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Miscellaneous thoughts of FS2004 scenery

Japanese version
Last modified -- Sep. 13, 2003
(will be rewritten irregularly)

FS2004 is come out in the western countries, and we can buy it at some store even in Japan as an imported merchandise. We can read very nice review in Japanese at USAKO's site already. Now, I try to watch this FS and write not review but cheap miscellaneous thoughts.

Package

pastry can ?paper case of CDsOn the contrary of the image at the era of FS2002, FS2004 has a nice looking metal can. (It seems to a pastry can....) CD consists of 4 disks, the case is made of paper too. But CD is not damaged like the case of FS2002. The first impression is very good.


Launching

Installing is finished successfully, I enjoy the peace till then. Because FS is started at Full-screen mode, I try to change window mode (Alt+Enter), etc. Anyway, I try to not fly but add the scenery library.... as usual like a eccentric man mode.... But it is strange when I see the menu. where is it ???In spite of clicking Settings etc., Scenery Library has not appeared. I find that we have to change Scenery Library at the image of first appearing after launch FS. Look at this pictures. (Please click to magnify. Because these are too small.)

From here It's nice.

This is only my mistake or this is true, I don't know yet. If this is true, I feel that someone talk to me with anger. "Do NOT tamper scenery ! Fly now, this is just a "Flight" Simulator !" This column I wrote on very old days is no good thing ??

By the way, the good old days when the person who is not belonged to Microsoft and many add-ons appeared by SCASM etc. base; have gone. Now, the high performance is achieved by Terrain scenery and gmax objects which is ready by Microsoft itself. This is nice thing, but there is no possibility of the other choices, isn't it ? Now, there is no FREEDOM in this era.... (I cite from usako again, FSUIPC is now in this situation (in Japanese). I am not an expert of this technique, but I feel that many people make the effort.)


Terrain scenery

Of course, we want to confirm a compatibility of Terrain scenery at first. Like before, I test "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version" which is made by jt_auto I made. This was made at the era of FS2000, time has been passed.....

Mt.Fuji
First, look at this.

FS2004

FS2002

It seems that these are nearly equal. There is very few difference than the time of changing from FS2000 to FS2002. (The photo of FS2000 is showed here.) Watching in detail, I feel that the focus of FS2004 is little dull, but on the contrary, a detail portion of the mountain is expressed in a distant view. It may be set by a parameter of config or something, but it is the same in essential, I think. And in FS2004, a target frame rate is able to be set at "Settings - Display - Hardware - Target frame rate". Default value is 20, and minumum value is 10. It means that a performance in flight is very nice, but re-builting time of the terrain mountains after moving in SLEW mode from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji is not so fast. (It maybe depends on my poor PC quality ?? ... I use Celeron 1100 MHz yet...) Again, I feel to be heard that "Scenery, not tamper but fly." (Like Japanese HAIKU poem .... 575 rhythm even in English !).

Kurobe-ko lake

FS2004

FS2002

How do you feel it ? I feel also "Little dull but beautiful in a distant view.". A little difference of the shape of the mountains is caused by a little difference of the position of the lake in Microsoft default scenery between FS2002 and FS2004, I think. Little difference of default scenery like this has exist frequently in the era of FS98. (Please look at this.)
I do not see whole world, but I think it is true that There is 100 % compatibility in Terrain scenery.


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What is MSFS ?

Completely miscellaneous thoughts again, look at this photos.


Keihin-jima island and Keihin bridge

This is famous Keihin-jima located next to Tokyo Haneda Airport. As you know, Microsoft default scenery is not exact shape of island, the area is magnified about 4 times in the center of Tokyo, and never resemble to real Tokyo. But look this photo again without any prejudice, please. Do you feel that this photo is more beautiful than real Tokyo's scene ? There is no house or factory built too much packed, no road or highway jammed all the time, or no circumstance of no space between houses with no greens without any sunshine....there is no problem of real Tokyo has. Further, the beach is beautiful, I want to call it "Keihin-jima beach". There is enough free space between houses, town looks like really low population density, enough green trees. If there is the world like this, if I will live here and be able to have a good life ... ?


Keihin bridge and Wangan line to the center of Tokyo

This is the road from Keihin-jima to the center of Tokyo, but there is no MEX way. Only one very low traffic road is there. Further, there are classical wooden pole... If the population density and the life of the people are there supported enough with this small road, which is nice comparing real Tokyo life ? This is obviously future Tokyo scene after exiting phenomenon of concentration to the city ??? In this era, there is no commute hell, no concept of commute from suburb to the center of the city, and maybe the end of the society of capitalism is already come.


Keihin bridge viewed from the north edge of Keihin-jima

Sit down on the beach of the north edge of this island, and see the bridge with relaxation. From FS2004, there is very nice cloud appeared, the sky of this photo is just Japanese summer scene. With calm wave, clear sea water and air, summer sky, there are a bridge and a pink building which is the function of the city. But these are matched in this scene, obviously different from real world buildings.


Rainbow bridge viewed from Minato-ku Sports Center visinity

How about Sibaura-wharf side of the Rainbow bridge ? There is no warehouse, and only green park ? is there. Land shape is changed and sea is extend to the right side of the photo. On the not only this Tamachi area, but also every place of Tokyo, there is no train. This is the evidence that the all train is vanished because this is a not humane vehicle with packed crazy. (Some subway is remained maybe...)

The day time of FS is nowadays year 2003, so the world of FS may be "Parallel World" which is appeared if the other selection was done at past some era. If Tokyo were not restructured without mess for only economic efficiency after WWII, if crazy concentration of population to the city were not occured by some good political measures, if there is the society with respect to sunshine, or clear air and water, ... there are many "if"s, but these scene are "the imaginal ideal city TOKYO" probably.



Planetarium ?

Too much goes to the side street from the review of FS2004, I had checked a planetarium function on FS2002 era. How is it in FS2004 ? The result is no change..... there is no fun, so I put add-on software which is; Real Stars V1.0 by Mr. Norbert Pachner. This is designed for FS2002 but nice work in FS2004 too. There are 9095 visible stars data. Please edit inside "Constellations=0" to 1. The constellation line appears. The line is very weak in this photo, but so nice in FS. But there are only Big Dipper data and a few. If you have guts, please try to complete all constellation data, won't you ? I think that you can complete if you will get star numbers from the data and write them one by one.
Back to FS2004, because this is nice planetarium software (mmm... it isn't ??), I hope that the color of the stars and the planets will be supported on the next version. (There is no Mars now...)

....Too much goes to the side street again, see you soon.



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