Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
Flight Simulator Just Keeps Getting Better And Better
Flight Simulator 2000
For enthusiast of flight simulators, their was a lot of anticipation for the newest version of the Flight Simulator,
version 2002, which was planned to be released on September 11, 2001.
Well, I don't need to remind people about the event that occurred that
day. However, because of the 9/11 attacks, the release of the game was
postponed. Work was done to remove the Twin Towers in the game, as they
wasn't their anymore. The Flight Simulator 2002
was released on October 19th.
This game was better received than it predecessor, FS2000 for several reasons. Their were graphical enhancements in the newest version of this game. Not only that, their was time taken to fix performance issues and optimize the game engine. As a result, this latest incarnation of the game ran better as well, assuming one met the system requirements to run the game. Like FS2000, FS2002 was still a demanding game, at least by flight simulator standards. This though should not come as a surprise because Microsoft has always used this series of games to push the graphical capabilities of PC's from the original IBM PC to the modern gaming PC's with powerful GPU accelerators.
The game also introduced ATC (Air-Traffic Control) and AI-controlled aircraft as well. One would be treated to really awesome visuals from the enhanced graphics. The building textures were more enhanced. The support for anti-aliasing made the game looks smoother, along with more enhanced weather and environmental effects, like clouds, lightning and haze. This game was very pretty to look at, and it was fun seeing how enhanced the city skylines were, especially around New York City and Dallas.
Like its predecessors, FS2002 can be modded as well. Several modders have created their own aircraft for this game as a result. One can add a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter if they want. One would be very tempted to re-create the Death Star trench run using the Chicago Skyline! Also, several of the planes, like the Boeing aircraft, can have their own airline skins, or liveries, as well. This can show various airlines, like Southwest or American Airlines. One can even recreate Chuck Yeager's flight that broke the sound barrier back in 1947. One can fly around Roswell in a UFO if they want!
This game was better received than it predecessor, FS2000 for several reasons. Their were graphical enhancements in the newest version of this game. Not only that, their was time taken to fix performance issues and optimize the game engine. As a result, this latest incarnation of the game ran better as well, assuming one met the system requirements to run the game. Like FS2000, FS2002 was still a demanding game, at least by flight simulator standards. This though should not come as a surprise because Microsoft has always used this series of games to push the graphical capabilities of PC's from the original IBM PC to the modern gaming PC's with powerful GPU accelerators.
The game also introduced ATC (Air-Traffic Control) and AI-controlled aircraft as well. One would be treated to really awesome visuals from the enhanced graphics. The building textures were more enhanced. The support for anti-aliasing made the game looks smoother, along with more enhanced weather and environmental effects, like clouds, lightning and haze. This game was very pretty to look at, and it was fun seeing how enhanced the city skylines were, especially around New York City and Dallas.
Like its predecessors, FS2002 can be modded as well. Several modders have created their own aircraft for this game as a result. One can add a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter if they want. One would be very tempted to re-create the Death Star trench run using the Chicago Skyline! Also, several of the planes, like the Boeing aircraft, can have their own airline skins, or liveries, as well. This can show various airlines, like Southwest or American Airlines. One can even recreate Chuck Yeager's flight that broke the sound barrier back in 1947. One can fly around Roswell in a UFO if they want!
Getting Screenshots Without Crashing Into Buildings
Getting screenshots
can be tricky, especially when their is a strong possibility that one
can accidentally collide into a building. As a result, I usually record
video and then use VirtualDub to edit the video and extract the
individual screenshots frame by frame. Because the video is recording at
a very high quality, the screenshots extracted are on par to individual
screen-caps captured via the [Prt Scr] button. Also, with video
recording, I can concentrate on this game and fly normally without
worrying about pressing the screenshot key for that awesome pict.
Just to let you know, in the recording sessions that I've done for these games, this bird has never crashed a plane into a building (Pigeons do make good pilots!). However, their have been many close calls, and getting these screenshots have been difficult. I didn't want to cheat by using the slew control. First, one has to get close enough to the skyline to get the really awesome shots. Within FS2002, their are many keyboard shortcuts that can be pressed to change the camera view and angle. The Flight Simulator series of games have always been very keyboard-centric. It takes a lot of practice in both controlling the plane and the camera in order to get that perfect pict. This can be done though with a lot of practice. The online manuals about this game will cover those keyboard shortcuts used. Reference guides make for a really good resource for those who want to get the most out of FS2002.
Just to let you know, in the recording sessions that I've done for these games, this bird has never crashed a plane into a building (Pigeons do make good pilots!). However, their have been many close calls, and getting these screenshots have been difficult. I didn't want to cheat by using the slew control. First, one has to get close enough to the skyline to get the really awesome shots. Within FS2002, their are many keyboard shortcuts that can be pressed to change the camera view and angle. The Flight Simulator series of games have always been very keyboard-centric. It takes a lot of practice in both controlling the plane and the camera in order to get that perfect pict. This can be done though with a lot of practice. The online manuals about this game will cover those keyboard shortcuts used. Reference guides make for a really good resource for those who want to get the most out of FS2002.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
WWW.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
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