My Big Question...!

[Ferry_vO]

I use the SOH FsHost quite often, but not as much as I used to fly on the Netwings server. Would love to see more Europeans on the SOH server in the evening though!
Flying hoplists is fun, but it's even more fun when you have someone to chat with.

[c87]

I fly about 1 hour max per week, if that, given family and life constraints. The only reason I'd want to fly multiplayer is for formation flying. Flying around with other "live" flyers that are miles away does nothing for me. Given all that, there's no reason for me to do anything other than offline flying.

[falcon409]

My first excursion into online "Multiplayer" was with Lago in 2003 I guess and what was true then is still true today: Those who have tried MP flying and enjoyed it, immersed themselves in all the gadgets available be it TeamSpeak, Vatsim, FSHost, Virtual Air Force, Virtual Bush or Virtual whatever have found it rewarding, fun, relaxing, informative and while there may be times that it becomes somewhat boring and they take a hiatus. . .they still return in like numbers and pick up where they left off.

Those who tried it and either found it immediately boring, couldn't connect and got discouraged, didn't have a mic or headset, didn't like having to type in the chat box, didn't have the time, didn't like that animations couldn't be seen or the proper aircraft wasn't visible, lived in the wrong time zone or any number of other reasons for not trying it or staying with it will, for the most part, continue to have those negative reactions to the concept of MP. It's why there were so many who seemed to get excited at the idea of an SOH Flight Server and why so few actually take advantage of it now that it's reality.

Willy and PRB and Taco and several others have "Flight19" which takes off every evening to some far flung destination. Dangerous Dave and a few others are always on the main Hoplist servers most evenings either flying a hoplist or two or doing free flights or setting up a flight plan on the fly and heading out. Plenty of opportunities for folks who would like to get a grasp of what MP is about to ask some experts and join the fun. I'm sure those guys would take a few minutes or the time necessary to get you up and running.

Bottom line is, if you've made up your mind that MP is a waste, nothing we say will probably change that, even though we would disagree wholeheartedly, so it's great that you participated and voted to let kiwikat see the numbers and the reasons.
On the other hand if you're on the fence and just need a little push to come join MP, then by all means, connect on Team Speak sometime and let those guys give you the assistance you need to get you up and flying. The information you need can be found in the Flight Server Forums and you can post questions to Dave and the group there to get on board. Hope to see you soon in the MP skies.:salute:

[Kiwikat]

I am kind of surprised this thread popped back into existence!

I've been flying a lot lately at Eagle Valley Air, a bush-flying virtual airline, so I haven't been on the SOH servers as much lately. It is nice to see that there are still a few people enjoying my world hops. I really should spend some more time back on the SOH server...

[OleBoy]

My vote. Never/Not enough to mention.

Not that I wouldn't like MP. To me it would a BS session more than flying. Always has, and always did turn out that way. Don't get me wrong, I've spent my fair share of time on teamspeak. And for the most part I enjoy it. We're all here with common interest. The love of flight. Whatever form that may be is the reason we're here. We're all alike, somewhat.
.....Something that always twisted my noodle was the flying...with others. If you didn't have the model they had, they were all a cessna. And, verse-visa. That was the big clincher for me. As I was not going to buy the same aircraft someone else had just to make the experience seem to have more realism. I got my planes that I like already. I know, there's freeware. Some darn nice freeware too. Either way you look at it someone almost always had to submit. That was the case with me anyway.

As for the online virtual flying, that type of stuff is not to my likings. I like to fly in any direction I please and take off whenever I feel.

I think I answered 1, 2 & 3. Though I may have gotten a bit loose lipped. My apology.

[fsafranek]

I voted "never/not often enough to mention" as well because I don't do it much anymore. Back in FS9 I used to do it a lot with folks from the old Alphasim forum using the server time donated by Ukmil and Netwings. We had a great time flying around Rosie Roads NAS in Puerto Rico and the freeware Big-E parked nearby. But that was a few years ago.

I've done it a few times since then to test out the multiplayer worthiness of aircraft. Mal998 and I reworked the B-66 and A-3 FSX flight models while in multiplayer. I guess that's the big benefit to it now -- chatting with other folks while flying and testing ideas.

Not a big fan of flying from point A to B in a formation although have certainly done a lot of that over the years. Mock dogfights are what I like.
:ernae:

[gradyhappyg]

Those who are answering "Never", could you please elaborate why? This poll is mostly targeted at you.

I am too dumb to figure out how.

[mmann]

I voted never. Most of my so called FSX time is spent in ADE, 3ds Max and Photoshop; developing scenery. My development computer is not hooked up to the internet, so when I am testing my scenery projects in FSX, flying with others is not an option.

Regards, Mike Mann

[wombat666]

Never bothered either.
Mostly as a result of online flying in CFS3 against pre-pubescent brats way back and a lack of time into the bargain.

[Dimus]

I voted rarely because although it has been great fun whenever I did it, I do not have the opportunities lately. Actually I only fly online with a selected group of friends, the same group that we also fly Il-2 and ROF together. FSX is our sim of choice when we want to have a relaxing session. We always connect directly to our host and use TS3 for comms. Our host chooses a scenario, or sometimes we fly missions, especially when we want to practice carrier ops using moving carriers. I have made simple MP missions for that with a carrier moving close to shore at various places. We also do a lot of GA flying and glider flying together. Nothing serious and no real rules apply in our sessions, it really is just for fun. It is also a good way to train people to fly as a plane can be shared and controls switched between trainee and instructor.

[JAllen]

My day is full enough putting up with people I have to put up with. My flying/gaming is for me and not for the entertainment of other anonymous personalities. Tried it years ago and never will again. Participating in this forum is as far as I will go. Some of the stuff here makes me re-think that decision too.

My son likes to do MP but has had a lot of unpleasant attitudes get involved. He is a police officer and at times his MP experiences sound like his work.

[guzler]

Those who are answering "Never", could you please elaborate why? This poll is mostly targeted at you.

I couldn't figure out how to do it. All the talk about port openings and god knows what confused me and I gave up. I used to play CFS2 online and it was easy, login, join a flight and off you go (and that was on dial up !!).

[Milton Shupe]

I votely rarely (current flight status) although I probably have 2000 hours in MP frpm FS98, FS2000, and FS2002. Once I started development work, MP time went from occasional to rarely.

In the early days, a group of 5-6 friends would fly nightly for 2-3 hours and on weekends. We flew around the globe several times hitting all the continents, exploring mountainous scenery, challenging airstrips, culture, and sightseeing along the way. Our favorite was the American NW, BC, Alaska, and the Alps of Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland, and the Andes for its special high altitude challenges. There are very few areas I have not explored and enjoyed. We always flew what we all had or flew defaults to ease the experience for older computers. The group thing was great. We mostly were well versed in navigation and flying in poor weather and loved it. I used to do navigation training online through MP sessions. I was self-taught in FS98 and teh Charles Wood site. Having FSNavigator really helped comprehension giving a graphic to what the gauges were telling you.

Great comments above about why people do or do not fly MP; I have seen them all. But for those who wish to try, start with teamspeak and a nice little headset and boom mike from anywhere for less than $20. The guys on the SOH server will help get you setup.

Today, I rarely get on because my pleasures come from being creative with design work and sharing with the community. Flying is for testing now. I will say it is a blast to get online with Lionheart and a few of these folks for a brief flight around British Columbia or the Alps. Challenging, interesting, beautiful scenery, and great company.

I would be happy to join any group on occasion to share in the fun. Cheers.

[jankees]

I have never used MP.
Maybe it is fun, but I never bothered to find out how.
I spend most of my FS related time in Photoshop anyway, and if I fly, it is to see whether the lines on the different texture files line up and stuff like that.. I rarely even land, how weird is that?
Only very occasionally, I do a flight for fun, especially with new A2A models, to see if I can do it, keep them in one piece. Once I can, I go back to Photoshop...

[Mickey D]

I answered "never" in fact I never fly these days. I'm always in Slew Mode checking out the latest airfield. Occasionally I get them finished. I leave all the flying and testing to Frank and Bill.

I have a question Kiwikat. Why do you want to know?