Hi everyone,
I went to take a trip back to 1999 to look at FlightSim.com's old Reviews. I like the fact FlightSim.com kept the reviews online since they are a part of Flight Simming history. I also like the fact FlightSim.com maintains the file library for old flightsims.
However, I'm finding some of them don't display properly.
For example this one displays properly:
http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/conten...ering-s-TEC-7T
This one does not:
http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/conten...6-Concorde-SST
I get this in my browser:
Quote:
[<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title></title> <style type="text/css"> span.c9 {font-size: 144%} b.c8 {font-style: italic} p.c7 {font-size: 120%; font-style: italic} div.c6 {font-size: 120%; text-align: center} p.c5 {font-size: 120%} h3.c4 {font-size: 120%} span.c3 {font-size: 120%} span.c2 {color: #A0A000; font-family: arial; font-size: 80%} div.c1 {text-align: center} </style> </head> <body> <div class="c1"> <h1>Concorde SST</h1> <h3>by Phillip M. Overgaard (15 February 1999)</h3> </div> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="right"> <tr> <td width="340"> <div class="c1"><a href= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_sur.jpg"><img src= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_sut.jpg" width="320" height="155" border="0" alt=""></a><br> <span class="c2">The control surfaces are something to smile about. They respond smoothly to the pilot's commands.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <span class="c3"><img src="/images/fsc/dropcaps/w2.gif" align= "left" alt="W">hen it comes to commercial products for Flight Simulator, there are always the same arguments against them. Mainly: "Why should I pay for add-ons when freeware is just as good or even better?" For some products, that's true. There is always an exception, and Concorde SST is it. Granted, there are freeware Concordes and panels for them out there. They fall short in one area: flight dynamics. It's not easy to accurately model FS aircraft and the Concorde is even more difficult. With this product, however, you will wonder why you haven't gone supersonic before!<br> <br clear="all"></span> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="left"> <tr> <td width="320"> <div class="c1"><a href= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_gea.jpg"><img src= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_get.jpg" width="300" height="116" border="0" alt=""></a><br> <span class="c2">Moving parts fans will be very pleased with the smooth movement of the landing gear. If you have a 3Dfx based video card you're treated to a moving visor and nose!</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <h3 class="c4">Installation</h3> <span class="c3">As is the custom with program installations these days, everything is straightforward and simple. Just pop the CD in the drive and follow the on screen prompts. In order for Concorde to work properly, the FS98 Converter and the Patch Set must be installed. A window prompts you to install them if you have not already. For users of 3Dfx based video cards, you are able to see the visor in motion. A window will prompt you to answer a simple yes/no type question regarding your video card. Those without 3Dfx will see the visor, but no animation.</span> <p class="c5">If you choose to uninstall Concorde (why?), it's as simple as other programs. Just select from the Add/Remove Program window from the Control Panel. This removes everything that was installed: the planes, adventures, and the two mini sceneries (more about those later).<br> <br clear="all"></p> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="right"> <tr> <td width="417"> <div class="c1"><a href= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_fsd.jpg"><img src= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_fst.jpg" width="397" height="140" border="0" alt=""></a><br> <span class="c2">Two custom sceneries are installed with the program. This is the FlightSim Developers Headquarters in the mid-Atlantic. Beware, the island is a frame rate eater, if you can get it to work.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <h3 class="c4">The Manual</h3> <span class="c3">It's rare these days but you get a fairly comprehensive manual. It starts out with a brief history and then gets down to business. There is some tweaking to FS98 that needs to be done. All of it is explained step by step and pictures of the related menus are given.</span> <p class="c5">The next section is devoted to the pilot. This section needs to be studied well before your first flight. It is fair to assume that the flight model is highly accurate as two Concorde captains were in on the development. Some might wonder just what they have gotten themselves into when reading this part. One must remember that this isn't a Cessna!</p> <p class="c5">Equally important is the panel. In addition to the flight portion, this deserves study as well. All the gizmos are explained here. Where they are, what they do, and how to use them. Even the experienced simmer will need help, but that's part of the fun!</p> <p class="c5">Lastly, there are a few pages devoted to the adventures. Mostly just descriptions, special key functions are also included.</p> <div class="c6"><img src="/images/reviews/conc/conc_sho.jpg" width= "640" height="141" alt=""><br> <span class="c2">The other scenery installed is Concorde Field. Located between England and Ireland, this scenery has but one purpose, to show you all the available color schemes for Concorde. This island is also a frame rate eater!</span></div> <h3 class="c4">Flying</h3> <span class="c3">I have tried some of the freeware Concordes available and have found one common theme: they don't fly right. Either they can't accelerate beyond 400 knots or they're unstable at supersonic speeds. I was expecting something along those same lines before my first flight. The truth is, I was pleasantly surprised. Maneuvering the aircraft on the ground was a snap. Easier, in fact, than the 747s I fly. Getting into the air was no problem either. Acceleration was breathtaking! Before I had time to recover from the shock, I was already approaching 300 knots!</span> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="left"> <tr> <td width="309"> <div class="c1"><a href= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_pnl.jpg"><img src= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_pnt.jpg" width="289" height="200" border="0" alt=""></a><br> <span class="c2">The main panel. Please note that this screen shot was taken in 800x600 resolution. This is the absolute minimum! Very well done indeed!</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <span class="c3">Concorde was built for speed. The FS version shares that same trait. Following the guidelines in the manual as close as I could, I was able to achieve Mach 2.0 and 60,000 feet without major difficulty. While up there, the aircraft was very steady. Steep banks were done without upsetting Concorde with respect to maintaining speed and altitude. I was all smiles!</span> <p class="c5">Approaches and landings were equally fantastic. I have often used the ILS hold on the autopilot to determine just how good a flight model really is. While a full autoland just isn't possible (real flight crews don't do that anyway), the rest of the approach is stable if you follow the guidelines in the manual.</p> <p class="c5">Part of the FS experience is the instrument panel. The real panel is very complex without the fancy electronic displays found in today's "advanced" aircraft. I have never really found a photorealistic panel, payware or freeware, which I really liked. The panel included here is one of the finest panels I have ever come across. The high quality workmanship makes you feel as if you were looking at the real thing. The manual is once again very helpful here. All the gauges are custom and are unique to Concorde. I truly felt as if I was in the cockpit.<br> <br clear="all"></p> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="right"> <tr> <td width="333"> <div class="c1"><img src="/images/reviews/conc/conc_ins.jpg" width= "313" height="233" alt=""><br> <span class="c2">The INS is included on a separate window from the main panel. Fuel read outs (in Liters), comm and nav radios, as well as throttle and re-heat "piano keys" are visible here too.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <span class="c3">Contributing to the "in the cockpit" feel are the sounds. The box claims that the sounds were recorded during a Concorde flight. I've never had the pleasure of being on board but I don't have any reason to doubt that claim. Truly wonderful.</span> <p class="c5">To help you learn to fly Concorde, adventures are available. The only one I flew was FSD1. In this adventure, the new pilot is talked through all aspects of operation. From push back to the landing roll out, you are under the watchful eye of the British Airways Senior Training Captain. I recommend this one to everyone as it helps you to practice the skills needed for proper Concorde airmanship. FSD2 is a round trip adventure from London to New York and back. The last two, FSD3 (London to New York) and FSD4 (New York to London) simulate the usual "Speedbird" runs. All the adventures come with essential ATC chatter.<br> <br clear="all"></p> <table cellspacing="10" border="0" align="left"> <tr> <td width="220"> <div class="c1"><a href= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_vis.jpg"><img src= "/images/reviews/conc/conc_vit.jpg" width="200" height="133" border="0" alt=""></a><br> <span class="c2">The white area just below the pilots windows is not part of the Pepsi/Air France color scheme. Noticeable on all Concordes in this package, there is a bleed through problem when the visor is down.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table> <h3 class="c4">Likes and Dislikes</h3> <span class="c3">By now you should have gotten a pretty good idea of what I like about Concorde SST. Beautiful panel, helpful manual, custom sounds, and Concordes in various liveries all make me smile! Sadly, nobody's perfect. First, the two sceneries. One was a fictitious island called Concorde showroom. The only purpose of this island was to display all of the available Concordes. A picture in the manual would have been better. On my system (Cyrix 300MHz, 32Mb RAM) frame rates were slow.</span> <p class="c5">The other island was the FlightSim Developers Headquarters. Once again frame rates were mind numbingly slow. Worse, this island worked for about two to three minutes, just long enough to test frame rates and take a screen shot. The sceneries were not needed and I would have rather saved the space on my hard drive. Secondly, while the panel includes the INS, it does nothing but display latitude and longitude coordinates. Although there is a patch to fix this (conc_ins.zip), I feel a functional INS should have been part of the deal. When you pay for something you expect a little bit more.</p> <p class="c7">[Note: Since the initial posting of this review, Mungo Amyatt-Leir of Interactive Associates (CDC) Ltd and Graham "Dotcom" Waterfield of Flightsim Developers have each informed me that a re-mastered version of Concorde SST, which became available on January 20th, contains a complete INS system with pre-programmed transatlantic routes. Registered users of the previous versions have already been contacted regarding the update. The file to update the INS is <a href= "/vbfs/fslib.php?do=search&fname=conc_ins*"> conc_ins.zip</a> which is available right here at FlightSim.Com. Also, "Dotcom" informed me that the complete INS was not included in the initial released due to deadline pressures. I apologize for any misunderstandings.]</p> <h3 class="c4">Conclusion</h3> <table border="0" align="right"> <tr> <td> <div class="c1"><img src="/images/fsc/boxcover/conc-sst.gif" width= "130" height="93" alt=""></div> </td> </tr> </table> <span class="c3">Is it worth the money? The answer is a resounding <b class="c8">YES!</b> I am not aware of any freeware Concorde out that gives you such bang for your buck, so to speak. This isn't true of many other commercial add-ons. What's more, the product comes from some very well known Names in the FS hobby, the FlightSim Developers. Concorde SST will have a place on my hard drive for a long time!</span> <p class="c5"><span class="c9">Phillip M. Overgaard<br> <a href= "mailtovergard@7cities.net">overgard@7cities.net</a></span></p> </body> </html>