Anybody still use FS2002?

[flaminghotsauce]

I remember how GREAT it looked after using 2000. I had it on an older computer, but when I put a new hard drive and upgraded the OS, it wouldn't ever run again. I still have that hard drive around somewhere, but whatever.

On a whim, I was browsing around on Ebay and found one can buy a brand new copy for $15. So I grabbed on, free shipping. I'm getting this for some other computer than my Vista machine, it should run on my laptop quite well. If I recall, it didn't need a dedicated graphics card, and 64 megs of memory was required, along with something like a 233 CPU.

I'm thinking retro here! Plus, there's gobs of 2002 downloads out there like 2004 has. THat and a cheap twisty handle joystick and I'm good to go for light flying.

But I can't remember the bad stuff. I know the ATC was fairly similar, and something about the winds were weird. Anybody remember the bad stuff?

[flaminghotsauce]

I got the 2002 sim yesterday and installed it. I'm surprised that it looks SO much like 2004! The aircraft are slightly less detailed, I think. From the cockpit view, the 172 and 182 panels are identical.

I never did crank up the settings on the 2002 sim. So I did, and I can get it to crush the frames not unlike 2004. I guess there were some changes like the GPS, but it's nearly the same sim.

I'm going to put it on one of my other machines to see how well it'll run without the video card.

[camg]

I still use FS2002 as much as '04. The best thing I like is that you can set a solid IFR overcast and climbout through the clouds with a cloud deck at, say, 18,000 ft. Once you punch through the tops, all you see below is solid clouds.

In FS04 if you set up a 8/8 (overcast) cloud layer with tops at 18,000 ft., as soon as you climb to 18,100 the solid cloud deck below you disappears to "partly cloudy"--you can see all the way to the ground. It is frustrating that this was lost in '04 and it is a long way from "as good as it gets".

It is also difficult to pre-set the cloud layers and visbility and get it to save. It seems to frequently default to partly cloudy or other random weather.

[flaminghotsauce]

Good point. I've been frustrated in my attempts to fly hard IFR in 2004. I'll have to do that in 2002 again.

I downloaded about fifteen airplanes in one sitting and installed them all. I haven't been flying that sim enough to try all the new birds out.

[Tom Goodrick]

I am going to be doing this with the laptop i no longer have to share with my wife. unfortunately, a year or two ago, I discarded the folder with my FS2002 aircraft. So I'll be working up the aircraft files fresh.

I have been running Need For Speed, Porsche Unleashed on the laptop for a while and it runs fine.

I have to get a new controller so I may get a CH wheel with pedals using a USB port.

Any info on living with FS2002 on late-model computers (Vista) will be appreciated.

[flaminghotsauce]

Aha. I asked on the other thread whether you were going to attempt FS9 on the laptop. Disregard.

Vista should handle 2002 just fine. Just like FS9, I believe you must run in administrator mode for it to work. Without the huge graphics hit like FS9, 2002 runs without a dedicated GPU. So your machine should handle it fine as well. Keep an eye on temps. The CPU has to do all the work, so it'll run warmer.

[flaminghotsauce]

I'd be kind of curious to see what kind of performance you get on your laptop. I just ran mine just to test on my Dell laptop. I have a P4 3.0 cpu single core, 1 gig of ram, and at KIRK, frames locked at 30, all settings on high, I can keep it in the high 20's to locked at 30.

I"m running Windows 7 RC 32 bit.