As far as I'm concerned ( at least at this point) this will be the first time that I haven't really made a strong effort to have one of the first copies available.This is the time that I am going to wait, and let some of the rest of you swat the bugs, tweak the tweaks and then I'll make a decision as to whether or not I will buy it sooner rather than later.The one thing that I can guarentee is that I will not be purchasing it on October 17th.......I am firm in my resolve, as Mrs Slocum would say, " I am unanimous in that!"Of course, that fact that I will be out of the Country on the 17th just further strengthens my resolve......:-jumpyEd GreenKCLThttp://www.panelshop.com/Banners/DEV.jpg

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On the topic of missions...I've been doing "missions" in fs9 for awhile now with FS Economy. There are also some payware options out there as well. Now, I know they aren't going to be as robust as FSX, but it isn't like the idea is brand new. I remember there was a search and rescue addon for an old version of flightsim (maybe 2000?) athough I don't know of anything in fs9 right now. We'll all be on FSX eventually, but just not necessarily right away.

I've pre-ordered FSX, so will fly it and will build new PC before it comes. That said though I'm still gonna keep FS9 on my new hdd for a bit yet. But will likely use FSX to do a RTW trip as it may just be more interesting with all the new things to see. Will stick with FS9 for my serious flying until several of my add-ons get updated though.

I'm sticking with FS2004 for a while, definitely. In my case, it's more that I'll have to save up and build an entirely new system to run FSX well. So since I have four-digits worth of payware on my 45+ GB FS2004 installation, and since my Athlon 2500 and my GF 6600GT creak a bit even running FS2004, I'll stick with what I've got until I can get ahead of the computer power curve and build myself something that'll really rock on FSX. Then I'll start switching things over--hopefully the first part of next year sometime, especially if some of my more favorite titles are fully usable in FSX by then.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

Yes Sir...I too am very content with FS9.No more tweakin'....I'm going flyin'.Gotta go.Edit: I don't need to spend more money. I find that I am able to plow into the ground just fine with what I've got if I'm not careful.

Can't wait to get FSX..1M+ textures convey's a lot more than Eye candy, they provide height, speed and spacial clues that leave fs2004 in the dust.Also today I added an old pair of speakers, to see what the surround sound was like in FSX, I would pay the asking price for this addition alone, it adds so much to the FS experience.Will be selling my old 2.1 sound system to a friend, any advice on a good 4.1/5.1 to add to my order for an internal DVD player ?:).John

FS9 with countless add-ons does look nice. However in about 12 months FS9 will have the fanbase of the size of the current number of users that still fly FS98 on a Win95 machine.Pat

Actually I've heard a lot of praise from people who've used the Beta, and that's from old buggy code. Also, based on previous versions of FS, ie FS2002 and FS2004, I'm confident FSX will be a great product.James

>FS9 for me for a while and here is why :)>http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...42619&mode=full>>along with as6, fe, and gepro :)OK. I'll bite....I'll stick with FS9 because the way I've got it tweaked it meets my needs. Real world weather, IFR... fly the plane. At 22 fps. Not to say that the animations in FSX etc are not really cool, but at 6000 ASL, overcast, I can't see the bear that sh*ts in the woods. Or the marshaller... (or the git on the oil drilling platform in the video promo). I always slew over the ground stuff anyway. I didn't buy "MS Ramp Agent and Crocodile Hunter Sim" did I? No reason to pay for such tat, tho it will attract a new market segment... which is a good thing. We should attract the gamers and kiddies. But: I like my sim dry and techie. I like that FSX is embracing everything that can be done with the old engine but I'll hold off till FS11 (2009 Autumn?) to upgrade. Meanwhile I look forward to this freeware environment package you showed us. I'm sure I can find something there of use. And also I look forward to buying all those FS9 paywares on ebay at cheap prices!!!! Sooner or later, they will have to bust this [bGL] engine down, cos as far as I see it it's on its last legs. Unless you need an animation of a bear that sh!ts in the woods...I don't. And I won't pay for it.Cheers,Tosh

Ahhhh, I don't think so...I think in 1 year there will still be a lot of FS9 users. Not to mention the peeps still on 2k2

It's funny,I pretty much skipped FS2002 because of all the add ons I had for FS2000. I bought FS2002, and flew it from time to time, but always went back to the other because of the add-ons. Now my FS9 is loaded up, and I am thinking like that again. I guess I will see how fast the add-ons come and what is compatible and what is not before I make the decision to move on. By moving on I mean taking the leap and deleting FS9. Yikes gives me the heebies thinking about it...:)Scott