how important are the sensory aspects of FS ?

[Captain_Slarty]

you got the doodle bug rig and the Al Samoud2 gpu.... but you still just dont get the 'WOW !' factor ??.. why ?? ;-)

Consider the Monitor - all that cpu and gpu testosterone dont do you no good if ya cant SEE the ##### thing and provide a window to a virtual world that is big enough to avoid distractions... the more the human eye can move around, the more the 'perception' of reality is increased due to more 'normal' behaviour.... focusing on a 17" square is not normal lol, neither is a 20" square, but its a darn site better for 'normal' eye movement ;-) :-lol

Head phones.. for me, a must.. gotta get the full range of sounds and no honey do distractions... :-eek ;-)

Input devices .... heck doods, you are 'whipping yer trouser snakes' if ya think that 'ANY' old joystick will do ... get one that FITS your hand and desk, that 'feels' 'solid'.... get a big FO heavy one or glue it down...

Get a yoke and pedals...

those bits are worth FAR MORE than the 'fastest' cpu and the 'latest' gpu...

ya still need a good rig, but ya need only to provide the basics for IT to communicate with YOU... 35 fps as opposed to 25 fps will make NO difference in long term enjoyability..
but...........

seeing more
feeling more
hearing more

certainly will !

Joe ;-)

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/captainslarty/Images/coolskul.gif

System - >
3gig Intel + .. Size DOES matter

[sehender]

got to agree on this one.
i just updated my machine (to a PIV 2.4 from a 1.3) and am holding 22 fps consistently, except at the terminal at crowded airports.
But the REAL improvement for me was the purchase of a 19-inch flat-screen monitor. it has totally enhanced the feeling of immersion. (i previously had a 17-inch regular monitor.)
the FS world looks crisper, more detailed, and more 3-dimensional.

already had the yoke & pedals, so i'm loving it right now.

i just hope FSCOF doesn't hit my new machine too hard for frame rates when it comes out!!!!

[tjkotula]

Ah yes.

I'm thinking 2 upgrades for sure this summer and possibly 3.

1. 19" LCD (and not a cheapie either - I'm going all out. I've already seen the price tags - :-eek)

2. Water Cooling for both CPU and GPU :-cool (this is the one that's still up in the air and dependant on how much money I make this summer, but I can't stand the noise this Volcano 7 is making right now!)

3. If I can somehow squeeze it into my budget after that 19" LCD, I'll do a couple of case mods, but I can only go so far on a teenager's paycheck, lol.

Plus, I have to save for a PPL in the summer of 2004 as well as college in a couple of years even though my parents are kicking in substantial sums on both counts. So of course, I'll tell myself that this is it in terms of upgrades for a couple of years, but I'll always squeeze in more somehow. After all, it seems like you can never do enough upgrading these days. :-lol

Tim Kotula

XP 1800+ o/ced to XP2200+ (1.8Ghz)
MSI KT3 Ultra Motherboard
512 MB Crucial PC2100 DDR
OC Systems Enhanced GeForce 4 Ti4200 64 MB DDR o/ced to 340/660 Mhz.
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1
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My motto: Intel who?