Why I still use FS2004 in 2021

[Liet 5]

Hi Team,

I just wanted to post why when it's about 20 years old I still use FS2004.

1. My computer hardware (even that I have a newer PC I still can run FS2004 on my portable bought in 2000)

2. Plenty of freebies available that really blow your mind.

3. A lot of developers are still creating scenery, planes and gadgets for 2004

4. I tried FSX but if I wanted to run it full options as I do with FS2004 I would get 0.0000000001 fps.

5. Most of the software for new FS is payware and I'm living in a 3rd world country with a fifth world salary.

These are the main reasons so when I see that David Rawlins created updates for his aircrafts or learned how to repaint from FSX to FS9 thanks to Kaese blog I will be a happy man forever.

Last but not least I wished there was AI models for new aircrafts like B787-10 made for the FS9 as I would even throw a couple of bucks if they were available.

[fppilot 4,371]

24 minutes ago, Liet said:

I just wanted to post why when it's about 20 years old I still use FS2004.

I still hold on to FSX SE and superior addons regarding avionics, weather, cloud textures, depth of some specific aircraft models, and much more respectable radio communications (default).  I am now logging 75% of my hours in MSFS 2020 but I am not even near trashing my FSX SE, RXP, AS16, REX, A2A, Realair simulator!  Too many hours invested and too many elements not yet equaled.

Find me on top of an overcast and there is not yet any comparison!

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by fppilot

[Dedl 34]

Yeah Liet, FS2004 is a perfect and timeless solution for all flightsim people that don't want to spend a lot of money on hard- and software on and on, buying the same stuff every second year.

No matter where in the world you live...

Dedl

Edited November 18, 2021 by Dedl

[hjwalter 25]

Another FS9 diehard here because since the very beginning I've been kept off the streets and out of bars by extensively enhancing all my airports/airfields for, amongst others, making them more "busy" and "used" looking. Not very true to real life though but some of my FS9 tropical airfields are now even beginning to smell like the tropics after landing there.

I have more than 850 addon scenery layers, 1600 AI planes/paints flying all around the world and have adhered to my own very strikt file naming and organization rules. Not only that but I've also got rid of anything which could even begin to resemble digital ballast. In short, an extremely compact and smooth running FS9 of more than 140Gb.

FS9 may be "old" but I still see no real reason (yet) for beginning all over again from scratch, from new hardware, through all my extensively used maintenance/support/developement software etc, and ending up with a higher FS version, which is only marginally better than what I have and still greatly enjoy.

Even now that there are additional (covid) reasons for staying off the streets and out of bars, I still enjoy going back and enhancing my older Scasm based (airport) sceneries.

Long live FS9.

Hans

 

[Wobbie 938]

Not forgetting that it is still VERY well supported by some amazing freeware developers..

[chris_eve 12]

I'll not claim to be one of Wobbie's "amazing freeware developers", but I've got far too much time and effort invested in my FS9 UK VFR installation and associated areas to even consider an "upgrade". Over 800 airfield sceneries, some very basic, most available here for download, plus an extensive collection or 3rd-party freeware and bought-in scenery keep me happily occupied for as long as I want to be :)

[3catcircus 1]

So, I still use FS2004, but it seems REX+Overdrive no longer pulls METAR, AIRMET, TAF, or PIREPs.  The NOAA METAR server in the config file isn't even available, and the tgftp site that has them doesn't use the same filename convention.

I can manually download a METAR and use it as archival weather when generating a flight plan in REX (imported from FS9 after exporting from PFPX) so that it can generate the wx textures.  

I normally use ASE as my wx engine with the REX textures. Now that I can't download wx in REX to generate the wx textures, I'm wondering if I've been doing it all wrong all these years.  I normally import a flight plan, tell REX to generate a flight plan, then click the texture button. When it's done, I shut down REX, open ASE, import the same flight plan from FS9, have it generate weather, then tell it to not use it's own texture snapshots.

Does REX copy over to FS9 different textures every time you generate them in a flight plan, or is it copying over *all* of the textures it has every time you generate a flight plan and click the texture button?  That is - is it selecting from the entire pool of textures and only copying a subset, or is it copying the entire pool of textures?

Thanks,

John Powers

Edited August 30, 2022 by 3catcircus
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[efis007 885]

My pc is perfect for running FS9.
Actually I fly with Xplane11 too.

Why do I still fly with FS9?
Because it is an excellent simulator even today, I have a fleet of accurate aircraft (Pmdg MD11, LevelD 767, PSS 757, iFly 737NG, Maddog, etc).

I have spent many years trying to keep FS9 alive ... and I can say for sure ... in some things FS9 is superior to XPlane11.

Many virtual pilots flying with Xplane 11 (I also fly with XPlane11) think that FS9 has much lower graphics than Xplane11.
We are sure?

 

[Luis Hernandez 570]

I've purchased the laptop in my signature a couple of months ago. I was looking for something under 3 lbs that could run FSX-SE at least, so that I could take it to my GF's place when spending the weekend there. While this little demon can run FSX-SE and P3D v4 without any issues (I could even fly the FSL A320 in 2D), I found I can run FS9 smoothly, with lots of AI, custom sceneries, real WX... and no charger at all! Try that with any newer sim. Heck, try that with FSX! Just the laptop battery and a wireless Xbox controller, configured as I wanted it (unlike MSFS Cloud version). The ultimate portable sim 😁

That made me rediscover FS9, after a 3-year hiatus. I'm now tempted to purchase some addons for this (namely, F1 ATR, DA Fokker, any A2A FS9 warbird, and FlyTampa TNCM... which works for both FS9 and P3D v5).

[ViperPilot 81]

Proud to be a Niner. For what I want to do, it suits me just fine.