Simulation in general...

I was an instructor at Keesler AFB, Air Traffic Control Division, 1989 - 1992.6We had simulations then, on 8-bit processors (ASM), which rocked your simulation world.Multi-player, multi-threaded, multi-processor.Understand this. With the power available in PC's now, it is clear that simulation is on the verge of a new reality. "Real Reality" Agree completely. The environment we fly in is not static. When we approach a city that city has life not a clump of coloured rectangles with ground textures which look like an afterthought. If it only were about flying then we should remove all mountains, textures, landclass, etc. and fly around on a solid green grid like in days of old. The only thing needed for the airports would be solid lines of color (let's say brown) simulating runways and taxiways. Reality is relative when we speak about a simulation such as the FS series. For us, reality ought to be immersion. This is the golden mantra of the computer world. The fact I can do a fly-in to a lake which is teaming with life, or fly 2000 ft above that freeway and see the city actually has traffic and movement brings the immersion factor to new levels. The computer world allows us to experience immersion (or ought to) to the extent we can suspend our belief. That's the whole reason for computer simulations, games, etc. It's not about how reality should constrain our expectations but how our expectations can be met in an immersive simulated world. This is the world where I don't have to worry about fuel costs (unless I implement a simulated model to the environment) and plane maintenance, etc. So I agree. Bring that "reality" on.