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Daily News
By Douglas Helmer

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Tuesday, February 11, 2003





PC Game and Hardware News

Frugals Forums Shut Down Temporarily
Frugal has been forced to shut down his forums while he looks for a new host.

Website: Frugalsworld.com
MS Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight
Press Release:
REDMOND, Wash.—As the world prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, Microsoft Corp. today announced that "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" is in development and cleared for takeoff this July.

With "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight," the next milestone in the award-winning "Flight Simulator" franchise, Microsoft celebrates 20 years of developing and perfecting computer flight simulation. "A Century of Flight" allows aviation enthusiasts to experience history at the controls of historic aircraft, such as Charles Lindbergh's Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis," the Douglas DC-3 and the world's first successful powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer.

New engaging features such as interactive multimedia provide a wealth of historical information on the planes that shaped aviation history and the pilots who flew them. Informed and insightful articles explain all there is to know about Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" and the 24 aircraft included in the software. "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" also introduces an updated, dynamic weather system, enhanced automatically generated scenery (AutoGen) and detailed visual effects, improved Air Traffic Control functions, and 3-D interactive cockpits, as well as 15 modern aircraft, including the Boeing 777, the Beechcraft Baron and the Robinson R22 helicopter.

"Launching 'A Century of Flight' in conjunction with a historical milestone as monumental as the invention of powered flight is an exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us on the 'Flight Simulator' team," said Bruce Williams, product planner at Microsoft Aces Studios. "There are a lot of organizations celebrating the centennial of flight, but 'Century of Flight' empowers people to get into the cockpit of legendary aircraft such as the Wright Flyer and the 'Spirit of St. Louis' to feel what it was like to actually fly those planes."

When "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" launches this July, Microsoft will mark flight's 100th anniversary by participating with the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) in a yearlong celebration, Countdown to Kitty Hawk. A touring pavilion honoring aviation heroes and innovations will land in cities across the country, beginning this April at Sun 'N Fun in Lakeland, Fla. The pavilion will house a virtual 1903 Wright Flyer with which guests can experience the new "Flight Simulator" software, stepping back in time and recapturing the feeling of the first flight of Wilbur and Orville Wright on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C. Would-be pilots operate the "aircraft" from a horizontal hip cradle, using hand levers and a shifting hip mechanism to control virtual takeoffs and landings in front of a giant panoramic projection screen.

...of developing and perfecting computer flight simulation...? Perfecting?
Thrustmaster Gets New Product Manager
LONDON—Guillemot has recently restructured its worldwide organisation and has now divided the business into 3 distinct business units. This restructuring process will enable the group to specialise in each existing category and provide more focus and support to the existing customer base. New product categories have also been created and each business unit can now move into new sectors of the IT marketplace.

Previously Guillemot was divided by 2 brands, Hercules (graphic accelerator cards, sound cards, DV editing cards, speaks and TFT monitors), and Thrustmaster (console and PC peripherals and speakers).

Each key Business Unit Managers will drive through new business and marketing strategies in order to meet the objectives of the company and to further satisfy customer requirements.

The 3 business units are:
  1. Hercules Graphics & Monitors
  2. Hercules Sound, TV& Video Editing Cards
  3. Thrustmaster
Matthew Russell now promoted to Senior Product Manager, will be handling all PR and Marketing internally for Thrustmaster.

Related Site: Cougar World
GI Combat - Episode 1: Battle of Normandy Announced
Press Release:
Mindscape, a leading software publisher is proud to announce the release of GI Combat - Episode 1: Battle of Normandy for PC CD-ROM on 7 March 2003. GI Combat is a real-time tactical combat game that engulfs players in the battles of Normandy, from the beaches to St. Lo, during the Second World War.

Freedom Games, the team behind the development of GI Combat, includes John Davidson, an original co-founder of Talonsoft, and Eric Young, designer and producer of the Close Combat series. This expertise has helped create a historically accurate, dynamically playable game. The full three-dimensional environment provides unsurpassed detail of terrain, vehicle modelling and weapon effects.

Playing as either Axis or Allied troops, push back enemy offensives, lead assaults to capture key objectives and charge into the lush terrain of Normandy! Players will be fighting to hold vital crossroads and attempt to better the performance of their historical counterparts. Mark your territory by capturing flags positioned at strategic points in the map.

The single player game can be played in the form of Battles, Operations or Campaigns, which vary in difficulty and size. The scenario editor allows the player to modify the existing scenarios and build their own customised missions, using as many units for each side as the player sees fit.

At the start of each mission, your troops are scattered within your own territory, which is marked as a grid.

Before the game starts in real-time, you have the option to deploy your troops at any point within your territory, and to issue them with initial orders, such as march, assault, fire or caution to fully control the movement of your troops and artillery.

The detailed soldier models consist of eight different psychological states and levels of morale, which means that players will have to take into account the effects of combat on the performance of their men. If an individual soldier is panicked, then they will be reluctant to follow your commands, and therefore difficult to control, so the player needs to monitor the psychological states carefully.

Each vehicle is modelled in 3D, simulating all aspects of armour, including thickness, slope and hardness. Detail includes realistic ammunition load-outs, weapon performance and crew capacities for all type of vehicles present during the conflict in June 1944.
Three New Blitzkrieg Movies
Fragland.net is hosting three new Blitzkrieg movies featuring the Allied, German and Russian campaigns. Blitzkreig is CDV's WWII historical wargame, similar to Sudden Strike.

Download: Fragland.net
Aircraft Repaints (1 item)
  • FS2002 USAF F15 Eagle of the Oregon Air National Guard. (AVSIM)
    Two different versions are included - 114th FS, 173rd FW, Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls and 123rd FS, 142nd FW, 'Redhawks' Portland IAP. Aircraft has lights,contrail,smoke and afterburner effects. Gmax aircraft by Kimitaka Nishida. Repaints by Paul Barry.


Website: AVSIM
IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles Preview
Luthier has published Parts IIIa & b of his preview of IL-2:FB. This final installment focuses on new aircraft: I-153P, FW-190D, Me-262A-1a, TB-3 plus 26 other planes.

Website: IL-2 Center
GeForce4 Vid Card Shootout
If you like your video card reviews short and sweet, then you might want to check out Flightsim.com's GeForce4 video card shootout review by "Mad Max Merlin".

Webpage: Flightsim.com
F-14 for Strike Fighters
Mad Jeff has discovered that Coyote is planning to create an F-14 for Strike Fighters. Check out his site for full details.

Details: Biohazcentral.com
WWII Online HQ Looking for New Admin

Looks like they need someone to run their website. Basically a webmaster, news editor position. Also of note on the site: Interview with Mlucus and a DD1 SOS movie about the channel dash 2.

Website: WWII Online HQ
BF1942 Updates (5 items)
  • Poll Results: Bugs and Wish List
  • Ferrago R2R Review
  • Desert Combat Models
  • New Mod: Wasteland 2042
  • New Poll: Speakers


Website: PlanetBattlefield.com
AMD Contest: Flat Panel Monitor or $1,000
SUNNYVALE, CALIF—AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the AMD System Builder Sweepstakes, designed to connect consumers with system builders offering the world-class performance of a PC or server based on an AMD Athlon™ XP or AMD Athlon MP processor.

Beginning today through March 21, 2003, the AMD System Builder Sweepstakes encourages consumers who demand the latest in computer performance to visit a participating system builder retail store or Web site for an opportunity to enter to win either a flat panel monitor or $1000.

“AMD is proud of the relationships we have forged with our system builder partners,” said Robert Fuller, AMD’s director of North American Field Marketing. “Like AMD, they are also highly focused on the success of their customers. Providing installation, software and service with customized computers, system builders are especially geared to understand and provide unique solutions for each individual home or business computing need.”
TRC Development Launches Simkits
TRC Development b.v. launches SimKits.com website and catalogue. This is a unique product line of kits with simulator parts, that allows cockpit self-builders to build gauges for twelve different airplane cockpits. The new website with the SimKits shop features the complete line of kits.

SimKits offers a complete line of products to build your own realistic cockpit. Made from high quality ABS parts, metal parts and electronics, you choose your own gauge to build within hours.


Now flight enthusiasts and flight simmers can build their own true-to-life cockpit with SimKits gauges. They can build almost any gauge they want for a home-built cockpit and use it with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 to experience nearly real flight. The SimKits are constructed in such a way that they can be used for twelve different types of aircrafts. The different types of aircrafts are the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, the Cessna 182 Skylane, the Beechcraft Baron 58, the Beechcraft King Air 350, the Bell 206B Jet Ranger, the Cessna Caravan Amphibian, the Cessna Grand Caravan, the Extra 300S, the Mooney Bravo, the Schweizer 232 Sailplane, the Sopwith Camel and the Vaught Corsair.

The General Gauge Kit for example contains nineteen different faceplates, allowing you to build an Airspeed Indicator, a Vertical Speed Indicator or a Tachometer for multiple airplanes. The customer only needs to buy a servomotor (also offered at the SimKits webshop) that propels the needle of the gauge.

The gauge is equipped with lighting that is regulated by the Central Control Unit. The gauges need to be connected to a Central Control Unit through a flatcable included with the product. The Central Control Unit connects to the PC- run flight simulator software via USB. Prices of the Kits start at
US$ 29.50. The shop can be found here.

Website: SimKits

Defense & Aerospace News

Next Global Hawk Production Lot Ordered
SAN DIEGO—Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector has been awarded a $302.9 million fixed-price-incentive-fee contract modification by the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center to provide for the second low-rate initial production lot of the Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance system.

Global Hawk


The contract includes delivery of four Global Hawk air vehicles, three integrated sensor suites, two electro-optical infrared sensors and one launch and recovery element for the Air Force as well as two air vehicles, two integrated sensor suites, two launch and recovery elements and one mission control element for a planned 2005 maritime demonstration by the U.S. Navy.

Work under this contract will be performed by the company's Unmanned Systems unit in San Diego and completed in 2005. Additional funding for the Navy's Global Hawk maritime demonstration will be provided under separate contracts and executed by the Unmanned Systems unit and the sector's Airborne Early Warfare and Electronic Warfare unit in Bethpage, N.Y.

Since the program began in 1995, Northrop Grumman has received more than $1.6 billion in contracts for Global Hawk design, development, testing and production. The first production vehicles will be delivered later this year.

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