You know, Orbiter has really come a long way from its humble beginnings as a crude simulator with just basic visual objects and non-textured models. Today, I am seeing detailed space shuttle fleets, highly complex Delta Gliders, and now advanced landscape generators. And to top it all off, the next version of orbiter will soon feature open-source graphics engine with a separate core engine.

And then there is Flight Gear. An open source simulator that is just slowly catching up with the flight sim community. It now features self-shadowing effects, downloadable weather, and a huge list of downloadable aircraft and an entire planet to download. In fact, I was trying out the Willy Jeep [my favorate ground vehicle] and it's fun to ride. Unlike MSFS, it doesn't slip or slide when turning. Even RC planes are fun in this sim. Although the terrain does need work and it reminds me of FS98 back in the days.

Ok, so both of these sims don't measure up compared to the more popular sims like MSFS or X-Plane, but in the grand scheme of things, what are your views in regards to these sort of sims? Do you think free simulators will be the future of simming or will it diminish like the 8-track tape? To be honest, I think free simulators like these will become role models for future sims as they become well established like Orbiter and Flight Gear. So far, Orbiter leads the pack in terms of better graphics and downloadable content when compared to Flight Gear.