FS2002 STILL amazes me!!!

[barryward12345 0]

Lat year around the time of the OSHKOSH fly-in , Microsoft put out a series of adventures (mostly VFR) and some scenery for people to fly into the virtual OSHKOSH show using a section of the appropriate real life sectional chart and the NOTAM issued for the show. I have only now gotten around to flying these adventures.I don't know this area at all -- so to fly the first adventure, I had to study the sectional chart closely and fly to Oshkosh using the real life procedures. On my way there, I closely studied the chart and compared it to what I was seeing outside. Amazing accuracy!! For example there is a tiny lake on the route called Lake Puckaway - the outline shape of this lake in FS2002 is exactly that shown on the sectional chart-- right down to a small peninsula jutting out into the lake from one side.I wonder how Microsoft did this ? I am aware that some parts of the world are not quite this accurate -- in my own area where I live in Australia, the coastline is quite accurate -- but not as exact as what I have just pointed out.Barry

[John_Cillis 2,406]

One of the best things MS did in '2002, that really broke it apart from FS2000 and all sims before it, was the rendering of lakes in the sim. Although it can't come close to perfect, I am amazed at how good it is. I used to fly quite often between SFO and JFK on business. Got to the point where I knew the common flight routes backwards and forwards. 2k2's bodies of water really stand out along this route.... Berryessa, Tahoe, Lahontan, Salt Lake.... Even a small lake I camped at, outside of N. Platte NE is in the sim.The other great thing about '2002, is landclassing. It is so easy to touch-up a city, or even a region, that flying over real estate looking almost exactly like your home turf is quite possible....