skyrocketeer

Okay I just spent 30minutes making furrows in the virtual ground with my Su25 :thumbup: - It was great, I could jump right in (instant action mode), the joystick mostly worked with the default settings (still figuring out the throttle controls - it's harder for me as I'm a lefty) I'm dowloading the training lessions for that plane, and I think a few minutes coaching from me and that training course will probably see him on is way. The controls modifications menu/grid is pretty confusing for a first glance, but hopefully it won't take long to master. Just wondering if my 7 year old AMD box will be up for the task for me to join in as well.. :smilewink:

Right, more detailed response here... and once again thanks for the input.. Firstly the hardware side of things: The computer was specified and built by myself, for my parents to use for 'general computer stuff'. Given their disappointment on how their 8 year old laptop needed replacing cos it was too slow, I built this box with futureproofing in mind, hence it's got an LGA1155 motherboard with a 7X series chipset and 4 ram slots (only 2 filled). There's Sata 3.0 USB 3.0 and the board & box will take a fairly serious graphics card if required. I imagine it to be viable for games for a good few years with selective upgrades when financially prudent. The i3 isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's replacement may well. Passmark scores are here if you're that interested. To go with the game I got my dad a Logitech Extreme 3d pro joystick, which is affordable and seems to be fairly well featured - if he wants the whole immersive experience then he can drop some hints and wait for a birthday (or buy it the week before, as is his usual). As far as the suitability of the software & simulator - I'm willing to take a punt on that a bit, as initially it's a free download - I read through a few reviews on Amazon of IL2 and a few other more 'gamey' sims and I felt they kinda lacked something - my dad is someone who will appreciate detail, rather than a new high score. The steep learning curve is a bit of a mixed blessing I suppose - it'll keep him out from under my mums feet, even if she can't use her new computer :music_whistling: I'd like to give the opportunity of both real flying, and a bit of combat (call it stress relief), which was why I though DCS would fit the bill. Social networking is a bit modern for my dad, so I'm not sure you'll see him online just yet (I'm prepared to be mistaken though) - so I think most of his support will come from yours truely. hence one of the reasons I'm taking the rig for a test flight right now.. :smilewink: More questions as I think of them, I'm sure.. Thanks again for your thoughts.

All.. Thanks for your comments. Things have been a bit busy at home and i can't logon at work, so I'll try to reply properly soon. You've given me a lot to think on. Thanks

Computer is win7 64bit: i3 3225 8gb ram GT 640 video - it's not intended as a gaming rig, but i'm hoping it might be able to make a half decent stab at it.

Really? What do you think makes it temperament? Hardware? Software? Drivers?

thanks for the welcome - it's reassuring.. especially if there's a way to dial in the complexity of the simulation. I've no idea if I can persuade him into online flying - whilst my folks have broadband, I've no idea of the quality or speed of the connection, and it would be yet another learning experience, on top of having a new computer, with a new operating system..

Howdy, Long story short: I'm looking for a flight sim for my dad, who's retired, and a bit of a propeller-head.. He's not all that patient with computers (he's an old school engineer), so I'm kinda looking for something that'll hopefully get him hooked, but won't require a degree in computer science and registry hacking to enable him to play it. I'm providing him with a new computer, and tech support over the phone, but I'm hoping that DCS will be a fairly easy computer experience (I don't mind if the 'planes are hard to fly - as long as the software ain't). Do you think I'm going to be inflicting a world of frustration upon my pa with DCS, or is it easy enough for the computer-ignorant to get a good experience? I'm going to start him off with DCS world, and an entry level joystick/controller - and if he takes a shine to it then hopefully it won't be hard to kit him out with the add-ons.. Is this the right approach, or am I better off getting him MS Flight Sim X ..? I kinda like simulators as well, though I've yet to get my teeth into anything serious (my pc is getting on a bit) - my last experience was A10-cuba back around the late 90's (if that even qualifies)