Simviation, welcome another newbie with ??? =)

[sundrop]

hi guys thanks for allowing me here. i have a few questions to ask.

#1 i currently own fs2002 pro, what files/utilities would you guys say are required/good to have?

#2 what joystick do you guys reccomend to be more realistic?

thansk for having me.
sundrop

[hikariken]

hello welcome. I will recommand you arrestor cable with some carrier ircraft (and some scienry)

the problem is that now you will have trouble to find them (try google and tap ARRCABL) now most of modules need FSUIPC

and for a good joystick I've got a sidewinder pro from microsoft and it i good but I think a forcefeedback pro will be better (you will have the sensations)

I will not say it is the better think to have but it is the think I enjoy with

[fisharno]

Arrestor Cables is still in the same place as always:
www.speakeasy.org/~rhogen/arrestorcables.htm

But, it's now only available in a piece of payware called Flight Deck III.

FSUIPC is a MUST-HAVE, without a doubt.
It really depends on what type of flying you like to do, that will determine what type of addons you'd like to get. WinZip is another one. You'll need it to unzip addon files, but it isn't a part of FS2K. If you'd want to modify your AI traffic, then AFCAD and Traffic Tools should be in your inventory, too.

Give yourself time to figure out what you like, and keep up to date on new addon releases, (thru here), and you'll eventually end up with more utilities than you'd know what to do with.  ;D

As far as joysticks, that depends, too.
I use a Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold USB. But, it's totally personal preference.

Enjoy, and welcome.
Al

[Fozzer]

...blimey...where do you start...?
I have been collecting add-ons since FS 2000/FS2002 first came out... ...!
It's a never-ending occupation... ...!
I think it has taken all of us quite a while to find out about all that is "out there".....
Just keep an eye on things, it's a slow process...!
...and takes a long time...!

Because I fly in quite a small area, generally at low level, some of my favourites have been the latest "Land Class" scenery for that particular area.
The "Weather" add on programs are usefull as well, (a plug for Weather Maker...)... ...!
LAGO's FSSE also allows me to build up my own airfield scenery, (a plug for LAGO...).... ...!
"Flight Water Pro" also beefs-up the water effects in the program... ...!
...that's about it really, apart from the zillions of plane downloads... ...!

Oh, and a very nice Microsoft Force-Feedback Pro joystick to make it even more realistic... ...!

Cheers all...!
Paul.
(England).

[Rifleman]

As Fozzer says, you can grab downloads till the cows come home, so all you need to do is start, and then keep on going....get what captures your imagination....

Now, as far as controller......I know a couple of us on here use the Saitek X-45 HOTAS.....minimizes keyboard use and for me, it really helps in lots of situations...........
I am not a big fan of Force-Feedback......its a personal choice thing.....

[sundrop]

thanks for the update guys. seams like the only thing that catches my fancy is the flight deck thing. OF course its payware.... if you guys dont mind keep up the lists of things to try. i got tons of room for downloads and tons of bandwidth to use. soo keep them coming.

thanks again guys

[pete]

You should really start with saying what you kind of flying you like..

I've never used payware (even though I have ready access to it for zero) & have never used the upgraded FSUIPC either - never had any reason to even think about it ...

There is easily enough stuff available to keep you fully entertained for zero money right here for at least a year ..

don't follow the crowds - follow your nose & if you want specific recommendations just tell us what kind of virtual flying you like ..

[BE58D]

Welcome aboard Sundrop.

[sundrop]

thanks pete.

let me try to explain to you guys what kind of virtual flying i enjoy.

scenic flights. thats why im trying to find some very good scenic add on's

the carrier add on sounds like extreme fun for me. im in the military but have not flown any flights involving flight deck operations

[ozzy72]

Well there are plenty of military aircraft available here in the military downloads section. If you like scenic stuff though try downloading some meshes and add-on scenery for your home area or I like Alaska at the moment, there is tonnes of stuff. Then grab yourself a nice old plane to cruise around in taking in the scenery (Tiger Moth or Stearman are my preference, both are available here), and just enjoy the view

Ozzy

[Scottler]

Add me to the list of people who fly with the Saitek X-45....it's a great little joystick with lots of buttons that can be assigned for just about anything, which is great, because as has been said, you use the keyboard for very little.  (Plus if you're looking to fly fighters, you'll definitely notice a familiar look and feel to it!)

Also, the Saitek X-45 has a separate throttle quadrant with a cable long enough to keep at any comfortable distance apart.  (I love that it's not attached to the stick...I never did like the little sliders at the base of the stick.)

The only thing I wish that was different about it was that it doesn't have Force Feedback.  That would definitely make for an incredible stick.  lol

As for utilities and downloads, I agree with everyone else, you'll know better than anyone what suits you.  Check out what is available and try it.  If you don't like it, dump it.  (I've dumped more than I've kept probably!)

But SimV is definitely the best place to go for downloads without doubt...

Oh, and I have recently vowed to stay away from payware.  Orville and Wilbur would be rolling over in their graves if they knew that people were charging for pretend airplanes.  lol

[hikariken]

Arrestor Cables is still in the same place as always:
www.speakeasy.org/~rhogen/arrestorcables.htm

But, it's now only available in a piece of payware called Flight Deck III.


Al

scuse me If I said it is false. if you look at
http://sonny3.free.fr/Aeronav.htm
you can find fsuipc and the last freeware version of Arrcab

[slimcooper]

Well, as everyone has said, just get what you think you want, try it, and if you like it keep it, if not dont. There ius 1 plane I think everyone should at least try and since you have " tons of bandwidth and room" you should not have a problem with DLing it. Its the B25 from Roy Chafin and its free. In my opinion its the best freeware plane out there as for details and realism. There are a few post over at the raw screenshots part of this forum, see for yourself. The link is

http://www.roychaffin.com/rcs-panels.html

it really is a fine piece of freeware.

[fisharno]

I stand corrected, hikariken. It looks like ArrCab is available at the link you posted. I'm sure that's good news to a lot of people.

It has been stated over and over, though, that ArrCab is no longer freeware, per Rich Hogen's notice on the Arrcab site:

"Latest News About ArrestorCables
As of 1 Feb, 2003, Abacus owns the rights to distribute ArrestorCables (ArrCab).
ArrCab (any version) is no longer available as freeware.
All documentation in previously released versions is now outdated, obsolete and incorrect.
Regardless of version, ArrCab is now commercial software and only Abacus may distribute it."

I would suppose that folks should jump on this opprotunity to get ArrCab, now. Before it goes away from this site too.

[EirePlane]

Sorry to bring up an older topic but welcome to SimV sundrop, I find detailed planes like the PM2 Concorde are te most fun and I like to use the Top Gun Thrustmaster AfterBurner II Joystick. It has 8 buttons, a large throttle and two rudder condrols (one on the throttle and a twisting joystick)