Maybe the best heli sim yet!
Yes, it's true that there is an activation system and that the number of activations is limited (to 7 in the US DVD release). What's not commonly known is that there are also deactivations available (10 in the current release). So, if you are shifting one drive to another or just reloading, you can deactivate first and then you will not have spent one of your activations. Activations are tied to hardware changes with point values being assigned to the various subsystems that can be changed (e.g. CPU, drive, memory, video card, ...). It takes a certain level to require another activation. I am not in favor of such systems but the OS giant uses a similar system and I've never had a problem with them. Also. ED has a track record of helping people who are honestly in trouble concerning activations.
The sim itself if the first in a series of sims to be released, each spread approximately 9-12 months apart. It is part of a digital battle field system and although each new release will be standalone, they will also be compatible and playable with the previous releases. With the next release being a very detailed A-10C jet, that means that online play is possible with clients in either the KA-50 or the A-10. With a good mission-design system, can you imagine the co-op mission opportunities?
This sim is probably the best I've seen since the original Falcon 4. The level of detail in the 3D 6DOF cockpit is amazing and will require work to understand and master. The supplied manuals (there are 3) are in .pdf format and comprise well over 500 pages. ED are also ready to release a B&W printed & spiral bound version of the flight manual alone that is over 530 pages. In addition, there is a first patch in the works that fixes some minor problems and enhances many aspects of the sim. But, folks, understand that this is release 1.0 of the sim that is now out worldwide and there are no really show stopper bugs...when was the last time you saw the first release of a complex game that didn't need immediate repair? ED appear to be well established as being of the "we'll not release it until it is ready" class of developers.
If you like study sims and helicopters in a combat environment, I'd invite you to take a look at this one. The manuals are readily available (legally) from a number of sites so it's easy to look before you leap. The ED forums are very user friendly and there's lots of help available so come by and say hi and ask a question.
This isn't the ultimate sim -- can that even exist -- but it's the best I've seen in a while and looks to be only on a path to getting better!
|S!|
Blaster454