A little light blog fodder for the holidays
I've been playing Microsoft Flight Simulator for about a decade now, and it's one of those extensions of my love of aviation that simply never gets old. I, of course, have less time to play than I used to, but I always love it just the same.
I'm the kind of simmer that doesn't settle for anything less than a replica befitting a type rating.
So,
when it came time to buy a new computer last January, I had to think
long and hard. I had always been a diehard Windows user, though I'm
drawn to the Mac interface. My only hold out was Flight Simulator. My
beat up old Dell couldn't run Flight Simulator X (FSX), which I had
purchased, installed, then uninstalled ages ago. Flight Simulator 2004
(FS2004) was still running smoothly, so giving up Windows was a
non-starter if FS had to go with it.
But I broke down and got a new iMac (2.8 ghz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB SDRAM) anyway about a year ago. So what made me give up a Windows based system?
Two words: Boot Camp.
Boot Camp allowed me to install Windows XP using a partitioned hard drive. Problem solved. Though, I was still hesitant I could get any decent performance out of the software. I installed FSX on my Mac and was sorely disappointed. I had opted for a more power from my computer, but FSX was still barely playable.
FS2004 ran quite well on Windows via Boot Camp, but didn't give me the latest version and newest features, yet still gave me my flight simulator fix.
Though, everything changed a few weeks ago after trolling the tubes, I was finding that many people found FSX disappointing and was having performance issues even on the most powerful PC systems. Was it my Mac? Or was it FSX?
The results were surprising. Very intrepid FS tinkerers have come up with many tweaks and fixes. By adjusting the backend configuration settings in the fsx.cfg file and some scaled down textures, I was able to get FSX running like a dream with some of the highest visual settings (autogen max) and smooth performance (30-50 fps). The shot below was taken with the Project Opensky 777-200 over Seattle.
Be careful though, changing these setting may harm your software and you do so at your own risk.
Flight Simulator X for Mac - 100% possible. Happy simming!
I've been playing Microsoft Flight Simulator for about a decade now, and it's one of those extensions of my love of aviation that simply never gets old. I, of course, have less time to play than I used to, but I always love it just the same.
I'm the kind of simmer that doesn't settle for anything less than a replica befitting a type rating.
So,
when it came time to buy a new computer last January, I had to think
long and hard. I had always been a diehard Windows user, though I'm
drawn to the Mac interface. My only hold out was Flight Simulator. My
beat up old Dell couldn't run Flight Simulator X (FSX), which I had
purchased, installed, then uninstalled ages ago. Flight Simulator 2004
(FS2004) was still running smoothly, so giving up Windows was a
non-starter if FS had to go with it. But I broke down and got a new iMac (2.8 ghz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB SDRAM) anyway about a year ago. So what made me give up a Windows based system?
Two words: Boot Camp.
Boot Camp allowed me to install Windows XP using a partitioned hard drive. Problem solved. Though, I was still hesitant I could get any decent performance out of the software. I installed FSX on my Mac and was sorely disappointed. I had opted for a more power from my computer, but FSX was still barely playable.
FS2004 ran quite well on Windows via Boot Camp, but didn't give me the latest version and newest features, yet still gave me my flight simulator fix.
Though, everything changed a few weeks ago after trolling the tubes, I was finding that many people found FSX disappointing and was having performance issues even on the most powerful PC systems. Was it my Mac? Or was it FSX?
The results were surprising. Very intrepid FS tinkerers have come up with many tweaks and fixes. By adjusting the backend configuration settings in the fsx.cfg file and some scaled down textures, I was able to get FSX running like a dream with some of the highest visual settings (autogen max) and smooth performance (30-50 fps). The shot below was taken with the Project Opensky 777-200 over Seattle.
Be careful though, changing these setting may harm your software and you do so at your own risk.
Flight Simulator X for Mac - 100% possible. Happy simming!
on December 24, 2008 11:09 PM | Reply
Hi Jon, I'm also an avid Flight Simmer. :) The first thing I always ask, just to be sure, when someone posts something like this is whether they have FSX SP1 and SP2 installed. Especially SP1 makes an enormous difference in performance.
You probably already know, but if you want realism, there is no substitute for the PMDG 747-400X and PMDG MD-11. The Level-D 767-300ER is also very high quality. For small aircraft anything by Carenado or DreamFleet is great. For scenery I recommend Aerosoft (especially their Mega Airport Heathrow, Venice and Madeira sceneries) and FlyTampa (St. Maarten and Hong Kong Kai Tak). Another must-have is ActiveSky X for that extra realism in the weather.
Finally, I was wondering, do you fly on VATSIM (http://www.vatsim.net)? If so I might see you around the virtual skies. :)
on December 25, 2008 2:31 AM | Reply
FSX is a awesome game :)!
Just wondering, what tweaks did you use? Some tweaks are version specific, which leads me to my next question, which version are you running (RTM, SP1, SP2 or Acceleration)?
Also, there's tonnes of freeware at AVSIM (http://library.avsim.net) ;). As for payware, as Sven said, FlyTampa makes excellent airports, and Orbx does great scenery, although I'm upset at them because they kicked me from their beta team because I'm too young.
I've made a few addons myself too. If you want to try those, just ask ;).
Orion
on December 25, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply
Thanks for your comments guys! I'm running FSX SP2 right now, but seriously considering Acceleration. I love the Level-D and PMDG products and fly them quite a bit. Kind of dissapointed PSS went under and there's no really good 777, A330/A340, A320 sims out there. I'm currently loving the Flight1 Cessna Mustang which is a blast to fly, especially with the fully operational G1000 avionics.
Definitely a VATSIM user, I remember when it was SATCO. Though, like I said, I don't get to fly as often as I'd like on there. These days you'll see me puttering up and down the east coast in an E-Jet.
As for tweaks, I got the reduced trees and cloud texture packages and changed the texture bandwidth and the autogen and tree cell density. All that adds up to an improvement of about 20 fps on average.
Best,
Jon
on December 25, 2008 2:27 PM | Reply
Why does everyone always think mac did it when they buy a computer after X years... you could have gotten a much faster system for cheaper. Core 2 duos are not exclusive to mac. I play flight simulator X on Vista with a Athlon dual core at max settings.
on December 25, 2008 11:12 PM | Reply
One other thing you might consider trying is setting the framerate target to unlimited. That gained me about 5-10 extra fps.
I'm running FSX on Vista x64 with a Core 2 Duo and though I can't use max settings (mainly thanks to the video card) I can get pretty close.
And whatever you do, don't buy the Wilco 777 and Airbus series; they're terrible imnsho.
on December 26, 2008 4:40 AM | Reply
As an Airbus driver i can vouch for the authenticity of Wilco Airbus series when it comes to Flight deck indications. Nothing else gets as real as Wilco does! Wilco + FSX = Perfect match...ofcourse you need the right configuration of hardware to run it! Dunno a thing abt Mac but!
on December 26, 2008 8:51 AM | Reply
Re: Nero
Why a Mac? Yes, you can get a Core 2 Duo processor on a WIndows PC also, and the newer versions of Windows have a lot of the same features that Mac has had for a while - but it boils down to reliability and stability in my opinion.
I've had several Windows PCs personally, and I also use them everyday at work, but for the past few years my personal computer at home has been a Mac and I couldn't be happier. The newer versions of Windows are a far cry from what they once were, but the system as a whole still has a way to go to match the complete package that Mac offers.
Windows PCs may be cheaper, but you get what you pay for in my opinion. That applies to computers, the outsourcing of aircraft component manufacturing, and many other things. (Threw that little bit about outsourcing in there so this response at least has some shred of relevance to this blog! haha...)
Take care.
on December 26, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply
Jon, have you considered trying the iPhone version? Just wondering how much of a downgrade that would be.
on December 26, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply
I meant to say X-Plane for the iPhone, not Microsoft Flight Simulator!
on December 27, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply
Well, who said it wasn't possible to run FSX on a Mac???
since it is possible to run Windows on an Almost All intel system, it is possible run the simulator, now, you tried with weak system, an iMac, designed to check email and for girls, try it on a Quad Core Mac Pro, and you are going to be very very surprised, now, by this time a native Mac OS version of the sim is to be released...
so, lets see, You have a softcore computer, with a Softcore simulator, and you are happy, imagine how i feel, when i run my Quad core mac with my X-plane 9, although i could run my FSx copy, but, actually dont feel like it!
That Jaw dropping effect happens to every "Switcher" on the face of the earth!
Good luck with your "Game" and with your "Toy"!
on December 27, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply
Jon,
I'm one of the graphic designers at PMDG and I'm glad you like our products! As a note of interest I design all of the artwork on my Mac Book Pro using Boot Camp, XP Pro and Photoshop CS2. My fondest desire was to use a virtualization program such as Parallels to design using Photoshop on the Mac and check my work in Flight Simulator, but alas, the virtualization programs aren't quite fast enough yet.
Pete "Mac Paint' Sterling
on December 28, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply
Hey Jon,
Spend the forty bucks and get a copy of X-plane. It's worth it. Microsoft Flightsim has better graphics at the moment, but X-plane is constantly being updated and is catching up in the graphics department. Very soon X-plane will have better graphics as it starts to take advantage of the multicore chipsets which is already built into the software.
on December 29, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply
Jon, I agree, X-plane is great. just got the CH yoke and rudder pedals, and it is a pleasure to use this system. X-plane works seamlessly on my iMac, very fast graphics, lots of detail, and it is pretty close to flying! Now if I can just figure out how to use my FADEC and VR systems!
on January 5, 2009 11:37 PM | Reply
Hello bro, i am a iMac user too from Malaysia and i am a fan of the microsoft Flight Simulator X... Can u tell me how much it cost u to install Windows XP in ur iMac?? I wanna do so to ba able to play the game.... I also need to upgrade my RAM as it is only 512 Mb.... Do you know how much upgrading the RAM will cost? Please reply,,,,
on January 7, 2009 3:49 AM | Reply
Hey guys... i have a iMac version 10.4.11... I am a die hard fan of th M . Flight Simulator X and i have to install windows in my pc to be able to play the game... Can anyone tell me what version of the boot camp that i will have to download for my version of the mac....
on January 7, 2009 3:50 AM | Reply
Hey guys... i have a iMac version 10.4.11... I am a die hard fan of th M . Flight Simulator X and i have to install windows in my pc to be able to play the game... Can anyone tell me what version of the boot camp that i will have to download for my version of the mac....
on January 7, 2009 11:08 AM | Reply
Whatever the latest version of bootcamp is will work. It comes with Mac OS 10.5 and I don't believe it works with 10.4. Someone correct me on this if I'm wrong, but you may need the latest version to get Boot Camp up and running. I can't recall the price for Win XP, as it was a birthday gift, but check amazon or another software store. You're going to need the full version not the Win98 upgrade.
Best,
Jon
on January 14, 2009 3:56 PM | Reply
I just loaded X-Plane 9 on my Mac Pro. First flight sim I've had for 8 years. The performance without weather is over 100 fps. My old PC with Microsoft FS was lucky to hit 20 fps. Only negative is you need rudder peddles to really control the rudder. There are no keyboard controls for the rudder except for trim. Ground steering, taking off and landing is almost impossible for me without rudder control. Especially taking off with a single-engine prop aircraft. You cannot keep it on the runway. I don't know why they took rudder keyboard control away in Version 9.
So now I plan to try Microsoft Flight Sim X on my Mac thanks to the positive comments above. It will be interesting comparing the two simulators on one machine. But I'll have to get rudder peddles before I can fly X-Plane 9. For those with Microsoft Flight Sim X, is there keyboard rudder control available?
on April 1, 2009 7:53 AM | Reply
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Joannah
http://transcendmemory.net
on June 25, 2009 8:46 PM | Reply
I just bought this 24" top of the line iMac, installed Paralells (software that allows you to run Mac and Windows simultaneously without the need to reboot each time) with Microsoft XP and then loaded up my Microsoft Flight simulator (Gold Edition Delux with Accelerator). Big disappointment. First, it takes FOREVER to load up the FS and get it running, and second the screen is ONLY about 1/5 of the whole 24" screen
What am I doing wrong? HELP, please :)
on July 6, 2009 10:35 PM | Reply
Hey Hamid, what you need is to use bootcamp to install windows on your Mac.
Parallels is a emulator running within mac os, while Bootcamp creates actual partition on your hard drive and runs as a standalone.
about:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/compatibility.html
install guide etc:
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
all you really need is a windows installer disk.
on July 15, 2009 9:46 PM | Reply
I just came across your blog and I am in a similar dilema. I was going to replace my desktop computer with a homebuilt; since my desktop is older than my laptop. But alas, my laptop stopped working yesterday and I may have to purchase a new one. I'm an iPhone user and an engineer and I have been extremely impressed with the quality and attention to detail that went into the iPhone. I've seriously been considering a MacBook pro, but I'm an avid fan of aviation and Microsoft Flight Simulator (vatsim, Delta VA, the whole bit). I don't like xplane simply because I would have to give up flying my PMDG 737. As far as I know, none of the planes in xplane have a fully functional FMC. Anyways, I had been giving some thought to running FS through boot camp, but wasn't sure if it would work. Thank you for posting your experience with it. Based on your info and other info I've seen on the web, I think I've made my decision to purchase a mac.
on September 4, 2009 3:41 AM | Reply
Imteresting read thank you.
http://simmiles.com
on October 5, 2009 10:22 AM | Reply
in fsx , you dont really need autogen scenry on high altitudes . if you have a good graphics card then try this (it works perfectly on nvdia ge-force 8600GT , core 2duo ,2gig ram)
1.install sp2
2.launch fsx
3.in the custom scenry panel ,turn every thing to full except the auto gen scenry and genric scenry (turn to min)
4.turn avation traffic to 15% ,same goes for road traffic.
5.turn rest everything to full (including anti-alais).
6.the game will smooth (45-50fps),and flying ,you acnt really make out the difference between a real flyin experience.
on October 26, 2009 10:50 AM | Reply
I wonder why Microsoft stop develop this series. They are really nice.
on November 2, 2009 6:56 PM | Reply
Fantastic blog!! I use fsx on vista. Been eyeing mac for 2 years!. hmm boot camp eh?(I'm canadian)