Flight Simulators - Add your own screenshots

[homeforsummer]

Now before I start, I know there are a few threads already on this subject, but they're all ancient by now and rather than try and add some input into a thread that everyone's forgotten about, I'd rather start a new thread with people's opinions from now, instead of a few years ago. 👍

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So, Flight Simulators

Anyone play them at the moment?

I've recently re-loaded FS2004 onto my laptop. I got the game ages ago before In even got my old laptop (I think it might actually have been 2004 when I bought the game), but I was very lucky indeed, because I was working in WHSmiths at the time, they had an audit, and there were a bunch of games and other stuff that had no boxes or instructions, so couldn't be sold to the public. Solution? Sell them to the staff for pennies. FS2004 was a £50 game and I got it for 40p, just because it didn't have a box. No joke. It even had the instruction manual! Biggest bargain ever

Anyway, I reloaded it onto my current laptop, and apart from the fact it runs brilliantly on a new machine, I'd forgotten how much I love games like this. The freedom of what you can do is akin to GTA, but without the killing. Like GTA on the PC, it's also endlessly updatable with new aircraft and scenery. It's kind of addictive searching the net for great aircraft to add.

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Do people still play these games then? With so many great driving and racing sims about at the moment it's easy to forget about games like Flight Sim.

Anyone have Flight Sim X? What's it like in comparison to 2004, what's better about it?

EDIT: Feel free to add screenshots you've taken. We haven't really got a proper thread for flight sims, so I'll keep this thread updated with info and news about flight simulator games of all sorts.

 

[Jay]

I am a active flight simmer (FS2004 & FSX with tons of mods).

The biggest difference in FSX is graphics and scenery but this takes a heavy toll on hardware, unless you have a fairly good system don't worry about it, aircraft are also improved but I don't use default aircraft.

 

[Joey D]

I have FSX with the Accelerator add-on package. It's great and my system can handle it pretty well (I have a GeForce 8800 graphics card) but there are times it gets sluggish. It is a resource hog but it looks amazing. I can't tell you what is better about it because I was coming from FS2000 when I upgraded so a lot has improved.

 

[Havok_]

I too am an AVID simmer. I've had every FS since Fs 5.0 Currently have FSX with many many add-ons from Fly Tampa, Alpasim, CLS, etc etc. As for a comparsion with fs2k4 the most noticable is the enviorment, the sky clouds and dawn/dusk texturing has greatly improved.

There are some add-ons that are remarkable, such as MegaScenery Oahu and Fly Tampa Kai Tak that will leave you breathless, but like the other gentlemen have posted your PC must be powerful enough to run. if so you will enjoy every second.

 

[homeforsummer]

I am a active flight simmer (FS2004 & FSX with tons of mods).

The biggest difference in FSX is graphics and scenery but this takes a heavy toll on hardware, unless you have a fairly good system don't worry about it, aircraft are also improved but I don't use default aircraft.

My PC isn't amazing, it's a mid-range laptop and it does seem to struggle with a fair few modern games (doesn't like running RACE 07, for example) but it runs FS2004 perfectly so I'll probably stick with it! I can run FS2004 with the detail virtually right up.

I've previously had FS2002 (also got for pennies from my old job ) and Combat Flight Sim, the Battle of Britain one (can't remember the proper name). It's great how aircraft are interchangable between versions.

The extra content available all over the net is great. I mostly download new aircraft (scenery is a bit heavier on the hardware). In the same way I'm a fan of smaller cars, I'm also a fan of small aircraft, so most of the ones I download are small props.

I too am an AVID simmer. I've had every FS since Fs 5.0 Currently have FSX with many many add-ons from Fly Tampa, Alpasim, CLS, etc etc. As for a comparsion with fs2k4 the most noticable is the enviorment, the sky clouds and dawn/dusk texturing has greatly improved.

Ah so it's fairly subtle stuff then? I've not seen much difference when looking at screenshots so I guess it makes more of a difference in motion.

There are some add-ons that are remarkable, such as MegaScenery Oahu and Fly Tampa Kai Tak that will leave you breathless, but like the other gentlemen have posted your PC must be powerful enough to run. if so you will enjoy every second.

I've seen the MegaScenery stuff, really does look impressive. Better terrain modelling and photo-real textures yes?

What kind of aircraft do people here download then? Any suggestions of great ones for FS2004?

 

[ExigeEvan]

Can I just be a smug git and say I've "played" this twice (once as a stunt bi-plane, the other as a Harrier GR-7), and I'll have use of it throughout my 4 years at uni

 

[homeforsummer]

Hah, nice one Something like that would probably make me ill though!

 

[Havok_]

here are some of my screenshots so you can have a better perspective of FSX

 

[Havok_]

My PC isn't amazing, it's a mid-range laptop and it does seem to struggle with a fair few modern games (doesn't like running RACE 07, for example) but it runs FS2004 perfectly so I'll probably stick with it! I can run FS2004 with the detail virtually right up.

I've previously had FS2002 (also got for pennies from my old job ) and Combat Flight Sim, the Battle of Britain one (can't remember the proper name). It's great how aircraft are interchangable between versions.

The extra content available all over the net is great. I mostly download new aircraft (scenery is a bit heavier on the hardware). In the same way I'm a fan of smaller cars, I'm also a fan of small aircraft, so most of the ones I download are small props.



Ah so it's fairly subtle stuff then? I've not seen much difference when looking at screenshots so I guess it makes more of a difference in motion.



I've seen the MegaScenery stuff, really does look impressive. Better terrain modelling and photo-real textures yes?

What kind of aircraft do people here download then? Any suggestions of great ones for FS2004?

honestly, there are add-ons for every single type of aircraft. I love to fly commercial airliners like the A340 and the 777, there is a freeware 777 for FS2004 that is PERFECT....you should check out www.projectopensky.com the best freeware on the net is there, you will not be dissapointed

 

[homeforsummer]

I must say I've underestimated the graphics of FSX, it looks amazing. My laptop definitely couldn't run it!

 

[Joey D]

You can adjust the graphics quite a bit so it runs decently on your system. You can control everything from the amount of traffic to landscape detail.

 

[homeforsummer]

It'd be kind of a shame not to be able to run it at it's best though.

 

[Leonidae]

I'm prefectly happy with CFS3, at the moment. I've been slowly studying and practicing Gmax so I could start making planes bit quicker than the grandpa's who are doing them now..

 

[Jay]

Oh Lukla, every flight sim enthusist has to attempt a 747 take off from there atleast once.

 

[homeforsummer]

Ah, getting a 747 to take off from ridiculous runways is great fun. I took off from a tiny airstrip on the Shetland Islands (out in the North Sea above the UK) once, almost fell into the sea...

What are the longest flights people have done then? FS2004 is the "century of flight" edition of the series, and you can recreate many of the classic flights from the early days of aviation. One of the flights is a round-the-world one in a Vega, and the game lists it as taking "8 days and 17 hours over several sessions". Anyone attempted anything like that here? I'm currently doing a "Route 66" flight, visiting all the places I did when I drove Route 66 last year.

 

[Joey D]

I've done the around the world flight in a Learjet 45 sticking mainly to the northern hemisphere due to the fuel range. I tried to tour as many cities along the way as I could starting from the local airport in my area, Oakland County International and proceed to fly east. Crossing the Atlantic was the hardest part, I flew up threw Canada, then to Greenland, then to Iceland. The most challenging aspect was trying to get to the UK, it require a stupidly high altitude and landing on fumes. Once I was over the Eurasia landmass it wasn't so bad and I just flew up threw China to Russia and across into Alaska.

The flight was done in real time too over the course of a month or so of gaming. One of these days I'm going to do it again now that I have some downloaded aircraft. I would like to do the southern hemisphere but I need something with better range to get from S.America to Africa.

 

[Jay]

Ah, getting a 747 to take off from ridiculous runways is great fun. I took off from a tiny airstrip on the Shetland Islands (out in the North Sea above the UK) once, almost fell into the sea...

Lukla is the best as you wont take off in time (747) but it has a shear drop off at threshold and will allow you to fall enough until the plane generates enough speed and lift, is fun .

What are the longest flights people have done then? FS2004 is the "century of flight" edition of the series, and you can recreate many of the classic flights from the early days of aviation. One of the flights is a round-the-world one in a Vega, and the game lists it as taking "8 days and 17 hours over several sessions". Anyone attempted anything like that here? I'm currently doing a "Route 66" flight, visiting all the places I did when I drove Route 66 last year.

Longest flight... well I am a big tubeliner (large commercial aircraft) type guy and use the best and closest to real aircraft I can get (PDMG payware) and do real world routes with them, I have done the 14 hour Sydney (YSSY) to Los Angeles (KLAX) among many of long flights in real time (I don't speed up game time)


As for in succession I have flown around the world via different routes a few times, FSX has a full globe this time, while FS9 (FS2004) has not modeled antartica and north pole.

 

[homeforsummer]

I am really tempted to get FSX really. One of my mates is in the Royal Air Force and uses it to learn the aircraft (single engined small props and twin engined larger props at the moment) that he actually flies.

I didn't realise FSX had as many leaps in terms of realism and especially graphics that it does over FS2004. The flights I do are usually around places I've actually been (the UK, southern France, certain US States etc) and whilst it's fun, there's a limit to how real it looks - FS2004 is pretty rudimentary really even with the land detail turned up.

Re: Long flights, I do virtually all mine in small aircraft. The R66 one is in some homebuilt aircraft, I'm going a tour of the British Isles in a CriCri (will post some pics later) and I'd quite like to do the round the world one in a small aircraft too.

 

[Leonidae]

I started off from london in P38 and ended up to southern Sweden where I crashed in spectacular fireball.. since the plane was P-38 air racer, it couldn't take the strain of long lasting high-speed flight. i'm sure i could had reached Finland..

 

[homeforsummer]

Right, the pictures as I promised earlier. It'll also give you an impression of how the graphics run on my laptop. The resolution is 800x600 (or whatever) so these shots are both at the full res, but I have cropped them. I really need a gaming PC.

The pretty Flight Design CTSW (an experimental) is currently being used for my Chicago to LA trip following points along Route 66:

I'm using a Columban CriCri (smallest twin engined aircraft) to fly around GB and the British Isles. Only just started this flight, from Heathrow. That's London in the distance:

This aircraft has an annoying "bouncing" bug and can crash just by bouncing along the runway, or even just taxiing. A pity, because I love "flying" it.

 

[DustDriver]

I hope, when I have a job that can support a high end system in about a year, that I still have enough time to finally 'play' (flight) simulators.
With a simulator like this I want graphics that match GT5's or are even better if possible.
My laptop won't do that

 

[homeforsummer]

With a simulator like this I want graphics that match GT5's or are even better if possible.
My laptop won't do that

Nor will mine! But judging from the screens of FSX it's getting pretty photorealistic now. Not sure if they quite match GT5 yet, even the best PC games seem to struggle with being that good, but they are very good.

Just been downloading more aircraft for FS2004. A few concept aircraft under the "Rilo" name, a "sport plane" (pictured), the "skyvan" and a transport plane.

Feel free to add your own screenshots, favourite planes etc 👍

 

[Joey D]

Some of my fighter planes:

The Giant Tire Michigan is somewhat known for:

Around the world flight, first picture is a beautiful artic sun over Russia and the other one is bad weather coming down the coast of Alaska bound for Seattle.

 

[homeforsummer]

Nice. Graphics really do look fantastic. On my R66 flight I'm now about 100 miles from Tulsa

Another shot of the concept aircraft above, taken in front of the Chicago skyline. I "fly" over Chicago quite a lot, as along with San Francisco it's the nicest city I've ever been to, even if I only managed to spend three days there.

 

[Havok_]

cool! someone mentioned a 747 takeoff from Lukla, LOL never tried that one! but a pretty good challenge for any FS enthusiast is Courcheval in France, beautifula scenery and although it's not quite as challenging as Lukla it can be with some nasty weather As for anyone thinking of getting FSX i highly recommend it, i bought a PC a few months after FS was released and have never has any issues regarding performance. even with all the add-ons

Here are some more shots from my gallery..if the thread stays alive i'll add some more

 

[livemusic]

Amazing shots of FSX!

I run it on a Celeron 2.53GHz with 1GB of RAM and a GeForce 6800XT. Needless to say it doesn't look nearly as good as those pics. It's playable though.

Right now I don't have it installed since I've formatted my computer a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking of trying FS2004 instead.

 

[homeforsummer]

Mine's a AMD Turion64 Dual Core 2ghz with 2gig RAM and a GeForce 1710. Runs FS2004 on virtually full detail but the frame rate does drop occasionally and I've heard that on average PCs that FSX can get down to less than 10fps average so I think I'm gonna leave it until such time as I can afford a seperate games PC.

More screens:

A few of the my Aermacchi M-346 over the Alps, and buzzing a commercial twin-prop airliner!

Hummelbird N2 over 'Frisco

More of the "Rilo" concept aircraft. The first is the transport aircraft, and the last three are the "Airvan". All are over Alaska:

I'm gonna start looking for some military and jet aircraft now, got plenty of small props!

 

[Leonidae]

I think I shall try and snap some pics from CFS3.. after all, we know that last proper propeller crafts were made during that era..

 

[homeforsummer]

Any sign of the CFS3 shots yet Leo?

More of mine: Having fun in a "Red Arrows" Folland Gnat

Over London:

Scaring a Cessna:

 

[Leonidae]

which one would you like to see, tower of Paris or tower of London, and shall I fly inverted under it or not? click for bigger pics.



My favorite weapon, Bell B-39/P400 Airacobra. And under the bridge she goes.. excellent move if you have a couple of huns on your tail