Yes.. I confess.. I am an addict.. like shopaholics out there, I am one of those people, who constantly look out for new add on aircrafts and new sceneries and then keep buying them. But I rarely use them for more than 1 or 2 flights. Its mathematically impossible for me to fly all those planes and fly all those sceneries.. in the time I have... i.e. the time I have in between refreshing AVSIM forum every 5 minutes.

 

There are just a handful of aircrafts and add on sceneries that I use the most. So I really don't need or use 90% of the stuff that I have installed.

 

Are you a nut like me or have you managed to keep your sanity and are willing to share your secrets and help me and other addicts like me regain sanity?

 

:lol:

 

Manny

My secret... only fly in PNW and nowhere else for GA. :Nerd: I also have set a monthly budget and fly a lot.

Are you a nut like me or have you managed to keep your sanity and are willing to share your secrets and help me and other addicts like me regain sanity?

 

I really, REALLY try to limit myself to only those things I truly value. I'm mostly successful. I'm good on scenery and only have 1 or 2 planes that remain almost unused. Every once in a while, something calls and I answer on a whim and then later shake my head.

 

Good luck with the addiction. I think I do well, but that doesn't mean it isn't tough sometimes.

 

Scott

I pretty much get planes that I know I'm going to fly and sceneries in which I know I'm going to fly to. For instance, I have no interest in Airbus aircraft, but I do have the PMDG Boeing 747-400 and the QualityWings Boeing 757 series. I also fly between Boston and JFK frequently if I'm doing a short flight, although I fly to Chicago O'Hare occasionally.

I have a control gate on my add on spending. I'm building a cockpit and like most have limited funds to accomplish a fairly expensive project. So, while I still do buy add ons I have to keep in mind that any money that goes towards them in any month takes away from my cockpit build budget.

 

Most of the add ons I buy I consider to be under evaluation using my desktop desktop pit so I know what will ultimately get loaded on the future pc I'll purchase for the full sim pit.

 

I have to admit though that, like you there are a number of add on aircraft collecting dust in the hanger, I fly the latest purchase for a while and then move on. There are however one or two that I have just kept flying no matter what else I buy.

It's because we have so many choices and we always think the next addon will majically add something tangible to the experience, which it usually doesn't. I used to get really depressed after i went up in the real thing and then fired up FS, it was like using FS2002 after using FSX, very lackluster, void of life and dull, unlike the real deal with tons of movement around me and the ever present feeling in the back of my mind it could be my last flight, ever. I can see FS being beneficial if using it as a trainer for your RW experience and not primarily for entertainment, but I am a tourist, I love looking at the scenery and the world around me

 

My problem is I can find fault (usually with something visually that kills the immersion for me) with most addons that keep me from enjoying them. Luckily if it is scenery i can usually fix them, but aircraft, they just stay in the hanger.

I also have TONNES of aircraft, but it's working fine as I usually go through my collection and take a few of them for some flights.

What's an add-on?

Interesting topic. When I add up the PC upgrades (CPU, memory, monitors, sound card), FS specific hardware (Yoke, Pedals, Throttles) and FS add-ons (Aircraft, Scenery, ATC, Crews, Passengers, Airports, Flight Planners, Training, Sound Sets and Utilities ad infinitum) I've got invested over the past 3 years in my FS "hobby", I could have been well on my way to obtaining my RW pilot's license. FS can be very addictive to many. And like playing with toy trains as a kid, I always wanted to expand my layout, scenery and rolling stock. But unlike my toy train world, FS offers the challenges of RW flying and the spectacular RW scenery some developers (like Orbx) have created. Did someone say additction? I still have so many places I'd like to fly to and so many planes I'd like to try out. And I've been addicted since I first booted up FS on my C-64 some 25+ years ago.

Having completely uninstalled FSX for a while and immersed myself in a sim that forced me to learn to stop and smell the roses, I found that when I finally reinstalled FSX I had apparently been cured of the constant need for more, more, more in an endless search for nirvana.

 

The reinstall was very very focused in what add-ons were used, and many treasured purchases that made things only marginally better (with a definitely non-marginal impact on frame rate) have been permanently banished.

 

It's a less add-on filled world, and a smaller one in terms off all the beloved crap I had previously strapped onto the side, but also a happier one.

If I admitted it, it would make me a "recovering" addict, and I'm far from that. :pardon:

I share in the addition. I try to limit myself to one or two add-ons per month--mostly aircraft, with a few airports thrown in every now and then. Sometimes, I'm successful; other times, not so much.

I keep trying to convince myself that at some point (shortly) I will have reached a critical mass where only the odd interesting top up will do. My argument is fragile at best as I see what's coming up in the next 12 months, plus what's out now...

I am definitely addicted and sadly nothing is really stopping me. I've slowed down, but mostly because I try to buy things only when they are on sale. There are exceptions of course, and lately there's been lots of them. What's worse is that I probably spend more time "shopping" than I do flying. Refreshing flightsim websites....hoping for sales on stuff I want....or an announcement....PMDG, Aerosoft, FSDT....sometimes you get thrown a surprise (thank you Fly Tampa for Dubai).

 

I work at home and motivate myself using add-ons......I say to myself: "finish this project...and you can buy so and so." All the cash spent on flight simming since FS9 through FSX would have probably only gotten me halfway through my pilot's license. Don't regret it at all.

When I first moved to FSX from FS9 4 years ago there was such a small amount of addon sceneries that I found myself buying almost anything just to have addon airports to fly to since I detest the default airports. Most of the airports I bought were ones I normally wouldn't have gotten if I their had been more choices at the time. Now that FSX addons seem to be comming out on a weekly or monthly basis and I have finally acquired the ones I really want, my buying has slowed significantly. Now I only buy stuff that I am truly interested in and know will get a fair amount of use.

 

I can say the same about addon aircraft. When I first started with FSX the plane I wanted most was a good 737, but since Ariane was the only one who offered one I skipped it and went with the LDS 767. But then CaptSim started having the $10 sales so I purchased some of their planes since I didn't want to only have a 767. Then other sales popped up for some GA and helicopters and I jumped on them as well, but in the end most of the stuff I purchased rarely got used and I always ended up back to the LDS 767. Now that I own the NGX, all addon a/c purchasing has stopped since I finally got what I want. I will probably buy their 777 and most surely the 747v2, but after than I am most likely done.

 

At least now i've gotten to the point that I have pretty much everything I want so if their is something that I am partially interested in, I can just wait until its on sale. I will sometimes pick up another scenery from Aerosoft during their weekly sale if its something I am on the fence with, but will only pay full price for things that I know for sure will get a healthy amount of usage i.e. FSDT, FlyTampa, PMDG.