software

Software choices

Stalker 3 Leave a comment

The absolute first choice for making a flight simulator is what software platform to use.  To make this decision there are many factors you must consider.  What are the programs limitations?  What are my limitations?  What other software will I need? Is that software compatible with the platform I’m using?  The whole thing will be planned around what you choose.  There are free programs like Flightgear, which are open source and well into development.  There are combat sims like DCS.  Then there is the old standby Microsoft Flight Simulator.  What ever you choose, do your research.  This is one reason: to assign controls to a switch, you need a microcontroller.  These are expensive when you have to buy 10 or 20 of them.  So you want the most bang for your buck.  One program uses the same keyboard command to turn on and off a feature, while another uses 2 different key commands to do the same thing. So what’s the big deal? Well to have 2 separate commands routed to one switch, you take up 2 positions on the micro controller.  Let’s say there is only 20 slots on the controller, well each slot hold 1 key command so instead of having 20 switches you can only have 10.  Not to big a deal, until you build a simulator that needs 300 switches.  So its things like that you need to consider.
My personal choice is Falcon BMS. It has a steep learning curve, but if you get on YouTube or look up a gaming clan like the 20th VFW, I’m sure sure you can get the instruction you need. It features air to air refueling, multiplayer combat, coop combat, SAMs, and many other features. Check out the video for a better look at it. I love it. So of course I will recommend it, but DCS is a real contender now. They are doing all kinds of things to that program. Also, it has an expandable set of aircraft you can purchase online. I’ll leave you with this quote: “You must choose, but choose wisely.” (Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade). Good luck.