Realism addiction/fetishism (!) in flight simulation
Wednesday, 2. August 2006, 23:00:58
One short part of the problem; people think time compression is bad but I think otherwise.
As a flight simulation addict, I want and expect higher realism. Because flying is fun only in real life, and definetely far less fun in virtual life. We buy add-ons, we enhance them, write our own. We become members of "virtual airlines" that are trying to fly, in virtual world, the same schedules and the same aircrafts with the real life. For example, Lufthansa has a flight from Munich to Istanbul, with flight number LH 3350, departs from Munich at 11:40 and lands to Istanbul around 15:10. (All times are local) There are various aircrafts for this flight, but most probably it'll be an Airbus A32x (at least, it was in my past 6 flights - in real world). To fly this in virtual world, you need to leave the gate at 11:40 with an A32x (A320 or A321, may be). Boeing 737 can fly the same route, too. But you cannot do it, because the real Lufthansa, as far as I know, does not operate B737 for this flight (they may operate B727, though).
The problem is not with being forced to choose the same aircraft and schedule, but it's with the time anti-compressionism. Up to some extent, I find it logical in online flying. If you are flying over a manned airspace and everybody flies with high time compression, hey what can controllers do then? So this can be important in manned airspaces where traffic is (rather) dense. Lufthansa Virtual Airline does not force pilots to fly online or without time compression; "just fly", they say.
Turkish Virtual Airline, however, requires online flying and they do not allow time compression. Well, actually it's probably because (virtual?) pilots are flying online and need to communicate with (virtual?) controllers controlling various (virtual?) manned airspaces, so they better do not (virtually?) fly with time compression.
The basic answer of time-compression-haters is that; "because you just can't do it in real life?". I nod... and think... Ok, it's time to look around yourself "in real world". I mean, when you are virtually flying, stop the game and take a look around yourself. In real world, all we have are simply; a PC, a force feedback joystick or a yoke (with some pedals, and throttles, may be), a headphone (or a set of surround speakers, which does not work like a surround, anyway), a keyboard, a mouse, at least one screen and the nice chair that we sit (mine is a cheap bad kitchen chair, believe me, and I cannot sit longer than 3 hours). Does it look like a real A320? Do we really talk with ground staff, with a "real" co-pilot, smell fuel or any hostesses bringing coffee? Sorry to disappoint you, but none happens, dude! How many of virtual pilots use up-to-date charts or even FMC (look, this is important; I bet majority of those multi-engine-jet pilots that fly IFR flights do not use an aircraft equipped with FMC)? I bet more than 80% of virtual pilots has never taken a look at check-lists! We still don't have proper 3-D equipment - it's a (set of) monitor(s) (and the more you duplicate monitors, the more it gets worse). We still don't have proper surround sound (thanks to my washing machine sometimes making real engine sound effects). Finally, what we use (well, most of us) is a PC - not even a simulator that moves or shakes.
We sometimes have long haul flights, say, taking 7-10 hours. Unfortunately, strictly speaking, one needs to "waste his/her time" (literally) and fly without time compression. I cannot do it, I know exactly one person who did it exactly twice and that's it. I am doing this for fun and I'm not a masochist nor have that much time to waste. I believe sadist-masochist balance in those virtual airlines that does not allow time compression is ok, so I just leave them.
Safe and nice landings, and don't you forget to fly "with" time compression
As a flight simulation addict, I want and expect higher realism. Because flying is fun only in real life, and definetely far less fun in virtual life. We buy add-ons, we enhance them, write our own. We become members of "virtual airlines" that are trying to fly, in virtual world, the same schedules and the same aircrafts with the real life. For example, Lufthansa has a flight from Munich to Istanbul, with flight number LH 3350, departs from Munich at 11:40 and lands to Istanbul around 15:10. (All times are local) There are various aircrafts for this flight, but most probably it'll be an Airbus A32x (at least, it was in my past 6 flights - in real world). To fly this in virtual world, you need to leave the gate at 11:40 with an A32x (A320 or A321, may be). Boeing 737 can fly the same route, too. But you cannot do it, because the real Lufthansa, as far as I know, does not operate B737 for this flight (they may operate B727, though).
The problem is not with being forced to choose the same aircraft and schedule, but it's with the time anti-compressionism. Up to some extent, I find it logical in online flying. If you are flying over a manned airspace and everybody flies with high time compression, hey what can controllers do then? So this can be important in manned airspaces where traffic is (rather) dense. Lufthansa Virtual Airline does not force pilots to fly online or without time compression; "just fly", they say.
Turkish Virtual Airline, however, requires online flying and they do not allow time compression. Well, actually it's probably because (virtual?) pilots are flying online and need to communicate with (virtual?) controllers controlling various (virtual?) manned airspaces, so they better do not (virtually?) fly with time compression.
The basic answer of time-compression-haters is that; "because you just can't do it in real life?". I nod... and think... Ok, it's time to look around yourself "in real world". I mean, when you are virtually flying, stop the game and take a look around yourself. In real world, all we have are simply; a PC, a force feedback joystick or a yoke (with some pedals, and throttles, may be), a headphone (or a set of surround speakers, which does not work like a surround, anyway), a keyboard, a mouse, at least one screen and the nice chair that we sit (mine is a cheap bad kitchen chair, believe me, and I cannot sit longer than 3 hours). Does it look like a real A320? Do we really talk with ground staff, with a "real" co-pilot, smell fuel or any hostesses bringing coffee? Sorry to disappoint you, but none happens, dude! How many of virtual pilots use up-to-date charts or even FMC (look, this is important; I bet majority of those multi-engine-jet pilots that fly IFR flights do not use an aircraft equipped with FMC)? I bet more than 80% of virtual pilots has never taken a look at check-lists! We still don't have proper 3-D equipment - it's a (set of) monitor(s) (and the more you duplicate monitors, the more it gets worse). We still don't have proper surround sound (thanks to my washing machine sometimes making real engine sound effects). Finally, what we use (well, most of us) is a PC - not even a simulator that moves or shakes.
We sometimes have long haul flights, say, taking 7-10 hours. Unfortunately, strictly speaking, one needs to "waste his/her time" (literally) and fly without time compression. I cannot do it, I know exactly one person who did it exactly twice and that's it. I am doing this for fun and I'm not a masochist nor have that much time to waste. I believe sadist-masochist balance in those virtual airlines that does not allow time compression is ok, so I just leave them.
Safe and nice landings, and don't you forget to fly "with" time compression
WIDGETIZE