Bird? Plane? No! It's Oldster Falling Out of Crimson Skies

[OldsterHolster]

Well, at least it's got me laughing. It's old, but I bought Crimson Skies and got it installed. I couldn't set the mouse and keyboard bindings, because that screen just showed colored bars in the boxes; so I didn't even know what the default settings were. I cranked it up, anyway.

Trying to fly with only the arrow keys, my two tries at the first mission lasted about thirty seconds and resulted in flaming holes in the ground; so I quit and went to Newegg and ordered a joystick. It should be here, Tuesday or Wednesday, and I'm hoping that will change things, dramatically.

In the meantime, I fooled with it a little; and now the ground is getting absolutely pockmarked with flaming holes. Heh, heh, heh. I tried compatibility mode for Win 98, but got the old "error-must close" business. It does load using compatibility mode for Win 2000, but it doesn't cure the colored bars problem, so I just put it back to XP. I also tried setting the affinity to just one processor, just for the hell of it, but it didn't make any difference that I could detect.

OK, last ditch effort was to disable "3D video card" and use software rendering at a whopping 480 X 600 resolution. lol Aha! Then I could see the default bindings in the boxes and make changes. My choices for control were keyboard only, and mouse and keyboard; so I enabled my mouse. I added some key bindings for rudder, set my fire and alt fire to mouse buttons, and headed back up into the sky, ready to kick ass and take names.

It was chaos! Heh, heh. That damned plane was all over the sky, and I had to be a funny sight squirming around in my chair and frantically "mousing" just trying to get the damned horizon to settle down. I tried just flying around the island to spread the flaming holes out, a little, before going back to the mouse-sensitivity setting. I not only set it to it's minimun setting, but I also turned my Razer ExactMat mousepad over from the "speed" side to the "control" side; but there is obviously a misunderstanding between this game and my mouse.

When I gently move the mouse, nothing happens at first, and then everything happens too fast. Input to gently bank left results in inverted flight, really quick. Ha! I did manage to fly all the way around the island, and I even fired my guns at a truck, only missing by about a quarter mile.

My guess is that the game is looking for maybe an analog input and is getting something else. I noticed that the default bindings boxes did have joystick numbers listed, so I'm hopeful my new joystick will make the game playable. It looks really interesting, if I can get it to work right. Since I had my bindings the way I wanted them, I went back to 3D video card rendering and set my resolution back up. When I restarted the game, all my key bindings were gone, although the mouse still worked. Go figure! Snoopy's Sopwith Camel didn't have these problems.

Well, it's Saturday night. If you're looking for my island, it's the one with all the flaming, Devastator, wreckage. If you're looking for me, I'll be at the student pilot's lounge having one beer for every smoking crater. Heh, heh, heh. Edward.

[gridiron whirlwind]

Thats funny stuff!

[Joe Cool]

Nice one Ed. A joystick is a must for that game, no doubt.

[Shoboy]

I used a MS sidewinder precision pro(non forcefeedback)for that game, and for the Freespace series......... a joystick is a must, but when you get it, your gonna love this game even more.............

[Karlsweldt]

Found something.. from MS Games (http://www.microsoft.com/games/crimsonskies/downloads.aspx). A demo of Crimson Skies, 43 megs worth! Plus there is a patch available, which is supposed to correct some play issues. Plus other goodies.
Hope it rains today!! Game time!!
BTW.. there is a warning about Photosensitve Seizures (http://www.microsoft.com/games/home/photosensitive_warning.aspx) listed. Worth reading!

Edward, look in the folder for the game. If you see a file named "Setup.exe", that would possibly be for setting up the game's controller and audio/video interface.

[Karlsweldt]

Sooo... did the DL, and installed to my main system with W2K. The OS didn't like it at all!
Reinstalled on my older Win 98 system, works OK.. but definitely need a joystick! Made a few 'bomb craters' to match yours, Edward! Otherwise looks good.
Too much trouble to pull out my stick from the other system.. will have to get another.

[OldsterHolster]

That's odd, because compatibility mode for Win 98 wouldn't work, but compatibility mode for 2000 did. Who knows. Other than the colored bars in the key bindings boxes, XP seems to handle it all right. Anyway, it's neat that you are going to try playing it, too. I'll post back when I get my joystick hooked up and give it another try. Edward.

[Karlsweldt]

My Win 98 setup is on an older P III 600 Slot 1, 512 Mb RAM with SB Live! and a 32-meg nVidia card and 40 Gb hdd. The program found all it needed and started up nicely. Tried to use the keyboard for control of flying, but the sensitivity is too "touchy" and all I did were barrel rolls and crashes! Have an old joystick about, but it is not analog.
The secret to having Win 98 run the older command-prompt programs is to configure the two start up files.. [config.sys] and [autoexec.bat] as they were used back in the pure DOS days. Runs my older Doom, Duke Nukem', Heretic, Hexen, Quake and others with no problems. Redneck Rampage runs good too, but the RRA has a problem about mid-way through.. just won't advance to the next set. Memory errors. But that is because the program never was intended to run on more than 64 megs of RAM!

[yummyzebra]

Doom, Duke Nukem', Heretic, Hexen, Quake

All brilliant games, I got Heretic, Hexen and Quake to run under XP, I have the Windows version of Doom so that doesnt have any problems, couldnt get Duke Nukem 3d to run in XP though.

I wonder what games I will lose the use of due to Vista one day (sigh).

[OldsterHolster]

Woo Hoo! I installed my new joystick on my computer, (the one with the house fan blowing on my fanless video card, heh, heh) and it seems to work, perfectly. I flew for fifteen minutes, only scraping one mountain, until I crashed into an enemy blimp I was trying to bring down.

It's one of my regular nights out, so I'm off to have a few beers and kickassonthepooltable, but I'll be heading back up into the Crimson Skies when I get back. I suspect I've got a whole lot of learning to do, but that's OK. Maybe it will keep me busy for a while. Edward.

[Terry Penrod]

.

Enjoy the pool, beers and flight training Edward.

Cheers, Terry

[Terry Penrod]

.

All brilliant games, I got Heretic, Hexen and Quake to run under XP, I have the Windows version of Doom so that doesnt have any problems, couldnt get Duke Nukem 3d to run in XP though.

I wonder what games I will lose the use of due to Vista one day (sigh).

As a quick update to our recent Vista thread and since you asked yz, unfortunately I have some bad news for D&D CRPG fans. Baldur's Gate, TOTSC and Baldur's Gate 2 all work great under Vista if you turn off the 3D acceleration option. However, the final EP, BG2: TOB is a no go.

Good news though is that Divine Divinty plays smooth as glass on Vista. Deus Ex runs great too (which leads me to believe that other older Unreal-based games may as well). So do Fallout 1 & 2, Blade Runner, Syberia 1 & 2 and a variety of other titles. Star Wars: KOTOR had problems at first but they seem to have been fixed with the latest drivers. SW KOTOR 2 always did run fine.

Cheers, Terry

[yummyzebra]

Thats good to hear Terry that many of the older classics can still run under Vista. Many games like KOTOR i havent had the chance to play yet, and installing Vista i didnt want to steal myself of that experience.

Hows your flying going Edward? Glad to see the joystick helps!

[Joe Cool]

I flew for fifteen minutes, only scraping one mountain, until I crashed into an enemy blimp I was trying to bring down.



I feel your pain bro! Playing IL2 last night, flying the 109F I had to get really close to shoot down the bomber, because of the 109's stupit, puny 15mm cannon! So close that I shead the nose off!! :mad:

[Karlsweldt]

One problem with old real aircraft was that when they did a strafe downward, they would run into their own ammo! The technique evolved where you did a gradual loop upwards, to avoid riddling yourself. The same technique would apply for horizontal targets.. unload a magazine, then roll off before you are too close. At 150 MPH, it takes less than 2 seconds to go that distance!

As for many older games, they don't run well at FSB speeds over 66 Mhz. There may still be patches available to overcome that, but not many. I was lucky to have almost all my faves tolerate the 100 Mhz FSB of my P III setup.
The DNMP game runs very well under W2K and should also under XP. Maybe even the compatible version of Vista. But for the pure 64-bit Vista version, there may be no upgrades or patches for any older games prior to 2005... sad!
Anyone remember the transition from the XT type of PC platform to the AT type? There was a 'turbo' switch that slowed the CPU down to less than 8 or so Mhz so you could still use the old programming. Otherwise, a scene that took about a minute to run was over in less than 15 seconds. And many older programs required an expanded memory allotment, which is not possible with today's OS.

Still haven't gotten out to get myself a new stick.. maybe this weekend.

[OldsterHolster]

OK, I'm getting bummed. Mechanically, my first impression of stick-twist for rudder control seems awkward, but I'm getting the hang of it. The first objective of the first mission is simply to fly through a short tunnel in the mountain, which I never did just using the arrow keys. It's a piece of cake with the joystick.

Next, I have to blow up a truck on a bridge, dive down into a valley to check out an artifact, and then fly over and target a sunken treasure ship, twice. (Zach bails out the second time over) After two or three times, I've got this part of the level down pat. The rest of the level is a dogfight with an enemy dirigible and the three or four aircraft it launches. This took another couple of tries, but I'll have to admit it's about as much fun as a Muggle can have on a Friday night at home, alone. Heh, heh.

The big old airship has lots of targets, including engines, gun emplacements, hydrogen tanks, etc., and the enemy fighters, which look like P-38 Lightnings, really go down in style; smoking, flaming, out of control, and finally exploding. Most satisfying!

Unfortunately, this is where the fun ends! As I destroy the last plane, I get a message box within the game that I can't read because the text is replaced with colored bars, and then a white screen and finally that damned "has encountered a problem and must close" box.

I've tried compatibility mode for 95, 98, NT, and 2000. I've tried going all the way down to 640X480 resolution, and I turned off "advanced text," but it crashes at the same point every time. I suspect the unknown text box is telling me to go back and dock with my airship, and I think the game is about to go to a cutscene when it crashes.

I don't what the deal is with me having to replay the same levels over and over again in several of the last few games I've played, but it's starting to get old. Sometimes it's been my own fault, but this one is beyond my control, I fear.

If anybody has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm pretty sure the old game would be a lot of fun if I could get it to work right. It's not the end of the world, I guess, since I only paid thirteen bucks for it, but I don't have anything else to play, so it's frustrating.

I'm going to watch a little TV and nuke a Red Baron pizza, and then I guess the only option is to try the game on "software rendering." When I did this before to be able to see the text, it really looked crappy, and I'm not sure it's worth playing that way, even if it does play. I'll let you know what happens. Edward.

[OldsterHolster]

Well, it does play. The box just confirmed that I had destroyed the enemy airship, and then I did have to dock with my own airship to end the level. It only took two tries to get through the second level, and then I quit for the night. It looks pretty crude, folks, but I guess I'll play it, anyway. It is fun. It gets a little intense. My coffee got cold because it's non-stop action, and my new joystick wants to walk around the desktop, so you know I must be having fun. lol

While taking my break, I went ahead and ordered IL Sturmovik 1946. It was only $19.95, and it includes all the older IL Sturmovik games and patches, plus some new, alternative history, gameplay. I guess the game really is hugely popular, so I'm looking forward to seeing what it is all about. It should be here by the end of next week, so that gives me a little time to decide whether to finish Crimson Skies, or not.

I'm going to bed. Have a great weekend, everybody. Edward.

[Joe Cool]

While taking my break, I went ahead and ordered IL Sturmovik 1946. It was only $19.95, and it includes all the older IL Sturmovik games and patches, plus some new, alternative history, gameplay. I guess the game really is hugely popular, so I'm looking forward to seeing what it is all about. It should be here by the end of next week, so that gives me a little time to decide whether to finish Crimson Skies, or not.

I'm going to bed. Have a great weekend, everybody. Edward.

Yah! My constant plugging of that game has caught on! Be warned though, its hard core!

[OldsterHolster]

Yeah, Steve, I told you I would get it, sooner or later. I take recommendations from respected forum members seriously. I read some reviews, so I know it's going to be a challenge. The few negative reactions seemed to concentrate on the game not teaching you how to fly, and the many, complicated, tasks real flying entails; but I was an OK real pilot, years ago, so I'm looking forward to it. I will probably start with the oldest levels at the beginning and work my way up.

Feel free to give me any tips or advice that might make the learning process more enjoyable. Edward.

[Joe Cool]

Yeah, Its not that realtistic. My current campain as a Russian fighter has seen me make 32 kills and been shot down 9 times! I dont think that would happen in real life! :lol:

The older campains are good but they tend to be a little...well...cold. I mean most missions are really just "Bomb air base" or "Attack bombers" Dont get me wrong the flying is still great, but it can get a little old. The newer campains have a little bit of story to them, no cut seens or anything, just text but it does liven them up. The missions are also more vaired, with my personal fave being !!!Minor spoiler!!! The mission where as a German P.O.W. you have to steal a Russian jet to get back to your airfield!

[OldsterHolster]

I've finished the first four or five missions in Crimson Skies, and it's fun in spite of the crap-o graphics using software rendering. If I weren't a rank beginner at flight sims, it might be pretty easy, so far; but it seems to take me about three trips through each level to finally complete it.

My biggest complaint is orientation, which might also be partly due to the poor graphics. I guess the idea is to keep you between the water and about a thousand feet in most battles, and it seems to take forever to just turn around. If I try to change direction by an Immelman, (sp?) or a split-S, I end up in the clouds or the water. The plane's slow response makes it hard to stay in the battle arena. This might improve, because, as you make money, I think you can upgrade your plane.

Let me ask a newbie question. Where do the experts place their joystick? Logically, I would think either at the "right armrest" position, as in modern fighters; or in the middle, like an old J-3 Cub. The middle is uncomfortable because then the right twist for right rudder is awkward, and the far right makes it uncomfortable to reach the throttle with my left hand. So far, I've kinda settled for just to the right of the center of the screen.

So, I just thought I'd check in. It's different, interesting, and medium-high fun, and the constant radio chatter, diversity of characters, and a storyline help flesh out the battles. If I only had the graphics quality I had in Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, I think I'd be really impressed. Oh well. Edward.

[Kalbrecht]

Hey Edward. Good to see the joystick is making a difference! heh

Yeah - the planes DO get easier as you upgrade. Definitely don't get too high in the sky. Crimson Skies is played at a pretty low altitude, usually skimming the cliffs/valleys and over the water - not too close, of course!

I have always put the joystick in the centre (or closer in that where the mouse sits, anyway), even when I had a HOTAS stick/throttle combination. I find it more comfortable. It's still got some natural movement, and I can put more elbow grease into it when I want to, for hard movements. (I prefer a heavier stick)

[Joe Cool]

Disclamer: Its 5.47 in the moring here and I'm drunk, so sue me for mistakes.

Ed, its good that you know moves such as Immelman,and a split-S, bothe will serve you well in IL2.

I always keep he joy stick silghty to te right. Its the most easy.

[yummyzebra]

Not bad for a drunken post Steve!

I havent used joysticks much but when i have used them ive kept them to the centre. On the otherhand im left handed so i wouldnt have it to the right anyway. But saying that i use my mouse with my righthand still. i suppose ive gotten used to it and using WASD for movement (thats the FPS'er in me showing there!)

[Joe Cool]

Yeah, I have very little memory of it! Am ******* wrecked!

Oh, I forgot to mention I have been playing with my joystick since my early teens!

:rolleyes:

[Kalbrecht]

Oh, I forgot to mention I have been playing with my joystick since my early teens!

*whacks Joe with a rolled up newspaper* Stop it, you'll go blind.

[OldsterHolster]

You know what? This game is fun. I'm up to level nine, I think, and I'm really starting to get into it. I did upgrade my plane. I bought the biggest engine, added a little armor, and heavied up my machine guns, and it does fly better, now. Of course, I stole a prototype on my last mission that flies even better yet, so I guess it doesn't matter. If I get to keep it, that is.

The missions are getting harder, as you would expect. There is an "autodock" key for docking with your home airship, but I've never used it, so I'm getting better at docking manuvers; but the last mission required a "docking" with a train, where you have to match speeds and fly low over the caboose so you can rescue someone with a rope ladder. It wouldn't be so hard, but there are bridge spans, towers, and other obstacles you have to dodge, and I sure left a trail of broken planes before I got it right. Some of my tries lasted less than a minute. lol

After you crash and burn about three times, the game asks you if you want to skip the mission. I got that message at least twice, before I finally completed the mission, so it was a struggle.

I'm trying to learn the benefits of the hat switch which changes your outside view, but the biggest discovery is the joystick button that cycles through your objectives and lights them up on your display. It enables chasing down enemy planes and targets even when they are out of sight. Almost as cool is the joystick button that cycles through your cockpit view. I prefer the wide open view with just an aiming reticule, but the view showing your instruments, especially the artificial horizon, can be really useful when you end up in the clouds and don't know which way is up.

OK, I'm off again into the wild blue yonder. I haven't heard a word from my friend who is reading the last Harry Potter book, but I expect her to loan it to me any day, now; and I'm sure that will ground me for a couple of days. Then IL-2 Sturmovik will arrive, so there's a chance I won't finish this game. It's just a shame that I can't get it to work with decent graphics, but it is an excellent entry into the genre, so I'm not going to complain too much.

Have a great week, everyone. Edward.

[yummyzebra]

Crimson Skies is sounding really good, i fancy playing it but i dont want to buy a joystick just to play it and i dont know if i could deal with the 'crap-o-graphics!'

[OldsterHolster]

Yes, Jon, having to use the software rendering is the only spoiler to the experience, and is the only reason I wouldn't highly recommend the game. Apparently, the game runs on XP with some rigs, and not on others; and, if I knew more about computers, I suspect I could get it to work right. It looks pretty good for an old game when I had the setting on my video card, but whatever little glitch there is prevented me from progressing through the levels.

As I mentioned, I'm not complaining too much because the game only cost me $13, including shipping, and the joystick was only $30, and I'll use it for other games.

If you want to fly through the air with the greatest of ease and have a few laughs, too, I recommend Snoopy vs. the Red Baron. It's cheap, too, ($20) and it flies with only a mouse. It's way more fun than you would expect a cartoon game to be, and somewhat of a challenge, too.

Meanwhile, I'm stuck again in Crimson Skies. Level ten, (I think) "The Petrol Plot," starts with flying through a tunnel to destroy a lighthouse generator, and it made for several thirty-second attempts before I could get to the rest of the battle. Then you shoot down enemy fighters, destroy several patrol boats, damage an enemy Zeppelin, set a ship on fire, and return home. I was so close! I got to the part of setting the ship on fire, but then I screwed up and flew smack into the side of a mountain, got pissed, and went to bed. Heh, heh. Maybe tonight. Edward.

[yummyzebra]

Ooh so close! Well good luck for tonight. Ive got my hands full with Tomb Raider: Anniversary at the moment, on St Francis' Folly, real bitch of a level that i remember was hard in the original! I like a game that makes you think!

[Joe Cool]

Seen as this has become the unofffical Flight Game thread, I just though I'd show you the new joystick I bought, my old one was a little batterd.

Used it tonight and got bounced by a mig-9 almost straight away!!!

:blush:

http://www.saitek.com/row/prod/cyborg_evo_force.htm

[OldsterHolster]

Looks pretty cool. It's obviously got a lot more buttons, bells, and whistles than my little Extreme 3D Pro, but I'm sure it costs more, too. Is it different from your old one, and how do you like it? I guess if I'm going to start playing with airplanes, I need to keep up with the needed hardware. Edward.

[Joe Cool]

To be honest I just use the tigger for mg's and the top 3 buttons for cannons, rockets and bombs, and the hat switch for looking around. You can program more but I have to keyboard in front of me so.....

I got it cause it has a class name, but also because I have always bought Saitek and the sticks have always been top notch. They have an attachment that can be seen in the pic that you can rest you hand. This really comes into its own when playing for a few hourd as it takes alot of strain off your wrist. Being a slightly more *ahem* mature man, you may find a big benfit from this. It also, like all Saitek sticks, has a large spring at the base which offers a bit of resistance to movment and gives a great "feel" to all movment. You should really consider one if you plan to put a large amount of time into IL2 (I know, you have to get it first.)

Also, does your stick have a twist rudder control? Its essental for IL2.


This is the kinda treats you have coming. Oh, Russianiny!
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/visits2-pages/moscow_2005_files/day_06_39.jpg

[OldsterHolster]

Yeah, Steve, mine has twist for rudder; and, you can go ahead and call me an old fart, I don't mind. Heh, heh, heh.

As I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere, I decided to go for "cheap" to begin with, and I'll consider a better joystick whenever I get more into the genre and probably when I upgrade to a decent computer. For now, this little Logitech for thirty bucks seems all right to me; except I can't seem to find the button to stop those damned mountains from jumping out in front of me from nowhere.

On a serious note, what is your advice on the benefits of force-feedback? I naturally shy away from it because it seems like complication, as well as an extra power cord, (right?) but I may be all wet, and I might be missing something good due to ignorance. Do you like it, or think it's worthwhile?

If you think it's cool, and if I really get into this flying stuff, and if I hit the Lottery, I just might get a force-feedback stick and rudder pedals, pressurize my computer room, add oxygen, and hire a stewardess! Nathan Zackary has nothing on me. lol Edward.

[OldsterHolster]

Just clicked your link. COOL! You wouldn't believe how bad the planes in Crimson Skies look using software rendering. I'll be in heaven when I get around to IL-2. Edward.

[Kalbrecht]

Edward, the hat switch is mainly useful if you need to check on wingmen position, or if you're getting tailed. In truth, though, it's not a heck of a lot of use unless you're in a big battle with a load of enemies, and friends, to deal with.

I tended to re-map the thing to weapon switching, various targeting types (for example: target hostile, target friendly, target objective) and things like rudder control, depending on the depth of the game.

I'm not sure how much you want to try scifi flight sims, Edward, but if you get the chance, Freespace 2 is one of the BEST flight sims of any type ever made. Quite deep, great story and incredible graphics.

[OldsterHolster]

I keep hearing about Freespace, and I love all things science fiction, but I've never checked it out. Thanks, Chai. I'll look into it. Edward.

[Joe Cool]

Yeah, Steve, mine has twist for rudder; and, you can go ahead and call me an old fart, I don't mind. Heh, heh, heh.

As I mentioned in an earlier post somewhere, I decided to go for "cheap" to begin with, and I'll consider a better joystick whenever I get more into the genre and probably when I upgrade to a decent computer. For now, this little Logitech for thirty bucks seems all right to me; except I can't seem to find the button to stop those damned mountains from jumping out in front of me from nowhere.

On a serious note, what is your advice on the benefits of force-feedback? I naturally shy away from it because it seems like complication, as well as an extra power cord, (right?) but I may be all wet, and I might be missing something good due to ignorance. Do you like it, or think it's worthwhile?

If you think it's cool, and if I really get into this flying stuff, and if I hit the Lottery, I just might get a force-feedback stick and rudder pedals, pressurize my computer room, add oxygen, and hire a stewardess! Nathan Zackary has nothing on me. lol Edward.


:lol:


Ah! I mean force feed back is a complete unnessery luxury. Sure its great when in a dogfight ans it gives you some feeling of the forces on the aircraft must have been like, but only with a healthy dose of imagination. You should consider a normal Saitek first and see how it fits.

[OldsterHolster]

Well, let me put this thread to sleep until someone else happens to try this game. I made it through fourteen or fifteen missions, but I've had enough; so I took it out of the drive and put it back in it's case.

The last mission seemed straightforward enough, and the mission briefing said nothing about a time limit, or anything; but, I kept getting through a couple objectives and then getting a "mission failed" sign. I guess I was missing something, but, along with the super crappy graphics using software rendering, I decided I'd gotten about all the fun out of the game that I was going to get.

This makes two games that I haven't finished in my ten years as a gamer, but I don't feel bad about this one. If I ever end up with an older system that might play it right, I can always pull it back out and finish it.

Meanwhile, I just installed IL-2 Sturmovik 1946. Just looking at the screenshots while it was loading was a true pleasure after the 480X600 resolution, blocky, jagged, blurry, images I've been dealing with in Crimson Skies. If it plays right, I should have something to keep me busy with for a while. I want to run my utilities and defrag, etc., but then I'll probably crank it up for the first time, later tonight.

I've mentioned that I've got a pilot's license and a degree in aeronautical engineering, and I've always been an airplane nut; but it still remains to be seen just how much fun I will have with these flight sims. Even way back when I was still flying, I realized that flying real airplanes did not completely satisfy what flying had always been in my fantasies. Loud, complicated, and too many rules and regulations, and not at all like the "free as a bird" type flying I dreamed of. I may run into the same feelings with these types of games.

I'll give it a good shot, though, since it's slim pickings, these days. What I'm really Jonesin' for is a good, old fashioned, shooter, but I'll have to get a new computer before playing any of the ones due out, soon. Maybe I can get my act together by the holidays, and I'll do IL-2 until then.

So, if you can get it to play right, I still say Crimson Skies is a pretty good game, but I've had enough. Snoopy vs The Red Baron was a lot better, probably because it was more fantasy than reality.

Have a great week, everyone, and, if you hear something with a huge radial engine buzzing your house, don't be alarmed. It's just me. Heh, heh. Edward.

[Joe Cool]

Nice one Ed. Just make sure you let me know what you think of '46.

Oh, and any questions, just ask.