Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
Just wondering what folks think is/was the Golden Age?
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The Staff of SOH
"Golden Age" Of Flight Simuation
- Thread starter Panther_99FS
- Start date
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
Yes, that was a "vibrant" era....
I ***think*** numbers/quantity wise, CFS2/FS2002 had the most......but I'm probably off somewhere with this guess....
I voted FS2004. I had a lot of the earlier sims, but never got "hooked" on any of them until FS2004. Had a lot of fun with that sim, mostly right here on this site and the multiplayer forums. FSX is prettier, but it seems like flight simming got way too "serious" when FSX came out, lol.
rhumbaflappy
Charter Member
CFS2 and FS2002 were game changers for developers. These forced Microsoft to deliver a decent SDK, and started the large increase in flight sim interest. FS2002, I redesigned my neighborhood and it looked recognizable from the air. I true WOW moment.
Golden Moment
I spent a LOT of hours in FS98 (Win 3.1, Celeron). Never got used to model textures, square clouds, or purple sky. But when FS2002 came THAT was my 'AHA!' moment. I (like others) got FS2004 (and moved up to Win XP and Pentium). Then I got FSX. Then FSX Acceleration (Win 7 Pro 64 bit and i7 3.5 Ghz). But FS2002 stands out as THE 'Golden' moment, or era (start of). Yea, FSX got too serious. That is why I still have, and use, FS2004.
Chuck B
Napamule
I spent a LOT of hours in FS98 (Win 3.1, Celeron). Never got used to model textures, square clouds, or purple sky. But when FS2002 came THAT was my 'AHA!' moment. I (like others) got FS2004 (and moved up to Win XP and Pentium). Then I got FSX. Then FSX Acceleration (Win 7 Pro 64 bit and i7 3.5 Ghz). But FS2002 stands out as THE 'Golden' moment, or era (start of). Yea, FSX got too serious. That is why I still have, and use, FS2004.
Chuck B
Napamule
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
You might be on to something here looking at the current poll results...
In our quest for realism, did "we" go overboard and thus created a hyper realistic product that however lacked the warmth, friendliness, and simplicity?
Josh Patterson
SOH-CM-2023
I think it has both. It is called flight simulator and I do enjoy proper manual starts and addons where nothing is done for you. (A2A, SSW or Milviz stuff.) I do at times, however, like to just hop in something and hit ctrl-E and go! (Aerosoft's Mitchell Wing at EAA's ultralight strip in the evening is relaxing.) I have quite a few addons both freeware and payware (I will never add THAT purchase total up again!) and FSX has pretty much everything from one end of the spectrum to the other in terms of both planes and realism. I wouldn't say FSX itself got serious, but there are some very serious addons for it!
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
HyFlyer
Members +
Yes, and also, absolutely.
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
Some interesting responses thus far - I definitely thought there would have been for Prepare3D...
henrystreet
Charter Member
It might be the wording "Golden Age" that implies some past era. Personally, I do think we are currently living in the best time for the hobby but not sure I would call it a "Golden Age".
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
46 responses out of 514 views (ATM). Even most municipal elections get better participation
. I suppose polls could be a nefarious surveillance technique, though... 
. I expect there are also a lot of people who have only used one version (perhaps two) and don't feel able to compare. Equally there are some who think the Golden Age has not yet arrived - personally I'm waiting for the 128-bit version with .5mm terrain resolution and 8192x textures, running on the mini-CRAY smartphone with VR-ready contact lenses
Looking at the descriptions of "The Golden Age" of other realms, there seems to be a consensus that the marker is: the best technology for its time, coupled with a sense of romance and adventure, mellowed by a degree of 'innocence and simplicity' that captured the imagination.
I chose FS9/2004.The earlier versions were primitive and 'quaint' but unrealistic. Visually the CFS versions were a step up but lived in a limited world with emphasis on the combat style. With FS9 we finally saw realistic scenery, reasonably accurate flight models and for $50, a few bits of hardware and an internet connection we had the ability to experience the history of aviation in pretty good detail. We started to see higher-realism as payware developed (scenery as well as aircraft) but still had a huge catalogue of aircraft and add-ons available for free and had a reliable 'shared experience of online flying.
Since then we've added even more detail and realism but at the cost of bigger budgets, a much steeper learning curve and greater demands on the old brain to ingest all the complexities. Along with those we have seen a fracturing of the community into many special interests and that lost camaraderie has 'dulled the shine' for many.
On the other hand, having the ability to sit home (or by pool-side in a tropical resort) and enjoy the miracle of flight at any level is pretty Golden.
Lonewolfee1
Charter Member
Voted FS2004
I started in CFS2. It was extremely popular and a blast in multiplayer. Microsoft could have done so much to build and expand on it but sadly they didn't and it died. CFS3 never appealed to me after that and although I bought FS2002, I never installed it. Then FS9 came along and hooked me. I was very late getting to FSX and although it is good - it lacks the nuance of FS9. I miss things like BFU over at Avsim, Heather Sherman and her gorgeous repaints, a really cool Turbo Otter, Samdim's awesome TU-114 (I know, I still fly it in FSX, but VC is not good) , lots of little sceneries like Hank's Place, Antelope Trail Ranch etc. Some things made the leap - but alot didn't. Don't get me wrong - we've got some cool stuff with FSX and P3D now, but things get more complicated, and with the struggle to keep up, there is a yearning for the good ole days and a much simpler time. I think big developers have killed alot of creativity.
I started in CFS2. It was extremely popular and a blast in multiplayer. Microsoft could have done so much to build and expand on it but sadly they didn't and it died. CFS3 never appealed to me after that and although I bought FS2002, I never installed it. Then FS9 came along and hooked me. I was very late getting to FSX and although it is good - it lacks the nuance of FS9. I miss things like BFU over at Avsim, Heather Sherman and her gorgeous repaints, a really cool Turbo Otter, Samdim's awesome TU-114 (I know, I still fly it in FSX, but VC is not good) , lots of little sceneries like Hank's Place, Antelope Trail Ranch etc. Some things made the leap - but alot didn't. Don't get me wrong - we've got some cool stuff with FSX and P3D now, but things get more complicated, and with the struggle to keep up, there is a yearning for the good ole days and a much simpler time. I think big developers have killed alot of creativity.
Odie
Charter Member
A bit of an aside. I've been a comic book collector most of life, and although they have established time periods for the Golden, Silver, Bronze age of comics, I've heard it expressed that the "golden" age is the age at which one is introduced to the hobby. It is new, there is a past to discover, and a future that is being built. It is generally the one all others are compared to as a starting benchmark.
For me in flight sims, it would be FS2004. It was my introduction to the Microsoft flight sim world and there was so much to learn, so many new things being turned out by talented and resourceful developers, and the wonderment of the sim itself.
For me in flight sims, it would be FS2004. It was my introduction to the Microsoft flight sim world and there was so much to learn, so many new things being turned out by talented and resourceful developers, and the wonderment of the sim itself.
I fully agree. But before CFS2 I was really addicted to European Air War. The first simulator (was it actually a simulator?) which you could keep modding and was really a great thing to fly.
Cheers,
Huub
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
Huub!!!!
Man.....Like you, I was TOTALLY addicted to "European Air War"....Lots of fond memories playing that game online....
Panther_99FS
Retired SOH Administrator
Oh and BTW....My vote was for "Golden Wings 3/FS2004"...