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Features:
The Voice Buddy program is essentially a co-pilot. You call out the
commands and the program executes them. I am by no means a computer
programmer, so I won’t even try to explain the intricacies of how this
program works, just that it does. The first thing you need to do after
installation is to train the program. This consists of reading a
document, which by the way explains a little about how the program
works. As you read, the program learns. It learns how you pronounce
certain words and how you speak in general. If you have an accent, it
will learn how you say words as compared to what they look like in
print. The more times you run the “learning” program, the more accurate
the program will respond to your commands. Even after just one session,
the program is noticeably better at recognizing your commands.
VB comes preloaded with commands for over 50 different games, ranging
from Battlefield 1942 to Doom 3 to Flight Simulator, and all game
command updates are free for users of VB 2.5. The commands for FS are
all there. If you can do it on the keyboard, you can set it up for voice
recognition. There are even commands that are just for pure enjoyment.
If you say “ahead of schedule”, VB goes into a speech directed at the
passengers advising them that we are ahead of schedule and will be
landing shortly. There are also many, many preloaded checklist files.
Call out for the Aero Commander Cruise Check and VB will start reading
back the checklist for you.
And just because you want to fly online, don’t think you have to shut
this program off. It will work just as well online. If you are using a
program such as TeamSpeak for online ATC flight, you don’t have anything
to worry about. Both programs will work at the same time. Put TeamSpeak
on push-to-talk and leave VB alone or you can put them both on PTT with
a different button to push for each.
This program is incredibly fun to use. The first time I called for “gear
up” and saw the gear raise I was astounded. It adds a new dimension to
FS. You can fly an entire flight without ever touching the keyboard. And
the majority of the time, especially after running the learning program,
VB accurately recognizes your commands. There are occasions when you
have to repeat yourself or you don’t say the command correctly, but
overall it is quite accurate.
The best part of this program, at least for me, comes in the form of
which voice you want to hear. After you tell VB to do something, you
will get a verbal acknowledgement of that action. This is the fun part.
If you have ever seen the movie “War Games”, with Matthew Broderick,
released in 1983, and remember the voice of the computer that is trying
to destroy the world…well, you can get the same voice to callback your
commands! That had me rolling on the floor. I loved that movie as a
child and was in complete hysterics when I heard “Joshua” talking to me.
It cannot be stressed enough that a high quality headset must be used
for VB. If you use a stand alone microphone and your PC’s speakers, be
ready for problems. VB is always listening for your voice. If it hears
you through the microphone and through the speakers, the feedback will
not allow the program to work correctly. This can cause VB to execute
the wrong command or to not register a command being issued. Either way,
it will not work correctly.
That being said, eDimensional does offer a very high quality headset.
The AudioFX is an incredible headset to say the least. But this isn’t
your grandpa’s headset. The AudioFX is also a force feedback system. Low
frequency sounds in FS are translated into a tactile feeling through the
headset. Don’t believe me? Get out that old radial powered fighter, the
Corsair would be a great choice, and fire up that engine. You will be
able to feel and hear the rumble at the same time. The force feedback
and the volume are both controllable thanks to a control module that is
integrated into the cord of the headset. Now don’t expect the rumble to
shake your head loose, but it is noticeable, especially at low RPM’s.
And the better soundest you have for your aircraft, the better the
sensation.
This headset is also incredibly well suited for online voice
communications. Got an ATC event to go to? This is the headset you want
to be wearing. It is very comfortable and the high quality microphone
and speakers make this the clearest headset I have ever used. With my
old headset, which was far from high quality, sounds were garbled and
often full of static. The AudioFX has none of that. Voices are crystal
clear and from what I’m told, my voice was well transmitted. If you are
in the market for a headset, this is the one you should be looking at.
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