worth getting FS2004? (I've only used FSX)

I see that I can get the PMDG 737NG very cheaply on ebay with FS2004. Can anyone tell me if this is as good as the FSX version? and if there is anything else in FS2004 that I might enjoy (having only used FSX)?

Well...it's hard to give you a straightforward yes or no answer to this, there are many aspects involved, and it depends very much on your needs and expectations. But in addition to the obvious facts that FSX looks better than FS9 and has many more features, FSX also has much more potential to evolve and become a superior simulator with the help of various addons, than FS2004. It'll look in such a way and it'll be able to do things that FS9 simply can't. But this doesn't mean that FS2004 can't deliver....it just can't deliver as much as FSX.

 

The point is, it DOES worth to get FS2004 if the superior looks and functions of FSX (both stock and 3d party) are not of paramount importance for you. I guess the biggest drawback would be the inferior looks, less eye candy...because as far as "FS2004 things you could enjoy in this sim" goes....there are MANY addons of all kinds, many of them very advanced too. Usually the FS9 versions of such high end simulations are less advanced than their FSX counterparts, no wonder, since we're talking about a more advanced and a less advanced simulator. But depending on how experienced of a simmer you are, and how much is "good enough" for you, FS9 and its associated advanced simulations/addons can bring you tons of joy!

 

PMDG 737NG for FSX is much more advanced than its FS9 counterpart (which is also very advanced in turn). But forget about PMDG, there is a better 737NG simulation for FS9 than PMDG, that would be Ifly 737. A few more examples of FS9 goodies: PMDG MD-11, SSTSIM Concorde (these 2 are top notch), Qualitywings BAe 146 and 757, Feelthere ERJ series, PMDG 747-400, Level-D 767-300, Digital Aviation Fokker, all Carenado stuff. These are some of the most advanced addons for FS9, bu there are many more less advanced products, both freeware and payware that can be just as fun, such as the classic jetliners available at Historic Jetliner Group, or David Maltby's classic British jets. Then there are addons typically found between these 2 categories, these are pretty advanced, but not as advanced as PMDG and alike: Feelthere 737, A320, A330, A340, CRJ and E-Jets series, Virtualcol Fokker 50, Captain Sim stuff.

 

There are also many FS9 sceneries that look so good, you might actually have a tough time trying to tell if what you see is FS9 or FSX.

 

I personally only use FS2004, I'm super happy with what that sim has to offer. I've got many advanced aircraft, less advanced but just as delightful aircraft, superb sceneries as well as all sorts of other 3rd party extensions and addons that enhance my FS9 world to some degree. I admit I too am drooling over what the latest goodies for FSX boast, but my philosophy is that the newer simulators (FSX, P3D, X-Plane etc) and their suite of 3rd party extensions still don't deliver enough compared to my heavily equipped FS9, to justify the extra space and resources needed for these newer sims...plus, FS9 is said to be much more stable than FSX.

 

So to try and sum this up, FS2004 and its battalion of addons has a lot to offer, FS2004 is still going very strong, and it will most likely continue to do so for a long time to come, you can simulate in a very realistic way (as much as can be expected from a home flight sim, of course), you can make it look pretty darn good, there are various misc addons to improve it..BUT...keep in mind that as terrific as this sim can be, the difference between it and FSX are quite visible, when both are "well armed" with various addons. If you can live without that extra stuff FSX is able to offer, than this sim is for you, 'cuz it sure still has much to offer. If you ask me, I'd tell you yes, go for it (but pick the Ifly 737 instead of PMDG 737), but to be completely honest, you'd have to try i yourself to see if this really is for you. But yes, FS2004 still "rocks" and has much to offer, and no, it is not as ancient-looking and as farty as some would like us to think.

 

Maybe you can tell me/us more about what addons you're using in FSX so I can recommend some more stuff for FS2004. Do you use any AI traffic package?

 

Best RGDS,

MIB

It may also be worth considering what you can do to fs2004 besides what you can do with it. For example, I have converted one or two GA aircraft to turbo versions to gain extra performance and I am also in the process of creating lots of static aircraft to place in airports and airfields which are currently ghost towns.

 

If you think outside the box then fs2004 still has a lot of interest to offer.

 

Dijvid

But in addition to the obvious facts that FSX looks better than FS9

 

I personally only use FS2004

 

Best RGDS,

MIB

 

I DON'T agree with your "obvious fact" that FSX looks "better". In fact, since you only use FS2004 ..... I'm not sure YOU can agree with your statement.

 

Nice long response, though .....

Just say'n ..... nuff said!

Worth getting? definitely, and it's interesting to see many folk "returning" to FS9, having had their fill of "fiddling" with the other offerings.

 

Let's start by looking at some pictures, what about

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?287949-FS9-5-Never-Looked-so-Good-Some-Airliners&p=1909469#post1909469

 

or even:

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?287947-Fs9-5-Never-Looked-so-Good-Some-Helos&p=1909466#post1909466

I DON'T agree with your "obvious fact" that FSX looks "better". In fact, since you only use FS2004 ..... I'm not sure YOU can agree with your statement.

 

It's the addons like Orbx which make FSX look better. Without them FSX is - well, just plain vanilla FSX. Beside this obvious statement I think the FS9 v FSX debate has been flogged well beyond death and doesn't need resurrecting yet again.

 

Dijvid

Worth getting? definitely, and it's interesting to see many folk "returning" to FS9, having had their fill of "fiddling" with the other offerings.

 

Let's start by looking at some pictures, what about

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?287949-FS9-5-Never-Looked-so-Good-Some-Airliners&p=1909469#post1909469

 

or even:

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?287947-Fs9-5-Never-Looked-so-Good-Some-Helos&p=1909466#post1909466

 

Nice piccies - but they refer to FS9.5 I was not aware that there was a version beyond 9.1

 

Dijvid

It's the addons like Orbx which make FSX look better. Without them FSX is - well, just plain vanilla FSX. Beside this obvious statement I think the FS9 v FSX debate has been flogged well beyond death and doesn't need resurrecting yet again.

 

Dijvid

 

Well, the addons like BEV and GEPro and even FS9Evo make FS2004 look better. Without them, FS2004 is just plain vanilla .... but still better than the "X-factor"!

 

As to the FS9 v FSX debate ..... if you haven't noticed in the comments above .... it already HAS been resurrected yet again.

 

No Soup for You!

Just say'n

Nice piccies - but they refer to FS9.5 I was not aware that there was a version beyond 9.1

 

Dijvid

 

"FS 9.5" is a recent Add On, also known as FS9Evo. Recompiled Textures, lights, etc. It was compiled by a SOH Member, and is 'DonationWare'.

 

:pilot:

Nice piccies - but they refer to FS9.5 I was not aware that there was a version beyond 9.1

 

Dijvid

 

Actually, there have been posts of FS9.75 and above! My, versions go by so fast! Take a jaunt over to that "other" site and there's a thread on FS 9.95!

 

EVO must be WAY out of date!

Nice piccies - but they refer to FS9.5 I was not aware that there was a version beyond 9.1 Dijvid

Dijvid it's al a bit Tongue in Cheek!

There's been a resurgence of interest in FS2004, which in 2015, doesn't look very much like the "Out-of-Box" version of a decade ago.

Many, many tweaks and custom planes and sceneries make the sim something more these days; some call their sim "FS9.5"

There is of course nothing "Official" beyond FS9.1

Worth getting?

 

Well, if you like constant tweaking, ctd's, oom's, low fps, stutters, and don't like just enjoying flying, don't get fs9 and stick with FSX/p3d.

 

:D

Is that how FSX runs on my PC? You coulda fooled me.

Most of them.

Plus fs9 looks better. Can't justify spending money to make FSX look better then fs9 and get far worse performance.

 

Pointless.

No I think actually most people that run FSX/P3D have good luck with both, do you have any statistics?

Well, if you like constant tweaking, ctd's, oom's, low fps, stutters, and don't like just enjoying flying, don't get fs9 and stick with FSX/p3d.

 

Where do you get this idea from????

 

If you live anywhere in the South of England then you are most welcome to come to my house and see FS9 running without these problems and with some good addons as well.

 

Let me know when and I'll have the coffee ready :cool:

 

Dijvid

Yeah. It's called flightsim.com and Avsim which is filled with threads and posts on ooms, ctd's and vas problem and low fps and stuttes etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.

 

Only posts on fs9 are screenshots because, well, we actually fly. Lol.

Where do you get this idea from????

 

If you live anywhere in the South of England then you are most welcome to come to my house and see FS9 running without these problems and with some good addons as well.

 

Let me know when and I'll have the coffee ready :cool:

 

Dijvid

 

 

That's what I mean. Fs9 is a smooth as butter. FSX/p3d overbloated jokes. Bad jokes too.

.... suddenly lost interest in this thread and deleted my post :pilot:

 

Dijvid

Where do you get this idea from????

 

If you live anywhere in the South of England then you are most welcome to come to my house and see FS9 running without these problems and with some good addons as well.

 

Let me know when and I'll have the coffee ready :cool:

 

Dijvid

 

Reading is Fundamental ..... that's the point the poster was making!

 

P.S.

Oh, I see the poster already commented on your comment and that you deleted a comment due to lack of interest in others comments ......

No I think actually most people that run FSX/P3D have good luck with both, do you have any statistics?

 

I"ll try:

Approximately 98.345% of comments in the FS2004 forum favor FS2004 over FSX/P3D

 

Only 1.567% of FS2004 users cruise the FSX and/or P3D forums commenting how wonderful FS2004 is on their rigs.

 

88.353% of positive remarks regarding FSX/P3D come from crossdressers ....err .... crossovers from the FSX and/or P3D forums. The remaining positive comments come from people who don't know how to read which forum they are in.

 

You have my word on it ..... Joe Isuzu

I don't remember seeing too many FS9 screenshot threads lately, I think the majority by far are coming from FSX/P3D so they must be capturing those all in between CTDs and just not telling us. Wonder how they get the videos?

Yes!

 

Socks.

I DON'T agree with your "obvious fact" that FSX looks "better".

OK, FINE, gee, easy now. Lemme clarify, that, was just my personal opinion, if you DON'T agree with it, fine by me. I, in my stupidity, do believe that stock FSX looks better than stock FS2004, and a "fully armed" FSX looks better than a "fully armed" FS2004. I mean I've never seen FS2004 look as good as an ORBX equipped FSX or like

. Trust me, I'd love my FS2004 to just LOOK as good as that, but it's just not possible...at least not without going down the path of becoming a revolutionary developer myself. Now if you believe, generally peaking, that FS2004 LOOKS better (that is, more realistic) than FSX, then congratulations, you must be a member of the privileged class with such a perception, and I respect that. Keep in mind, this is not to be confused with folks who consider FS2004 to be a better choice than FSX (I'm one of them). I'm only talking about the looks here. Bummer, not even the obvious is obvious these days, LOL.

 

In fact, since you only use FS2004 ..... I'm not sure YOU can agree with your statement.

Trust me, you can be sure I can agree with my statement. That almost made me laugh. You see how passionate you are to just contradict me, or everybody else for that matter, that you don't realize precisely what message I'm trying to transmit? Let me give you an advice, from you....

Reading is Fundamental .....

I said I only use FS2004, not that I don't own or never owned and never tried FSX. And even if I never tried it, there's this thing called Internet, there are megatons of screenshots and videos made in FSX, plus, I've got some simmer friends who are using FSX themselves, and I get to try that sim on their rigs from time to time, usually when we get together at one of their homes to go for a plane spotting session. Before we leave, I sometimes do some loopings in their FSX for a few minutes;). That's like saying, that since you've never been to, say, Austria, you shouldn't believe what they tell you when they say that country looks stunning, you've never been there, how can you know that is true? It might just be a conspiration..;);)

 

Nice long response, though .....

Just say'n ..... nuff said!

Well thanks for noticing;) I'd better go back to doing that, than responding to...well....this....mah bad:o

 

Happy landings

 

Later edit:

88.353% of positive remarks regarding FSX/P3D come from crossdressers ....err .... crossovers from the FSX and/or P3D forums. The remaining positive comments come from people who don't know how to read which forum they are in.

 

You have my word on it ..... Joe Isuzu

I wonder which category I find myself in, since I dared to state that FSX looks better than FS2004 in the FS2004 forum (even though I see FS2004 as a better choice than FSX). Now I see where all that "rage" came from...FRFS9M (Far Right FS9 Movement...just kiddin') sorry, should've realized there's no point in replying.......

http://i.imgbox.com/dLr91vY5.jpg

Yes!

 

Socks.

 

Thank goodness for this! It's the most accurate, concise and sensible post in this whole thread!

 

Dijvid