I started to get the itch to play Red Baron 3D again today but I’m a bit worried about how well my Voodoo2 will work in XP. It’s a 3D only card so it shouldn’t be fighting with my primary display driver. Does anyone else still use one of these? Are there unofficial XP Glide drivers out there somewhere? I’m going to perform the transplant tonight. Also recommendations for some good, Thrustmaster-like, USB rudder pedals would be appreciated.
I was poking around but what information there is seems scattered about. It is surprising that fans are still out there supporting and making mods for this old hound. They’re still writing diaries about the single player campaign and organizing squadrons for multiplayer. As we speak there’s a multi-squadron tournament going on over the summer and fall with over 200 players involved. With gamers getting older, and older gamers appreciating historical demi-simulations like RB3D, Outlaws and Pirates! you’d think these titles would be overdue for updated remakes.
I’m planning on buying a set of CH Pro Pedals USB. I’ve used them once, and they worked pretty well, though the sliding action does take some getting used to. My only complaint about them is that the spring tension on the rudder axis was a little too soft, making it kind of hard to just relax and rest your feet on the pedals. I think it would have helped if I wasn’t wearing shoes at the time, and perhaps adjusting things like the height of my chair might have helped. The toe brakes work well too, and definitely add to the submergence, I mean immersion. :)
Thrustmaster is supposed to come out with a set of rudder pedals with toe brakes to compliment the new Cougar HOTAS, but I’m not sure if that is much more than a rumor or not. I also don’t recall if they were going to be USB or not, though I would assume they are. IIRC they wouldn’t be out till next year at the earliest. The current TM Elite pedals don’t have toe brakes.
These Simped rudder pedals are supposed to be pretty good, but look like a little more effort to set up, plus you have to deal with ordering from a German manufacturer…
Thanks for the info. Um, I think I’ll pass on the homegrown Frankenpedals though as I can barely handle changing oil in my car much less any more ambitious mechanical process. The Simpeds look exactly right as they shift along an axis rather than pushing in and out (like break and gas pedals). The USB version seems to automatically set up as well. Thanks again!
LOL… Frankenpedals… I wouldn’t want to do it either, hence the smiley after the link.
Yeah, the CH pedals and the Simpeds both have the correct sliding action for the rudder axis and pivot movement for the toe brake axes. (Well, CH has each toe brake as a separate axis, not sure if the Simpeds are the same or not).
[Edit] - After rereading (or at least trying to) the page on the Simped pedals, I may end up going with them instead, due to the wider spacing of the pedals and the nifty no wear magnetic sensor.
A few weeks ago I decided to take the XP route. My old CH Products throttle, stick, and pedals had to go since you can’t program them in XP. I weighed the decision of going with a TM Cougar setup but in the end decided to go with the CH USB stuff.
The deciding factor for me is that the Pro Throttle USB has 4 hats and 3 buttons on it in addition to the mouse cursor thing. The Cougar, however, has the “realistic” setup of knobs and rocker switches - but I don’t find nearly as much use for those sort of controls as I do in actual hats and buttons. That being said, I’m completely happy with the results of my $325.
I’m currently using a first-generation Logitech Wingman Force. It’s not exactly elegant or subtle but it is USB. All my other gear was gameport oriented which, as you point out, XP thoughtfully KO’d. I think I’ll end up getting the full Cougar setup, complete with rudders, when it comes out (I’m hoping they’ll offer a somewhat discounted bundle). I didn’t check the price on the Simpeds but if they’re comperable to the old Thrustmaster Elite rudders they’d do fine for now and I can upgrade later if I still feel the need.
Cougar would be good for me as I’m into some more technical flight and space sims - the more hats and buttons the merrier.
Still, that brings me back to RB3D, which isn’t one of those sims. It’s a no brainer that anyone can fly a realistic WWI flight sim - there’s just so much less minutia to it and there’s a load of visceral entertainment value, at least comparing RB3D to just about any other sim, in the different squadrons and aces (all with different unit patterns and colorations), beautiful scenery (with fan mods) that you can spend time sightseeing over and randomized campaigns. And it seems to grow with you as you learn different techniques and aircraft, especially in multiplayer. Reading any RB3D forum I get the feeling that these guys are all old friends who’ve been playing the same game for, what, half a dozen years now and still get a kick out of it. You also see folks stumbling across the game and the community for the first time amazed at how well the gameplay holds up. Sierra should put on the thinking cap and look at a remake of RB3D remake not as ‘just another flight sim’ but a perfectly targeted game to compete with the likes of Microsoft Flight Simulator (and pick up the older casual gamers with discerning tastes) and, yes, Grand Theft Auto III - with some more roleplaying elements (more detail about squadron mates and thematic, randomized, aerodrome interactions along the lines of Bluevoss & Dillman’s Pilot Personality Profiles fan mod/text rules) and the already existing semi-dynamic campaign those who loved GTA for the freedom and the vehicles might find something to love here too.
Sure there might be slow moments of patrols or gaining altitude but that’s why the game works. You have to have a routine so that the unpredictable stands out. How many times have we read about folks just driving around in GTA3 to listen to the radio, sightsee, or goof off? Well, a dawn patrol over a scenic valley or along the crater riddled, and flack filled, frontlines is the same kind of kick if a bit more relaxing - until you make out the specks coming out of the clouds on your six.
One of my top 10 favorite games of any type, of all time - RB23D. Brian, take a look at the simhq Red Baron forum, if you haven’t lately - very interesting stuff on a Glide wrapper that is close to working with RB23D and nVidia cards. I still run a Voodoo 2 next to my GeForce 4 just for Red Baron.
I’m pretty much in the same boat. I have ME and XP in a dual-boot setup but am still using ME as my primary OS partly due to the programming issue. I did try out my gameport stuff in XP, and it still works once you get the XP driver from CH, you just can’t make any programming changes while in XP. I suppose that I could switch to XP since I don’t make programming changes that often lately and just boot to ME when I need to do so.
I considered the Cougar too, but there’s no way I would buy one without being able to feel for myself how stiff the springs are. Also, like Aszurom said, the dials and rocker hats seem to be less useful for the games I play. Eventually I’ll buy the USB versions of the CH Fighterstick and Pro Throttle, but will probably go with the Simped pedals if I get enough courage to order from a webpage that’s in German. :)
Are you using XP? That’s the setup I’m going to try to pull off (but as usual I’m procrastinating). I’ve got a Voodoo2 in my old PC and want to put it into my new machine. It’s got a GeForce3 ti 500. Is there anything special I should know or do before attempting this operation? Are there good XP Glide drivers for the Voodoo2?
