Suggestion to Microsoft

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Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 93

What with all the new FS versions that MS comes up with (not to mention the numerous add-ons by independent developers), MS should seriously consider going back into HARDWARE and manufacture a X-Box version of FS - complete with hardware + software.

The kind of peripheral add-ons that most FS pilots require are higher and higher speeds on CPUS, higher frame rates, higher this and higher that. The better the FS gets, the more you HAVE to spend on upgrades.

I repeat... MS may have lost money in the past on hardware but they better come up with a novell idea to take the grey hair off our heads... give us a damn BOX that we can buy off the shelf and that's good to play for the next goddamn so many years without being bothered for constant upgrades.

Cheers
Dandpatta

Original post

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,381

give us a damn BOX that we can buy off the shelf and that's good to play for the next goddamn so many years without being bothered for constant upgrades.

good idea, but sadly, that won't happen. that won't happen becuase that is how the entire computer games and hardware industry makes it's money - by bringing out new games and hardware that will please customers and make them buy the products - making more and more money for the developers.

Gamers always want more realism that what is available at the time, and the developers respond simply because they want to make money and be at the top of people's present lists, and they want customers to buy their products. More realism requires more powerful machines, and as developers find ways of adding to a games realism through use of improved graphics etc, you will need more powerful machines.

if a hardware company released a box that was designed to play the games of the next five years, they would need their heads tested. after just a few months of its release, games will have been bought out that require much more powerful hardware - hardware that this box wouldn't provide or match.

the games and hardware industry is developing so fast. if microsoft/sony etc said to games developers that we have a gaming box that must be able to play the next computer games for the next 5 or more years the developers would laugh and walk away sharpish. such a box would limit developers possibilities in future game design and would work towards slowing and stagnating the industry - something that no one who makes money from computer games and hardware wants.

EDIT - surely an x-box flight sim FS200X would limit freeware/payware and personal development of the game - something that right now, i should think is one of the major selling points of the game - the ability for gamers to modify the game themselves, and buy literally hundreds of add-ons - with an x-box, i don't think that this platform would allow such a thing becuase you need software and hardware other than the game and what x-box provides, to do this.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,064

good idea, but sadly, that won't happen. that won't happen becuase that is how the entire computer games and hardware industry makes it's money - by bringing out new games and hardware that will please customers and make them buy the products - making more and more money for the developers.

Gamers always want more realism that what is available at the time, and the developers respond simply because they want to make money and be at the top of people's present lists, and they want customers to buy their products. More realism requires more powerful machines, and as developers find ways of adding to a games realism through use of improved graphics etc, you will need more powerful machines.

if a hardware company released a box that was designed to play the games of the next five years, they would need their heads tested. after just a few months of its release, games will have been bought out that require much more powerful hardware - hardware that this box wouldn't provide or match.

the games and hardware industry is developing so fast. if microsoft/sony etc said to games developers that we have a gaming box that must be able to play the next computer games for the next 5 or more years the developers would laugh and walk away sharpish. such a box would limit developers possibilities in future game design and would work towards slowing and stagnating the industry - something that no one who makes money from computer games and hardware wants.

EDIT - surely an x-box flight sim FS200X would limit freeware/payware and personal development of the game - something that right now, i should think is one of the major selling points of the game - the ability for gamers to modify the game themselves, and buy literally hundreds of add-ons - with an x-box, i don't think that this platform would allow such a thing becuase you need software and hardware other than the game and what x-box provides, to do this.

I totally agree, but surely MS could manufacture FS06 to run on a crappy windows ME system - such as the one I got.

Member for

18 years 9 months

Posts: 1,614

I totally agree, but surely MS could manufacture FS06 to run on a crappy windows ME system - such as the one I got.

Ahh - but that wouldn't encourage you to buy Vista now would it? :D:D

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,381

I totally agree, but surely MS could manufacture FS06 to run on a crappy windows ME system - such as the one I got.

yes, they must surely do that. they will do that in order to attract the largest possible audiences, therefore making more money. they can't and won't aim one of the best selling computer games in history at purely those with the latest hardware.

Member for

18 years 9 months

Posts: 1,614

yes, they must surely do that. they will do that in order to attract the largest possible audiences, therefore making more money. they can't and won't aim one of the best selling computer games in history at purely those with the latest hardware.

IN theory the OS itself isn't the crucial part - most MS games will be backwards compatible - it's more about having the hardware to run FS with decent realism - you may be able to run FS06 on Windows ME but if you've only got for example 128mb ram and a crappy video card you may think what's the point :rolleyes:

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 93

I know.. it's just a wishful thinking that we could get MS-FS in a boxed version.

So now moving to the next Q - and I know I will get hit on the head if this has been asked countless many times (considering that I am a relative newcomer to the SIMflight world).. if I am to put down my money, what OPTIMAL system operating on ME (i cant wait and afford Win.Vista) should I go for in the following aspects :-

1) CPU
2) Memory
3) Vid.card
4) What's the best 'sound' site to d/load sound files?
5) Ditto - best a/port or terrain scenery site to d/load?
6) Should I go for Saitek-52 or other brands for controls?
7) Other suggestions are welcome.

Additionally you may email me at [email]dandpatta@yahoo.com[/email]

Thanks a ton guys/gals.

Cheers
Dandpatta

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,213

btw its the Flightsim World not simflight world!

M$ have said at various shows FS will not be produced on Xbox as this would mean developers could not easily provide "add ons" and this would mean very few would buy it compared to it being the worlds best selling game on PC...

Firsty dont even touch ME - why would you? XP is the only current platform decent enough to run FS2004 let alone FS2006!

1) Needs to be as close to 3 as possible or honestly wont work well
2) Windows needs 256 to run itself so 512mb is an absolute minimum. Most people go with 1Gb nowadays
3) Too many to list - needs really to be 256Mb
4) www.avsim.com
5) same
6) X52 is very good piece of kit but no point if your pc spec will be so pathetic your FS will stutter etc
7) too many to list.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,381

[QUOTE=andrewm]3) Too many to list - needs really to be 256Mb

not neccessarily. the memory on a graphics card (i.e. the 256Mb) is very fast, and therefore very expensive to manufacturer, and this cost is put onto the consumer, so cards with 256 Mb of memory will be very expensive, when compared to a 128Mb card.

crucially, 256Mb is not always the best thing to go for, becuase in some cases a card with 128Mb memory could be faster than one with 256Mb, becuase the processor (and the memory speed, the clock speed, and data bandwidth) on the graphics card might be better. so, be careful. don't always be attracted to the graphics card that has the bigger numbers in the specifications.

i was about to make the mistake of buying the GeForce FX 5700 - i was interested in it because it had this 256Mb of memory. i was told by a friend to get the 6600GT which had just 128Mb of memory, but was a lot faster than the 5700.

the moral is to always buy carefully and research well.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,381

also, regarding the computer CPU, go for an AMD processor. AMD processors are a lot more suited to gaming than Intel processors are - just their design. you will always see Intel processors in the office place - Intel processors are suited to 'office type' work, and image manipulation etc. you won't usually see an AMD in the office place.

a 2 Ghz AMD processor is as powerful as an Intel Pentium 4 2.8-3.0 Ghz processor.

Member for

18 years 9 months

Posts: 1,614

also, regarding the computer CPU, go for an AMD processor. AMD processors are a lot more suited to gaming than Intel processors are - just their design. you will always see Intel processors in the office place - Intel processors are suited to 'office type' work, and image manipulation etc. you won't usually see an AMD in the office place.

a 2 Ghz AMD processor is as powerful as an Intel Pentium 4 2.8-3.0 Ghz processor.

You're absolutely right there!

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,964

I totally agree, but surely MS could manufacture FS06 to run on a crappy windows ME system - such as the one I got.

Why on earth would they want to do that? A version of FS already exists that runs on hardware available during the days of ME. You can buy it at a budget price now, too.