• We have slightly limited the maximum deflections on all control surfaces for most aircraft on iOS so that ( most of the time ) you won't get into a stall. As you might know, the desktop version allows you to enter a stall, but then you are using a joystick. On mobile devices you have no feedback whatsoever with respect to your neutral position, so most people would simply get into a stall to quickly by accident.

    Its our ongoing battle between making a realistic simulator but not make it too difficult for most users.

    If you would see our emails we get complaining our flight physics are bad, you would understand our decisions in making the physics on iOS the way they are.

    One example: We get lots of emails complaining, that the sound of the KingAir or Corsair doesn't change when you move the throttle. Well, reality is, that you do NOT hear any difference ( or at least not what they are expecting! ). So we are in the difficult position: Shall we introduce some slight sound modification when you move the throttle, hence making it less real, or leave it as it is, maybe confusing most users.

  • I would like to try full control deflection and think that it would work on an iPad as we will 'feel' the stall approaching by noticing a low airspeed and by the loss of control authority and sensitivity. Also an audible stall warning would help.

    I agree that the king air sound should be left as it is for realism as it then matches the prop setting. I am sure you know by that I am a supporter of maximum realism and would love to see another slider for power/prop/mixture where applicable. I find with all the mobile sim there isn't a lot to when in the cruise or at altitude. I would like to spend time change the prop setting, changing mixture, using carb heat, regulating engine temps, setting the next nav or radio freq etc etc. I have fsx on a laptops and use VATSIM now and again but I find it a hassle to set up and sit at the desk to play. I play aerofly and IF probably ten times as much as it is quick to start and I can play while lounging on the sofa or lying bed.

    I get that you face a challenge trying to satisfy a variety of customers. I think that war thunder, although a terrible sim, had the right idea with three difficulty settings (arcade, realistic and sim) that increased the difficulty, added more user functionality and also more constraints such as fuel burn. I think that this is a must on any mobile sim due to the large demographic of player compared to traditional desktop sims. With such a broad spectrum of users, the one sim fits all approach simply will survive contact and will ultimately alienate parts of your customer base. I think that these issue may cause a situation where competing sims unwittingly carve up the market by specifically appealing to certain customers of a certain age and experience. To my mind this is already happening with IF appealing more to the younger arcade market who just want to click and play and AF appealing to the older simmers looking for more complex systems, functionality and detailed cockpits over HUDs, fighter jets and more liveries.

    I think one way you introduce a tiered difficulty system would be to introduce a few 'complex' aircraft with more functionality and realistic physics/control settings. I for one would be happy to double what a standard aircraft costs to be able to fly something that requires constant fiddling with sliders and management of system to prevent failures.

    I know that there is a long way to go before this level of complexity is possible on these devices but I am sure that adding mixture control, carb heat, engine on and off and changeable vor freqs to the standard 172 or Robin (RIP) would be within the art of the possible. I pray that one day AF2 or even AF3 will have pop up realistic instruments and panels (such as the radio stack on FSX) where you can turn knobs and press buttons rather than pressing floating grey buttons on the screen. This will add to the immersion and realism and allow me to sell my computer and say goodbye to FSX. I am also following the mobile camera technology with interest as some manufactures reckon they will be able to make tablets that monitor your eye movements in order to scroll pages when you get to the bottom. This technology could mean that the iPad has a built in trackIR and looking to the edge of the screen pans the view.

    Please take this as constructive criticism and customer feedback. I think out of all the mobile sims on the market, AF has the best chance of becoming the mobile version of FSX and in doing so would become the sim of choice for the adult customers who are willing to part with cash for a quality product.

    Gary


  • One example: We get lots of emails complaining, that the sound of the KingAir or Corsair doesn't change when you move the throttle. Well, reality is, that you do NOT hear any difference ( or at least not what they are expecting! ). So we are in the difficult position: Shall we introduce some slight sound modification when you move the throttle, hence making it less real, or leave it as it is, maybe confusing most users.

    100 people play aerofly and pull the throttle back. 80 notice, that the RPM didn't change. 10 know whats going on. 50 think: "Hey, that's odd. But I suppose they know what they are doing." Then they forget about it. 19 think: "Hey, that's odd. But I suppose they know what they are doing." Then the look up on Wikipedia whats going on.

    They all don't write you an email.

    1 person does.

  • ?....

    Its our ongoing battle between making a realistic simulator but not make it too difficult for most users.

    .......

    If you are marketing this as a flight simulator, not a game, then realistic flight models should be the number one goal in my opinion. There are plenty of good flying games - you don't need to add another to that category. I'd pay much more for this if it were more realistic. I shouldn't be able to land on the ocean, or pull full elevator in the 172 at 330knots in a dive and not have the wings fold ;)

  • I completely agree.
    The reason why I got the iPad version rather than the desktop one is that I can't afford anymore to dwell in the beauty of a desktop simulator in which spend time perfecting the settings and the techniques. On the other hand, I'd love some casual fooling around... Exactly what the iPad is for...
    Personally I think a simulator should be a simulator. You can still appeal the 90% of people that doesn't know how flight works by dampening the difficulties. But please, leave us the choice for a -ahem- real flight experience.
    I vote for a 3 button settings (like the wind options) to choose between various degrees of realism.