I’ve been reading your thread about 2002 and would like to get into playing, but I’ve read that a lot of the games have bugs that need patching, and that worries me a little, since I’m not that computer-literate.
Can y’all give me a mini-tutorial, or point me to a site that can do this? Also, do you recommend I start right in with the latest version or get a previous one, since I have had no experience with it?
Thanks
Q
I haven’t had a chance to try the 2002 version but FS2K is pretty good and you can get it at bargain prices. I’ve found nothing that needed to be patched in it. Get a good quality digital joystick rather than analog. I’ve got the MS precision pro and I’m quit pleased with it. The digital sticks never need to be calibrated and track quite well. This stick has a twist axis for rudder so you can fly with full flight controls without buying foot pedals. That won’t be an issue until you get a lot of flying practice but having rudder independant of ailerons is more realistic.
…after reading a review I am wondering if my hardware is compatible with an enjoyable sim game. Here’s what I have;
W98 SE
Pentium II Celeron 400
Authentic AMD
AMD-K6 3-D Processor
124 MB of RAM of which 57% is currently free
File System 32-bit
Virtual memory 32-bit
Thanks for your help and advice
Q
I’m not sure if you’re talking about two computers there or three. I doubt if you should have any problems unless you have an odd video board with known conficts.
I simply went to System Properties and gave you the info under GENERAL and PERFORMANCE.
Thanks
Q
OIC. I don’t have an AMD system so I didn’t know it would show more than one processor type. The Celeron bit is likely what Windows thinks it has and the AMD information is maybe a copyright boilerplate burned into the CPU. Hardware mavens?
That said I’m sure you’re good to go. Get a copy of flight sim and start flying.
You’ll be able to play FS2K2 (oddly enough, better than FS2K) but your 'puter is in need of upgrade, friend.
Try it though and play with the detail options. You may find a happy medium. The ATC and other air traffic alone makes it worth while!
What do you suggest?
Thanks
Q
124 MB of RAM suggests you have some sort of integrated video chipset, using shared system memory (128 MB installed RAM - 4MB for video = 124 MB left for the system) … these tend to be very slow for 3D rendering, so you’ll want to get a new video card.
I’d suggest a card based on the GeForce 2 MX; these are available in AGP and PCI (in case you don’t have an AGP slot) variants and will cost between $40 and $80.
If you have any open memory slots, RAM is extremely cheap these days; you can pick up a 128MB stick of PC133 SDRAM for around $15.
Flight sims are one of the most taxing programs you can get for a computer. A K6-3 is a respectible chip, but she isn’t going to cut the mustard anymore unless you run the programs at their minimum settings.
Here’s what I would do:
Ditch the motherboard, CPU and RAM (unless its PC100 RAM you have).
Buy a Socket A (Athlon) mobo. That’ll be about $100 or so. Either 200 or 266 FSB. There really isn’t much of a difference. Buy a 1.2 or 1.3 Ghz Athlon CPU. That’ll run you about $100. Buy 256MB RAM. Another $30-$40. A GF2MX as suggested for $50-$60ish and you are set (unless you need another case/better power supply). You would then have an absolute kick-ass system for about $300 or so.
Thats what I would suggest 
I’ve been thinking about this again. For the price of a full-blown GeForce 2 (as opposed to the crippled MX) you might as well go for one of those.
The MX is a good budget card, but there isn’t a huge price difference anymore.
Eric
Yikes! Really?! I mean, shouldn’t I just get a whole new 'puter if I have to get rid of all that stuff?
Q
It’s really a matter of how much you want to spend, versus how smoothly you want FS to run.
For less than $80, you can add a new video card and some RAM, and end up with an adequate, if not good, flight simming system. My friend added a GeForce 2 MX to his K6-II/450 and ended up getting around 20-30 frames per second out of FS2K at medium resolutions (I think, 1024x768, but I could be mistaken).
For an extra $250 or so, you can follow bernse’s suggestion and build a real powerhouse. Yes, it is quite a bit more expensive and more involved… essentially, it is building a new bare-bones system, but keeping your old sound card, monitor, drives, and so forth. You’ll probably have to reinstall Windows. But FS2K and just about any other games on the market now will be extremely smooth… I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw 50+ frames per second at 1280x1024.
If you decide to build a new system, or if you have an AGP slot on your K6 motherboard, Newegg.com has one of the best deals I’ve ever seen on a GeForce 2 GTS. It is much more powerful than the MX I had recommended, and at $65, costs about the same. Unfortunately, many K6 motherboards with integrated video don’t have AGP slots, and you might have to resort for a PCI MX… the hihger-end GeForces are only available as AGP.