I really should have addressed this letter to PC Pilot, having been randomly reading that magazine for many years since the days of Windows 3.1, but have yet

to invest any hard cash in flight simulation due to 'trying to hit a moving target':,

The only flight simulator I ever had on my first 386 SX computer with  Windows 3.1 was a Dos-based sim on a floppy disk. I can't remember the name but I think it was

based in Bristol and you could fly under a red suspension bridge if I remember correctly.

Then MSFS.came along and I soon discovered that I would need an unaffordably expensive PC to go with it. I also realised that you needed a fair amount of

computer skills to set it up and to keep it running properly as updates came along and computer hardware upgrades were also needed to keep up with the

software improvements. 

Hence the remark about 'moving targets' - there never seemed to a a right time to invest. Running a domestic flight simulator seemed to be a solitary hobby,

forking out for upgrades without local help.to make them work.

One of my worries was having to keep spending more and more cash on this hobby - if I had decided to become a pianist for example. it would have a one off

payment for a piano to set myself up for life,

So I never did take the plunge and become a flight simmer in all the intervening years to date and an irony is that in those intervening years I learned to fly

and got my Private Pilots Licence!.

Now I see MSFS has been established on XBOX.

No doubt long-establised simmers will not give it much consideration, but it sounds ideal for me, sort of plug and play?

In the short term, I would be able to just get on with enjoying the "game" just like switching on the TV and changing a few buttons on the remote.

As I said at the beginning, I am always browsing PC Pilot  for help in getting started, even at XBOX level,  but the content seems to be all about preaching to the converted.

How the hobby is going to attract new blood when there is so little guidance for a beginner on the bookshelves I have no idea.

It is too late for me to start thinking about multi-screen cockpit layouts now, as I am in my mid eighties now but I would consider dying while trying to land a Cessna 152 

sitting in my armchair.

Brianivor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like having children there are always reasons not to do it. You wanna fly\sim? Do it.
I bought Bruce Artwick's  gem on a cassette for my trash 80 circa 1980.

Still at it although a slow adapter. FSX atm.

Did I read correctly?

Buying a game an investment? (Does it increase in value the longer you keep it?

I've been simming for about 30 years now, without 'investing' anything. Yes, I spend time with my hobby, and have a lot of fun with the 'game'. Because of this, I've learnt a lot about different aircraft, and other things that populate my sim world. I have bought myself (not invested in) a set of pedals & a yoke to up my immersion factor. 

A great freeware developer once said that simming is all about Fun, Facts & Fiction. 

I also started with a Trash 80, Level 1, many years ago.. Good days indeed with those block graphics & jaggies.

On 12/1/2023 at 10:09 PM, brianivor said:

How the hobby is going to attract new blood when there is so little guidance for a beginner on the bookshelves I have no idea.

Many many great YouTube airplane tutorial videos are describing every button function feature calculator computer and light switch of every airplane available in X-Plane, FS2020 and DCS in detail. I absolute highly recommend not trying to learn an aircraft by reading some stupid and boring 5000 pages default manuals for whatever airplane, like for example the Airbus A320 manual.

I would still be on page 300 when doing so, trying not to forget what was written between page 100 and 200, instead of already having uploaded a few dozen flight vids on YouTube because of not being stuck with outdated manuals. Learning by doing and writing down own notes about what you have learned with good YouTube tutorial videos is so much better than trying to memorize a several hundred pages manual. You know every button by intuition after some time with good YouTube tutorial videos.

 

On 12/1/2023 at 10:09 PM, brianivor said:

Then MSFS.came along and I soon discovered that I would need an unaffordably expensive PC to go with it. I also realised that you needed a fair amount of

It is sad that computers are still not affordable in many countries. I have build mine in the pre-covid era for about 800€. 😉 (With Vega 11 APU in the Ryzen. The actual graphics card for 400 was bought and installed months later when the sim was released, everything runs perfect maxed out.

 

On 12/1/2023 at 10:09 PM, brianivor said:

computer skills to set it up and to keep it running properly as updates came along and computer hardware upgrades were also needed to keep up with the

The last computer hardware upgrade was 2020 when I build my sim rig. Don´t worry the skills needed are rather basic and can be summarized with "Install? Yes / no".

(No that point with no computer hardware change was not fully true, to be honest I am constantly running out of harddisk space so I bought many NVMe and external drives, currently 18,5 Terabytes are available.)

 

 

On 12/1/2023 at 10:09 PM, brianivor said:

One of my worries was having to keep spending more and more cash on this hobby - if I had decided to become a pianist for example. it would have a one off

At least a little bit of money is needed, the Fenix Airbus and the Piston Duke did not came for free. But these ~100€ in four years for this was more than worth it. I wish there was more absolute study-level AAA quality planes... but I guess we have to wait another four years for the superb BlueBirb 767 and the FlyByWire A380.

 

On 12/1/2023 at 10:09 PM, brianivor said:

So I never did take the plunge and become a flight simmer in all the intervening years to date and an irony is that in those intervening years I learned to fly

and got my Private Pilots Licence!.

Congratulations for your PPL, my dream is that too, that´s the spirit! But from a pure mathematical point of view your attitude with computers is a bit strange, you have 10.000 $ in cash for the PPL (plus several thousand € per year for the necessary logged flight hours to keep the license active), but not once in lifetime 700 $ for a computer when the greatest simulator made it´s biggest comeback after having been dormant for 1,5 decades? A true Yedi builds his own sim rig and sim pit.

 

Edited June 20, 20241 yr by JetCat

No worries with an Xbox series X. Cheap. Everyone's else's hardware is exactly like yours. So the program is easy for developers to keep stable. Everyone already has a monitor: their TV. Simple controllers like the Thrustmaster bundle of yoke, throttle, pedals.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T-Flight-Full-Kit-Simulation-Detachable/dp/B099XLFW95/

 

Any keyboard and mouse will work too. Get a keyboard and mouse that use only one USB plug for both. This set is great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MF1VYTL/

(I use a leadsail mouse exactly like that on my PC. I like them better than any Logitech).