by New Light » Sun Jan 16, 2011 4:01 am
Well, if it looks and performs as well as seems to demonstrate in the snippets, I might be switching. As I've said in other posts, if screenshots are FS's main objective, then they should call it what it is, an "Aeronautical Photoshop" with a side note that states something to the effect of "Oh, and, by the way, you can 'fly' the airplanes too..."
Screenshots are a wonderful subdiscipline of the many other subdisciplines and interests within FS, but the title "Flight Simulator" seems to leave the "flight" "simulation" in the background. Once, all bugs, patches, and buying all of the associated programs along with a pc that will run the program smoothly and properly, FS9 & FSX are very nice looking and the "flyability" is very nice.
FS does seem to faulter in some major areas as far as "flight" "simulation" is concerned, some of which are proper and fully functional panels for the correct aircraft, fully functional avionics, ATC and emergencies. Again, the title, FS, seems to be a bit misleading - simulating flight is a somewhat of another subdiscipline of the program, not the main objective of the program. Of course, the new program name of "Flight" might be the first sign of admittance that FS is not really a "flight simulator".
If X Plane 10's panels look and perform as good as the they seem on the snippets, I'll have to take a serious look at the program. I, as well as many others have had many of the same complaints and wishes for FS. We even have a section devoted to "Wish Lists" for the new program. Will MS put out a good and well tested program? Or will we still have the same ole, tired avionics, panels, ATC, etc., with A LOT better trimmings? Time will tell...
Believe me when I say that I'm not a real pilot (4 hours in a C150M), but, I do try to "fly" as close to "by the book" as possible. I started from the very beginning in the Cub and built my flight skills from there, and have learned to "fly" somewhat decently in more powerful single engine aircraft - not great by any means - but good enough to want to do things right. My current pc allows me "fly" FSX with all settings on 100% and still be silky smooth without stutters and such. Right now, I'm happy with FSX, but it was a painful and expensive path to get everything to work correctly. I'll see what "Flight" offers verses X Plane 10 when the time comes. It may be a pos, and it may deliver...
Semper Fi,
Dave