X-plane V5.99 Flight Sim Review by pilot.
Written: Dec 19 '04 (Updated Dec 21 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It has a lot of "airplanes" and airports. If you stall you will fall.
Cons: Bad graphics, unrealistic, difficult to use, sorry author, doesn't like their customers.
The Bottom Line: I wouldn't recommend this software or the author to anyone for any reason, unless you like being abused. If your standards are very low you might like X-plane.
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| DreamLink's Full Review: X Plane For Windows |
My wife bought it for me because I am a pilot and I enjoy flight simulations, but mostly the flight simulation games.
X-plane isn't a game, it's a flight sim program and a very bad one at that. A flight sim and a flight sim game are two completely different things. In a flight sim you just "fly" your computerized airplane from one airport to another. If you think that's incredibly boring you are right. In a flight sim game you get to blow things up, and others get to shoot you down. Never a dull moment in a real flight sim game.
I had X-plane on the shelf since it came out but finally took time to install it. I had nothing but problems with it. The graphics are bad. The flight model isn't realistic at all. The joystick on this one allows for two joysticks but only allows for 3 functions and they were programmed wrong. I've only got one joystick on this computer anyway, yet the default in the X-plane sim was for joystick 2? Joystick one wasn't even programmed. How many people who have computers with joysticks have two joysticks hooked up?
The airplanes do everything they can to turn upside down, and I did take screenshots of the F-22 that literally flipped over on the runway and took off down the side of the runway upside down, all without me ever touching the controls.
The graphics both inside and outside of the airplanes and the terrain are all very bad, without question among the very worst I've ever seen. Apparently there's an option or function that allows the user to change the graphics if they know how to create their own graphics or skins for the airplanes and the worlds.
Airplanes all fly by the principles of aerodynamics, but every type of airplane has a unique feeling and characteristics all of it's own. In X-plane each time you change aircraft it changes your view or control panel. It changes your speed settings, but all the airplanes have exactly the same problem. They have no feeling to them at all. They are just like driving a scenery viewer around over a barren world.
Tired and not thinking clearly, I decided I should get the latest patches for the simulation. I went to the X-plane website and in my fatigue I missed the small link to the older files. The FAQ's were no help so I sent a message to the author, Austin Meyer who promptly sent me a rude message to let me know I was a stupid idiot and there was nothing wrong with his software. Then instead of just telling me where the link was he took the time to take screen shots to send to me in another message, again letting me know I was a stupid idiot. Judging by the size of the patches (the entire sim) I would say he knew there were a lot of problems in the version I have. I would also say that he knew at that moment that his updates would not fix the problems I was having with his software. Apparently the compliments I had given him for all of his effort on the sim was not enough to quell his anger.
Finally I told him that was quite enough abuse from him, I would just uninstall the thing and forget about it. I didn't expect him to even respond to that message since it was apparent he was in some mental distress but moments later I got another message from him literally threatening me to keep my promise. With that, I promptly set my mailwasher to blacklist his entire domain. One of the last things I said in that last message to him was that someone should write a real review about his X-plane and about how he treats us customers. Then I realized his threat to me to keep my promise must have been telling me that I should write a review about his software and about how rude he is to his customers. So here I am. I paid $30 for X-plane 5.52. I think they are asking something like $39-$40 for X-plane 8 now. I wish I could get my money back. Don't make the same mistake I made with this software.
I've tested sim software and other software for many years but about 1997 I hung up my reviewer hat for pursuit of other things. Today I'm putting it back on to let others know about this software and about its author. If the software was any good I would not have had problems with it. If the link to the older update patches was clearly visible, even tired as I was when I was looking for it, I would have found it. Despite that a software vender or author should never insult their customers for any reason.
They say this X-plane is better than MS Flight sim, but I'm confident they paid that guy to say that so they could write it on the box. I have and have tested MS Flight sim 95 and 2000 and I can tell you X-plane is not better than MS. Being a pilot with a brother who is a flight instructor I can tell you that you will not find X-plane in his school, but you will find MS Flight Sims. I didn't like MS Flight sim well enough to leave it on my computer either, but it is better than X-plane.
Anyone who wants to read the full review and see the graphics can do so on the old Independent Software Consultants website at Http://www.dream-link.org/ISC Just go to the simulation games and then to flight sims.
I'm guessing that Austin is just having a bad Christmas, and I pray he gets over it soon. But as promised, I don't keep junk software in my computers so I'm uninstalling it and going to take it and the update patches to one of the local software stores that buy used software. I also wrote the review just as he apparently asked me to. Anyone who has any questions I still have his last messages to me, all but that last one where he was threatening me to keep my promise, the mailwasher got that one. Anyone who considers buying this software needs to also consider how Austin treats his customers.
Now that you know what it's like and if you still want the thing you should download the trial of the latest version and see what it is like for yourself. You can find the demos and Austin Meyer at X-plane.com.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
DreamLink
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Member: Bryon Smith
Location: Fort Smith, AR
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Author, director, screenwriter.
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