Originally Posted by
W0X0F_2p2
Your observations are right on the mark. The sim can be fun if there's no jeopardy attached. I used to be a sim instructor at my previous airline and developed an affection for the simulator. It's one of the greatest video games of all time. Once you realize that it's computer driven (multiple computers to handle the visuals and the motion), you can figure out what it "likes", i.e. how to fly it.
I got to ride in the passenger seat of the F/A-18 simulator one time and it was the most fun I've ever had fully dressed. Between the hydraulic motion of the cockpit and the visual input, it was far more real than I could have imagined. It was a ton more intense than the F-14 simulator.