Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Acceleration I attempted the Red Bull Istanbul course. It was extremely challenging! I found that managing the engine was not nearly as difficult as the Reno Air Race in the Mustang, but in the Extra 300 the problem I encountered most was keeping enough power on to keep from stalling or going into a spin. After numerous attempts at the course and going into the drink nearly every time, I finally made several runs in which I was able to get through most of the course. On the final attempt I finally finished all 8 laps in one piece, although I was a full minute behind the race leader. I guess I need a little more practice!

Flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Acceleration the other day, I realized something: this is pretty good! Two of my favorite flying games in years past were Microprose Fleet Defender and Jane's F/A-18. Both of those were aircraft carrier-based simulations that required some skill to land back on a pitching and rolling deck. The new add-on pack for FSX does the same thing, and does it pretty well. I had a heck of a time trying to land back on the ship at first in FSX, but I finally nailed it. It sure is nice to have carrier operations in the default simulation, instead of having to rely on someone's poorly done attempt at a mod. What would be really cool is if you could add realistic weapons to the F/A-18 in FSX for some good dogfights. But, I have to keep reminding myself that this is primarily a civilian flight simulator, and I get just as much, if not more, enjoyment out of flying planeloads of passengers from here to there.

Recently I have gotten back into the playing of maritime simulations! I had Lighthouse Interactive Ship Simulator 2008 on pre-order since October, and it was finally released in January (although I actually received in December). When I first installed it, I judged it as dismal. You certainly could drive a boat/ship around the water, but that was about it. That was version 1.0. Now, there have been patches released to make it version 1.3, and it is much improved! There are new controls, missions, online play, and an overall enjoyable experience!

I've also taken the plunge back in Ubisoft Silent Hunter 3, in which players play the part of German U-Boat commanders in World War 2. There is nothing wrong with Silent Hunter 4 (in which the player is an American in the Pacific) but it seems to me there is much more diversity and excitement in SH3. In addition, several mods were released to make it much more realistic than the original game.

To All a Merry Christmas, and To All a Good Night! Oh yeah, by the way,

Happy New Year 2008!

I guess I am just a weird person.

I love to review games on Gamespot that I own, in order to pass that knowledge on to other users. In the same manner, I also love to review artists & music on mp3.com, and movies on MovieTome.com. But, it seems as though some of my favorite games, music, and movies are not even listed on these sites as reviewable!

I have been massively into flight simulation almost as long as the personal computer has been available. I've owned every single version of Microsoft and subLOGIC Flight Simulator. I must have logged thousands of hours in flying time. I am the atypical guy you might like to have on the plane with you, in case the pilot dies. I have every confidence I could safely land most any aircraft. As a result of my flight sim passion, I purchase third-party software for Microsoft Flight Simulator that generally is not available in stores. For instance, I own the current version of FSX. For third party software, I also use within Flight Simulator FSUIPC4, Level-D Boeing 763, FS2Crew, Ultimate Traffic, Radar Contact, and FSBuild. All in all, it makes for quite a big package that has many more capabilities than the original software.

For my musical tastes, I generally enjoy Christian music; but not just any Christian music. I like the music to have a message AND a beat that I can jam to! One of my favorite artists is a former member of dc Talk, tobymac. He is not even available to write a review about on the web site.

So, what should happen with these "unmentionables?" Why can't this content be written about? I think Cnet networks should develop a system that enables users to create profiles for new games, artists, music, movies, and so forth. User content drives this business. Take a look at Flight Simulator and all of its user content. Take a look at The Sims and all of its user content. When Gamespot opens up and lets folks enter reviews for all the user content that is available, look out! This would become the ultimate user-friendly web site on the planet.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to report the CTD (crash-to-desktop) errors I had been receiving have been solved. It is my hope that when I share this knowledge, someone else may benefit and save hours of frustration.

This will certainly not apply to everyone. However, someone with similar system specs may draw the benefits. My computer system is an Alienware "Area 51" 5790 laptop with an Intel Core 2 CPU T7600 @ 2.67GHz and 2048 MB of RAM. For video I run an ATI Mobility Radeon X1900 with 256 MB of video RAM. External hardware is the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick. My operating system is Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, and I am running Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe with SP1/SP2 installed. Third-party software installed (all versions for FSX) includes FSUIPC4 (registered), Level-D Boeing 767-300, FS2Crew for Level-D Boeing 767-300, Ultimate Traffic, Radar Contact, and FSBuild.

The errors I was receiving were the "Fatal Error" variety and occurred on many levels. They happened most often in the "Free Flight" menu, but also occurred while in the cockpit before and after engine startup. On several occasions, I received the CTD just after being cleared for takeoff by ATC. Prior to me solving this issue, I had never gotten airborne in the Free Flight Mode.

This is what I did to solve my issue:

First, I uninstalled all third-party software and Microsoft Flight Simulator. I made sure to clear the registry and deleted any remaining directories left over by the uninstall. I also uninstalled (not just disabled) my virus protection software (I was running Microsoft Windows Live OneCare), so as not to conflict with any installation. Reboot.

Next I installed FSX and activated it with Microsoft. After it was installed I made sure to run the program to create the BGL database files. Afterwards I awarded ownership of the directories to myself. To do so, browse to the C drive, find the FSX root directory and right-click on it and bring up Properties. Under Security, hit Advanced and then Owner. Click on Edit and change ownership to your name and make sure to put a checkmark in the "Replace owner in subcontainers" box, and then apply. Reboot.

Then I ran the install program for SP1 using Administrator Mode. At this point I found the root directory for FSX and right-clicked on FSX.EXE and brought up Properties. Under Compatibility and Privilege Level, I checked the "Run in Administrator Mode" box and hit Apply. You read correctly - I run FSX in Administrator Mode 100% of the time to avoid any problems with access rights. Reboot.

Next, I ran SP2 in Administrator Mode. Reboot.

Then I downloaded Peter Dowson's FSUIPC 4.20 http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html and ran the install program using Administrator Mode. If you have registered it, you must run FSX in Administrator Mode in order to enter the keys. This is a little-known fact, even though it IS in the readme file. Reboot.

The next steps were to install the rest of my third-party software. I made sure to install all of them using Administrator Mode, and rebooted after each install.

The final step was to install the latest graphics driver. I am running an ATI, so I downloaded and installed ATI Catalyst 7.11 with display driver version 8.432 (November 1, 2007). Since I run a laptop, and most laptop manufacturers are woefully behind in keeping up with their drivers, I installed a modified version of the desktop driver which can be found here at "Driver Heaven" http://www.driverheaven.net/modtool/ and followed the instructions for the mod. Reboot.

Finally, I ran FSX and was delighted to discover I had no more crash-to-desktops and my frame rates were as good as they ever were for FSX! I hope the same will happen for you. I am posting this message in several different FSX forums, in order to spread this wealth as much as I can.

TCS

One thing I have neglected to do in the last year is fly flight simulators on my computer. It's a hobby that has been in my blood since I booted up my first PC around 1984. I can honestly say I have owned every single version of Microsoft Flight Simulator since *before* it came out! I have probably logged thousands of hours in the virtual sky. I especially enjoy small prop aircraft, and the Boeing series of airliners. These days the standard is Microsoft Flight Simulator X, which is an incredible jump in technology from the previous version, Flight Simulator 2004 "A Century of Flight." Recently I purchased a terabyte external hard drive, which cleared up enough room on the local drive the reinstall the grand master of all flight sims.

You should see my set of flight sim software! Of course, I have FSX (the Acceleration add-on is ordered and on the way) with SP1 and SP2 installed. From there I have the registered version of FSUIPC, which allows for excellent communication between the base game and third-party programs & hardware. The only third-party aircraft add-on I use is the Level-D Boeing 767-300 for FSX, which can be described as nothing less than totally realistic in its systems and graphics portrayals. I also use an add-on for the add-on (how about that?) called FS2Crew, which literally adds a crew to the 767. The crew functions enhance the simulation to the maximum degree, even allowing for the co-pilot to take off and land the plane for you in all weather conditions if you so desire. A second add-on for the add-on I use is a DVD flight training video made by AoA Productions, explaining every function of the B763 is minute detail. The flight planning software I use is FSBuild 2.3, which is awesome because it allows for the use of flight routes as well as SIDs/STARs, and can export it into a file which FSX can import. To top it all off, I use an external program for air traffic control functioning, called Radar Contact. As a real air traffic controller, I can tell you this is the closest you will get to real ATC services in a game at the present time. It is much better than the default ATC.

In the past I have been into flight simulation to a much more major degree than I am now. A few years ago I attended two flight simulation conferences sponsored by AVSIM. I also used to run a complete set of functional hardware designed to simulate an actual cockpit. These days I find it adequate to run a simple joystick with rudder and throttle capabilities.

Now that I am back in the sky, I feel at home again!

On this day in 1941 the United States' naval base in Hawaii was attacked by the Imperial Japan Navy using ships, aircraft, and submarines. It was the catalyst that launched the United States into World War Two. Before this time, much of the country was determined to remain neutral in what seemed like a far off war in Europe. Even though many saw the immoral vision of Hitler was trying to impose, the "live and let live" philosophy seemed to rule the pre-war years. The attack became a rallying cry that can still be heard today.

It is 66 years later, and now Japan and Germany are good allies. I know of no one who still holds a grudge again the former enemies or the people within the countries. As someone who has visited the Arizona Memorial quite a few times, I can say it is an almost holy occasion to visit the site of the attack and peer into the water where so many sailors and marines died. It is amazing to talk with the other visitors of the site, who come from all different countries and make up all ethnic groups.

Today it seems the xenophobic days of the pre-war era are returning. Before the Second World War, many were still remember the awful Great War, in which millions were killed. They did not want a repeat, which is certainly understandable. Now, with the deaths of many outstanding young Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, it seems to be time to go back to an era of letting the world take care of its own business, while we sit on the sidelines. But, let me urge everyone to remember what happened after the war. The United States enjoyed peace for many years; the economy grew enormously; and countries that had been our adversaries quickly became friends.

Sit tight America; we will have peace again. History has shown us that the best is yet to come.

TCS

Today I wrote a good parental guide to "The Sims 2" and posted it as a review on GameSpot. In the review, I evaluated the gameplay in relation to drugs, sex, nudity, violence, and language. There has been much apprehension recently about the game, in that some feel it is actually too real. In my review, I hopefully will alleviate some of those fears.

I did indeed have a good weekend. I played the heck out of "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific" and "The Sims 2 Bon Voyage" and posted several screenshots each on GameSpot. In Silent Hunter, I did a bit of research on the game's web site forums and within the Program Files directory and discovered the Gramophone and Radio is nothing more than an MP3 player. So, I loaded up the music directory with music from the era (Glenn Miller, Andrews Sisters, etc) to replace the original music which was terrible. Now, when I am sailing under the ocean blue I can hear songs that will put me "In the Mood!"