Flight Simulator X Advice

[Veliko]

I saw FSX mentioned in another thread and it brought back memories of when I used to play F16 Combat Pilot on the Amiga. I was never able to shoot anything down or even land but I had fun all the same.

How is FSX for someone who doesn't usually play such games much? I see there is a demo to download but it doesn't include all the bug fixes and performance enhancements that the service packs have.


My PC is as follows. Does anyone have an idea of how it will run?

Windows 7 64-bit
AMD Phenom II X4 955BE 3.2Ghz
4GB RAM
Nvidia GTX285 1GB

 

[Anteaus]

FSX is a good sandbox flight simulator for pretty much anyone who is interested in flying. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Acceleration expansion pack if you do get it. It adds more to the game than just airplanes. FSX is a system hog, so don't expect super high framerates but your system should be more than adequate to give a good experience. A decent set of controls is worthwhile also if you decide to dive in. 🙂

 

[Veliko]

I have a wired Xbox 360 controller so I will probably use that with the demo before delving in and buying anything else.

 

[fatpat268]

How is FSX for someone who doesn't usually play such games much? I see there is a demo to download but it doesn't include all the bug fixes and performance enhancements that the service packs have.

It depends. It's not really much of a game besides some of the missions they offer. You'd spend a lot of time in the game if you're really interested in planes and want to learn how they fly.

I wouldn't recommend it for everyone because most people would get bored of it since it's a simulator first and game second.

 

[brandonb]

FSX as fatpat mentioned mostly just a simulator. You get a plane, you fly around, you quit after awhile.

It's not really all that fun. The most fun I have is just to find a location I might want to travel to someday (like on a vacation) and fly around to check out the scenery. I picked Jueanu Alaska (I know I spelled it wrong) because I have wanted to check out Alaska in real life. I got a taste of what it may be like if I traveled there, and it's actually pretty interesting, made me want to check it out in real life even more.

But thats about all it offers honestly (for me).

 

[Anteaus]

I'd like to add that MSFS has always been hobbyist software, versus just a game. Casual gamers generally skim the top and move onto other things, but dedicated FS players tend to apply real world aviation precedures to their gameplay as well as add many of the numerously 3rd party airplane and scenary addons. FSX as sold is merely a starting point. Aftermarket addons are where it really does get exciting.

In other words, there is no story and no goals other than what you set for yourself. Also, all of the included airports and navigation aids are based on their real world counterparts so there is a vast amount of content to be explored should you be interested in it. I'm always happy to see a new gamer get into FS, but it's totally understandable if its not for you.

 

[Towndog]

If you like flying, pick up IL2 1946 and a cheap joystick. You can probably find it for under$10 online. A really fun wwii sim wiht alot of people still flying on hyperlobby. It'll run great on your rig.

 

[mmntech]

FSX is what I call a hard sim. Compared to a soft simulator like Ace Combat. Sandbox design focused on realistic civil aviation.

What killed FSX for me is how poorly it runs on relatively powerful hardware. I don't think it takes effective use of multicore to do physics calculations. Hopefully they'll unload that to GPU physics for Microsoft Fight. FSX likes high clock speeds and RAM over cores or GPU.

As for IL-2, that's also a hard sim. Not for beginners IMO. It's designed to be very realistic.

 

[Veliko]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions here. I played the demo last night and was quite surprised at how sluggish it could be in places but that may be because the demo doesn't have either of the fixes from the patches.

The mission where I had to drop flour bags onto the targets using the powered glider was quite fun but the one where you control an airliner and have to land it was something else entirely! It seems to have a fairly steep learning curve and requires lots of patience and dedication.

I remember enjoying an old space combat game called Starlancer. It was sort of related to Freelancer but I didn't like that game very much and Ace Combat seemed a bit lightweight.

 

[Sulaco]

Just a reminder, it is called Flight Simulator for a reason.

Now, luckily for most, the options allow enough tweaking to where it can be enjoyed by just about anybody's sense of realism.

But clearly, this is NOT the kind of "game" to buy if you plan on playing with a gamepad once in awhile. Most of the enjoyment is in the sandbox nature, and real-world flight dynamics. A quality joystick is an absolute MUST, and a healthy helping of free time and patience.

That's not to say you can't or won't enjoy the game casually, but the real meat of what makes it what it is requires more from the user.

 

[jtvang125]

I load it up every now and again to fly and look at the scenery but even that gets boring pretty quick because the scenery can be pretty bland in alot of places. Never used any of those hi res texture packs though so I don't know how much better the scenery will get. The exterior details of the planes are amazing though.

 

[Anteaus]

I load it up every now and again to fly and look at the scenery but even that gets boring pretty quick because the scenery can be pretty bland in alot of places. Never used any of those hi res texture packs though so I don't know how much better the scenery will get. The exterior details of the planes are amazing though.

As far as texture packs, Ultimate Terrain X and Ground Environment X together improve the overall look of world. They aren't just hi res packs, they actually add alot to the game that doesn't exist in vanilla. It is especially apparent when flying through large population centers like New York. For myself, scenary places a smaller role than aircraft. I love to fly high fidelity aircraft like the Level D 767 or PMDG 747. Each aircraft is a simulation of its own, since almost all systems within each aircraft are modeled. They can be boring sometimes, but there is something to be said about learning how to program an FMC and taking one of those aircraft from one place to another using proper procedure. Role playing can take hold to, such as ferrying a 737 from PAE to SEA or flying a Fedex route from IAH to ATL. 😛