Ship Simulator
English forum => Small talk => Topic started by: eviss on October 27, 2009, 19:48:14
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I just saw this console presented a.o. for Ship Simulator. ::)
Would like to hear from you, if it is of any interest to you / or why not. :doh:
Is there anyone with experiance to use this console and like to share some comments? 8)
Found it here / see the photo's ! ;D
vr. gr. / kind regards, Erik
http://www.simw.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_product_details&pid=2216
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It looks better than the previous one! Still nothing to control the B2 or the Red Eagle properly though.
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I think it looks a lot better than the other one, I guess thrusters are controlled by some of those buttons that you can program as I can't see any levers or anything, and yeah nothing to control B2 or OS with, unless you program a button to a pod I guess. :-\
Anyhow it puts the other one to shame :lol:
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Nice Erik
but expensive
Tore
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For sure it looks more sturdy than the shipdriver - and you can actually buy it.
But it looks basic as far as controls goes and to me - it looks like it was based for Ship Simulator 06.
If I had the money, I'd buy the SS Pro V2 desktop unit. Looks far better - though no real life shots yet?
Find is frustrating when there is plenty of airplane controls yet no watercraft controls but I guess it's because there is a far more diverse range of different controls for watercraft..
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The price is to high, for this moment in time. ;D
I agree to that / I think it is a matter of development. 8)
The special controles to handle Bugsier2 / Ocean Star or Red Eagle is not commercial feasible enough, I think. :doh:
It would be nice to see the next generation; As long as we do some Simulated Sailing: :o
There will be a demand to achieve something like that in the near future ! ;D
vr. gr. / kind regards, Erik
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I like it :thumbs:
But the price is to high for me.
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Why not go to your nearest Nautical college and borrow their Simulator? I'm sure they wouldn't mind :doh: :D
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Why not go to your nearest Nautical college and borrow their Simulator? I'm sure they wouldn't mind :doh: :D
Or go to Dover (-Calais in the same environment) and STEAL a REAL ship... they tend to have very realistic bridges... :evil:
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Those guys in Somalia seem to understand that concept... :lol:
Seems to work, too!
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oooh, I would love one! Shame about the price....£322 in British pounds, plus an extra £18 for shipping costs from Belgium. That's too dear - if I win the lottery I'd buy it straightaway.
p.s. The Ship Driver console seem to have disappeared from the SimWare website! They probably got fed up waiting for it to show up, and I don't blame them!
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If I win the lottery, I would prefer to buy the above mentioned simulator from a nautical college! :2thumbs: ...and you'll get one of those WILCO things for free !:)
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If I win the lottery, I would prefer to buy the above mentioned simulator from a nautical college! :2thumbs: ...and you'll get one of those WILCO things for free !:)
Haha, thanks ;) I would do the same as well :thumbs:
I feel we Ship Sim gamers get the raw deal as the flight simulation gamers have lots and lots of different consoles and are easy to find & buy in shops etc.
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Guess there are much, much more airbourne simser than nautical ones... ::)
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Awesome, but why so much? They can't make a simple, cost effective console? Or are nautical simulators just not making it out there as a mass market for gamers/simmers, and not just company training.
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Why don't we all sail over to Alang, and get some gear...Wire it all back up at home, and voila, your own, realistic console :evil:
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Why don't we all sail over to Alang, and get some gear...Wire it all back up at home, and voila, your own, realistic console :evil:
Good idea :2thumbs:
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In some ways a good ide but still i would probeably feel ill if i did go there, but it would be amaizing to drive with Finnjets controls :)
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In some ways a good ide but still i would probeably feel ill if i did go there, but it would be amaizing to drive with Finnjets controls :)
That would be sad...
I wonder how much is left of the poor girl... :'(
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If i remember right over the halfship is breaken up but not the hull.
I'm so glad that this ship was the worst buy for the breakers due to her extremly good made Ice breaking hull. :evil:
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I do like it, but yes, price.....ouchies.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6xYSpu2aY0
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Also watch out for the VAT rate. Just now it is 15% for UK residents until the end of 2009. Then it goes back to 17.5% again from 1 January 2010.
It would appear the SimWare website is currently charging VAT at 17.5% >:(
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I also mentioned it on the Dutch SSF, but maybe we can buy the ship console in bulk via SSF. Perhaps the retailer can drop the price because we buy it in a, relative, large quantity.
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I have this new controller and I have to say it is so worth the cash. Considering shipdriver from PIEngineering will probably never see the light of day Id say go ahead and purchase the released ship driver. Plus this released ship driver has actual customer support that will help you get it running with Windows 7.
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Hi, I have also bought the ship console . Programming the button-activated functions via the shipsimulator 2008 settings is no problem but the joystick-related functions (rudder / engine throttle) don't function correctly (engine not at all !)
Seems to be working in your case ; can you please give me some advice/information on what settings I should use .
Thanks for the effort !
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I have this controller as well and to be honest ; it does not do what it promisses ! The console comes without a software driver and has to be programmed within shipsimulator itself. No problem for button-activated functions (sound horn, drop anchor etc....) but the joystick-related functions (rudder/thrust throttels) are very difficult to program/fine-tune . Almost impossible to program midship or 0-throttle. Works well with single-engine ships but can not program for twin-engine ships.
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Where did you purchase the Ship Console from? Is it from the Simware website?
Also if you don't have software driver, you should be able to download one from the manufacturer's website. (or contact their customer support)
Do keep us updated as it has been assured by both Vstep and manufacturer that the Ship Console DO work with SS2008.
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Guess I have solved the problem ; the procedure is as follows : first you allocate within shipsim (options/prefecences/gamecommands) what button/joystick you want to allocate to what function . Afterwards you have to callibrate the ship console and this is where I went wrong . The callibration is done via the configuration of your PC where the console can be found as a "USB controller pad" . If you doublclick it, it opens a callibrationprogram. I must say the program is not very straightforward ; you are asked to callibrate X/Y/Z axes but you have no clue what they represent. At the end of the day I have the console working and I must say I am pleased with it . The only weak point is that the thrust throttles have some difficulty finding back the 0 RPM position when put back in stop ; this can only be achieved by some manual finetuning . Anybody out there having the same problem/solution ?
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Glad to hear your problem has been solved :2thumbs: and thanks for explaining how you solved it, as it means anyone else who are experiencing the same problem will know what to do, thanks to you.
Would be interesting to find out if anyone have a solution for the 0 RPM position.
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Don't you feel a "click" or something when you put the trottle at the 0 rpm position?
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I used to have trouble finding the 0 position on my Saitek X52 joystick, untill I found you can modify the "deadzones" of the different axes..This means an area in the middle-position where the control does not respond..
I use it for my throttle, so it does not have to be exactly in the middle..
Perhaps an idea for a software update for this controller..?
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You feel a "click" when you put the thrust throttles (and rudder) in the neutral position but this is a "hardware" situation ; what I mean is, though the throttles are in their neutral (hardware) position, the information windows still shows that the engine is running at some RPM's . Putting little bit in reverse and then back to neutral triggers 0 RPM . That is what I meant by fine-tuning . Hoping for a softaware-update is not realistic because the console comes without any driver software. This is probably what makes it so compatible with all the simulation programs on the market but I only want to use it with shipsim, so I would prefer some specific software release for this as well !
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what I mean is, though the throttles are in their neutral (hardware) position, the information windows still shows that the engine is running at some RPM's . Putting little bit in reverse and then back to neutral triggers 0 RPM .
;D This could be very realistic! I've handled a few vessels, where the clutches won't work different to your description. Therefor I had to do the same as you do to get the engine declutched. Well, that's for sure not realised here! :doh:
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If it really bothers you, perhaps you could assign the commands Engine 1 reset / Engine 2 reset to the two buttons below the throttles..But perhaps you can get used to the throttle the way it is..
As Bottman says, it could be very realistic.. ;)
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I have tried your solution = allocating the engine reset function to a button, but as soon as you release the button, the throttle function gets back in place, starting the engine again . I must say that I do not experience this situation as a big negative point, as the engine is only running a few RPM's and as I have written before, just a small click astern and the engine is stopped .
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Which is the height (cm ) engine throttles?
Is it possible to use the console (engine throttles, bowthruster) in walkthrough mode ?
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The height of the throttles is 7 cm . The ship console does not work in the walkthrough mode .
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Well folks,
After saving up for a while, I finally ordered the Ship Console Unit through the Vstep website (which then goes on to Simware) on Sunday 24th January and it then was revealed to me that it was completely out of stock (despite saying it was in stock on both the Vstep and Simware websites :doh:) and new stock wouldnt arrive for TWO WEEKS! ??? :o
So I finally got the email saying they had dispatched it on Friday 29th January (which wasnt as bad as i thought) and it is curently coming in the post out here to Spain (touch wood) which strangely takes the longest to arrive from the netherlands with an estimated delivery of 12-15 days for both Spain and Poland.
And now I have only just seen the other console unit! ShipDriver :doh: But I will just keep thinking negative thoughts about the other one, it looks far to plastic, may not be compatible with ss, ss have already got a deal for the wilco one, the shipdriver one isnt out until winter 2010. So I dont know!
Many Kind Regards
Matthew Brown
P.S. It IS compatible with windows vista isnt it!? :doh: I mean its only a USB connection with no disc, its all manual set up.
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Shipdriver is coming winter 2010 http://www.shipdriver.com/
its look nice :thumbs:
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I am not holding my breath on that one.. it's has been overdue for at leat 5 release dates, I think. :doh:
It's been that same site, with the same photo, since SS06 was around. And all that chages is the caption in the photo and the first line of the text. With a later date every time. :)
Fred
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I'm not going to buy the Ship Console, I just think it's very overpriced...
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You have to remember though, that the picture is just of a mockup. A plastic empty model.
The real deal will be like it's older brother the traindriver, way more sturdy and with metal, not this tacky cheap plastic. And in all fairness, that is good value for money. Not that I have it, but I have played with it.
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But seriously? €350? You've got to be joking! My £50 wheel is more representative of a ship's wheel, and has more buttons and so on and so forth... Why are they charging so much for a bundle of components that probably only cost them €30 at the most?
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You have to remember though, that the picture is just of a mockup. A plastic empty model.
The real deal will be like it's older brother the traindriver, way more sturdy and with metal, not this tacky cheap plastic. And in all fairness, that is good value for money. Not that I have it, but I have played with it.
Perhaps that's part of the problem. Everyone is looking at this mock-up picture and thinking "urgh, plastic!" when the real one is more strudy with metal parts. Maybe it would help if PI Engineering change the pitcure showing a real Ship Driver console.
Mind you, I wonder how this would affect shipping charges due to the weight, as I've heard Traindriver is quite heavy :o
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oh wow..
Sorry I didn't see that.. last time I read it seriously it sais 200.. :doh:
So they got not only lazier, but more greedy too.. ;D
Well I'm not buying it anyway, I took 50 Euro's and bought one of those BDU0386 circuit boards and some electronics hardware like potmeters and such, and made my own. Doesn't look too good yet in it's prototype state, but it works like a charm and I have 2 rudders, 2 thrusters, 2 throttles, 12 buttons and room for 20 more buttons and 2 axis.
For 350, I can make myself something with that circuit board that would kick the pants off of their one. ;D
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Maybe it would help if PI Engineering change the pitcure showing a real Ship Driver console.
I wonder.. something tells me they don't have one yet. I mean.. if they already had the real deal, why would it take yet another year for them to be released?
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But seriously? €350? You've got to be joking! My £50 wheel is more representative of a ship's wheel, and has more buttons and so on and so forth... Why are they charging so much for a bundle of components that probably only cost them €30 at the most?
And don't forgot these "bundle of compoments" must pass stringent electronic and safety laws in different parts of the world, which could push up the costs considerably.
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I wonder.. something tells me they don't have one yet. I mean.. if they already had the real deal, why would it take yet another year for them to be released?
Hmm, you could be on to something here, Fred.....the reason they are using a mock-up picture.....[drumroll]..... is because they don't have a real one built yet!!!!!! ::) :lol: :doh: lol
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So? Logitech managed?
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Hehe.. yeah Kev..
And well, don't know what wheel you have McG, but I have a G-25, and that hasn't got thát many buttons to be honest, or as many relevant axis to use. Buyt still is one of the best ones around on the 'normal market'.
That was 350 too when it came out, and I paid it too.. and have had so much fun with it that I would, with hindsight, even have paid 600 if that had been it's price.
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So? Logitech managed?
One big difference - Logitech did not build a dedicated ship controller; only a steering wheel with a couple of buttons which are designed in mind for car racing games.
Flight Simulator controllers are also quite expensive, yet people buy them because they want the authentic experience of flying an aeroplane as much as possible.
Same with some people on this forum - they buy the Ship Console Unit because they want to experience the realism of steering a ship with 'proper' controls (i.e. throttle levers)
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I've been extremely tempted to buy the G25 or G27, but me mother says £100 is even a lot for a wheel
women ::)
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I use a Driving Force Pro, which has all the buttons I need. Basic controls for me are Rudder, Throttle, and Thrusters. So Throttle is set to the gearstick (it's a sequential, and I've assigned the throttles to the pedals for when I want to put proportional input in), The wheel in 900 degrees mode for rudder (obviously) and the paddleshifts for the Bow and Stern thrusters. Of course, i have more assignments than that, for example the engine start/stop and the handy 'toggle precision steering' for locking the controls e.t.c.
Pardon my Youthful Ignorance, but aren't most ships steered using wheels rather than tillers? Certainly in SS08 there are more wheel controlled vessels. I don't see the point if it's only going to be realistic for a minority of ships. The only thing I can see in the Ship Console that I want is the dual throttles.
Anyway Kevin, Logitech has developed a controller that works well no matter what you use it with.
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OK! Please I need serious help now. The Ship Console unit arrived today but one thing that gets me is the buttons! The caps come already placed on the console and the signs to put inside them arent in them, i have to put them in myself. But how? I cant seem to get them off.
Please help :'(
Kind regards
Matthew Brown
(http://i49.tinypic.com/2e58bhd.jpg)
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Are you sure there isn't a very thin gap on top of the buttons, Matthew..?
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No :'(
Absolutely positive 100%
Matthew.
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I'm sure one of the mods will be able to help..Otherwise someone else who has the controller..
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Yes, I hope so soon because its frustrating :(
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After some looking, I found their forum..Maybe you can find an answer there..
Good luck.. :)
http://vrinsight.com/phpBB3_en/index.php
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Thanks Saltydog!
I will definately try there. However in the mean time if anyone comes up with an answer please post it here :)
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Hi Matthew,
I have sent you a PM.
Regards,
Kev
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Ok, Its alright folks! Panic over. It turns out you have to use sticky tape to remove all the buttons, then you choose where you want to put the buttons? Quite strange really! But I suppose it is a positive thing so you choose what you want where. there are also more buttons than there should be. but what happens is you choose which ones you want.
Thanks so much for everyones help and now im going to colaborate it and test it! See you all later!
Kind Regards
Matthew
P.S I found out its not red backed buttons anymore, its now yellow!
And below is the recent photo.. (http://i45.tinypic.com/2i9nvo3.jpg)
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Good news Matthew..Hope you have much enjoyment with it.. :thumbs:
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Glad to hear that, Matthew,
Enjoy your new toy! ;) ;D
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Well folks,
After saving up for a while, I finally ordered the Ship Console Unit through the Vstep website (which then goes on to Simware) on Sunday 24th January and it then was revealed to me that it was completely out of stock (despite saying it was in stock on both the Vstep and Simware websites :doh:) and new stock wouldnt arrive for TWO WEEKS! ??? :o
So I finally got the email saying they had dispatched it on Friday 29th January (which wasnt as bad as i thought) and it is curently coming in the post out here to Spain (touch wood) which strangely takes the longest to arrive from the netherlands with an estimated delivery of 12-15 days for both Spain and Poland.
And now I have only just seen the other console unit! ShipDriver :doh: But I will just keep thinking negative thoughts about the other one, it looks far to plastic, may not be compatible with ss, ss have already got a deal for the wilco one, the shipdriver one isnt out until winter 2010. So I dont know!
Many Kind Regards
Matthew Brown
P.S. It IS compatible with windows vista isnt it!? :doh: I mean its only a USB connection with no disc, its all manual set up.
Well, here is an update...
It turned out the console unit I recieved was a faulty one :thumbdown: which is redicoulous, considering it costs that much it should have been tested thoroughly.
So the company, SimWare tell me to send it back and they will refund me for the money (obviously because its not my fault its faulty). It cost me 40.00 € to send it back to Belgium from Spain, so I waited a while and the new replacement one arrived.
And the money for shipping I paid???? It had no note or anything in the box, it was absolutely empty, it only had the unit inside and the only bit of paperwork was the small address on the top of the box.
So I immediately emailed them asking to kindly return the money to my fathers account, and they got back to me saying that they couldnt refund the money but I had a 27 € voucher for future purchases.
I mean what in the world!?? >:( I get a random numbered gift voucher for a company selling mainly aviation software and hardware, and NO ship things what so ever! This is really off. I am appalled at their customer services so far, it really is a disgrace and to tell you the truth i am really annoyed yet quite sad. >:( :'( And to be honest, all their emails to me have not been very proffesional, and actually quite rude in someways.
So please I urge you to use another company a part from SimWare, maybe FlightSim? I dont want the same thing happening to you. This whole thing started at 350 € and secret postage money totaled 375€ then 40€ to send it back and in total we have spent around 420 € :o >:(
Can anyone suggest what to do now please?
Many kind regards
Matthew Brown
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Not much apart from threaten them with a lawsuit... :thumbdown:
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This control unit doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm just intressed in the throttles, like the throttles in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSqCzkkAL-g&feature=channel
If that was available for a affordable price like maybe 80-100 dollars I would buy it. With a steering wheel it would be a perfect setup The rest, like cameras and so on can be controlled from the keyboard. That is what i think, does anyone agree with me?
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I swear you already posted this.
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I swear you already posted this.
Yes I did in another thread, just copied it :lol:
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I was getting a weird sense of Deja Vu there...
You may see my wheel setup soon... :-X
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I was getting a weird sense of Deja Vu there...
You may see my wheel setup soon... :-X
I've already seen it, you know this youtube thing? :lol:
The setup is really cool, I like it!
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Looks like a faked console to me and a fake product. :(
Does it have a CE-mark on it?
What's a CE-mark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark)
Well, I hope at least that you get a refund or else...sue the **** out of them :evil:
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Looks like a faked console to me and a fake product. :(
Does it have a CE-mark on it?
What's a CE-mark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark)
Well, I hope at least that you get a refund or else...sue the **** out of them :evil:
European safety standards
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For anyone that may be interested in the Ship Control Unit - I found it for $299 or 236 euro. Saves over 100 euro compared to Simware :thumbs:
http://www.fspilotshop.com/product_info.php?currency=EUR&products_id=2343
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Still not worth €236....I wouldn't pay €50 for that I don't think :-\
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Me neither, i'm planning to make something with real controls. I want to make something that you can change and expand as the SS series gets better in the future - Something like Lego ;)
For someone that decides to buy the SCU, a 100+ euro discount is always nice.
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Just throttles is the best solution I think, would never buy that device. Throttles with Logitech G27, OH YEAH! :lol:
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I think everyone has given up with the ship console,especially after Mr. Brown's experience.
EDIT: I agree Wilmutt, but with a Driving Force Pro :thumbs:
Well any wheel capable of turning 900 degrees.
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Yeah to be honest I dont find my self using it that much :-\
Suppose because
A) Ive had enough of ss08 :doh:
B)I only ever use Ocean Star and red eagle! Which the unit doesnt work on, so :thumbdown:
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I don't see why you couldn't use it on the Ocean Star to be honest. I relieved once on a barge that had 2 Schottel propulsion units, they were operated with the same lever like the SCU has.
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Yes you can use it MJ but its just I adapted my own special way to manouever the ships before the console unit :thumbs: You can navigate with the console unit, but its the tricky bits when the mouse takes over :thumbs: