Since MSFS 2024 is just around the corner I thought I would place this here. Very interesting to watch. Never saw most of those promo commercials back in the day. Our hobby really has come a long way!

 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by Lotharen

There are some nice FS recap vids popping up

 

The memories of my Commodore64 and Flight Sim are still so vivid in my mind!  The sounds, graphics and a young kids imagination made for hours of enjoyment and led me down this path to a life long hobby!! 

I'm sure younger folks look at the first few versions and wonder how someone could possibly think that was entertaining or immersive - but let me assure you, it was an incredible experience. You felt like you were on the forefront of what computers were capable of - and despite the 1FPS, it still managed to teach you about avionics, control surfaces, approach angles, etc... 

The scary thing is, I'm sure someday people will look back at MSFS2024 and wonder how people thought it was entertaining or immersive, compared to what will exist 30 years from now. Can't wait.

Flight Simulators I look back at with fondness....

• FS2 on the Commodore Amiga 500
• FS4.0b on my first PC in 1992
• Flight Unlimited 2
• Flight Unlimited 3
• Flight Simulator X (after the release of Horizon VFR UK photoscenery)
• P3D

Flight Simulators I considered worthless garbage (mainly because the graphics were rubbish)....

• FS5
• FS95
• FS98
• FS2000
• FS2002

I missed FS2004 because I finally learned the lesson 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by Christopher Low

A good time to reminisce and take stock of just how far we've come as we prepare for MSFS 2024 to drop very soon. I continue to be amazed at what we have running in our computers now when I think back to the very early days of being equally amazed at seeing moving 3D wireframes in Sublogic Flight Simulator II on my Commodore 64, never realizing then what I was imagining in my head would one day be actually possible to be simulated in our computers.

What a time for the hobby.
 

42 minutes ago, bigifooti said:

There are some nice FS recap vids popping up

Great video - factual, well researched, well presented, good theme to tie the story together and well produced. The quality of content produced by creators like this amazes me (this guy has less than 3k subs!).

[Edit: correction - excellent video. Still watching it and learning things I didn't know about Asobo's evolution and how they came to produce the FS series]

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by enright

I have bought and used each one of these from the beginning, as well as others that were available over the years.

With each one I was amazed at what they could do.

I am sure I will also be amazed at what MSFS2024 will be.  Can hardly wait.

Roy

They are all more or less the same!🤣

Ahhhh, the memories.....i remember i was at my friend's house after school and played FS95 or FS98 a couple of times? And was amazed with the Lear engine sound, taking off from Meigs Field.

Hehe that takes me back. I too remember using a friend's FS98 and being blown away - in hindsight, it looks like something I would draw 😁

I then got FS2002 and an A320 add-on (can't remember the make, but it came with a VHS of the fantastic ITVV A320 video with Captain Alan Dix who sadly passed recently), and remember thinking that too was phenomenal. And then later the Level D 767 in FS2004.

It is quite extraordinary how far we've come and although MSFS has its foibles, it is an amazing feat. Quite amazing.

2 hours ago, enright said:

I'm sure younger folks look at the first few versions and wonder how someone could possibly think that was entertaining or immersive - but let me assure you, it was an incredible experience. You felt like you were on the forefront of what computers were capable of - and despite the 1FPS, it still managed to teach you about avionics, control surfaces, approach angles, etc... 

I agree. You know what’s kinda odd?… I still haven’t felt the same excitement and “immersion” feelings I had when loading up FS9 to do a VATSIM flight. 

I remember being a college kid, walking into a Sears store back in the mid-90's, seeing FS5 running on a demo machine (at the time, you could buy a computer system from Sears).   No one was around, so I played around with it for a few minutes. 

I was in awe of its graphics, compared to FS2 and FS4.   Textured graphics in a flight sim??  Wow!  Nicer than solid color polygons or worse we had before that.

I have collected just about every version of FS since I got introduced to the hobby back with FS4.  I had two copies of each, one factory sealed and the 2nd used along with its matching user manuals (back then you could get official and unofficial books). 

It was fun to read through them.  What I noticed was how in depth the early manuals were all about flying, complex calculations, algorithms regarding aviation.  The newer version moved into the gaming aspect of the application, where FSX seemed to be the pinnacle of this.

Now with MSFS 2020 and 2024 we have shifted back away from gaming into true flight simulation.  Just found that interesting.

I do wonder if Bruce Artwick taps into the hobby. Listen to the first minute of this video and hear Bruce talk about his concept. One of the first videos I put together with the launch of FS2020. Those who started way back will find some interest in this.