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Accurate flight models

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game to supplement my real flight training mostly because of its highly touted flight model. I have found that for the most part, this simulator provides a very true flying experience from a physics standpoint. Utilizing incremental slices of the aicraft's structure and airfoils, this program simulates the real effect of aerodynamic forces on these "slices" and combines this data into a composite flight model. Subtle realism is key here as all flight sims are effective in simple X-Y-Z planes of motion. Graphics are not the greatest, but the people who this simulation targets are hardly worried about such trivial details.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for one of the most physically accurate simulations available, you should give X-Plane a try. If you're looking for fancy pictures and scenery, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

X-plane V5.52-V5.99

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My wife bought it for me because I am a pilot and I enjoy flight simulations, but mostly the flight simulation games. We gave $30 for X-plane V5 but you can get this version now either for free or for under $10 if you look around. Really it's not worth anything so please do not run right out and buy it. At least try the downloadable demo first.

X-plane isn't a game, it's a flight sim program. A flight sim and a flight sim game are two completely different things. In a flight sim you just "fly" your computerized airplane from one airport to another. If you think that's incredibly boring you are right. In a flight sim game you get to blow things up, and others get to shoot you down, so there's never a dull moment in a real flight sim game.

I installed X-plane V5, I had nothing but problems with it. The graphics are bad. The flight model isn't realistic. I laughed when I read someone else's "good" review of the product and they said "It's so smooth!" Yes it is and the kind of smoothness that it has is not realistic. Graphic scenery viewers are smooth to; they have no character at all. Real airplanes have character.

The joystick on X-plane V5 allows for two joysticks but only allows for 3 functions and they were programmed wrong. I've only got one joystick on this computer yet the default in the X-plane sim was for joystick 2?

The airplanes do everything they can to turn upside down, I took screenshots of the F-22 that literally flipped over on the runway and took off down the side of the runway upside down, all without me ever touching the controls.

The graphics inside and outside of the airplanes and the terrain are without question among the very worst I've ever seen. The control panel is nothing but basic computer graphics thrown on the screen in a rectangle with a tiny window above so you can see out. Apparently there's an option that allows the user to change the graphics if they know how to create their own graphics.

Airplanes all fly by the principles of aerodynamics, but every type of airplane has a unique feeling and characteristics all of its own. In X-plane V5 each time you change aircraft it changes your control panel. It changes your speed and stall settings, but all the airplanes have exactly the same problem. They have no feeling to them at all.

Tired and not thinking clearly, I decided I should get the latest patches for X-plane. I went to the X-plane website and in my fatigue I missed the small link to the older files. The FAQ's were no help so I sent a message to the author, Austin Meyer who promptly sent me a rude message to let me know I was a stupid idiot and there was nothing wrong with his software. In three different messages he let me know I was a stupid idiot. Yes I am, I should never have allowed my wife to buy his software.

A software vender or author should never insult their customers for any reason. I was astounded at the great effort he went to to insult me. Don't make the same mistake I made with this software.

They say X-plane is better than MS Flight sim, I'm confident they paid the guy to say that so they could write it on the box. I have tested MS Flight sim 95 and 2000 and I can tell you X-plane is not better than MS Flight Sim. Being a pilot with a brother who is a flight instructor I can tell you that you will not find X-plane in his school, but you will find MS Flight Sims.

Anyone who wants to read the full review and see the graphics can do so on the old Independent Software Consultants website at Http://www.dream-link.org/ISC Just go to the simulation games and then to flight sims.

X-Plane

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: August 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

X-Plane flight simulator offers one of the best environments for flying and making simulated aircraft.

This particular product does not have any scenery. The price on it does not include other then southern CA. In order to fly any other place you have to purchase the scenery as an additional package.

Please visit X-Plane.Org for aircraft, scenery, plug-ins. See what this product has to offer before you buy it. Visit the store and compare prices. You won't be sorry.

Hmmm....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

well, I have to admit..I DO NOT OWN THE GAME. but from the demo it wasn't very impressive. I own a whole bunch of flight sim stuff-Ch yoke, pedals-the works. When I started the demo I got these random alerts about the problems my computer was having but it said it could fix them. I plugged in my yoke and pedals expecting that the game would recognize them (considering that it did say to go to CH's website for sticks and yokes). I push the throttle...nothing happens. ? well, ok and I went to the settings and finally set up all the controls after about 30 minutes of frustration. (THE DARN THING DIDN"T COME WITH A READ ME OR ANYTHING..IT LEFT ME ALL ON MY OWN WITS) well, now that I set my controls (only half of them because half the controls weren't even on the list of controls. For a matter fo fact, the game only lets you look left and right, the rest is panning. It didn't recognize the hat switch of flipper switches for gears so I couldn't lower or raise gears. very frusterating. Well, then I thought: I've heard all this rage about the shuttle re-entry, let's try it! I go into the menu to shuttle approach and click it. It loads, and puts me in space..cool! All of a sudden an alert pops up saying space isn't in the demo. HUH? but it loaded me in here and im now stuck in this one screen and it glitches my comp. sigh Now I have to restart...oh well..I told myself: alright one more try...after about 2 minutes another darn alret pops up: "I have not recognized the 7.0 X plane CD so I am going to disable the joystick"...What the HECK? disable the stick? Well now I can't fly at all so I just went back to playing fs 2002 which is vastly more intelligent and fun. When I first used fs 2002 I recognized my yoke and pedals in the equipement tab. X Plane (even though it advertises CH products) doesn't even bother to recognize my yoke or pedals. So, maybe if I owned the game and had a manual it would make more sense...but if a demo is supposed to attract a buyer this sure did a terrible job of it, I'm not motivated to buy it AT ALL.

THE BEST EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: May 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Asome game,i love it,{go on the games web site newer verion there}This game flys with color's ,asome planes,you can even make your own plane its that easy,and im 12!ever wanted to put a huge roket on a rc helcopter with more than a thousend pounds of thrust?you can do it!,ever whantid to make your own plane?you can do it!ever whanted to sling shot a 747 of a aircract cairrar with 10 feet hie waves you can do it! This is the best Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something fishy here...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: August 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shell out forty bucks for this at Wal-mart. Get home, open the box. Nice pictures. Plop down in an armchair with the manual. Installation-easy peasy. Aircraft-simple. Flight controls-okay. Weather and part-maker, plane-maker, ground-maker-totally incomprehensible. Install, click 'play'. As soon as you start on the runway, you advance the throttle. Nothing happens. You switch to an outside view and throttle up again. Your rudder moves left. In frustration, you move the stick right. Your plane starts moving down the tarmac.
This and other quirks are fixable, but take a lot of adjusting. Another thing, in my aircraft folder, where are the 747, P-51, and other promised aircraft? Oh, I get it. I have to build em from scratch. Terrain-stinks. Object detail-blegh. Sharpness-very good. This is a SERIOUS sim meant only for advanced users. I dont know about you, but Im going back to the comforting simplicity of WW2 Fighters, FS, and the like.

Real Planes, Real Physics, Real Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have played a lot a flight sims... it's part of my job. I do work for this little company called Laminar Research which just happens to market a little game called X-Plane. I can't say much for Young's Modulous (yet) but as far as X-Plane goes, I can tell you that it is the very best flight simulator available and here's why: It wasn't designed for Joe who wants to play a flight simulator game- it was designed for people who actually fly airplanes- for people who like real physics- for people who want to fly in REAL TIME weather and take off from their home airport. Austin Meyer, the designer of this game, is a genious- a one man team (plus myself, the puny graphics guy) who single handedly programs the amount of stress of every single section of the airplane. Amazing programing. What gripes could you have? Graphics slightly less than par?... All versions include FREE upgrades and patches and thousands of other planes have been modeled by various fans. Give X-Plane a shot! Trust me. Amazing company, ladies and gentlemen. He gives his very own technical support.) Real Planes, Real Physics, Real Fun. X-Plane. Go for it.

wow, but also a CAVEAT

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I use version 5.66 that I upgraded to for FREE after I bought X-Plane 5.54 by XICAT. It's awesome, very realistic experience... BUT: you should know that a newer improved version of X-plane (6.xx) is available from www.x-plane.com and if you own a fast computer with a good graphics card you should really get that instead of the discontinued version that XICAT still (!) sells. At X-Plane.com there also is a DEMO available for free!!! So you can check it out yourself.
Happy Flying!

BIG LET DOWN

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: April 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I STARTED OFF WITH FS 98 THEN I GOT FS 2000 AND LATELY BOUGHT FS 2002.NOW I MADE A MISTAKE AND BOUGHT X PLANE WHICH IS RUBBISH COMPARED WITH FS 2002. THE GRAPHICS AND SCENERY ETC IN FS 20002 ARE FAR SUPERIOR TO X PLANE. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED X PLANE DOES NOT GET OFF THE GROUND. IF YOU BUY ONLY ONE FLIGHT SIM GET THE BEST MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIM 2002 WHY SETTLE FOR AN INFERIOR VERSION.CHECK THE DEMOS AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

X plane Soars Above The Rest!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

X Plane is an AWSOME game-from the giant 777 to the tiny RC Helicopters its got EVRYTHING!! if Your a beginer this is the simulator for you!!!and its not very complicated.over 7,000 airports make this one-of-a-kind.Even if you cant figure it out at first-give it time.my favorite is the Boieng 777 its a very cool plane. also I love space and with the ability to fly the space shuttle and on mars it adds to my long list of compliments-thanks NASA!!!!!!!!Each plane has its own cockpit. its not a lie-this game does have over 40 aircraft.you can land/takeoff from an aircraft carrier and an oil rig at sea!!! you can also fly a blinp.you customize evrything before the flight-weather-time of day-turbulance-even what altitude the clouds are at!!!from the air the ground looks EXACTLY like it does in a real plane!you can download new aircraft [from the producers] and get lots of flying tips!! with real weather conditions like snow wind and turbulance this game is so realistic you will think your in the real pilots seat!! This is a great flight simulator and I recomend it to anyone who loves the feling of flying!!

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