Microsoft Flight Simulator is probably the most known PC flight simulator. I suspect almost every PC user tried it at least once. However I highly doubt many of them experienced it with a motion system. I will review the latest version of this simulator, Flight Simulator X, using a D-BOX SRP-120 Motion Platform (see my previous review for details).
The installation process of Flight Simulator X is done via a standard Windows Installer. The same can be said about the D-BOX motion add-on. Many options are available through the D-BOX motion settings to adjust and enable the motion features that you want. You can even chose the way the motion is rendered (gravity and G-Force, gravity and pitch or body accelerations). Unlike the previous D-BOX games I tried, you have an option in the configuration settings to enable or disable the use of the add-on. I simply enabled motion in this panel to experience motion automatically every time Flight Simulator X was started.
Flight Simulator X has many options that you can configure to your preferences. The display section allows the user to configure the settings related to the graphics. A powerful computer is required to achieve the highest quality with a decent framerate even though this is an old game. Another section is used to configure the audio settings. Every control available in the game can be customized by assigning it to a specific keyboard/mouse/joystick input. Finally a section is dedicated to the realism options. This allows the user to adjust the difficulty level.
The installation process of Flight Simulator X is done via a standard Windows Installer. The same can be said about the D-BOX motion add-on. Many options are available through the D-BOX motion settings to adjust and enable the motion features that you want. You can even chose the way the motion is rendered (gravity and G-Force, gravity and pitch or body accelerations). Unlike the previous D-BOX games I tried, you have an option in the configuration settings to enable or disable the use of the add-on. I simply enabled motion in this panel to experience motion automatically every time Flight Simulator X was started.
Flight Simulator X has many options that you can configure to your preferences. The display section allows the user to configure the settings related to the graphics. A powerful computer is required to achieve the highest quality with a decent framerate even though this is an old game. Another section is used to configure the audio settings. Every control available in the game can be customized by assigning it to a specific keyboard/mouse/joystick input. Finally a section is dedicated to the realism options. This allows the user to adjust the difficulty level.
There are 2 types of activities in the game: free flights and missions. Missions involve performing a specific task and allow you to learn the basics (and more) of piloting. The missions are ordered by difficulty. On the other hand free flight mode doesn't have any goal, as you would expect. It lets the user chose his airplane/helicopter, location, time of the day and weather conditions. Flight Simulator X (Deluxe) includes:
- 24 airplanes/helicopters
- 45 high-detail airports
- 38 high-detail cities from all over the world
- 50+ structured missions
I am not an expert at flying (as you can easily see in my videos) but you don't need to be a real pilot to enjoy this game even if it is a simulator. You can play seriously and might even learn some key information about flying. On the other hand you can adjust the realism level to your likings and do some air stunts!
I won't lie to you, I cannot really talk about the realism of the motion rendered by the D-BOX system. It seemed good to me but I can't compare it to the real thing since I have no idea of what flying should feel like. I can get an idea of what it might be to be in a real race car even if I don't drive one but it is not as easy for a plane. What I can say about the motion though is that it adds a lot of fun to the whole experience. When you are about to take off, you can feel the texture of ground surface based on your speed and the ground type through the vibrations generated. Similar to driving games, you can also feel the vibrations of the engine. The motion you experience while flying is unlike anything you could experience in a driving game. You know if you go left or right, up or down, simply by feeling the motion effects. I noticed in the configuration settings of the motion panel that many effects can be enabled or disabled. I can conclude that many realistic effects are implemented. I experienced the stall effect and it added a nice touch of realism (I guess). My favorite effect is when you are about to take off and you feel the bumps on the ground. As soon as you take off everything is smooth and for a moment you almost feel like you are flying. My only disappointment is the rendering of the helicopter vibrations. It seemed too smooth to me but I might be wrong as I have never been in one.
To conclude, I made some videos to give a rough idea of what it might feel like. Unfortunately you can only see the motion and will miss the vibrations. Please notice that when it comes down to flight simulations, I am more of a stunt man than a real pilot :).
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