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Reviews
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Date product posted
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0
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Sat, April 19, 2008
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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No recommendations
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None indicated
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None indicated
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Description:
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--The CaptainSim C-130X-perience--
Tested with-
Intel Pentium 2.66Ghz
1024MB stock RAM
160GB stock HDD
ATI X1300 (PCI)
Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto
C-130 Pro Pack
First Impressions-
I was really quite surprised by how easy it was on my computer. Well,
truth be told, it doesn't run like something compiled with the FSX SDK,
of course, but considering the sheer level of detail, it's really quite
impressive. I only lost about two or three more frames than a regular
addon. However, if you're running integrated graphics, I wouldn't try
this unless you're willing to make substantial cuts elsewhere. Upon
entering, the VC is simply incredible; the only thing missing is the
oil fumes otherwise I thought I was actually there. You'll notice that
there are a large quanity of photoreal textures throughout the bird. I
think the developers got lazy and didn't want to draw anything.
Virtual Cabin-
The VC is probably the most detailed I've seen. There is not a single
static switch; if there is one that doesn't do anything, they are still
animated. It would not be too far from the mark to say that the VC puts
the aircraft to shame. Well, it would if the rest of the aircraft
wasn't so darn good overall. Frankly, with this dynamic and incredibly
realistic platform, I honestly don't know why anyone would every fly
from spot view. All the controls are animated, including the NWS, or
Nose Wheel Steering System. I like this feature. Most designers would
simply link this to the rudder, but here you can control the NWS by
pulling the wheel around with your mouse. The instrument panel is very,
very crisp and detailed, and the gauges maintain a very nice,
believable, circa- 1970's feel. You can change to EICAS gauges (ProPack
only) using the ACE but I found that the default steam gauges preserved
my sentiments about this plane. Textures deteriorate around areas where
you wouldn't commonly look in flight, i.e. around the cockpit and
general non-essential areas. They are still photorealistic, but they
just look like a bit of an afterthought. Mind you, all the areas where
you would be taking screensshots from in the cockpit look great, and if
you just keep looking forward, you won't notice a thing. I was a little
disappointed that the navigator's station is not functional in the VC,
since there is a predefined view right by it. However, in the 2D panel,
it is entirely photorealistic, and functions quite nicely. The views
are tastefully placed throughout the flight deck and cargo bay, with
views at the navigator's station, flight engineer's station, cargo bay,
pilot and copilot, and others in the AC-130
Note how I said Virtual 'Cabin'. In the manual, it simply states that
the flight deck and the cargo bay are connected via a stairwell. That
should win "understatement of the year" award. Well, not quite, but
there is a stange fascination with being able to go into an entirely
different 'room' in your airplane. You stand up from your seat, walk
back in the cabin, and go down a stairwell to access the cargo bay. At
first, and throught must scrutinization the bay is superb! The entire
thing is comprised of photoreal textures, and the 3D paratrooper seats
line the walls. The detail even on these seats is excellent; you can
see through the rubber mesh. As you go back down the length of the
cargo bay, the detail extends right down to how the massive door is
opened. The cargo bay door opens up courtesy of ils own 2D panel. From
the panel you can switch on the hydraulics control and individuaoly
open the door on the ramp. The ramp will stop at the correct airdrop
position if you're in the air. Captain Sim shows the commitment to
detail and realism here especially. Like in the real C-130, mechanical
arms engage and disengage at certain points in operation. There are
excellent opportunities for screenshots in the cargo bay. You can open
up the side paratrooper doors and switch on the air deflectors or look
out through the windows at the massive props.
Exterior-
Well, frankly, it's ugly! No, I'm just kidding, but you'll have to
agree with me that the C-130 was not built for looks. Captain Sim
portrayed the bird right down to the oil stains on the undersides of
the wings. However, if you go for the more modern and clean look, there
are eighteen variations and twenty-five liveries in the Pro Pack,
including the famous"Spectre" gunship, the C-130J, LC-130, and others.
I really love the look and sculpting of the C-130; the very flat tail
and dumpy sort of figure appeals to me, and I think Captain Sim
portrayed this bird well. It's difficult to make a large plane look
large in the simulator, but Captain Sim does it decently, particularly
in flight I thought. Among miscellaneous exterior features, there are
feathering props, detailed cargo ramp area, extreme detail in antennas
and cables, a nice and very realistic sheen on the cockpit windows,
beautifully rendered airstair, and animated trim tabs. If you zoom in
enough, you can see the little glass canopy and the light on the tail.
All of the panel lines' rivets are portrayed; the tires even have
treads on them.
Effects-
Now, in a lesser add-on, this would be incorporated into the exterior
or interior sections of a review, but frankly, the effects simply MAKE
this plane! Captain Sim conveniently placed all the effects on one
panel, available via SHIFT-3 or through the simicon bank. Among these
features you can open up the radome on the nose and you can see the
radar going back and forth; the pilot's window opens and closes, but
you can also control this by clicking on it in the VC; you can put
plugs and dust guards in the engines and pitot tubes; you can open up
the paratrooper doors and air deflectors (you can also do this in the
VC); remove the IR shields (AC-130) and drop tanks (pro pack only);
open up the escape hatches and put up any flag you'd like out of them
(there are variations for every operator of the C-130); and probably
the best of all, you can open up the cargo doors and have a Humvee
drive down the ramp! The Humvee is excellently modeled. It really takes
the cake as far as animations go. It moves up and down the ramp, and
you can show or hide it; it really is detailed. Captain Sim really
outdid themselves with this one animation, and it deserves a bit of
praise!
Flight-
(Note: I have trouble with this section.)
I have little experience flying actual airplanes, and my opinions may
or may not indicate realism in the flight dynamics of the Captain Sim
C-130X-perience. Most of us have not flown a C-130, so I believe that
the flight dynamics will satisfy most critics. However, there are some
thing I will cover.
Upon taxiing, the C-130 really acts quite strangely. In proportion to
its length, it has a rather small wheel base, and you'll feel that in
taxiing. If you turn too sharply, the aircraft tilts severely (and a
little unnaturally) to the side. Also, you can't see the wheels
compress a lot, although this is modeled. Takeoff is straightforward,
just push up the throttles and control using the NWS (Nose Wheel
Steering System) until the rudder can take over. The C-130 is famous
for takeoffs and landings in rugged reas, and documentation is included
for performing these. Now the main gear don't compress or decompress a
lot, but the animations are visible particularly upon landing. Also, it
tends to take off in a rather tail-high attitude.
The C-130 is mostly a heavy lifter and a slow flyer, so if you are
planning on taking your collections into some rugged strip in the Alps,
you had better plan it for a weekend. However, you can still do around
250 to even 300 knots. the celing is around 25,000 feet, and
pressurization is modeled. A particularly fun "in-flight entertainment"
is to go back down to the cargo bay and open up the door and watch the
scenery go by far beneath you. Also, you can drop Infra-Red flares, but
I found this slows the performance too much. The flares are acceptably
modeled and dispense in a believable formation, but overall, the flares
looked too fake. However, I haven't seen better, so no complaints here.
The C-130 is a difficult and incredibly annoying plane to slow down,
but it is realistic. If you retard the throttles to within five degrees
of flight idle, a warning horn sounds. I'm currently investigating if
the Captain Sim developers simply recorded a hive of killer bees;
frankly, the horn startled me. I thought I was going into some
unrecoverable stall or something. Anyway, provisions in the real plane
are included to silence the horn; however, the button doesn't function.
For the sake of my hearing, hopefully that is fixed in SP2. The model
behaved very strangely in the landing mode. When I lowered the gear,
the No. 1 engine cut out, and that's not good on final. Also, upon
further retarding the throttles, the No. 1 engine stayed throttled up.
Landing is simple enough, but the C-130 behaves differently than most
large planes, and practice is definitely required.
Wrapping it up-
The Captain Sim C-130X-perience is a plane with a superb level of
detail, both in and out. The Pro Pack contains eighteen variations of
the C-130 and twenty-five different repaints. However, what you can't
see is the supernatural level of detail in the aircraft systems. As a
matter of fact, I've had trouble doing something as simple as providing
the power to the lower overhead panel. The electrical and hydraulic
systems are simply superb, and every single nut and bolt is documented
in the comprehensive, 200+ page manual, which I printed off and read
twice. Also, if you're still unsure whether to buy this great plane or
not, I recommend downloading the User's Manual. This goes through all
the features of what you're buying.
In short, I do not think it too brash to say that the C-130X-perience
from Captain Sim is quite simply the epitome of flight simulation.
Superb attention to detail, marvelous systems, complete documentation,
and loads of effects on this spectacular airplane make it an absolute
"must have" for any military flyer. I truly think that you will be
reciprocated in the prizes you will win at screenshot contests for the
money you put out for this plane!
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Product Link:
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http://captainsim.com/products/c131/pro/
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