About Accusim and what it means to all of us

[P-12C]

I've been meaning to blog about this aircraft and what A2A have done with Accusim. I'm very impressed with the depth of the simulation and I've personally been enjoying flying the B377.

I'm a fan of providing mechanisms for the pilot to face the consequences of not flying an aircraft properly or not paying attention to what gauges are telling them, and to revel in the accomplishment of managing systems well. Allowing the FSX Acceleration P-51 engine to blow up when not running ADI was one of our first forays into taking this path, and for those not expecting that result it can be a bit startling and confusing. Once the limits of the aircraft are learned, it's quite easy to deal with.

Of course pilots that don't want the complexity and learning curve need to be catered to as well.

I would hope that any future work we do will only make it easier for developers like A2A to build out super detailed simulations on top of what we provide out of the box.

 

[Panther_99FS]

I've been meaning to blog about this aircraft and what A2A have done with Accusim. I'm very impressed with the depth of the simulation and I've personally been enjoying flying the B377.

I'm a fan of providing mechanisms for the pilot to face the consequences of not flying an aircraft properly or not paying attention to what gauges are telling them, and to revel in the accomplishment of managing systems well. Allowing the FSX Acceleration P-51 engine to blow up when not running ADI was one of our first forays into taking this path, and for those not expecting that result it can be a bit startling and confusing. Once the limits of the aircraft are learned, it's quite easy to deal with.

Of course pilots that don't want the complexity and learning curve need to be catered to as well.

I would hope that any future work we do will only make it easier for developers like A2A to build out super detailed simulations on top of what we provide out of the box.

An ultimate compliment from Paul....

 

[Wiens]

I finally purchased the A2A B377 and AccuSim........

WOW!!!! I haven't had this much fun with MSFS since I don't know when.

Yes, I did crash on my first take off. But at least I managed a complete take-off and landing circuit on my second attempt. I won't bore you with the details of the damage to the engines.

Kevin

 

[txnetcop]

The team that Scott put together to make Accusim what it is, is the best I have ever seen in action. Hey, I'm an ex-pilot, and those guys were way above my head. I just stayed outta the way and tested what they created-WOW what fun it was.
Ted

 

[Brett_Henderson]

I've been busy working on some freeware models.. so my simming has been pretty clinical lately (tweak-test.. tweak-test..... tweak-test). I missed the intro window for even the B377 itself; let alone Accusim and SP1.

Wellll.. I finally got around to buying it all. :woot:

The only complaint I've come up with (other than some sound issues that I've since posted at their forum) can be summed up in txnetcop's quote:

Accu-sim accuracy actually becomes fun and expected. You actually begin to miss it when you don't have the option available.

I now a have a simulated aircraft (B377), and a selection menu full of "toys". I'm an active, current, pilot IRL... so this Accusim stuff is like discovering fresh-ground coffee, compared to instant.

Normally, my need for realism has me approaching a sim-session, like I would a real flight. Flight planning, weather briefing, preflight inspections, fuel calculations and loading.. alternate airports.. and printed approach plates if the weather forecast dictates. My pre-takeoff checklist while simming, is probably more thorough then when I'm getting ready to turn a prop on a real airplane. I get enough of the, "point-n-go" while testing a new model, that I actually relish the challenge of realistic simming.

Now.. add the system management of Accusim, and it's like I've re-discovered sim-joy. And this accumulated wear, and airframe/engine maintanence log, is what I've been wanting since FS98 ! Not only do you have to manage each flight, diligently.. your good work (or lack of) is rewarded (or punished) over time. You don't rush through engine-warmup at KJFK on a winter morning, before a flight to Seattle; because you know that impatience here might make that next leg (Seattle to Hawaii) a 3-engine ordeal :faint:

ANYway... now I'm spoiled. If/When Accusim becomes available for other aircraft (even the C172), I'll be their most loyal customer

 

[codeseven]

Man, the more I research Addon aircraft for FSX the more I have to agree that Accusim really is revolutionary. I've watched sim-aircraft developement over the years and seen aircraft become more and more realistic looking. The flight modeling has greatly improved but can only be as good as the hardware and software will provide.

But this, this is is something else. Something new that can take a 'great' Addon aircraft and make it 'extraordinary' all within the same flight sim. When you see real life pilots boast about how great Accusim has suddenly made their flight sim experience (and that's not just on this forum but others also) then you know a new level in 'realism' has arrived.

Systems management is a fact of flying for RL pilots. It may not be what many in the flight simming community want or are used to having to deal with all the time just like an aircraft with a realistic flight model that wont let you fly it outside of it's real life capabilities without consequences, that's fine. Just taking a leisurely jaunt without having to deal with RL flight stuff is kinda nice sometimes.

Personally, I 'fly' an aircraft in a flight sim for the 'fantacy' of what it might be like to fly that aircraft in real life, knowing it's just a sim but wanting as real an experience as I can get. Accusim has just improved that 'realistic' experience ten fold.

I say Bravo A2A! And Thanks!!


Codeseven

 

[FAC257]

During my world tour in the 377 I actually had several moments over the months where I briefly considered un-installing almost every add-on aircraft I own except the 377. They were brief wacky moments.

For the type of flying I do the most it's the perfect aircraft. During the several months on that tour I purchased 5 or 6 other payware aircraft but never spent any time in them. Over the last week I've been trying to take each one out for at least a short hop. With no Accusim involved it just doesn't seem right anymore.

In all the years I've been simming I can only think of two other aircraft in a combat or civi-sim that hit me the same way the B377 does. One was the F-15E in Jane's F-15 and the other was the F-16 in the Falcon4 series. Those were aircraft I never got tired of sitting in, I never ran out of things to learn while flying 'em, and like the B377 you had to take care of them especially if there were problems, if you wanted to make it home.

 

[codeseven]

During my world tour in the 377 I actually had several moments over the months where I briefly considered un-installing almost every add-on aircraft I own except the 377. They were brief wacky moments.

I'm not surprised. From what I've read (I'm anxiously awaiting the Razerback P-47, dibbs!), if it's a more realistic experience your after and enjoy, then Accusim is a must. From then on other aircraft lacking that important aspect would seem to be missing something.

 

[Chuck_Jodry-VJPL]

Accusim is a name applied to engine system management by A2A ,
admittedly i never tried their 377 but am curious about the percentage of users of this aircraft that use it ?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
The reason i ask is the Hellcat has had something along those lines installed that requires rather specific attention be paid to the manual
or the flight is in its terminal phase , even if you haven’t left the ground yet. <o></o>
I admit that it adds a great deal to the experience , one could go as far as
to say even fear being a single engine aircraft there is little opportunity<o></o>
to recover from a mistake especially during takeoff ,
but i don’t know yet if such a " Realism Setting " should be on by default or off by default ?<o></o>
<o></o>
The system goes into beta testing tomorrow , off my desk and into the hands of others but i feel some trepidation, A2A chose to sell two versions and the Hellcat will come in only one ,
its designed to have the system disabled or enabled by the pilot with one cfg change but i really want to know would you boys want the DOA.dll on by default or Off ?<o></o>

Thanks for your input C.J

 

[Brett_Henderson]

By default ? I'd say have it turned off. The person paying enough attention to detail to even want it, wouldn't forget to make sure it's activated.

It's kind of a moot point with the B377 though.. because it's an add-on.. you have to choose to buy and install it, after the fact (or order it all at once, like I did (but it's still two seperate products, two seperate installs)).. AND it has the option to turn it on and off, from within a running flight via a pop-up window.

 

[codeseven]

Hi Chuck. I dont have the Hellcat ( I assume your talking about the RealFlight recent release), are you saying an Engine Systems Management program of sorts is coming out for the Hellcat? Interesting.

I'd be curious myself the percentage of people that use the Accusim feature, it's not for everyone. I think there are many simmers out there that just want fly around and enjoy an uncomplicated jaunt in their favorite airplane. But I'm also confident that there are many others out there that long for more realism and are interested in a more realistic flight experience.

 

[CodyValkyrie]

That's the beauty of Accusim. If you don't want to use it, as Codeseven suggested, you either turn it off or simply don't purchase the package

 

[Chuck_Jodry-VJPL]

Guess that means off by default , though i decided to leave the " Stress " effects in play so its easy to tell you arn't doing something right even if you are not about to perish...

 

[RCAF_Gunner]

... their 377 but am curious about the percentage of users of this aircraft that use it ...

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
... but i don’t know yet if such a " Realism Setting " should be on by default or off by default ...

I really want to try Accusim but can't warm up to the civvie version of the B377. So... I'm hoping A2A will follow up with the C97 Accusim version when that project is complete and I plan to add it to the P47 as soon as it's available.

For the Hellcat, I would lean towards "off" by default. It'll probably keep your support questions on the lower side and the guys like me that want to go full real will also likely be able to handle turning it on.

Question: will it be an edit to the .cfg file or a choice during install or a choice you have to make each flight? I would personnally like to see it stay "on" once the choice has been made particularly if it's a simple .cfg file edit.

Looking forward to the Hellcat update.

 

[chinookmark]

Chuck, I am eagery waiting for DOA.dll. I'm waiting for that before I buy the Hellcat. Actually, that's WHY I'm planning on buying the Hellcat. My personal rule is that there are plenty of "must have" planes available, so to save money I try to restrict myself to buying only the ones that really add something to the sim that wasn't available before, like Acceleration (carriers), the B377 (Accusim), and Razbam Intruder (weapons). Besides, I like that there's something stopping me from flying like a video game.

Back to DOA.dll ... I think it should be off by default, for those that just want a plane to fly. But you could make it active an any number of ways. An option in the installer, a separate download and installer, a click spot on the panel or some sort of option gauge, or even just deleting the "//" in the panel.cfg.

 

[chinookmark]

I would personnally like to see it stay "on" once the choice has been made

I agree. I would like to see aircraft "memory" too, if possible. For example, if you abuse the aircraft, it may not break, but parts may show a shortened life span and increased chance of failure over the course of several flights.

 

[RCAF_Gunner]

I really want to try Accusim but can't warm up to the civvie version of the B377. So... I'm hoping A2A will follow up with the C97 Accusim version when that project is complete and I plan to add it to the P47 as soon as it's available.

For the Hellcat, I would lean towards "off" by default. It'll probably keep your support questions on the lower side and the guys like me that want to go full real will also likely be able to handle turning it on.

Question: will it be an edit to the .cfg file or a choice during install or a choice you have to make each flight? I would personnally like to see it stay "on" once the choice has been made particularly if it's a simple .cfg file edit.

Looking forward to the Hellcat update.

Actually, I just remembered the Hellcat is limited in its number of installs owing to the copy protection / licensing method chosen.

Therefore, I would *not* like to see the choice be installer based. It could become a real headache if you chose to install one way then wanted to try the other way then wanted to change back and forth from time to time depending on your flying mood. You'd certainly use your two (three?) installs up pretty quickly that way. So, bad idea and sorry I even suggested it. :faint:

 

[Chuck_Jodry-VJPL]

There are no restrictions on the number of installs on the same machine, PSS used to do that but in order to allow for updates and repairs RealFlight does not.
That said i am going the // route in this case with an entry in the panel.cfg

The engine wear feature is something that was introduced with Accell along with water injection and Nitro and a few other tidbits , they work fine as long as one is using Accell, but i wanted to have the Doa.dll work as well in sp1 / 2 and Accell so it was compiled using my own code to ensure compatibility with them all , its being tested today and i will listen to the feedback before deciding if its too demanding or just right.

Gotta track down Mudmarine .. hope this gets him off his rocker ....

 

[codeseven]

Chuck, I am eagery waiting for DOA.dll. I'm waiting for that before I buy the Hellcat. Actually, that's WHY I'm planning on buying the Hellcat. My personal rule is that there are plenty of "must have" planes available, so to save money I try to restrict myself to buying only the ones that really add something to the sim that wasn't available before, like Acceleration (carriers), the B377 (Accusim), and Razbam Intruder (weapons). Besides, I like that there's something stopping me from flying like a video game.

Agreed.

Over the years there have been plenty of fantastic looking, highly detailed aircraft with great flight models but were still far from realistic in that the user could easily, and un-realistically, 'fly' them as if playing an arcade game. That's been a pet peave of mine also.

Easily 'flying' any aircraft any way you care too just takes so much away from the realism factor. There should be certain procedures and limitations for a given aircraft design and consequences if you dont stay within those boundaries, that's real life. There's only so many things that can be done to try to make a users experience realistic when flying his favorite fantasy aircraft on a home computer.

Accusim, and programming like it, are a big step in that direction.

 

[mcattermole]

Writing as a complete aeronautics and technical boob, I love the B377 even though I am not a big fan of civil aircraft. To be able to study the operating of a particular aircraft in this depth is fascinating. I'll never be a master of this model, but it is a great deal of fun to use a model which lives up to what other sims only pretend to offer. The greater the detail the better. Since the Accusim facility is an add-on to the basic model, nobody gets burned. The casual user buys the basic product, and those who want more buy the Accusim addition. Couldn't be more fair.