FS2004 EXPECTATIONS

[Guest]

I have been visiting this forum for many years. I very rarely post, but its always very interesting hereing the complaints about a sim product before it comes out. I'm not an employee of microsoft nor am I a programmer or a pilot, I'm just the guy who works hard and loves the hobby of flight simming.It amazes me when someone says what the sim sim is lacking or that it is a mere update or why is it that other developers make better airport scenery. Then ask yourself, why don't the others developers develope their own sim since the graphics seem to be their bread and butter...? If MS didn't have need for the after market developers because everything was kept in house, then I wouyld be paying for scenery and other feature, that would cause me to have to wait for a 5 gig machine that would have to have atleast 2 megs of ram, and hyperthreading would probabaly be obsolete, to say the least about a graphics card. Then the complaint would be that MS is arogant in making flightsim that no one can use, and that all the after market developers would be starving because the product would not get off the ground because the flight sim would already contained great scenery and features or that the new code for the flightsim would mean they have to redo all their work that was based on an earlier platform, thus probably filing BK. I believe part of a hobby is tinkering with our projects, weither it be software, motorcycle, or vehicle. But to have the attitude about what is expected out of a flight sim, would mean that there is already a sim out there that does everything the demanding customer wants...there isn't not, and I have all of the other sims that also have their own problems. Instead I like reading about bugs in the program and the ones who find a work around, such reading here about a string in XP that has a flaw, which when eliminated increased my frame rates 20%. In other words discussing improvements in out flight sim world that improves on the product,that even with complaints, we will still fork out the $50. just my $50 bucks in. Aftermarket developers keep up the good work.True simmers can't wait to here about your improvements.Trollers.........can't find the words

[Guest sb55mv]

Hi All,I haven't seen this asked yet so here goes,does anyone know if COF has a better sound system yet, I mean most of us have now got 5.1 or 6.1 dolby sound set-ups. so has the sound been improoved at all,thanks,Steve

[Guest wathomas777]

Hear! Hear! And a mighty bump for you.I think half these whinners, (and yes, if you are offended being called a whinner, chances are, you are) have never booted or even experienced any version of Flight Sim before FS98.I find it amazing that Microsoft has continually provided a beter and better flight simulation program, year after year, and has maintained the price at either the same, or even less, after taking into account inflation.When I was interviewing to be part of the test team for the Flight Sim group at Microsoft years ago, (before FS2k) They asked me how I would go about testing all 22000 airports? Get this. How would I test all 22000 airports. Are you kidding me? I didn't know where to begin.I've worked for Microsoft as a contractor in their games department. I was a core tester for Close Combat III. I have an idea on how many people are actually working on this product, and the absolutely HUGE amount of work is required to bring such a product to market. Believe me, the FS team is probably 100 to 200 people tops. The main test team probably no more that 30.24000 divided by 30....Shoot, easy, that's only about 800 airports per tester. Of course that's just the airports.... Lets now make sure that all the taxiways and taxi signs are right....Dear God, it makes me sick. I do not think that Microsoft is blameless in it's product, but I do think that they have consistently put out quality product, (even FS2k was worth what we paid for it...There's no delicate politically correct way to put this, but Microsoft is a US based company, and most of the consumers of Flight Simulator will be US based consumers. If the rest of the world feels a bit cheated, well excuse me. Feel free not to buy the product. It's your decision. I appreciate you freedom of speech and expression. But at what point does all this bickering and complaining start to border on the ridiculous.....And, could we PLEASE at least WAIT until it's on the store shelves before we bash it into oblivion.?

[Guest]

LOL...I still wonder who has the machine to run a flight sim program with all the scenery, features people want. hoops I'm sorry, united airlines has one for about 5 mil+. I just recently what a troll is. I owe that person a beer who came up with that definition.

[LAdamson 240]

>24000 divided by 30....Shoot, easy, that's only about 800>airports per tester. >>Of course that's just the airports.... Lets now make sure that>all the taxiways and taxi signs are right....>And the roads, lakes, rivers, snow effects, bridges, topography, 100's of items in the air.files, nav database defects, atc irregularties, paint schemes, VC's, clouds, weather, tire marks, systems, hardware compatibility, software piracy, marketing, etc,etc,Anyone want to design a new competitor?L.Adamson

[gosta 0]

>24000 divided by 30....Shoot, easy, that's only about 800airports per tester.800? Is that all :)?But seriously - how many airports have people actually flown to in FS? Personally, I guess I've been to around 150 places, maybe 200 - that leaves quite a bit still to be discovered...Cheers,Gosta. http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Guest A_Delta_Sierra]

Along these lines,I found a real quick way to turn the whinners off. On a whinner forum, the big whinner of whinners was going on about not going to buy FS2004 because it was only going to be a update. He is the same one who posted and bashed FS2002 in a critical report on FS2002 and will remane nameless.I offered to bet him the price of FS2004 that he would buy it. Guess what? Big whinner didn't have any more to say. I bet it will work on all of the whinners here also.I will evcn go so far as to offer the bet here. Keep in mind I don't know the whinners in great detail because I normally avoid that kind of posting. Si i will need to put a coupleof conditions on the bet.The conditions for the bet are:1. You had FS2000 and current have FS2002.I will bet that you have FS2004 before FS2006 is released.Any takers? Money goes in escrow.We r rsam@mtco.com

[Guest]

I have to second you on this one. It absolutely blows my mind thinking about all of the work that must go into MS flights sims. Incredible, to say the least! How coul even 200 people do all of what is on FS2002 for example. But then again, I don't know much about computer programming in terms of newer stuff.

[Guest]

And to think, what got me to first write the was the dissappointment with someone who couldn't believe that their bridge in their home town(I guess) was under water...LOL.What a troll. I mean how much time does a person have to do this stuff. I'm 41 own a business(could afford the alien pc) play splinter, sim cell, sim city, age of Empires, owned FU(1)(2)(3), Fly 1&2. and many other games. Whats the point to all this. I considered my time valuable, but I do understand issues occur with software. Its gets patched, we move on. we buy the newer version, its gets patch. MS is one of the more stable programs out their that a person doesn't have to always upgrade the pc to be entertained. If anyone has ever ran FLY or FU 3 you understand. I like the fact that I can shop for scenery and planes. Leave the platform to the corporation and the scenery and plane, cockpits, traffic, etc, to the true artist in the software world. This artist usually have no boundries(within constraints of frame Rates)in designing their art for us. Both are needed and work off each other well.

[Guest]

How much do you expect fromm a $55 program?

[Guest ssurjap]

I agree with you 100%. Heck I was really excited to hear they've added taxiway signs and added the ability to change destinations enroute. The scenery was the least I was worried about simply because I only have a 1.6GHZ machine., so I don't expect a lot.Great job, MS.

[Guest Bigshot]

Threads like this bring back memories of my high school days. That was a long time ago. Sounds like a bunch of football jocks showing off. It's getting boring, boring, boring. I've read no posts from any "whinners". Just folks asking questions and expressing concerns about FS2k4 in their own way. The phrase "Lighten up" comes to mind. These forums are open to everyone.

[Guest]

Well I always seem to buy a new computer around every second fltsim release and I am due when COF comes out. However, when I think back to my first flight-sim...Flight Simmulator 2(ok..I really dated myself now)..on my state of the art Commodore 64(who would of thought 64K was more than enough for a flightsim?). I can't believe how much progress this program has made. People are complaining about taxi-way signs..heck I'm happy that the runways and taxiways were finally painted gray!!22,000 airports...heck I haven't even flown to Africa or South America yet. Maybe I'll get around to it in FS2006.Sean Harvey(CYEG)

[BladeLWS 0]

There is also the question of will there BE a FS2006. I mean FS2006 might happen but no one knows. Also if there is a CFS4 it can't be WW2 again. They've done Europe twice and Pacific once. I think its time to move to a new era Microsoft... maybe Vietnam or the Persian Gulf for CFS4...

[MikeAdamo 51]

Hi!I'm going to take this thread into a different direction here so please afford me some latitude :-). The best way to avoid disappointments is to NOT have any expectations. Now, that may sound impossible but has anyone ever really sat down and asked themselves "what exactly is an expectation?" Well the dictionary version is summed up as:ex