Well... I have hit a cross roads in my business and carreer.
As you know, I create planes in both FSX and FS2004 format. I love FS2004. It is my sim of choice for personal flying. It is smooth and I can max out my settings. It is easy to make planes for.
In my business, when I sell planes to FS2004 people, I never hear from them again, except 'thanks'. With FSX, I hear complaints about textures not showing up, gauges not showing up, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc... Its like the ultimate bag of bugs.. I spend perhaps 20 to 30% of my time walking people through changing settings, adding the FSX SP1 update, lowering scenery settings for planes to show up, adding on the low RAM textures performance pack (regular sized textures, regular resolution), so they again show up and not turn black on the screen.
That has kind of worn on me.
But......... This is the really difficult part. I have wanted a 'compiler' that, like CFS3, can make (compile) models that have 'no' (none) limits on Vertice proximity, and can make models at 100,000 to 200,000 polygons or larger (unlimited). All for FS2004. This is so that my FS2004 models would be the same mesh as FSX. Crisp, huge in detail, smooth small parts....
I have been working on a compiler with a gentleman in Germany and we have been trying to get this going. Its taking a while.
The odd thing is that the FS2004 compiler 'should' have the 'auto-weld' on the 'exterior' model!!!!! Its backwards. You should NOT have auto-weld on the VC model so that small details (like switches and things) would have high priority since they are so close to you. It was a mistake that was never corrected.
Concerning polygons limitations, that was because at the time, MASM code worked with 386 and 486 computer chips, and the entire MACRO of the 'model' being compiled was dumped all at once into the RAM pool and being compiled, and on older computers, that could/would cause computer freezes (back then), so they limited the amount of RAM the compiler could use.
So now, here in the future, we still have ONE single compiler for FS2004 models that is backwards and antiquated, using MASM code designed for early Pentium chips, in an age where developers are now using i5 and i7 computer quad core chips......
ARRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has put me through a depression of sorts. I shouldnt be telling you guys this. I want the best models possible, and also I want these available in FS2004 and I am now stuck at a cross roads. I am going to have to continue making the Epic Victory in FSX format. Yeah... FSX. I get my small parts perfectly shaped. I can have a beautiful co-pilot lady figure. I can have the nose opening front compartment now. I can have 3D braklines on my landing gear. Things I wanted in my FS2004 model that I had to take out..
You say, 'C'mon Bill, move with the crowd!' No.. I have my freedom. I want to go where 'Bill' wants to go, not with a crowd, but where I like it, where I want to go. I like the performance of FS2004. I like how it is stable. I like how it is easy to make planes for. I like having my sliders maxed out. I like that!!!!
I had even been considering going back to FS2004 only for making models. Its faster and there are less complaints and less problems.
But I must have my small, high detail parts, and my extra additional detail.
So.... I am at a cross road.
To do, to do....
If I had great power, I would purchase FS2004 and take its limitations out like CFS3 had. I would then compile my super models and recreate the Autogen to be nicer (especially graphics) and relaunch that baby with a better fleet of new planes.
Bills world. want want want... arrgh..
I wanted to share this with you. Some of you might think its hilarious, even goofy. But perhaps there are a couple of designers developers that might agree.
If only..
Bill
As you know, I create planes in both FSX and FS2004 format. I love FS2004. It is my sim of choice for personal flying. It is smooth and I can max out my settings. It is easy to make planes for.
In my business, when I sell planes to FS2004 people, I never hear from them again, except 'thanks'. With FSX, I hear complaints about textures not showing up, gauges not showing up, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc... Its like the ultimate bag of bugs.. I spend perhaps 20 to 30% of my time walking people through changing settings, adding the FSX SP1 update, lowering scenery settings for planes to show up, adding on the low RAM textures performance pack (regular sized textures, regular resolution), so they again show up and not turn black on the screen.
That has kind of worn on me.
But......... This is the really difficult part. I have wanted a 'compiler' that, like CFS3, can make (compile) models that have 'no' (none) limits on Vertice proximity, and can make models at 100,000 to 200,000 polygons or larger (unlimited). All for FS2004. This is so that my FS2004 models would be the same mesh as FSX. Crisp, huge in detail, smooth small parts....
I have been working on a compiler with a gentleman in Germany and we have been trying to get this going. Its taking a while.
The odd thing is that the FS2004 compiler 'should' have the 'auto-weld' on the 'exterior' model!!!!! Its backwards. You should NOT have auto-weld on the VC model so that small details (like switches and things) would have high priority since they are so close to you. It was a mistake that was never corrected.
Concerning polygons limitations, that was because at the time, MASM code worked with 386 and 486 computer chips, and the entire MACRO of the 'model' being compiled was dumped all at once into the RAM pool and being compiled, and on older computers, that could/would cause computer freezes (back then), so they limited the amount of RAM the compiler could use.
So now, here in the future, we still have ONE single compiler for FS2004 models that is backwards and antiquated, using MASM code designed for early Pentium chips, in an age where developers are now using i5 and i7 computer quad core chips......
ARRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has put me through a depression of sorts. I shouldnt be telling you guys this. I want the best models possible, and also I want these available in FS2004 and I am now stuck at a cross roads. I am going to have to continue making the Epic Victory in FSX format. Yeah... FSX. I get my small parts perfectly shaped. I can have a beautiful co-pilot lady figure. I can have the nose opening front compartment now. I can have 3D braklines on my landing gear. Things I wanted in my FS2004 model that I had to take out..
You say, 'C'mon Bill, move with the crowd!' No.. I have my freedom. I want to go where 'Bill' wants to go, not with a crowd, but where I like it, where I want to go. I like the performance of FS2004. I like how it is stable. I like how it is easy to make planes for. I like having my sliders maxed out. I like that!!!!
I had even been considering going back to FS2004 only for making models. Its faster and there are less complaints and less problems.
But I must have my small, high detail parts, and my extra additional detail.
So.... I am at a cross road.
To do, to do....
If I had great power, I would purchase FS2004 and take its limitations out like CFS3 had. I would then compile my super models and recreate the Autogen to be nicer (especially graphics) and relaunch that baby with a better fleet of new planes.
Bills world. want want want... arrgh..
I wanted to share this with you. Some of you might think its hilarious, even goofy. But perhaps there are a couple of designers developers that might agree.
If only..
Bill
:ernae:
