RealFlight G3 Q&A

[jbourke]

I'm Jim Bourke, General Manager of Knife Edge Software (developers of RealFlight G3) and also, incidentally, owner of this website.

If anyone has any questions about RealFlight G3 I'll be happy to answer them here.

Jim

[Torquerolljoe]

I have a question regarding pc requirements. What are the optimum specificaitons of a pc for Realflight G3 to run seamlessly. I currently have a P4 3.0 ghz with 1 gig of ram, a 120 gig hard drive, a radeon 9200 graphics card. I think I will need a better graphics card. What do you think?

Joseph

[KeithK]

Will owners of G2 ever see an upgrade offer?

Keith

[kdw]

JB: When will it hit the streets?

And do you HONESTLY think its more realistic than reflex XTR and Aerofly proff deluxe?

Im about to buy a SIM, but I have no idea which one to get.. havent tryied any of them.

[Daniel11]

When will info about G3 be up on the Realflight website?


-Daniel

[jbourke]

I have a question regarding pc requirements. What are the optimum specificaitons of a pc for Realflight G3 to run seamlessly. I currently have a P4 3.0 ghz with 1 gig of ram, a 120 gig hard drive, a radeon 9200 graphics card. I think I will need a better graphics card. What do you think?


You will have no problem running the sim with that system. A better card will certainly improve performance.

I run a Radeon 9800 and get about 40 fps at 1600x1200 resolution with full details turned on.

The shadows have a big impact on performance. We do self-shadowing which looks awesome but at the highest shadow detail levels there is a noticeable framerate drop. You'll probably need to set your shadow quality to medium.

Jim

[jbourke]

Will owners of G2 ever see an upgrade offer?

I can talk about RealFlight G3 at a technical level and help to explain that part of it but the overall marketing and pricing strategy are handled at Great Planes. I'm afraid I don't know anything more than you do about the upgrade policy at this point. If I hear anything then I'll pass it on right away.

Jim

[jbourke]

JB: When will it hit the streets?


My understanding is that copies should be in hobby stores early next week.


And do you HONESTLY think its more realistic than reflex XTR and Aerofly proff deluxe?


It would not have left Knife Edge's office if I felt otherwise.

The flight model is just amazing and has the advantage of being highly tunable on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis. People are going to freak out when they fly G3.

I'll never contrast our sim directly with a competitor as a matter of policy, so please keep that in mind when asking questions.

Jim

[jbourke]

When will info about G3 be up on the Realflight website?


realflight.com is maintained by Great Planes. I know they are working on it but that work is being done about a thousand miles away from where I live so I have no idea about the progress.

I'm able to answer questions about the software itself but probably not very useful on other issues.

We put some screenshots up at knifeedge.com and I'm here to answer your questions so just let me know what you are curious about.

Jim

[rutat]

FYI - Tower has G3 in stock now.

[Dennis L. Payne]

Jim,

The January edition of MAN carries a sneak preview of RF G3. It showed the airplane editor which uses a wire frame presentation, is it the intention of this new feature for users to be able to freely create their own models but based upon the default shapes that are provided currently by G2 and all the add on's for same. ? The proceedure for taking a existing model and changing its colour scheme to one that is personal was always tedious in G2 has this been improved or changed.? Finally the creation of new airports seemed to be reliant on using an existing airport, what changes have been in this area.

[gcedillo]

Hi Im just about to receive my first trainer (tower trainer mk II rtf) and I want to get a simulator but right now would you recommend me to wait till g3 is out or should I get the g2 (I mean 50 bucks difference may not be a big deal but the waiting!).

Thanks

[marcocale]

Will be possible to join multiplayer sessions between G2 and G3?

Thank You

[mhale71]

sorry to put doubt to a great company, but didnt a couple of people claim to have tried it out and said that the physics are the same as g2 ?

[AERO3DPat]

Hi Jim…Another system requirement question.
Pentium® 4 PCU 2.54GHz
512 Mb DDR Ram
Radeon 9700pro 125Mb (Driver Version ATI 6.14.10.6458)

How well will this work?
Thank you, Pat

[AERO3DPat]

Another few questions, Will G3 have the ability to use digital photos as a back drop or flying field. This is something I wanted long ago with G2. Aerofly Deluxe and Reflex are now doing this and if G3 doesn’t have this ability than the makers of G3 are shooting themselves in the feet. I don’t want this cartoon look. I expected so much more out of the makers of Realflight is this all they could do with there time? What about physical water? That means the ability to fly off water. And what are the plans for the future of G3, Add-ons with the features I listed?

[jbourke]

The January edition of MAN carries a sneak preview of RF G3. It showed the airplane editor which uses a wire frame presentation, is it the intention of this new feature for users to be able to freely create their own models but based upon the default shapes that are provided currently by G2 and all the add on's for same. ?


Correct. In G3 we have a component-based physics system. There are different kinds of components that the user can add, delete, and modify, which include wheels, wings, fuselages, engines, smoke points, etc.

Each of these components can be moved, resized, and rotated and each has their own list of settings.

So a user can create a biplane F-16 or a Wright Flyer with a turbine engine. You can add wingtip smoke, create a twin engine Extra, and create other novel combinations of components.

These changes are not reflected graphically. If you want to create your own aircraft meshes, stay tuned.


The proceedure for taking a existing model and changing its colour scheme to one that is personal was always tedious in G2 has this been improved or changed.?


What part did you find tedious?


Finally the creation of new airports seemed to be reliant on using an existing airport, what changes have been in this area.

G3 users have a 75x75 mile satellite imagery based terrain in which to fly and create airports. You can also use the G2 terrain to create airports.

It's an expensive and time-consuming process to create the scenes using the source satellite imagery. We aren't releasing the tools.

I know a lot of people want to see a high resolution version of the Photodome concept, which is basically a panoramic photo. We didn't do that with G3 because we really like the idea of letting the user move around in the scene. The photograph-based scenery is really limiting in that respect.

Jim

[jbourke]

Hi Im just about to receive my first trainer (tower trainer mk II rtf) and I want to get a simulator but right now would you recommend me to wait till g3 is out or should I get the g2 (I mean 50 bucks difference may not be a big deal but the waiting!).


You don't have to wait anymore because G3 is now in stock as I understand it.

G2 is fine for training but at some point you are going to want to past the trainers and G3 has a much better flight model. I recommend G3.

Jim

[jbourke]

Will be possible to join multiplayer sessions between G2 and G3?


No, G3 is about a 95% rewrite. G3 Multiplayer and recordings are not compatible with G2.

Jim

[jbourke]

sorry to put doubt to a great company, but didnt a couple of people claim to have tried it out and said that the physics are the same as g2 ?

The G3 flight model is a 100% rewrite. There is nothing at all the same as G2. Please help me by correcting any bad information that you hear.

Jim

[jbourke]

Hi Jim…Another system requirement question.
Pentium® 4 PCU 2.54GHz
512 Mb DDR Ram
Radeon 9700pro 125Mb (Driver Version ATI 6.14.10.6458)


Several of the Knife Edge developers work on similar systems. Don't upgrade unless you want everything on the highest setting at 1600x1200.

Jim

[jbourke]

Another few questions, Will G3 have the ability to use digital photos as a back drop or flying field. This is something I wanted long ago with G2. Aerofly Deluxe and Reflex are now doing this and if G3 doesn’t have this ability than the makers of G3 are shooting themselves in the feet. I don’t want this cartoon look. I expected so much more out of the makers of Realflight is this all they could do with there time?


The photographic scenery looks great but it isn't as flexible as the approach we've taken.

In G3 you are able to move about the world and also the world moves around as well. This is more immersive than viewing the same photo over and over.

My guess is that a lot of people are going to compare the two and prefer the 3D renderings over the photographs once they see the additional functionality that the 3D engine provides.

If that proves not to be the case then we can always dust off the Photodome code and put out some high-res panoramic photos in a free update.

What about physical water? That means the ability to fly off water.


G3 does not have float flying.


And what are the plans for the future of G3, Add-ons with the features I listed?

If we do the photodome it will be a free update.

Float flying is much more complicated and would have to wait for a new version.

Jim

[Daniel11]

Will the free plane downloads from the realflight.com swap page work with G3?



-Daniel

[jbourke]

Will the free plane downloads from the realflight.com swap page work with G3?


No, G3's flight model is completely different which means that all the aircraft are in a different format.

A lot of the aircraft on the swap pages were set up to overcome or exploit deficiencies in the G2 flight model so they aren't really that useful for G3 anyway.

Most of the color schemes work. The only major exception is the P-51, as we've completely rebuilt it for G3 and the texture mapping is no longer the same.

Jim

[Coinmonster]

Hi Jim. I would like to know what resolution the G3 pics on the knifeedge site were captured in? Just wondering because I keep hearing that the screenshots don't do it justice. I really hope this is the case as I am really not impressed with the graphics yet. I'm guessing that the pics were captured in 800x600. I run G2 at 1600x1200 and it looks better than the G3 shots (excluding the realtime reflections, lens flare, transparency effects etc.) I would like to see some hires shots. Hopefully I will be able to run this at 1600x1200 with these specs:
P4 3.2 ghz
1 gb DDR2 Ram
Radeon x800XT PCI Express

I appreciate any information you can provide. Thanks Jim.

-Matt

[jbourke]

Matt,

You'll have no problem running at 1600x1200 with those specs. I run at 1600x1200 on my 23" LCD and my system is not as powerful as yours.

A video tells the story better than screenshots. I'll try to post a video later this week. Maybe next week due to Thanksgiving.

Jim

[rutat]

What is the copy protection scheme on G3?

[STLPilot]

but AeroFly Pro comes with both 3D scenery and photo scenery. wouldn't it be better to have a choice? i've seen the screen shots of the new AFP deluxe and it is amazing.

[Keith43221]

the add-ones are still compatable even thought the planes are a complete rewrite?

[jbourke]

What is the copy protection scheme on G3?

For obvious reasons I cannot go into a lot of detail on the copy protection mechanisms within G3.

I will say that the copy protection with G3 is inobtrusive. You won't be aware of it at all unless you try to make a pirated copy.

Jim

[jbourke]

but AeroFly Pro comes with both 3D scenery and photo scenery. wouldn't it be better to have a choice? i've seen the screen shots of the new AFP deluxe and it is amazing.

We tackled the hardest part first, which is the rendering engine. The photofield method is much easier.

Everyone involved in the product felt that we would be better off pursuing the feature set that a high quality 3D rendering engine provides, such as in-cockpit and chasecam views, the ability to participate in multiplayer sessions from a variety of pilot positions, the ability to look at recorded flights from several angles, etc. We needed all the time we had to get the rendering engine up to par with other games.

The photographic scenery idea is really attractive on today's cards, but is not a technical challenge and can easily be addressed at a later time.

Jim

[jbourke]

the add-ones are still compatable even thought the planes are a complete rewrite?

Correct. We wrote a conversion program to convert the G2 planes over but after working on it we decided it was impossible to get them all to fly correctly without a lot of hand tuning.

The entire concept is different. We aren't dealing with a few parameters anymore. Each component, such as a wing, can be fully configured.

G3 supports any conceivable planform, including flying wings, canards, swept forward wings, etc. For each of these you can add dihedral, twist, airfoil changes at any number of stations, control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, spoilers, etc), and a whole host of other parameters.

All the components can be moved in 3D space and reoriented or resized in any way the user wants.

When we imported the G2 models there just wasn't enough information to produce a flyable airplane in G3. G2 made a lot of assumptions about the aircraft that just don't hold true in G3.

G3 has a really powerful editor that makes it easy to modify aircraft so I don't think the G2 aircraft on the swap pages are going to be missed. If they are then we can put some more time into the conversion program.

Jim

[rutat]

Jim, my question was geared toward wondering if you need to keep a CD in the system (although my version never has asked me for a CD). As you and I both know, decichipering which particular variant of CDR protection Gn uses is a 30 second job. I was certainly not inquiring about the algorith although as I said it is easy enough to find out. Good software doesn't demand ridiculous copy schemes that ultimately self-destruct.

Let me put this another way: does G3 ask for a CD to determine copy protection? (after the initial load of course).

[jbourke]

Let me put this another way: does G3 ask for a CD to determine copy protection? (after the initial load of course).

No, it does not.

Jim

[rutat]

Excellent. Thank you.

[STLPilot]

why can't you make your own planes for G3 like all the other sims out there? can't the physics engine just take the parameters off the airplane? is it a control thing for Great Planes to control what planes can or cannot fly on their $200 software?

i like designing my own planes for FMS, and MS Flight Sim. i have G2, but i really don't like the fact i can't design my own planes other then the "mr. potato head" version of piecing together planes with other planes' parts.

[jbourke]

why can't you make your own planes for G3 like all the other sims out there?


It's just a matter of packaging up our modeling tools in a format that users can understand. We create the models using a 3D modeling package that costs several thousand dollars. It would take us a lot of time to prepare the tools for use by customers.

I'm not saying it isn't going to happen. I'm just explaining why it hasn't happened yet. We've been busy working on an entirely new platform. That's consumed a team of 10 people full-time. Now that the G3 engine is done and the product is released we can turn our attention to these areas.


can't the physics engine just take the parameters off the airplane? is it a control thing for Great Planes to control what planes can or cannot fly on their $200 software?


It's not a control thing. Everyone involved in RealFlight wants it to happen.

I know the quality of artistry that the internet community can provide and I'd love to see what they could do with the modeling software we have. We've bounced around a lot of ideas about how to get the tools in the hands of customers but haven't made a firm decision on anything. We'll make an announcement when we do.

Jim

[Ace in the hole]

I have two questions.
First, I am still a little confused as to your conversion program. Are you saying that you only converted the planes from the add ons volumes and tweaked them individually to make them all fly correctly? Or are you saying that after you attempted the conversion of the add ons planes and that you found it not to work properly and so just converted them "as is" so to speak.

Second, I am still looking for the "minimum system requirements" for G3. I cannot seem to find any one to tell me what is on the box as to the requirements.

Thanks for any reply you might make, Jeff

[BobT]

I installed my new G3 last night. Installation was painless, like it said, one click. After install, no CD required. I am running a 2 gig CPU, 1 Gig RAM, Radeon 9800, and this thing screams. No problems whatsoever. The graphics are stunning. Best I have ever seen (though I admit I have not seen any recent versions of Reflex so I cannot judge). I have not collected any other details, too busy flying. I think it was worth every cent I paid for it. This is first class software. Any developments in the future are going to be gravy. I am looking forward to the Helicopter part.
Well done Mr Bourke and crew. My hat is off to you.

[AERO3DPat]

Several of the Knife Edge developers work on similar systems. Don't upgrade unless you want everything on the highest setting at 1600x1200.


:confused: Your answer was not clear at all. Your answer could mean more than one thing. Did you mean to say "Dont upgrade unless you want everthing on it's lowest setting"

Pentium® 4 PCU 2.54GHz
512 Mb DDR Ram
Radeon 9700pro 125Mb (Driver Version ATI 6.14.10.6458)

Could you take your time and give me a more clears answer?

[umrk]

AERO3DPat, If its so easy then you'll be more than happy to figure out how to do it and post up a tutorial that any flier not familiar with 3D Cad can easily understand and be productive with right off... without the typical CAD learning curve, for the good of all fliers who want or own G3?

According to Tower it comes with 35 airplanes, with 15 helis available in the spring, and Jim has explained how they can be edited, along with them looking into providing a graphics editor... so I really can't see the basis for your attitude.

Also Jim never said anything about you being stuck with minimum resolution, only that he suggests a faster computer for 1600 max resolution. You could probably just drop the refresh rate a bit or run it at 1280 with no problems. From my limited experience with 3D games that kind of resolution is more for bragging rights than any practicle value. And if you were really that serious about fast highres 3D graphics you'd already have a faster box.

One last point, Jim is so selfish and greedy that he lets you post here on HIS website for free. Think about that. ;)

mike

[Daniel11]

I'm confused. CAN YOU OR CAN'T YOU EDIT PLANES AT LEAST AS GOOD AS YOU COULD IN G2?

[jbourke]

I have two questions.
First, I am still a little confused as to your conversion program. Are you saying that you only converted the planes from the add ons volumes and tweaked them individually to make them all fly correctly?


Correct.


Second, I am still looking for the "minimum system requirements" for G3. I cannot seem to find any one to tell me what is on the box as to the requirements.


The absolute minimum I would recommend is a P4 1Ghz machine with a GeForce 2MX card. I'm not sure what the box says.

We ran it on a test machine here that is slower than what I quote above and it will run, but the graphics and flight model have to be scaled back.

Jim

[jbourke]

:confused: Your answer was not clear at all. Your answer could mean more than one thing. Did you mean to say "Dont upgrade unless you want everthing on it's lowest setting"

Pentium® 4 PCU 2.54GHz
512 Mb DDR Ram
Radeon 9700pro 125Mb (Driver Version ATI 6.14.10.6458)

Could you take your time and give me a more clears answer?


I see. I was saying "don't upgrade your machine" not "don't upgrade RealFlight". :)

Your system will run RealFlight G3 just great. I think that 3 or 4 of our programmers have lesser systems than you have!


I have not opened the box yet, rather I'm about to send G3 back :mad:
very not impressed with what I'm seeing. Aerofly Deluxe looks to be the way to go.


That would be a shame but there are a lot of backorders so if you send it back someone out there will be very happy. :)


Jim..Come on, Don't give us that crap, some of us know better. Wire frame software is available free in the internet in more than one location.


We create our models using a 3D Studio Max export filter. That software package costs $3,000.

While it is true that there are freeware wireframe packages out there, they can't, at this time, be used to make RealFlight models.

Now none of the above means that we can't fix that problem. As I said, stay tuned.

They only want us to pay $29.99 for more aircraft. It's all about making money. If we could make our selfs aircraft/photo Domes we would also share them, right guys? We would also be less apt to buy add-ons. Theres what I feel to be your answer 3dmagic :(

Our revenue will increase, not decrease, when we put wireframe tools out for G3. That's how I see it.

Jim

[jbourke]

I'm confused. CAN YOU OR CAN'T YOU EDIT PLANES AT LEAST AS GOOD AS YOU COULD IN G2?

Daniel, G3's aircraft editor is far superior to G2's. It is the best aircraft physics editor on the market in ANY flight sim that I am aware of.

Jim

[Lynxman]

Will you make the 3DS MAX export filter available? How about a GMax filter to spark a community of modelers? :)

But that's probably up to Discreet.

[HankF]

Jim,

Yes, but can G3 handle differential thrust from two or more motors? I can do that on a real model with a mixing transmitter.

Hank

[cadconversions]

I'm just looking forward to getting my griddy little hands on the TX sometime soon. :D

[Coinmonster]

Jim,

Regarding my question, I would like an answer regarding the resolution of the shots on the knifeedge page. What res were they taken in? I'm still not convinced if this is the sim for me. I've been a faithful supporter of G2 since its release and it is a great sim (so great, that it enabled me to solo my first airplane without ever being on a trainer box.) I work at a local hobby shop and have sold/recommended G2 to many a customer. We just got in the G3's today and our store computer cannot handle this program - so no chance to demo this thing... I wanted so badly to just drop the money and take one home but I am still undecided judging from what I've seen (mostly pictures). I guess I expected too much as I am not liking many of the "features". i.e. the huge flying areas (miles and miles of flying area). I'm not sure about other people, but when I go out to fly, I fly in a small area. I'm not constantly moving around. As far as the chase plane/cockpit view, that is one feature that I never used in G2. Is this Microsoft Flight Simulator or an R/C simulator? I'm not even going to get into the flying through hoops thing. The aircraft and physics editor do look pretty good though. As far as free downloads (photodomes, wireframe editor etc..) in the future go, I have a hard time believing that. All of the G2 updates were minor software fixes - we had to pay for our major updates (add-ons 1-5). I would like to see the developer listen to what the people would like, rather than telling us what we should like better i.e. the photodomes vs. 3d environments. Please don't take this the wrong way. I am confident that this is as good as G2 and feel safe recommending this to people. For someone a little more discriminating like myself, I'm not so sure, now that Realflight has some competetion. I hope I am proven wrong. Still would like to see videos Jim when you get time. Thanks Jim.

-Matt

[rutat]

The pics on KE.com were posted as 1280x1024 (+/-) Look decent to me.

Look - this is a SIMULATOR. Not "real Life" (tm). :)

[Purple Baron]

Evening...
Is there any intention of a Slope Soaring program to be added to G3 in the near future ?
Or are there any steep hills in G3 that you can direct a wind over to to create the conditions Slope Soaring requires ?

tHE baRon vON puRple
I like wind

[jbourke]

Will you make the 3DS MAX export filter available? How about a GMax filter to spark a community of modelers?

As I said, stay tuned. I'm not going to offer any more information at this time.

Jim

[jbourke]

Yes, but can G3 handle differential thrust from two or more motors? I can do that on a real model with a mixing transmitter.

Yes, it can.

It can also do vectored thrust.

Jim

[STLPilot]

well it seems to me after reading this thread that G3 has a lot more cannots then cans. i mean you've pretty much said no it can't to just about everything and come up with we'll do it in the future because we'll make a lot of money. Our revenue will increase, not decrease, when we put wireframe tools out for G3. That's how I see it. are you kidding about this statement? also i mean stating that you can't do photoreals because it's too easy for your team? what a load of crap. or customers can't make their own planes because it's too difficult for customers to make them with wireframe software? take a look at rcsim.com and look at the thousands of planes available for all sims made by people other then KE Software. will you actually put it right on the line in this thread right now that a free upgrade for photoreal scenery will be available for G3?

[Flyn4Fun]

Well, after flying the various sims at the Chicago show a month ago, I decided that G3 was the one for me.

It's been a long wait but I picked it up and installed it on my PC yesterday evening...well worth the wait! I felt that the physics were pretty darned good, however, I was a little concerned at first...the default wind seems a little strong and I thought it was something in the simulation. I've made a few tweaks to the Yak so it flies more to my liking but that's about it.

I'll play with it some more this evening and let you know a first-hand account of the likes and dislikes after I've got some more stick time on it.

[rutat]

Will G3 run on a Macintosh (WinPC etc.)?

[cadmanpilot]

Jim Bourke,

My G3 should be delivered today. I had ordered G2 and had it in my hands when I found out G3 was soon to be released. At the time there wasn't any information available about computer performance issues. It seemed that all pre-release information was being held back. After I sent back the G2 and ordered G3, I anticipated gathering that computer performance information. It is still slow in forthcoming. I called Realflight this morning and the response I got was lacking in detail, not at all their fault it seems. I have a one year old Toshiba Satellite Pro M15 Centrino Laptop that has the Pentium M 1.4 GHz processor with 512 Mb of RAM. It has the NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go 32 MB DDR RAM Video card. What Performance issues can I expect to have with this configuration. Will the frame rate and detail level need to be set so low that I would have been better off having kept the G2 version. I hope that I haven't squandered all of those shipping/insurance costs only to find out a one year old premium laptop is inadequate. Please clarify my plight if you can.

Paul

[Coinmonster]

Flynforfun- Thanks for the impressions! How are the physics when it comes to 3d flight (i.e. hovering, high-alpha etc..)

Rutat- I know it's a simulation.... Here's the definition:

sim·u·la·tion
Pronunciation: "sim-y&-'lA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English simulacion, from Middle French, from Latin simulation-, simulatio, from simulare

1. To simulate (to do or make something which LOOKS REAL but is not real)

I'm just saying the more realistic it feels AND looks, the more immersive the experience becomes. I want something as close as possible to the real thing.

[rutat]

Knock yourself out in front of a PC - I'd rather be outside.

[AERO3DPat]

Knock yourself out in front of a PC - I'd rather be outside.

rutat...That's why you have made 870 posts on this sight sitting in front of your PC :D

It's too bad G3 dosn't give us the choise for using the photo Dome and/or the ability the make our own aircraft. Nearly all the rest of the sims do. I feel with these features G3 would be the ultimate RC Sim.

Thanks Jim for all your Info.

[rutat]

Maybe you are just a slow typist? j/k... Hey - I get paid to post. You??

[gadzby]

I have a one year old Toshiba Satellite Pro M15 Centrino Laptop that has the Pentium M 1.4 GHz processor with 512 Mb of RAM. It has the NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go 32 MB DDR RAM Video card. What Performance issues can I expect to have with this configuration.

Hi Jim:

Thanks for all your patience answering our questions.

I have the same one as Paul: how well would G3 run on a recent laptop: IBM T40 Pentium M 1.6 GHz/512 MB/ATI Mobility 9000 display adapter (32MB). FWIW, G2 runs fine on this machine.

Grant

[gadzby]

FYI, the G3 rebate info for current G2 owners has now been posted on realflight.com.

Unless you bought G2 on or after September 1, 2004, looks like the incentive offered is $25 worth of merchandise, or one free add-on disk...

[DavidJ]

FYI, the G3 rebate info for current G2 owners has now been posted on realflight.com.

Unless you bought G2 on or after September 1, 2004, looks like the incentive offered is $25 worth of merchandise, or one free add-on disk...

Wow. Definately an incentive to check out other sims... :(

David J.

[rutat]

That is just an insult. Good thing I don't need such a product. Bahh....

[umrk]

Deffinately an incentive to keep using my new G2 Lite, bought new/sealed off Ebay and w/o the BS required for the not so impresive rebate all things considered (if I'd even qualify with lite anyway), plus considering I already have a brand new USB innerlink controller and don't need a second one, and spend the money on a kit and other RC items. Oh well.

OR can I just buy the program alone (sans controller) and save the $80 (?) for the second controller that I have absolutely no need for?

mike

[gadzby]

Mike, I raised the same question with Tower today - at least for now they don't offer a version sans controller... Seems silly to bundle it together for existing customers since the only new feature I can see is the red reset button on the controller.

Given the choice you presented, I'd save $80 and reach for my spacebar, thanks.

Grrrr

[Daniel11]

I will be getting a new sim in a few months. I need to know if my computer will work fine. Here are the specs:

P4 processor, 1.6GHz

256MB SDRAM at 133MHz

32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 4X AGP Graphics CArd with TV-Out (S-Video)

OK, with that said, here some examples:
My Microsoft Flight Sim 2002 works to the fullest extent possible, and for the MS Flight Sim 2004 I have to turn down the graphics quality.
Realflight G2 also works to the fullest extent possible, and same with FMS.


One more thing, I still have RF G2 Lite for sale for $70 shipped, if anyone is interested.



-Daniel

[cadmanpilot]

I sure hope some of these computer performance/compatability issues can be answered soon. If I can't be confident that G3 will run OK on my laptop, back it goes.

Paul

[umrk]

As for the sans controller, It'll probably be offered that way as an upgrade after the initial buying rush is over, + a few months. But the Q is at what price? And will I be willing to buy it then or decide on something else in the meantime?

I think Jim and company shot themselves in the foot on this one, most folks who would impulse buy before Xmas if the software upgrade only were offered at the difference, will have more time to reconsider and look elsewhere. If they don't have a bad taste in there mouth from this rebate offer plus having to pay for a new unneeded controller and just say forget it and spend the $$$ elsewhere. Most of us are on a budget and in a few months will be much more concerened about the new offerings in planes, motors ect.. than any flight sim for mainly winter month/bad weather usage.

~~~~
http://www.realflight.com/requirements/g3_system.html
Minimum
Windows XP*, 2000*, ME, 98
* Local administration access required

Intel Pentium 1.0 GHz or equivalent
DirectX 9 (or above) compatible video and sound card
3D accelerated video card with 32 MB (or more) RAM
256 MB RAM
1.3 GB hard drive space

Optimum
Intel Pentium 3.0 GHz or equivalent
3D accelerated video card with 64 MB (or more) RAM
1 GB RAM

Multiplayer
56.6 Kbps modem or LAN connection
InterLink Plus Controller
USB Port

Compatible FM or FM-selectable transmitter (if using the interface mode)
~~~~

If you computer meets minimum requirements it should run, but at what resolution, how many bit color depth, and what refresh rate??? Bottom line is it will vary with each system, so the more you have the better. Not the answer your looking for but its really up in the air until you try it on your system and see. Later on folks will be posting up what works and doesn't at particular speeds, resolutions, etc.

mike
my $0.02

[jbourke]

Regarding my question, I would like an answer regarding the resolution of the shots on the knifeedge page. What res were they taken in?


1280x1024


I guess I expected too much as I am not liking many of the "features". i.e. the huge flying areas (miles and miles of flying area). I'm not sure about other people, but when I go out to fly, I fly in a small area. I'm not constantly moving around. As far as the chase plane/cockpit view, that is one feature that I never used in G2. Is this Microsoft Flight Simulator or an R/C simulator?


It's an R/C simulator, of course, but we use the capabilities of our 3D engine to their advantage. If you aren't interested in getting inside the airplane then purchase G3 for the physics.

But, really, I'm not much of a salesman. I just want to tell people what G3 is and also hear from people what we need to do better. If you choose to buy a different sim then that is our fault, not yours.


As far as free downloads (photodomes, wireframe editor etc..) in the future go, I have a hard time believing that. All of the G2 updates were minor software fixes - we had to pay for our major updates (add-ons 1-5).


We will be releasing improvements and new features in our updates, not just fixes. That's my decision to make and I've already made it.


I would like to see the developer listen to what the people would like, rather than telling us what we should like better i.e. the photodomes vs. 3d environments. Please don't take this the wrong way.


I don't take it the wrong way at all. You can't plunk down that kind of money every day so we have to be the best product out there. Thanks for your thoughts.

Jim

[jbourke]

Evening...
Is there any intention of a Slope Soaring program to be added to G3 in the near future ?
Or are there any steep hills in G3 that you can direct a wind over to to create the conditions Slope Soaring requires ?


G3 has realistic slope soaring already. If you like slope flying you will be really happy with G3.

Jim

[jbourke]

well it seems to me after reading this thread that G3 has a lot more cannots then cans. i mean you've pretty much said no it can't to just about everything and come up with we'll do it in the future because we'll make a lot of money. are you kidding about this statement? also i mean stating that you can't do photoreals because it's too easy for your team? what a load of crap. or customers can't make their own planes because it's too difficult for customers to make them with wireframe software? take a look at rcsim.com and look at the thousands of planes available for all sims made by people other then KE Software. will you actually put it right on the line in this thread right now that a free upgrade for photoreal scenery will be available for G3?

3dmagic, are you in fact Dion Cini, the marketing manager for Ohio Model Planes, sellers of Aerofly Pro?

I ask because your ip resolves to St Louis and Dion lives in St Louis. Also, your posting history makes it seem very likely to me.

I've left a voice message with Dion. If you aren't him then you surely work for him and you've violated at least two of the site's rules with your post in this thread.

As for your question, I'm going to listen to what the customers want and provide it in free updates to the extent of Knife Edge's ability to do so.

Jim

[jbourke]

Will G3 run on a Macintosh (WinPC etc.)?

We've never tried it so I have no idea.

Jim

[jbourke]

I have a one year old Toshiba Satellite Pro M15 Centrino Laptop that has the Pentium M 1.4 GHz processor with 512 Mb of RAM. It has the NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go 32 MB DDR RAM Video card. What Performance issues can I expect to have with this configuration. Will the frame rate and detail level need to be set so low that I would have been better off having kept the G2 version.

You are better off with G3 than G2, I think, but you will have to run at reduced quality.

Unfortunately, I think there is a compatibility problem with your card. We just got some reports of some GeForce4 cards having troubles. We've ordered some sample cards (not easy to find!) and will have a patch out next week.

Jim

[jbourke]

Hi Jim:
I have the same one as Paul: how well would G3 run on a recent laptop: IBM T40 Pentium M 1.6 GHz/512 MB/ATI Mobility 9000 display adapter (32MB). FWIW, G2 runs fine on this machine.


You will be fine.

One thing to point out is that G3 detects your system settings when it runs the first time and adjusts the display settings appropriately. From there you can choose a compromise on your own, opting to set higher or lower quality as you see necessary.

But you'll definitely be able to run and it looks way better than G2 even with most of the graphical touches turned off.

Jim

[jbourke]

I will be getting a new sim in a few months. I need to know if my computer will work fine. Here are the specs:

P4 processor, 1.6GHz

256MB SDRAM at 133MHz

32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 4X AGP Graphics CArd with TV-Out (S-Video)


G3 will run on your machine, but you have the minimal video card we support. You can upgrade that video card for about $50.

Jim

[gadzby]

You will be fine.

One thing to point out is that G3 detects your system settings when it runs the first time and adjusts the display settings appropriately. From there you can choose a compromise on your own, opting to set higher or lower quality as you see necessary.

But you'll definitely be able to run and it looks way better than G2 even with most of the graphical touches turned off.

Jim

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. Much appreciated.

Grant

[Daniel11]

G3 will run on your machine, but you have the minimal video card we support. You can upgrade that video card for about $50.

I can upgrade my card to a 128mb for about $70. If I do that, will G3 run as good as G2 Lite?


-Daniel

[rutat]

Your RAM might be an issue, but the card is what really makes the diff in my experience, even for G2

[Daniel11]

I am going to be ordering G3 within a week from Tower Hobbies, but I have a concern: On realflight's page, they have a $25 rebate for which I comply with all the rules, but I'm selling G2 Lite to someone. Does the rebate still apply to me?



-Daniel

[STLPilot]

I do live in St. Louis however we are also one of the biggest RC communites in the coutry. I just want to know if the photo sceneries are coming. It's the only thing stopping me from buying G3.

[jbourke]

I can upgrade my card to a 128mb for about $70. If I do that, will G3 run as good as G2 Lite?

Let me make sure I'm clear. It will look better than G2 lite even if you don't upgrade the card.

Upgrading the card will let you run at a higher resolution and turn on some nice visual features, like terrain detail textures.

Jim

[jbourke]

I am going to be ordering G3 within a week from Tower Hobbies, but I have a concern: On realflight's page, they have a $25 rebate for which I comply with all the rules, but I'm selling G2 Lite to someone. Does the rebate still apply to me?

You'll need to ask someone from Great Planes or Tower Hobbies because I don't know anything more about the pricing or rebate structure than you do.

Great Planes has a tech support line you can call and I'm sure they can answer your question.

Jim

[handi2k_man]

Jim,

Did your KE testers try G3 under Windows 98? I can't get it to start up because it fails the "GlobalMemoryStatusEx" call to Kernel32.dll. I believe the probelm lies in the fact that Kernel32.dll under Windows 98 supports the call "GlobalMemoryStatus" (without the Ex). I sent an email to rfsupport@greatplanes.com but haven't heard back from them yet. My machine is: amd 2.0GHz, 512Mb RAM, Radeon 9200 128 Mb and all the installation tests pass, so I don't think its my system, except for Windows 98.

I installed successfully on my Dell M60 laptop (1920x1200 pixs, Quadro FX Go 1000) and it rocks! Never owned G2, but tried it at the store and G3 looks like the way to go on first impressions. Keep up the great work at KE!

Regards,

Handi2k_man

[Purple Baron]

Theres already a slope program ?
So why not advertise the fact ? You wouldn't know it from what you read on your www site.
What slope soarers can we select from ? as once again you give nothing away (information) about what's available.

thE barOn voN purplE
Ooh ooh a simulator for SS

[rdeutsch]

Hi Jim

What about the soaring capabilities in G3. Is dynamic soaring possible? The soaring pictures looks reallly nice and are very inviting to take place there.

Best regards
Robert

[cadmanpilot]

Mr. Bourke,

Thanks for addressing my concerns about performance issues on my laptop. I now I have a decision to make. I guess the software before a new computer is like the cart before the horse. This may be a situation where the cart wins. In todays world, software is one of the riskiest buys you can make. Once you find out if its good or not, you're either glad you bought it or you're just stuck with the purchase. Enough detail is sometimes lacking in our age of information. Thanks again for your detailed explanations. I guess I have 30 days to decide so I'll be watching the this thread closely.

Paul

[Chazzman]

i just bought the G3 and am waiting for it to be shipped. can I get a down load for thelite machine Corona heli? electric version?

[uabass]

Just received my G3 from Tower Hobbies today.

Like handi2k_man, I am also getting the "Cannot find import; DLL may be missing, corrupt, or wrong version File "KERNEL32.dll", function "GlobalMemoryStatusEX" (error120)"

I am using Windows ME, AMD XP1800+, 512MB memory, GeForce2 MX400-64MB

Any ideas? Thanks,

[Daniel11]

Reinstall Windows. When I first got G2 Lite, it would not start. There was some xerces panic error, and I found a file called xerces in a program called Topo USA.
I simply backed things up and reinstalled Windows.


-Daniel

[jbourke]

Did your KE testers try G3 under Windows 98? I can't get it to start up because it fails the "GlobalMemoryStatusEx" call to Kernel32.dll. I believe the probelm lies in the fact that Kernel32.dll under Windows 98 supports the call "GlobalMemoryStatus" (without the Ex). I sent an email to rfsupport@greatplanes.com but haven't heard back from them yet. My machine is: amd 2.0GHz, 512Mb RAM, Radeon 9200 128 Mb and all the installation tests pass, so I don't think its my system, except for Windows 98.


We did extensive testing but in this case it looks like we made a mistake right before shipping the product.

I haven't had a chance to investigate the problem yet but my guess is that we'll need to put out a patch. We can make that our top priority next week.

It looks like we also need to put out a patch for a few variants of the GeForce 4MX.


I installed successfully on my Dell M60 laptop (1920x1200 pixs, Quadro FX Go 1000) and it rocks! Never owned G2, but tried it at the store and G3 looks like the way to go on first impressions. Keep up the great work at KE!


Great! Glad you like it.

Jim

[jbourke]

Theres already a slope program ?
So why not advertise the fact ? You wouldn't know it from what you read on your www site.
What slope soarers can we select from ? as once again you give nothing away (information) about what's available.


The sim ships with three slopers but you can actually configure any aircraft to be a sloper so don't feel limited by what we shipped with G3.

I don't know what to tell you about the slope simulation except that it is really, really good. We have three dedicated slope sites within the sim. You can create your own as well, using any of a hundred valid places in the 75x75 mile terrain that we ship.

You can turn up the turbulence and wind speed for a very realistic wind simulation. You can adjust the wind speed and wind direction using the Page Up/Page Down, and Home/End keys. The clouds, wind socks, anemometers, and sound cues are all adjusted according to wind speed and direction.

The sounds include airframe resonance so you can hear the plane as it does a high-speed fly-by.

The wind modeling theoretically supports DSS, but none of us are good enough slope pilots to get in the DSS groove within the sim. We might need more effort in this area. I need to hear feedback from some users to know.

Jim

[jbourke]

i just bought the G3 and am waiting for it to be shipped. can I get a down load for thelite machine Corona heli? electric version?

G3 shipped without heli support. Helis will be available in a free update.

We do not have an agreement with Lite Machines that would allow us to replicate the Corona, but there are similar fixed pitch helis so you will be able to make your own.

Jim

[two-stroke]

When I try to launch I keep getting "Error creating effect grassbillboards" I a mechanic not a computer guy so any help would be great here is a list of what im running on my computer. I am also unable to register it.

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: Pavilion ze8500 (DS541U)
BIOS: PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6.0
Processor: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.60GHz
Memory: 702MB RAM
display Devices
---------------
Card name: RADEON IGP 345M
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: RS200M AGP (0x4337)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4337&SUBSYS_0850103C&REV_00
Display Memory: 64.0 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Default Monitor

[Torquerolljoe]

Jim,

I am having problems with trying to install the Realflight add-ons. The add-ons installation wizard will not accept the serial number from the G3 jewel case. I tried several times with no success. These are all new cds (1 through 5) as I bought the complete package. Any help will be appreciated.

Joseph

BTW, I upgraded my vid card to a Radeon X800 Pro and G3 runs flawlessly at the highest settings!!!

[marcocale]

Jim,

I am having problems with trying to install the Realflight add-ons. The add-ons installation wizard will not accept the serial number from the G3 jewel case. I tried several times with no success. These are all new cds (1 through 5) as I bought the complete package. Any help will be appreciated.

Joseph

BTW, I upgraded my vid card to a Radeon X800 Pro and G3 runs flawlessly at the highest settings!!!

The solution should be here (http://12.156.2.54/forums/showthread.php?t=9178) (Knife Edge support forum).

Bye :)

[Torquerolljoe]

The solution should be here (http://12.156.2.54/forums/showthread.php?t=9178) (Knife Edge support forum).

Bye :)


Thanksa for the info, however, it did not work for me. I input the number and the next button never highlights to continue installation.

Joseph

[Torquerolljoe]

OK, I got it to work now. I was copying and pasting and left the space at the end of the serial number. I deleted the space and that took care of it. Thanks for the help.

Joseph

[elky66]

jim,
1.5g pentium, nividia mx 440 - se 64mb, 512 ddr ram.
simulator works great, but i have no shadows on the ground. Im having a hard time telling when my planes lands becuase there is no shadow for reference. View- shadows checked.. settings- graphics- shadows "yes".
shadow setting on "highest".
Also i can not register online, says wrong websight.
And Lastly, i've got a dumb question. Manual says to "hit create color schemes button".. i can't find this button anywhere..

any help would be greatly appreciated... thanks

brandon