FSBreak 117: Starting out in Flight Sim
Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 10:28PMHosted by Eric McClintock, Chris Palmer, and Brendan Farmer.
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Starting with your First Flight Sim
Sims out there...
MS Flight:
Pros: Free, decent lighting/effects, easy add-on purchasing/management.
Cons: Region Limited, no longer developed/updated, limited add ons, no 3rd party add ons.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight/
FSX:
Pros: Widely supported (hardware and software), vibrant 3rd party community, low cost (~$20 US). Not region limited.
Free trial: http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/downloads.html#trial
Cons: Dated (a bit) in terms of graphics, not as efficient/hardware friendly as modern sims.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/
FS9:
Pros: Low cost, not region limited, still many free/paid add ons. Friendlier on older hardware (More than 4 years old).
Cons: Some New add ons dropping support for FS9. Dated in terms of graphics & development
FlightGear:
Pros: Free, Opensource, Multi-Platform. Not region limited, 3rd party add ons.
Cons: Addon support may not compare to FSX or X-Plane. Hardware support may not be as complete as FSX. (Joystick configuration, etc)
X-Plane:
Pros: Active development, 3rd party add ons, unique flight model/engine, great lightning/effect, multi-platform.
Free Demo: http://www.x-plane.com/downloads/x-plane_10_demo/
Cons: Some big name products not on X-Plane, some bugginess for unique hardware setups (However, responsive developers). $69.99.
http://www.x-plane.com/desktop/landing/
Prepar3d:
Pros: Built on top of FSX/ESP Engine, but still updated/supported by LM. Many FSX devs either use side-by-side licenses, or the add ons work with little configuration.
Cons: Licensing unclear (Not to be used for entertainment purposes), Not all add ons available for FSX may work with Prepar3d. Pro license is $199, student is $49.95.
aerofly FS:
Pros: Visually stunning, good hardware support (Track IR, etc), good flight model, multi-platform,
Cons: No add ons, cannot change time of day, region limited
Outerra:
Pros: Smooth running environment engine, visually a good looking engine.
Cons: Early days, basic flight sim, more for the bleeding edge user.
DCS (Combat Sim):
Pros: In depth, aircraft specific simulations. Engine is fine tuned to be a combat sim.
Cons: Packaged sim engine with aircraft, only useful for hardcore combat sims looking for the specific aircraft they offer.
http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com
Orbiter (Space Sim):
Pros: Free, space simulator, good graphics/effects, good flight model.
Cons: Can be a bit complicated for new users.
http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk
Getting Started for Free:
Free "Sims":
Free Addons
For FSX:
- Full Terrain Payware quality add ons for free: http://fullterrain.com/freeware.html
- Register at Avsim.com for free
- Free FSX Aircraft: http://library.avsim.net/index.php?Sort=Downloads&ScanMode=1&CatID=fsxac&Go=Change+Category
- Free FSX Scenery: http://library.avsim.net/index.php?Sort=Downloads&ScanMode=1&CatID=fsxscen&Go=Change+Category
- Free OZx AU Scenery: http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/1825-ozx-au-complete-ozx-na-complete-ozx-libraries/
- Free Texture Upgrades: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/downloads.html
For X-Plane:
- Register Account at X-Plane.org for free
- http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&showcat=1&dosort=1&sort_key=file_downloads&sort_order=desc&num=20&filter_key=free
- Featured Freeware, Works in both full version and trial: http://www.x-plane.com/downloads/featured-freeware/
For All:
- Aviator 90 Flight Training: http://www.flyaoamedia.com/aviator-90/
- Avsim.com account for Add Ons and community forums: http://avsim.com
Your First Buys
- Joystick or Yoke
- Saitek X52 Joystick
- CH Products for Yokes
- Check eBay for used ones to save money
- Rudder Pedals
- FSX Addons:
- Real Environment Extreme ($40):http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info.php?currency=USD&products_id=809
- A2A Simulations Accusim Aircraft: https://www.a2asimulations.com/store/
- PMDG (Higher End): http://www.precisionmanuals.com
FSX/X-Plane/P3D Addons: Carenado:http://www.carenado.com/CarSite/Portal/index.php?accion=categories
Trusted Addon Retailers (Among Many):
- Flight1 (30 Day Return Policy with Flight1 Wrapper): http://www.flight1.com
- The Flightsim Store: http://www.flightsimstore.com
- Aerosoft: http://www.aerosoft.com
- simMarket: http://secure.simmarket.com/default-en.html
- For X-plane: http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/x-planestore/StoreFront
Other News...
- More P3D EULA Concerns: http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/pri-news/lockheed-martin-issues-statement-regarding-p3d-r655
- PMDG use in P3D: http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/pri-news/updated-pmdg-releases-statement-regarding-eula-r639
- FSX Suport from Microsoft Ends: http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/pri-news/support-for-fsx-has-come-to-an-end-r677
- Michael Greenblatt FS-GS Passes away:http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/community/the-passing-of-michael-greenblatt-fs-gs-r653
- Laminar Research Sued for Patent Infringement over Android App:http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/pri-news/laminar-research-sued-for-patent-infringement-r656
- Francois Dumas steps down as managing editor of Computer Pilot Magazine:http://www.computerpilot.com/my-editor-blog-entry-here-on-cpm/
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