X-Plane is an awesome multi-platform simulator that flies realistically. We are joined by the founder and creator of X-Plane. Subscribe to AviatorCast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | RSS | More Add to that figuring how to log a flight plan, and actually get familiar with and airplane's myriad of controls and dials, as well as airport and FAA terminology, and you could be spending a great deal of time scratching your head as your plane, helicopter or shuttle buries itself in a cornfield in the middle of Nebraska.Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14:03 - 102.0MB) It's very difficult to keep the plane level, let alone actually fly from point A to point B. Though I'm not enthusiastic enough about flight simulations to drop the cash for the yoke setup this game supports, the joystick and mouse controls are woefully inadequate. The game is made for joystick/yoke and pedals controllers, but also boasts mouse control. Controlling the beast once it's actually airborne is another thing entirely. Dropping you rudely into the cockpit of a 747 right off the bat, getting that bad boy off the ground is no easy feat for a mildly enthusiastic novice like myself. 'Huge'?, in this case, means 'you'd better have a pilot's license in order to handle some of these planes'?. Also, the game has a HUGE learning curve. My P4 2GHz, 2GB of RAM box with the latest Radeon card struggled with frame rates over some urban areas, so be warned. With greater graphics comes greater hardware requirements, and to enjoy the game at its highest settings, you'd better have a screaming machine. Getting buffeted by high winds over LAX in your 'copter, the look of low orbit as you bring the Space Shuttle in for a landing, watching the control panel black out as you pull a several G dive in an SR-71 Blackbird, even the sight of flying a plane on Mars, all are well executed and add a level of flavor to the finished product.Īlas, all is not perfect in X-Plane 8's world(s). It's the little things, however, that make this title truly shine. Audio is good, with air traffic control, pilot chatter, and engine sounds reproduced faithfully, if not inspired.

Imagine flying over your hometown and actually being able to pick out your own house! It's possible with the Generation 8 graphics. X-Plane 8's new graphical interface, while in many ways a lot like its predecessors as far as skins and cockpit design is concerned, boasts a new, GIS-based landscape in 3 dimensions rather than the flat look of previous versions (though the old '7' graphics are available if your video card doesn't have the horsepower).

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