StormQuest, upcoming storm-chasing game

[Joe]

www.stormquestgame.com/

This is based on the Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers, and Reed Timer, one of the cooler chasers from that show, is working with the developers, REX.
Many flightsimmers know about REX (Real Environment Xtreme), probably the best weather-generator/sky-texture add-on for FS9 and FSX, but the studio isn't well-known beyond that.
I'm pulling for this one, but it sure could fall flat. At least it's something different and I'm sorta goin', "Why didn't someone think of that earlier?"

[davidrevans]

Sure looks like fun , I am always looking at the storm prediction center sight ,and national weather service radar loop . then go to real weather updated and fly a T-28 into the fronts looking for the worst of it ,usually disappointed with what Microsoft Fs9 gives me. best so far yesturday in Missouri, a tower that topped out at 30,000 but still no moderate turbulance or rain-ice when penetrated..

[louross]

It's pretty well accepted, that MS wx is very simplistic. But are you saying that REX is a better program than Active Sky? If so, could you give some examples?
lou.

[Joe]

Honestly, I'd forgotten about Active Sky. A brief look at the internets shows a fairly even split in allegiance. Some people are using the REX textures with the Active Sky generator.

Part of why I like REX is that they did a big upgrade that was free for existing customers, and then they relatively quickly patched it and fixed significant things like slow load times. I personally think REX looks more realistic than the screenies and vids of Active Sky I saw because it renders haze and low to medium visibility better-- but I'm biased.

[louross]

I could accept that, although Active Sky gives very fine visual representations of the wx, it is posssible that REX, or maybe another program is better (for the visuals). I just don't know. What I always liked about Active Sky, over MS, is the actual interpretation and realistic rendering, "explanation" of wx over MS.
I would think, tho, that the general GA pilot, or a person who only knows MSFS, that he'd be happy with MS because he really doesn't know real wx. In other words, he wouldn't know the difference between the MS interpretation as compared to the real thing. Having thousands of hours flying in all kinds of wx- summer, fall, winter, and spring, I was dissapointed when I started using MS "Real Worls Wx." Active Sky, and not so much the visual as the interpretation (it's the only word I can think of to use), was a whole world better.
Here's a very simplistic example. MS wx is just like IFR training in the airplane. On an ILS at 200 ft the instructor says something along the lines of "runway in sight." The IFR student looks up from the panel and sees the whole world- with a real nice runway right there in front of him. Same thing in MS. (In MS) 200 ft means 200 ft, 1/2 mi means 1/2 mile. Not so in the real world.
In the real world, you're approaching 200 ft, PNF calls "two-fifty,nothing forward, intermittent ground contact straight down." As you (PF) reach minimums, you have no idea whaty's going to happen. PNF calls, "minimums...approach lights one-thirty two oclock." Your eyes glance up from the panel- you see a lot of gray. You begin focusing, catch the approach lights, hold your crab, and fly thru a 3 second "wisp" loosing forward visibility. "nuts" you think, as you say to yourself "miss?". You see the runway itself now, but only the first part.
Another time, you shoot a VOR approach to a field where the "official wx observer" is the ramp-station agent who works for the company. You're ten minutes out. He gives you, "Three-hundred and fifty overcast, 2 miles visibility in fog. How much fuel are you guys going to have outbound? We have six boarding passengers and four hundred pounds of priority air freight. Is that okay with you? Listen, the crew before you said they're running 45 minute delays in Chicago. Is that still true?." PNF responds, "Understand threefifty and two. Stand-by the rest, we're busy right now." And you recieve, "Okay, uhh roger, 724, understand. And the vis and ceiling changes a lot. By the way, do you know the score in the Bears game?" ... "724, you read me?"
You're on the outbound leg of the appraoch, flying a procedure turn, slowing and descending to procedure turn altitude. PNF requests, "What's your vis?" You get "One mile in fog and" "I need 1 and a half to shoot the approach. Go check." "Roger, 724. Will do. uhhh, Stand-by." Silent expletives from both pilots. You have approach flaps, gear down, approaching the final approach course, still 400 above your MDA for the FAF. "Gimme your vis!" "Three hundred and twenty-five overcast, 1 and three-fourths in fog." You cross the FAF, now slowing to final flap speed and descending to your MDA. PNF says, Well, maybe the ceiling is 150 feet, or maybe it's 500 feet." "That's right. We'll know when we get there."
Point is, you can't get that wx in MS. Can't get the "talks" either.
lr.

[Ed Burke]

Great stuff Lou, we certainly can't get that in MSFS.
Ed

[louross]

Ed, I've known a few very nice people in my life, and you are definitely one of them. You always have something nice to say to everybody. How do you do it.?

Anyway... of course, what I wrote is not every flight. Maybe not most, or even many flights. But it was "typical." The wx part was pretty well right on, but of course, it varies.

Rember- for safety's sake, keep it low and slow!
lr.

[louross]

I just re-read what I wrote- hope you see how I did it as sometimes x-missions run together; and where it says the PF says, "nuts." That's really not exactly true. You really say, well, you know what I mean.
lr.

[Joe]

Hrmm. Lou, I think the word you're looking for (and that REX uses) might be "interpolation." REX takes the reported weather and interpolates it. This is one of the things that was taking so d**n long before they patched the last version. I always took this to mean they were smoothing the boundaries between stations.

It's also the wispiness I think you're talking about that REX does, in my opinion, very well. REX also lets you enable storm scud.

Looking a little more closely, I see that if I switch from Wx Plus Mode to Standard Mode, I can then select any of:

Enable weather 3D smoothing
Enable synoptic weather interpolation
Enable micro weather interpolation
Enable FSX/P3D interpolation

(These are all enabled by default in the default Wx Plus Mode)

Now, if you're saying you can get the kind of radio banter you've described from you're rl flying experiences from Active Sky, I'm switching for sure!!

[louross]

Thanks for that info,Joe. It's unfortunate that that radio banter is not possible, but you know what would be-and I haven't found it. But, this would be the sound from the 60's- I don't imagine this stuff exists todaY, but the dispatches used to be full of teletypes clicking away. What could be added would be just the basic chitter chatter you'd hear- various flight crews discusisng wx, loads, on-times/lates, the last golf game, F/A's talking about, whatever it is they "talk about", phone calss to the stock broker, etc. Give life to FS while getting your wx and figuring fuel loads, etc. Once in a while tho, as you are loading your a/c at the gate, open a small can of burnty diesel gas and get a whiff or two- just like the olden days.
Anyhow, 'scuse for the thread drift from you original post.
lr.

[Joe]

I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with such an add-on.

Sometimes I'm surprised how quiet it is up there, sometimes I wish people would STFU. I'm also surprised that it's very very seldom that two people who just want to shoot the breeze don't go over to some unused frequency. Heck, around here you can usually switch to 122.9 and blab til you're blue in the face.

I was about to take a look at REX "interpolation" earlier this evening when I was interrupted. Joplin KJLN was reporting BKN 800 OVC 1300 at 2214Z. I may give the REX wx "archive" a workout too.

No problem on the thread detour. I completely forgot about Active Sky, for one thing, and I enjoy your comments and war stories probably as much as Ed.

One last thing about Active Sky-- has that one been around forever? Was that free in the beginning? I may have used it back in the day.

[louross]

I don't think ActSky was ever free. I bought it back in, well, maybe for FS2000. It's been upgraded several times. Flight Deck Companion started out free, FS2000 I think, but I think it had a different name. Now it's pretty good- lots of calls and responses you can program, and you can repeat calls in the same checklist. I think it's mainly for complex a/c tho, not the little ones. Has the pax cabin and you can record your own voice and ATC chatter specific to various areas.

We never talked much on other freq's; had a company freq for necessary in-out info, wx, etc. Occassionaly a comment or two would be made. Most the converstions were in the cockpit- girls, golf, girls, company complaints, problems, girls, family issues, flying, seniority, girls, jokes, oh, and naps. You know, the usual stuff.
By golly here's one- just thought about it. First time I ever flew in the left seat. (Well, not really, my first sim ride in a 737 was left seat for initialization- sorry, forgot the real word). Finished training, then started flying- obviously in the right seat. One night, at the ramp, a/c loaded wiht cargo, we're boarding with one of the ramp agents. About 1:00 am, snowing, crosswind, etc. Captain says, "Lou, you every flown left seat in this thing?"
"Well," I thought to myself, "actually no." So I looked at him, and said, "Sure. Of course I have."
"Are you comfortable with it?"
"Yeah- no problem. Why?" as if I didn't know what was coming.
"I'm really into this book. I'll sit in the back, read, you fly left seat, and let "joe" handle the radios in the right seat."
"Okay."
"Joe" and I went on up. I sartted thru the checklists. "Joe" says, "what do I do?"
I gave his question a few seconds of customary respect, and said, "Move your seat back 3 notches, put your hands in your lap, and watch. Don't say anything."
"Call me up when you contact Indy approach control," the Cap'n said.
Very nice flight. Never called the Captain. He came up as we approached the outer marker, landing flaps and gear. "How you doing?" he asked.
"Fine."
lr.