Gameplay
your level of gampelay and enjoyement on fsx depends on a large variety of factors. ive been playing a few years now and ive only JUST got the setup and enjoyment level that im happy with. ive tried a variation of computers, versions of the game, comtrollers, key assignments and so forth and heres my personal oppinion on whats best.
System/computer type.
ive played on old home computers, gaming pcs and laptops, but non of them quite match up to the performance studio pc i was bought last month. i personally dismissed the idea of buying a gaming laptop, they suck because of their size, they are incapable of maintaining the stamina of running powerful programmes and simulators.
The issue with gaming PCs is that they've become like a brand, theyre too fancy and have to have sparkly lights or look like a cyborg, this can in marketing subtract the amount of specs you get for the money you'd want to spend, because the casing and lights etc cost more. not great value for money.
Of course then theres the average home or office pc, often too small, and with insuficient cooling equipment, resulting in constant overheating, and thereforew can lead to crashing or laggy performance. these factors also come down to how much RAM they have, and how much Video memory they store. here are my video specs;
Dell Studio Xps 8000
core i7-860, 2.8ghz
6GB Ram, 1TB hdd
geforce nvidia gt220
1GB video memory
The issue with gaming PCs is that they've become like a brand, theyre too fancy and have to have sparkly lights or look like a cyborg, this can in marketing subtract the amount of specs you get for the money you'd want to spend, because the casing and lights etc cost more. not great value for money.
Of course then theres the average home or office pc, often too small, and with insuficient cooling equipment, resulting in constant overheating, and thereforew can lead to crashing or laggy performance. these factors also come down to how much RAM they have, and how much Video memory they store. here are my video specs;
Dell Studio Xps 8000
core i7-860, 2.8ghz
6GB Ram, 1TB hdd
geforce nvidia gt220
1GB video memory
Controller Types
inexperianced gamers may choose to use a keyboard to fly on flight simulators, then after attempting to fly, you realise how stupidly hard it is. it took me about a year to realise this. After that, i purchase a wired USB xbox 360 controller, and used that, its assignments suit fs2004 better, but thats default, you can reassign the controller, although its that extra bit of hassle thats best avoided. To be very honest with you, i'd happily still be playing with my xbox controller to this day if my brother hadnt broke it in a rage from playing modern warfare 2 with it. it was great, easy to handle, and easy on your fingers. of course you'd often find yourself trying to hold it in an awkward position to press some keyboard buttons at the same time, but it works ok once you're used to it.
Then theres the slightly more expensive, but still relatively cheap option, of buying a sort of joystick. i looked at loads and compared before purchasing mine, i looked at the saitek cyborg, the speedling blackwidow one, and so on, but in the end i bought the t-fligh hotas x thrusmaster. its a beautiful lookingcontraption, very simple and cheap! good default assignments, a big hand fitting throttle, and compatible with PS3. its great. of course research thoroughly before buying, which ones best for you.
Then, the most expensive sort, and arguably the best yokes themselves, ive never owned one so theres not really much to say. :D
Then theres the slightly more expensive, but still relatively cheap option, of buying a sort of joystick. i looked at loads and compared before purchasing mine, i looked at the saitek cyborg, the speedling blackwidow one, and so on, but in the end i bought the t-fligh hotas x thrusmaster. its a beautiful lookingcontraption, very simple and cheap! good default assignments, a big hand fitting throttle, and compatible with PS3. its great. of course research thoroughly before buying, which ones best for you.
Then, the most expensive sort, and arguably the best yokes themselves, ive never owned one so theres not really much to say. :D
