The State Of FlightSim

By Paul Hansen (26 July 2007)

It's more than an expression; it is truly a plea for the sentiments that make us feel all warm and fuzzy. It makes us reminisce about a by-gone day where everything just seemed a little bit easier, a bit friendlier. So, I will now use the phrase in a context that we can all get our minds around.

Back in the day... Flightsimming was enjoyable.

My experience within the hobby began back BEFORE the only place for files was the forum at CompuServe, or the IU server. My first edition was v2.1, by SubLogic and faithfully, and sometimes with a mistaken fervor, I have purchased every single edition. I have felt the frustration when Microsoft "broke" several things between major updates. I felt the pain of v5.0. I too have felt the anger that you feel when your favorite aircraft or scenery, suddenly doesn't work.

However, realizing that this is a hobby, (and not that expensive, as far as that goes) I have ponied up the dollars to upgrade. I have purpose-built computers, just to keep up with the ever increasing demands of this rapidly bloating software. I've watched as developers went from a freeware environment where the only reward for hundreds of hours of learning and writing code was a couple of complimentary emails, to a lucrative commercial marketplace for the same folks to expand their talents and offerings. For the most part, understanding that money talks, it's been a good thing for the hobby in general.

Like I said at the beginning.... Back in the day!

Today, we are almost a full year into the release of FSX and the constant complaining from the community has not yet died off. The current base of FS "loyalists" seem to be stuck in the mode that if they complain enough, maybe FSX will just go away. No one seems to want to step up to the plate and invest a few hundred in hardware to operate at the level that FS is now at. Make no mistake, multi-core CPUs, the x64 platform, Vista and the NEED to run DirectX 10, won't just go away because it's cheaper and easier to stomp your feet. Please, don't replace that Windows98 box that has "worked great till now", just whine about how horrible the program is. After all, a Quad-core Intel chip is under 300 bucks as of July 25th and 2 GB of RAM can be had for less than a hundred.

The worst thing that all of this consternation is producing, is the fact that some developers seem to have been suckered into the whine, as well. The fact is, the pipeline for FSX compatible add-ons has never run more than a trickle. Big name FS design houses, came out last September and promised to make all of our goodies compatible and add more bells and whistles. Sure, we may have to cough up a Dollar or a Euro here and there, but they were on top of it! - WINK! -

Truth be told, most of my FS2004 aircraft, (you know... the ones with the fancy $tuff) don't have the updates promised by the designers. In fact, some of their web sites still give release dates that have long passed but still promise that updates are coming!

So I, like many others in turn, have modified the planes, scenery, traffic...whatever! I, again like many others have removed the offending pieces of the configurations and by adding this and that, have generally kept a handful of my older add-ons. It's not easy to find the gauge that crashes FSX and then replace it, in a panel of 150 gauges! But that's what those of us who make this our hobby, have to do.

My question to leave the community with is this...

If the FS community collectively buries its head in the sand and pretends that FSX doesn't exist, what's the expected result? Is it generally thought that maybe Microsoft will repackage FS2004 as FS11 and cut apology letters and refund checks? Somehow I just don't get it.

I have designed a few things. I tend to have the attention span of a gnat, though, and gave it up a long time ago. So from a developer perspective, did Microsoft REALLY change that much in the coding? If some tweaking can make a "useable" model, is FSX really that much more difficult?

If so, then how? What from a design standpoint is different?

I'm not being sarcastic; I am just really curious what is so hard about making the Grey Goose Vodka flying shot-glass and baggage loader v2.0, from v1.0?

Unfortunately, the quality of what has come out of the pipeline lately has been hit or miss at best. Don't get me wrong and send me emails defending the one that you bought that works like a dream, there have been some horrible add-ons released in the past year. We all know it! There are payware aircraft on the market, which actually have had several official service packs (patches) within the first two months of their release. I understand bugs, I'm an old IT guy, but it seems that lately, the rush to make a Dollar eventually wins over creating a product the designer can be proud of. The end result is poor experience for everyone. The developer dims the hopes of having any real sales of his future product line and the customer feels (and is) cheated. Beta-testing, TRUE beta-testing involves more than what some of these designers are willing to commit to, and that is just sad.

I completely understand the frustration that some users feel.

I too, have paid good money for rotten tomatoes myself. Some even blindly recommended by enthusiast web sites. The sites and the add-ons don't need to be named, but it has happened and it's happening more and more judging by the postings on some forums.

Just like most of my fellow Flightsimmers, I have a long list of things that I would have like to have seen taken care of before I felt the need to see birds and semi-trucks. Like how about a little help for ATC? How about making sure that ATC doesn't have you descend into a mountain range? Not to mention that if a controller in real-life vectored you in the way it happens in FS, they'd be drug-tested and walked off the premises! (This is my number one complaint, by the way and I had to mention it since I am on my soapbox!)

The list of things that I would have liked addressed is huge and not one of them was birds or speedboats, but knowing that there is more behind the screen that has been improved does help me feel better about giving more and more money to Microsoft and NVIDIA and Crucial. And I'm not going to give up on the hobby, at least until next year when I get my real ticket!

Can't we all just suck it up, accept that this is the way it is and start making this stuff exciting again?

Paul Hansen
B787_800@jetemail.net

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