Black Shark Ka-50 (English version) is out

porphy · 12-11-08, 04:28 PM

Hi

Helicopter simulation Black Shark Ka-50 is out. Buy and download from here!

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.co...r=shop&lang=en

Reviews and previews look pretty good.

cheers Porphy

porphy · 12-11-08, 08:08 PM

Hi

Now it's on my HDD

Went for a spin in arcade mode. Gorgeous to watch the helicopter move around, even if things are simplified in this mode. Performance seemed good, much better than Lock On anyway. Same style of graphics, but certainly better as well.
It's a pleasure just to ride around with the helicopter. I guess I will be sweating considerably more at the controls when I turn on simulation mode... This one might turn out to be very good indeed. Now, lets see where to start in the 380 pages pdf manual. :hmm: Full printed one will be avaible as separate purchase later I hear.

Oh yes, btw it has Starforce as copy protection. Not a hitch so far.

cheers Porphy

Skybird · 12-12-08, 08:24 AM

Lucky dog you are. I waited long for this - just to learn that it comes with SF, which brought immediate death to it, at least for me.

If it ever gets a non-SF treatement working reliable, I will buy a full copy and then enjoy it. If it never happens that way, I will always pass on it.

Could you compare handling of the flight model with FS, EECH and LB2? Handling in LB2 was the most user-friendly but maybe at the price of lacking realism, while EECH is simply arcadish rubber-ball-jumping up and down, and FS being unrealistic and bad to handle at the same time.

12-12-08, 08:27 AM

I've been watching this baby for quite a while and even set aside some cash to buy an FX50 for it, so you can imagine how disapointed I was when I heard it has Starforce.....oh well, i'll just wait for Storm of War instead. Shame though, would've really liked to have bought it

porphy · 12-12-08, 09:03 AM

Hi

Just turned of "easy flight" and went for a ride. Wow, this is how a helicopter should behave. I'm in control, sort of, but this beast can have some ugly surprises in store for the pilot who push a bit to hard, or ignore how trimming works. Needless to say, this is just first impression.
Compared to EECH, which I know quite well, this is like day and night when it comes to flight model. You can really feel (and from the outside see) the complex forces at work when maneuvering "the shark". The ballooning effect was always a problem as you say Sky, even if some mods improved the way you could adjust the response curve for cyclic and collective. Nothing like that in Black Shark, and I haven't got into adjusting response curves at all. The helicopter in EECH also had a tendency to snap itself into a mad and unrealistic spinn when rudder was applied. To lose control in Black shark will probably not be uncommon, but it seems like that is something you get when you deserve it

I used to have LB2, but it was long ago and I can't really remember enough to compare the two. FS helicopters have never really attracted me, and as I don't fly FS or FSX I can't really compare.
In short it feels really good, but I'm sure helicopter experts can spot problematic things in flight modelling that I can't. But from what I have read so far, most people praise how good the flight model feels, even as you try to get to grips with the trimming methodand auto-pilot.

Starforce is an ugly way to do copy protection, that is for sure. But I have had no problems so far, and as long as it works as intended with activating the software, you acctually just hit the "fly Black Shark" shortcut, and you are away. No disc check, or server check, steam log in every time e.t.c that takes time and can go wrong. The two downloaded install files and your product key are simple to burn to a dvd for back up. You also have both more activations and deactivatsion than with Lock on.
In short, I would say go for it anyway. Who knows, maybee someone have a solution for the Starforce problem shortly, at least if you are willing to install other drivers with similiar intrusive access to the depths of your computer.

cheers Porphy

porphy · 12-12-08, 10:48 AM

A short notice to any TrackIR 1 & 2 owners. It looks like these lack support for Black Shark. At least my TrackIR 2 didn't work as usual, and some quick reading about this indicates it might be a problem if you plan to use these devices with Black Shark. There might be a way to get around it, or support might be added, but I haven't seen anything definitive about this.

Natural Point dropped the ball when they decided to leave TrackIR 1 & 2 users behind when it came to driver support. Luckily there are ways to get TrackIR2 to work with XP 64 for example. Disappointing if Black Shark can't use these older devices, as TrackIR 2 works just fine in many sims.

Or, it might be time to get a TrackIR4 to enjoy 6dof capability. Isn't it Christmas soon by the way?

12-11-08, 04:28 PM	#1
porphy Commodore Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 603 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Black Shark Ka-50 (English version) is out Hi Helicopter simulation Black Shark Ka-50 is out. Buy and download from here! http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.co...r=shop&lang=en Reviews and previews look pretty good. cheers Porphy __________________ "The only remedy for madness is the innocence of facts." O. Mirbeu "A paranoid is simply someone in possession of all the facts." W. B.

12-11-08, 08:08 PM	#2
porphy Commodore Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 603 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Hi Now it's on my HDD Went for a spin in arcade mode. Gorgeous to watch the helicopter move around, even if things are simplified in this mode. Performance seemed good, much better than Lock On anyway. Same style of graphics, but certainly better as well. It's a pleasure just to ride around with the helicopter. I guess I will be sweating considerably more at the controls when I turn on simulation mode... This one might turn out to be very good indeed. Now, lets see where to start in the 380 pages pdf manual. :hmm: Full printed one will be avaible as separate purchase later I hear. Oh yes, btw it has Starforce as copy protection. Not a hitch so far. cheers Porphy __________________ "The only remedy for madness is the innocence of facts." O. Mirbeu "A paranoid is simply someone in possession of all the facts." W. B.

12-12-08, 08:24 AM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,636 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Lucky dog you are. I waited long for this - just to learn that it comes with SF, which brought immediate death to it, at least for me. If it ever gets a non-SF treatement working reliable, I will buy a full copy and then enjoy it. If it never happens that way, I will always pass on it. Could you compare handling of the flight model with FS, EECH and LB2? Handling in LB2 was the most user-friendly but maybe at the price of lacking realism, while EECH is simply arcadish rubber-ball-jumping up and down, and FS being unrealistic and bad to handle at the same time. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

12-12-08, 09:03 AM	#5
porphy Commodore Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 603 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Hi Just turned of "easy flight" and went for a ride. Wow, this is how a helicopter should behave. I'm in control, sort of, but this beast can have some ugly surprises in store for the pilot who push a bit to hard, or ignore how trimming works. Needless to say, this is just first impression. Compared to EECH, which I know quite well, this is like day and night when it comes to flight model. You can really feel (and from the outside see) the complex forces at work when maneuvering "the shark". The ballooning effect was always a problem as you say Sky, even if some mods improved the way you could adjust the response curve for cyclic and collective. Nothing like that in Black Shark, and I haven't got into adjusting response curves at all. The helicopter in EECH also had a tendency to snap itself into a mad and unrealistic spinn when rudder was applied. To lose control in Black shark will probably not be uncommon, but it seems like that is something you get when you deserve it I used to have LB2, but it was long ago and I can't really remember enough to compare the two. FS helicopters have never really attracted me, and as I don't fly FS or FSX I can't really compare. In short it feels really good, but I'm sure helicopter experts can spot problematic things in flight modelling that I can't. But from what I have read so far, most people praise how good the flight model feels, even as you try to get to grips with the trimming methodand auto-pilot. Starforce is an ugly way to do copy protection, that is for sure. But I have had no problems so far, and as long as it works as intended with activating the software, you acctually just hit the "fly Black Shark" shortcut, and you are away. No disc check, or server check, steam log in every time e.t.c that takes time and can go wrong. The two downloaded install files and your product key are simple to burn to a dvd for back up. You also have both more activations and deactivatsion than with Lock on. In short, I would say go for it anyway. Who knows, maybee someone have a solution for the Starforce problem shortly, at least if you are willing to install other drivers with similiar intrusive access to the depths of your computer. cheers Porphy __________________ "The only remedy for madness is the innocence of facts." O. Mirbeu "A paranoid is simply someone in possession of all the facts." W. B. Last edited by porphy; 12-12-08 at 09:07 AM.

12-12-08, 10:48 AM	#6
porphy Commodore Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 603 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	A short notice to any TrackIR 1 & 2 owners. It looks like these lack support for Black Shark. At least my TrackIR 2 didn't work as usual, and some quick reading about this indicates it might be a problem if you plan to use these devices with Black Shark. There might be a way to get around it, or support might be added, but I haven't seen anything definitive about this. Natural Point dropped the ball when they decided to leave TrackIR 1 & 2 users behind when it came to driver support. Luckily there are ways to get TrackIR2 to work with XP 64 for example. Disappointing if Black Shark can't use these older devices, as TrackIR 2 works just fine in many sims. Or, it might be time to get a TrackIR4 to enjoy 6dof capability. Isn't it Christmas soon by the way? __________________ "The only remedy for madness is the innocence of facts." O. Mirbeu "A paranoid is simply someone in possession of all the facts." W. B. Last edited by porphy; 12-12-08 at 10:52 AM.

12-12-08, 08:27 AM	#4
Uber Gruber Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I've been watching this baby for quite a while and even set aside some cash to buy an FX50 for it, so you can imagine how disapointed I was when I heard it has Starforce.....oh well, i'll just wait for Storm of War instead. Shame though, would've really liked to have bought it