Why us 'oldies' are maybe less critical

I do think at times it is just worth reflecting that we have come a very long way with this Flight Simulator.
Us ‘oldies’ recall the beginning.
Yup, we have come a very long way. Just a thought from an old flyer.

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We have definitely come a long way. Still wish development was a little more interactive. Anxious for the “new” beta.

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Remembering the only way to have ATC was to select some adventures… and GPWS98… those were the days

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Not gonna lie,

It’s the stunning graphics in the early release trailer video of MSFS2020 back in 2019 which brought me into flight simulation with a little dose of Aviation Enthusiasm in my blood. Then I became a hard core flight simmer lol

Older looking sims never would have brough me into flight simming, at least civil flight simming. It’s just a world full over beauty, either the aircraft, sceneries, landscape… weather :slight_smile:

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I actually choked up watching that reveal trailer at the Xbox E3 conference in 2019.

Never really had the means to get back into Flight Sim since the FS 2004 days…and as I got older, my “gaming” tastes changed.

I grew to enjoy the simplicity of console gaming, but Flight Simulator always stuck with me.

Then they announced FS '20 for Xbox and my world changed.

I’m beyond thankful that Flight Simulator is back and better than ever.

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Starting from FS2 and owning all versions since, every new version and upgrade is fantastic for me. Sometimes new bugs creep in, but I can live with them for the overall progress we usually get. I’m very happy with what we have at the moment and the development that is going into it.

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I suppose I qualify as an oldie - 72 next May. There’s one whingefest after another on these forums but I just look at what we’ve got, not at what we haven’t got.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? We oldies have more past to compare the present with, and the present bears up pretty well.

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I too have been in it from the start. During the years, I have tried most all the variations by Microsoft and the others and never found one that satisfied me like MSFS. When MS dropped Flight Simulation a few years ago, I went through a dry spell and finally went with X-Plane and was determined to stay there when MSFS2020 surfaced but curiosity got to me and now I am back (after only a month of holding off, so almost from the start) - still have versions 11 and 12 of the other, but seldom venture there. Keep up the good work Microsoft and I will probably be here until age (80 in May) prohibits my participation.

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i was lucky enough to ride in the co-pilot’s seat on a return flight henderson field - grand canyon west. when we were on the return leg and las vegas was in the distance i thought how good fs 2004 was. fs2020 is just amazing, more so when flying this route in my tomcat

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Also being a simmer since 1994, I can only be thankful this marvel we call MSFS exists.
I think some of us may have been critical sometimes mainly due to regressions, or features that still are worse than in earlier versions (i.e. ATC, AI traffic etc).

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do miss the spot aircraft view

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Same. And the jaw hit the floor hard.

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I had given up on FSX at some point due to the constant fight for FPS and smoothness while trying to make it look as good as possible with tons of add-ons and it still only went from cartoony to maybe uncanny valley.

When I saw the E3 demo of MSFS 2020 I had two reactions:

a) The intense warmth when meeting a long lost friend that you thought you’d never see again
b) “Yeah, right, I believe those graphics when I see them on my PC.”

And then it was released, and it did look good on my PC, and it made COVID and all the c**p that came with it bearable and now I can run it maxed out at 60 FPS (capped).

If you had told me this story in 2018 I would have told you “Aw, bless your little heart.”

Us older VFR simmers just have seen too much not to be grateful for what we have, as imperfect and incomplete as it is.

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I recall not being able to fly a helicopter at 5fps many years ago. The graphics were awful, but it was fun.

One thing you used to be able to do was to change planes whilst in the air.

Realism has certainly improved since then!

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Agree on many posts. MSFS is simply great, even if all dev halted now (which I do not hope of course). Also in the past the updates were infrequent, or non-existing, and hoping for new goodies included, perhaps few bug fixes and very minor enhancements. I’m graceful, thanks for all that has been done.

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I agree - I learned how to “drive a plane” when “fly by wire” meant following the telegraph poles - however I find the arrogance of MS a little unsettling, following my reply to them regarding no cockpit interaction using the mouse after the latest update…Thanks for the reply …. Flight sim 2020 by Microsoft – Xbox by Microsoft – and you blame Xbox ???

…I wonder what people would say if FORD said “Our cars are fine, they only crash because our wheel contractor supplies faulty products”.

I agrre with most of the above, it’s been a great experience to watch the development of a truly great piece of software.
Can I add another benefit, as another oldie? It is well known that old people, sick or not, benefit by having something to look forward to. And hey, haven’t we plenty to look forward to, at least this year!

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Have been a FS addict for as long as there was a flight sim for home use.
Have owned every civilian flight sim since … except for the P3D series.
And I agree MSFS has come a very long way and is the best Sim overall that I have used except for a full commercial setup.
But I am more than a bit annoyed that some things that did work quite well in older versions still have not been fixed in MSFS.
And then there is this silly head bouncing thing which makes it impossible at times to continue turning a knob or pushing a button.
That’s horse manure quite frankly. I have flown almost every single Piper and Cessna Single and quite a few twins in all sorts of wx and while you do get bounced around on occasion in all but the severest turbulence I have never had trouble holding my hand on a selector knob or hitting a COM button.
Clearly folks who think that’s what it takes to make flying real have never been in a cockpit.

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Since FS2002 here. It’s not just from being old. It has a lot to with how we grew up. In today’s world, the ‘gotta have it now’ mentality has permeated every aspect, especially gaming. We’ve become SO spoiled and more impatient than ever. The way a lot of people have been acting on here, considering many being ‘older’, is nothing short of shocking and reflective of the times.

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Age alone can’t stop you. People tell themselves ‘Oh, I cant do that. I’m too old’. I’m 93 and I won’t be ready to say that until I’m in the box.

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