Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
Professional: Serious Fun
by Jan Fagerholm, flight simulator junkie
The Bullet Points: Microsoft Flight Simulator comes in two versions. Flight Simulator Standard includes aircraft included in previous versions, and an updated world database with 20,000 airports. The Professional version adds three new aircraft types, including the Concord supersonic transport, adds another half dozen detailed cities, and several feature enhancements. The Professional version is reviewed here. For the record, I'm a professional pilot and flight instructor with 20,000 hours in various light and heavy aircraft including 3600 hours in Learjets, so my slant is from the viewpoint of a pilot.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a unique piece of software in several respects. It actually predates Microsoft, and, indeed, predates the IBM PC itself. It first appeared on the Apple II and TRS platforms in 1979, the brainchild of Bruce Artwick, an engineer who programmed military flight simulators for Singer. He later licensed the program to Microsoft when the IBM PC became a prominent platform, and retains ownership of the program today. The program also retains the distinction of selling more copies than any other piece of software Microsoft has ever sold. (Yes, even more copies than Windows.)
Flight Simulator 2000 refines and improves previous versions, rather than being a technology upgrade. The graphics engine is carried forward from the previous version, and the world database is improved in resolution and detail, which enhances the realism while in flight. The world database is improved in resolution, which provides more accurate train elevations, noticeable when flying close to the ground. Building detail in city databases is remarkably improved, and, at long last, the clouds actually look like clouds when you get up close. The experience of flying in and out of clouds is quite realistic in Flight Simulator 2000.
The Lear 45 over downtown San Francisco. Note the TransAmerica Pyramid and the Ferry Building.
All this increased realism in the flight world takes its toll in performance, however. Flight Simulator 2000 runs a usable frame rate, but not completely smooth. The graphics engine in Flight Simulator is regularly panned in all the gaming magazines as delivering half the frame rate of other 3D rendering engines. It appears that Microsoft is counting on hardware improvements to sustain performance as the graphics engine is asked to support more detail. I fervently hope for a new graphics engine in the upcoming Flight Simulator 2002. By the way, never mind the "minimum system requirements" listed on the box you will not be happy with this program on anything less than a 500 MHz Athlon or Pentium III and a graphics card with full 3D support.
The pilot realistic enhancements are significant. There is a flight planner, where you can make a flight plan much as you do in real life, a nice touch for pilots. The weather simulation has a new ability to download actual weather reports and forests from the Internet and plug them directly into Flight Simulator's weather generator, allowing you to fly in the weather that's actually outside the window. Coupled with high speed Internet access, this feature provides a compelling element of realism.
The lesson plans are somewhat condensed from the previous version, which is disappointing to me as a flight instructor. It is more in keeping with the requirements of the program, however, and is probably much less intimidating to the non pilot trying to learn the program. A nice touch is a "checkride" at the end of each series of lessons, which earn you the appropriate pilot certificate or rating that can he printed when you pass the checkride.
Flight Simulator 2000 is a must have upgrade to any pilot who is a computerist, and more attractive than previous versions to the non‑pilot, who may just want to float around and see the scenery. The program is a big improvement on both counts, and will certainly keep the program in its position as the premier flight simulation program. It's been out long enough now to be available at steep discounts, and will provide more hours of entertainment for the money than any other software out there. Highly recommended.
Copyright © February, 2000 by Jan Fagerholm
Product Information:
Microsoft Flight Simulator Professional
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond,WA 98008
http://www.microsoft.com
MSRP Standard version $39.95
MSRP Professional version $79.95