Think next Fall.

I know this may of been covered, but having just read the blurb that started this entire thread again in another thread, is it possible they were talking about free space after the install?Many games, programs, and the operating system itself require or only run well when there is a certain amount of free HD space available past the actual install. This is often defined at 5-15 GB's.It wasn't like they were listing system requirements. They were saying "it runs well with this graphics card, this CPU, this operation system, and this amount of free space."

System requirement typically refer to how much space is needed to install the program. If there is a minimum of free space needed to actually run the software then it's usually specifically noted. Some people have tried to say that the 10GB could just be a minimum, but that's unlikely since it's also listed under the recommended specs which pretty much shoots down that theory. Why would Microsoft recommend a minimum install in this day of high capacity hard drives?

System requirement typically refer to how much space is needed to install the program. If there is a minimum of free space needed to actually run the software then it's usually specifically noted. Some people have tried to say that the 10GB could just be a minimum, but that's unlikely since it's also listed under the recommended specs which pretty much shoots down that theory.

Except they weren't system requirements or recommended specs nor were they framed as such. They were commenting on tests of different setups and the performance results they got.Your probably still right, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Why would Microsoft recommend a minimum install in this day of high capacity hard drives?

A lot of gaming machines have solid state drives these days and in this instance, space remains a concern due to the high cost of the drives. That said, naturally not installing the entire application on the solid state drive negates much of the performance advantage. Whilst I still use mechanical hard drives for my office machine and for backup purposes, I would never contemplate running any game / sim off anything other than a solid state drive these days - but due to the cost my gaming rig currently only has a 128 GB drive (currently half-full with Win 7, stock FSX and a couple of other latest-generation games).

Recommended specs generally assume the ideal scenario and not one where the system is arbitrarily limited.

I'm not really sure why some people are concerned about running today's software from a single mechanical hard disk. Every single PC that I have ever purchased and used (from the 386SX in January 1992 to the current i5 2500k) has only had one hard disk in it, and I have never had any problems.

Looks like we all got the answer we did not want.

"We all???" I think not...I'm comfortable with the new reality...

Think next Fall.

Close!

Assumption was correct it turns out to be. THAT is the real TRUTH.Looks like some people who accuse others of not reading... they themselves simply enjoy reading into what they want to believe.

What's your point? Back in mid-November there was still a chance for it to fall on one side or the other of the question. And, the reality is that Flight is not just Hawaii only, as it will (eventually) have other scenery areas, for an as-yet-unknown cost.When you get right down to it, neither position that had been discussed turns out to have been 100% accurate.

My point is you seem to have an inclination to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, even at times when it may not be warranted.

Why not? It costs me nothing at all to be slightly positive. Likewise it costs me nothing to be slightly negative. At this juncture I'm not willing to take either extreme position, but will simply adopt my slightly positive, glass half-full outlook. By tempering my expectations to somewhere close to middle of the road, I can only be pleasantly surprised or mildly dissapointed.

Why not? It costs me nothing at all to be slightly positive. Likewise it costs me nothing to be slightly negative. At this juncture I'm not willing to take either extreme position, but will simply adopt my slightly positive, glass half-full outlook. By tempering my expectations to somewhere close to middle of the road, I can only be pleasantly surprised or mildly dissapointed.

A very wise man you are. Your posts are always interesting and often educational!

Below are system specs for Flight running on high and low settings. Notice that the Hard Drive space required is 10GB.FSX Hard Drive space requirements is 14GB.Take On Helicopters (a region-specific modern flight game) Hard Drive space requirements is 20GBThe only conclusion that I come up with is Flight will not be a global sim. (I hope I eat my words, by the way)It will very likely be a Hawaii only game that would have a pilot career path based on missions. I also suspect that MS will produce additional Flight titles for other regions, such as San Francisco, Seattle, Swiss Alps, Rio de Janero, etc. By doing this, MS will be able to produce titles that will appeal to a large mass of people that will be interested in flying relatively simple aircraft in scenic locations and earn career advancement via missions and challenges. Additionally, this game could port over to Xbox, adding to the revenue stream. Also, by creating region-specific titles, MS will be able to sell many more units as they would get buyers that will purchase more than one Flight edition, such as Flight: Hawaii Edition, Flight: San Francisco Edition, Flight: Rio de Janero Edition, which can be similar to how they marketed Combat Flight Simulator a few years back.

As I was reading through some of the older posts, I read the OP post and think this makes sense, and I for one, hope this is kind of the direction that the Flight team will take. I really do not think that they will provide full world coverage, but do think that as the OP states, the Flight team will create some places that will be of keen interest and beauty along with gameplay.

Didn't you guys see that the recommended hard disk space for Flight is 30GB?