Emma Field For FS2004

By Andrew Herd (12 July 2004)

e reviewed this package in its FS2002 version back in October 2002 and while it doesn’t seem that long ago, in retrospect it was a turning point for Lago, which was struggling a little at the time but has never looked back since. This publisher has become particularly well known for sceneries and the Georender series, of which Emma Field is at least spiritually a part, are living proof of the fact that to be beautiful, a Flight Simulator doesn’t have to be big. You won’t get the Lear into this airfield, because you have to land on 2000 feet of grass – but it is plenty long enough to have lots of fun. Amazingly, there are some simmers who have still not heard of this product, so if it is not already occupying space on your hard disk, read on...

Emma Field has relatively modest hardware requirements; Lago recommending a 1 GHz Pentium II with 256 Mb of RAM, 90 megs of spare hard disc space and a 128 Mb 3D card. The package is available as a download from Lago's web site and at the time of writing it cost $30.44 or €24.99 - and it is definitely worth the money. Readers who have bought the FS2002 package can download a free 45 Mb patch, but in either case, installation requires the entry of a registration number and from there on in the process is automatic, creating a program group with links to a 44 page pdf manual and to Lago's web site.

Why is Emma Field different? Well, visit some of the default strips in FS and stop and take a look around. Notice how they all have the same buildings and - unless you use a product like Ultimate Traffic - the same AI planes, doing much the same flights no matter what time of day you arrive. By contrast, not only are the buildings and planes at Emma unique, there are goings-on that change all the time, with the grass getting mown Mondays, but only if the weather is good; and Fritz the mechanic hammering away, provided he isn't opening the gate to let vehicles in; and a circuit that is more likely to be active in good weather; and barbecues on fine summer weekend evenings; and glider launches when there are good thermals. There is also a pair of storks on top of the club who take turns flying around, though they seem to pay little attention to the circuit pattern.

As if seriously beautiful custom buildings and a bustle of activity aren't enough, the package incorporates two different sceneries: the main one; and a small seaplane base on nearby Lake Cushman, which also has a short runway. If you get bored of flying, you can try out a sailboat and a power boat that are available there in the summer months.

Other than typing KEWL into the airport ID box, the best way of getting to Emma is to route via Seattle, flying out on the 256 radial from the VOR. When you arrive, check out the circuit using the Lago menu options in Flight Simulator - and on landing you will be greeted by Fritz, unless he is making fine adjustments to airframes with his hammer, lighting the barbecue, mowing the grass, launching gliders, or just goofing around (actually he doesn't seem to goof. I have watched for a long time, but maybe Lago's code doesn't seem to support goofing™). The airfield has progressive circuit instructions as well as progressive taxi and there is also a neat system where Fritz talks you in on the radio and then runs out and points you to a space. The progressive circuit couldn't be easier to follow and beginners will love it - all you have to do is fly along the lane painted in the sky.

After you get parked up and kill the engine, the first thing that hits you about the scenery is the birdsong. It depends a little how hard Fritz is hammering (or how near the mower is), but the woods are filled with birds and all the sounds are the kind of stuff you hear around real small grass fields. Lago achieves this using a product called IntelliScene and one of the cleverest aspects of this is that the sounds vary according to your location, though the birds surely are loud, since they are audible with the engine throttled back on approach.

If you are a sailplane pilot, Emma Field is absolutely definitely worth a look, because it is pretty much unique in that it includes a working glider launch site and an Austria S to try it out with. Launches are triggered from the Lago menu and although FS doesn't provide for simulation of a cable, the whole procedure is pretty realistic, with the sailplane going up at 60 degrees. Heights of 1500 feet are easy and with practise you should get another 250, particularly if there is any wind. The cable unhooks automatically when you are vertically above the winch, with a satisfying "chunk", but you can do a manual release too, the only feature which doesn't feel completely real being the way it pays to keep the nose much higher up than would be usual for a real glider. And if you want more altitude and are prepared to pay Fritz, then he would be glad to give you an air tow. Yep, wild, to be sure, but if you select the correct option from the Lago menu, a tow plane appears as if by magic and drags you up to 4000 feet unless you call for a release beforehand. If you are new to sim gliding, there is even an option on the Lago menu to show you where the thermals are - I counted four in all and some of them even have eagles in to keep you company.

The tow procedures may not be completely realistic - you have to imagine the cable and if you are careful it is possible to get an air tow facing backwards - but who cares when it is as fun as this? The gliding section in the Emma field manual is superb and even has a link to the FSZWever virtual gliding site which offers just about everything you need to know about virtual gliding, with loads of freeware, including some excellent gliders. Lago's package includes an Austria S sailplane and a section on editing winch launch parameters. The Austria S has a reasonably good visual model and a neat 2D panel, so it makes an attractive addition to the sim.

While I am on the subject of planes, I guess I had better add that Emma field includes not only a rather neat Cosmo weight-shift ultralight, but a Zenith CH801 floatplane and repaints of the Cessna 172 and Cessna 208. Of the three, the ultralight is a gas and quickly became a favorite - the FS2002 version is also available as a freeware download (TRIKE2K2.ZIP) and I notice that since the release there has been a patch to the flight model. I spent a good deal of time playing around with it - the 2D cockpit in particular is a real winner. I have racked my brains, but I can't think of any other panel whose main component is a set of sneakers, but the view between them is fantastic. Just don't look down if you are used to the security of GA planes, because there is nothing below your ass but air and waterfalls.

Describing Emma as photoreal is to do it an injustice. The clubhouse window textures have the most convincing glass I have seen outside a real building and every time I taxi past, I have the urge to go in a see if they serve virtual beer in there. The field is littered with design icons, including the winch, the fueling truck, the hangars and just about anything else you care to examine. One thing you will not find is textures which look great at a thousand yards and dissolve into mush as you close in, the standard being uniformly high. This scenery was a great favorite of mine in FS2002 and it has lost none of its attraction in FS2004

The scenery includes mesh, seasonal textures and covers a much larger area than the field itself, and although in FS2004 the blends where it meets the default textures aren't quite as seamless as I would like, they are no worse than anything forestry does to the real landscape. Approaches from the south are tricky because there are tall trees on the threshold and dropping a plane that lacks any kind of flaps or brakes is not for the faint hearted, although it can be done. If you want some serious fun, give the ultralight a try. Coming in from the north is easier, although there is a hill to negotiate, but who said life was going to be easy?

Emma Field being a mature product by any stretch of the imagination, I couldn’t find any bugs with it. If you are looking for somewhere new to operate from, Emma Field would be a great choice. There is even a virtual Emma Field Flying Club, but this is on another site and I am not allowed to mention it (-:

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