Hello allFirst, let me apologise if this question has been asked before - but please bear with me.I've been away from the Flight Simulator scene for the best part of a year, for one reason or another. My AI traffic files are for Summer 06, it's been that long!I'm now about to dive back in. Previously, I was more than happy with FS9, and probably would still be. But just as I took my FS sabbatical, FSX was released. I didn't buy it, but I remember reading about the usual new release issues.My question is - is the new(ish) sim worth the cash, are the problems ironed out - and how are developers getting on (generally) with patching/upgrading their FS9 add-ons to work with FSX?I realise I will get a dozen different responses, but I feel very out of the loop and would like to be in a more knowledgeable position!Robrcegll

This is a good question. I think you will find that the sim community is very polarized on this issue. There may be a large silent majority out here who play the game as is. I think some of the more vocal people (on both side of the debate) tend to be enthusiasts who use addons and crank up the sliders. One of the question to ask is what kind of simmer are you. If you load it up with tons of addons and your computer is not state of the art you may have some issues. Some people are experiencing frustration with performance others like my self have made some trade offs but are still enjoying the sim. When hardware catches up I will buy a new computer. The bottom line is this. Buy it, try it and make your decision based on your own results. This is a very subjective issue with many multiple variables as to why the sim runs better on some computers and not others. By the way I get steady framerates flying aircraft like PMDG and LVLD with UTX, FSGEN, ASX, FEX and some third party airports like Aerosoft's Heathrow. If you have an older machine and just like to get in the default air craft and fly around and you can live with out the sliders all the way to the right then I think you will be fine. Just one persons opinion hope it helps. Also the list of addons i mentioned covers some of the amazing addons that have come out so far with more arriving every month.

I liken it to a banana. You know how the banana ripens from that chewy greenish phase into the the poper yellow phase where it tastes good. Well some people are having it green and liking it. Others are finding it hard to get the skin off and the top bends and you get a messed up banana and that's not pleasant. But if you buy a green one and wait, it will go yellow soon. (sorry I see this question too much so thought I'd answer a different way).

>I liken it to a banana. You know how the banana ripens from>that chewy greenish phase into the the poper yellow phase>where it tastes good. Well some people are having it green and>liking it. Others are finding it hard to get the skin off and>the top bends and you get a messed up banana and that's not>pleasant. But if you buy a green one and wait, it will go>yellow soon. >:) good comparison :)Rob I understand your concern. I moved to FSX and do not regret about it. In sime time you find that you just can't use FS9 again.

Firstly welcome back Rob,My opinion is alot does depend on your hardware. I run on a reasonably high end PC and FSX is as smooth as FS9 ever was for me, this is with many addons installed and virtually no tweaks. However if you have a 3 year old PC I can imagine using FSX may increase stress levels!I like many people invested alot of time and money into FS9 but gradually I found myself using FSX more and more. It is hard to go back that is for sure. As a real pilot I prefer the feel of FSX, to me the combination of graphical enhancements and model enhancements bring me closer to the illusion of real flight.FSX can be picked up relatively cheaply now I understand so it is worth while investing in it because if you don't switch over now then you will likely want to after your next PC upgrade.Warm regards,Chris Norris

There's no rule that says you can't have more than 1 flight sim on your hard drive, except for maybe Newton's Conservation of Mass if your HD is small. Maybe someday I will install all of the MSFS disks I've ever bought on one computer, that kind of sounds like fun, sort of like my own Sim Aerospace Museum. FSX vs. FS9 is totally up to you. I tend to think that FSX is better for GA flights, whereas FS9 is better suited to the big iron. I like the Missions in FSX, so if you think that appeals to you, there's a factor as well. I personally prefer FSX, but that's purely my own opinion, and may or may not coincide with any official opinion that AVSIM.COM has regarding this topic, if any. Jeff ShylukSenior STaff Reviewer, AVSIM.

First, it depends on your hardware. If you have a fast Core 2 Duo system, then FSX is an option. If you don't, then FSX is not worth considering. Second, if you like complex add-on aircraft, FS9 is a better sim because FSX does not have the headroom for framerate-eating aircraft. On the other hand, the default aircraft in FSX are better than ever and many people are happy with them, even for big iron. I find a good alternative is to run FSX with good photo-realistic scenery with autogen turned off. That way I get a terrific appearance without framerate or stuttering issues. Not everyone's cup of tea but works for me. I have removed FS9 from my system and haven't been tempted to re-install it (or the 20 GB of add-ons I had).Cheers,Noel.

I do not believe it is all hardware related. If you dial down the settings farther to the left you can get the sim to run even on older machine it might just look more like FS9. You may for instance want to dial down the water and have your texture res set at 2m. You will get some of the benefit of FSX right there. AI & autogen is also a killer but turn off the cars and boats (sure I am sad about this, it is a feature I will have to wait for until I can get a faster pc) and you will have success.

Did you like the leather jacket Elvis or the bloated shiny Elvis?

> As a real pilot I prefer the>feel of FSX, to me the combination of graphical enhancements>and model enhancements bring me closer to the illusion of real>flight.>Some don't believe that, or simply don't know what it actually is... :-hah But it's true, a non-fiction fact, so there! :-lol Anyway, I also prefer FSX for that enhanced illusion, but keep FS9 on the HD too. Too many excellent and enhanced 3rd party airports for FS9 to give them up! Same with special scenery areas.L.Adamson

>Did you like the leather jacket Elvis or the bloated shiny>Elvis?:-lol

Thanks for the replies chaps!I invested in a new Dell Core 2 PC just before I went off on my FS-break - mostly with FSX in mind - so I kinda knew I was going to be buying FSX before too long!I do mostly fly airliners on city pairs, so maybe I will find FS9 still satisfies for that - I've never really done GA or bush flying, I wonder if the ehanced environment of FSX will be wasted on me?I've got a few pounds left in the bank, maybe I'll get FSX and see how it works for me.Wish me luck - I've never liked green bananas, but won't mind waiting for one to ripen...RobPS: The reason for my break was meeting a woman who I now live with. I hope me getting back into FS doesn't stuff up the relationship!

Since you have the hardware to run FSX, I would say install both.It also depends on how many scenery/airport addons that you already have for FS9. If you don't have addons for FS9, not sure if its worth collecting them now for FS9..so forget FS9 completely. FS9 is great, if you already have allthe amazing scenery addons for it. Its FS9+Addons thats a competitor for FSX. FSX now with SP1+SP2(accel)+FEX clouds and water+Megascenery is awesome!The only thing missing are the good airport addons since Flight scenery and Fly Tampa went AWOL!Manny