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Flight Simulator 2002 |
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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 is the most visually-stunning upgrade of the world's most popular Flight Simulator series since Flight Simulator 98. In addition to an enhanced scenery engine that produces jaw-dropping visuals and a host of new visual special effects, interactive Air Traffic Control (ATC) routines, and several new aircraft are preflighted and ready on the flightline for desktop pilots.
"Unlike some other version upgrades in this genre, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 is more than just a cursory scenery upgrade" Once again, Microsoft has released this latest version of FlightSim in two flavors: Standard and Professional. The standard version comes with most of the aircraft that came with Flight Simulator 2000 (the Concorde remains hangared) and adds the Cessna 208 Caravan on Amphibious Floats, the Boeing 747-400, and the Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP. The Professional Edition ships with FS2K's Beech King Air 350 (turboprop) and the Mooney Bravo, and adds the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan (not on floats) and the Raytheon BE58 Baron (piston twin) to the flightline. The Pro version also includes a multiplayer 'instructor station', as well as flight dynamic and scenery tools for more serious enthusiasts and add-on developers. FS2K2's aircraft are more graphically detailed than what was found in Flight Simulator 2000. Even the returning aircraft feature more animated parts than their predecessors. Control surface movement such as ailerons, flaps and rudder can now been seen from the cockpit, and FS2K2 now also allows the user to change paint schemes to predetermined combinations that can be viewed by other players in multiplayer flight.
"Control surface movement such as ailerons, flaps and rudder can now been seen from the cockpit" Other visual additions include things like smoke from tires at touchdown and contrails when flying at high altitude. While many flight sim fans may think these additions are really cool, from a pilot's cockpit perspective you'd hardly ever see your tires or wingtips during flight, so they are of questionable value - unless you fly or observe from an outside view at least some of the time. Nevertheless, this type of attention to detail is representative of some of the changes throughout the program. Returning are the familiar Free Flight, Tutorials, and Flight/Adventure modes (renamed, respectively: Create A Flight, Learn To Fly, and Select A Flight). While these basic modes remain the same and Flight Sim's more familiar interface still lies beneath, virtual pilots now access them through new interface front-end screens. For example, the new front-end screen for Create A Flight now features a 'there I was' format (which should be familiar to those who fly air combat sims), where the user is able to select the aircraft and conditions of the flight to be taken. The training tutorials featuring Flight Instructor and humorist Rod Machado are virtually identical to the ones found in FS2K, and the Flights and Adventures themselves contain a mix of older (classic?) flights and new flights that feature FS2K2's new aircraft scenarios. Although returning FS pilots may have flown these old flights many times over, flying them again with the new enhanced scenery created by Autogen in FS2K2 almost makes them seem like fresh experiences.
"One of the strongest criticisms of FS2K was its poor performance, even on the fastest computers of its day" FS2K2's flight planner is the same one that's found in the last version, and the GPS is also unimproved, retaining the same quirks and limitations as its predecessor. Real Weather - the ability to import real weather conditions into the sim - also returns. And aside from the Instructor's Station that comes with the Pro version of FS2K2, multiplayer mode remains virtually unchanged (although a few features such as DME and ADF lock no longer work). We haven't received definitive word on whether a patch is in the works (the Software Developer's Kit is what's being developed as of this writing), but in the long line of Flight Simulator versions this one has the fewest initial bugs in recent memory. The other big criticism of FS2K was its lack of interactive Air Traffic Control. This produced a rather sterile feel to the FlightSim virtual world. To help reduce that 'empty world' feeling, FS2K2 introduces interactive Air Traffic Control and improved dynamic traffic (drone aircraft) that actually fly places now. ATC commands include ground, tower, and ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center) operations. While no computer generated ATC is perfect - and no live ATC is perfect for that matter - FS2K2's ATC features aren't as accurate as what's been available in the past in competing products. Granted, FS2K2 covers the whole world while some of these other products only recreate a small section. But there are some blaring discrepancies in FS2K2's modeled ATC procedures. Some examples include ATC prompting you to send departure information to ground control (handled by clearance delivery in the real world or when contacting the tower), having you contact ARTCC's that aren't used in the real world, and vectoring you into obstacles like mountains.
"FS2K2 is the perfect candidate to revive the age-old argument on what constitutes realism" At this point you may have concluded that FS2K2 has more improvements to 'eye candy' than substantive components of the simulation, but that may not be entirely fair or accurate. FS2K2 is the perfect candidate to revive the age-old argument on what constitutes realism. The two sides of the debate argue that realism is based on flight models, flight dynamics and/or enhanced scenery. While better scenery may enhance the flight experience, some argue that scenery is not the most important feature relevant to flight simulations since this is a 'flight' simulator, not a 'scenery' simulator. Who is right? The answer depends on your point of view and what you want to get out of a product in this genre. For most virtual pilots, the answer is a resounding recommendation to buy Flight Simulator 2002.
Developed and Published by: Microsoft
Minimum System Requirements:
Minimum Requirements for Multiplayer:
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