Born out of frustration, I got an appreciation for FSX that I didn't have before. You may wonder how this is possible. Actually, it was born out of three reinstallations of FSX in the past two or three months.Some time ago, I had already posted about this issue. I had problems in FSX that basically made flying much less enjoyable and to some extent impossible. For some reason, I could not go back into the sim after going out of it for a moment. For example, it would be impossible to go into the map screen or flightplanner, and then get back into the simulation (the 3D world in which you fly). When I would try that, I'd get a black screen. The audio would still be audible, and actually I'm certain that the sim was still running. I'd hear ATC talk to me and AI, and I could hear the A/T of my plane increase or decrease thrust as required. I just could not see it happen, for the screen was black. With this came two other problems: the startup time of FSX was considerable, even if it was the second time I started FSX in a short timespan. Normally, the first startup would be long, the second one would be 5% of it (that's my experience anyway, and I guess it's because many facets of the sim are still in memory, like scenery and planes). Also, the UI's button click sound was severely lagging almost all the time. Sick and tired of it, I turned to Avsim for help, to see if there was anything known about such an issue. Sadly, nobody could offer real help, but some members, most notably cmpbellsjc, gave me some very important moral support. I still thank you for that!I uninstalled FSX. Removed all mention of it and its addons in the registry. I then reinstalled FSX. I started reinstalling my addons, but after some time, the problem came up again. Not knowing what to do, I reinstalled FSX again. This time I was gonna systematically install and test addons one by one to find the culprit. However, my testing was flawed. Within five minuites, I opened the map screen, went out of it, and looked if there were any problems. Since there were no problems, I didn't think too much of it, but I forgot that the black-screen-problem cropped up after five to ten minutes of the simulation starting. So, my testing was worthless and without me noticing, the problem returned.I reinstalled FSX again. By this time I was getting completely fed up of FSX and I took a break of two weeks or so, before feeling an itch, prompting me to go back and retry. This time, I was gonna do it proparly. I would be doing 30 to 60 minute flights around America and Europe, testing it all each time a new addon was installed, no matter what addon it was. Here's where my new appreciation for FSX started to come. You see, I had never done so many flights with a rather default FSX installation. Before installing the first addon, being UTX-Europe, I decided to do several flights with the default 737, just to know for sure that vanilla FSX didn't have any problems. Honest to god, I didn't think I'd enjoy them so much.Ultimately, we are a bit spoiled I think, or at least I am. Very much so. FSX without advanced planed and beautiful airports was no fun for me, I thought. I had to have VNAV, LNAV and a fully operational FMC, forgetting in the process what really matters in this sim: flying! I was so focused on everything that FSX didn't do, that I completely forgot what it does do. By all standars, FSX brings a lot to the table, and all I did was diss it for not being perfect in this or that area. After doing so many flights in default environments, I am now much more appreciative of everything FSX does do. As I flew into KBUF and looked out of the window, cars driving below me over the highway, Buffalo tower handing Pacifica flight 3820 over to Buffalo ground control, I was pleased for the first time in so long. As the plane touched down and ATC told me to get the hell of the runway, I was satisfied. Why? Because I realized FSX is actually pretty neat.FSX gives us ATC, it gives AI, it gives most of the world to fly over, and it gives us some rather nicely-modeled aicraft. The problem is that FSX isn't perfect in all of these areas. Is that really a problem though? I think it depends on how you approach it. I thought of it as a problem at first, now I don't. Now I'm happy with what FSX does. See, they could have decided not to give ATC and focus on something else a bit more, or even leave things out without adding more to other areas. FSX gives us a framework for our hobby, namely simming. It is up to developers and publishing houses, like PMDG, LDS, CS, Aerosoft and many more, to fill that world in such a way that it gets closer to reality. FSX gives us the skeleton, and we add all the layers to make that skeleton a functioing human body with all details being correct.The good thing is that these addons exist, and they do a marvelous job making FSX look spectacular instead of just "good". As I installed UTX-Europe, UTX-USA, GEX-Europe, GEX-USA and REX, I saw a 3D world transform into a replica of the real world, in which you can point down at the scenery and say: "look, there is my home town! And that highway you see? That's the A44. And how nice, there are cars driving over it!". As is, I have the above mentioned addons installed, together with the LDS767, various SceneryTech landclasses and MyTraffic X. The former FSX world is now somewhat realistic and is an absolute joy to fly in.I do not mean to say that FSX shouldn't be looked at critically and faults of the sim should not be brought to light. Of course this should be done, but I also think we should be happy with what we have instead of being sad by what we don't have. I for sure have now seen that FSX can be really enjoyable, even without the LDS767 and Aerosoft sceneries under my plane's belly.Concluding, what is it that brought my appreciation for FSX back? Is it that FSX by itself looks good? No, not really. Is it that you can add addons and get a spectacular looking world, full of life on land, water and in the air (not to mention the animals you can see!)? Nope. While that's nice, it's really just a bonus. No, what brought my appreciation back, is what took it away at first: the ability of all elements of FSX combined to let you make a flight. When all is said and done, the AI, ATC, weather engine, scenery, cars, boats, animals and whatnot, all combine to make an environment that works. I get a sense of a world filled with life, a world in which I want to fly. It is this sense of aliving world that FSX portrays, that makes me go back to it. And with addons like FSDT's GSX, Aerosoft's AES, OrbX's Peopleflow, this sense of life is getting more and more profound and this is what I think that ultimately gives FSX its charm.You do not have to agree with me and I am actually rather curious about your opinion.I thank you for reading this four-part novel on what I think of FSX.

Very well said Benjamin :(

Last week all of a sudden my FSX wouldnt load anymore beyond 6%, and eventually I removed it from my HD. The old and trusty FS9, last install was in 2009, still runs very well. Even after months not using it.It looks like FSX is flawed beyond believe. What went wrong I didnt know, but reinstall will not be a part of it at this moment. I had it with this monstruosity.:Thinking:Johan

Last week all of a sudden my FSX wouldnt load anymore beyond 6%, and eventually I removed it from my HD. The old and trusty FS9, last install was in 2009, still runs very well. Even after months not using it.It looks like FSX is flawed beyond believe. What went wrong I didnt know, but reinstall will not be a part of it at this moment. I had it with this monstruosity.:Thinking:Johan

If you have a lot of addon's, especially scenery, this is normal the first time FSX loads, just give it a few minutes.

Hi Benjamin,This was a nice read this morning. It is always fun to witness an AH HAH! moment with FSX when all the various elements come together. Thank you for sharing this. I once witnessed what dramatic effect a fully functional, highly modified FSX engine with FTX, REX and payware aircraft has on those seeing it live for the first time.A few months ago our Flight Sim Club in New Brunswick had a public demonstration in the Future Shop, a large computer/electronics store. A number of locally owned FS9 systems were set up, demonstrating both FS9 and VATSIM ATC. I set up my FSX on a 44 inch video screen and using my Saitek yoke and rudders.From that point on the rest of the day was spent letting club members, some of whom travelled from other cities to attend, take control of the action, taking off and landing prop planes on ORBX and OZX PNW airports. Members of the general public stood in a semi circle behind all of us, or lined up when a turn at a set of controls became available.The public, including a number of real life pilots, including a former RCAF CF-18 pilot, (who screamed over Melbourne and Avalon in the L-39 with a face splitting grin), took off, landed or crashed and burned every few minutes. All were thrilled and excited. Every once in a while I would take a demonstration flight to the enjoyment of the watchers who would tilt their heads from side to side with the airplane and OOOOH and AAAAH when I pulled off some difficult island landing.Partway through that day we flight simmers realized that the hobby, and the software we use within it has come a very long way with a successfully adjusted, highly modified, and fully functional FSX computer and flight system. Since then I migrated to Sandy Bridge, which provides another upward level of performance. With FSX and modern machinery we really have accomplished much of what we had all dreamed would be possible one day.Having said that I am really looking forward to MS Flight. I hope and expect that it will be so far ahead (although that seems almost impossible) of FSX that most of us will jump onboard and never look back. In any case this must be the golden age of Flight simulation. It is, at least for now, in my opinion, as real as it gets.Thanks for starting this thread.Kind regards,

So glad to hear your enjoying it again Ben. After following all those posts of you having trouble I was hoping you wouldn't end up giving up on it.

It looks like FSX is flawed beyond believe.

I wish they had a throwing up emoticon I could put everytime someone says that. :( What does this have to do with Ben's post?

Very well said Benjamin :(

Thanks, I think... Although I'm not sure what you're intent is with that emoticon. Are you annoyed by my post? If so, why?Johan: Amen. That's exactly what I went through the past year... Still, I decided to persevere and now I have fun again with FSX. By the way, I had exactly the same experiences with FS2004, so I can't say one is better than one or the other. Funny thing is, I actually bought DCS A-10C because I was fed up with FSX and wanted a sim that simply worked. So, I guess the whole drama surounding my last few months with FSX was good in two ways:1) I have come to appreciate FSX for what it does, not hate it for what it doesn't do;2) I have a stunning new sim featuring one of my favorite aircraft.Ironic, isn't it?

Johan: Amen. That's exactly what I went through the past year... Ironic, isn't it?

Annoying is that after a month tweaking it ran a few months well, enjoying it, but then after a month not using, it locked up. My FS9 didnt do that to me, wasnt used for 3 months.. still worked.When I got the courage I will install it again, I think..@cmpbellsjc: maybe not much, but its only 'acutually pretty neat' when it works..and the OP started with this in his topic, I was just acknowledging.Johan

I think what impresses me the most about FSX is that essentially the entire world and all of it's airports and navigation aids are available for us to use. From the tiniest, most remote strips to the giant international airports, there are so many places to be explored.

Funny how different peoples experiences can be with the two sims (FS9 & FSX). I could never get FS9 to run smoothly on my computer, I tweaked and tweaked but never got any satisfaction. The end result; I removed it from my hard drive and only run FSX now. My FSX frame rates may be down in the low twenties in Orbx PNW, but it is always smooth.Regards, Mike Mann

Thanks, I think... Although I'm not sure what you're intent is with that emoticon. Are you annoyed by my post? If so, why?Ironic, isn't it?

If you mean cambellsjc, he wasn't referring to you Benjamin, but to Johan for his negative condemnation for FSX. What you wrote was excellent. What he retorted with was sickening in comparison.Kind regards,

Out of interest did you ever track down which add-on(s) caused the problem you were experiencing?

This is a flight sim forum. What do you expect people to say in here? We hate flight sim and do not use it? :(

If you mean cambellsjc, he wasn't referring to you Benjamin, but to Johan for his negative condemnation for FSX. What you wrote was excellent. What he retorted with was sickening in comparison.Kind regards,

I actually meant David's post Already got a message about that from another member about that though Sam: No, not really. I suspect WoAI, however. That said, I'm not done installing all my addons. Of all addons I have installed, the only ones that remains untested are those that come with the addon manager (FSDT airports, Flightbeam KSFO and QW757). I seriously hope the addon manager isn't to blame, or I will have lost the ability to use over 100 euros of software, at the least. My reasons for suspecting WoAI? Because some of the planes have weird texture loading. I noticed that some models, when over 1 mile away from them, simply lose their textures. Seems like a symptom to me. Plus, I have already seen the effect of corrupt repaints on FS performance. In FS2004 I had a corrupt repaint for the PMDG 747, which caused FS2004 to crash much in the same way that FSX crashed in the past few months.altstiff: Huh? No, I wonder how they relate to my experiences, detailed in the OP. Is that a weird thing to wonder about? For example, Stephen wrote, in my opinion, a very nice story about how he came to some realizations about FSX, thereby answering my curiosity. Same for audiohavoc, who hit the nail on the head: it's exactly the kind of thinking we need! Look at what we have, and it's basically amazing. Its hard to come by a program that offers so much data (covering most of the world!) for the current price of 50 Euros, in some stores you pay even less. And we don't only get the data, we get a complete, living environment in which to use that data, plus some very good-looking aircraft.

My point is NO KIDDING flight simulator is neat. Of course we think it is neat, thus the reason why we are here. If we didn't think it was neat we wouldn't be members of a Flight Simulator forum.Most of my friends think I am CRAZY for sitting in front of my PC for hours at a time watching the PFD while doing a trans Atlantic. Sure they see the yoke here in the office and are curious but that is fleeting and they get bored real quick after a few touch and goes (or crashes). Then, I always get the "the crash gfx are terrible" and I inform them that it is a "flight" simulator, not an air crash simulator and then they ask to play MOH....We are a rare breed fellas (and gals). Us "flight simmers".......not many on here would say that flight simming sucks or FSX or FS9 or whatever...It's all about the simulation of flight is it not?