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Turn you computer into a flight instructor machine with this interactive game like simulator

Turn you computer into a flight instructor machine with this interactive game like simulator

Vote: (707 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Steampowered

Version: 2016

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(707 votes)

Paid

Developer

Version

Steampowered

2016

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • The game is very affordable and can be downloaded for a mere $25. Thanks to sales, it is often significantly cheaper. As such, the digital download of Flight Simulator X may offer players who are interested in the series an inexpensive look at whether or not this genre is worth playing.
  • A robust online community that could play together, creating either true to life or fantastical piloting experiences.
  • The game offers an incredibly true to life experience.
  • The missions are varied, fun, and dramatically enhance the player's experience.

Cons

  • Choppy framerate gets frustrating, particularly for players who are truly looking for an immersive experience. This was particularly noticeable for lower-performing computers.
  • In order to avoid these performance issues, players would have to tone down the graphical upgrades, thus costing the game realism and sharpness.
  • Though improved, many critics and players believed that the in-game graphics did not represent enough of a jump compared to the 2004 version.

Flight Simulator X is the latest version of the legendary flight simulator game. It comes replete with numerous upgrades over the previous year's versions. The game first came out in 2006, but still holds many features that are used in modern versions. However, as a result of financial troubles at Microsoft, the entire Flight Simulator team was cut, and the game became the last one released for eight years, the longest gap in the series history. As such, Flight Simulator X became the only version used by players of the popular franchise for an extended period of time.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been a mainstay of the simulation genre, with the first game of the series coming out in 1982. Since that time, the game has updated repeatedly, earning it a well-earned reputation as the best flight simulator in the business. Its multiple decades of experience have given the game the best, most accurate, and true to life flight simulator available. Indeed, many pilots have attributed their desire to fly to their experiences in Flight Simulator.

The basic crux of Flight Simulator is apparent: Players can take on the role of a real-life pilot, realistically flying hundreds of planes to any number of 24,000 airports. The sheer number of airports is all the more remarkable when one considers that they are all designed relatively faithfully to their real-world counterparts, and this is even more apparent when it comes to the design of the biggest airports in the world.

As the first Flight Simulator game since 2003, Flight Simulator X contained numerous improvements and upgrades that have become mainstays of the series. As always, it contains numerous improved graphics and a wide array of planes to choose from, including many which had never before appeared in a Flight Simulator game. It also contained numerous new animations. It also contains numerous, highly detailed, and intricate graphics, like boats, cars, and terrain.

The Game's Learning Center, direct from Flight Simulator 2004, was carried over and improved upon. The game offered a variety of flying lessons and tutorials which were voiced and directed by a real pilot. Players could earn different types of flying certifications, depending on the lesson they completed.

New to the Flight Simulator genre was missions and rewards, a video gaming trend that was becoming increasingly popular at the time Flight Simulator X premiered. These missions would alter depending on your previous flying record and change based on in-flight events, giving players a more alterable and changing feel as they played. Artificially Intelligent planes would also fly in the game, often taking an impactful role in missions undertaken by the player.

These missions really ran the gamut and can dramatically improve a player's experience. Some were serious, like flying through difficult weather or taking off and landing in hazardous conditions. Others were goofy and like something straight out of Grand Theft Auto V. Whatever you wanted out of a goal-oriented experience, odds were good that Flight Simulator X could offer it.

The game also came with an editor that allowed players to create and design their own missions, allowing for vastly improved technical capacities.

The game also sold a deluxe version, which contained additional planes and a software development kit (SDK). Most interesting - and arguably most popular - was an upgrade that allowed for players to have access to a radar serve in the Air Traffic Control Tower when playing online. The Deluxe version also added twenty new missions for players, giving them a variety of new and exciting scenarios to explore.

One of the most fun parts of Flight Simulator X is its online universe. In this version, players could fly with their friends or random strangers on the internet and correspond with Air Traffic Control.

The crux of the game is this: Its options were virtually limitless. Players could mess around and fly in the sky, complete goofy or hardcore missions, fly with their friends or yell at random strangers who weren't giving them appropriate take-off clearance. Whatever you want, Flight Simulator probably has it.

Despite its age, Flight Simulator X can be downloaded digitally on clients like Steam. A physical copy can be purchased, but those are often very expensive, costing at least $50.

Pros

  • The game is very affordable and can be downloaded for a mere $25. Thanks to sales, it is often significantly cheaper. As such, the digital download of Flight Simulator X may offer players who are interested in the series an inexpensive look at whether or not this genre is worth playing.
  • A robust online community that could play together, creating either true to life or fantastical piloting experiences.
  • The game offers an incredibly true to life experience.
  • The missions are varied, fun, and dramatically enhance the player's experience.

Cons

  • Choppy framerate gets frustrating, particularly for players who are truly looking for an immersive experience. This was particularly noticeable for lower-performing computers.
  • In order to avoid these performance issues, players would have to tone down the graphical upgrades, thus costing the game realism and sharpness.
  • Though improved, many critics and players believed that the in-game graphics did not represent enough of a jump compared to the 2004 version.

Pros

  • Realistic flying conditions
  • Thousands of airports
  • Variety of aircraft

Cons

  • Can be boring if you don't like planes
  • Not really a game

Take the controls of a plane as it takes off from one of the many airports in the world and safely lands.

Your goal is to keep the plane that you fly from crashing, taking off and landing safely. There are menus that give plenty of details to follow so that you understand how the controls work. When you begin flying the planes, it doesn't appear like a typical flight game. The menu options and the details of the airport and the controls look more like a technical report than a simulated game. There are numerous types of aircraft to choose from aside from planes, such as helicopters and para-gliders. The controls are on the screen in front of you so that you have a closer look at what each control does or at the bottom of the screen so that you see the craft you're flying on the screen.

As you're flying through the air, you have to deal with some of the same issues that you might deal with if you were flying a real plane. You have to keep the wings level. The weather changes. It could be sunny one day and raining the next. You can see birds in the sky that you have to avoid as well as other aircraft that are in the sky at the same time. Air traffic controller reports give you an indication as to where to land and what to expect in the air. There are over 24,000 airports in the simulated game that you can take off from or land at depending on how long you want to fly. Take part in challenges and missions or fly freely through the air to get an idea of what it's like being behind the controls.

Pros

  • Realistic flying conditions
  • Thousands of airports
  • Variety of aircraft

Cons

  • Can be boring if you don't like planes
  • Not really a game