Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004

Prospective_Pilot

Prospective_Pilot

New Member
I just hope this version is clean and free of bugs! I've added about 6GB of downloads on to FS2002 just to enhance it. Looks great, but the new version is still by far going to be way better and take up less room than what I have. I'm excited! Can't wait! Getting impatient!



-Amos
 
BlueStreak

BlueStreak

New Member
That looks like it should be a good one, especially with all the aircraft in those screenshots. Looks like they did a better job with weather and clouds too! I was thinking about upgrading my RAM and graphics card, looks like it might be a good idea
 
E_Dawg

E_Dawg

Moderator
Ahhh great... that ain't gonna run on my 16MB video card... Man I remember the good old days when 4MB of RAM was top of the line... good old 64Mhz comps
 
BlueStreak

BlueStreak

New Member
Yeah no kidding, I can remember my old 33 mhz with 2 mb RAM and that thing was a screamer at the time. Funny stuff. It was quite an upgrade from my Commodore 64! Oh how times have changed
 
B

bluelake

Well-Known Member
What I have found over the years is that FS is more sensitive to CPU than to RAM or graphics. Meaning, if you only got $xx to put forth to make your simming better, get a better processor and motherboard.

Somewhere a few years back I read a great technical article on this stuff (I wish I had saved it) and it described why FS is CPU intensive. I guess an example would be if you want your FS airplane to reflect the sunlight off the skin of the metal airplane, its not as hard for the graphics card to make the sun-shimmery look as it is for the CPU to model and calculate when and where this is going to occur. Make sense??


when I use FS, I can also play MP3's on my computer with no problems (something I did not expect to be able to do). This means that I am obviously not nearly maxing out on RAM.
 
SkyKingRon

SkyKingRon

New Member
Yes, looking forward to July also.
!

Motherboard/processor is important as well as video card. I jumped from Intel MX lower speed to Intel P3 @ 667MHZ ( not the top or fastest but...) and upped my RAM to 256 from 128 and got the Nvidia Gforce TI 200. WAM, what a difference! The video card made all the difference. I was able to totally max out my FS settings and it still ran good with great graphics. So yes, I think the big thing is to upgrade the video card if you have to make a choice.

Now with 2004 we'll see how well it runs maxed out on my system. If it doestn't, then I spend the bucks to upgrade to make it stunning. Gotta have your proirities huh
?
 
Sprint100

Sprint100

Well-Known Member
I'll pass on it, unless it's a gift. People raved about 98 then 2002. I have both and 2002 is a vast improvement over 98. My method dictates vast improvements every 4 years. I wouldn't down cash for better graphics, etc. especially when I'll, most likely, have to upgrade my computer to take advantage of the improved visuals.
I could download more planes for free while sacrificing space, but when you have a 60 gig HD and only use about 10 gigs, file/program size isn't a priority.
I guess it just depends on the person to be totally jazzed about it. I would get it if they had a better ATC and warnings from a virtual FAA.
 
JDMcFly

JDMcFly

New Member
ATC is supposed to be much improved...

2002 makes me want to tear my hair outsometimes when I am coming down at 170knts and a piper is taking 10 mins to taxi off the runway.

He gets off with still plenty of time.. still get the old 'go around'.

Forget about an ATC correctly giving you a visual approach in the high traffic areas in fS!
 
flyguy

flyguy

Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
What I have found over the years is that FS is more sensitive to CPU than to RAM or graphics. Meaning, if you only got $xx to put forth to make your simming better, get a better processor and motherboard.

Somewhere a few years back I read a great technical article on this stuff (I wish I had saved it) and it described why FS is CPU intensive. I guess an example would be if you want your FS airplane to reflect the sunlight off the skin of the metal airplane, its not as hard for the graphics card to make the sun-shimmery look as it is for the CPU to model and calculate when and where this is going to occur. Make sense??


when I use FS, I can also play MP3's on my computer with no problems (something I did not expect to be able to do). This means that I am obviously not nearly maxing out on RAM.

[/ QUOTE ]

Finally! Someone who agrees with me about FS and CPUs.
I'm tired of reading about how you have to sell your car to get a $9,000 video card with 7Gb of DDR but the old 486 is just fine.


Yes bluelake, you are right! Did everybody hear what bluelake said?
 
Waples15

Waples15

New Member
While having a good motherboard with good bus speed is important, my experience with the WarBirds III community and various gaming publications indicates that the video card is even more important. You don't need to have the latest 4G processor. In fact a good quality $200 video card will do more for you. I have a Dell PIII 850 meg processor on my mother board and an NVidia GeForce II video card. Microsoft Flight Sim works smooth as glass. If you're thinking about getting a new system consider spending a little less on the mother board processor and a little more on the video card. Stay away from mother boards that have video cards built into them.
 
IrishSheepdog

IrishSheepdog

Sitting in the median
I doubt I'll get it. FS2002 is doing good for me now, especially considering how much I use commercial addons (Dreamfleet 737, Captain Sim 727, Wilco Pub 767). It would just seem like "starting over" to go get 2004. Maybe I'll consider 2006.
 
B

bluelake

Well-Known Member
Fortunately (or unfortunately) system configs are so varied, that we're ALL right in these suggestions
:) I definitely noticed FS2002 to run more efficiently than FS2000, especially on XP. FOr those inclined, theres aplenty technical stuff on the web as to why this is. And the deeper one digs technically, the more often CPU is implicated.

Absolutely... on-board video is not such a hot thing, and on-board sound can be even worse. Luckily, most of those motherboards will accept add-on cards, but require a little configuration (usually dip switches) to by-pass the onboard cards..
 
Prospective_Pilot

Prospective_Pilot

New Member
I bought my comp in December 2000. At the time I bought it it was pretty much one of the most modern comps (HP fully loaded with everything) you could buy. FS2000 ran fine on it and then I bought FS2002 which had the complete opposite reaction to it. Frame rates were so terrible that it made it impossible to land an aircraft or even fly. So last year in October I decided to upgrade my comp just a little and in total I managed to only spend around $215 and everything I bought was brand new!!!!!!


I upgraded my memory from 128MB of RAM to 384MB of RAM ($30), upgraded video card from a crappy 16MB thingy to a NVidia GeForce 4 MX 420 64MB ($100), upgraded sound card from the piece of junk I had to a Creative Labs 5.1 Live card ($35), and I upgraded my sound system from the original speakers I got with my comp to Creative Labs Inspire 2.1 surround sound ($50). Wish I had spent the extra to get the Inspire 5.1
. Oh well.....I'm happy with my set up now. Frame rates are excellent!!!!!!!! And the sound system is also good for mp3's while playing FS!


I plan on buying a new computer end of next year or something.


-Amos

BTW......I hope the AI planes can land properly in FS2004 because in FS2002 they seem like they hit the runway at 4000 ft./min.
 
Snow

Snow

'Not a new member'
Woh hoo! I see taxiway signs in those screen shots, no more follow the pink brick road haha

I just hope things will actually look wet when it's raining in this edition
 
SkyKingRon

SkyKingRon

New Member
Yea Snow, txy way signs will be great, just like a real apt! Those purple progressive txy signs lost alittle in the translation.

Your right, I hadn't noticed but nothing gets wet except for the windscreen. That in itself is a nice touch the way the rain splatters and snow(no offense mate
) spalts, but nothing gets wet. Pools of water on the rwy would be cool.
 
Prospective_Pilot

Prospective_Pilot

New Member
Soccermadman17,
What does your dad do for HP? My dad knows many people who work for HP most of them are programers or hold executive positions.

Snow,
You can download proper taxiway signs from www.taxiwaysigns.com for FS2002. The website address doesn't seem to be working for me right now...so you can also download them from www.avsim.com and then do a search in the file library. I also hope things look wet in the new edition. In FS2002 when it rains it doesn't feel like it's raining......

-Amos
 
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