From: bass@convex.com (Brad F. Bass)
Subject: ACM Flight Simulator Frequently-Asked Questions List
Summary: ACM FAQ
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 22:03:00 GMT
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

This article contains the answers to some Frequently-Asked Questions
(FAQ) about the ACM Flight Simulator.  It has been posted as a response
to the growing interest in ACM and to reduce the net traffic in the
"rec.aviation.simulators" newsgroup.

Of course, this FAQ won't answer all the questions.  If you have a
question about ACM, please e-mail me at "bass@convex.com".  I'll
try to reply as soon as possible.  I'll also update the FAQ and
repost it periodically.

A final note: Riley Rainey, ACM's author, doesn't yet have a news feed,
and can't read "rec.aviation.simulators".  Anyone who might be able to
set him up, please drop him a line.  You can e-mail him directly at
"riley@atria.com".

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Q: What is ACM?

ACM is a LAN-oriented, multiplayer aerial combat simulation.  Players
engage in air-to-air combat against one another using heat-seeking
missiles and cannons.

ACM is not the SGI flight simulator.  ACM is not Sun's "Aviator".
Neither is it related to any commercially available simulator.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do you run ACM?

ACM exists as two programs.  The first component, named "acms", is a
server process that manages the multiplayer environment.  It also
manages the flight simulation and display management that is required.

The second, named "acm", is a small program that, when invoked, starts
a session on a given workstation.

Most players will prefer to run the "acms" process on a back-end server
system on their local area network.  Players at client workstations can
then invoke the "acm" program to begin play.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What aircraft are simulated?

Two aircraft are modeled: the General Dynamics F-16 and the Soviet
MiG-23.  The missiles are AIM-9M Sidewinders.  The cannon is a
20-mm M61A1 Vulcan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Where can I get ACM?

ACM can be FTP'ed from "export.lcs.mit.edu".  It's in the "contrib"
directory:

    % ftp export.lcs.mit.edu
    Connected to export.lcs.mit.edu.
    Name (export.lcs.mit.edu:xxx): anonymous
    331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
    Password:
    ftp> cd contrib
    ftp> binary
    ftp> get acm.2.4.tar.Z
    ftp> quit

Now, you'll have to uncompress and un-tar it, like so:

    % uncompress acm.2.4.tar.Z
    % tar xvf acm.2.4.tar

This will create an "acm" subdirectory.  There is a README file that
will tell you where to go from here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Who is/are the authors?

ACM was written by Riley Rainey (riley@atria.com).  In the credits,
Riley cites Dan A. Dickey's assistance in improving the server code.
The 3-D graphics routines are closely based on an article in "Byte
Magazine" by Franklin C. Crow.

Many others have sent in bug fixes and enhancements that have been
incorporated into ACM.

Also, there is an ad-hoc ACM development group which functions was a
sounding board for Riley to bounce new ideas off of.  It also functions
as a beta-test group and forwards suggestions and enhancements for
inclusion in the next release.  Two of its members and their areas of
interest are:

Brad Bass (bass@convex.com) - addition of conventional flight and 
    navigation instruments.  Inclusion of FAA navaid and airport data
    for IFR flight simulation.

Tim Tessin (tjt@cirrus.com) - experimentation with higher-performance
    graphics systems (Sun GX accelerator, XGL), sound, and increased
    simulation and combat realism.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What machines does ACM run on?

From the README file:
    ... [Riley's] main design objective was to provide source code that
    could be easily compiled and executed on a wide variety of
    platforms.  To that end, ACM is written entirely in C, exploiting
    the programming features of Unix, X11, and the BSD socket interface.

    ...I suspect that an 10+ SPECmark system could handle a typical
    multiplayer load.

I personally know that MIPS, Sparc, Sun3 and DEC versions exist.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is there an PC or Mac version of ACM?

No. At this point, ACM relies heavily on X-windows and the Berkeley
Unix socket interface.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is the current "official" release?

ACM2.4 was the last release to come from Riley and was posted to to
the Usenet in September of 1991.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: When will there be anther "official" release?

Riley anticipates the release of ACM3 before the end of the year.
Enhancements *may* include:
    + a "chase plane" view
    + enhanced realism while moving on the ground
    + use of NACA stability derivatives for pitch, roll and yaw models
    + faster graphics performance
    + an improved head-up display (HUD)
    + some nav instrumentation

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are there other versions around?

ACM was distributed as source code.  This has encouraged much user
experimentation.  Many people have used ACM as a foundation for an
arcade-style shoot-em-up game.  Others have added additional aircraft
types, surface-to-air missile sites, ground vehicles and more scenery,
and wage extensive battles in teams.  Still others have added
conventional aircraft instrumentation and built IFR simulators with
navaids and runways from the FAA data tapes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How can I learn about modern air combat tactics?

Try _Modern_Fighter_Combat_, by Mike Spick, published by Prentice Hall,
ISBN 0-13-451055-0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Brad Bass		It is a well-known phenomenon that computer programs,
bass@convex.com		left to themselves, will cease to work. This is known
Convex Computer Corp.	as "Bit Rot".  Programs NOT left to themselves also
Richardson, Texas	cease to work.  This is known as "enhancement".