Classic British Flight Sim

Hello Guy's,

Not usual for me to post a totally 'negative' from the word go but such is my experience with Abacus FD4 for FSX.. I feel it worth commenting on to save some of you a few quid.

One thing lacking in FSX is/are carriers and having got the sim to run at an acceptable level, I thought I'd look at expanding my current experience. The only thing I managed to find was Abacus FlightDeck 4.. fully updated and compatible with FSX.. or so the blurb goes.

I thought I knew what to expect being a reasonably happy owner of FD3.. that is, FS2000 style aircraft (the FD3 - Abacus input) plus ArrCab, the important bit. However, at some point in the proceedings, FD4 got a makeover and ArrCab was replaced by a 'gauge based' alternative.. supposedly 'simpler' to use. I never used FD4 for FS9 as I saw no reason to update the perfectly acceptible FD3 (or more to the point, the ArrCab side of it) so my upgrade was from FD3 to FD4 for FSX.

Having taken the plunge.. a number of things spring to mind. There seems to be little (read nothing) in the documentation.. not that I've seen anyway.. that explains how you use the program with any other carrier than the one that comes with it.. USS Ronnie Reargun. Secondly, the panel.cfg files of the aircraft included (the usuals) contain .bak versions of the panels.. obviously done by the chap doing the upgrade which leads one to presume that the package has been rushed. Thirdly, the aircraft.. while visually better than those in FD3 still have rubbish FD's and panels from a much earlier age.

Importantly, the Ronnie Reargun appeared in FSX as a flat top with an unusual amount of wake and no physical carrier. Having read the online FAQ.. this was a problem reported and fixed with a v3 update.. slightly confusing as the download version I got was supposed to have this sorted. An email to Abacus support got a swift reply.. try turning up your scenery settings to as high as they'll go (or your pc can stand) and the problem should disappear. My detail setting was 'normal' so I upped it to the next.. dense and bless me, the carrier appears. That is where the good news ends I'm afraid. Used to between 25 and 30fps (locked at 30).. I was a little shocked to see a constant 7fps AND the Ronnie Reargun disappear shortly after takeoff. Pulling a 180 saw the carrier snap into view again (though the wake was still there) but I can't run at 7fps I'm afraid.

All in all.. I can't find anything good to say about FD4 for FSX. I've not tried the FS9 version as I don't see the point. Whether the 'simpler' FD4 detects catapults off any other carrier, I'll probably never find out but on the face of it.. the 'simpler' version requires at least the inclusion of a gauge (the FSX one is uncabbed) to every carrier aircraft you want to use rather than the ArrCab method of plotting the zone at ONE location so how this is simpler is beyond me. The included aircraft are quite frankly rubbish and not worth the disc space.

There is ONE plus.. if you're a registered FD3 user, you can get the FD4 upgrade for $17.50, not half price but a decent saving. Alternatively, you could throw $17.50 down the drain. I know which choice I should have made :roll:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Dave,

See my post elsewhere about the FS9 version of FD4. Equally rubbish and a waste of the 'discounted' price to my mind. I've had every version of FD from V 1.0 upwards and it peaked at FD3 I reckon.

The FD4 aircraft files work OK with FD3 so long as you use the FD3 panels, and they do look better too. The Ch-46 Sea Knight in FD3 looks like an FS98 import it's so blocky, so that part of the upgrade works well, but it's expensive for 5 aircraft!

Hi Kit

Tks for that. The included aircraft certainly look better than their FD3 equivallents but I can't see any improvement in their panels. The Prowler isn't half bad to fly but I find the F-18 likes to 'do it's own thing' :roll: The readme states that all models have increased braking too and what this boils down to in FSX is the F-18 will sink into the ground and dig a hole with it's nose if you brake hard at anything above say.. 20kts :shock:

I really don't like slating stuff off but this package is so poor, I feel moved to warn folk to hang on to their money. Where the upgrade free, I'd still say don't bother as it's not worth the effort :roll:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

I also purchased the above mentioned item and that is the difference with that publisher in that they are consistent as others aren’t. It is absolutely crap as far as the models go-as usual and does not even come close to freeware standard and there are big names behind the models and seemingly proud of the results. Guess it is a matter of standards but I think that just the utility of the cat and trap system would have been a better product to market at a lower price so people could purchase the module to use with A.N.Other item and get rid of the surplus and dire baggage attached to it. The AFCAD author is one of the best and it is a shame that he had no real tools to work with.

It is a shame that you purchased it before finding out about the freeware alternatives. Me, I had to have it as a development and assesment tool but after loading it for the first time and viewing I decided to get drunk as it seemed a better thing to do because the paint had already dried on my fence.

That just about sums it up! Having had a go at Abacus, the explanation I got was that FSX needs a lot of 'umph' to work in the first place and adding FD4.. well :roll: They were sorry that I was disappointed and offered a refund or swap.. nice even if the original product isn't worth a jot!!

I only got this Mark because it was supposed to work with FSX.. something not offered by ArrCab and I wasn't aware that 3-wire had been re-written. That said.. I still can't get my hands on the public beta despite signing up to that site :roll:

Anyway.. tks for your input. A cursory note to you all.. this product really IS as bad as I said it was so DON'T BUY IT. You don't have to take only my word for it now either

ATB

DaveB :tab: