First impressions... before I buy

[dale0404]

Morning everyone.

About 2 minutes ago I nearly pressed the "buy" button on PayPal to get the game. I love FSX and I "play" it at least weekly either online or offline depending on circumstance.

Anyway, the reason I didn't press the buy button was because I want some first impressions of the game now it is in pre-release stage on Steam and Sprocket.

A couple of broad headings I would like you to consider before you answer me please:

Enjoyability.

Playability.

Looks.

3 months down the line...

Difficulty (Tutorials).

Need for additional components (joystick (which I have) other peripherals etc).

Overall comments.

Thanks.

Dale

[Isaac]

Hi Dale,

I was a FSX heli addict, now I have uninstalled all FSX + addons (Nemeth bros) to clear as much HDD to improve TOH texture loading.

One word of caution, except DODOSIM and some (very few) helos out there, even in TOH beta the helicopter flight model is waaaay better (expert configuration) than in FSX.

Believeme You will not regret, imagine FSX with a decent 3D city (assuming you have a decent computer) and active missions + proper multiplayer and a editor (and comunity) that makes addons a reality in no time...

If you are still reading my post, mate you have a problem.

[xman1]

Still no word yet on IFR flight, ATC control, and how airport ops will work. That is the only issue I see so far.

-X

[JIMJAM]

Live a little and support the the almost extinct genre of flight sims.
Any decent FSX payware addon cost as much as and you get numerous helis, a nice big recreation of the Seattle area which again would cost at least as much.
I felt the same with Rise of Flight. A ww1 era flight sim which is not my favorite type planes but at the cost of a good payware you get a entire sim. I hate Xplane but again for the price you have a entire sim to tinker with and support the makers.
Also there is not a law against having FSX,Xplane,Rise of Flight and A-10 Warthog all at once. I do!

[neokika]

Hi Dale,

The game is awesome, from flying the Helicopter to the mission design. Imagine yourself dropping an SWAT team on top of skyscraper by fast-rope insertion, and give over watch later, or sling-load construction materials from place to place.

Overall I'm quite impressed with the Beta.

_neo_

[Andydigital]

Why fast rope when you can just land, that roof top was huge, hardly a challenge. Now that first time trial in the beta that was a challenge.

[MadDogX]

Enjoyability.

Speaking as a non-RL pilot and non-Heli-afficionado, I still find the game very enjoyable. And I haven't even tried MP yet.

Overally it's much more fun than I expected.


Playability.

The controls work as expected, and I haven't encountered any major bugs yet, although from what I've heard, you will want to stay away from MP in the beta until a fix is released.


Looks.

The helis themselves are insanely detailed, as is to be expected. The terrain also looks awesome, at least from a distance. Get closer to the ground and the satellite texture becomes obvious though, which is unfortunate but probably can't be helped due to constraints.


3 months down the line...

Expect a whole bunch of military themed community addons and smaller but more detailed maps - most of which will be ported from Arma2. Also a couple of patches from BIS to smooth out any issues.


Difficulty (Tutorials).

I'd say "easy to learn, difficult to master". The tutorials are pretty awesome, even providing you with an instructor to guide you through the basics.


Need for additional components (joystick (which I have) other peripherals etc).

I personally play with a game pad, which seems absolutely sufficient. Any additional components are only necessary if you want to go full monty flight-sim-tastic.


Overall comments.

Definitely worth the money.

[dale0404]

@MadDogX,

You have just decided the fate of ~ €36!! Downloading now