Is bigger really better?

[sdodsworth]

I know nothing about designing a/c for simming  :'(, so this may be a dumb question, but ther are many a/c types on the download pages that have been uploaded by different designers. For example, I'm looking for a Bae 146, and one version is over 18Mb, and another is under 2 Mb. Is there a big diffrence in quality, does one have more features, will one be missing the virtual cockpit, or is one just the product of some very crafty programming

[alrot]

why you just download both install them and see wich one its the best,thats what i do all the time since the early fs2002 if you don't like one of them deleted and keep the other and the size has nothing to do with the quality

[Billerator]

The chances are that the bigger file will have more detail, but sometimes this just turns out to be a whole load of pictures of the model  >:( .

I wish there was also more information on the download pages.... Im a big VC nut, so it would be nice if you could always tell.

[farmerdave]

why you just download both install them and see wich one its the best,thats what i do all the time since the early fs2002 if you don't like one of them deleted and keep the other and the size has nothing to do with the quality

That's fine if you have cable or DSL but with Dial-up something thats in the area of 20MB can take nearly 2hours

[DiveBomber89]

If you have dial up, I'd probably just get the 2mb one, since i don't think it's worth the wait for just one airplane. But if you really want the better one that badly, then just do what everyone else said. Unless you could ask people with broadband to give their opinion on these planes.

[sdodsworth]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I don't mind the wait if it's an aircraft that I really want, I was just hoping that there may be an easy way to tell what you're getting before I begin to download, but it looks as though there isn't! Thanks again.  ;D

[GWSimulations]

I wish there was also more information on the download pages, it would be nice if you could always tell.

I agree, www.fsfield.com has a good layout, maybe Pete should do somthing like that here.

[Hagar]

I wonder how many files are posted on that site compared with literally 1,000s at SimV? It would be nice to have as much information as possible but Pete (or any other webmaster) can only go by what the person uploading files tells him in the Readme. I'm sure he doesn't have the time to write a review on every file that's uploaded before posting it.

It's often easy enough to figure out what to expect by whatever information IS posted in the file description & the file size. Larger downloads often include a panel & sound files you might already have or several texture variations. This doesn't take into account the Mb of useless bumf that so many people include in their files. After you've downloaded a few files you will soon get to know what different "designers" work is like from their previous aircraft.

[sdodsworth]

Yep, I guess I'm still a virgin when it comes to this business. I just need to bite the bullet, get stuck in, and download a few more a/c.

Thanks all.

[Scott_McCloud]

   I've got DSL And it still takes awhile to Download
   some of the big files. on the upside if you want
   detail go the bigger files. it depends on how much
   MB's you have and how fast your PC is.

[Hagar]

You might like to consider that some of these large aircraft downloads have complex models. These might not display too well on the average system - or below average like mine. This might also affect frame rates in the sim. I'm on dial-up & with my low-end system I restrict myself to 10 Mb per download these days unless it's something very special.

[Scott_McCloud]

    Hagar,
   
    I have to agree with you.   30 and 40+ megs sure
    eats up the hard drive.
     

[Gogi]

You go to flightsim.com search for BIG file , find it copy file name and then go to avsim.com or fsfreeware.com and search for same file and download it faster then at flightsim

like I always do

[alrot]

That's fine if you have cable or DSL but with Dial-up something thats in the area of 20MB can take nearly 2hours

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ZIPs MOST OF THEM DOESN'T HAVE MORE THAN 20MB IF SOUND ARE INCLUDED I HAVE WIDE BAND I CAN DOWNLOAD 15 PLANES IN AN HOUR MY SISTER HAS A TELEPHONE MODEM I HAVE DOWNLOADED AT LEAST 6 IN ONE HOUR IN HER APARMENT i will read this topic back maybe i did not understand i live in a third world country and we have more speed to download i don't think so....sorry

PS.I HAVE DONE THIS SINCE FS2002 AND FROM THIS WEB PAGE(SIMVIATION)I CAN TELL YOU THAT I KEPT SAVED IN CD MORE THAN 700 PLANES FROM COMBAT FS2002,FS9 FOR MY PERSONAL USE

[AndyG]

Horses for courses really.  You begin to get a feel for which designers are good, mediocre etc.  For example, using the example of the BAe 146, if it's the ARNZ version (which was probably the larger file you mentioned) then you get loads of animations, eye candy etc - for example, they have in-built animations which can look pretty cool at shut-down.  

The smaller file was probably from the prolific Mr Mike Stone, whose aircraft don't have all the whistles and bells but are usually accurate outline wise - Mike's C-130 is my standard AI Herc.

I tend to go for the bigger files if it's stuff I'm intending to fly it regularly, the smaller files if it's for occasional use or AI use.