Simulation Vs. Reality

Since flight simulations emerged back in the dark ages of early computers and operating systems, flight sim enthusiasts have searched high and low for the perfect simulator. That melding of sight, sound, game play, and immersion that is the hallmark of a truly great flight sim. The holy grail was always just another sim away. As hardware has evolved over the years we have seen some amazing things happen on our desktops. Whole virtual worlds have unfolded on our little monitors. We have flown in bad weather and in good. We fly low and fast dropping bombs on the bad guys, or just chug along to enjoy the scenery. For the majority of folks its a diversion and a hobby. For others....yeah you know who you are...it's an all consuming passion, where we while away the hours tweaking, learning, flying, studying until our eyes are bloodshot with fatigue. This crowd commonly refers to themselves as the "hard core crowd". Hard core might just be an understatement! The Hard core simmers Mantra has always been realism, realism, realism! The flight simulation community is driven by this search for reality on our PC's. In my view it's a good thing as it pushes us to new heights, challenging developers and hardware designers to go where no one has gone before.

In the quest for reality constant comparisons are made between real life piloting and that of the armchair aviator. The limitations of the PC are slowly being beaten down to the point we are beginning to really see the fruits of our labor. Before I get too far, I wanted to make an observation about this aspect from a real pilot's viewpoint. I have never harbored the belief that something on my monitor could duplicate reality. I can hear you saying.." Aw come on Hornit"...just hear me out. We will never feel the 8-9 G pull of an F-16 maneuvering against a fourth generation fighter. You'll never have sweat falling into your eyes while your buttoned up behind the catapult for a summer time launch in the Med. You won't have a sore rear end from sitting aloft for 8 hours with nowhere to go until you can recover your single seater somewhere. And the bottom line, the really big one, you won't know the true fear of being shot at in a hostile environment by an enemy bent on destroying you. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention you can't die sitting in front of your monitor! In real life there's no pause button. I fly a lot in my shorts and a t-shirt drinking cokes and eating snacks while I ply the virtual skies. I like to think of these times as true entertainment. Its the meat of why flight sims hold our attention. The ability to do things a lot of us never will in real life makes it intriguing. Don't like that radar solution? Need a few extra seconds to sweeten that FLIR picture? Go ahead! hit the big P on your keyboard, take your time, break out that manual and make sure you get it right. We wouldn't want to have to make another pass at that hornet's nest of a target down there tonight. I don't wanna miss Homer Simpson because I had to fly the mission three times to get it right.

Ok, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but it's to make a point. No matter how far we go, no matter how powerful our computers get, it's always gonna be an uphill climb in search of that ultra realistic sim. Maybe someday, we'll step into our full motion virtual reality pod and crank up Falcon 38.1 and feel as though we are truly "there". Somehow I get the feeling that's a long way off right now. Can anyone say Holo-deck? In the meantime we really have come a long way and were definitely on the right track. Today's stable of hard core simulations is top notch. We are at such a level right now that the military actually is considering parts of some of these simulators for training and proficiency. Civilian flight sims are being used for this purpose. So how close are we? Lets take a look at that with an open mind. Over the last 7-8 years things have blossomed when it comes to the Personal computer and gaming. Flight sims have been with us since the beginning. At first things were crude and klunky. Our systems just could not provide the immersion required to suspend our disbelief. Fast forward to the present day. Things have changed dramatically. Graphics approach and surpass what is perceptible to the human eye. Sound surrounds us as it does in the real world. We can talk with our wingmen and give them orders. The virtual world actually responds to our passing now, no longer moving as if we never existed. Weather surrounds us and effects how we fly. Terrain masks us from the prying eyes of radar. Seasons change before our very eyes, and waves lap at our virtual shores. Buildings, bridges, roads, and trees populate the landscape. The rendering of objects, particularly aircraft has begun to approach photographic, almost cinematic quality. Things are truly rapidly approaching what we could call reality. One of the reasons I have become so fond of flight sims is due to this. I'm a certified airplane nut and my love of flying almost has no equal. Whether its flying my F18 on the computer, or a 757 in the real skies, I get a real kick out of it. One of the big reasons we are getting quality sims is due to the fact that developers recognize this and are going to the source when it comes to simulating aircraft on the computer. I have had the pleasure of working with many folks in the industry on several sims in an effort to get it right. Using my experience with many aircraft types, military and civilian developers hone the edge of reality. Little details that would otherwise go unnoticed can be implemented. Accurate portrayals of combat and tactics get validated and used. Communications are more realistic when you have someone who's been there and done it helping out. It's a real pleasure to sit down and fly some of these simulations and know a lot of what's going on is pretty darn close to reality. Take my word for it!

If we compare sims to real world aviation the gap can get pretty big. I do this for a living, and occasionally I think about how different things are in real life versus what I see at home on my monitor. Of course graphics still have a long way to go. Terrain and sky in particular will see huge improvements over time as we get new hardware. The lighting and detail aspects have a wide gulf between simulation and reality. The ability to render terrain, with cultural and natural features is still a big problem. We have good graphics now, but its still very obvious that were in a game. Some of the Civilian sims are making great strides here and I may have to eat my words when I see Microsoft's latest title in all it's glory. In the flight modeling department I think things are very good. The fidelity of modern simulations is extremely high. We'll see improvement I'm sure, but its pretty darn good right now. One area I see that is lacking is in the nature of our day to day lives and how we interact with other humans in aircraft and as part of formations. Its getting some attention but its still far from realistic. The fix to this of course is to get online. The simulations that network well or play online can provide this missing aspect very nicely. AI has come a long way, but lets face it, we got a long way to go. In my mind its an area that needs major improvements in most modern sims. I get tired of watching multi-million dollar aircraft used as pinatas over my virtual battlefields. That doesn't mean I won't keep doing this, I love this hobby and I really enjoy this stuff, but we have a lot of work to do in the AI department.

Right now we are at a sort of crossroads. The true hardcore simmer wants reality. A good portion of the gaming public wants fun and ease of use. After all, the bottom line for developers is to make money. I think a true niche exists for company's that embrace both views making sims accessible while at the same time configurable for those who want the difficulty. In the past it was usually one way or the other, and neither really worked. I think we will see the evolution to more player friendly games but with the ability to challenge even the hardest of the hard core if need be.

We are approaching reality in many ways. Despite what I said above, flight sims have improved by leaps and bounds. The modeling of an aircraft in flight has become a true art. Doing it right is no easy task and it's obvious when its done wrong. Even those who have no real flying experience can figure it out. Flight modeling and systems simulation has become very good. The fidelity of modern radar and avionics is extremely true to life right now on our computers. The belief that I am actually flying a real aircraft has been achieved. My brain uses the same skills that I do in the real world when I'm actually flying real aircraft. My thought processes when it comes to tactical situations are truly similar with most of the high end simulations currently available. This is the mark of a truly great sim for me. I might not be sweaty and tired from the G's but I sure feel the apprehension and fear while dodging enemy missiles and AAA. A sim which requires me to use real world tactics to succeed is also a benchmark for me. It means the developers did their homework and are providing a harsh look at what its really like to "go downtown". Flight sims will constantly get better, and as our hardware evolves so will our virtual experience. Someday that fine line may be surpassed and you won't really know the difference until that phone rings....or your wife wants to know where the car keys are!

Until then I'll keep doing my part to make the experience better.

Jim "Hornit" Campisi