Elvensmith

Thanks Paul, I'll give it a whirl.

I've been toying with the idea of reinstalling FSW as a stop gap until FS2020 arrives. Having just upgraded my PC to 24Gb of RAM and a GTX 1650, can anyone recall if DTG doctored the code sufficiently in FSW to take advantage of extra RAM memory, etc. As we know, FSX - even the Steam edition - was crippled by the inability to use more than 4Gb of system RAM.

Not as bad as I thought. My current rig is quite old - I7 4770 with 8Gb of RAM and a GTX 1050 2Gb GPU. I'm in the process of putting in an additional 8Gb of RAM (when it arrives from Amazon) which puts that in the mid range. Should have done that a while back TBH, as 8Gb is not really adequate these days particularly under Win 10 (box was originally bought back in win 7 days). Not sure where the CPU ranks in terms of those listed. It looks like the GPU will be the Achilles Heel. The 1050 is surprisingly low rated not even a match for the 770 let alone the 970 which are the minimum and mid range options. (I figured that when fallout 4 actually ran worse than with my old 950 card!). A 1650 Super looks like the best option but will almost certainly come with the need to purchase a new PSU as I have a feeling the one fitted by the builder is a standard 300 - 350 watt one just enough to power the case as supplied. Still it's quite encouraging and should be possible to get something going with the sim for a little bit of outlay.

Yes we have seen how DTG have failed as yet to provide any wider third party user tools for their new Train Sim World, not even a timetable or scenario editor. It is obviously possible to produce content because they are periodically releasing new routes and/or rolling stock, but though they keep saying they are working on the tools, several years in now they have not materialised. I have no problem paying for DLC (with a price vs. quality vs. need basis for each title) but will the likes of Just Flight and their developers have access to the SDK and the licence which will allow them to develop and release their typical mid-price range of add-ons? We shall see!

Well that is excellent news!

Has any indication been given by the developers that they will be adding some gameplay elements over and above the usual free flight and scripted missions? For example a career mode where you can develop your pilot (like a VA) or a company mode where you can actually build up your own airline similar to how the truck sims work, set up your own schedules, employ AI pilots to do some of the work etc. The biggest single check for me since first playing FS5 back in 1994, is the overall lack of purpose - no matter how good the graphics or flight model etc. it needs to be towards some defining end.

Thumbs down from me. I have one reasonable eye and one lazy eye so VR probably not going to work for me. Not to mention my wife already moans how hard it is to get my attention on the PC generally, let alone with a VR headset strapped on. As a future possibility for those who want it, great, but it shouldn't be a driving factor.

Apologies if this already discussed but while, like just about everyone else, I'm blown away by the graphics and potential but as a result of something I read elsewhere have an alarm bell ringing about what this might cost. I certainly have no issue paying £50 - £60 for the program up front (along with £800 for a new PC in all likelihood) but what if MS decide to make it pay to play? i.e. All these nice shiny streamed graphics will require a monthly (or annual) subscription to access the service, in the same way that many business applications charge their customers. I'm certainly not up for paying (ballpark figures) $10 - $15 a month as an ongoing basis to keep playing. That could get real expensive real fast. Or will there be differing levels of detail - e.g. a standalone version which broadly offers what FSX does now; some detailed areas and the rest procedurally generated. And TBH, with my primary interest being flying the big iron, how the ground looks at 30,000 feet from the cockpit of my DC10 won't be the primary concern.

Excellent news on the surface and, if the trailer is to be believed, unlike Dovetail's borked effort, will have passenger jets from the outset. Subject to the hardware specs, I will definitely be in the market for this albeit with the caveat I shall keep FSX in reserve. As an aside, do we know if this is being developed in house or if MS have outsourced. And the other thing is, given MS history with their train sim franchise (two aborted attempts at MSTS 2), I'll believe it when I can actually log on to their store and buy it... :)

I recently reinstalled under Win 10 off the original DVD's, might have taken the drive a while to spool up but still worked. Best option might be to wait and see if there's a sale on the Steam version during the upcoming holiday season (it has been on offer as low as £2.99 or around US$5.00) and switch to that instead.