Is the latest Flight sim by microsoft ok as is? Reason I'm asking is I can't afford to buy a whole slew of add-ons and extras to make the sim fun or flyable.I've been away from Flight Sims for ages and have a desire to get back in the saddle.I really respect the opinions of folks on this site, or used to years ago when I frequented here. I'm sure y'all are the same type now though. :)Oh, and would my system fly it ok? Amd-64 3.2, 1 gig of ram, Geforce 6600 gt 256 ram vid card...Win XP home.Thank you

FS is just fine without add-ons and a major improvement over previous versions. Your system should do just fine, and give you many hours of enjoyment. Welcome back!DJ

Great news, thanks DJ.

Stock FS9 is just fine. And your system should be able to handle it with ease.Although great addons are must-haves for most of us, if you choose not to get into it you will save a lot of money and frustration as well.Enjoy!Jason

(You know, there is a new version of FS coming out at the end of the year.)Like you, I used to be a very active person here, but I'd say between 2001 and 2004 I hardly came around at all. I think it really gave me perspective on FS'ing in general...and we ARE much better off now than we were. Welcome backRhett

I was just like you when I first got into this hobby two years ago. I had just spent (what felt like) so much money on the sim itself, a new video card to run it, and a joystick that I just couldn't justify buying any add-ons.I finally bought my first add-on (Active Sky) about six months ago. And just the other day, I ordered Radar Contact (still waiting eagerly for that CD to come in the mail! why oh why don't they offer a download?!).So I guess the moral of the story is, yes, the sim is tons of fun out of the box, but you will get sucked into the add-on world sooner or later. ;-)

Welcome back to the forum(s). Yes, it's fine right out of the box and, yes, your system will handle it just fine. And you don't have to buy lots of add-ons to enhance the sim - there are thousands of free ones right here in the File Library. As you've been away for a while you might want to also check for freeware add-ons from the list of sites here: http://www.msfsgateway.com/ (that should keep you busy for a while :-) ).Doug

>(You know, there is a new version of FS coming out at the end>of the year.)>RhettNo, I didn't know that. I will have to do a search and have a look-see.Thanks.

As everyone else has stated, it is fine out of the box, should run fine on your rig and there is a great new version on it's way end of the year.Welcome back!!Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/mcdcvabanner.jpgCalVirAir International

FS2004 is still a great, even without complex add-ons. For around $20 it is the best open-ended "game" that you can get. Add maybe the PMDG737 for another $30 and it's still cheaper than some of the newer games and will provide you will a lot more hours of fun, learning and flying.

Yes FS2004 is a very good sim all by itself and your computer should run it just fine with the planes included. I suggest you fly the default planes until you have them mastered then move on to the gazillions of free add ons. If then you feel you wan't to fly something that more closely simulates the real aircraft pic one you really like and find the most realistic version of it. This is likely to be payware but not always. Don't buy any more until you have that one mastered. That should keep you from breaking your bank account.Regards, Carlos

And there are just tons and tons of freeware addons out there. Enough to keep you going for years. Check out the Microsoft Flight Simulator section of my site for a good synopsis of and links to what I think are the most important ones, including some hints on installation. I update it frequently, it's kind of an ongoing thing. I'll be adding a download section for a bunch of scenery I've been developing for New England shortly.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)