as two versions.. FS9 and FSX.. and being an RN jet, I snapped it up as soon as it came out. A couple of days later, a patch was issued to fix various bits and bobs but nothing was done to cure the 400kt stall this thing will fly into with consummate ease. I love the idea of the Scimitar, being what it is, but I really don't like the FD and CBA to do anything about it so it never gets flown. I install it every now and again to have another look and wonder if I was being too critical (in other words, hoping that it was much better than I remembered) but it never stays installed for long.

Looking on an old drive, the following definitely came out as FS9 and FSX (separate downloads of course)
Tornado F3
AH-1W
Apache
Lancer (P)
B-36 Peacemaker (P)
B-47 Stratojet (P)
Blenheim
Sea Venom
Hampden (?)
Harvard (P)
He111
Hudson
Merlin HC3
Merlin HM1
SE5a
Scimitar
S-55
Vampire
F-104G (P)
Belleau Wood (P)

I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I know came as both as I can see the FSX models. Those followed by (P) are ones I remember there being issues with after SP1/2/ACC. There was, apparently, a prop update for the Harvard but I missed that. Some of them have texture issues, others with the models. All these were bought as Alphasim models. The first Virtavia model I bought was the Islander which came well after any of the above. Most of these are still on sale so I'd like to hope they were properly updated for SP2
Oops.. gotta dash.

EDIT: JD.. I don't mind dragging old stuff into FSX.. I get what I expect most of the time.
ATB
Dave

[DaveB]

Ro.. dunno where that freeware Chinook has gone.. wood for the trees I guess. I can't re-download it either as I can't get into UKMil will my known username/password. Tried getting in on the old XP machine but that's saying sod off also. I had probs with the account a while back and was told that someone else was using Dave_B (which is the username confirmed on my joining email) It was supposed to have been sorted but I see it wasn't

ATB
DaveB