In a real cockpit you learn where are all the buttons, dials and levers are and which way to actuate them for all flight regimes. You can close your eyes and just do it. With our games it is next to impossible to mouse on over to the button or lever and actuate it and still keep your head out of the cockpit.

So "no" we do not need clickable cockpit stuff. Spend the valuable and limited development time on something that adds more to the experience. Like improved offline play. I am not buying a procedural trainer.

agreed... I might think that it was fun to "click around" now and again, and I might enjoy the detail (mid-flight) but I probably wouldn't use it most of the time.

I would perfer key assignments over the mouse, but either of them would be cool

Clickable cockpits are a waste of time and resources. I think that resources would be better used in any flight sim creating a multileveled startup procedure from a 1 key start to a full function start.. as far as processes go. I think that rather than clickable cockpits just make all the functions assignable. Clickable pits are going backwards. The actual startup procedure for many WWII aircraft took less time than the walkaround.

It always amuses at the things people want, and how often this kinda stuff shows up time and again. We must be the nicest of people, because we give their requests a fair howdy every time. LOL

I wonder, can you vote twice?

Exactly. If I wanted that I'd be a FSX junky.

What do you think is easier? Remembering Ctrl + Alt + E to switch on the batteries or just remembering where the switch is? I can tell you now that remembering where the switch is in the cockpit is much easier. And that would just be activating the electrical system. Then you would need to remember and use another awkward key-combo to activate the fuelpump, hydraulics and starter. I'd much rather use the click pit. I can have falcon 4's F-16 running (outside having to wait for the INS to spool up) in seconds.

On certain aircraft the systems are essential to operating it as a fighting machine, say the mustang and its fuel balance problems. Have fun draining the wingtanks first instead of the tank behind the pilot! To people saying that it will only be awkward in combat, do you think real pilot's went "Now that I am chasing this 109 at low level I think it is a good time to change my radio frequency and mess with my hydraulic system!" No ofcourse not, those things are set at the beginning of the flight and once you are airborne and especially in combat you should not have to fiddle with this. If you do have to you messed up and should have set your plane up for flight and fight better, that is part of being a fighter pilot.

Saying just because you might not like it it shouldn't be done, I probably will never play this online, perhaps on my LAN with some friends. With your logic Oleg shouldn't waste his time on making an online game engine, I won't use it so neither should others be able to do so right?

To the people who think this is a nice reason to talk negative about FSX, I do not want a shallow point an shoot game, if I did I'd buy Unreal Tournament. I want a simulator featuring ww2 aircraft. These planes had quite complex systems for their time, those systems were critical for the planes function and often a factor in succes of failure. Having only a simplified version of them leaves out a lot of the experience.

A clickable cockpit sounds nice at first, but it’s a gimmick. And if you’re interested in emersion, it’s not the answerer. Pilots, especially combat pilots knew the inside of their cockpit like the back of their hand. They could find most controls without having to look at all, or at most they might have to take a quick glance.

With a clickable cockpit, you need to carefully move the mouse pointer to the tiny little 3mm spot on your screen that activates that particular control and then click on it. In my mind that’s not realistic and it’s sure not immersive.

A well thought out HOTAS system with either a dedicated number pad, or even an additional keyboard is in my opinion much more realistic.

It works great.. for mundane tasks..
Falcon4 AF has a clickable cockpit..
and we used it ALOT.. from the 20+ process of starting the engine..
configuring chaff / flare programs..
adjusting weapon ripples and burst altitudes in the MFDs..
to TFR flying.

Of course the Chaff/flare button, while clickable, was still mapped to the stick.

Most stuff that you can click with.. is bested used when starting up the aircraft...
or in ingress/egress.
(like adjusting fuel tanks, switching the guns on, starting the aircraft etc)

I think it would be fine to do, if they have the time..
but what I really want to do..is just built a cockpit with all the actual switches around me.. with the gauges that work.

THAT is a project I plan to complete.. one of these days :)

some thing more than the single key we have now, and trouble with cold weather starting would add alot for me