New AccuRC Sim Workshop and Configuring Components Video

[mahbouni]

I said this before and I'll say it again. The whole point of a simulator is to simulate the real world. By that definition it needs to be as close as possible to the real world. If your heli in the sim flies identical to your heli in the real world then it will be much easier to replicate what you learn in the sim in the real world. The physics in RealFlight are very good but it's hard to tweak the models to fly like your own heli. You have to adjust various parameters using trial and error. The whole point of simulating the entire model from the component level is so that it will be easier to replicate your own real heli in the sim. If AccuRC can do this accurately then it will be awesome and not just a gimmick. I'm very excited about this new sim.

[Stuart]

I have to say for me not really...

Its an rc heli sim not a flight simulator

I personally think its pointless - the sim is about learning hand eye and stick co-ordination. It doesn't matter what your heli blades are looking like or engine rich. All it does is give it a usp over others does it make it better!! depends on what floats your boat.

When it comes to it 99% of people will have a play with it if anything if not just to make a heli look like there own but in reality the majority will spend that majority of there time flying and learning.

I have never found a simulator to match a real rc heli and seriously it doesn't take graphics and mucking about with servo and blade choice to make it fly more realistic its the physics engine that counts and that will be at best marginally any different to what's on the market.

So it boils down to price, online and support.

[waveydavey]

You're right Stu and it's what I use a sim for, stick movements and seeing he heli react accordingly, if that reaction is something like the model flys by matching components etc then I say bring it on. I've never persevered with phoenix as I've never been able to get the feel and timing right, although others such as Ben Britten have there models in Phoenix flying exactly the same as real life. If I can by matching components, power, blades etc have that from a sim then I say heres my £80 and I'll give Phoenix away.

[Stuart]

Dave give it a go - I'm not saying people shouldn't lets just say for me sims I've always found as a gimmick as a whole I rarely use mine if anything I get more from flying for real than a sim if I'm trying to learn a new trick I fly higher and plan my exit for the when it goes wrong which it does.

But I have always found a sim get's boring after 10mins. For learning until you can hover they are great but after that to me nothing is better than proper flying.

gimmicks like the idea of putting on your flavour of blades, servo's or battery lol I find just comical. watching the swash moving up and down or blades pitch changing you aren't going to see this in flight for real let alone a sim so why bother.

Whatever floats peoples boat :-)

[mahbouni]

I personally think its pointless - the sim is about learning hand eye and stick co-ordination. It doesn't matter what your heli blades are looking like or engine rich. All it does is give it a usp over others does it make it better!! depends on what floats your boat.

When it comes to it 99% of people will have a play with it if anything if not just to make a heli look like there own but in reality the majority will spend that majority of there time flying and learning.

I have never found a simulator to match a real rc heli and seriously it doesn't take graphics and mucking about with servo and blade choice to make it fly more realistic its the physics engine that counts and that will be at best marginally any different to what's on the market.

But according to the promotional video, it's not just about making the heli look like your own. According to them the physics is driven off each of the components. They're actually simulating your helicopter as a working machine rather than a just blob on the screen with fudged numbers. The components themselves affect the physics. that's what they claim and that's what I hope it will be. I wish some of the beta testers would come and confirm this.

[mahbouni]

Also I would argue that its more than just about hand eye coordination and stick movements. For basic stuff yes but for more advanced flying the feel of the heli, responsiveness and timing is more important. There are a number of competitive pilots who regularly use the sim to practice set maneuvers, freestyle and flight to music. If you join an online session you can some times watch the Pro's fly and learn from them.

[Stuart]

Wont be any different from any other sim the variables are just that it doesnt matter if its altered with a slider or different servo or blade choice the core physics engine cant realistically be much different from whats on the market. Whethers its RF9, Phoenix or another. Its like gyros the sensor is at the core and the firmware handles all the variables how you tweak those variables determines how it feels.

[mahbouni]

how you tweak those variables determines how it feels.

Yes that's exactly my point. But if you don't know what to tweak then how can you make it better? The whole point of dealing with it at the component level is so you do know what to tweak. You tweak the same things you would in a real RC helicopter instead of fudged variables that have no accurate mapping to the real world.

[Stuart]

Sorry have to differ on this....

I can set any of my phoenix helis to fly like pigs or half decent its understanding the software. If anything most fly ok out of the sim box...

The idea that getting to components makes a huge difference i have to say i dont see it... you will buy it and convince yourself its way better but give it 3mths and ill bet you never change much and fall into the routine of switch on and fly.

If there was any tool in the sim box that make learning more difficult tricks is to slow the speed down and break a trick down into key elements and learn each part then bring them together as one whole manouver.

[Delarado]

Anyone else wondering if there's some pretty big deals in the pipeline with this stuff?

Like, different components, different feels. Which one will be "Best"? there is a lot of room for promotion

[Stuart]

Lol esc flameouts and tailbooms snapping off....

[mahbouni]

Sorry have to differ on this....

I can set any of my phoenix helis to fly like pigs or half decent its understanding the software. If anything most fly ok out of the sim box...

The idea that getting to components makes a huge difference i have to say i dont see it... you will buy it and convince yourself its way better but give it 3mths and ill bet you never change much and fall into the routine of switch on and fly.

If there was any tool in the sim box that make learning more difficult tricks is to slow the speed down and break a trick down into key elements and learn each part then bring them together as one whole manouver.

That's OK, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I do respect yours.

Honestly I don't know if it will be way better than the others because I've never tried the beta. All I have to go on is the information they've given us. However, if it does do what they say it does then I will be very happy. As for never changing much and falling into the same routine of switch on and fly, well that will be a good thing. I'm hoping that I can quickly set up and identical model to my own real heli, with identical flight characteristics. If I can do that on the first day then sure, I will fall into the routine you say. Maybe I will try different things from time to time to see if I like it. But if after a lot of time tweaking I still can't get it to fly like my own real heli then I'll sell it here and go back to RealFlight.

[SaneAdam]

I for one will never be tweaking anything in the silly workshop bit. Just fly fly fly But only when the weather is crap. Can you imagine sat swapping out an esc and other bits? No

I am a flyer….. not a builder. This workshop section is clearly for the builders in the hobby imo… not the flyers. The sim is to improve your flying skills. Thats it. Not your building or configuration skills. It is not a 3d world to actually test the merits of components….. even if they tell you that is what it is for. The tech side bores the ass of me….. its all about flying and improving. Not wasting time swapping blades and each tiny component.

I am very excited to try it from a flight simulator point of view…. and not a build simulator…. It had better be bloody better than Phoenix after all this i have to say. They better not rely on the build room to set them apart from the comp. Please Beta testers refrain from chiming in….. because you are hardly going to say its crap are you I will be disappointed if my initial reactions are…. it is no better than Phoenix. But judging from all the hype…. this simply cannot be the case i am sure

Plus….. I've had my Phoenix models fly exactly the same as my real ones without the need to change any components(not that you can lol) for years. You just have to know what to adjust

[pgkevet]

And bearings that get corrosion and stuff that randomly breaks.

I can just see the nicety of arguing with manufacturers on the corrosiveness of their fuel when it comes to filling your virtual tank and programming battery weaknesses, the vibration characteristics of fbl mounting pads etc.

No sim is going to replicate all the different fbl units, blade flexibilities, ageing and slop in servos etc so while it's very clever clicking om canopies and servos etc then for me just having a simple chart to fill in with my helis basics works as well for me.

[Zeeflyboy]

I don't see the big deal..

to me it makes it very easy to get the helicopter set up to the same as what your real heli is without having to "understand" the sim software... the appeal to me isn't just trying endless combos out, it's to get my heli set up like i do in real life and leave it at that without having to constantly tweak little sliders for responsiveness and all that jazz.

If you don't want to play around with it changing components etc, you don't have to - you can indeed just take one of the heli's out of the virtual box and go fly.

Where this sim is interesting to me is the sheer level of detail going into the simulation, not that you can fiddle with different combos etc. It's not fudged numbers or generic physics models, each component actually works and its individual interaction with the system and the physics model is what results in the performance on screen. Given the detail they have seemingly gone into with the aerodynamic modelling, I expect this to give extremely good results... certainly if you believe the hype then it would seem to be excellent at that.

To me it's far faster to just pop the right servos and blades on (perhaps tweak the fbl settings to match the rates etc that I have in the real one) and go fly my virtual heli than to endlessly mess around with generic sliders trying to get the feel just right.