David Higdon said:
Looks like you have experience with the programs. Isn't it still an option to be able to host or join a session somehow? Can you still have a fellow ACH pilot direct link to your computer if they have your IP address?
That's already built into FS2004 and FSX. Some people use FSHost to find a session to connect to. But, like Ricardo said, it's very limited.
For instance:
- You need to use the same program, although FSX and FS2004 can connect via FSHostclient.
- limited number of players, clients like Ivap trick FS by only injecting nearby traffic.
- shaky, jumpy planes all over the place, except on the ground but then planes sometimes sink into the ground(difference in altitude airport add-on). It even happens in my own LAN network at home.
- random replacements; in FSX you can run into a fellow pilot(s) using your bulky PMDG/Captain Sim plane and your sim crashes. Ivap and FSInn both have plane replacement functions.
and so on.
It's not as simple as say, a Quake3 multiplayer session. Flightsim is much more complicated; all these liveries, various programs and of course...a much bigger... well world, actually.
@Tom Weber: Apart from technical problems I found that there are limited options for virtual pilots who (sometimes) want a more "relaxed" multiplayer experience. I found
. It's fun but limited to FSX. I think there were more of those game-like networks when MSFS was quite young. MSFS's survival and hence, the more serious network's is largely due to it's subject; flight in general. Nothing wrong with that of course. But if it was just another shooter or racing game it's multiplayer would have died long ago.
I sometimes think VATSIM/IVAO should have a special connection or place to fly with a more "relaxed" atmosphere or a way to exclusively connect as a group. You know, where you could just fly a little "rough" without offending other pilots or ATC. But I know this would never happen due to the complicated structure of these organisations.