Help.....Which flight sim?

[USMCSKI]

I just wrecked a dragonfly22e which is my first heli....I was warned to get a sim first but I was like a little kid on xmas with a new toy and couldnt wait to try it out.
I downloaded the FMS sim but the cable I have to connect my radio to the pc didnt work...no serial port on this pc....so I didnt get to try it out.
Everyone is telling me to try out the G3 but $200?!?!?!?!
Is there any other sims that are quality but a little less expensive? will I be able to sell the G3 for almost what I pay if it turns out that I can not fly to save my life?
Does anyone sell it for any less....where is a good place to buy?

[woodturner]

First, I have G-3. I like it, works well for me. I went for G3 due it's ability to fly with others on line. I'm still very new so have not taken advantage of this option.
G3.5, due out end of this month will have several enhancements to include a night flight feature..

From what I've read G-3 and Reflex are the two top dog sims.

http://www.reflex-sim.de/reflex-sim/shop/catalog/

There is Clearview www.rcflightsim.com, which I'm not too familar with so can not coment. I think you'll need a serial cable here as well.. but onyl $30.00

Then there is Phoenix http://www.phoenix-sim.com/pages/news.htm
You can find a review here: http://www.trextuning.com/phoenix.php

Sorry I can't be of more help, too new at this.

Semper Fi

Frank

[c0bra]

The new Phoenix sim is supposed to be pretty sweet at $150, but of course you will need a Tx if you don't already own one. Clearview seems to get mixed reviews.

I think most people will tell you that G3 and Reflex are worth the money. Used copies of G3 sell for around $150. G3 holds its value better than most helis :shock: !

You can get G3 for less than $200. Check out www.towerhobbies.com - you get $20 off instantly plus there's a rebate for $10 cash or $20 in merchandise. Great deal IMO. I paid $190 at LHS. I think it's well worth the money, especially since I don't own a Tx.

The G3.5 update is free for G3 users and it looks very promising. More details in a post here (http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=21252&highlight=).

[kgfly]

Top Shelf
=======
G3 and Reflex/XTR are the market leaders and are both around $200-250. Upgrades and new models/fields are free for XTR but typically $25-$50 for upgrade packs for G3. Phoenix is a new competitor that is cheaper (about $150) and is getting great reviews. Upgrades and new models/fields are free for Phoenix.

G3 comes with its own controller and allows for online play.
XTR and Phoenix come with a custom USB cable/dongle to connect to your Tx.

G3 requires a high-end PC and high performance graphics card. Reflex and Phoenix are less demanding but still need a reasonable PC and above average graphics card for best performance. For example, XTR runs OK on my laptop (Dell D600, 1.8GHz PM/2GB/R9000M) but really well on my desktop (Athlon3000+/2GB/R9800Pro).

Budget
=======
ClearView at $30 (plus a USB cable from milehighwings.com for $40) is an excellent budget choice. IMO it is at least 80% as good as G3/XTR/Phoenix but considerably cheaper. It needs a PC about the same level as XTR/Phoenix. It just barely runs acceptably on my laptop.

Any sim will save you money. I have spent many hours with FMS, ClearView and Reflex and played with the demos for G3 and Phoenix. It depends what is most important to you, what you think you can afford and importantly, what PC you have. Buying a high end sim only to find you have to spend $500 to upgrade your PC can get mighty expensive.

So, my recommendation:

a) If you have a high end PC and like the idea of being able to fly with others online or want the simplicity of a dedicated controller, get G3.

b) Otherwise, for a great price on leading edge features and a product driven to compete, get Phoenix

c) If you are budget driven, get ClearView, it works well and you will learn just as much with it as the others.

Good luck, let us know what you choose and how it turns out in the end.

[flyinfool]

The other option is to get a used copy of G2 from eBay or someone that has upgraded to G3. Just make sure that whomever you buy a used copy from calls Real flight to release the serial number so that you can install it.
The graphics on G2 are not nearly as nice but it will teach you what you need to learn and run on a low end computer. I have no problem running G2 on my old laptop, 600mhz, 128 ram, 8m shared video ram.

For me G3 is not worth the $1000 that it would cost for the G3 + enough computer to run it.

[c0bra]

The minimum RealFight G3 requirements (http://www.realflight.com/requirements/g3_system.html) and Reflex XTR requirements (http://www.reflex-sim.de/reflex-sim/shop/catalog/faqdesk_index.php?faqPath=20_27) are almost identical. I've run G3 on my 5-yr-old Dell computer (P4 2.26, 512mb ram, GeForce MX420) and it looked terrible due to the crappy MX420, but it did work.

To get your moneys worth out of either sim you will need a "good" computer and graphics card, with G3 needing a little more power than Reflex. A $75 128mb graphics card paired with a P4 2.6 or Athlon 2400 or better should give adequate performance.

On my 1.5-yr-old system (Athlon 3700+, 1gb ram, 256mb ATI X800XL) I can run G3 on resolutions that are way too high even with every quality setting maxed. I would hardly call my computer high-end, but it does perform well.

BTW, Phoenix requires a minimum 128mb graphics card while G3/XTR requires 32mb. However, I would recommend 128mb or greater no matter what. It seems that Clearview or FMS is the only choice for a person without a "good" computer.

My advice is to download the demo versions of G3 and Reflex. The demo's performance will be almost identical to the full version.

[kgfly]

Sure, try the demos.

ClearView and G3 have flyable demos. XTR and Phoenix do not.

[c0bra]

Sure, try the demos.

ClearView and G3 have flyable demos. XTR and Phoenix do not.I can't find a ClearView demo on their website? Phoenix's site says the demo has been postponed. :dontknow

In G3's "flyable" demo you use a keyboard...which is simply not flying :mrgreen: . Yes XTR's demo is not flyable, but both give the user a good idea as to what kind of graphics and performance they can expect from the full version. IMO the demos are useful to see how and if G3/XTR will run on one's computer.

In the end, any sim is a good sim. My $.02

[kgfly]

ClearView demo: http://rcflightsim.com/download.html

Just download and install the full application. Without a license it runs in demo mode with a restricted set of aircraft and flying fields, but will allow normal control from your Tx if you have a suitable cable.

[c0bra]

Thanks! Didn't know it started out in demo mode. Now I wonder if I can use my G3 controller...

[v22chap]

Got a friend that wants to get the clearview but only has a Blade CP pro TX ,,does anyone have this setup and how did you get it to work or is it possible??

[v22chap]

Got a friend that wants to get the clearview but only has a Blade CP pro TX ,,does anyone have this setup and how did you get it to work or is it possible??

[kgfly]

Take a look at this page for info: http://rcflightsim.com/controllers.html

For example you can get a USB cable for CPP Tx from here: http://milehighwings.com/usb_cables.htm

[v22chap]

Thanks Kenneth ,, I missed that when I went to the page the first time.
Larry