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Flight Simulator 2002 With 13 Monitors And 9 PCs

Posted by timothy on from the that's-a-lot-of-lead-and-glass dept.

Ant points to Steve Ferris' site demonstrating what Ferris has done "using Wideview software, Multi Monitors and Fs2002 Panel Interior view Bitmaps. 9 PC's & 13 monitors. Server PC is a 2.0ghz AMD and has 1 Asus 4800se G4 AGP and when Motor flying 4 PCI graphic cards for the instrument panels.. All 8 Clients have AGP cards and are AMD 800 to 1.5ghz... My Ask21 Glider with 3 Asus 4800se G4 cards on the front 6 monitors, giving great downward landing view. When you sit in front, all screens line up reasonably well ... Windows XP on the 3 front PC's and 98se on the rest."

14 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. IMAX by sahonen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Now all we need is flight simulator in an IMAX dome. Now THAT would rock. Though the hardware to do that many pixels would prolly be more expensive than lessons, and an IMAX theater prolly goes for more than the $50/hr a plane usually costs.

    --
    Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
  2. Ahh it burns, the pain! by Alystair · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That room must be great for loosing a few pounds, you know, like in a sauna? My room only has 4 machines in it with 2 displays and it's a hot house....

  3. Gah! by drudd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    *wipes drool off of floor*

    Does anyone remember battletech? It was kind of like an arcade, but just with the one game, a Mech type battle simulator, complete with cockpit, joystick, and multiple screens for views just like this. I remember playing at the Navy Pier in Chicago many years ago....

    It's amazing how much multiple screens increases the realism. You look left, right, and there's still more game!

    Doug

    --
    Venn ist das nurnstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ya! Beigerhund das oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
    1. Re:Gah! by zedmelon · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The D&B in Denver (south side) has battletech as well.

      I'm not surprised to hear it's an old game; if it was a one-screen setup, it would be junk, but get in those pods, close the door, and you're right about immersion factor. With several friends it can be fun--almost worth the massive credits cost to your game card. With inter-cockpit coms, it would really be a blast.

      I found the actual gameplay extremely frustrating, and the jackass attendant wouldn't show me how to get it out of beginner mode with its crappy unidirectional look/fire/run.

      "Well, that's something you just don't do until you've played 20 times or so."

      I didn't know I'd be shooting my own foot by telling him this had been my first game. *smacks forehead* He gave me the impression that the skill level was set in the same computer he used to put our names above our pods.

      I wouldn't have played again except for advice from a veteran standing around waiting for his buddies. He gave us a few pointers and told me how to set the machine to let me walk and fire in separate directions.

      There are about seven jillion controls inside the pods, and in expert mode, you have to worry about locational damage and keep track of things like coolant, oil pressure, losing this weapon or that system, conserving ammo, etc. You gotta make more cash than I do... Jeez.

      Expert Man even said he'd be leaving it set on medium.

      "I've only been playing 2 or 3 times a month lately, so I've been keeping it on intermediate."
      --
      Mom says my .sig can beat up your .sig.
  4. So how much... by SharpFang · · Score: 1, Interesting

    ...does that "expensive equipment" cost? I gues Al Quaida didn't need anything more sophisticated. And I wonder when this kind of software and hardware gets banned by the government because it may be used by terrorists?

    --
    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  5. Need some flat panel displays by j0e_average · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nine PCs and 13 monitors???? He must have one hell of an electric bill, not to mention that that room probably heat up to 103 with the a/c going full tilt.

  6. I wonder if using WidevieW for other games.... by antdude · · Score: 3, Interesting

    like Battlefield 1942, RTCW, etc. would be possible. :)

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  7. Removing the Gaps Between the Monitors by barureddy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How would one go about removing the gaps between the monitors?

    The display is great, but The gaps between the monitors is not very attractive and could be destracting.

  8. TERRORIST! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting


    the guy is obviously a terrorist, sick Homeland on him NOW!

  9. I'd be REALLY impressed by DasBub · · Score: 2, Interesting

    if he put some imagination into it and spent some of the Huge Wads of Cash on a few lcd projectors and fashioned some curved projection screens...

    I mean, come on... It's hard to get excited about a field of vision one foot tall and 8 or 9 feet wide, plastic monitor edges chopping it up every so often.

  10. WideView sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I've set up WideView on my network of 3 computers and I think it sucks. Each machine is running an independent copy of MS FS2002 (which of course means you technically require 3 licenses). Since each machine is running it's own copy of the Flight Sim, it makes things real funky and is a real pain to get it all setup just right.

    For example, if you set the weather conditions as cloudy and raining on your primary machine, your other machines wont just automatically receive that information without some additional configuration. It's a total hack of a project and uses an ungodly amount of network resources.

    Buy a Matrox Parhelia card and wait for FS2004, due out in about a month, so you can play using some decent resolutions since FS2002 only supports up to 1920x480 (which is 640x480 per screen)

  11. Re:So? X-Plane does this natively by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Right on,

    As you've probably already read in X-plane you can do just about anything you want with it's abilities with UDP out, including using the UDP data to drive a motion platform. Also with some freeware out there you can make a screen dedicated to the panel without having to segement the view.

    If you (the post) like to fly gliders I would recomend X-plane because it creates ridge lift and makes theremals very realisticly. Trust me after flying gliders in theremals for real and then comparing real theremals to the ones in X-plane, they seem very accurate.

  12. Re:As a sailplane pilot... by sakusha · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There was a story on /. a while ago about how to simulate the G forces. Some scientists were experimenting with external vestibular stimulation, they used electromagnetic transducers mounted like headphones behind your ears. It was intended for physical therapy for people with balance disorders. Eventually they should able to induce any vestibular sensation like rising/falling, being at an angle or upside down, spinning, etc. and it could be developed into an bionic replacement for damaged sense of balance.
    Of course this got on /. because some geek fantasizes about hooking this up to Quake. Anyone who wants to wire their nervous system directly to a PC game is totally insane.

  13. Re:Yeah but... by 24-bit+Voxel · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Betcha didn't know the your fancy 3D card and just about all modern computer graphics in general are a direct result of an Navy (ARPA) project with the University of Utah to create... you guessed it, a simulation machine that gives pilots a virtual view so that they have some training before flying. So they could get used to it before they actually flew a real airplane.

    Some basic background: Here

    Ever heard of a phong shader? I belive Phong himself was involved in this project at one point. PDF on Phong at Utah

    Vox