New Opinions needed regarding offline ATC programs

[Chris Shepard 1022364]

I know this subject has been discussed in other threads, but the majority of them are old and there have been updates to these programs since then. I would like to get a fresh, 2011 perspective on these programs since I am very interested in purchasing one of them very soon.

 

I wanted to get people's thoughts on the "Big Three" ATC programs out there for MSFS. Obviously, Vatsim is going to be the best option because it's more real. I get that, and agree. However, I am asking for opinions on offline ATC programs for those of us that are not able to go online all the time, or those of us that are flying in areas that don't have any Vatsim coverage.

 

1) Radar Contact v4. My eye was set on this for a long time, and I know many will swear by it and vouch for its quality. I don't doubt its quality, and I think it was a fine program when it first came out. However, what I don't like about it is that it has no VFR or taxi handling capabilities (and default ATC does), and the ATC voice doesn't sound good (based on videos I've seen). Supposedly, the developer is working on v5 but hasn't made any updates on what is being done or when we can expect it. It feels like vaporware at this point, and I don't feel like waiting for a new version that may never come out. I also really hate having to email the developer to get a registration key every time you have to install the program. This is a pain if you need to reinstall your OS which I've had to do from time to time. I've read that it's an automated registration server, but they won't be up forever which makes your investment a paper weight afterwards. So this one is out for me.

 

2) ProFlight Emulator. Unlike RC4, this program is continuing to receive updates and is getting better since its original release. Unlike RC4, this program has VFR and Taxi Handling features. It also has many regional voices available to make cross-country flying more fun and immersive, which has been improved with an additional voice set. Some say the voices are great, others say it sounds robotic (but this was back when it first came out). I understand it does take a little more effort to set up to begin with regarding your flight plan, but it's really no more amount of time normally spent preparing a flight. This ATC option attracts me, because I'm very familiar with the good 'ol ProFlight 98 and thought it was amazing at the time. It costs about the same as RC4, registration is painless in the long run, and I like how it's receiving updates. It gives me confidence that they haven't abandoned it with false hopes.

 

3) VoxATC. This one seems to be the "grand daddy" of ATC programs, and the best match for those that want to practice offline in between Vatsim sessions. It handles VFR, taxi handling, SID/STARs on your flight plans, can [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign you approaches, and it even controls AI traffic since it generates its own. Instead of pushing buttons to talk to ATC, you actually "speak" with them using a headset. From everything I read, it's the best we can get for ATC next to Vatsim. The voices are SATI voices that are used in Text to Speech applications. Although some are robotic, there are natural ones that you can get that sound a lot better. The ATC conversation would also sound "smoother" since it isn't cut and pasted together with separate voice files like default ATC, RC4, and PFE. It has a 7 day trial, which is great. (I'm planning on testing this out soon.) It doesn't have regional voices like PFE, however, you can buy new SATI voices (not cheap) that have accents and change the settings depending on where you are flying. Although this is the most promising of the three, it also comes with a "grand daddy" price tag between $75 and $150 depending on the conversion rate and whether you get the deluxe version (with more voices) or not. I would love to get VoxATC, but the price is tough. I'm sure it's worth it, though.

 

Keep in mind, I don't have any of these programs yet. What I've written above is based on what I've read on the various threads and reviews on different websites about them. I haven't been able to really find an up to date comparison between them, and that's what I'm hoping to accomplish with this thread.

 

I'd like to hear your opinions on these three programs and what you think is good or bad about them, so others like myself won't have to search multiple threads on various websites to try to get opinions about them that are anywhere from a few months to few years old. Thanks for your help.