What are some must have addons for fs2004 ?

[AnySajmon]

I have FS2004 century of flight and recently i have been thinking about getting some addons for better flight sim experience. What are some must have addons that make the flight sim more realistic or just improve the simulator in any way ? I will be glad with any form of advice or help.

[SCM0616]

Google "best freeware for fs9."  You will get topics covering sceneries, utilities, aircraft, etc.  Most of it will be in the libraries here and at the other top FS sites.  Then there is payware, but I would start with the freeware first.

[ViperPilot2]

If you can, stick with Freeware. Look in the FS2004 Latest Files category and grab the "Drzewiecki Design Grass".

[jgf]

First, I would think, is FSUIPC.  And I couldn't do without FSNavigator 4.7

 

Beyond that it depends on what and where you like to fly.

[Bwoinbeerr]

I find having a good weather add on software really important. I use this one:

 

https://www.pilots.shop/Cms/Ui/Pages/Products/MainPage.aspx?id=253b8b5c-0a91-4935-8d01-b3c70aee6034

 

[jgf]

At $35 I recommend d/l the demo and see if it works on your system.  To my knowledge there is no free weather program around.

[chris_eve]

I'd suggest one of the freeware terrain enhancement packages then one (some) of the freeware scenery design programs ... SceneGenX, ADE, Rwy12 etc. then you can set up FS9 as you want it, not necessarily as someone else thinks it should be  

[wobbie]

Mmmm, all depends what you are looking for.

As far as aircraft goes, a good start is anything from Milton Shupe (& team), Bill Lyons has a heap of aircraft, most with a story. You can also 'theme' your sim to a Golden Wings or a Silver Wings style. For myself, I prefer the props & older aircraft, with very few jet liners in my sims.

You can also have more than one install, with themed aircraft & scenery.

 

We have had many a discussion regarding realistic versus immersion. Simming, as the late Garry Smith of Ford Tri-Motor Project fame, always said that simming is all about fun, facts & fiction. For realism, an option is to get hold of some of the so-called 'study level' aircraft, where you can learn all the nuts & bolts of the thing. I've gone for immersion, & I've seen that within a actual sim that our virtual club built, of an Avro Shackleton cockpit that fits on a trailer, using FS2004 & freeware scenery of my homeland, South Africa. We get actual pilots to 'fly' the static sim, & they get so immersed that they actually 'bump' themselves in their seat, anticipating touchdown.

 

If it's aircraft that you are interested in, just reply with the type that interests you, & we will get a list together for you.

Chris says very wise words.. set the sim up the way YOU want. We are all here to add a helping hand,

[defaid]

15 hours ago, wobbie said:

Mmmm, all depends what you are looking for.

 

My first thought too.

 

I think Microsoft used to refer to it as "the game", which put paid to all my thoughts of having to be serious all the time.

 

To the OP, what do you like most about using FS9? If you've only just started out with it, what attracted you? That will determine what sort of modifications you make first. For sightseeing it might be terrain or weather improvements. For ten minutes of barnstorming fun, a few small player aircraft that handle realistically or perhaps just some better-looking farm strips. Extra desktop hardware... joystick, yoke, pedals, three monitors... a new graphics card... Good looking addon airports? And the AI traffic to go with them. And an ATC package to go with them. A lot of folk couldn't do without complex systems modelling in their jet liners. Pretty well all of us are in to modding to some degree so external scenery-building apps eventually also become essential.

 

There's a huge volume of outstanding freeware covering every aspect of the sim but, if you have cash to spare, there are also some very impressive payware addons though, as FS9 gets older, support is diminishing.

 

FS9 starts as a relatively clean canvas and yours will evolve over time to match your interest.

 

Let us know what you like about aviation. We'll find something  .

 

D

 

 

[ViperPilot2]

And when it comes to Payware, wait until the Holidays to buy it, if you can. Add ons for FS2004 go on Sale for ridiculous prices during the Holidays; like Carenado aircraft for $5 to $10. Some of them are getting a little long in the tooth but still work fine in FS9!

[JSMR]

4 hours ago, leuen said:

There was a site with links to many sceneries covering the hole world :

https://www.freewarescenery.com/fs2004.html

 

Obvisouly the author backed the wrong horse as a lot of those links where connected to the library of this site here. With the new FlightSim.com all these links became obsolete. If he had choose an other reliable site, this remarkable scenery search site would still work and still be very helpful. Unfortunately the author couldn't know that before. So many years of work have been nullified. It's a real shame!

 

Bernard

 

 

 

 

I know. Shame indeed. I can't believe there wasn't a simple solution to sites such as that one before the forum switch. Such a great site with now many bad links to here. The search function doesnt always find it either. 

[jgf]

6 hours ago, leuen said:

There was a site with links to many sceneries covering the hole world :

https://www.freewarescenery.com/fs2004.html

 

Obvisouly the author backed the wrong horse as a lot of those links where connected to the library of this site here. With the new FlightSim.com all these links became obsolete. If he had choose an other reliable site, this remarkable scenery search site would still work and still be very helpful. Unfortunately the author couldn't know that before. So many years of work have been nullified. It's a real shame!

 

Bernard

 

 

 

 

The owner of that site posted here that once the work is finished on this site he will update all the links.

[flapman]

7 hours ago, leuen said:

So many years of work have been nullified. It's a real shame!

Eh,

 

luckily the old structure of flightsim.com included the file name in the external link, so the links I surveyed at that website all included file names. It should be trivially easy to just put those into the search here.

[jgf]

1 hour ago, flapman said:

It should be trivially easy to just put those into the search here.

 

Unfortunately, file name is the search that isn't working.

[flapman]

well that's screwed up.

nice job.

[JSkorna]

7 hours ago, flapman said:

well that's screwed up.

nice job.

Thanks for your support and understanding.

[ViperPilot2]

And whatever you do... don't go trying to 'chase Performance' using FS9. All that FPS stuff they jabber on about MSFS doesn't apply to FS9 one iota. You can try to make it look prettier, but there's only so much you can do with an older model. If you can live with the built in limitations of the Sim, then go out and have a load of fun! 

 

Keep asking Questions... we'll try to answer them or steer you in the right direction. 

[alanmerry]

I agree with "jgf" FSUIPC and FSNavigator 4.7,  then the world is your lobster!  Then a enormous variety of aircraft and scenery, much of it freeware, some 20 years' worth, which keeps me flying FS9. I recommend the turbo-props by Rick Piper.   MSFS has some catching up to do here!

[Skywatcher12]

MSFS people chase graphics. Let's face it, if MSFS had poor graphics absolutely no one would buy it as it has nothing to offer over any of the other flight sims. It totally lags behind.

I'll never switch from FS9 and I know I'll never have enough time to ever explore all the add-ons I wish to explore. The graphics may not be the latest in FS9 but in every other way, it's simply the most perfect flight sim for me. That's not saying FS9 graphics are bad, they simply aren't modern. I love what I see in FS9.

There are many add-ons available but OP has not even returned to acknowledge anyone.

 

[michaelkalinowsk]

Watch the YT video by SHORT FINAL "how to make your FS2004 look amazing for free in 2019!!!" . . .

 

Michael

[jgf]

One benefit of FS9 today is that most people have a system four or fives times as powerful as what they had when FS9 was released.   Instead of picking and choosing graphics settings, amount of AI, etc., to get acceptable appearance and fps,   just crank up all the knobs, whistles, and bells and enjoy a smooth, stable game/sim.  (And no continual "updates" to install new bugs.)

[JSkorna]

12 hours ago, Skywatcher12 said:

MSFS people chase graphics. Let's face it, if MSFS had poor graphics absolutely no one would buy it as it has nothing to offer over any of the other flight sims. It totally lags behind.

 

 

Sorry, no we don't. And please don't start trying to proclaim what MSFS has or doesn't have. Let it be known that Mark owned and used MSFS for zero minutes, zero seconds; lifetime.

[JSkorna]

2 hours ago, jgf said:

(And no continual "updates" to install new bugs.)

No, you're just stuck with all the bugs from 20 years ago that never got addressed.

[jgf]

14 minutes ago, JSkorna said:

No, you're just stuck with all the bugs from 20 years ago that never got addressed.

 

At least new ones aren't being added every week.  Choose your poison, nothing's perfect.

[JSkorna]

21 minutes ago, jgf said:

 

At least new ones aren't being added every week.

Says someone else who knows very little about MSFS.

 

Let it be clear that the two above posters tried to stir the pot by bringing MSFS into this thread, not I. But when falsehoods are posted I will be the first to call them out.