27 June 2007

Ever since FSGV has grown a little more well known in the flight sim [FS] community, I figured this would be a good time to put together a nice article about the three most experienced developers who have helped improve the grounded world of flight simulator for the masses. Their contributions have provided a base for many others to build upon. Without them, I wouldn't have any inspiration to develope the addon that I make today.

The first to talk about is Mitsuya Hamaguchi*. He is mainly known as "Hama" and has been very busy providing the most excellent ground vehicles this community has ever seen. Some of his most famous creations are the Greyhound Bus, Troop Transport, BMW, Volkwagen, and the Mitsubishi Pajero. He is also known for making great ship addons for those who like to sail the virtual seas of FS. His most notable ship addons are the cruise liners, jetfoils, and destroyers. To top it all off, every ground-based or sea-based addon he has released has always exploited the animation features of XML. For example: when you look at one his cruise liner models, particaularly the "Asuka" and "Freedom of the Seas", notice the tiny models of people moving around the vessels. But XML isn't the only thing his addons exploit. There dynamics are very stable and appear to be very effective on either the ground or the seas. For example: take a look at his jetfoil ships. Notice how they react whenever you activate the underwater foils? It's pretty hard to imagine the kind of trouble Hama went through to get these kind of effects to work properly.

Another name to mention is Charles Backus. He also goes by the name of "Napamule". His skills are more focused on improving the current dynamics of ground vehicles while still making them more enjoyable than they already were. One example is the Enzo Ferrari I have modeled. The dynamics that I have put together were very sluggish [at best]. It handled more or less like a nice and heavy cinder block on wheels; but when Charles stepped in, the Ferrari's dynamics were dramatically enhanced. He introduced a fifth-wheel concept that helped the Ferrari gain some level of control while performing high-speed manuveurs on a track. He has also enhanced the dynamics of other addons that were put together by a number of individuals. If there are any people out there that get stuck on trying to put together dynamics for their next car addon, then I would recommend seeing Charles for advice. You can find him either here at the FSGV forums or at YouTube.

And finally, there is Dirk Stuck** who nicknamed himself as "Fireeagle". He is the host of Flight-Team Bremerhaven and is famously known for the Hockenheimring race track and Formula 1 racers that he modeled. His F1 racers have also received a dynamic makeover provided by Charles himself. He is also the original author of the front loader and many truck variations. His race track has clearly set the bar pretty high for future race tracks to come and his addons are all available at AvSim.com.

Overall, these are the most notable ground-based developers so far. There may be a number of others whose talents have yet to be recognized, but they will become known in due time as the grounded world of FS improves. If anything, these people may have started a chain of events that could effect future versions of Flight Simulator.

Cheers,

Jessy Corrales

FSGV Admin

*Hama's page: http://f1.aaa.livedoor.jp/~rjnnhama/craft.htm

**Fireeagle: http://www.flight-team-bremerhaven.de/index.php