To view the Readme file on-screen in Windows Notepad, maximize the Notepad window
and click Word Wrap on the Edit menu. To print the Readme file, open it in Notepad or
another word processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu.
Flight Simulator 2000 Second Update
===================================
As with all of our major new product releases, the product team has been closely monitoring the Flight Simulator newsgroups, Web sites, and forums to gauge what our users are experiencing with the product. From these sources and a number of emails from enthusiastic Flight Simulator fans, we have addressed some important issues that we felt we needed to provide to our customers on a priority basis. We are pleased to offer this additional update, which will work for both Flight Simulator 2000 and Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition.
There are two files to download, one for Flight Simulator 2000 and one for Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition.
Note: If you inadvertently install the Professional Edition patch over an installation of Flight Simulator 2000 ("Standard Edition"), you'll overwrite the FS2000 standard edition's FS2000.EXE file. This will also overwrite the Cessna 182S gauge file with the Cessna 182RG gauge file. To correct these problems, you will need to uninstall Flight Simulator 2000 from your computer, reinstall Flight Simulator 2000, and then install the correct patch.
Read on for a list of updates included in these files. This update incorporates all the improvements that were in the first update, along with new improvements.
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New to this update
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Flight Simulator now includes shadows for aircraft, buildings, and dynamic scenery. The complete redesign of the scenery system in Flight Simulator 2000 made the previous method of displaying shadows obsolete. To view shadows, make sure that the Aircraft Shadows and Ground Scenery Shadows settings are selected in the Image Quality tab of the Display Settings dialog box. To get to this dialog box in Flight Simulator, point to Options, then Settings, and then click Display. Then click the Image Quality tab.
The problem with setup failing to rename some files has been solved. The problem was a result of incorrect registry settings.
Autopilot-induced oscillations while following the ILS glideslope have been fixed.
Displayed ATIS frequencies are now limited to frequencies tunable with the Communication radios.
The Learjet 45 and the Boeing 737-400 ADF needles now correct for magnetic variation.
Gauges are now correctly rendered by Voodoo2 video cards.
The VSI needle in the Learjet and the 777 move in full scale when metric units of measure are in use.
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Items addressed in the first update
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System Performance
==================
The update includes several changes that should improve the smoothness of the simulation, especially during turns. These improvements are a result of optimizing the artwork and lighting for gauges that rotate, and optimizations to coastline rendering.
We have also included new switches that give you more control over some graphics features. Turning these switches OFF may improve overall performance on your system. You can set these switches in the FS2000.CFG configuration file. Both of these switches are ON by default. To change the setting, edit the FS2000.CFG file with a text editor such as Notepad.
The bilinear filtering switch controls the display quality of aircraft gauges. Turning the switch OFF improves performance, but will make it a little harder to read rotating gauges such as the heading indicator and attitude indicator.
[PANELS]
IMAGE_QUALITY=1
A value of 1 turns on bilinear filtering; a value of 0 turns it off.
The coastline polygons switch controls the level of detail and accuracy of coastlines. Turning this switch OFF improves frame rate, but doing so will make coastlines appear with less detail, and objects close to a coastline may no longer be in the correct positions.
[MISCDATA]
USEPOLYCOASTDATA=1
A value of 1 turns on coastlines polygons; a value of 0 turns them off.
Weather
=======
We have modified the weather feed from our server at Microsoft so that the Real-World Weather feature displays weather more accurately in areas where weather stations do not report 24 hours a day. If a weather download does not include a report for a specific station, the weather system now uses reports from nearby facilities to create a more accurate representation of the current weather in the area.
This update also fixes a problem with reports from stations near the Prime Meridian. Users flying in Europe should now receive accurate weather reports and see the current weather properly displayed in Flight Simulator.
Aircraft Gauges: Third-Party Aircraft
=====================================
Inconsistencies in RPM scale readouts and font size on some third-party aircraft gauges are fixed.
Aircraft Gauges: Flight Simulator 2000 Aircraft
===============================================
The Learjet's attitude indicator now has an index mark to show bank angle.
The horizontal bar on the 777's flight director no longer goes beyond the edges of the attitude indicator.
The following problems with the King Air gauges are corrected:
- The readouts on the analog and digital altimeters now match.
- The altitude selector in the autopilot on the panel now matches the altitude selector in the
Autopilot dialog box.
- The deviation needle on the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) now moves in full scale.
For aircraft with turn coordinators, the inclinometer ball now behaves correctly at higher bank angles, especially in uncoordinated turns.
Aircraft Behavior
=================
Concorde flight dynamics at lower speeds have been enhanced, based on feedback from British Airways.
The steering sensitivity has been adjusted for all aircraft, making it easier to control the aircraft during taxi, takeoff, and landing rolls.
The autopilot now tracks the glideslope more precisely.
Throttle settings are now retained properly after the autopilot has been disengaged.
Selecting the Mooney after the Sopwith Camel no longer results in a propeller blade angle of 0.
737, 777, & Learjet aileron and rudder trim work correctly.
Flight Planner
==============
You can now click on airport or navigational aid (navaid) labels and symbols in the Flight Planner map to display their names, frequencies, runway names and lengths, and other information. This information is also available in the Map View window.
You can now print the navigation log. Click the Print button in the Flight Planner dialog box to print your navigation log.
In some cases, two navaids in different parts of the world have the same identifier, which could cause errors in flight planning. Now the navigation log shows the correct navaid for the selected route.
Other Fixes
===========
ILS back courses work correctly.
Fixed problems involving the use of dynamic scenery objects from Flight Simulator 98 compatible add-on scenery.
You can now enter dates in the Logbook in international date formats.
Runway edge lights appear only at airports with lighted runways.
Adding a new scenery area to the scenery.cfg file no longer deletes the flattening switches entry.
EFIS will now lock to VOR after locking to ILS/LOC. Prior to this fix, the dialog box wasn't reflecting frequency changes.
Engine control settings are no longer cleared after use of the Engines dialog box.
You can now enter increments of 999 or greater for the Scenery Library cache size.
Updated files for Standard and Professional Edition
We understand that this patch will not address everyone's specific issues with the product. For example, the redesign of the scenery system in Flight Simulator 2000 makes the method of displaying aircraft landing light illumination used in previous versions obsolete. Adding landing light illumination of scenery and other objects is beyond the scope of this update.
We will continue to monitor newsgroups, forums, and Web sites, and post articles to help you get the most out of your Flight Simulator experience. Please continue to check this official Microsoft Flight Simulator Web site (www.microsoft.com/games/fs2000) for the latest information.
If you develop add-on products for Flight Simulator or want to customize Flight Simulator by editing aircraft configuration files, creating flight plan files, or creating new adventures, check this Web site for updates to the Software Developers Kit (SDK) and in-depth articles, which we'll be posting soon.
