Thinking About Beginning Flight Simulation?

If you are planning to do Flight Simulation and are exploring about to see what you can find out then I have some observations as a relative newbie myself just out of basic training. You will not be able to buy software and flight controls and fly. No matter what you hear to the contrary you will need a gaming computer and flight controls and instruments and special knowledge. What is that? A $3,000 computer built to run graphics and scenery that make simming enjoyable. You will need to know more than the average person about software and hardware—much more. Forum help is often to purchase software designed to change your existing software, to add coding, or write a patch, or change “00” to “01” on a line of code. You mess it up, sorry for you. Your flight controls may not work right. You will need to adjust settings and readjust settings and then do it all over again for another airplane. The missions are difficult because they are often not working correctly. Your learning curve on how to be a pilot, learning FSX, learning Saitek, CH and your new computer and Windows 10 will be steep. You will feel stupid and maybe quit in frustration not knowing how to get your money back for the goodies you bought. There are no volunteer, or paid, “Geek Squads” you can call to remote to your computer to help you with FSX, Saitek,CH, or anything else directly related to simming. There is a hierarchy of simmers with real pilots who also know computer programming and have long experience with simming at the top. Then the middle that have some idea about flying and computers, and then you and me. If you are relatively wealthy then you can work your way through the learning curves and build a nice cockpit. If you are not wealthy then you must be really smart with computers and software, or lastly you need to be really, really patient. If you are thinking to spend a few hundred dollars and learn to sim then think again. Having said all that, if you persist, you will end up with a really, really, nice hobby with most of the cost behind you and the fun ahead. Also, you will meet some really, really nice people who are just as crazy about flying and simming as you are. I’m just sayin’.

3 GRAND? Are you talking about a 3-monitor setup and specialized hardware controls? Way too high for a good rig these days.

 

And, yes, learning is part of the hobby. Flight simming requires an investment in time and study, and that's beyond lots of people. Console games are proof of that. But why the cliche tag at the end? "Just sayin'." :p

"Just sayin"(sic) What are you just saying?

 

Surely you're not "sayin" it takes a $3,000 investment to flight sim! We often receive posts from people who only flight sim when aboard an airplane, using their company provided box stock laptop and it's mouse. They find it an excellent way to pass the time rather than just playing Free Cell.

 

Surely you're not "sayin" newbies are on their own and no one cares to help! If so, you're ignoring thousands of help needed and help received posts. You're ignoring "how to" videos, the newcomer series of questions and answers, plus the fact that there are people on these boards every day who spend much more time answering the same or similar questions without complaint or pay than actually flying themselves.

 

I don't think you have a clue what you're "sayin" at all! Look around, you should be able to learn something here. Have you ever heard the old saying "There is a reason we're blessed with two ears and only one mouth?"

 

Meanwhile Welcome Aboard!! This can be a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby! If you let it!!:cool::cool:;)

I'm the biggest PC dummy around yet I've had have absolutely no problems running FSX on 3 different computers over the years, namely a medium-end £600 (900 dollars) PC with Win XP, a high-end £1100 (1500 dollars) PC with Win 7, and a typical laptop with Win 8.1.

The best tip i can give newcomers is to remind them that FSX is bee-yootiful straight out of the box, so don't rush into buying loads of scenery, weather and aircraft addons before you're comfortable with it or you might come unstuck.

I mean, if you start dating a pretty girl, you wouldn't pressure her into wearing a Wonder Woman outfit until you've got to know her well..;)

Sorry, Rupert. No disrespect intended to the Forum, simming, or any person associated with these subjects. It was only an opinion freely shared on an open forum. The value of any opinion can only be determined by the reader.

From what I've seen and done, myself, personally, you can use a decent laptop or desktop for simming. Not some super-dooper high-end ultra-graphical gaming computer, just a decent comp, with a decent processor. And who doesn't have a decent PC these days? Not many!

The sim is terribly CPU dependant, not GPU. Even for scenery rendering. A decent, again, not high-end ultra rig, GPU helps, but not as much as you might think.

I ran FS9, and then FSX-SE on a relatively decent, 2-core, 2.3GHz, 4MB RAM AMD low-end GPU, Dell 17" laptop. Older model. Could I run all the sliders full right? Nope, but it worked fine for me, as mentioned, "right out of the box". When I first started, I didn't even have a joystick, just the built in KB. Over time, I invested heavily in a huge, whopping $30.00 joystick. Then, I even blew a bundle on a $15.00 remote KB for it, so I could set it farther away and still fly. As I get older, things need to be farther away for me to easily see them. So, for under $900.00, all included, I had hours and hours of flight sim fun. Jumped in, hit F4 (full throttle) and went flying, and enjoyed the heck out of it.

Over the years, I've invested in a $35.00 joystick, and when the laptop died a slow death, I finally had to blow off a terrific $500.00 for a desktop. And I STILL love it. My set-up does just fine. Can I run with all the sliders full right now? Nope. But it looks fine for me.

I'm in it to fly the plane, not look at the scenery. I have a few freeware add-on sceneries I use, and some freeware aircraft, and enjoy the heck out of it. Weather looks great, too.

I flew a leg of a race in Vietnam yesterday, open to all, by the way, and the weather looked amazingly realistic. Fog laying in the valleys, a layer of Cu above the tops of the hills, a very realistic experience all around. And all freeware, oddly. I am turning in some really good times too.

All on a rig under $900.00.

If I win the lottery someday, I may even upgrade my system slightly. May spend some cash on OrbX scenery, a weather engine, who knows, I might even break $1500.00, total!

Sorry to sound like a jerk, I'm just trying to make the point. You don't NEED a $3000.00 PC, a $500.00 joystick/yoke, a $2000.00 monitor, and a $900.00 GPU(s) to fly a sim. Just a simple, basic system, maybe a joystick/yoke, and rudder pedals. MAYBE. I am a firm believer that planes are flown with a stick, cars a driven with a wheel, and never the twain shall meet, but that's just me.

Just enjoy it, don't try to "keep up with the Joneses" for your system. Someone out there will always have more/bigger/better "stuff" than you. Or say they do...

 

Good flights and fair winds to all!

Pat☺

And you are absolutely wrong about 'real pilots' coming into Flt Sim (any) and knowing it all. In fact they have to learn to fly in the sim just like anyone else. And there are 'stages' of 'enjoyment' ('levels'?). When you learn the C-172 / C-182 you go to other, bigger, more complicated aircraft, and learn how to fly those. But you can't do it by 'throwing money' at it. You HAVE to invest time (practice, reading, etc) in order to be able to 'prevail'. After all flying IS a SKILL (if you care to do it right). But all of it is irrelevant if you can't have FUN!

Chuck B

Napamule

The OP didn't say which FlightSim now, did he?

 

For someone who's starting out, and for one whose only prior exposure is watching a stray YouTube video or two, then I beg to differ with the OP...

 

'He' could find a good, lightly used Desktop on Craigslist, put a 1Gb Graphics Card in it, get a Logitech Wingman Extreme, and load FS9 on it for a lot less than $3k!

Remember, we're talking a greenhorn Simmer, here...

 

Not to mention finding an entire 'World' of Airplanes, Scenery, and Assistance right here, for nothing more than a Search, or simply by asking a question.

 

Really... $3k?

 

Alan :pilot:

I was going to comment, but the OP is so far off base there is no need to waste my time!

The OP didn't say which FlightSim now, did he?

I guess he did.

Your learning curve on how to be a pilot, learning FSX, learning Saitek, CH and your new computer and Windows 10 will be steep.

 

 

I was going to comment, but the OP is so far off base there is no need to waste my time!

+1.

You don't need an extreme pc to enjoy fsx. To get into fsx all you need is... FSX.

 

When I first installed fsx accel, 2010, it was on a pc with a 1.8 ghz pentium 4 and a 128mb videocard and only 768mb ram. I played it on that for a year and a half, and enjoyed it tremendously! Using only keyboard for a long time.

 

I then got a faster pc for free, a rescue, only needed windows, but it only lasted 2 years. (user error)

 

Recently I built a new pc, and wanted to treat myself to something fast. Not because fsx is no fun otherwise, but because a reasonable pc would cost almost as much as a pretty great one.

I spent only 850 dollar on parts+windows (had an old vidcard already), bought a 3570k, 8gb ram, a mainboard, and dvdrw, ssd, case.

 

Really, spending big is not needed to have fun. Actually, with that old pentium 4 it would be an option to install linux/freebsd (both free operating systems) and then Flightgear (freeware flightsim). And then go fly.

That pentium4 pc is from 2002.

You could pick something like that up for free at the local dump. Or buy something much better at the local thrift store for 40$.

 

'Getting into flightsimming' does not have to cost much, if anything at all.

Here's my "Big Spend"! I got a hand-me-down computer from my sister. Running

Windows XP at 2.0GHZ with 2 Gig Ram.

 

I spent $14.00 for FSX through Amazon and then $19.00 for my Attack3 joystick from Logitech.

 

All works well!

I kind of agree with the OP, because I think there is more to what he writes behind the obvious. Of course you can run FSX on a standard PC and spend little money doing so. But that is not what many newbies want. IMHO, people are drawn to flight simulation these days not because they want to sim, but because of what they see on youtube, all those fancy videos and mega-ultra-realistic-phenomenal stuff. And they want to have the same thing, the same graphics, the same "realism". And then they realize that to get all of that, it is not sufficient to buy a title on Steam, pull it onto your laptop and grab the XBox controller. Your pockets have to be as deep as your knowledge - and your patience, because "real" realism is time consuming. Numbers to think about: only roughly 10% of the people who bought FSX:SE on Steam are actually using it (according to SteamSpy). That would amout to more than 500.000 frustrated or bored simmers, if you want to see it that way. Nine out of ten people try simming and then leave it be...

WRT the overall topic - As stated by many others, you don't need to spend lots to enjoy any FS base product - or indeed any other 'game'. Buying additional products to enhance the experience is purely a matter of individual choice. Whilst not that prevalent within the FS community as it is within other 'gaming' communities, you will always have those who want what they consider to be the best enhancement or latest piece of hardware simply because they assume that it will improve their sim/'gaming' experience.

 

WRT SteamSpy stats - such stats are misleading and should be taken with a pinch of salt, simply because it only logs information for those who 'play' the product online through the Steam Client Online Services mode. Many of the products on Steam have single player modes and can be run without connecting to the Steam Client online services mode but instead by running the Steam Client in off-line mode. When you next connect on-line to the Steam Client the latest individual product stats/achievements are updated but no data is written to SteamSpy.

Why is an assumption more believable than actual numbers and requires less than a pinch of salt? Don't you like the idea behind those numbers? That civillian flight simulation isn't in the "big league" of the software industry anymore is a simple fact, nothing more.

 

In this example, firing off yet another assumption: even assuming that half of all Steam users deactivate their client before playing in offline mode, that would only boost the usage numbers of flight sims to 20%. Still 80% owners left, presumed uninterested, disgruntled or frustrated.

 

Anyway, here are a few more numbers from SteamSpy, how about total amount of licenses currently owned:

DTG Flight School: 10.980,

X-Plane: 65.507,

FSX SE: 611.709.

Total active users on Steam: 175 million. That makes about 0.3% of them simmers. And if only 10% actually use the sim... (notice the "if"). DTG FS has a respecatble usage profile of almost 40% - but considering that so few licenses have gone around it isn't that impressive either.

Although all of this meaningless chatter more than convinces me that this subject is seriously flawed and unworthy of comment, I do have one. Those of you who are intent on providing "why not" comment obviously have little, or no audience here. These forums are for enthusiasts, not detractors. I would respectfully suggest you all pack your tents and take them elsewhere!

Guys, my popcorn has run out. Remember, it's only a game really.

Time to sit back & chill?

 

Stats are in the eye of the beholder anyway.

I'm very happy with my i5 laptop, running P3D & 3x versions of FS9, with CH Products yoke & pedal. No need to spend more at this stage. It just all works perfectly.

Oh, I do have payware stuff but I support mainly freeware developers, as they are the backbone of our hobby.

Son of a gun!!!!! If I had known how complicated this thing called Flight Sim was I probably would not have enjoyed it for about 11 years or so!!!!

 

Just get yourself a a laptop about $500 that you can do other things on like real work and then get an old FS9 version and a twist joy stick so you can do crabbing and cross wind landings and have a go!!

 

Good luck partner !!

I'm the biggest PC dummy around yet I've had have absolutely no problems running FSX on 3 different computers over the years, namely a medium-end £600 (900 dollars) PC with Win XP, a high-end £1100 (1500 dollars) PC with Win 7, and a typical laptop with Win 8.1.

The best tip i can give newcomers is to remind them that FSX is bee-yootiful straight out of the box, so don't rush into buying loads of scenery, weather and aircraft addons before you're comfortable with it or you might come unstuck.

I mean, if you start dating a pretty girl, you wouldn't pressure her into wearing a Wonder Woman outfit until you've got to know her well..;)

 

Good comparison, I am not the OP but I will learn something from this post. :)

Funny that. I don't think that this topic is wasted, but maybe I did not understand the OP correctly.

 

What I understood was, that he did not want to enjoy base FSX, he wanted the full blown "real deal" - "that makes simming enjoyable". And I still agree with him, to get the sim to the point of "awesome" graphics and content, requires a lot of money, knowledge and patience.

 

And I still think this is important to get across to newbies, who are confused about those YouTube videos and equally awesome screenshots - FSX does not look like that out of the box, and getting it there might be a lot more trouble than they bargained for. The threads "How to make my FSX look like this", "what addons to buy" and "Will my system run FSX with addons" are legion, and the replies are very similar too. People asking these questions IMHO are not inquiring about enjoying base FSX.

 

The statistics were intended just to illustrate that 9 out of 10 people seem to try simming and then leave it alone. For whatever reason - but what the OP writes might just be one of them.