Some Great Sims Free!

Have you ever had a desire to play and old game, or wondered what a long forgotten title that you had heard of was like, but never got around to trying it? Well, you're in luck, the internet has the greatest collection of  these games ever to be found. A search of old titles will reveal many of these games  have been orphaned by their creators and as far as we know are free for downloading in their full version.  There are also sites where you may find many of these games in one place. Some are free while others may charge a small download fee.

A sample of some  of the great and late past titles are shown here. Some of the games may not run on the newer systems that are blazingly fast. The 486 and Pentiums were the machines of the day running at speeds from 66MHZ to 120MHZ sporting rudimentary VGA graphics. There are utilities that will slow a fast machine down to run these games. Mo Slow, DOS Box, CPU Grabber, and CPU Killer are just a few. Search the internet and you'll find one to suit your needs.

Where can I find these games? Here are a few sites that we've discovered on the net, there are many more than we had time to search for but here is a short list:                 http://www.freeoldies.com/    
                                                                       http://liberatedgames.org/
                                                http://www.freewaregamer.com/fwg_abandonware.html  
                                                                  http://www.freebyte.com/games/
                                                             http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/

Note! You should also be aware that some abandon ware as it is often called is considered illegal by certain groups and the small battle continues. There are many sites that support these games and make them available for free download until the rules are changed. Until then enjoy at your own discretion.

                              Rudder Pedals

If you're going to spend much time flying flight simulators, you should know that reaching for the keyboard can be the kiss of death. We've simulated the major flight controls with the HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) approach used in modern jet fighters. However, you're still forced to use the keyboard for rudder control, which can be a deadly distraction when lining up for a difficult strafing run or landing approach. A set of rudder pedals solves this problem by giving your virtual cockpit a set of authentic rudder pedals.

There are several sets of rudder pedals on the market and new units are being added. The modern rudder pedal set is usually USB for compatibility but there are still systems that use the game port. Some of the available units are listed below.

CH USB USB Pro Pedals are very popular. The combo drivers allow the pedals to work with most older games, and many of the leading simulators on the market have native support for multiple controllers. The realistic motion of the rudder pedals, coupled with the separate toe brakes make for a flight experience second to none on the PC. When paired with the CH Flight Sim Yoke or Fighter joystick and Throttle you have complete control over the aircraft. Price is approximately $129.00.

Cirrus Pedals
These pedals are an upgrade in quality and realism from plastic rudder pedals? They are all-metal and FAA-approved. They may be a bit pricey for the average desk top simmer but for serious flight simulation work they are very realistic. Price approximately $495.00

Elite Rudder Pedals (USB)
ELITE Pedals are expertly casted in solid metal and feature pneumatic dampening for precision and realistic feel as in the real aircraft. They are FAA-approved for use as part of the ELITE,  Jeppesen and On Top Personal Computer Aviation Training Devices. Price is approximately $625.00

There are several other rudder pedal units available from various companies at various prices. The CH USB pedals seem to be the best deal at present for the average simmer. Search the internet and you're sure to find a unit to suit your needs at a fairly reasonable price.

Driving simulators are very popular, even more so than Flight Simulation considering the various types of driving simulators available. There are racing games that simulate Nascar, Grand Prix, Dirt Track Racing, Street Racing, Demolition Derby and more. For these games the KwikPit design is the perfect solution. The KwikPit is shown here with the Thrustmaster Grand Prix 1 racing wheel.

The plans built KwikPit is perfect for your racing simulator needs, the KwikPit is designed to support a steering wheel unit and pedals as well as your Flight Simulator gear. The plans are simple to follow and the KwikPit is very easy to build.

The KwikPit  supports most of the currently available steering wheel and pedal units. These units come in everything from plain vanilla wheels with built in levers to the more exotic with programmable buttons and gas and brake pedals. There are also units that use force feedback to mimic the jolts and bumps experienced in racing. Forget about a desk top, with the KwikPit you'll as if you're in the cockpit.

No matter what your needs may be, the KwikPit is the all in one solution, easy to build, inexpensive, and compact. "The cockpit that will meet all your racing and flight simulation needs".

Order your plans today!

              Add Realism To Your Games!

             For more information or to purchase got to:
                          http://www.kwikpit.com

                      This newsletter was produced by:

                  The KwikPit Company
                    3700 Quebec Street
                   Suite 100   PMB 243
                    Denver, CO 80207

                         Phone: 303-265-9974
                          Fax: 303-265-9974

To be removed from The Kwikpit  mailing list send an email to  remove@kwikpit.com  you will be removed within 24 hours.           Visit us at:  http://www.kwikpit.com
©Copyright The KwikPit Company 2004-2005