MHOGaming Network - MFS X - A Night Tour of Las Vegas

Thought I would pass on a quick report on Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe Edition. I have been playing around with it a while now and decided to throw up a few pics and some info. Yes, it's the full retail deluxe edition.

I have been flying in PC games from day 1 of my gaming. The first game that really addicted me was Janes USAF. This was the first game that actually looked decent and was pretty accurate at the time. I played the hell out of it and it never really got boring. After that came a few F/15 F/16 sims and even an Isreali sim. Wasn't much interested in them. Soon followed Jane's F/A-18 sim. This one was pretty nice but it never stuck for me. Basically lacking in the MP area. Around that time Battlefield 1942 was released. My days of flight sims would be put on hold. The flying physics in BF42 were pretty nice. I love the WWII era planes and let's face it, that game was and is really fun for a pilot. As time goes on BF2 is released. Opinions vary but to me this game is more about ground pounding then flying. I would play Jane's USAF over BF2 any day of the week for actually piloting. So as a PC pilot I am missing having a current flight sim to satisfy my flying where I could kill some folks. After a quick addiction to PartyPoker I started looking for a flight sim to occupy my gaming time as I was losing my butt in No Limit Hold Em'.

Thus it begins.

Being the PC gaming communities 'Rock Star' and MVP, I happened to obtain the MicroSoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe Edition weeks before it's release...

I was hesitant to be really excited about having this as it is a true to life flight sim. I want to spawn, hit 'E' to jump in my plane, take off, and kill some noobs. I wasn't much into actually figuring out how each and every plane works. Did I care what it takes to get a Airbus off the ground? Heck no! Just let me pull back on the stick and off I go on a jihad mission. Well this mentality soon changed after loading MFSX up. Although I did ram a 747 into the Sears Tower. Sorry but I have no bombs to drop...I seek carnage.

After loading this HUGE game to my HD-- 13.0 GB (13,993,730,048 bytes..the current size of my MFSXDE folder) I give the hype the benefit of the doubt and start off from scratch. I do take the time to play the turtorial and actually learn something. I even read some from the fairly thin manual. One of the good things about MFSX is instead of reading a novel you can jump in and let the co-pilot walk you through the training missions. Big plus for me. The user interface is well done and easy to use as you can see in the screenshots above.

So here I am with a fresh install and ready to get it going. I start out with the basics. First 'mission' was to fly around in an ultralight. This was way too easy more me. Then there were a few other small aircraft missions which again were too easy for me but would be fun for a first time pilot. Oh before I continue, use a joystick. Yes this game can be played without one but why bother? Buy a joystick as it is MUCH easier. Anyway, I move on to larger aircraft and the 'fun' factor begins...

Again, I have been messing with flight sims for a long time. I think I will have no problems with this game and it will be pretty boring for me. Knowing that, I decide to skip the next tutorial and hit a 'free flight'. By this I mean you can choose your plane, choose where you take off, choose where you land, make a flight plan, choose the weather conditions, choose the time of day (real-time or your choice) and so forth. The EXACT decisions that have to be made in a actual flight! Ok, I get the settings right and head off to the airport. I figure I am ready to right? Spent a few minutes deciding on where to go and I have a flight plan made...I should be set. Well, BS. I have the game automatically set me up on the runway to take off in a straight direction. As it turns out, this is a SIM and there are radio commands I have to make back and forth to the tower at the runway I am at. I'm thinking this is pretty realistic. So I get my take off requests down and have a nice chat with the chic in the tower (she kinda sounds like .maV). I get the go ahead to take off.

Finally, I am taking off in a plane by myself. The real test has begun. I will either take off successully and enjoy it or I won't. I nail the hammer down on the throttle and start rumbling down the runway (force feedback joystick). I am going faster and faster down the lighted runway. I pull back on the joystick as I am getting closer to the end of the runway. Oh S%@t! I am not leaving the ground. Soon enough... BOOM. I have crashed into a hotel at the end of the runway. I am thinking 'WTF?'. As it turns out, I didn't have the flaps set right, or the altimeter. There is also a sequence in which to apply the throttle. I woud know this had I had the co-pilot with me in the many turtorials in which I felt I didn't need. Oh well, a few hundred dead passengers later, I go back to the training missions.

After spending time on the turtorials, which are actually pretty fun learning how a plane operates, I go back to my free-flight. This time I do get her off the ground and make my way to my destination. At this point I am FULLY impressed with this game. Cruising at 30k on auto pilot(which is in real-time so it takes a good while), which isn't easy to do--it is way more than hitting the auto pilot switch, I feel pretty good. Now I am watching the gadges, listening the radio, and checking my course. I am around 30k feet when I get teh word from teh tower where I am landing that I need to slow down and drop to 10k feet. Now I am back in BF42 mode. I drop the nose and head down. Wrong. I get an overspeed warning and end up crashing yet again as I couldn't get the nose back up. Back to the landing part of the turtorials I go. At this point I am loving this game. I do those turtorials and finally make a flight plan from San Antonio to Dallas. I take off, fly, arrive and land successfully. Even took the time to taxi to the gate. Taxing to the gates is dead on accurate as well. If you want to take the time to go full force accurate, this game has your airport down perfectly.

I am hooked now. I spend a few more days playing around with the many settings and many missions from easy to expert. Right now I am currently flying around the world to different spots. Niagra Falls, Hoover Dam, pyramids in Egypt, Las Vegas and so on. I even took a 747 to Dutch Harbor, Alaska (although that runway is small and we crashed). Any fans of the Discovery Channels 'The Deadliest Catch'? Yes, even that airport is in this game and yes you can see crab boats in the harbor.

I took my first long flight from Miami to Los Angles a few days ago and ran it on realistic. It took close to 8 hours to complete. The beauty of this game is you can start it and not come back for a while. Now there are a lot of variables to take into consideration but you will learn those in the turtorials. And those are fun as well.

In closing, I started this flight sim adventure out of shear bordom. I didn't think I could get involved in a flight sim in which I didn't have heat seekers on my wings or TTi in my sights. I wasn't keen on actually 'learning' how each plane works from their controls to flight plans. I was given the opportunity to play this game and my final verdict is following...

Conclusion: If you have a decently built PC, you have the time, you have the desire to learn how to fly a plane the way it is actually done with flight plans, radio communication, plane knowledge, and you are a real pilot fan...this is a must buy. Now if you like to fly and kill people, have little time on your hands, are a FPS junky then this game probably isn't for you.

My next flight will start off in a Bombardier CRJ700 in which I will depart from Mcarren INT in Las Vegas. I will fly north to Hoover Dam then head over the Grand Canyon then on the Hollywood Cali and on to San Fransico with a fly-by of Alcatraz. Sounds easy? Let's hope:) A good flight plan with a lot of waypoints will help me a lot. GPS FTW!

Here are a few in-game pics I took tonight of a helo tour of Las Vegas at night. Started of this flight with the weather settings at 'thunderstorm' but had to go back and set them to 'calm'..

Enjoy..

Belagio fountains. Kinda bad pic of the fountains as I was trying not to crash and take SS's..

Luxor...

New York New York...

MGM Grand....

The new Wynn resort...

Excaliber...

If your a decent pilot then hit me up. I need a good wingman for the multiplayer part of this game. Oh yes, I said multiplayer:drive:

There is 13 gigs of game and I took 13 minutes to write this up. Any questions about this game then i'll be happy to asnwer them..Until then.