Snoman,
Wanted to echo the others by saying welcome and thanks as well. As Peter stated, our products have been through the effort and contributions of many. The three big players being FS Dreamteam/Microsoft, SLUDGE and the FSX Blue Angels (FSXBA) which is the organization that I am apart of.
First is FS Dreamteam/Microsoft which has done an excellent job in their product and have provided the other two variants their stepping stone in which to continue further modifications.
The SLUDGE and FSXBA variants both started surfacing around the same time.
The SLUDGE variant, which was primarily started and composed with the help of many of the talented individuals here in the FSDT forums, focuses more on the "Less Is More" mantra, minimizing its use of Flight Control System (FCS) gauges and relying more on the raw attributes provided by the jet's aerodynamic behavior (.air & aircraft.cfg) files . It's primary goal was to accurately emulate the jet's flight characteristics while in the Carrier Pattern. This version is also biased more toward those who fly using the 2-D gauge more than the Virtual Cockpit.
The FSXBA variant initially got its start while working in conjunction with the ACES Team (before the went belly up) and was intended for use on a Blue Angel themed formation mission for the next Flight Simulator before it was discontinued by Microsoft. It centers around a mantra of "More is More," utilizing many gauges in an attempt to accurately emulate the control logic of the actual F/A-18 Hornet's FCS. This version's primary purpose was to accurately emulate the jet's flight characteristics while flying in close formation, aerobatics and max performance. This jet was made to be flown from the Virtual Cockpit.
Both jets include contributions from many of our community's best including MICRO, JR, Scott Printz, Paddles, Hanimichal, Larson, Roy Holmes, Virtuali, Az Framer, AHMENACE, JC005e, Paddles, Kea and of course Peter and Pat. Groups include the FSX Blue Angels, FSX Carrier Ops, and VRS. Without them, we wouldn't have the upgraded avionics, effects, sounds, textures, and weapons systems. I'm pretty sure I've forgot a few, and if I did, please forgive me.
Although SLUDGE did get permission to modify the Acceleration F/A-18, it was quickly discovered that this would we A LOT of work to make simple changes without the original source coding, which no one was willing to give up. Thanks to the contributions of 3-D modeler Jamal "SPINS" Ingram and Saitek/MadCatz, we received a brand-new 3D model, the F/A-18C, which included many corrections, additions and extras over the original FSX Acceleration Variant.
ORION has been the recent enabling force in the next generation of this project with his ability to bring the FCS to the next level with advanced coding, algorithms, and logic.
All in all, both are great jets and both are a joy to fly in my opinion.
Well that's about it. Hope this helped you get up to speed. It's getting pretty late here and I got to catch some shut-eye. Welcome again and look forward to your feedback!
