One one hand, I have to agree with Nick in the case of the newbies buying new software. For example:
I use to buy a handful of games like Full Spectrum Warrior, Enter The Matrix, Guild Wars, and [gasp]The Sims[/gasp]. Few were excellent, some were ok, the rest were crab. Like any other newbie buying a software that he/she suspects of being flawed later on after trying it out, I would just kick the CDs to the side and forget that it ever existed. After that, I move on to the next game to try out. I don't go to forums, posting things that can start an arguement. I have a whole cd rack of pc games [nearly half were crabby] and I can't return any of them for a refund because all of the gaming companies are now using a policy that prevents me from having my money back. So, if any of you think Microsoft is the only greedy money maker around here, think again.
But on the other hand, it's best to go to forums and post criticism about the product so that the companies can see where they went wrong and try [to the best of their ability] to make the next version better. Without criticism, softwares will never improve and we would still be stuck in a Windows 95 environment. I have seen many improvements about FSX over FS9. For starters:
1. Space has been implemented. You don't have to worry about the pesky height barrier so that you can finally fly your Blackbird at the appropriate altittude.
2. Even though the automated ATC functions haven't changed much, you can at least call up the refuel truck, review your radio history, you can even ask to go to the nearest refueling area.
3. Multiplayer has finally improved with its stability. Not only can I finally see smoke from my online buddy, I can also ask the sim to load me up next to the host's aircraft [whether he's in the air or on the ground] among other things that FS9 can't support [ie: user-controlled ATC, visual radars, etc.]. Of course, not everyone likes Gamespy. But if you've been keeping tabs on FSHost, you'll see that there's hope.
The downside that I see so far:
The terrain seems to freeze up and lock up into the monitor like a image burnt into somebody's mind while the scenery objects and aircraft go about their business. This gives the strange feeling that you're in suspended animation. But like I said before, this seems to be hardware related as the problem goes away as soon as I run FSX on my dad's computer [which is better than mine].
Blurries are still an issue. But there is a way to go around it. You either:
A. look for the tweak that the FSX creators have provided and paste it onto the FSX.cfg file.
B. go to your weather menu and set visibility so that you'll see a deep haze covering the distance. Not only will this cover up the blurries, it will also cover up any gaps left behind by the autogen in the distance. Haze also gives a realistic effect when mountains are involved. They also cover any shimering that occurs in the distance and helps the sun look more realistic when it shines. Besides, I have flown as a passenger on real-life commercial jet. And every time I look out the window, I will always see a very, very, deep layer of haze covering whole cities even on both takeoff and landing even though the weather looks extra clear when you're standing on the ground. The haze also seems to cover the entire globe as you get higher in these jets. I'm guessing the humidity is involved. But then again, Arkansas is a state that's no where near water. I also experienced a similiar effect when I first flew on a cessna in civil air patrol at only 1,200ft MSL. I only had three rides, but the effect was the same every time whether it's in the morning or the afternoon over Miami.
by JBaymore » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:54 pm 
Intel i7 960 quad 3.2G LGA 1366, Asus P6X58D Premium, 750W Corsair, 6 gig 1600 DDR3, Spinpoint 1TB 720
