Gaming Anyone try FlightGear?

[cljohnston]

Got so depressed because I can't run Orbiter anymore (since I went back to Mac a few years back), I finally broke down and went lookin' for a freeware flight sim that might actually run on my iMac...

FlightGear Flight Simulator

First aircraft I tried was the F-14B, and I almost passed out from all the detail it has!

Anybody heard of it, or tried it out?
There's a version for pretty much every platform out there: Windows, Linux, Mac OS-X, FreeBSD, Solaris, and IRIX

 

[Urwumpe]

Yes, I also use it. It is not really good performing on my older PC, but you can fly.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Ditto. I have it, too. It has been around for a while, but I have not ever done any add ons for it.

 

[Hielor]

It had issues running it on my old desktop (was getting like 1-2fps even with newest drivers) even though I could run FSX at 15-20fps with medium settings. I'll give it another go on my newer desktop, it looked like it could be pretty cool.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Not too bad on my setup, which is not the 'biz, really, apart from a good GFX card...

P4M 900, 1.8 Ghz Celeron, 2 GB Ram, Nvidia 8800 GT 512 MB

 

[tblaxland]

It had issues running it on my old desktop (was getting like 1-2fps even with newest drivers) even though I could run FSX at 15-20fps with medium settings. I'll give it another go on my newer desktop, it looked like it could be pretty cool.

I had some issues with an old version. Once I turned on volumetric clouds I had frame rates <1 fps, and they stayed that way even after I turned the clouds off. Installing a newer version (1.9.0 IIRC) fixed it.

 

[cljohnston]

Well, I always loved checking out all the nifty little working parts every time a new version of the DeltaGlider came out for Orbiter, and this F-14B is just as cool!
Such fine detail in the animations, like when you open the canopy, and it extends the boarding ladder and steps, or when you deploy the refueling probe.
And when you sweep the wings back, the wing glove pneumatic seal deflates!
Check it out!

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Impressive program indeed. I would be playing it as much as I do Orbiter I'm sure. Only thing is it has never been friendly with several computers I've tried it on. Either just get single digit FPS or causes the blue screen of death. Never had luck with it. As of the latest version I can only play the helicopter and one other plane without a total crash oddly.

 

[cljohnston]

Well, I think I should mention that they really need to work on the physics model a bit... As soon as you add power, you're bouncing into the air!

Nice to know Orbiter still reigns supreme!

 

[Urwumpe]

Well, I think I should mention that they really need to work on the physics model a bit... As soon as you add power, you're bouncing into the air!

I don't know, the JSBSim model seems to be so correct that I am tempted writing a wrapper DLL for it, so you can use JSBSim flight models in Orbiter.

 

[insane_alien]

flight gear has never run well for me. even on my latest machine (i7, 6GB RAM, Nvidia GTX295. recently came into some funds ).

i've never been able to figure out why.

also, wonder if anyone recognizes me. i haven't been around for about 5 years.

 

[RAF92_Moser]

I wasn't too impressed with the excess left turning tendency with the 172...but hey, this stuff is free!

 

[the.punk]

I also tried flight gear. It's not a bad simulator, but Flight simulator is better. But FS works only on windows.
If you want a realy good flight simulator for MAC then try XPLANE.

 

[cljohnston]

I don't know, the JSBSim model seems to be so correct that I am tempted writing a wrapper DLL for it, so you can use JSBSim flight models in Orbiter.

Yeah, it's funny how there are several different physics models (FDMs) at play in this sim, unlike Orbiter.

All the FG add-ons with the really great detail and nice virtual cockpits seem to use the YASim model, rather than the JSBsim.

---------- Post added at 09:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:06 AM ----------

If you want a realy good flight simulator for MAC then try XPLANE.

Ah, but X-Plane isn't FREE, now is it!

 

[V8Li]

I love it. I use runwayfinder.com and airnav.com to navigate the Northern US so that's a statement about how well built it is. I didn't knew before trying it that single engine crafts have a tendency to yaw during take-off, so it was a bit hard at first but that made me read and learn how to take off with the Cessna 172 for example. I quit Orbitersim ( ) for a while since I wanted to learn more about navigation... I had the basic knowledge about VOR and navigation in general from Orbitersim but if you wanna learn try flightgear. And the best part is that you get many addons like aircrafts and scenarios (most likelt you'll find your area too) since it's open source. I like the c172p and 787-8. Air-to-air refuelling, carrier landing, helicopters, Harrier... it's great!

 

[spec10]

For me, flight simulation is all about having it as real as possible, which means having a human ATC in my ear. Flightgear doesn't give me the possibility to join established networks like VATSIM and IVAO, so therefore I do not enjoy Flightgear. Having read through a lot of stuff about why there is no such support, makes it even worse, because in my opinion there's much stubbornnes and disproportional thinking / reasoning on both sides involved.

But I also think that the guys involved in Flighgear did a great job in putting together a fine simulation, no matter if it fits my needs, or not.

 

[cljohnston]

For me, flight simulation is all about having it as real as possible, which means having a human ATC in my ear. Flightgear doesn't give me the possibility to join established networks like VATSIM and IVAO, so therefore I do not enjoy Flightgear.

Hey, WOW! I didn't know VATSIM & IVAO supported Orbiter these days!
(Of course, I've been out of the loop for a while.)

 

[doggie015]

Nice to see something free that gives Micro$oft a graphical run for their "money"

 

[Hielor]

Nice to see something free that gives Micro$oft a graphical run for their "money"

Other than the clouds, not really. And you think FSX has bad performance, FlightGear was completely unplayable on my old desktop.

 

[spec10]

Hey, WOW! I didn't know VATSIM & IVAO supported Orbiter these days!
(Of course, I've been out of the loop for a while.)

I never used, and don't plan to use Orbiter as a flight simulation. In Orbiter it's the pysics of spaceflight I'm interested in and to enjoy that I don't need ATC. One could make a point that for spaceflight there's radio contact with mission control and things like that and I'm pretty sure that it would be fun to have something like that, but my body doesn't stop sending out endorphins when there isn't someone I can / have to talk to in Obiter, whereas in the world of flight simulation that's what happens.