G4 ???

[steves]

Has anyone tried G4 yet?
Comments?

[DebianDog]

Looks like the same rendering engine (since the models from G3 work and although the water and floating plane stuff looks cool I could not justify the upgrade.

Anyone?

[Nyther]

Well, I have been using it since last Friday, and have to say that the graphics engine seems upgraded, but not a major difference. The controller doesn't feel toy like, but the throttle hold and flaps knob were switched:thumbdown:. The model rendering is more clean with animation to the main gear. Reflection on the main and tail blades are a nice touch. The 3D fields are more clean with depth detail. For example: the 3-D soccer field bleachers are 3D with depth. This engine will tax your system vs. 3.5. I have a 2.4ghz core2 duo with 1GB of 1066mhz ram, a WD Raptor hard drive, and an NVidia 8800 GTS 512MB ram video card, and there is still some video tearing. Not impressed with how the video engine utilizes resources. I am a gamer, and my setup runs HalfLife 2 Ep 2 with great FPS and no tearing. Overall, if you have 3.5, stick with it. If you plan on purchasing RealFlight for the first time, get 4.0, but understand that you need to have a powerful processor, video card, and plenty of RAM, or you will get frustrated. FYI, at 1920X1200 with medium shadowing, VSync on, I will get between 54 - 60 FPS, but there is shuttering around foliage. I don't understand the video tearing. At these frames per sec. it should be smooth. With out VSync, and in window mode, I get significant tearing and shuttering, but my FPS is 70:dontknow. I understand that this hobby is narrow on population purchase, but at $200 a pop vs. $59 a pop for HalfLife 2 and you are paying roughly a 4 to 1 ratio purchase they could at least give a decent graphics engine. The water fields are a joke. They really tax your hardware and make flying difficult. These features are more of a patch than a redesign. The photo fields, fly flawlessly (except the water ones). My suggestion, if you own 3.5, save your $200 on spares or upgrades for you helis.
I don't like to bash, so I hope I am not being to harsh.
Ken

[jaywhy]

Is Vsync set in G4, or are you using Nvidia Forceware to overide the application settings? Sounds like your setup should be running it pretty hot.

[ChasHeliCop]

Like Dawg said I didn't see the point in upgrading when they only offered a small discount for recent purchases.

" If you purchased G3 or G3.5 on or after May 1, 2007,
you can choose either a $100 merchandise certificate or
$50 cash."

Now, if it was $100 cash, I might consider it. I just got G 3.5 this summer. How about jusst send me the software upgrade for $50. I would rather spend $200 on a new T500.

[Nyther]

I set VSync in G4 and on the NVidia control panel, it is set on let the application decide. VSync limits my FPS to 60 or less, but minimizes the tearing on the 3D scenes. I will play with the setting on my video card and Realflight G4 to find the optimal setting.

[jaywhy]

Exactly ChasHeliCop - I'd even pay $80 for a way to get the new software and use my current TX setup. Oh well - G3.5 still works.

Nyther - try setting Nvidia forceware to force vsync, hopefully that would work. Good luck.

[great_life2]

The only major difference is the Graphics and it does test your hardware to the limit. The G4 does not run on one of my laptop anymore which used to run the G3.5, the jittering is unbarable. I am a gaget person so everything I have is high performance, I am runng G4 on my new laptop which works fine. For me there is no tearing but occasional jitters which really does not bother me that much. The graphics is much more stunning and flies more real if that justifies to spend the $200. I am hoping one day Edgeknife will add interactive game in G5. They should have added shadows for the aircrafts in this version cos it is difficult to judge the object distance making it difficult to fly around objects. In the end Edgeknife has got to come out with the interactive game to appeal to a larger audience or some other simulators will.

[trexflyer02]

The only major difference is the Graphics and it does test your hardware to the limit. The G4 does not run on one of my laptop anymore which used to run the G3.5, the jittering is unbarable. I am a gaget person so everything I have is high performance, I am runng G4 on my new laptop which works fine. For me there is no tearing but occasional jitters which really does not bother me that much. The graphics is much more stunning and flies more real if that justifies to spend the $200. I am hoping one day Edgeknife will add interactive game in G5. They should have added shadows for the aircrafts in this version cos it is difficult to judge the object distance making it difficult to fly around objects. In the end Edgeknife has got to come out with the interactive game to appeal to a larger audience or some other simulators will.

It's KnifeEdge :D

[chinookmark]

I own both G3.5 and G4. Believe it or not, G4 runs smoother on my laptop (smoother, not faster). The graphics are a little nicer. There's a little more bling on the aircraft (ie: reflections), but the fields are noticably better. It looks more like flying in real life than in a photograph.

The physics are different. I can't explain how, but my imported 3.5 aircraft don't "feel" right in G4. I can't fly airplanes in real life, so I can't say which is more realistic. The switches work backwards on 3.5 aircraft in G4. Oh yeah, and although the G4 controller is MUCH nicer, the flap knob and throttle hold switch are in the wrong spots. The menu buttons on the controller are a godsend for lazy people like me.

My verdict: If you have G3.5, save your money, unless you absolutle have to fly seaplanes in a video game. If you don't have a sim and you've got a decent computer, go for G4.

[miami6]

can you use your G3 controller on the G4 program ?

[Nyther]

I tryed it, but G4 rejected it. If you need to change the throttle hold and flap knob, I posted a fix for this in this section. Pretty easy.

Ken

[Mathias]

Can you fly online with G3.5 user's on G4?

[ke6d]

Can you fly online with G3.5 user's on G4?

No, G4 online is not compatible with G3.5 online!

Dan, KE6D

[Billybuck]

Running G4 with the following setup.

AMD Athlon Dual Core 5200
Sata Harddrive
2 geforce 7950 Video Cards- 512mb memory running in SLI
2 GB Corsair Ram

I am a gamer as well -America's Army Rules!

Anyway running G4 with everything on max is smooth as silk. G4 is awesome and the water is fun. To run high graphics software you need high graphics hardware.

[jaywhy]

Exactly.

In case people don't understand - that previous setup is 2 video cards. Plus a dual core, which is like 2 processors. Not one, like a normal person. But 2 like some crazy gaming fiend. (Just kidding... only wish I had the funds to make myself a new machine like dat...)

This is only my opinion - but I think KnifeEdge should get new graphics programmers, possibly physics coders familiar with modern optimization. Plus they should send me a free copy of G4. IMO

[iron_xl]

I have a quad core 3gig of ram and gforce 8500gt..i must be a double crazy gamer feind..lol......America's Army Kicks a&^.

[jschief]

I upgraded to G4 and only have a Amd +3500 and a Nvidia 7600 with 256 meg. I found G4 runs smoother and I get better frame rates.

Granted I am not running full on everything but the graphics still look better than G3.5!!!

[JaggedEdge]

Not having tried anything before G4 I have to say I'm surprised they worked on water before dirt, grass, concrete.. etc.

Fun sim, looking forward to seeing what gets applied to the real world. :thumbs-up2:

[CagedVR6]

I got G4 for xmas, 1st sim so i cant comment on earlier versions but i love it.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/drel83/ScreenShot1198641116.jpg

[SpeedyR]

so i'm new to the hobby and looking for a good simulator. I found tower has a $20 coupon that I can use for G3.5 or G4. for helicopters I've heard 3.5 is as good as 4 for the most part. I have a decent laptop (1.6ghz, 1gb ram, not sure what video is in it) and a decent desktop (p4 2.0 1gb ram, not so good video card (nvidea geforce w/ only 32mb).

any idea if I should spring the extra $50 for G4 or just save for heli parts and get g3.5?

Jeff
p.s. I don't mind upgrading my video card on the desktop, it looks like a decent one is maybe $50?

[ryem3]

I have a pretty new Dell laptop and it works fine. I have a core 2 duo processor and a graphics card though. My question is - how do you change the exponential trim for the cyclic controls? There are menus for each of the planes, but I don't understand how to adjust them. Any help?