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C-17 Globemaster III

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SOH-CM-2025
Up date from Alphasim site.

Mar 13th

C-17 Globemaster III status report ! An interim version (v1.05) including the 2D panel suite (and hopefully some new texture sets) is due for release later this month, all being well. The VC work has repeatedly stalled due to lack of finance. General low sales and a poor return on the C-17 version 1.0 has left funds gravely depleted. Efforts had to be switched to some new FSX model packages for release through a 3rd party publisher in order to obtain the necessary funding for the expensive items needed to complete the C-17 cockpit. We apologise for the long wait and bad estimates. As a company we are not in good shape right now, so we ask for just a little more patience as we attempt to complete this project while we still can. The whole of April and May are set aside for non-stop C-17 work, no other projects are scheduled for that period, so the VC should be ready by the end of May
 
Have to say, that's pretty "up front" of them to admit. I hope they can get it finished and it's eventually successful for them. For me tho, just points out why buying an exterior on the promise that the rest will be delivered eventually isn't always an "iron clad guarantee".:salute:
 
I'll believe in the VC when I see it, and I'll also buy then, not before.

As a die hard cynic I'm left wondering if poor sales of the 1.05 interim release will be the excuse used in May when the VC is still not finished.
 
WOW!!! What a HUGE disappointment! I would be really pissed if I had bought this product and spent that kind of $$ months ago on a promise of a soon to be released VC and got this news! incredible!
 
Low sales.....what did they expect with an aircraft without a VC? I feel for the people that paid for it!
 
Unless they're sub-letting all of their work I don't understand how they can be in trouble. All it takes for someone to model a good VC is some time spent sat at a computer. Piglet manages to do it at an alarming rate with no income from it, so no excuses.
 
Skittles said:
All it takes for someone to model a good VC is some time spent sat at a computer. Piglet manages to do it at an alarming rate with no income from it, so no excuses.
Click to expand...

If only it was that simple!!

You may want to remember (not knocking freeware) that if anything in the VC is wrong on a payware aircraft then there is outcry! But anything wrong or missing on a freeware aircraft - it doesn't matter because it didn't cost you anything!

From experience the modelling of a "good" VC alone takes much longer than the external model. Then you have the high tech gauges which a lot of modellers either use off the shelf, or have new made through contracting out the work - like a real aircraft!!

I doubt it is the modelling that is the delay but more the complicated custom built gauges.

It's amazing to think that AS get slated for not being open, and now you're slating them for being open! :icon_lol:

Don't you love this hobby of ours! :mixedsmi:
 
Skittles said:
. . . . .All it takes for someone to model a good VC is some time spent at a computer. . . .
Click to expand...
I know what you're point is there skittles, but in all fairness, it's not as simplistic as it sounds. We don't have any idea what they had planned for the VC in the way of animations, coding and detail. There is a lot more to it than just sitting at a computer and knocking one out.

That being said, your mention of the fact that they may be subletting the project and thus the reason for the delays has merit. After all, how do you go into a meeting in the early stages and say. . .ok, we've got this fantastic external model of the C-17 and once we get the highly detailed VC completed, then we can make that available, but for now, since we need money to support the huge amount of work still left to do, let's offer the exterior model for the full price and with the promise that once the VC is complete they can get it from us as a download. . .what'ya think". . . .Yea, they'll go for that big time. . . .lol. . .really?:173go1:

A line that kinda get's lost in the reading. . . ."as we attempt to complete this project while we still can". . . . . .hmmmmm, while we still can?
 
Gotta confess if I ever get back in the 'loop' I'm going the seriously limit my projects to aircraft that use common gauges as much as possible, model them in 3D and then stack them on the shelf ready for each project, ensure that all textures and parts are easily seperated from the project, much like we used to do with CFS weapons.

Essentially all you do is grab the gauge and insert into the model, then make sure the texture is in the folder and compile, sure it makes for a boring line up of projects (unless you are clever with your genre of choice), but as far as gauge coding goes, easy peasy.

I still feel 3D gauges are only required for the really important high movement gauges, useless and poly hungry for things like battery voltage and even fuel level, nice to look at if you zoom in close but as part of a simulation, utterly wasteful in manpower, polys and coding. From normal viewing angles you'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference between a 3D fuel gauge or high rez textured XML, the bexel being the biggest give away but even for XML that can still be modeled.

Dont pity the C-17 gauge programmer at all, no sir-ree. I've seen the C-17 VC a long time ago, if XML gauges were acceptable and a set up similar to the CH-53 acceptable then the VC would have been finished ages ago, sadly the masses demand now that VCs have to be all singing dancing 3D and that killed that VC stone dead in its tracks and basically required a complete overhaul or rebuild in many cases, a decision to go up market with more systems also added to the time line. The up market idea is a grand idea for things like the Islander or smaller aircraft, but I feel for the C-17 they should have opted for the tried and tested Alphasim product and shipped as it was back in 2008-9, then moved on and used the man power for other projects.
 
falcon409 said:
I know what you're point is there skittles, but in all fairness, it's not as simplistic as it sounds. We don't have any idea what they had planned for the VC in the way of animations, coding and detail. There is a lot more to it than just sitting at a computer and knocking one out.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree! In my opinion it is all about sitting at the computer and knocking it out! Of course as you mentioned the exception is when a part of the project is sublet, for example I know that Milviz did the cockpit modelling for the Iris Vulcan. Here there is a cost involved and if times are tight then perhaps such a huge delay is unavoidable and unpredictable.

But for a (once) prolific payware developer like Alphasim, surely this problem can be remedied by one man/a small team sitting down at a computer and modelling/coding the thing! All of the external work is already done. It might not be simple but is this not what we pay for? Modelling and coding?

If companies want to take their time with their projects, that's fine, but don't release half of it, promising the other half only to release it months and months down the line.

This is why I completely disagree with the whole concept of releasing external models and VC's separately.

1) You are not guaranteed to get anything (i.e. CaptainSim Buff, before Milviz stepped in).
2) The company might be in trouble (why release an external model only otherwise).
2) You can be charged anything. If Milviz turned around and said 'the Buff VC will cost $100,' what would anyone do? They are not going to do this however, and have laready said the price will be very reasonable.

It's not like the alphasim C-17 external model was cheap. The thing is $60!
 
Well I've personally had good service from Phil and crew over the years and a few years ago he allowed me to donate a model to an impoverished simmer with disabilities and that is rare today!

I think Alphasim knew that the move to higher levels of 3d pits was the way to go but had problems financing the project, not believing that customers would have to wait so long.

Personally I'm inclined to buy that Albatross for FsX that I've been putting off for so long...and where's the Islander...I'd buy that too if it were available.
 
Roger said:
Well I've personally had good service from Phil and crew over the years and a few years ago he allowed me to donate a model to an impoverished simmer with disabilities and that is rare today!

I think Alphasim knew that the move to higher levels of 3d pits was the way to go but had problems financing the project, not believing that customers would have to wait so long.

Personally I'm inclined to buy that Albatross for FsX that I've been putting off for so long...and where's the Islander...I'd buy that too if it were available.
Click to expand...

Hi Roger,

Take a look at www.alphasim.co.uk news page - Islander is due for release shortly.

Skittles, don't you think that if they could've they would've released it sooner? You're making it sound like all the delays were intentional!!

You hit one nail on the head - well sort of - you said that AlphaSim were prolific in the past, don't forget that while you know about the Islander and C-17, there are plenty more projects being built in the background. It would be foolish if they just concentrated on one aircraft for a year.

I still firmly have no doubt the VC will be finished.
 
There are a number of repaints available for the Albatross.

Russ
 
I did quite a few. Search Flightsim.com for Russel R. Smith

They were uploaded to AVSIM but I don't know if they survived the hack.

Russ
 
Should have got this ages ago!:ernae:
alpha-alb1.jpg
 
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