March 2008 - Posts

FSX Twin Comanche - how to change engine time
Though the real aircraft has had a substantial overhaul, there is still quite a bit of hours on the Twin Comanche's engines. Unfortunately, the engines are set to zero by default in the FSX version. Want to change that? Here's how... First, you...
Posted: Mar 30 2008, 09:17 PM by polypoke
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A little easier on the eyes
While doing some sleuthing on some HTML code, I managed to figure out how to get line spacing working. It's actually CSS code that I didn't realize worked on Spaces (until I tried it). I used Time Magazine for a template. I've converted a...
Posted: Mar 29 2008, 10:45 PM by polypoke
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MVP Summit 2008 right around the corner
Next month, I'm headed to Seattle for my second MVP Summit. I am excited about this year's format versus last year. The time I spent with ACES team members last year was quite limited due to how the whole event was organized. All Games for Windows...
Posted: Mar 27 2008, 09:52 PM by polypoke
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What's your command?
Often when I encounter new users to the MS FS franchise, I am asked how I know so many of the key combinations or keyboard shortcuts. The answer I give is practice and consistency from our friends at MS. Fortunately, many of the core key commands have...
Apology to Steve Halpern & Flight1
In my piracy post, I made mention of the Flight 1 wrapper in an inappropriate manner which to some was conveyed in a negative light. That was not my original intent and therefore I have removed all reference to it. I hope Steve Halpern and the rest of...
Posted: Mar 18 2008, 10:40 AM by polypoke
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TSInsider has some new updates
While a good portion of the TS Art Team is currently gathering research info in Europe, the folks back home have been steady with updates on the TSInsider website. You can meet the production team (though I know of at least 1 person they have overlooked...
Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation
EAA has produced a very professional 17 minute video capturing some moments from EAA Airventure in recent years. Harrison Ford narrates the piece entitled Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation and explores what makes Oshkosh the Mecca for aviators and aviation...
Posted: Mar 12 2008, 09:14 AM by polypoke
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Beauty of FlightAware
Have I mentioned lately how much I love FlightAware ? Probably not, but I cannot think of a single "real aviation" site that makes my heart race more than FlightAware. One of the forum members at Eaglesoft's support forum posted this today...
Posted: Mar 11 2008, 08:24 PM by polypoke
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Draw Call Monitor
Fellow FS MVP Arno Gerretsen has just released an essential new development tool for optimizing models for FSX - Drawcallmonitor! Check out his blog entry about it and you can obtain the program here . Good on ya, Mate! Read More...
I've been blogged!
It is funny thing how the internet works. I was browsing my statistics page the other day, and saw where someone had linked to my blog via a website that I had not heard of (at that moment) called blogged.com . Intrigued, I chose to follow the link and...
Posted: Mar 07 2008, 10:21 AM by polypoke
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AlacrityPC is available - get it now!
The sequel to FSAutoStart is finally here - AlacrityPC ! Developed by Ken Salter for Win XP/Vista 32- & 64-bit, this utility shuts down any non-critical program while running a resource hungry application, such as our beloved FSX. When the user is...
A new paradigm: Serious games and Microsoft ESP
For as long as I've been a developer for the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise, I've often had a hard time getting people within the aviation community to take me seriously as someone who does what I do. The mere fact that the program installs...
Posted: Mar 04 2008, 10:25 PM by polypoke
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A couple of new schemes and FSX bloom effects
Ron requested this unique Canadian scheme and I'm glad he did. It is definately one of my favorites, especially with that way cool Citation horseshoe on the tail. This is a standard paint scheme flown by XOJET . Below are a few screens I captured...