I have the beta version of the C-17 and while it is still some time before release I can already tell that, at least for my use, it will be just fine. The VC is in place, however far from complete. There is still texturing, modeling, etc to be done in the VC. The exterior is also in the early stages. I can see the beginnings of some bump mapping, although textures don't line up correctly right now and coloration is off from texture to texture. I also saw some odd modeling in the area of the front windscreen and nose, as though the polys aren't yet tweaked enough to smooth that area out. Landing gears aren't finished as far as texturing goes either, but the modeling looks great.
I won't go on a tangent here concerning any other C-17 offerings, but I will say that I have never been hardcore to the point that I required every system to be modeled before I would even look at the screens, lol. As prices continue to rise for payware aircraft I have had to concede that my days of dropping money on every addon that I liked and wanted has come to an end. I fly because I enjoy flying, not because I enjoy working every system on the airplane to maintain proper hydraulic pressure/fuel flow, etc, etc.. Yes, I know that's part of the flight experience, but this is a sim after all, and it really isn't essential to enjoying the flight experience. With the proper realism settings that C-17 will fly it's heart out with little or no hydraulic pressure. . .I promise. So, I'm happy to see this option to "Big Ticket Pricing" on payware addons. I look forward to the final release of the UKMil C-17 and applaud the folks there for giving us an alternative.
Bookmarks