Metal Detector PC Games

Being out of the game for 6 months of the year I've been looking at outlets to metal detecting related activities. This has drawn me to the world of PC gaming. I search all over the net for different games and have found 3 of which I'd like to share with you, and hope to give you a little something to do on those cold winter months where your favorite hunting grounds have turned to perma-frost.

Treasure Fields

Originally released in 2002 by Terry Bullard this easy to use, basic software package should easily burn up a few hours of your time. The game is based around basic coin shooting. It boasts having nearly every US coin minted hidden under the "ground" waiting for you to dig.

I started by downloading the FREE trial version of the software. The approximately 9.8MB .zip file can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

After installing it using all the default options, I was ready to start up the game. Sadly, though loaded with options I think the game is brutally cumbersome. You start off with a budget and must purchase a machine and other MD related tools from Al's Discount Detectors. After which you have to manually choose the equipment you wish to "equip" with you on any given hunt. This includes machine, coil, digger etc.

You then start your hunt by entering a tournament, which from the outset gives yo ua description and then subtracts an entrance fee.

I had purchased a Tesoro Lobo, and Lesche, so I was out to hunt. You use the mouse and just drag across the field listening for the different sounds. It has all sorts of different tones and sounds, I'm guessing which might be authentic to the model? Anyway, pinpointing is pretty spot on, you dig, get the goods, and refill your hole. Always remember to refill your hole!!!

The game also keeps track of all your finds broken down by face value.

All in all, I stick to what I initially said, it's a neat idea... but I think the execution could have been way better. Be sure to read all of the keyboard commands as they will really make or break the game for you. If you enjoy it, please visit Mr. Bullard's site HERE and contact him for a full copy with all the updates to really get the most out of the game.

Minimum Requirements
Windows 95+
16MB HDD Space

 

Treasure Hunter

From the creators of my favorite MD cataloging software, i-Detect (their link is in my sidebar), comes this completely free metal detecting game that really is fun to play!

Ginkgoware's DFX Treasure Hunter really looks the part of a capable MD simulation, and has a few neat options... but sadly, like the real thing, it can get aggravating.

This game is straight forward and does not have you going to many screens to accomplish a task. After you install the game, and load one of the two maps available for download, it's basically turn on the DFX (which only lets you hunt in factory coin mode) and go. The machine hits on target just like the DFX, so really, for any user of an XLT, DFX or MXT, you should feel right at home. The big downside to this game is pinpointing. It's enough to make you want to cry. Tips are offered on the company site, but they didn't help me much. I ended up digging foot deep craters and coming up empty handed.

The game is worth a shot. The install file is only 4.8MB and the maps are even smaller. To check them out, please click HERE.

Minimum Requirements
Windows 98+
DirectX 8.1+
500 MHz CPU

Treasure Valley

The last game is one I know nothing about. Being out here on the boat I can't play "online" games, and well, Treasure Valley stay connected to the internet to play. There is a FREE Demo version of the game, but you must register for it with a valid email address. If you want to check it out, click HERE.

The game is a 3D first person type MD game, and the screenshots look pretty impressive. But as I said, I have no experience with the game, and at this time cannot comment any further on it.

If any of you readers out there take the time to give it a whirl, I'll gladly post your review here in place of the few words I have to say about it.

Minimum Requirements
Windows XP+
2.0 GHz CPU
512 MB RAM
DirectX
Internet Connection

ACE 250/Minelab X-30 Review!

Alas, the long awaited ACE 250/X-Terra 30 comparison review! So here it go!

Price:
When considering price as a variable, I really had to take in what you get for the money. Obviously in looking at the initial price tag, the Minelab would seem to be all that much better.

The ACE 250 ranges anywhere from $180 to $250 brand new. When I purchased mine, I got it at an unbeatable price. The machine itself, with it's graphic ID, depth meter, pre set discrimination modes and pinpointing, the price was well worth it. I think any of you out there considering the ACE 250 as a first machines, pick it up for that $212 bundle price and you'll be happy.

The Minelab, though roughly twice as much, really in all is NOT twice the detector. Great machine, but for the low end model in the X-Terra line, less money would be great.

Category Winner: ACE 250

AVG USER RATING:
After reading over 100 reviews at numerous online vendors, information sites, blogs etc...

Category Winner: X-Terra 30 (94% approval rating)

Usage Type:
The ACE 250 is a land machine, simple as that. It thrives at playgrounds with wood chips and even sand. Hunting open fields, not a problem. But word to the wise, DO NOT think the ACE is a beach machine. Sure, dry sand it will work just fine. But once you pass the cut and hit the wet stuff, you're wasting your time. Even with the sensitivity way down, it's just a hassle.

Unfortunately, the X-Terra is no different. It thrives in the same areas the ACE does.

Category Winner: DRAW

Weight:
For a lot of people in the hobby, weight is a big issue. These machines are both just under 3lbs, which by hobby standards is quite light and both are very well balanced on your arm which help in lengthening those outings

Category Winner: DRAW

Depths and Depth Accuracy:
The ACE has a "Coin Depth" scale on the right hand side of its screen to indicate depth. It is in 2 inch increment starting at 2", and ends at 8"+. The depth at less than 4" is very accurate, surprisingly so... but anything shower deeper than that is a tossup for the most part. It could be 5", it could 10"... sheesh, depending on what it is, it can be 1" under your coil lying on top!

The X-Terra 30 has a slight edge here. First off, it has 5, 2" depth increments. Anything up to 6" in depth is generally spot on. Past that, sure, you know it's deeper than 6", you just don't really know how deep. I do tend to trust the depth gauge on the X-Terra a little more, and sometimes will double check ACE readings by passing over with the X-Terra.

Category Winner: X-Terra 30

Target ID and its Accuracy:
The ACE uses a graphical target ID in where it places a block underneath a word or graphic representing a certain coin or metal type. There are 12 of these segments. Up to 4" it is VERY accurate. Unfortunately the areas between foil and gold... and penny and dime seem to be grey areas that include lots of different things and it can be hard to really know what it might be.

The X-Terra also has 12 ID segments, but instead uses a numbering system from -4 up to 44, in increments of 4. I cannot begin to say how much more I love this type of ID. 99% of the time, what it reads, is what you get. If I hit a -4, it's nearly always some old rusted piece of iron or a nail. A 32, I'll be expecting a penny, 36... a dime. There is some grey area with the 16, 20, 24 and 28 signals, but in general, most of those are trash (though not always!) It ID's coins VERY accurately, and other types of metals are pretty consistent as well.

Category Winner: X-Terra 30

Battery Type and Swing-time:
Both machines use 4 AA batteries, and can last upwards of 30 hours of swing-time, but expect between 20 and 25.

Category Winner: DRAW

Discrimination and Tones:
The ACE 250 comes with 4 preset disc. modes; All Metal, Jewelry, Relic, and coins. It also has a Custom mode which lets you program to your own liking. It's relatively accurate, more so at shallower depths. There is only one volume with this machine, but there are three distinct tones. Mid range tones for nickels, pull tabs and gold, high range for silver and most coins, and the low tones generally represent trash (but not always!)

The X-Terra only comes with 2 preset modes; All Metal and then a separate setting that can be used to illiminate iron signals. It also has the ability to edit and use a custom setting. This machine does have a volume control, and does give different volumes of signal (or at least it seems to). It also has the three main tones that are the same as the ACE.

Category Winner: X-Terra 30 (Presets don't justify a machine, but being able to pick up faint signals, and along with volume control edge out the ACE)

Pinpointing:
When I first got the ACE, pinpointing was a feature all new to me. Sure I could do the "X Marks the Spot" style of pinpointing, but that's not very accurate. But the ACE has a button that you hold down, and slowly move the coil around to listen for the strongest signal, and visually see that all 12 segments illuminate. It's relatively accurate, definitely get's you close. I just couldn't get center coil with the feature. It would always be closer to the rear or off to the right side.

The X-Terra's pinpointing feature is a god sent. Not only do you not have to hold down the button, but it's super accurate. I would say 95% of the time the item is center coil, and if not, just behind it. Similar to the ACE, you're listening for the louder tone and for the segments to be filled completely.

Category Winner: X-Terra 30

Other Stuff:
The ACE 250 is not complete just by itself. Garrett offers a larger coil for large coverage areas, and also a small 4" sniper coil for those small trashy areas. Sun Ray also makes one of their popular in-line probes, the YF-1, that can be used in conjunction with the ACE.

The X-Terra, well... is pretty much WYSIWYG. I do believe there is an aftermarket coil for it, but the 9" coil it comes with is a good size and works well.

Category Winner: ACE 250

Overall:
The ACE 250 is a wonderful machine, and don't let anyone tell you different. You don't get to be the #1 selling machines in the world by being crap. It does have its limitations, but for your average guy hunting around parks and playgrounds on his off time, and with a small budget, you can't do much better. It has great features and all in all is accurate and easy to use.

The X-Terra 30, though much more pricey than the ACE, is only slightly worth the extra money. That being said, the superior pinpointing alone is enough to sway me. That and the much more accurate number based visual ID are top notch. Greatly accurate, and very easy to use... if you can afford the higher price tag.

Overall Winner: X-Terra 30

NOTE: All air and ground test up to 6" showed nearly identical, accurate readouts by both machines. At 6" there was a little more variance with the ACE, but still relatively accurate. Air tests were done with one each of a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, $1 coin, 14k Gold chain and a .925 thick banded women's ring.

REVIEW: i-Detect by Ginkgoware

So on a few occasions a couple months back, some people on the MD forums I frequent were asking questions regarding GPS marking of their finds, as well as if there were any programs available for cataloging said finds. I remember thinking to myself, "Yeah, that'd be pretty sweet!" Well as is turns out, there is a single product that does both of those things, and a whole lot more!

The software, now in it's version 3.0 release, is called i-detect, and is available from Ginkgoware, a division of CMH Software, Inc. They are located in the small (both in population size and area) North-Western Montana town of Libby. They have put out a product that is indeed robust, customizable, and quality made... and I feel every metal detector hobbyist should not be without it.

When I use the term robust in describing this program, I'm talking depth. This software just seems to have every option imaginable. Not only does it do everything, but it does it extremely well, and with much ease on the user end. So for all you tedious record keepers who pay a lot of attention to detail, just check out this list (not all inclusive) of the type of information it tracks:

• Locations
• Details
• Detector settings
• Detector brand and model
• Coil size
• GPS coordinates
• Finds
• Multiple pictures of items and locations
• Common coinage counter per location and total overall
• Total collection value per location and total overall
• Total time detecting per location
• Hardware maintenance information
• Reference # for you relic hunters
• Weight of item
• Map information

That being said, join me while I take you through my first entry. As you run the program, it comes up with a default detector "skin" and entry. To clear the example from the database, simply click Database > New Database > OK. Then just answer "Yes" to overwrite. After that, I had heard that you could customize your detector skin. So on the detector face, I clicked the Options button, then clicked Change Style, and then chose what I wanted, the Minelab X-Terra 70 (the closest to my actual detector). Click close and let's get back to the program. Other than the possibility you chose a different style, you should currently be looking at a blank Record entry like this:

I chose to use my most recent outting, of which was a tot lot at THE SHED next to Atlantic Shores Baptist. As you can see in the next image, I entered in all of "Location Information" accordingly. When you get to "Coordinate Type", you'll want to use the WGS 84 datum (if you are in he US). But here is the tricky part, especially for many of you out there who use Google Maps or Google Earth to find your hunting grounds. The program asks for the Lat/Long to be in the following format: Degress, Minutes, Decimal Minutes. However, if you are using any of the Google programs for GPS data, you may get a value like 36.78345003, -76.1925223, or adversely, one like this, 36°47'0.42"N, 76°11'33.08"W. Both of those mean the same thing, but neither is what the program asks for. If you have no clue about GPS coordinates and need an explanation to help you get the right numbers, check out THIS WEBSITE or simply message me and I'll hook you up.

So my one complaint about the program would be that there is no way to enter in the GPS data in other formats. Small price to pay for such a great piece of software ;) But after you get the right data in there, clicking the "View Online Map" button brings up your location in a web browser, which I think is super cool.

Next we'll move on to the "General Pictures" tab. You'll immediately see tons of blank thumbnails. Click the little button under then that says "Load Image." Enter in your desired caption and then again click "Load Image." Simply browse for your image and select it. When it loads, just close the window and you'll see your thumbnail.

After adding however many pictures you want, head over to the "Related Documents" area. At this time I did not add any, but it's a great repository to add web links to information regarding the history of the location you hunted, or maybe granted permission documents.

Now on to the "Items" button. Simply click "Add New Item." Then you just add the details for said item. I chose to start out with the 19 modern pennies I found. As you can see, I entered the date of the find, the type of the item, it's era, it's condition, and value among other things. Does the item you want to enter not fit into one of the six default categories? Never fear, go back to the "Options" button on your detector face and you can add/remove/edit nearly every single pull-down menu list in the software.

You can also enter in info about your detector. Which did you use, what were it's settings? Did you hunt with a buddy? Note it as well. If you took pictures of individual items, you can load those here too. When finished with that item, click "OK" and continue to add others.

So after adding all of your items, your first record is complete. Simple as that. Awesome software isn't it? If you want to continue on with your next record, it's as simple as Record > Add new Record.

Besides the Records window, your detector face has a few functions as well. Not only do the options let you customize many of the settings of the software, from the look, to the actual information you can enter... but it has a great feature called Hardware. This let's you store all pertinent info regarding your machine. Who you bought it from when, warranty info etc. It's a great resource to bring that back up if something goes wrong.

Lastly, there is the "Search" function, which I think is golden. This search feature lets you search all of your record entries by one of dozens of criteria. Just think, nearly everything you entered into your record, is now a search option. It makes finding things and narrowing down finds quick and efficient.

Ginkgoware really outdid themselves, and are truly pioneers in metal detecting software. They really did think of everything, so it's hard to imagine what the next revelation in the product will produce.

If you are interested in the software, please visit Ginkgoware and purchase an application that will keep you motivated and excited about getting out there and swinging that detector!