Good troll, I'll bite.
Hard not to weigh in with .02 All IMHO
FA 1.5 is not a flight sim.
FA 2.0 is a gigantic step from 1.5 towards being a flight sim. Notice I did not say it was a flight sim.
It is impossible to compare FA 1.5 to WB AH or AW because they are not the same types of game at all.
FA 2.0 is a step towards competing with WB. Step towards.
IMHO most FA flyers are not looking for a flight sim; very very few actually fly in any of the "Realistic" rooms. IMHO the vast majority of FA flyers are a totally different crowd than you will find at WB or AH -- looking for a game vs. a flight sim.
AH flyers are the hardest of hard-core simmers, especially after AH goes out of beta.
I have flown FA for almost two years now. Last spring I began to tire of FA 1.5 and tried out WB for a few months. Before last spring I didn't even know there were other online sims (ok so I live a sheltered life
. I liked what WB offered. New Guinea was the hands-down best time I've ever had online.
The only reason I have not flown AH more is that I really have little time to play these days and need to dole out the time very carefully. I find AH to be quite fun and I enjoy the challenges of flying here. To tell you the truth, I am not even sure if I will make it past the beta in AH, and that makes me sad becuase I like this game too. I will have to work on that.
FA 2 is a step in the right direction for what I am looking for online. When I want more of a challenge or a change of pace I will fly AH for a while. I have not flown WB since June. Never tried AW.
IMHO it all comes down to what you are looking for in your online fun. I am satisfied with FA 2 right now although I do come to AH sometimes because it is a totally different kind of fun, both in gameplay and difficulty. More challenging for me.
I believe a large part of the community at FA is friendly and fun and it's a big reason I've stayed there. Part of my job is to make sure that the ones who are there to be idiots and ruin it for others, know that they need to change attitudes or leave (blunt- but I don't know how to sugarcoat it). I also think that a large part of the community is there for the social aspect vs. the flight sim aspect.
In closing I just think you can't compare FA 2.0 with AH. Apples and oranges was a good term already used. Sorry if this post reads like a bunch of thought barely connected by a fraying thread to a common topic.
AH Fury
FA mleigh
WB -jacko
