Flight Simulator 2004 Coverage

An anonymous reader writes "Flight Simulator 2004, subtitled 'A Century of Flight' prepares for release on July 28, 2003. The screenshots (one, two, three) look awesome. Some improvements include the ability to fly old planes, graphics improvements, major ATC (Air traffic control) improvements, and weather enhancements. Included is the ability to fly in real-time weather like X-Plane. Most older FS2002 data will work with FS2004." Looks like AVSim.com is a good place to go for more detailed flight sim add-ons and news.

Re:amazing graphics

[TomGroves]

This is a simulation first, game second. There is a difference between the two.

Re:platform

[MoOsEb0y]

Slim to none, I would think. It is, after all, a Microsoft product.

So..

[dr ttol]

Instead of sitting next to Big Bob that's snoring with his next on your shoulder and the bathroom right behind you where you can hear flushing and people doing their thing for the duration of the flight, we can now replicate that experience at home with Microsoft technology..

Obligatory Richard Pearse first flight info.

[Bitsy Boffin]

Looks like Microsoft included the wright flyer in FS2004, but being a proud kiwi I have to chip in and remind them that it's generally accepted that Richard Pearse flew before the Wilbur & Orville.

While Richard himself denied this claim, he denied it based on his definition of flying, which for him meant being able to make a flight of several miles to the nearest town.

Regardless of who was first, Pearse had the superior and well before it's time design, a high wing monoplane, with elevators and ailerons.

http://chrisbrady.itgo.com/pearse/pearse.htm

Re:Obligatory Richard Pearse first flight info.

[Rick the Red]

"Generally accepted" by whom? Name a third-party (non-USA, non-kiwi) authority (like, say, the Encyclopedia Brittanica) that recognizes Pearse's claim.

Re:Obligatory Richard Pearse first flight info.

[spencerogden]

"who did they buy it from again, looking glass ?"

As far as I know, Flight Sim has been around since about 1992. Did Looking Glass even exist then?

Re:Obligatory Richard Pearse first flight info.

[Rick the Red]

OK, so you can't name a third-party authority that recognizes Pearse's claim.

Edison was a claim-taking, patent-grabbing asshole. The only thing he truly invented all by himself was the phonograph -- and he was a pig-headed jerk who tried to use patents to force everyone to use his cylinder design over the vastly improved disk.

Re:Obligatory Richard Pearse first flight info.

[Naikrovek]

prove it.

his plane crashed into a hedge row and was later destroyed, thus no evidence can be discerned. the house he lived in is no longer there, thus no evidence can be discerned. as you said, he denied the claim himself.

i like new zealanders. in fact if i ever move back to the southern hemisphere, i'm very likely to move to NZ, contrary to all my australian friends' pleas.

but this claim, to me, is just some grandstanding that is based on a rumor. nothing can be proven, so how can you say he was first. what time of day was it? how far did he go? how high did he go? who witnessed it? how many witnesses were there? all this is known and historically documented for the wright brothers' flight, thus they have the crown of first flight.

anyway, who gives a shit - people can fly now. it doesn't matter who's shoulders the current plane engineers are standing on, we're airborne.

so DROP THE PRETENTIOUSNESS and freaking celebrate the Wright Bros' accomplishment. When you can prove your claim, we'll all celebrate it with equal vigor, so do the same for us.

I love Flight Sim

[Colonel Blimp]

I find that the freeware airplanes are the best part about it. Microsoft was smart in allowing anyone to create planes and scenery. I love flying the old style Connies and DC4's and such and long since forgotten airlines like Hughes AirWest, Brannif, Air Cal, PSA, Piedmont.

I have a buddy that was an FO on the A320, and is now a captain on the 737, it always scared me when he would call and ask how to do specific things when he would fly Flight Sim!

Re:I love Flight Sim

[Rick the Red]

What, the real flight decks don't have [Alt][F4]?

Re:I love Flight Sim

[Colonel Blimp]

I did get to sit on the jump seat once for a flight on the A320. Man, it was cool, it is really the office with the best view in the world.

Does it still "base" at Meigs Field?

[scootr1]

And, if it does, do you have to taxi over potholes [216.239.51.100]?

Google's cached [216.239.39.100] version

Re:Does it still "base" at Meigs Field?

[Naikrovek]

Dudes, this isn't "+4 Funny", this is an outrage.

Mayor Daley bulldozed this in the middle of the night, with police protection to stop protestors. He said at the time he took the field down because of Homeland Security concerns. (expect this excuse for every fucking dirty thing for twenty years, btw) This is AFTER he promised to keep the airport open for 25 more years. After he promised never to shut down because of homeland security. He later admitted that it wasn't for homeland security (who knew!) b

Weather systems?

[johannesg]

Looks like a bunch of vaporware to me... ;-)

System Requirements

[The Moving Shadow]

Funny how the Microsoft site says the minimum requirements to play FS 2004 are:

Windows PC 2000/XP â" 128 MB Ram
98/Me â" 64 MB Ram
Processor:450 MHz minimum
Available hard drive space:1.8 GB
DirectX 9 or later (included with Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight)
Video card: 8 MB/3D with DirectX 7.0 or later drivers
Other: mouse, joystick/yoke, sound card, speakers/headphones
Online/multiplayer: 56.6 kbps modem or LAN

But if i see those screenshots i am hardly sure if it will run fluently even anything but a P4 3,06 Ghz with some insane nVida or ATI gfx. When you really have a 450 Mhz machine you will probably settle for good old FS 98, because FS 2004 with all the eye candy turned off will look like that for sure.

Watch out!

[TripleA]

With these fine tools, Al-Qaeda will have planes raining from the sky like frogs in no time.