Train Simulator 2013 Saitek ProFlight X-Plane: ATR 72

Transcription

Your free simulation games magazine!
AEROSOFT Edition 2-2013
X-Plane: ATR 72-500
The Ultimate French Twin Prop
Saitek ProFlight
Hardware for Flight Simulation
and Simulation games
ProTrain Perfect 2
The big “Deutschland-Box“
add-on
Bus & Cable Car Simulator
In the streets of San Francisco
Saitek ProFlight
Train Simulator 2013
INHALTSVERZEICHNIS
Train-Simulator 2013
Saitek ProFlight
P. 12
P. 14
X-Plane
P. 26
Index ......................................................................................................................... 02
Editorial
............................................................................................................... 03
Simulator News .................................................................................................... 04
Simulator Communities ......................................................................................... 08
Imprint / Preview .................................................................................................... 34
Bristol & Avonmouth add-on
............................................................................... 12
Saitek ProFlight
The ultimate hardware
........................................................................................ 14
ProTrain Perfect 2
The big “Deutschland-Box“
.............................................................................. 22
Bus- & Cable Car Simulator
In the streets of San Francisco .............................................................................. 26
X-Plane
ATR-72-500 Twin Prop
2
......................................................................................... 30
SIMULATOR WORLD 2/2013
P. 30
EDITORIAL
Simulator WORLD 4th Edition...
Dear readers!
The fourth edition of Simulator WORLD again focuses on some highlights within PC simulation.
The new Aerosoft/McPhat Studios ATR-72-500
is the Ultimate French Twin Prop for X-Plane. We
have tested and configured it with some desirable
flight hardware.
For each Flight-Train-Ship-Truck- and various other
simulators there is an appropiate controller device.
Let it be a simple joystick or ultra realistic Flight
Controller System, a steering wheel with Force
Feedback effects, a special gaming keyboard with
mouse or headset.
In each edition of Simulator WORLD we will suggest ideal combinations of hardware and simulators, while providing tipps & tricks and how to setup and configure them with different simulators.
Frank Moellenhof
Chief editor Simulator WORLD
moellenhof@simulatorworld.de
I hope you enjoy our latest release of Simulator
WORLD!
3
SIMULATOR-NEWS
Rise of Flight - Channel Map & Felixstowe
In this version you can see a new map (if purchased)
and new graphical effects such as 3D water and our
first flying boat. You can also recognise the physics
of interaction with the water surface of aircraft,
ships and submarines. Also added aremoorings
and float bases and, hopefully, many hours of fun
flying. The map will be available in the in-game
map list or in the mission editor for anyone who
pre-ordered the map or purchases it in the store
after release. The new flying boat, the Felixstowe
F.2A, makes its appearance with its formidable
modifications (weapon mod and field mod). Two
of which add additional members of the crew.
Seaplanes can take off only at special bases that
are marked with an anchor and we have added
them on both British and French sides. By changing the power of the wind on the channel map,
you also change the level of excitement of the
waves. Normal take-off is possible only with waves
of levels 1-2. Huge waves will damage the plane.
Be careful and cautious when landing.
ROF developers have tried to make the Channel
Map as close to reality as possible with the technology and data available to us. The appearance of
the English coast is different from the French coast,
which looks very similar to what you might see on
the continental map of ROF. They have increased
the number of objects on the map and the number of cities and trees, so they recommend that
owners of less powerful computers slightly lower
4
quality settings to achieve improved FPS (frames
per second). This situation was unavoidable as the
demand for increased detail on the ground is high.
More info at: www.riseofflight.com
The New Masterpiece by TML-Studios.
The Bus Simulator series
in original city sceneries and
extremely detailed simulated buses.
PC
www.aerosoft.com
SIMULATOR-NEWS
aeroflyFS - New Update V1.0.0.9
Starting now, the free update V.1.0.0.9 is available
in the download section on www.aeroflyfs.com It
includes numerous changes for the Windows version. What is new for the Windows DVD-version is
a virtual cockpit, 33 challenges and view control
by mouse.
In the latest version 1.0.0.9, the developers gave
the aeroflyFS a virtual cockpit including a graphic
course display, an air speed indicator and altimeter
as well as an artificial horizon instead of the former flight information window. This window can
be shown and hidden and dragged to any place
on the screen using the mouse. In addition to the
existing 35 flight tasks, another 30 new challenges
have been added as well as an all-round-visibility
function using the mouse. Further information can
be found on: www.aeroflyfs.com
Aerosoft MiG-29 Fulcrum for X-Plane
The MiG-29 is a twinjet military fighter, which
passed its first flight in 1977 in the old Soviet Union. X-Plane’s MiG-29 model provides accurate
flight dynamics and lots of features. The list of features is far way too long and therefore you need
to visit Aerosoft at: www.aerosoft.com
6
SIMULATOR-NEWS
Train Simulator 2013 - ALCO RS-11 Road Switcher
The RS-11 was built by Alco in the early 1956 as a
diesel electric locomotive and classified as a road
switcher. With 1,800 hp, two axle trucks with B-B
wheel arrangement the RS11 was Alco‘s answer
to the GP9 produced by EMD. Advantages of the
RS11 were faster acceleration because of turbo
charging and a higher tractive effort rating. The
locomotive could be found in heavy haul freight
as well as passenger services. In over eight years
production time, 425 units were built for the American and Mexican markets. A few examples of this
model are still in service, found working for various railroads in the US.
Add-on available at www.simmarket.com
Class 218 by Railtraction
The class 218 by Railtraction is the latest add-on for
Train Simulator 2013. The locomotives of the class
218 the latest developments of the V-160-locomotive family. It includes the similar developments of
class V 160 to V 169 (later 215 to 219). The powerful B’B’-locomotives (2,500 to 2,800 hp) reach
140 km/h and are equally used for passenger and
freight trains. The 218 proved itself in operational
service and were considered the most important
diesel locomotives of the DB until the year 2000.
Add-on available at: www.railtraction.eu
7
SIMULATOR-NEWS
Schwebebahn-Simulator 2013
The Wuppertal floating tram began operation
in 1901. Even after 112 years, people are still intrigued by this historic transportation. In the year
2013, fans of the floating tram can virtually relive
this Wuppertal landmark – Rondomedia’s Schwebebahn Simulator 2013 makes it possible for
the first time ever. The simulation includes highly detailed models of the current floating tram,
navigable original railways featuring numerous
characteristic buildings and all 20 stops, several realistic events as well as simulated weather, times
of the day and realistic passenger behaviour.
Further information on: www.rondomedia.de
New VATSIM Vice President Pilot Training takes
over
It gives the VATSIM Board of Governors great pleasure to announce Mr. Pan Lalas as Vice President
Pilot Training (VATGOV14). Pan Lalas, 42, living in
Hong Kong, was born in Greece.
He joined the VATSIM network back in 2005 and
was active on the net in certain management positions especially in the Staff of VATUSA, where he
developed and redefined the training setup. He
took care of the programming, the whole training
document section, LOAs etc. Pan holds a JAR-FCL
ATPL(a) license and has flown more then 12.000
hours for a major operator in Southeast Asia. He
is also working as examiner and Check Captain for
that carrier. In Flight simulation, he has worked on
several documents e.g. for the PMDG 737 NGX and
8
was one of the technical advisors for the PMDG
team on the development of that aircraft. VATSIM
is a global working online flight simulation and
Air Traffic Control network.
More info at: www.vatsim.net
SIMULATOR-NEWS
With sales in excess of 300,000 units,
Euro Truck Simulator is Europe’s bestselling truck simulator brand.
Number 2 - Top 20 PC Entertainment
Full Price Chart*
* Week Ending 27th October 2012
OUT
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• Drive 11 different licensed trucks through 60
European cities
• Maintain your own transport company, hire and fire
staff and accept haulage contracts
• Build your finances and the profitability of your business
• Manage your cargo by keeping to a tight schedule
• Customise or upgrade your truck and tune its
performance with new engines, body kits, headlights and more
• Deliver precious cargos from city to city
• Developed by world leading simulator developer SCS Software
NEW PRODUCTS TO THE EXCALIBUR RANGE INCLUDE:
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To find out more information about these titles and other products in our range, visit our website:
www.excalibur-publishing.com
Or call: 01869 338428
SIMULATOR-NEWS
Aerosoft Airbus X Extended
The Ultimate FBW Experience
(DFDR) with 25 hours storage capacity and external display program.
The Airbus X Extended builds on the successful
Airbus X product, but offers far more complex and
realistic navigation tools and a rewritten Fly By
Wire implementation. Let’s have a closer look at
some of the new features:
And this is only the tip of the Airbus X Extended
iceberg!
Now that you have a better understanding of
these new or modified features, how about using
your keyboard to control this aircraft? No, that’s
out of the question! You must fly the Airbus X ExThe following Airbus A320 Family models are in- tended with a joystick. And, not only is a joystick
cluded:
mandatory, a throttle unit must also be connected
and configured. This is a minimum requirement
- A320 (A321) IAE- and CFM engines,
for the Airbus X Extended! For example, without a
- A320 NEO demonstrator.
Saitek X52 Pro throttle unit, you can’t control the
throttle system.
•
Dozens of non-standard animations, all
with sound effects like sun screens, windows, ta- But how do you configure this?
bles, tiller, jump seat, standby compass, flight surfaces and much more.
Once you have connected the Saitek X52 Pro to
•
Included is a web server that allows you to your computer for the first time, it will detect the
access and use the MCDU via any web browser, new devices and load the drivers accordingly. But
which is ideal for tablets.
it’s better to download the dedicated Saitek’s dri•
Fully custom Fly-by-Wire systems with flight vers and install them afterwards. If you feel conenvelope protection, stall protection, pitch and fortable, you can also install Saitek’s SST software,
roll limiter, g-load limiter, over speed protection, but this software program is not an absolute neAlpha Floor protection, auto trim.
cessity. Connect the X52 Pro, start FSX, and select
•
Fully custom thrust computer systems (FA- from the menu “Options-Settings-Controls”. Click
DEC), throttle with detents, FLEX take-off.
the Calibrate button and if everything is OK, you
•
Comes with NavDataPro navigation data- should see your X52 Pro in the pop-up window. If
base and is also compatible with Navigraph.
OK, click the Properties button. This window al•
Complete Runway Awareness and Advisory lows you to check your X52 Pro movements (outSystem (RAAS) included.
puts) versus FSX detection. If all movements and
•
Full featured Digital Flight Data Recorder button outputs are OK, click the OK button twice.
10
SIMULATOR-NEWS
Using the 2nd tab, “Buttons/Keys”, you‘re able to
assign keyboard or joystick commands. An important assignment, which is activated by default, is
the View (pan) or HAT switch.
The last tab, “Control Axis”, is, by default, correctly assigned for ROLL, PITCH, YAW and THROTTLE
movements of your X52 hardware.
mulator airplane types in relation to Saitek’s Pro
Flight hardware.
In-depth information about assigning joystick and/
or throttle unit buttons, keys and others, can be
You can find more details at : www.aerosoft.de
found in the Microsoft FSX user manual. This conand www.saitek.de
cludes our three articles about different flight si-
11
The rail network
around Bristol
Bristol & Avonmouth
Add-on for Train Simulator 2012
The city of Bristol in Southwest England already
played a significant role in a previous Just Trains
release. In the extension “Bristol to Exeter”, the
station Bristol Temple Meads is where a lot of train
trips start and end in the daily work of the virtual
train driver. Whereas in the aforementioned addon the individual railway plays the main part, the
rail network in and around Bristol comes to life in
the new add-on by Dave Capps and Ben Garfirth.
This station is currently used by three well known
railway companies: First Great Western, particularly responsible for regional connections, CrossCountry and South West Trains.
In this extension, which covers a rail system of
about 45 miles, we get to know a town with an
interesting history and explore a region that has a
lot to offer even for experienced train drivers.
The two depots “Barton Hill TMD“ and “St Philip‘s
Marsh T&RSMD“ (Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot) which are located in the immediate vicinity to the station have been modelled fantastically and encourages the driver to stable the
train after his shift.
With about 433,000 inhabitants, Bristol is England’s
eighth most populous city and the eleventh largest city in the UK. Between the 12th and the 18th
centuries, today’s twin city of Hannover was an important port and trading city.
At first, you will mainly see First Great Western
Ltd. trains on the virtual rails as this train painting
is part of RailWorks’ standard material. As in real
life, the station has an essential part in the extension and thus a hub for numerous trips.
Sights of the town
Leaving Temple Meads in the south-western direction, you have two possibilities: you can either
Thanks to its convenient location, the town quickly drive eight miles to the suburb Pill and the connecevolved into the centre of shipbuilding and slave ted “Royal Portbury Dock” or go on a trip to the
trade. In addition, the Knights Templar used Bris- museum railway “Bristol Harbour Railway”. But
tol as their main port for pilgrimages and trading either way, you first pass the main track to Exeter
along the district Bedminster to the station Parmissions until their dissolution.
son Street. This is where the track branches off and
Even today, names reflect this heritage, e.g., the continues single-track.
station Bristol Temple Meads which is derived from
Along the museum railway you will get to Bristol
the nearby Temple Church.
Harbour where you find the SS Great Britain, the
13
LANDWIRTSCHAFTS-SIMULATOR
first ship built of iron with a screw propeller, in
its dry dock where she was built. Today, the museum ship is a popular tourist attraction. A trip to
the nearby “M Shed” is equally as worthwhile. A
former transit shed at the harbour, it currently is
home to a museum featuring lots of exhibitions
on Bristol. Unfortunately, the four characteristic
loading cranes are missing in the simulation.
Avonmouth, including its huge docks is another
important transhipment centre for a large variety
of goods. However, most freight trains do not travel on the Severn Beach Line but use the Henbury
Looper freight route through the suburb of Filton
to Bristol.
Avonmouth
The extension also features a 17 mile section of
the South Wales Main Line. This part covers the
route from Bristol Temple Meads via Bristol Parkway to the Severn Tunnel Junction railway station.
Here, the trains pass the Airport Filton where different companies of the aviation industry are siIf you leave out the museum railway and go to Pill tuated. In the process, the attentive train driver
instead, you will come across a well known land- might discover another highlight, “the queen of
mark of Bristol, the Clifton Suspension Bridge. This the sky”. Concorde No. 216 which embarked on its
suspension bridge, which crosses the river Avon 75 final flight from London Heathrow to the aviation
m above high water level, was completed in 1864 museum in Filton on 26 November 2003 is parked
and also offers a breathtaking view to train dri- not far away from the rails.
vers.
On this very flight, Concorde also flew over the
At the end of this route, you finally reach “Royal Clifton Suspension Bridge at low altitude to symPortbury Dock”. This is an important transhipment bolise the engineering achievements of the region
centre for imported cars and coal.
around the city of Bristol.
Leaving Bristol Temple Meads in a northerly direction will lead the train driver through Narroways
Hill on the Severn Beach Line. This route of about
twelve miles has been highlighted by Thomas Cook
as one of the scenic lines of Europe. In the past,
the route was mainly reduced to single a track for
economic reasons. Today, passenger trains reach
Severn Beach via nine stations, including the suburb of Avonmouth.
14
Here, the train driver passes through Great Britain’s
second longest railway tunnel. The seven kilometre long tunnel is located beneath the mouth of
the river Severn and connects England and Wales
using rails.
Get on the train and depart
So you can disregard the fact that only standard
rails are featured and some characteristic objects
are not modelled fully realistically.
The route package offers 15 scenarios of which ten
tasks use the standard rolling stock and the other
five require additional add-ons by Just Trains. The Daniel Wolfram
trips are very varied and offer a mixture of passenger and freight train missions.
Furthermore, another four scenarios are available Article from Train Sim Magazine 5/2012
for exploration purposes. Unfortunately, it can be
difficult at times to earn a green check mark when
you have completed a mission because the developers have not properly executed an editor detail.
Off to Bristol
If you experience the route extension, you feel the
desire to go to Bristol yourself to see some of the
landmarks in reality.
The RailWorks version offers numerous beautiful
details and a variety of new objects.
Moreover, the buildings along the rails make a
good impression and the entire rail network has
the potential for lots of exciting scenarios.
It should be noted that part of the proceeds is
donated to “SSAFA Forces Help”, a British charity
organisation supporting former and current members of the British Armed Forces.
Infobox
P r o d u c t _ S p e c i f i c a t i o n s
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
RailWorks 3 Train Simulator 2012
3.0GHz PC or any Dual Core
512Mb RAM (1.0Gb for Vista)
256Mb graphics card
Windows 8 / 7 / XP / Vista
Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
25MB hard drive space
Price 24.95 € (Download-Version)
available at: www.justtrains.net
15
Mega Airport Düsseldorf
Saitek Pro Flight
Saitek Pro Flight…The ultimative Hardware
Mad Catz are the developer/producer of Saitek to your system.It’s a good idea to add rudder pePro Flight PC peripherals. Not just PC peripherals dals to your add-on aircraft.
but an impressive line of Flight Simulation hardSaitek offers a wide range of Pro Flight Rudder Peware.
dals. One for general use, one for the previously
mentioned Cessna simmers and one for combat
Actually, you can split the Pro Flight hardware into
pilots.
the following sections:
Then we have the Pro Flight Panels. The previous
Saitek components are bare equipment, but the
Pro Flight Panels are components that bring you
even closer to reality.
- Pro Flight Sticks
- Pro Flight Controllers
- Pro Flight Rudder Pedals
- Pro Flight Panels
- Pro Flight Accessories
One component Saitek offers you is a BIP or Backlit Information Panel. A combination of a caution,
When you talk about Pro Flight Sticks, you deal
warning and information panel such as we see on
with the X52, X52 Pro and the X-65F. The latter is
real aircraft.
specially made for combat pilots.
All can be used and programmed in combination
with most flight simulators such as Microsoft FS9,
FSX and Laminar Research X-Plane.
Then there’s the Multi Panel. Here you can control
your Auto Pilot from a panel with switches, pitch
(V/S) wheel, annunciators and a display.Alternatively you can opt for the Radio Panel.
The moment we switch to the Pro Flight ControlWith this panel you can control your COM, NAV,
lers, we are talking about the Yoke System with
ADF and XPDR frequencies/value, in combination
the Throttle Quadrant or TPM Unit (Throttle/Prop/
with LED displays.
Mixture). The Controllers are a dedicated Yoke,
Throttle and Trim Unit for use with Cessna aircraft.
Always wanted to control basic aircraft systems
from a panel instead of clicking the system with
Want to go for real? Then go for the Cessna Pro
your mouse? Saitek has the solution. The Pro
Flight System. Want to go for even more realism?
Flight Switch Panel.
Then you add the dedicated Cessna Rudder Pedals
17
Saitek Pro Flight
Saitek’s Cessna Pro Flight
Yoke; made of high quality materials that give
the yoke the “as real as
it gets” feeling.
Want to make your flight
experience as real as
possible? With the Saitek
Trim- and Throttle Units
you can!
Saitek Combat Rudder
Pedals; partly made of
Di-cast alloy, adjustable damping system and
more. With these pedals
you’re ready for every
flight combat!
18
Saitek Pro Flight
Last but not least are the Saitek modular Instru- troduced on the X52 Flight Controller, is now inment Panels. Featuring a stunning 3.5” colour LCD teractive.
screen, the Instrument Panel can display six of the
main cockpit instrument panels.
New metal parts increase durability and the
unique dual-spring mechanism provides a progresChoose between these six different flight instru- sive spring force on the stick’s movement, making
ments at the touch of a button. You can go for the it more resistant the further you move it from cenaltimeter, attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, ter.”
vertical speed, compass or turn and slip indicator.
That’s all very interesting, but I’m more interested
And finally, the Pro Flight Accessories! Accessories in “for which flight simulators” is it developed or
generally don‘t ring any bells for me, but hold on “how to connect it”, and perhaps some tips and
a minute.
tricks?
Saitek Accessories? Perhaps their accessories are The X-52 is, as all other Pro Flight hardware, conmore important than you think! Actually, it’s one nected with a USB cable to your PC or a USB hub.
important accessory, the only and original Headset Ok, here’s the first tip.
with boom microphone for flight simmers.
It‘s preferably not connected to a USB hub but diSaitek says “heighten the realism of your flight rectly to your PC or Mac.
simulation experience with the Saitek Pro Flight
Headset. Constructed using high grade materials As far as I’ve seen and tested, the X52 Pro works
and closely modeled on professional pilot head- fine with Microsoft FS9 and FSX, but also with Xsets, the headset looks, feels and sounds just like Plane on Windows and Mac OS X.
the real thing.”
I can’t speak for X-plane Linux, but logically that
X-52 Pro Pro Flight Stick
should work too.
According to Saitek “The most fully integrated Stick Furthermore, the X-52 Pro is also approved to work
and throttle flight controller and built to meet the with Saitek’s Ultimate Multiplayer Combat Game.
demands of the best virtual pilots in the world!
The MFD screen (Multi Function Display), first in-
19
Then, how to connect it and any problems to
expect?
dows, actually a remote Radio Stack. Not too many
words are needed to see the benefits of this.
After testing it with MS FS9, FSX and X-Plane Windows/Mac, I can say that it’s just plug and play and
this time not “plug and pray”! The only advantage I can think of, when connected to Windows
XP, Vista, 7 and 8 platforms, is the availability of
Saitek’s Programming Software.
It’s now time to check out how this Saitek X-52 Pro
works in combination with an X-Plane 10 aircraft,
the McPhat ATR 72-500.
I’m aware that the ATR has an ordinary control column with control wheel in the cockpit, but for assigning flight controls and other functions, there’s
With this software you have full control over all no difference.
switches, selectors and knobs on the X-52 Pro. Without this, not all functions can be used.
Therefore, always go for the SST software whene- Angelique van Campen
ver you’re using the X-52 Pro in combination with
Windows.
Angelique van Campen worked for Lufthansa
Technical Training as Airbus technical instructor/
On the other hand, using the X-52 Pro on a Mac, X- advisor and has been ground engineer Airbus
Plane offers many possibilities to assign functions A310/A300 and MD80 Series.
to and although not at the same level as Windows,
it works flawlessly with X-Plane 9 and 10.
What was applicable for the X-52 Pro joystick is
also valid for the throttle unit, however, this time
the MFD (Multi Function Display) doesn’t offer all
the Windows features.
This is partly because of the Windows Saitek device driver, which isn’t available for Mac OS X. Aside from this, no problems here.
But the MFD is, only in combination with Win-
Euro Truck Sim 2
Simulations-Technik
CESSNA
YOKE SYSTEM
®
YOKE FEATURE SET
• Accurate 1:1 scaled Cessna yoke
• Full 180 degree turn radius
• Stainless steel shaft with precision bearings
• Quadrant with throttle, flaps, mixture & prop. pitch control
CESSNA RUDDER PEDALS
RUDDER PEDAL FEATURE SET
CESSNA TRIM WHEEL
• Authentic Cessna pedal design
• Self-cantering pedals with adjustable damping
• Independent left & right brake axes
• Tension adjustment dial
• Designed after the real Cessna Trim Wheel
• 9 turns of revolution
• Multi-point desktop mount
CLOSER TO REALITY
TRIM WHEEL FEATURE SET
™
Official Licensed Product
madcatz.com
Cessna emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.
©2013 Mad Catz, Inc. Mad Catz, Saitek, and the Mad Catz and Saitek logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates.
All rights reserved. Product features, appearance and specifications may be subject to change without notice.
SAITEK.COM
PTP2 Deutschlandbox
The big “Deutschland-Box“ for
ProTrain Perfect 2
A truly huge package, a so called “Big-boy-addon” with a stand-alone railway simulator, the Pro
Train Perfect 2, four German routes: Hamburg –
Berlin, Berlin – Leipzig, Leipzig – Saalfeld, Saalfeld
– Nuremberg. Two task-add-ons and more than
100 tasks on a total route length of 1700 km.
We are going on a journey from Hamburg to Berlin.
The city on the Elbe with its characteristic central
station which, like Munich and Berlin, has several
suburb stations and freight yards and is significant
enough for a dense public and tourist traffic.
This ensures a busy central station, including its famous station hall that offers dining and shopping
possibilities.
football club nearly eliminated Bayern Munich in
the German Cup which was only prevented 15 seconds before the end of the game.
Bergedorf is the last stop in Hamburg before the
train passes through Büchen, Ludwigslust, Wittenberge, and Spandau until it arrives at Berlin Central Station (low-level). Between stations, the travel speed is 200 km/h using LZB and as the number
of polygons decrease outside of the metropolises
and the viewable visibility is reduced to 3.5 km,
the game runs smoothly at this travel speed.
From Berlin to Leipzig
There are 25 tasks to complete on this route. This
is the add-on the ICE-connection between these
two metropolises focuses on with only one freight
task available. The objects in PTP 2, i.e. 3D models,
can be mastered using the script language.
There are virtually no five minutes that go by without a train departing or arriving and this is exactly what is recreated in the tasks of PTP 2. The IC
175, pulled by two locomotives of the series 101, is Let me give you an example of the train’s individuready for departure.
ality. The ICE fleet in PTP 2 can not only be customised with different names and train numbers as
Shortly after leaving the hall, you hear the ple- in real life, but the destination signs on the regiasant voice of the train driver who informs the onal trains are also fitting for the current connecpassengers about the destination, other stops and tion.
the service on board.
The ICE T 1505 from Berlin Central Station to LeipThe train is passing through the densely popula- zig Central Station is at a travel speed of 200 km/h
ted Hamburg over the city’s arcades and is approa- and the train is checked by the LZB. You hear the
ching the first stop Bergedorf. In 1982, the local original ICE sounds. Controlling the train at such
22
PTP2 Deutschlandbox
a speed requires a lot of focus on the route, the
stops and the signs indicating the kilometres are
virtually flying by. If you are not sure, you can view
the map of the route (key “M”) which simplifies
the task to get the ICE to Leipzig.
From Saalfeld to Nurenberg
This track has a total of 49 tasks to offer. One varied task provided me container train pulled by
series 294 arriving from Kulmbach. Currently, it is
parked in Hochstadt-Marktzeuln and the train driFrom Leipzig to Saalfeld
ver needs to take it to Lichtenfels where a change
of locomotives is scheduled to take place in the
The main line starting in Leipzig-Leutzsch is pas- shunting area.
sing through Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. At the beginning of the project it was esta- The slightly weak 294 will be replaced by a 189.
blished as a long-distance connection between The latter, driven by the user, shall take over the
Munich and Berlin.
further transport to Nuremberg Central Station. The train controller gives the instructions in
This section of the route, which was used for a small window which need to be followed. This
freight traffic in GDR times, is where most of the demands precise working and monitoring of the
freight tasks in PTP 2 take place.
signals when you are shunting.
Pros and cons
Here, the powerful six-axle freight locomotive can
prove itself in front of a heavy brown coal train in
double heading as in former times. But the aforementioned ICE trains, which cover this section
through Jena-Paradies and partly Naumburg, are
also very present.
Announcements provide atmosphere when you
are driving and the good thing about this is that
the original voices sweeten the train sim experience in PTP 2. Train passengers know these voices
and connect the simulation with the real train.
A guard had a little slip of the tongue, so the user
Further new locomotives like the 189 and the se- has the impression that the guard really is in one
ries 152 are pulling freight- and regional trains. In of the carriages, the special one for announceaddition, Ludmilla takes over a trip. A total of 48 ments of the staff. On trips through Saxony and
tasks want to be completed by the amateur train Thuringia you temporarily hear a compatriot speadriver.
king in Saxon dialect and the woman’s voice from
23
PTP2 Deutschlandbox
The regional train RB
18923 to Berlin. The
Class 143 with double
stack wagons is ready to
leave from Nauen railstation. The player gets clearance to leave at 13:52
and drives the train to
Berlin. After shift change
with a colleague the train
proceeds to Senftenberg.
The ICE 908 from Munich Central Station to
Berlin-Gesundbrunnen
on its way from Saalfeld
through Jena-Paradies to
Leipzig Central Station in
the add-on Leipzig-Saalfeld. Here, it is leaving
Saalfeld Central Station.
Cabview of the the Class
155, the “Cablecontainer“, so called by personnel in former GDR
times. The driving console is fully functional,
including the electronic
route schedule, and can
be operated by mouse
and keyboard.
24
PTP2 Deutschlandbox
tape that announces the next stop or the state of
instruments is also familiar.
The high building density in the environment that
is PTP 2 standard by now needs lots of computer
performance in spite of optimisations by using LOD
models (faraway objects contain less polygons for
calculation). Today’s computers meet the requirements of huge routes and good quality models.
Only in extreme cases will stuttering occur.
cause they are protected by special scripts. Pro
Train Perfect 2, a simulation that resembles a lying
8. An endless game with a serious and exemplary
background.
André Rogalla
André Rogalla is an ambitious user of PC games
and theories since the times of Amstrad CPC and
The amount of degrees of difficulty the player can an enthusiastic model railroader.
choose from when selecting a train protection system is great. Do you want to drive using Sifa? Do
you add PZB which requires relatively high concentration? And what about the weather which has The
PTP2-Deutschland-Box is available from
influence on the mood of the staff?
HALYCON at: www.halycon.de
This has not been possible in the beginnings of
train simulation. Selecting all specialties signifies
the highest degree of difficulty. Pressing the SIFA
every 30 seconds, keeping an eye on Vmax, distant Article from Train Sim Magazine 1/2013
signals, stop signals... a change of travel speed
below 90 km/h must be acknowledged by the PZB
90 or the train will brake automatically.
The security systems protect the train driver from
running past a stop signal as that is a mistake he
would not be doing twice in his career. PTP 2 has a
points system which considers all factors and provides an evaluation at the end of each task.
Sadly, some particularities of PTP 2 routes like LZB
and PZB cannot be used on your own routes be-
In the streets of San Francisco
Bus- & Cable Car Simulator
Shortly after the release of World of Subways Vol.
3 London Underground, the next simulation by
TML Studios has already hit the market. We are
talking about Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator.
In Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator, the user can get behind the wheel of a bus, a cable car or a tram in a
variety of freely accessible streets in San Francisco,
CA.
In total, there are 16 different vehicles available
that have been modelled and animated in an extremely detailed way.
Building upon a legacy
In terms of content, the Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator is obviously attached to the City Bus Simulator
by TML Studios.
As the TML simulators are basically based on the
same game engine, a lot of improvements and extensions developed for World of Subways Vol. 3:
London Underground are featured in Bus- & Cable
Car-Simulator. This mainly includes improved visual and acoustic features.
Installation, Features
These are used for exploring the faithfully recreaThe box version contains a small manual including
ted streets of the city and discovering many places
the main information on control, keyboard comand sights which are known all over the world.
mands and game play features as well as an outline map indicating streets and bus depots.
But the player better not be too distracted by
them as the dense traffic requires all his attention
The full installation of Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator
as well as the on-board computer, the schedule
requires about 2.9 GB of free disk space.
and - last but not least - the fuel gauge.
The comprehensive career mode is guiding the
player through different neighbourhoods of the
coastal metropolis who is constantly facing new
challenges.
A permanent internet connection during the
game is NOT necessary. You just have to register
the game once using the serial number and can
subsequently play “offline”.
The selected density and amount of AI traffic did
At the same time, he is awarded with new vehicles
not have a huge impact on the frame rate.
as well as additional routes.
26
The Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator is compatible with
steering wheels, but the vehicles can very well be
controlled using the mouse and the keyboard.
classic with a total of 3 lines you can drive on and
Streetcar, the historic line exclusively used by historic trams.
The gameplay
Day and night
The game starts with a quite rundown, but rentfree apartment in Nob Hill, a district of San Francisco. One of the goals of the game is to escape
that apartment and move to a more beautiful one.
The game has its own time system with the minutes
passing quicker than in reality. That way the dynamic day and night system linked with the dynamic
weather and traffic system can be better appreciated. In case the player returns to his apartment
and goes to sleep, a leap in time is possible.
For this, the player needs to earn the necessary
money. In addition, he starts out with a car that
is not exactly what you would call state of the art. Fleet of vehicles and direct travel
This can also be changed with the right amount of
money.
After visiting certain places on the map – either in
your private car or during your shift by bus – they
Essentially, the beginning of the game is all about are enabled as destinations for direct travel. Hence
working a couple of shifts as a bus driver. In or- you can select these places and can be transferred
der to do that, you get to one of the three bus there from wherever you are.
depots of San Francisco in your pickup truck. Having arrived there, you choose a schedule in the At the beginning, the player only has a short diedispatcher’s office.
sel bus at his disposal which he needs to make
money and collect experience points. In the exhiBasically, there are six different kinds of schedules: bition hall of San Francisco you can have a first
The City Route, a line with lots of stops and short peek at all vehicles available in the game – and
distances between them; CrossTown, including li- also purchase them. Provided you already have
nes taking you to more rural areas with partially that kind of money.
long distances between the stops; ExPress, with
rather long lines, mostly large and broad roads A second possibility to expand your fleet of vehicand long distances between the stops; Trolley, les is the reward system.
a line travelled on by trolley buses; Cable Car, a
27
The bonus system: Rewards
ty to make money is the aforementioned reward
system. Getting certain rewards also include an
In the majority of cases, the reward system in Bus- amount of money.
& Cable Car Simulator serves as a reward for certain achievements.
Tasks and sights
There are plenty of rewards e.g. a reward for being
especially polite to your passengers, rewards for
punctuality, refuelling in time, driving under difficult weather conditions, economy (for repeatedly using the trolley bus), respecting the rules and
driving safely without causing any damage, number of passengers, washing and maintaining the
vehicle and even for repairing the bus yourself.
Another way to make money in San Francisco
would be to take over special tasks. The bus depot
offers you certain tasks for that: Night shift, breakdown service, technical service, refuelling, collecting the daily takings and transferring.
The world of Bus- & Cable Car-Simulator contains
lots of famous places of San Francisco that you can
all visit like Fisherman’s Warf, the Golden Gate
However, there are also negative rewards which Bridge, Lombard Street, Plaza Farmers Market,
may result in you losing money. This could be e.g. Union Square, Cable Car Museum, the Bay Bridge,
jumping a red light, speeding, causing lots of acci- Transamerica Pyramid, Coit Tower, Painted Ladies,
dents and being overtired while driving.
the Broadway Tunnel and the lighthouse of Treasure Island.
Last but not least, you will lose money for speeding all the time due to the speed cameras.
Working hours and maintenance
I need a dollar...
During the game, the system keeps an eye on driving and resting times. In the event you are on the
Each trip and activation of a line is followed by an road for too long, an increasing risk will be simuevaluation recording punctuality, transported pas- lated. Thus causing an accident in the process is
sengers and number of kilometres driven.
high.
Logically, you can earn more money from longer As a countermeasure, you can have a break, apdistances on which, on the downside, you are proach a petrol station or a restaurant to drink a
more likely to make mistakes. The other possibili- coffee. Moreover, you should look after the milea-
28
ge and refuel in time. In case the vehicle is extremely dirty, you might want to go and wash it.
Conclusion
The combination of playful and technical elements
unified in one simulator is very well done. However, Bus- & Cable Car Simulator is not the right
choice for a quick game.
The title is far too complicated for short sessions,
although these challenging components enrich
the simulation aspect. The vehicles, town and environment, the weather including sun, rain, wind,
raindrops and steamy windows are visually and
acoustically modelled extremely well.
The buses make a realistic driving impression and
react accordingly. A strong recommendation for
all bus and tram drivers among the simulation enthusiasts!
Frank Moellenhof
Infobox
• Windows XP (SP3)/ Vista / 7
• Processor with 2.6 GHz Duo Core
• NVIDIA GeForce 9800 or equivalent
•
•
•
•
•
ATI graphics card
2 GB RAM
2 GB free hard drive space
DirectX 9.0c
Sound card
DVD drive
Demo available at:
www.world-of-busdriver.com
ATR-72-500
Aerosoft/McPhat Studios ATR-72-500
The Ultimate French Twin Prop
In a continuation of our Saitek Pro Flight article,
it‘s a good idea to practice with Saitek’s Pro Flight
hardware along with a highly detailed X-Plane 10
(XP10) aircraft. A few other XP10 add-on aircraft
have seen daylight before, and now it’s up to the
French “Avions de Transport Régional“ ATR 72500.
Direction Indicator), but there’s more.
With certain aircraft systems simulated, it’s always
fun to fly and test each of them.
Configure Saitek Yoke System/Flight Stick
If you haven’t done this before, at the first startup, XP10 will ask you to calibrate the connected
hardware. Otherwise, you can start up XP10 immediately.
The XP10 ATR 72 package is available for the Windows and Mac platform and along with that, McPhat Studios offers additional freeware HD (High Already configured or not, access to the XP10
Definition) livery packages.
menu is via the Setting - Joystick & Equipment, but
there’s an important issue. I faced the following
All together a good formula to start with! problem.
Right now there’s no need to go in-depth about
how to install this aircraft, how to add additional XP10 can detect the PITCH and ROLL yoke/joystick
liveries or how to configure it. For this, I suggest movements, but not the YAW movement, so you
you download the Aerosoft ATR72-500 manual need to assign this manually in the XP10 “Axis”
from the dedicated Aerosoft ATR web page.
tab. Don’t forget … XP10 can only recognise your
Saitek hardware when you‘ve connected it to your
That said, it’s now time to see how to con- PC or Mac before starting XP10.
figure Saitek’s Yoke System or the X-52 If you haven’t done so, shutdown XP10, connect
Pro hardware and after that maybe we‘ll your Saitek hardware and restart XP10.
have space left for some tips and tricks.
Many assignments can be made in XP10, but for
The modelled ATR 72-500 is an uncomplicated air- the moment, let’s stick to assigning FLAPS, LANcraft that uses the default XP10 FMS, but it comes DING GEAR, TOGGLE BRAKES and ROT (rotary or
with a simulated AFCS (Automatic Flight Control HAT switch). The first three can be found in the
System) and EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument Sys- XP10 menu “Settings - Joystick & Equipment – Buttem). EFIS consist of an EHSI (Electronic Horizontal tons: Basic”, while the ROT is situated under ButSituation Indicator) and EADI (Electronic Attitude tons: Adv.
30
ATR-72-500
When that‘s done, it’s time to test the ATR.
More information about joystick assignments can
be found in section 4.6 of the official XP10 User
Manual.
For this we need to assign either a keyboard command or joystick button. Via Settings – Joystick &
Equipment, you go to tab “Buttons: Adv”. When
you want to assign a joystick button to a door, you
go to the tab “Key”, otherwise you go to tab ButOnce the XP10 ATR is active, it depends if the en- tons: Adv.
gines are running or not. It’s up to you of course,
but it‘s more realistic to have this aircraft coming For both tabs “Buttons: Adv” or “Keys”, you chooup without engines running.
se from the list “Operation – slider_01” for, for example the cargo door. “Operation – slider_02” is
Therefore, go to Settings - Operations & Warnings then for the passenger door or vice versa. I used
section Startup. Suppose the engines were already for slider_01 keyboard combination Shift+1 and
running. An XP10 restart is needed.
slider_02 Shift+2. Any other keyboard command
is allowed as long as it doesn’t conflict other keyAt the next restart, XP10 will show your ATR in a board assignments.
Cold & Dark situation.
I’m aware this is a very short explanation and
But how to get the ATR 72-500 alive? Check your therefore, how to assign and/or using Buttons:
ATR aircraft folder within the main folder “Air- Adv or Keys, can be found in the official XP10 user
craft - Heavy Metal” and look for the Acrobat file manual sections 4.6.4 and 4.7
“Procedure_Manual”.
Now it’s time for my planned quick walk-around
Got that?
inspection. Starting at the fuselage nose section, I
see a highly detailed gear, radome cone and nose
Great, now it’s time to open and assign the “Rear fuselage section.
Entry Door” and “Cargo Door” and after that,
join me on my virtual walk-around inspection. With the cargo door opened, you’ve got a good
view of what’s possible within XP10. The high defiThe only problem is … how do I open or close the- nition textures are gorgeous and this is applicable
se doors?Right now, closing the doors is not the for the whole model. The livery textures are sharp
problem since they are already closed, so the ques- and have a nice gloss.
tion is … how to open them?
31
ATR-72-500
There are so many tiny details visible like the That said, it’s time to check the X-52 Pro with the
screws on the flap fairings and even the JET FUEL recently released Aerosoft Airbus x Extended.
placard is perfectly readable.
Any interesting details to highlight? Of course
there are.
Angelique van Campen
Let’s sum them up - the static dischargers, the top
red anti-collision light, the white navigation light
and strobe unit at the end of the fuselage, the
weathered look of the China Southern blue tail
etc.
Also worth mentioning is the weathered look of
main landing gear and fuselage/wheel fairing.
The main landing gear is difficult to spot, but once
you have it in view, you’ll be impressed with what
you see.
Although it’s a quick walk-around inspection, it
confirms my earlier thoughts that McPhat 3D Studios and others offer a great replica of the ATR 72500 with HD external textures with lots of detail.
This McPhat ATR 72-500 article isn’t a review. No,
not at all.
The whole idea is to give you some background
information and tips, if applicable, about how
to connect and/or assign keyboard or yoke/joystick commands to interact with the aircraft.
32
Infobox
• X-Plane 10 (fully updated)
• Operating System: Windows XP/
Vista/7 (updated), Linux, Mac
• CPU: 2,6 GHz (Duo / Quad core
•
•
•
•
recommended)
Memory : 2 GB RAM
GPU: DX10 with 512 MB
Download-Size: 650 MB
Installations-Size: 1 GB
Price 29.99 € (Download-Version)
available at: www.aerosoft.com
ATR-72-500
The McPhat ATR 72-500
offers a hi-quality 3D
Cockpit with many aircraft systems simulated.
Due to the low FPS, it’s a
pleasure to fly with.
High Definition (HD)
external textures, welldeveloped 3D model and
eye for details, make the
McPhat ATR 72-500 the
Ultimate X-Plane add-on.
You want to relax for a
moment? Take a window
or aisle seat in the highly modeled and detailed
Virtual Cabin.
33
VORSCHAU
Vorschau/ IMPRESSUM
/ Impressum
PREVIEW EDITION 3-2013
Imprint
SIMULATOR WORLD
subject to alterations
Your free simulation games magazine!
Homepage:
www.simulatorworld.com
Publisher:
ALBO medien GmbH
Lindberghring 12
33142 Bueren
Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 29 55 – 76 03 37
Fax: +49 (0) 29 55 - 76 03 33
Company Registry:
Tax ID:
B 9728
339 5801 0442
FA Paderborn
Management: Eva Loeffler
email:
kontakt@albo-medien.de
Bridge Builder 2
Address of editorial staff:
ALBO medien GmbH
Simulator WORLD
Lindberghring 12
33142 Bueren
Germany
email:
redaktion@albo-medien.de
Chief editor:
Frank Moellenhof (V.i.S.d.P.)
email: moellenhof@simulatorworld.de
Staff of this issue: André Rogalla, Angelique van
Campen, Daniel Wolfram and James Woodcock
Airport-Firefighter Simulator 2013
Copyright: © ALBO medien GmbH
All rights, in particular of the duplication, translation,
microfilming as well as the feed and processing in electronic systems, to the utilisation of parts of the technical
periodical or on the whole remain reserved. All logos related in the magazine and protective brands are a property of the respective legal owners.
Saitek Combat Pilot
34

Train Simulator 2013 Saitek ProFlight X-Plane: ATR 72

Transcription

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