Release dates

[Christopher Low 5,331]

Does anyone here know the original release dates of the following simulations ?Flight Simulator 5Flight Simulator 5.1Flight Simulator for Windows 95Flight UnlimitedBest Wishes,Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[adams 1]

You may see the date of the newest files on cd. Release dates are similar. As I remember it is :FU I about March, 1995FU I WIN95 ?FU II December 1997FU III September 1997B.Adamski

[Guest Stearman]

>Does anyone here know the original release dates of the >following simulations ? Flight Simulator 5 ................ 07-1993Flight Simulator 5.1 .............. 04-1995Flight Simulator for Windows 95 ... 10-1996Flight Unlimited(I assume version 1) .............. 08-1995I'm curious... may I ask why? :-)Regards,

[Christopher Low 5,331]

I just want to get my facts straight for the FU2 article that I'm writing.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Christopher Low 5,331]

You have actually confirmed something here that really surprised me. This is the fact that Flight Simulator for Windows 95 was released barely one year before Flight Simulator 98 ! Also, why was there an 18 month gap between FS5 and FS5.1 ? They were virtually identical, apart from FS5.1 having more aiports because it was released on CD-ROM. Of course, they were both completely useless, but it is interesting to note the incredibly slow progress that Microsoft made between 1993 and 1998.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest]

Dear Chris,I have been following the threads here and flight sim evolution carefully. I must commend you for your views and your contribution to the FU-3 scene - your efforts have given me countless hours of unadulterated pleasure.My first GA sim was Flight Simulator 2 on the Commodore 64. All MS sims since then use Meigs as their default airport, and the series is a classic example of inheritance / recycling in modular programming. Other GA sims of the 1980s tended to be limited in scope (single type of airliner - Anirog Flight Path 737, Doctor Soft 747, to name but a few). The only other good GA sim of that era, Microprose Solo Flight, did not provide a first person cockpit view, opting for the chase plane view so as not to have to render a dynamic horizon. Sublogic / M$ had the GA market to themselves in those days, and revenue from scenery disks sufficed. The great breakthroughs in sims were, of course, in combat sims. The best 8-bit sims were Microprose Project Stealth Fighter and Gunship, and Cascade Ace, both for the C-64. On 16-bit machines, the best were Microprose Strike Eagle 2 and (???) Bomber for the Amiga. In my opinion, the PC was not a serious game machine until the advent of VGA and Soundblaster cards, in about 1991.The lack of difference in the FS5->FS5.1->FS98 evolution probably stemmed through lack of impetus for graphic engine breakthroughs. The major difference was in the scope of scenery. I believe that M$ did not take too seriously the competition they got from FU1, as graphics of its caliber, however astonishingly good the rending was for a GA sim, were already attained in 1992 by Novalogic's equally brilliant Comanche 1.I do remember, though, never touching FS5 once I got my hands on FU1.Other best sims of the days between FS5 and FS98 included Spectrum Holobyte (later Microprose) Falcon 3.0, Microprose Strike Eagle 3 and F-14 Fleet Defender, Sierra Aces over the Pacific + Europe, Novalogic Comanche 1+2, and Origin Strike Commander. All these games were really nice in their own realms, none of which were general aviation. Thus M$ considered itself to have a niche it did not have to compete over. Compare FS3 to FS5, and you feel the two sims feel the same, with only better graphics and sound making the difference. I'm not saying that M$ are a bunch of lazy buggers, because they've come up with all kinds of nice things that people end up needing, but FS5's evolution was not exactly Darwinian, with huge competition and survival of the fittest. Nowadays M$ have to make more efforts between successive FS versions, as other developers see how enormous the GA sim market is and how intellectual computer entertainment that does not involve "Gunning Down Lots of People and Not Minding" is. Remapping the trigger on joysticks to another, more banal function, becomes a central issue. Thus the Flys, FUs, Pro Pilots and X-Planes of this world lead M$ to flatter by imitation, as well as make their own innovations, to keep selling new stuff.I am also happy to note that almost all FU3 people also have FS2K2, and fly using both.FU3, like the Douglas DC-3 and Fairey Swordfish, is standing up to the test of time, remaining popular despite successors.Happy flying, people.Lior Bar-On

[adams 1]

FS 5.1 covers entire world, while FS 5.0 had only 9 floppy disks ( I don't know how big area was covered ). Maybe it tells, what they did at that time. B.Adamski

[Christopher Low 5,331]

Personally, I wouldn't have wasted ONE floppy disk on FS5. The graphics were terrible, and FS5.1 wasn't an improvement. FSFW95 was basically FS5.1 for Windows 95, and FS98 was FSFW95 with support for 3D accelerator cards. In fact, FS2002 is Microsoft's first attempt to really do anything new with their flight simulator, and even that falls short. They should have a serious look at the interface, and then rewrite the code.........ENTIRELY. MSFS needs a new look, not just new features.Let's face it, we really do need Flight Unlimited 4. We're never going to get what we REALLY want from Microsoft.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest Stearman]

>Personally, I wouldn't have wasted ONE floppy disk on FS5. >The graphics were terrible, and FS5.1 wasn't an improvement. >FSFW95 was basically FS5.1 for Windows 95, and FS98 was >FSFW95 with support for 3D accelerator cards. In fact, >FS2002 is Microsoft's first attempt to really do anything >new with their flight simulator, and even that falls short. Oh no, you did it!You just reminded me that I paid full price for every and each of those versions (start the list with FS3, in fact), most of which should have been simple patches.Oh, well...

[Christopher Low 5,331]

Stearman,You misunderstand me. I wouldn't waste one floppy disk on FS5................NOW ! I too wasted a huge amount of time and money on EVERY version of MSFS from FS4 to FS2000. I will reserve judgment on FS2002, but I will say that I would rather have a great flight simulator with a limited scenery area than an adequate one which covers the entire world.That's why I want Flight Unlimited 4. Are you reading this (former) members of Looking Glass Studios ?I WANT FU4 !!!!!Chris Low,ENGLAND.