MSN Gaming Zone - Flight Simulator 2000 - Tips - Flight Zone #13

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	Flight Zone #13


	Ben Chiu, best-selling author of the Inside Moves books from Microsoft Press and the newly released "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets" from Sybex talks about the newest Zone features, upcoming Chats, and some neat new hardware! by Ben Chiu Season's Greetings! This is a wonderful time of the year. Besides the holiday cheer (and gifts!) that makes it fun, it's also the time of year that most new software is unleashed on the public. Virtual pilots have been very fortunate recently for two very good reasons; the Zone has been upgraded, and Flight Simulator 2000 has been released. We'll discuss Flight Simulator 2000 in the upcoming months, but we won't abandon Flight Simulator 98 in the process. We'll do this by discussing topics that are common to both products at first and we'll move to Flight Simulator 2000-specific details as necessary. Of course since the Zone is the common denominator out of all of this, let's begin by talking a little about the Zone's newest features. Using Some of the New Zone Features Rather than rehash information, please allow me to quote directly from my latest book. "Hosts can add useful information about their games in a game table description. With add-ons such as Z-Planes and programs such as Roger Wilco (we'll get to what both of these are a little later on) in fairly wide use, this feature comes in very handy. "For example, people running Roger Wilco need to know which IP (Internet Protocol) address is being used before they can connect with each other. The game table description is where you'll often find that information, as well as game settings, particulars about the flight such as what airport you'll be flying around, and even the details of a flight plan?You can find game table descriptions by clicking on the game table's Info button. To add a description to a game table, simply click on the Settings button? The information you type in the pop-up window will then appear in the game table's window. "Conversely, if you're thinking about joining a game in progress, be sure to click the Info buttons on game tables to have a look at the game table description for more details about the flight. This ability to preview a flight can be really helpful for selecting a game that fits your mood, and it can also reduce game interruptions caused by basic questions such as 'Where's everyone flying?'" (Excerpted from "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets" by permission by SYBEX Inc., ISBN 0-7821-2634-0, and Copyright 1999 SYBEX Inc. All rights reserved. For further information please send e-mail or or 1-800-227-2346.) The Mystery of Joining a Game Solved! One of most common questions I receive about joining Zone games is "Why can I join some games, but not others?" Although it may seem your ability to join a game already in progress is purely random, the required conditions can be explained. To quote from "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Strategies & Secrets" again: "You can join any game in progress as long as the following conditions are met: The original host remains in the game as host. The maximum number of players (set by the host) is not exceeded. The new player joining a password-protected game has the password (also set by the host). You'll occasionally find “hung” games where the host was lost but the Zone hasn't yet updated that fact. Obviously, you won't be able to join those games because they don't meet the first criterion in the list above, but the Zone may still let you enter that particular game table. You can tell when a game's hung by looking at the name of the host on the game table's player list. Player names are dimmed when they're playing, as opposed to just hanging around the game table's chat window. So if the host's name is not dimmed, and the table is listed as In Progress, you'll know that game is hung.” Quick Host and Quick Join Two of the newest Zone features are called "Quick Host" and "Quick Join." You may have also noticed the "Block quick joiners" check box in the game settings window. In order to understand how Block quick joiners works, we need to first talk about what Quick Join is and what it does. Quick Host and Quick Join allow you to quickly host or join the next available game table with a mouse click. To be more specific, Quick Host will place you as host of the first open game (first is defined as the lowest game number). So if games 4, 12, 14, 15, and 19 are open/unoccupied, Quick Host will place you as host in game 4. Quick Join essentially works the same way, except you'll join/be placed in the first occupied (already hosted) game with a free opening (e.g. the maximum number of players setting has not been met). Although these features can be handy if you're anxious to get in the air in the shortest time possible, there are times when having people popping in and out frequently can be distracting. Enabling the Block quick joiners option will cause the Zone's Quick Join function to pass your game table when it searches for the next available game to join. Chat with Patty Wagstaff on MSN! Chat with 3-time national aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff and help us celebrate the new release of Flight Simulator 2000! In addition to being the first woman ever to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, the 1993 IAC Champion, a six-time recipient of the "First Lady of Aerobatics" Betty Skelton Award, and winner of numerous medals in Olympic-level international aerobatic competition, Patty is a long time friend of Microsoft and the development of Flight Simulator. For more information about Patty Wagstaff, visit her Web site! The Chat with Patty Wagstaff (hosted by yours truly) will be held at MSN Computing Central on December 9, 1999 from 7 P.M. Pacific Time (10 P.M. Eastern) to 8 P.M. Pacific Time (11 P.M. Eastern). (Note that some versions of Netscape are not compatible the MSN chat forum.) Neat Hardware Alert! We're running long this time out, but here are a couple of items that just had to be mentioned: CH USB Pro Pedals -- The long-awaited arrival of the USB version of CH Products' venerable Pro Pedals is here. Toe brake support is only currently available for FLY! from TRI right now, but I've been told that a driver that'll allow them to work with Flight Simulator 2000 and other games is being worked on. For more information, check their Web site. Going Wide! -- The Panoramtech PV290 brings new meaning to wide-screen, but the price of this puppy is more than us mere mortals can afford ($22,000.00!). Nevertheless, it's so cool I just had to show it to you. (Well, we can dream can't we?) Chat with Chiu Finally, the Zone is graciously hosting a Chat to help commemorate the release of "Microsoft Flight Simulator Official Strategies & Secrets," from SYBEX. It'll take place on Wednesday, December 8, 1999 at 6 P.M. Pacific Time (9 P.M. Eastern) in the Zone Theater Chat room. This is your chance to ask a few questions and meet some other virtual pilots -- and we'll even have a few prizes to win! I'm looking forward to meeting you all! Happy holidays and see you in the Zone!

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