What happened to Events? (dead stick, limbo, etc)

[mikeinde]

I know they were buggy in G4, but I was hoping they would be fixed in G5, not eliminated!

Combat looks cute, but I don't think it's worth $80.

Realflight is a simulator, not a video game. I liked the idea of the old events because they helped develop your piloting skills.

[jeffpn]

There have been many, many requests to add combat type events in the past. There has been little interest in the old events as far as I've seen. Rarely have I seen event sessions in the past. RF is still a simulator, and G5 could be considered a game.

[mikeinde]

The reason I didn't use the multiplayer events more in the past is because they didn't work. Player one would take a turn, and then the event engine wouldn't recognize when player two took a turn, etc.

I still used events in single player mode -- it made practice a little more interesting when working on autorotations, etc.

My main point is that nowhere in the release notes/literature did they mention that the functionality was removed.

[Zelatio]

Originally Posted by mikeinde

I liked the idea of the old events because they helped develop your piloting skills.

What exactly about the new events are going to not help you as a pilot? I see these helping a lot with quick reflexes and controlling the aircraft at all different speeds.

[mikeinde]

It seems like the new events are geared toward flying from a first person view in a video game fashion.

The old events were geared toward classic RC skill development from the "proper" ground/flightline vantage point -- useful for developing RC skills.

It seems that although the combat events may be fun, they offer limited skills development unless you are going to be flying from a first person view (a small minority of RC fliers).

I do welcome the streamer combat event since there is a corresponding real-world RC event.

My issue has less to do with the addition of the combat events, but more about the removal of the old events. I will miss them -- even if I am apparently the only one who will. It seems like Knife-Edge took a bit of a short cut -- rather than fix the bugs in the old events, they just eliminated them.

Don't get me wrong -- I love RF -- I have spent hundreds of hours using it (to the point of wearing out the ratchet on the throttle stick), and hundreds of dollars on the product, expansion packs, and upgrades. It just seems to me that if you want a first person combat flight simulator, there are plenty of games on the market to do that. I am simply concerned that if RF continues down the path of being a game, it will take resources away from continuing to improve the simulator aspects (physics, training tools, etc.), which is why I spent my hard earned money on it in the first place. I can rattle off half a dozen RC simulator related improvements that I would have rather seen implemented before machine gun, paint ball, and rocket combat.

[Norton]

Hey Jeff,

Didn't I hear you say that you can have G4.5 and G.5 installed on the same computer?

Also, I have a question about this. Can you still fly G4.5 (stand alone) with G.5 installed then switch to G.5?

G.5 finally shipped today, don't know what happened.

[opjose]

Originally Posted by mikeinde

Don't get me wrong -- I love RF -- I have spent hundreds of hours using it (to the point of wearing out the ratchet on the throttle stick), and hundreds of dollars on the product, expansion packs, and upgrades. It just seems to me that if you want a first person combat flight simulator, there are plenty of games on the market to do that.

This is a "glass half empty" type of response.

Simply because a feature was enhanced does it mean that other things will fall apart.

If anything the benefits of the new upgrade will continue to improve single player experience.

e.g. the technique used for the vultures have application for creating typical field pattern flights, to get a novice use to practicing and flying with other aircraft in the air.

etc, etc. etc.

Don't ASSUME the worst.

[jbourke]

Originally Posted by mikeinde

My issue has less to do with the addition of the combat events, but more about the removal of the old events. I will miss them -- even if I am apparently the only one who will. It seems like Knife-Edge took a bit of a short cut -- rather than fix the bugs in the old events, they just eliminated them.

I miss the old events, too, so you aren't alone. Those events have been in the product, in some form, since G2, and it was hard to let them go.

However, from the feedback we received from the users, it was clear that improvement in the event system was a very popular request. Multiplayer gaming is very commonplace now, and customers have high expectations.

We discussed the idea of improving the old events, but felt that such an effort would be just as time consuming as starting over, but would lack the marketing punch of a whole new series of games.

Over time we hope to expand on the game offerings and hopefully provide a nice mix of real-world R/C events as well as fun games to attract people to the hobby.

Thanks for sticking with the product and for making helpful comments. Both are appreciated.

Jim

[ctdannyd]

There has been limited actual flying of combat at our club. There are a few that do, but this would be a great way for more members to "get their feet wet".

I think it's a great new feature. Sure, you "could" fly from the pilot seat vantage point, but the prospect at flying against some of the better flyers in the club, in a true RC vantage point has my attention!

[jeffpn]

Originally Posted by tnorton12000

Hey Jeff,

Didn't I hear you say that you can have G4.5 and G.5 installed on the same computer?

Also, I have a question about this. Can you still fly G4.5 (stand alone) with G.5 installed then switch to G.5?

G.5 finally shipped today, don't know what happened.

I have G4.5 and G5 installed on my computer. They are independent of each other. They cannot run at the same time.

[Norton]

That's what I meant.

So if you start G4.5 you can still fly multi even though you have G.5?

In other words, flying G4.5 online and G.5 is possible. Not at the same time of course.

[jeffpn]

Yep, if there's no G5 sessions available, you can shut it down and fire up G4.5 to look for sessions. If your portforwarding is configured for G4.5, it's configured for G5. (But not the other way around. G5 uses a few less ports than G4.5) Of course, this all assumes both versions are on the same computer.

[r1derbike]

Learning 3D and accelerated stall maneuvers on G3 did more for me than the training tools. Aerobatic aircraft were tippy, and separated the men from the boys.

Went directly to the 3D choppers and started crashing and learning. Helped tremendously.

Baptism by fire. It saved me thousands in crashed planes, yet after flying combat in G5, the sim now would seem naked without it.

Honestly, after flying G5, the sim, and G5, the combat features, the sim (it still is a sim) is better for it.

KE has a history of listening to its sim users, and that greases the wheel of advancement.

Tough job, trying to keep everyone happy!

Charles

[Norton]

mikeinde,


From what Jeff said, G4.5 and G.5 can be used separately. If that is the case, just use G4.5 for the events you like.

[mikeinde]

Yes,

I can run 4.5 to run the old events in single user mode, like had been, but I was hoping that they would have been fixed in G5 for multi-player rather than eliminated.