Microsoft Flight Simulator X

[edyzmedieval]

I've recently seen the Deluxe Edition on the market, and I'm really keen to buy it. There are 2 things I am interested in, and one which I complain about.

1. How good is this game? Last simulator I played was 2004 and I liked it, plus I've lost countless night on FS 97. I want extreme realism and basically, if it's possible, all the buttons from a real plane. :beam:

2. What are the minimum system requirements? Since I still have to wait for my new rig (damned supplier wants all the money in a blast! ), would it work at least on medium on 512MB DDR2?

I'll be looking to get the Deluxe Edition, since it has some sweet new content in it, and here, it's 10 dollars more than the normal one.

[FesterShinetop]

http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/flightsimulatorx.aspx

Scroll a little down, there is a link for the demo. Just give it a try!

Don't have it (yet) but basically it's a newer version of FS9, so if you liked that one...

As for your 2nd question, don't count on it, with only 512MB you'll be happy to run it on low settings I think, but of course I don't know the rest of you pc specs so just try the demo to be sure!

[Lorenzo_H]

I have the deluxe edition. If the normal version is much cheaper than the deluxe like it is here in the UK (normal=J10 deluxe=J45), then don't bother.

As for the game - make sure your PC is a hellova monster to run it on full beauty. I imagine the 512mb is not your main problem; but your graphics card. The game is indeed very detailed, and it has all the airports I've ever been to, major or minor. Don't worry, absolutely ALL the real buttons are visible and fully functional. These are easy to operate in the small props, but the 747 has so many buttons it makes me sick at my screen.

The best thing about the game are the intuitive missions which actually help you fly the planes (pilots use them for training). You will learn how to fly gliders, props and jets alike.

[edyzmedieval]

512MB DDR2 RAm
256 ATI Radeon X700
250GB HDD
Intel Pentium IV 3.2

I have 1 friend who's a Flight Simulator maniac, so I'll be looking to borrow a bit the full edition.

[Lorenzo_H]

It should run it, but perhaps not on full eye candy.

[edyzmedieval]

I am looking for at least medium settings. That's my aim anyhow.
I'll receive the memory perhaps next week, upgrading to 2GB. Hopefully that will speed up things.

[Lorenzo_H]

Everything looks ok then. give it a try.

[Beirut]

I've recently seen the Deluxe Edition on the market, and I'm really keen to buy it. There are 2 things I am interested in, and one which I complain about.

1. How good is this game? Last simulator I played was 2004 and I liked it, plus I've lost countless night on FS 97. I want extreme realism and basically, if it's possible, all the buttons from a real plane. :beam:

The realism is great. The default planes are as good as the payware planes in FS9, really great 3D cockpits. The flight qualities feel better as well. There is less of a feeling that you are riding train tracks in the sky. There is also simulated pilot head movement according to how you fly. Very nice.

The weather maker in FSX is better in FSX than in FS9. More variations and better turbulence. Also, Active Sky has just been released for FSX and that will put the weather over the top. Should be amazing.


2. What are the minimum system requirements? Since I still have to wait for my new rig (damned supplier wants all the money in a blast! ), would it work at least on medium on 512MB DDR2?

The minimum specs? No one really knows because FSX has yet to find any machine it can run well on. A patch was just released that improved things, but FSX is still a huge pig of a program. I ran it on an AMD64-3000/2GB RAM/7800GS AGP and I had to keep the options well under control to make it flyable. Don't get me wrong, you can have some great bush flights, but flying over cities can get tough and if you turn on the AI flights to create a busy airport, you're dead. Your FPS will drop from 25 to 2 in a heartbeat.

FSX is a great flightsim. I have FSGenesis terrain mesh and some custom planes installed and it looks really, really nice. But make no mistake, it's a CPU and GPU eating monster.

[edyzmedieval]

I was crazy enough to max out on everything. It wouldnt even load, and I had to restart my computer...

Thanks Beirut, it's really helpful. But about that thread with the More Flight Sim stuff, I've read that you've paid for extra content? What do you mean by this?

[Beirut]

Thanks Beirut, it's really helpful. But about that thread with the More Flight Sim stuff, I've read that you've paid for extra content? What do you mean by this?

I bought a bunch of new planes that are much better than the default planes; higher res, better cockpits and sounds, etc. I bought programs to improve the look of the coastlines and mountains, ground and sky colours, and scenery packages that cover specific airports in very high detail.

This video shows a nice custom plane over the FZ02 Portland scenery. I have the scenery and it's very, very nice.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ocwWDoZJta8

[Mikeus Caesar]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but i've also been considering buying this great looking game. The only thing putting me off is the price, which for a game is pretty high, at least for a poor unemployed wretch like me who has just left school. You will be able to convince me to buy it though if you answer me one thing - are there any planes such as the C-119 Flying Boxcar, or Antonov An-10?

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/bermuda-triangle-9.jpg

http://avia.russian.ee/pictures/russia/an-10.jpg

I don't know why, but there's something about old cargo planes that i quite like. And if they happen to be in FSX, then i would definitely get a kick out of that. Apparently my home village can be seen and flown over, which would be a good larf.

[edyzmedieval]

Just try the demo first, or ask a friend who has it...

[Lorenzo_H]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but i've also been considering buying this great looking game. The only thing putting me off is the price, which for a game is pretty high, at least for a poor unemployed wretch like me who has just left school. You will be able to convince me to buy it though if you answer me one thing - are there any planes such as the C-119 Flying Boxcar, or Antonov An-10?

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/bermuda-triangle-9.jpg

http://avia.russian.ee/pictures/russia/an-10.jpg

I don't know why, but there's something about old cargo planes that i quite like. And if they happen to be in FSX, then i would definitely get a kick out of that. Apparently my home village can be seen and flown over, which would be a good larf.
There aren't any old cargo planes, unfortunatly. There is one or two newish ones though.

[Beirut]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but i've also been considering buying this great looking game. The only thing putting me off is the price, which for a game is pretty high, at least for a poor unemployed wretch like me who has just left school. You will be able to convince me to buy it though if you answer me one thing - are there any planes such as the C-119 Flying Boxcar, or Antonov An-10?

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/bermuda-triangle-9.jpg

http://avia.russian.ee/pictures/russia/an-10.jpg

I don't know why, but there's something about old cargo planes that i quite like. And if they happen to be in FSX, then i would definitely get a kick out of that. Apparently my home village can be seen and flown over, which would be a good larf.

What are your system specs?

You might want to consider buying FS2004 which can be had for cheap, runs well on most machines, and there are a million freeware add-ons that really make it shine.

I'm running both sims but I spend far more time in FS2004.

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, I'm going for it. Will buy the dandy thing probably tomorrow, along with a nice joystick, and next year (January), if I like the game, I will add up with the expansion pack and probably some extra content.

Will it run smoothly on a

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHZ
3.3 GB DDR2 RAM
256MB nVidia 7900GS

?

[Beirut]

Beirut, I'm going for it. Will buy the dandy thing probably tomorrow, along with a nice joystick, and next year (January), if I like the game, I will add up with the expansion pack and probably some extra content.

Will it run smoothly on a

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHZ
3.3 GB DDR2 RAM
256MB nVidia 7900GS

?

Hey Edyz,

It will run well as long as you match your flight style to your specs and your expectations.

If you want to fly the heavies (747 et al) out of major airports near big cities, you're doomed. Or at least mostly doomed. Forget about fancy airport AI with moving baggage carts and all that. Ain't gonna happen. However, you should get some decent flights with good eye-candy out of major airports if you lower the settings appropriately. You'll need to grab some tweaks so you can play with the .cfg file settings. They will make a very noticeable difference.

On the other hand, if you handle the settings well, and fly the right plane (not an FPS killing add-on), you should get some very nice bush and mountain flights with excellent eye candy.

Don't forget that FS9 (FS2004) will run very well on your rig and still has lots of life in it. You'll be able to do things you could never pull off in FSX. It's subjective, but reasonable(?) to say you'll get ten times the performance out of FS9 than you will out of FSX. And vice versa. FS9 is still an excellent sim.

Have you flown FS9 yet?

[edyzmedieval]

FS2004, yes, but only a long time ago, and not on my rig. I don't own it.
I tried FSX last night on it (don't ask), on ultra high everything and 1900x1200. The thing is it didn't even try to go on ultra high, it looked like a 640x480 game.

Will it run on this:

3.2 GHZ Intel Pentium IV
2GB DDRII RAM
ATI Radeon X700

?

If FSX will not prove viable, then FS2004 will be on my shopping list.

[Beirut]

FS2004, yes, but only a long time ago, and not on my rig. I don't own it.
I tried FSX last night on it (don't ask), on ultra high everything and 1900x1200. The thing is it didn't even try to go on ultra high, it looked like a 640x480 game.

Will it run on this:

3.2 GHZ Intel Pentium IV
2GB DDRII RAM
ATI Radeon X700

?

If FSX will not prove viable, then FS2004 will be on my shopping list.

An ATI X700 is very weak for FSX. I thought you had a 7900GS card?

[edyzmedieval]

My laptop includes the 7900GS while the 4 year old desktop incorporates the X700. The only problem with my laptop is that it has only a Core 2 Duo 2.0GHZ. I don't know if this is fast, but surely, it doesn't work too good with FSX unfortunately.

[Husar]

Have you tried the game on the laptop?
I'd expect the laptop to outperform the desktop, wouldn't worry too much about the Core 2 Duo, especially if the game is somewhat optimized it should outperform the Pentium 4.

[edyzmedieval]

Yes, I tried it only on the laptop, and it works like a 640x480. The outside looks kind of bad, and I put everything on max. I have no clue what to do next.

[edyzmedieval]

I tweaked FSX now and it works good now, especially with Service Pack 1 which gave me some more FPS.

Now, the question is. I want to buy some payware add-on packs.
I have an option between 3 packs, which are expensive, I admit, but since I'll hopefully be getting a rig, I want to get them.

- FS Global 2008 (35 quid)
- Switzerland Pro X (will be released later on this year - it will be absolutely incredible but... 130 euros!!!!)
- Flight Environment X + Ground Environment X - about 90 $

Anyone giving me any tips? I really want the Switzerland Pro X, but I highly doubt I will want to spend my earnings on that.

[Beirut]

Hey Edyz,

The key, if you want to stay within budget, is to target the type of flying you want to do and where you want to do it. Because unless you have several hundred dollars to invest, you won't get even close to having it all.

In FSX I prefer bush flights up the west coast of North America, from California to BC, to the Yukon and Alaska. So I buy add-ons that will improve that area. I buy scenery packages that work well with low altitude flying and planes in the speed range that will allow me to appreciate the scenery.

On the other hand, if you are interested in flying heavies (747 et al), then you don't need good low level textures nearly as much as you'll want nice cloud textures to fly through and fancy major airports to land at. (As long as your rig can handle it.)

Just make sure your ends fit your needs.

*By the by, here's a good tweak for you. In the FSX.cfg file (it's in C:\Doc & Settings\User name\ Application Data\ Microsoft\'FSX) add these lines to the end of the Terrain section: (Back up your .cfg first!)

TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=4500
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=3000

It will allow you to chose how many trees and buildings you want the sim to render at any one time. I think 6000 is the max number. (It's also a number you will never use.) I prefer less buildings and more trees. Fool around and find the best balance for what you want. Start low (1000) and work your way up until the frame rate suffers

[edyzmedieval]

I use Flight Simulator as a method of recreation, take a break from school and stuff, when I have some more time, but also to prepare me before as I would like later on to take my PPL (Private Pilots Licence). FS is excellent for starting, and is almost as in-depth as I would like.

Basically, I fly jets mostly, especially the Learjets, which suit my tastes perfectly. The biggest heavy I like is the Airbus A321 or alternatively the Boeing 737. 747 is too big for my tastes and it's more difficult to fly.

Flying over Switzerland will be one of my main routes because it's a small country with big airports, so for jets it's perfect. Flying Zurich - Geneva and Geneva - Bern are already saved in my FSX copy, and I use them to polish up my skills at landing and sometimes instrument flights (I do that in Hawaii or Austria), because of the weather variety which is great for flying in different conditions.

On the other hand, once you finish the missions, you can add lots more and for example I have the KLM Missions pack, which takes me from Amsterdam to different parts on the world, and for this, the global scenery pack (FSGlobal) is worth every cent.

I honestly don't know.

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, can you recommend some good FSX fan sites with active forums?

I want to exchange some impressions and info until I buy some scenery packages and aircraft.

[Beirut]

Hey Edyz,

Avsim.com

Good people and a good library of freeware.

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, I seek your golden advice on flight simming again.

Recommend VERY good payware packages which are focused on scenery, mesh and texture enhacements.

[Templar Knight]

Question for Beirut: Does Active Sky X have live data feed? If I take off from London or Paris will the weather in game be the same as in real life at that moment?

Also does it have a live weather radar for the flight deck?

[edyzmedieval]

AFAIK, Active Sky X indeed does have live data feed, as I have/had ASX.

[Templar Knight]

cheers, one more thing to get when I get my new comp :2thumbsup:

Anymore addons you recommend? F2S Crew? Traffic X?

[edyzmedieval]

Get the following add-on packages

- Graphics X
- Flight Environment X
- Real Extreme Environment X (will come up soon)
- FS Global 2008
- MegaScenery Hawaii X

These are my recommendations. Some are very expensive (FS Global 2008 is 55 dollars) but they are really worth it.

[Templar Knight]

Active Sky X and Global 2008 are a must.

I have been looking for a good Airbus A380 addon, the freeware ones look better than the payware.

Also how do you refuel in FSX?

[edyzmedieval]

You land on an airport and you request a refuel truck.

[edyzmedieval]

Recommending www.flightsim.com for any flight simmers around the Org.
The forums there are really good and lots of people come there to post daily.

WOOT. My 7500th post! ~:cheers:

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, a quick question. You said you bought a 3 year membership at a mesh enhacement company. Is it somehow FSGenesis? Is it worth to buy a membership?

Thanks. ~:)

[Beirut]

Yep. FSGenesis. You can get world coverage in FSX for about $45. The difference it makes is remarkable. Instead of looking like glorified bumps, mountains look like mountains, with peaks and ridges and valleys. The North American coverage is high detail, the rest of the world less so, but still much better than stock.

Couldn't/wouldn't fly without it.

[edyzmedieval]

Nice, thanks for the tip. :)
What other add-ons have you purchased for FSX?

[Beirut]

Ground Environment X
Flight Environment X
Ultimate Terrain X
The FS Genesis mesh

I bought tons more for FS2004.

[Beirut]

EMFM,

You should be able to do much better on the graphics than what you mentioned.

Defrag. Install. Defrag again. It's worth it.

First off, did you install the patch? It's about 200MB and will up your FPS by 50%.

Lock your frame rate at about 20 FPS.
Put cloud draw distance to minimum.Put the scenery draw radius to medium.
Kill the bloom effect. No machine can run it and live.
Kill all AI traffic. Planes, boats, cars, airport vehicles.
Keep the water effect in the 1X range. Try 2X after.Max all your scenery sliders and see what happens.

The auto-gen is the killer, that's what puts the trees and building in the scenery. Start high and work back until you float around 20FPS. (Shift+Z gives you readouts.) Most people find 20 FPS pretty good. Some are okay with as low as 15-17. Anything over 25 is gravy.

Read this: http://ops.precisionmanuals.com/wiki/FSX_FPS_Guide


From a previous post to Edyz:

*By the by, here's a good tweak for you. In the FSX.cfg file (it's in C:\Doc & Settings\User name\ Application Data\ Microsoft\'FSX) add these lines to the end of the Terrain section: (Back up your .cfg first!)

TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=4500
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=3000

It will allow you to chose how many trees and buildings you want the sim to render at any one time. I think 6000 is the max number. (It's also a number you will never use.) I prefer less buildings and more trees. Fool around and find the best balance for what you want. Start low (1000) and work your way up until the frame rate suffers

[edyzmedieval]

Ground Environment X
Flight Environment X
Ultimate Terrain X
The FS Genesis mesh

I bought tons more for FS2004.

I see you're a real flight lover. I have a shopping list over here:

- FS Genesis mesh
- Switzerland Pro X (from Aerosoft, coming out in March)
- Flight Environment X
- Ground Environment X
- Flight Keeper
- Flight Operation Center
- Real Air SF260
- Piper Super Cub
- Cessna Citation X
- Tin Goose
- Jeppesen Professional Logbook


It's really big. But since I turned hardcore, I really want all these. I dread to see the final paycheck. Oh well, guess I'll have to work more to keep the bank balance steady.

[Templar Knight]

Whats better active sky or flight environment x? Does FEX come with a real time weather radar?

[Beirut]

Active Sky will give you dynamic, real time weather, and some graphics improvements.

Flight Environment X doesn`t touch the weather, but has amazing graphics. Better skies, better water, better clouds, and the program is constantly being updated and has hundreds of environmental sets to chose from.

For my money, there`s no choice - Flight Environment X!

[Templar Knight]

Traffic X worth a try when it comes out? lol I see TX will have ''Clandestine CIA Extraordinary Rendition flights'' :2thumbsup:

[edyzmedieval]

Traffic X is already out and it recently received some updates.
I would get FSGenesis for some mesh terrain.

[Beirut]

Traffic X worth a try when it comes out? lol I see TX will have ''Clandestine CIA Extraordinary Rendition flights'' :2thumbsup:
The AI traffic that`s already in FSX can kill your rig. Unless you have some serious specs, you might want to reconsider paying for something you might not be able to run.
Check out World of AI. It`s easy to install and easy to use. You can get a whack of good AI flights, including military, for free.

http://www.world-of-ai.com/installer.html

[Templar Knight]

What is the AI flights like in FSX? Any real airlines? Busy airports and skys?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Any recommendations for good freeware terrain? Looking especially for Ontario and Europe, mostly Germany.

[Beirut]

For FS2004, there is an astounding amount of payware scenery covering Germany. The upside is it`s very nicely done. The downside is that it will cost you a small fortune to get all of it.

For FSX, the Germany scenery has just started coming out. Aerosoft.com makes it and it`s very good. Again, though, it will cost you at least several hundred dollars to get the whole country and you will need a honking big hard drive to put it all on. One package comes in nine parts (two are out) covering all the small airfields. Another comes in several parts each covering a major airport. The last package comes in four parts (one is out), each does a quarter of Germany in ridiculous photo accurate detail and installs at about 16GB each. Oh, and there`s the last package called German Landmarks which goes on top of everything else. So, if you have $500 and 120GB of HD space, you get Germany to a T.

Still on payware, Ultimate Terrain X is a great product. The latest issue was Canada-Alaska and gives you accurate roads, towns, rivers, cities, and coastlines for the whole country. It`s quite something. Wait for UTX Europe to come out and that will keep you happy for all of Europe including Germany.

Add to this Flight Terrain X will release the first of at least thirty packages covering the world in very, very nice detail. I think they are planning a total package cost of about $400US. The complete install could easily run over a hundreds GBs.

Add to this all the other payware packages covering major airports, cities and regions around the world, special terrain packages, environmental improvements, not to mention custom planes, and you can see there`s a lot out there.

So, if you have about $1500-$2000 for add-ons and a monster rig with a 500GB HD to run FSX on, you can get world coverage with down-to-the-meter accuracy.

Freeware - check the libraries at flightsim.com and avsim.com. There`s lots of stuff, some very good, some not.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I have a 500 GB (failed, soon to be a 750GB - and NOT Seagate), but no money. :laugh4:

That's why I was asking about freeware. If it comes down to it, I'll get payware of Bavaria, though it's already pretty well done. Therefore, Ontario is what I'd really like, especially the villages north of Peterborough, like Stanhope and Lindsay Airports (included, but surrounding terrain is a little disappointing).

[Beirut]

There`s a group of guys who specialize in freeware scenery of Ontario. Try Googling it or look into the avsim.com freeware library.

I know there`s one fellow who did freeware mesh of all Quebec. Pretty impressive.

[edyzmedieval]

Any recommendations for good freeware terrain? Looking especially for Ontario and Europe, mostly Germany.

I would get the Helgoland X from Aerosoft, boxed edition. Not too cheap, but it's one of the best sceneries ever made for a FS game. Everyone is very hyped about it, and I think I'll buy it too.

Aerosoft is a company which really specialises in FSX payware add-ons. And they are based in Germany, so they have lots of scenery packages for Germany.

www.aerosoft.com (http://www.aerosoft.com)

Oh by the way, how the heck do I buy from Aerosoft? Every time I go, everything's fine except that it wont give me the forms to fill in the details of the credit card!

[Whacker]

OK, this is killing me, someone do the following. MSFSX with all the goodies, and fly over the big island on hawaii where the volcano is. Take screenshots and post em!

[Beirut]

OK, this is killing me, someone do the following. MSFSX with all the goodies, and fly over the big island on hawaii where the volcano is. Take screenshots and post em!

Don`t go wonky, Whacker. We`re here for ya. I`ll throw up a few (burp...) so you can see what`s going on.

FSX + Mega-Hawaii X + Flight Environment X.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-10-1706-33-38-25.jpg

FSX Acceleration expansion pack F-18 over Andrews AFB.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0218-02-25-12.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0218-00-39-71.jpg

Same F-18 + Flight Environment X
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-10-3112-49-08-04.jpg

FSX over Carribean + Flight Environment X.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0221-53-39-56.jpg

Pacific Northwest somewhere.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0222-00-56-09.jpg

Acceleration expansion pack P-51.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0516-11-25-04.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-0516-11-39-39.jpg

Somewhere over the Rockies. Flight Environment X + Ground Environment X + Genesis mesh.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/fsx2007-11-2022-08-51-92.jpg

[Beirut]

Now, as a bona fide FS2004 & FSX flightsim nerd with the experience (meaning countless wasted hours) and the credit card bills to prove it, I`m telling ya - don`t spend one cent on add-ons until you get the FSX Acceleration Expansion Pack. (It`s an official MS Flightsim product.)

You get two excellent quality planes and a helicopter, lots of excellent new scenery, lots of new flight missions, and patches that improve performance. Also, some add-ons will only work once the expansion pack is installed. Just the F-18 is worth the $25 the package costs.

[Whacker]

A hearty Thank You! to my frozen northern wasteland dwelling friend for the screenies! I was also hoping that someone with the Hawaii scenery pack could buzz this area (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html) and show us some up to date screens... I'm curious how well they modeled and texturized the active eruption area.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I'm going to pick up Acceleration tomorrow then, when I'm back in the city. ~:)

[Beirut]

A hearty Thank You! to my frozen northern wasteland dwelling friend for the screenies! I was also hoping that someone with the Hawaii scenery pack could buzz this area (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html) and show us some up to date screens... I'm curious how well they modeled and texturized the active eruption area.

For the price, about $15 for the Mega-Hawaii X DL, IIRC, it's an amazingly detailed piece of scenery. Not a huge area, just one island, but smackin', is it ever well done. :yes:

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Are there any good add-on Lufthansa aircraft available for free?

[Beirut]

Check the freeware libraries at flightsim.com and avsim.com. Some planes are rated, that helps separate the wheat from the chaff.

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, forum posters (the majority) say that FSX Acceleration is a really bad expansion pack. Now, today I ordered 3 Aerosoft products (including a stunning Piper Cheyenne X - I heartly recommend it...can't wait for it to come), and I was thinking of orering Accel, but I'm not sure if the money will be wasted or not.

Oh, there's a big update (1.7GB) for Ground Environment X.

[Beirut]

Beirut, forum posters (the majority) say that FSX Acceleration is a really bad expansion pack.


They're wrong. ~:smoking:

Some people were moaning about some slowdowns and stutters, I think, but a proper install takes care of all of that. I had zero problems. I had FSX on it's own HD all by its lonesone. I uninstalled, defragged, installed FSX, then Acceleration, then all the add-ons, defragging at least two or three times during the process and once at the end, and everything ran like peaches and cream.

The F-18 is gorgeous. Looks fantastic, comes with lots of skins, the HUD works perfectly and is very smooth. The P-51 Racer is also very nicely done as well as the EH-101 chopper. Included in Acceleration are great sceneries of Andrews AFB (pics above) as well as Istanbul and a few other places. By market standards for FSX add-ons, what you get in Acceleration would cost way over $100. The F-18 and Edwards AFB alone would cost $50 to $60 together at least. So for $25, it's a no brainer.

A note, if you run Ground Environment X without a defrag after install, you're doomed.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I got Acceleration, and I really like the additions. No noticeable slowdown either.

[Beirut]

Have you checked out Edwards AFB, It's pretty sweet. Great place to fart around with the F-18. (Kind of hard to mess up landing on a 50,000' runway.)

Are youy running any other add-ons?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Are youy running any other add-ons?

One Lufthansa Airbus add-on. Stalls a little easily, in my opinion.

By the way, here's my settings. My rig is an E6600, 8800GTS Superclocked, and 2GB RAM.

Any suggestions?

https://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3350/settingsqa7.png[/URL]

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Beirut, what was your longest flight so far, and how long did it take?

Mine's relatively short - a quick one from Berlin to Oslo, and another from Luxembourg to Konrad-Adenauer-Flughafen in Köln. I might do a San Jose (Costa Rica) to Panama today. How's the Costa Rica scenery? I really loved Costa Rica when I went there, and I hope FSX lives up to my expectations.

[Beirut]

By the way, here's my settings. My rig is an E6600, 8800GTS Superclocked, and 2GB RAM.

Any suggestions?

https://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3350/settingsqa7.png[/URL]


Good specs. What res do you fly at? What about the AA & AF settings on your video card?

Have you gotten into the more specific settings screen, where you can adjust terrain mesh size and auto-gen density? That`s the one you need to get into. Hit the Custom button on the screen you showed, that should bring it up.


Beirut, what was your longest flight so far, and how long did it take?

Most of my flights were short, less than an hour, and at low altitude. I mostly puddle jump and do short bush flights. The longest, I think, was from Whitehorse to Eagle Plains (Artic Circle) in some small prop job.

[edyzmedieval]

I love the FSX Missions. It's a really fun way of spending your time. Now I'm trying my luck on gliding a 737 over the Indian Ocean to arrive to a airport 90 miles away! Both engines fail, and you have to glide that monster with passengers inside...

My longest flight was probably from Hawaii Oahu (Dillingham airport I think) to Princeville. I think it was around 150 miles.

[Beirut]

Do you fly with music playing?

It can make for a very relaxing diversion. ~:smoking:

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Do you fly with music playing?

It can make for a very relaxing diversion. ~:smoking:

I've never tried it, partly because I like to hear the ATC, but mostly because my computer is my stereo system, and I do everything I can to run FSX smoothly (use RAM efficiently).

[Beirut]

Did you get into the more specific settings screen yet?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Did you get into the more specific settings screen yet?
A little. I think I'll do the tweak you mentioned that gives more buildings - I hate flying over a city of 2D panels will the occasional skyscraper.

EDIT: Here's why. This is Tokyo on my settings, in the Executive Transport mission.


https://img526.imageshack.us/img526/250/tokyofsxgp4.png

[edyzmedieval]

Do you fly with music playing?

It can make for a very relaxing diversion. ~:smoking:

Yeap. I have my iPod near me all the time. Plug and play. I keep the kneeboard open so in case I dont hear the messages, I can always read them.

Still have about 10 missions left, and all of them are pretty hard. I finished the Africa Relief but I didn't get a reward. Any idea why? Maybe because I always stop after the runway?

[Whacker]

Do you fly with music playing?

It can make for a very relaxing diversion. ~:smoking:

Somebody has been watching a little too much Iron Eagle!!! :wings:

[Beirut]

Somebody has been watching a little too much Iron Eagle!!! :wings:

More like Tin Chickadee. :flybye:

I listen to Floyd while I'm flying a Cessna.

[edyzmedieval]

Did any of you guys complete all missions? And what certificates can you get as rewards?

[edyzmedieval]

Tour of Europe in a turboprop done by me, with a Beechcraft King Air 350. ~:) :yes:

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?t=178665

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut,

What payware aircraft do you have and use in FS2004?

[TB666]

One thing that annoyed me during 2004(well any MFS game) is that it's so damn quiet.
You hardly ever hear anything over the radio.
If you keep the regular radio channel for the tower sure you will hear things but they tell you to switch to another radio channel where you can't hear a bloody thing.
Is this fixed in MFSX ??

[edyzmedieval]

One thing that annoyed me during 2004(well any MFS game) is that it's so damn quiet.
You hardly ever hear anything over the radio.
If you keep the regular radio channel for the tower sure you will hear things but they tell you to switch to another radio channel where you can't hear a bloody thing.
Is this fixed in MFSX ??

In my experience, this is fixed. I can clearly hear what they say on the ATC system. :yes:

What version are you guys using? I have FSX Deluxe edition, and soon with the expansion pack.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

FSX Deluxe with Acceleration.

[TB666]

In my experience, this is fixed. I can clearly hear what they say on the ATC system. :yes:

Wasn't the question.
I had no trouble hearing what they say on 2004 either.
The problem was I guess you can call it "dead air".
Only ones that are talking are the towers at the airports.
Is there more chatter maybe from other aircrafts or more chatter from the towers that might actually be helpful ??

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

There is talk from other aircraft. However, to my knowledge, you'll need a higher air traffic setting to take full advantage, which is a PC killer.

[TB666]

Well that's always something.

[Beirut]

There are payware add-ons that will give you increased radio traffic as well as others that will give you a much improved interactive cockpit, with mouthy co-pilot and all.

I tend to fly solo bush flights so radio chat is way down on my list of priorities.

[edyzmedieval]

I recently purchased the following products from Aerosoft.

Monaco X
Helgoland X
Piper Cheyenne X
FSX Mission Pack 1
FSX Acceleration

I'll be looking to get them around this week. Should be great fun.
I also have installed (borrowed from a sim geek) Lukla X, DHC-6 Twin Otter, the Wilco Airbus series (both), Pilatus PC-12.

I also plan to get FS Global 2008 + FS Genesis (a must).
Any comments on FS Global?

[TB666]

Will this computer run FSX well ??

Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad processors (2,40 Ghz, 1 066 MHz FSB, 8 MB cache)
DUAL 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GT graphics card
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz [2x1GB, 2x512MB] Memory

Or FS2004 for that matter ??

[Beirut]

Will this computer run FSX well ??

Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad processors (2,40 Ghz, 1 066 MHz FSB, 8 MB cache)
DUAL 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GT graphics card
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz [2x1GB, 2x512MB] Memory

Or FS2004 for that matter ??


Should be great for FSX. You'll still have limitations, but you'll be able to enjoy most of the good stuff.

On the other hand, FS2004 will smoke on that system. You'll be able to run everything maxed with heavy AI traffic at major airports. That's something you can only dream of in FSX.

Both sims are CPU hogs, not so much on the video card.

[TB666]

Well as long as it will run smooth.
After my disasterous flight from Sweden to Greece where most of the flight was a bit of a slide show and after 2 hours flight my graphic card overheats and game crash.~:mecry:
I was so close to Greece.

[edyzmedieval]

FSX requirements are really strange. If TB666 got a slide show on that computer, then what can I say when I have 15fps on Venice X from Aerosoft, with this:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHZ
4GB RAM
200GB HDD 7200rpm
nVIDIA Go 7900GS

15 fps on Venice X! And I have everything on medium to max!

What the...??!!! ~:eek:

[TB666]

Oh, the computer specs listed above is for a computer that I will recieve next month.
My current computer is a
2.3 GHz Celeron
512mb ATI RAdeon X1650
512MB RAM.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Oh, the computer specs listed above is for a computer that I will recieve next month.
My current computer is a
2.3 GHz Celeron
512mb ATI RAdeon X1650
512MB RAM.

512MB RAM? ~:eek:


No wonder.

[TB666]

512MB RAM? ~:eek:


No wonder.
This computer is almost 6 years old.
It's was cutting edge when it came out :laugh4:(Or should I say built it)
Only thing changed is the graphic card.
Used to have a 128Mb Radeon 9800 pro

[edyzmedieval]

Beirut, what Aerosoft products do you own?

[TB666]

Well I just bought MFSX Deluxe edition.
Anyone that can recommend a good joystick that feels nice and not too expensive ??

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I have this (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/pc_gaming/joysticks/devices/291&cl=us,en)

[TB666]

Looks good and cheap.
Might get that one since Logitech usually makes quality products.

Also, can someone please explain to me(because the lessons don't) how I'm suppose to get to the runway where there is a huge hangar right in front of me ??
I can't reverse and I hit the building if I go forward.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Also, can someone please explain to me(because the lessons don't) how I'm suppose to get to the runway where there is a huge hangar right in front of me ??
I can't reverse and I hit the building if I go forward.

Sounds like a bug. Which airfield is this?

[TB666]

Sounds like a bug. Which airfield is this?
Kastrup in Denmark.
I can't remember which parking slot I was in but I tried 2 of them with a 747 and both of them required me to either back the plane up or crash.
Now since I work at that airport I know that it can support 747 without problem and putting it on the actual runway isn't no problem, I can take off just fine.

[TB666]

A nice pic of my city's landmark
https://img388.imageshack.us/img388/7056/fsxsl1.jpg

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

An Easter Egg, or was there really a ship like this in the Seattle area during the dev process?

https://img253.imageshack.us/img253/10/whoopscu8.png

[TB666]

Damn, the speed on that ship must have been high in order to get that far up.
Consider the size of the game, I wonder what kinda other "bugs" like this are in.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

It's on the San Juan Island Run mission, just a little off course from your recommended route.

[edyzmedieval]

I want to get the new Saitek X52 Pro. That joystick is HOTAS, and it's incredible. ~D

[Beirut]

I want to get the new Saitek X52 Pro. That joystick is HOTAS, and it's incredible. ~D

It's even more incredible if you can afford it. :yes:

Although the X52 Pro is a mighty sweet toy, you might want to consider a Saitek Force Feedback stick + a standard Saitek Cyborg Evo stick and make a HOTAS out of that. Not only is it less expensive, it gives you force feedback (which once you've flown with you can never fly without) and more than enough buttons and switches so you'll never have to go to the keyboard.

[TB666]

Well the one Evil Maniac used works like a charm.
Feels great and more then enough buttons for me.

[edyzmedieval]

It's even more incredible if you can afford it. :yes:

Although the X52 Pro is a mighty sweet toy, you might want to consider a Saitek Force Feedback stick + a standard Saitek Cyborg Evo stick and make a HOTAS out of that. Not only is it less expensive, it gives you force feedback (which once you've flown with you can never fly without) and more than enough buttons and switches so you'll never have to go to the keyboard.

Thanks for the tip. Can you combine a Pro Flight Yoke System, with a 6 lever quadrant from CH?

[TB666]

https://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7619/989hs4.th.jpg (https://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=989hs4.jpg)
^Nearly killed me that bastard :furious3:

https://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6682/595wt8.th.jpg (https://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=595wt8.jpg)
^The love boat ??

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I think some of the collision physics may be a little skewed. Once I was going in to land and an aircraft went straight through me. Shortly afterwards, another aircraft approached from the same spot - and blew my plane to pieces.

There was also another incident, where I skipped the entire St. Lawrence River like a stone - in a 747. :laugh4:

[TB666]

Well haven't noticed anything like that so far.
I switched to a Learjet after that shot was taken and while I was taxing some guy in a cessna did this awesome slide with his aircraft right into my side.
Both of us blew up quite nicely.

[Beirut]

Thanks for the tip. Can you combine a Pro Flight Yoke System, with a 6 lever quadrant from CH?

If you are willing to fadoodle with drivers and such, you can mix and match most hardware.

On the other hand, Saitek, a company I like, makes all the hardware required for a good flight system and I figure it's better to stay with one company. Mind you, CH stuff is very good.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Well haven't noticed anything like that so far.


I found out why. My settings somehow switched in mid-flight. :inquisitive:

[edyzmedieval]

Anyone still playing FSX around here ? ~:)

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Right here. ~:)

[edyzmedieval]

Some news about the FSX scene - Microsoft disbanded the entire ACES studio which was working on FSX so the future of flight simulation is uncertain.

Anyone still playing?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Still going. I downloaded the World of AI packages, but I've been having some trouble with glitches - the screen turning white when viewing certain aircraft and so on. Nobody on their help forum has been able to help me yet.

[Zenicetus]

Some news about the FSX scene - Microsoft disbanded the entire ACES studio which was working on FSX so the future of flight simulation is uncertain.

Well, the future of the MSFS scene is uncertain, but civilian flight sims are still available, notably X-Plane (currently version 9). I bought that last November before the news about the MSFS studio being shut down, mainly because my current rig isn't really strong enough to run FSX.

It's not exactly a flood yet, but there are some MSFS refugees showing up in the X-Plane forums. The real question now is how many of the 3rd party add-on developers will migrate. Here's a quick tour of the pros and cons for X-Plane as a MSFS alternative, from what I've been able to tell in the last few months' flying it:

PROS:


Runs on Linux, Mac, or Windows (although some custom plugins are Windows only)
Not very expensive, currently $39 USD as a special offer for MSFS fence-jumpers.
It's been around a LONG time, so the basic platform is stable.
You can enable graphics and other effect settings high enough to bring the frame rate to its knees, but for an "average" configuration, I get the impression it's much less hardware-intensive than MSFS/X. I can't enable everything, but I can get an average of 30 - 50 fps on my 4-year old computer with a recent graphics card upgrade.
Good enough flight model to be certified in advanced versions for FAA simulator training.
Excellent "feel" of flight, landing dynamics, very good helicopter modeling
Default scenery (terrain, airports, navaids) covers the entire world, minus extreme polar latitudes, with great-looking graphics at medium to high altitude. It's something like 60 gigs of scenery, although you can selectively install just part of it.
Flight modeling is based on the physics of airfoils, not lookup tables, so it's a good platform for designing crazy-looking aircraft and then seeing if they'll fly.
Rockets and spaceflight are available, and there's a basic Mars model for flying in thin atmosphere/low gravity.
Commercial add-on scenery and aircraft are available, but there isn't much of it yet. I bought the "Inside Passage" scenery (west coast of British Columbia, Vancouver Island) and it's great for bush flying, seaplanes, etc. A fair amount of free user-made scenery is available, but most of it is "my local airport." There is a conversion tool for converting MSFS 3D objects like airports (not terrain), and that apparently works well.
A good user support forum, although the feel of the place can be a bit "dry" and technical (lots of real-world pilots hanging out there).


CONS:


X-Plane is the personal pet project of just one chief programmer/lead designer, supported by a staff of (I think?) four others for things like scenery development and graphics. He's a pilot, so that's good... but the sim evolves pretty much at the whim of this one guy. That's a plus when it works, but you can see the limits of that approach, if he's not including the features you want.
The user interface isn't very friendly, and it isn't well localized for each platform. Plan to spend a week figuring out how to set everything up for optimum performance, and to figure out all the controls and settings.
Default scenery has runways and taxiways only, no airport 3D buildings. You need to download airport scenery and there isn't a lot of it, outside a few major urban areas.
The external appearance of planes isn't quite as sexy with surfaces and lighting as MSFS (X version)
No real season effects in the scenery...it's always summer and icecaps on mountains don't always look realistic. There is a "Winter World" mod for snowy areas that sort-of works, but you have to manually swap file folders to enable it.
No decent in-game ATC at all
There is some support for online ATC and online flying, but it's not as well-developed as MSFS
GPS support in-game is very poor, although there's a new commercial plugin that apparently works well. X-Plane in its current state is better for VFR and old-style VOR flying-by-the needles.


Bottom line: when I fly civilian flight sims, I mostly do bush flying and helicopters. Lots of short field landings and takeoffs, zooming through mountain valleys, etc. For that type of flying, X-Plane is great. ATC, advanced GPS/flight computers and the detailed modeling of heavies isn't as good as MSFS/X, so if you're into simulating the life of an airline pilot, you'll probably want to stick with MSFS for a while, and see where X-Plane goes over the next few years.

Here's the main site:

http://www.x-plane.com/

And here's where you can see some of the user-made and 3rd-party commercial planes and scenery:

http://www.x-plane.org/