Flight Simulator X - Gold Edition (PC)

Please note, this is not a game, although you can have a lot of fun with it ! Full world terrain to an excellent detail level...check. Amazing graphics (even given it is several years old now)....check Hundreds of real airports...check Good variety of planes and helicopters with well modelled interiors/exteriors, virtual cockpits and flight models....check HUGE amount of free stuff available on the internet (just look!)...check HUGE amount of payware available to upgrade just about anything....check Amazing training guides and fun missions to fly....check Well thought out online environment with huge potential....check Very highly spec'd PC required to play ? Hmmm....check ! Perhaps the major downside to this incredible piece of software is the fact you will need a monster PC. A lot of people complained when it came out because it ran so slowly on 'most' PCs...and they were bang on. My system is a new, fairly well spec'd Core I7/5770/4gb Ram machine that scores 7.5ish (out of 7.9) for just about everything in Windows experience on Win7. It runs Rise of Flight, Napoleon TW, Arma 2 etc smoothly at highest detail settings at 1920x1080. Even it struggled at times with FSX at full detail (eg over London in an F18!) and if you have anything moderately old or with a poor graphics card, you will have to accept lower resolutions or lower detail. That said, if you can run it with full detail, it looks and flys great. It compares really well to the 'real' world flying experience...the addition of full ATC transmissions, the ability to file flight plans and to fly in just about anything...to just about anywhere...is incredible. The only minor downside I can find (apart from the beast of a PC required) is that at times it is too real and can become more like work than fun. Whilst I haven't tried the online options yet, they are well integrated into the overall experience and for example you could have a player operating as ATC at a major airport (with full radar/tower picture etc) and several players flying circuits/IFR etc. I will finish by saying that for the money £18ish.....you are getting the absolute bargain of the century in PC software....you get so much for the money before you even go online and see what you can download for free (legitimately!). This is the ultimate sandbox, flying simulator, it's dirt cheap and awesome. Go buy.

This is the first modern flight simulator I have played, so thought I'd share my findings for anyone in a similar position who isn't sure what to expect. First of all, the game is much better when played with a joystick. You can use keyboard and mouse, but I found this very difficult to get used to, and as soon as I got a joystick, it became much easier to handle the planes. I can recommend the Thrustmaster T.Flight X - that's what I bought and it has worked perfectly to date. Learning the controls can be a very daunting prospect at first, especially if you go into key mapping and see the incredibly long list of commands covered! Don't be put off - you get used to it and you'll soon find what you want to have access to most and then it's just a case of working out the right set up for you. Some of this will depend on you're preferred viewing method. I like to use outside views and so need to have more controls mapped than if you prefer a cockpit view, where you can just press whatever control you need from in there. The detail in this is excellent, as it really gives you that sense of being there and doing it. There are some great tutorials that cover everything from your first take-off and landing, to an introduction to flying jets and helicopters. I strongly recommend that if you came to it as a complete newbie like I did, that you play through all of the 'Beginner' level missions at least, and then do some free flights to get more used to how everything works. There has clearly been a lot of detail worked into the game, but I found it didn't really hit me at first because a lot of the scenery is like a big Google map satellite picture that you fly over. Buildings are placed throughout the game world, and airports have been built up to be realistic (down to terminal gates, plane stands, and taxi ways). The realism you want is largely down to you - you can always take off straight from the runway, or you can taxi there and go through the whole communication process with Air Traffic Control. This continues into flying and landing at your destination - you can just fly in and shut down, or arrange your landing and taxi to your stop. Sound is another impressive element - engine sounds, alerts, and ATC comms are very realistic. I also recommend you spend time getting used to using the flight planner. If you just jump in and fly, you'll need to know where you're going to land somewhere. If you plan your flight, you can use the in-game GPS and you'll know where you're going and how long it will take you to get there. It's easy enough to pick up how to use it, and if you do miss anything then there is a vast knowledge base that covers everything in the game. Once you're used to how the game works, you can play through the variety of missions available (anything from a secret flight to Area 51, to a Carrier landing), or you can do what I have an jump into the vast world of Flight Sim add-ons! There is tons of freeware out there, literally thousands of pages of it. Everything from planes to scenery and additional traffic (planes, road traffic, and ships). You don't have to be a computer whiz to use it, as most pieces come with detailed instructions on how to install, and some even come with an installer built in to it. I recently registered for the Flyaway site and pay for member access, as once you start downloading this stuff, you'll want the extra speed and removal of download limits as there is so much you can get through. You get a lot to start you off with in the game itself, especially with the acceleration pack version, but there really is just so much you can add to it. I mention this because I found the simulator itself got boring pretty quickly if you don't have anything to make it work for. Most planes have an autopilot, and while it's obviously up to you to use it or not, just flying for the sake of it didn't really appeal for long. There are several things out there dedicated to giving you a reason to fly from A to B. FS Economy is a good place to start, as it's free to play, and then Air Hauler is a good piece of software that focuses purely on cargo. Again, it takes a bit of getting used to with how these elements work, purely because rather be added as a part of FSX, they are stand-alone programs that interact with it - but once you've played a couple of times, they are very good enhancement of the original software. So in summary, don't expect to see your street modelled in detail because it's not set up that way, but the water effects and areas of attention to detail is impressive when you consider it covers the whole planet! Sounds are excellent and add to the experience, as does the fact that you can sit in a cockpit and experience an actual flight as you would if you were in the real thing. And look at what's out there to take the simulator further - whether it's adding elements to it or giving you a reason to fly from one place to another. Hope this helps you decide if it's for you!

FSX potrebbe essere considerato quasi obsoleto, visto che non sfrutta minimamente le prestazioni grafiche delle schede grafiche odierne. Parlaiamo però di un simulatore e non di un videogame e quindi altri fattori sono più importanti rispetto alla qualità visiva, a cominciare che continuano ad uscire ed essere aggiornati centinaia di addon, anche freeware, che espandono e migliorano continuamente il mondo di FSX.

i have been loonking for this game for so long ,im just happy that i got one now ,its really a cool game and i got it on time

Excellent one from MS ! ! Make sure you go through systems minimum requirment before you buy it.

edizione addestrativa perche in lingua inglese, ha in bundle fsx accelerator obbligatorio per alcune macchine nuove di altri sviluppatori come aiirbus

Bonjour, Suite à une erreur chez le vendeur j'ai reçu la version de base au lieu de la version gold. Il m'a été proposé de renvoyer le produit et un remboursement ou de le garder moyennant une compensation. J'ai préféré le garder et ai installé moi même les SP1 et SP2 contenus dans la version gold. Je n'ai par contre pas pu récupérer les autres 'plus' de la version gold (en nombre d'avions, de scènes et de mission). Cordialement G. Rio