Well, let’s just sit and think about this in a rational fashion. Like any one of you, I adore the Eye Candy. I fly from KISP all the time, just to find my block. Without certain add-ons, some free and some payware, the scenery would be … Adequate? Barely passable? At the very least, inoffensive? Hey, whatever. Eye of the beholder and all that stuff.

The point is (not that I would ever digress, or wander aimlessly off on a tangent of thought totally unrelated to the topic), there are a multitude of reasons why we fly digitally. But, regardless of the reason, we all at least occasionally like to peek out the window and enjoy looking down/out/front/back. It is that sensation of being “up there” that does it for me. Goosebumps. Sweaty palms (how funny is this, I’m petrified of real flight!). In particular, those whose fancy leans towards VFR are usually the real aficionados of what goes on outside the digi-glass. Flying low and slow really gives one the opportunity to savor the environment above which we glide. Of course, there is the small matter of aerodynamics to consider while one is training his head outside the window of the 152 like the dog in the car on the highway (nothing like a line of doggie drool down the back window). Trivialities such as lift, momentum, fuel reserves and the like do tend to make one gaze within the cabin on occasion, lest one finds him/herself with a premature and/or unscheduled touchdown.

And, amongst you VFR types, there are those who have the need to remain excruciatingly accurate to “real world” (I love that phrase) procedures. You types likely find yourselves more concerned with OBS headings rather than following Meadowbrook Parkway from Jones Beach up north. And, there’s nothing wrong with that. This is one of the beautiful things about our hobby: wide variety in nearly every aspect of the sim. Our reasons for flying are our own. The manner in which we do it, where we choose to go and how it looks on the way, well, those are pretty much up to the software developers.

Now, let’s consider the IFR bunch. I’m afraid I fall into this category. If you recall, I have mentioned my educational pursuits involving a certain payware 737, throughout which time I rarely looked beyond the confines of the cockpit. Sound familiar? Watching the gauges, dials, blinking lights and all that other cool stuff that looks so terribly complex may be to some infinitely more satisfying than looking out the window. It’s actually knowing where you are, watching the weather radar and planning to avoid the thunderheads, planning and executing a flight plan, with ATC control, that’s the ticket for many of us. For them, who cares if you can count the pink bikinis at the beach? Heck, we’re usually screaming along at FL 370 anyway, setting up for our approach and landing.

Of course, there are other considerations to be taken into account as well. Are you familiar with a program called Fraps? The site is http://www.fraps.com/download.php for you masochists out there. This little demon gives you a constant readout of your frame rate. It is freeware (partially), and has become the bane of my existence. There was a time that I would have been perfectly satisfied with anything above the dreaded slide show. Now, I agonize over the frame rate limit, whether to set it at unlimited or somewhere below 30. If Fraps tells me my rate has fallen below 18, you’ll find me scrambling for the sliders. And what happens? Much of that Eye Candy which has carved a substantial hole in my wallet is for naught.

You know, I’m debating something. With a steady decline in average frame rates over the last several months, I’m really considering deleting and reinstalling FS2004 from scratch. Fortunately, I’ve learned from the forums the importance of printing out the email receipt from each add-on I’ve purchased, giving me the date, name and registration key number. Go to your local library and lift the comprehensive dictionary they have there. This will give you an idea about the size of my add-on folder.

But anyway, I’m thinking about weeding out all but the most important add-ons. Those near and dear to my heart, without which I simply cannot taxi to the active. Each of us will have our own list, of course. And, it is with no small amount of soul-searching that I consider not replacing some of these add-ons. I mean, I’m still paying off some of these, and it is particularly poignant deciding which ones to deep six.

But still, what good is the Eye Candy when your frame rates are approaching negative numbers?

So, we have a small dilemma. Eye Candy or default scenery? What type of flying do you enjoy? Low and slow, or mach .89? How tolerant are you of slide shows? Can you live with a rate of 6 on final? Or, do you prefer the joy of simulating the act of piloting; keeping attention focused more on technique and procedures? Answering these questions will perhaps give you insight into just how desperately you need the latest Eye Candy add-on. For me, the stress of deciding what should stay and what should go is reaching a crescendo. So, instead I’m looking up the TiVo website and searching for some Barney Miller reruns!

And the Molson. Don’t forget the Molson…

Three Green!

Chip Barber
rfbarber@optonline.net