RandyMyers

Also, by using DLC model they can keep adding on and adding on, in shorter iterations. Not have to wait to have, and market an expansion pack. So they got the basics correct out of the gate.... excellent flight dynamics and extremely good scenery graphics to fly over and around in. Some solid aircraft.... and some missions to keep you busy and using the simulator (and I do mean simulator). Yes it does not simulate all aspects yet, but it very well could in the near future.They could add content to the XP system, why not.... they already give you a paint pack by completing the tutorial and unlock other paint schemes by completing certain things.They should and probably will add a more dynamic environment and add more simulation elements in the future. But they got the basics right at first.It runs extremely smooth... all seems to work without little to no bugs.... I only wish other "high profile" products were released in such a mature state.Also, many MMOs are released with "planned content"... for example LoTR did not even have level 50 spells until over six months after release... and SWTOR, which is one of the most popular MMOs, came out in December.... well Legacy experience, that you build and build has no purpose now, but will have some functions attached to it in a few months. This is definitely the DLC content model, and leaves it wide open to add and add and add over time. As a professional programmer I can tell you in no uncertain terms, it is the new model of software development, and is highly recommended by Microsoft in all aspects of professional software development. MS has published several books detailing this programming model.

If you are going to quote me, PLEASE quote me entirely, not para-phrasing to make it look different...."I have logged 100's of hours on Flight Sim X. However, even with all the best Mega scenery packs and everything else it just never quit felt like I was truly flying. It was good, and left X-Plane feeling like a joke to me, but it always felt "choopy" . It felt like a computer program trying to simulate the real world; it never totally grabbed me." The line in respect to my usage had a differences meaning... in other words, it felt more like a computer program than a simulator.... flight, to me feels more like true flying dynamics.

To me what has to be considered is how much enjoyment you get out of a particular product (game/flight sim in this case). I have bought and flown flight simulators ever since my first Atari computer and Sub Logic flight sim. I had Falcon 4.0, many versions of Flight Simulator and up to X. I have bought many many add ons for Flight Sim X. I bought and gave away X-Plane (10 I think <shrug>).I also have DCS A10 and purchased my X52 Pro controller specifically for that "game".The bottom line is that I do not have the time to spend every waking moment to learn every little switch and pre-take off procedure just to get an A10 in the air. The bottom line is that no matter how many switches and controls they give me I still am sitting in my home at my desk looking at a computer screen. All the complexity means that if I don't have 100's of hours then I will never truly be able to "fly" the simulator like it is suppose to be flown. The same was true for Falcon 4.0. Therefore, no matter how hard I tried, the true "simulators" collected virtual dust.I have logged 100's of hours on Flight Sim X. However, even with all the best Mega scenery packs and everything else it just never quit felt like I was truly flying. It was good, and left X-Plane feeling like a joke to me, but it always felt "choopy" . It felt like a computer program trying to simulate the real world; it never totally grabbed me.Yes Flight is in it's infancy and yes it has a long way to go. But, it feels a lot more like I am actually controlling an airplane. Like I am actually flying over the Islands. I find I have more time into Flight in such a short period than I ever did in MSFS X over several months. And I have probably already put more hours into Flight then I have in total on DCS A10. And is this not really what it is all about?I enjoy Flight and I look forward to what the future may bring. I hope they continue to bring this new flight simulator to it's full potential. For me it may very well be the best flight simulator ever. And trust me when I say, I have tried many if not most of them.I give it a solid 8/10 for flight feel and scenery detail at this point.... 9.5/10 for potential.... and since I did not realize it had even been released until I went and looked for it, I give Microsoft's PR and Marketing 1/10.I like Flight and I hope that reviewers who either do not like the genera or do not give it a through enough test to truly understand it, do not influence what may well be the brightest future of any product for our beloved hobby. IGN should not have published that review without venting and realizing that the reviewer just "does not get" civilian flight simulators.

I'm using the Saitek X52 Pro which works really good with Flight.

I am new to AVSims; I have been into flight simulators for a long while. I have lots of money invested and do not look forward to re-buying much/most of the scenery.I do have to say, however that my first impressions of Flight are very good. I am, very surprised that it was released with so small amount of scenery and planes available. I am also surprised that the old stand by Cessna is not available, and no jets.I have already spent $35 in one day playing with this new "free" sim :).... I hope that they do not nickle and dime us to death because I think many people will not like that. They should make scenery available for reasonable prices, such as $10. I certain would spend $20 for a West Coast or East Coast scenery set, but I will not spend $40 on same. Maybe make planes available for $5. I believe at these types of pricing Microsoft will have a winner. If they over price themselves than it may not fly, so to speak.I could see getting up to $100-$150 quickly (which is quite a lot for a new flight simulator considering how much we all have probably spent on FSX).