July 2007 FSX still without any decent Panels or complete planes

[ladamson]

As a long time simmer myself, and pilot who likes flying across the mountains and deserts of the U.S.A.'s mountain west area; I'll take FSX anyday, for the much clearer, sharper textures than I get from the default areas of FS9. I now find the muddier ground/mountain textures of FS9 as rather crude looking in comparison.

And while waiting for other releases, the FSX RealAir SF260 & FSX Shockwave Spitfire have been some nice 3D cockpits for outstanding visibility; as well as looking great with FSX's bimp mapping techniques.

In the meantime, I've still got FS9 for FlightScenery's Portland, FlyTampa, Glacier Bay, and many FS9 aircraft.

Ladamson

[NikeHerk67]

Luis

I hear you. What's happened to MSFS? We've both been around for a long time. Have you noticed that there isn't anyone around anymore? The answer would be hard to determine. I'm sure if MS had the answer they'd do something to improve interest. Since the release of FS2K interest in the FS by hobbyists/gamers/simulator enthusiasts has decreased dramatically. Simply compare today's posts with those years ago. I've been flying the simulator since FS 98 but really gained interest in

Perhaps you remember when Windows 95 was released. It was one the biggest news items of the year in the computer world. The news had interviews of customers who were waiting in line to buy it. And like everything else MS has ever released, it just plain didn't work until the tenth patch teak or whatever. People have become so savvy that they won't buy MSFS products until the bugs are ironed out.

What's changed? As far as realistic flight dynamics, airplane breakdowns weather, scenery and more, not much.

When I saw FS 98 and even FS2K I thought FS 98 and even FS2K were great breakthroughs for simulator realism. At that time I imagined by now we would be flying a much more realistic airplane and over a world much like the world you see in Google Earth. I know MS invested mega bucks in GIS and satellite imagery, however you still see unrealistic patterns when flying. I imagined by now you would blow an engine if we abused the RPM limits or catch the tires of fire if you stood on the breaks for example. I imagined I could fly over my small hometown and see my house. None of those things have evolved into reality in the past 10 years. I'm sure you remember the of FS2K motto "As real as it gets". By now we're pretty much convinced it should have said "As real as it will ever get"

It's a well know fact that all these things could exist and probably run well on those old computers we had then as well. And I believe Bill Gates and company will continue to build into the system all kinds of problems for developers and all. Platforms that require much more processor speed, memory, that SELLs more and more upgrades. I don't buy this slow evolution process. I believe the lack of improvements is all about the money. Not until someone comes up with a truly competitive product will MS will continue to give us tiny little improvements each release.

Perhaps by release FSXX we'll see these things. :-)

Fred

[kmentt]

I post this same topic every six months to see if situation changes.
So far simmers have replied to my opinion that FSX sucks because microsoft changed the gauge SDK, by saying we have to give time to developpers (well I am one) to catch up.

OK, new simmers might swallow that. Those of us long time around remember that when FS2004 was released in 2003, it was a huge success with very sophisticated planes and panels (and sounds) and cockpit click sounds being released continously.

FSX was released in 2006 (already a year late) since previous versions were every two years 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004..always coming out the year before. We are in mid-2007, which by normal cronology should have FS11 by now.

Still, counting the year late plus the one year-life of FSX (which already needed an SP1) with another SP2 to come somewhere til year end, I maintain what I have said all along:

FSX IS NOT TAKING-OFF

Why? No panels. There you are.
So much for the 3D cockpit fans, this is the prove that without good 2D cockpits there are no good releases, neither freeware nor payware.

For discussion.
Luis

[Bob Artim]

I have been flying since some Sub Logic game came out for my Atari 800XL, then Gunship came out for My Commodore 64. I have had a the flight sims. From Jane's to FSX. I love flying. Over all these years FSX in the most incredible environment I have flown in. It just keeps getting better. Out of the box it looks better than FS9 with $600 worth of stuff installed. I know as I bought all that stuff.

Now with FSX I got the FS Genesis meshes and landclass, Cloud 9 land classes for the rest of the world, Active Sky X/X Graphics, Zenertech World and Night environments, Texture Boost and Burkhard Renk's MyTrafficX. I bought the MegaScenery X's, Hawaii, Phoenix and Dallas. And every new plane that has come out for FSX specific, not the patch overs.

My FSX setup is totally awesome. I am in awe as I fly round the world. I have been setting up a Virtual Airline and have been making a lot of the flights I am expecting the pilots to fly. I even picked up a CH Yoke, changing from joystick to yoke doubled the pleasure.

Before this, since 2001, I have started up 3 Virtual Railroads using Microsoft Train Simulator. The 3 VRs are still functioning, 2 of them are quite popular in my arena. But I am not there too much any more. I was fortunate enough to find 3 good crews to run the VRs to the point they dont even miss me. I just pay the bills now and pop in from time to time and focus on my virtual airline.

Train simming was great stuff. Still is for a lot of people. But I grew tired of it, 6 years day after day listening to people complain and having to help new people figure out incredibly easy things just got to be too much for me. For every positive person there are 5 negative ones. It is this negativity that wears on you. SOme days you can over look it, some days it gets the best of you. On the days it gets the best of you, you want to shut everything down and tell everyone to go to blazes, but this is your fun and why should you shut it down because of someone being negative and you go on. Until one day even though it is going on you have faded.

I imagine the same things are happening here with modelers and painters and creators of all the great things we can get here for FREE. Even if they are not great, someone is attempting to make it better. They will most likely continue to do so until they get the negativity syndrome.

Thats all...

Bob Artim

[adam123]

"FSX IS NOT TAKING-OFF"

well its fine with me. FSX over FS9 any day

[n4gix]

You folks are simply not looking in the right places. There's been a glut of FSX releases - both freeware and payware - over the past few months...

...but, not hosted here, nor even announced here...

A quick search a "another fs website" lists 2,645 unique files for FSX...

[jackhall]

>You folks are simply not looking in the right places. There's
>been a glut of FSX releases - both freeware and payware - over
>the past few months...
>
Bill, some folks just like to P & M. That will never change. I presume they just need their 15 seconds of 'fame'.

My FSX setup is awesome, with several outstanding FSX specific GA aircraft. Jack

[drobson]

And, if you do a search here for "FSX", you'll see that there are almost 1700 files.

There are lots of files/addons available if one is willing to do a little searching!

Darrell

[MongooseMike]

My two cents here. I consider myself an "average" flight simmer. Meaning, after reading the threads on just about every subject on this forum I have an "average" pc, spend an "average" amount of time on the sim and I have to say that on "average" I love this sim. I've had every sim MS put out since the first one way back when and as far as I'm concerned, this sim is "taking off". Some of the freeware is just "OK" and some of it is pretty good. Some if not most of the missions (add-on s) are great. Thanks to all those freeware developers out there who take the time to build my toys for me. Much appreciated. I've bought several payware aircraft including the Shockwave power pack. All awsome aircraft and fun to fly and Flight Deck 4 that never really worked but what the hell, I still got a bunch of great aircraft. As a hobby, It's one of the best I've had. So for the original poster of this thread I say: sit back, grab a bit of sky and go flying. Isn't that why you got into simming in the first place? I did.

[dmerwin]

I've been flying flight sim since 5.0 when it was still ran on DOS. I'm not much of a MS fan mainly for reasons having to do with my job, but this is perhaps one of the best programs that they make. It is my understanding that MS almost abandoned FS altogether and that a business decision was made to delay this release. I'm glad for the delay, allowed me to catch my breath. I also consider MS a small player in a much larger community of like minded hobbyists whether a flyer, developer, Aircraft collector or whatever. Yea, MS produces the main product (sometimes with some disappointments) but it is what we do with it that makes it enjoyable, frustrating and rewarding all at various point in the evolution of "getting it right". With that said, I'm great full for FSX and it's improvements and will continue to enjoy it.

May I suggest that you fly the version you enjoy best. Better yet, go fly Google Earth.

Thank you,

System Specs:
Motherbord: Abit KN9 SLI 570
CPU: AMD X2 4600 AM2 Duo Core
Memory: 2 GB COSAIR DDR2 6000 XMS Extreme
Video Card: 2-Nvidia GEFORCE 7600GS 256MB SLI
Water Cooled

A little Rec. Flying at San Juan

http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/Attachments/up1/131439.jpg

[CUJO]

If MS didn't write programs for up comming hardware how would they make any money?

Considering I used to fly MS Flightsim in RGB, ya, FSX blows it out of the water for sure.

Glad SOMEONE is willing to try to make things better and take advantage of using new technology rather than programming for what is current.

Gosh that damned thing called progress, we should of left flying to papper clips and construction papper.

[napamule2]

Hey Lucho,
Why don't YOU put some out. You made the 'Supreme 757' panel and cabin. Why don't you just say they are not putting out (XML) gauges, which is what you really need. Right? Then you can 'borrow' them.

Did you ever pass your Mensa test? You shouldn't have argued with them about how THEIR answers were all wrong, and illogical. Ha!

You used to live in Natal and now live in Rio? How was it (doing time) there? You been sailing lately? What 'type' of pics are you downloading lately (see 'Tribuna Popular' for what I am referring to). I don't know about you being a 'philosopher' either. Cheers.
Chuck B
napamule

[n4gix]

>And, if you do a search here for "FSX", you'll see that there
>are almost 1700 files.
>
>There are lots of files/addons available if one is willing to
>do a little searching!

I started to add up the number of unique files for FSX here, but got tired of doing it "piecemeal..." Some "libraries" are organized such that you can Search "major categories" such as "All FSX Libraries" in one shot... :P

Hm, I just noticed your "keyword." I should have tried that... :)

[Asianbushpilot]

Luis,

Sorry I just cant agree with you on this. Long time simmer since my fist computer (Commodore 64), and am really enjoying FSX. I was just patient with pre-SP1, and missed my addons (flew FS9 for the "heavy stuff" and FSX for GA flying). Since SP1, and with addons coming thick and fast now, I find I hardly ever use FS9 now.

Example: Today flew Wilco's Citation X from FAJS to FACT, running ActiveSkyX (just got to sort out those rapid wind transitions - poor executives in the back ran out of barf bags). MS really massacred the scenery of South Africa in this release, but again patience, it will come right, and if other developers don't fix it, I will. Coming into Capetown with thick, low grey clouds, sunset looming, and typical p...g rain, landing on a rain-drenched runway, water spray flying! I felt the cold-and-wet, and memories of winters spent in Cape Town came flooding in. If a sim can make me feel this, its way good enough for me, and prior to FSX I have not experienced this sort of atmosphere "kick".

As for panels, the latest payware releases for FSX seem okay to me. Really enjoying the immersive VC cockpits of Wilco's Airbus Vol1, Skyunlimited's Hurricanes, and my cherised LevelD 767. It seems to me there are a lot of developers still on board with our sim hobby (plus beta testers) burning the mid night oil to bring us some good stuff over the next few months (PMDG 747 comming soon, yippee!). My guess is that many dvelopers just had to wait for SP1 before they could deliver, and that has opened the taps (Big thanks to people like Phil).

As for regular two year releases - software has a habit of growing, and with years can become quite a monster to upgrade. I program, so I now how maintenance and updating can become a huge task. As customers demand more the pressure mounts. Professionally I work in GIS and satellite remote sensing, and all I can say is FSX has grown into an amazing 3D GIS system (beats some dedicated GIS systems I know of). And mapping the world is just ONE aspect the ACES programmers have to control. I admire them for the development philosophy of allowing addons in this arena - no one company or person can map the World. Over the next year or so my guess is the flightsim community is going to put in a big team effort to make FSX the most memorable sim ever.

For me FSX has Taken off in a BIG way.

Rob (aka Asianbushpilot - most of my flying is done in Thailand - scenery not such a desert and thats my second home)

[JSkorna]

Don't worry, FS11 will not be out in 2008 so there goes that pattern again.

Jim

http://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpg
http://www.hifisim.com/

[RyanbATC]

I agree there are some gems right now, but the OP was looking for panels....of which there aren't many.

Most likely because 3D is "in" and 2D isn't anymore...

Yeah, there are tons of repaints (yippidy do da) but not many original quality addons...the payware addons are finally starting to flow though

[Leo112]

It will be interesting to see where things are at in another year with FSX.

I agree with the OP about the state of FSX. Yes you have basic titles coming out that's freeware but scenery like Shez's work are few and far between if any. Payware is starting to take off but FSX still needs more work from Mircosoft. I won't buy a new system until I see FSX running like FS9 is running now on top of the line machines. FSX/DX10/Vista is what I'm waiting to see more than anything... :-)