Austin (X-Plane) writes about MSFS

[turner112 52]

"The OP decided to bring it here for public ridicule."No, I did not. I brought it here for discussion.Andrew

[Guest BOPrey]

For those who have tried both sims, What features does a clean install of FSX have that X-Plane does not? I hear that X-Plane does not have AI planes?Does it have ATC? How does it compare?-Gary

AI and ATC in x-plane are bad. If you want to experience those, FS is the king. I wish third party devs can bring them to x-plane.

[Mike T 210]

:( Blah, blah, blah. Typical Austin Myers bloviation. What his ego fails to undertstand is that the vast majority of us would rather use a 7 year old FS9 or a 3 year old FSX than a brand new X-Plane. :( The flight model superiority myth has become legendary so-much-so that even Oscar Myers believes his own crap. There is absolutely nothing in X-Plane that would make me move to it.I'll move to X-Plane when they pry my FS9 out of my cold dead hands. Good luck with the "tens of thousands" of new users of X-Plane. :( Mike T.

[LAdamson 240]

:( Blah, blah, blah. Typical Austin Myers bloviation. What his ego fails to undertstand is that the vast majority of us would rather use a 7 year old FS9 or a 3 year old FSX than a brand new X-Plane. :( The flight model superiority myth has become legendary so-much-so that even Oscar Myers believes his own crap. There is absolutely nothing in X-Plane that would make me move to it.I'll move to X-Plane when they pry my FS9 out of my cold dead hands. Good luck with the "tens of thousands" of new users of X-Plane. :( Mike T.

he,he...... B) L.Adamson

[boshar 6]

I'm sure there is a lot of emotion talking here but what will the FS-X Jay! X-plane Nay! sayers do in about 5 years time when X-Plane has continued to grow and there is no new FS-XI. The performance gain possible with FS-X is limited with (IMO) the optimum being 2 Cores with high clocks the future Intel & AMD processors will bring use little extra performance.X-Plane on the other hand is evolving toward a more complex simulation (again just read the january issue of Computer Pilot to see that X-Plane is already doing what ESP set out to do). The X-Plane add-on market grows more professional by the day (and that is without FS developers switching these are mostly Mac and Linux users developing for their Flightsim) and even X-Plane nay sayers here tell you that the FPS is more fluid.In 5 years time we will still have FS-9 and FS-X but without development of the Core program there will be people quiting or switching to the other sims. I do hope that the current nay sayers who come back on their harsh words will register at x-plane.org with their AVSIM nicknames.

[Guest aafuss]

As a X-Plane and FSX user-I prefer FS for its ATC and scenery, but also enjoy X-Plane, especially the iPhone/iPod touch versions. Of course X-Plane has quite good applications for making airfoils and aircraft that come with it.

[Guest Japo32]

Well.. I sometimes don't understand some points of view. Remember the war between XBOX 360 and PS3? too much users of both consoles fight each other telling that his console is the best. Like they were part of the company.Here also happens between MSFS and X-Plane. There are poeple from both simulators, that says "mine is the best, yours is a ######".For me I was thankfull to be able to choose between those two. Now I won't. Microsoft maybe is not going to develop more FS11. Maybe now is good for me or for others with FSX.. but when computers would be able to show the earth like a real thing.. like flying real.. wouldn't you like to change.The "fight" between the two simulators where very good for us. Now X-Plane could just relax, because now is the only king. Good or bad king, we will see in the future.X-plane is behind fsx in graphics for sure, but not in sensation. When I leaven years of flying in FS9, and bought FSX I gave up, when I tried X-plane 9.I saw a very potencial state there, and wanted to see how far the simulator could go. So I started to investigate.. and decided to build this 3D cockpit from an already build plane:http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Ehr5PrhNg&fmt=18Later I built this plane, because I was happy of the result of the first test.. so it came my first incursion in comercial addoms for a simulator:http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNqsq6y4Qk&fmt=18yes.. you could say "you are making publicity of your product". I only can say yes.. but who would do it for me, been just a person to be in this new adventure?"I don't know if my planes are the best or not.. What I can tell you is that you can do the same planes with the same 3D cockpits on X-plane. Of course if you hate something, you can hate it for always, but that doen't mean that thing is a bad thing. Of course I am not telling anyone what to say or not about Austin, but for sure Austin has made a mistake or more..... Who not?Just want to put 2 more videos, not my products. Just to let you know how is Xplane.. from the eye of a person that has fly Fs9 and fs2000 long time... looooong time.....For me the best payware plane in x-plane (not mine.. of course):http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeNhCjNfhI&fmt=18a video from the same person.. just showing some of the x-plane:http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=6jabw-dnfrg&fmt=18and a future 777:http://www.xpjets.com/gallery/777exterior/http://www.xpjets.com/gallery/777-3d-cockpit/Well, just to say that. I don't have any comision not nothing in laminar about X-plane. Of course I sell a plane for that simulator. I chose it not because to make lots of money now. I know that fs9 and fsx has more people. Just built it there because I think that x-plane has a limit much far away than FSX. But of course if I see other simulator.. or a future FS11 really good.. I will change again my mind.Just my 2 cents....

[MatthewS 761]

Great videos Japo32!Check out this Falcon7 for Xplane 9, nice 3D cockpit!

Here's another one for the MU2. Notice the volumetric fog at 1:40, flying IFR can't be beat in XPlane 9 IMHO. Also note the lighting/sun and water. I love the slighty "sloped" runway in the video and the way the plane bounces a little during the takeoff roll due to the bumps on the runway (1:15 to 1:23)

And other MU2 video, landing at the previous airport it took off from. Beautiful stuff!

Also, Austin makes the following comment

The bottom line is that we at Laminar Research are ready to accept the inflow of customers from Microsoft, will continue to make X-Plane the best flight simulator in the industry, have new things lined up that will knock your socks off, and will post tools and information here that will make your transition from MS to X-Plane be as painless (and fun!!) as possible. This applies equally to both customers and add-on developers.

It appears he appreciates the importance of 3rd party developers and of making tools/SDK to support developers and to allow FSX users to import their FSX scenery into X-Plane.Also, doesnt OpenGL now support GPU "compute" shaders. Maybe Austin will leverage the power of GPU compute shaders to perform the physics simulation on the GPU. It would seem his physics approach is very suited to GPU acceleration. The future looks bright! Luckily X-Plane 9 has virtual "sun glasses". Think I'm gonna put on my shades :)edit: Here's an example of someone that converted FlyTampa KaiTak to X-Plane 9 using the FS2XP utility. Looks like he's not using X-Plane's high res texture setting or the high quality water shader, but still looks very nice!

[flying_w 58]

Still looking for the FSX style AI packages in X-plane, the kind of thing from Just Flight, MyTraffic, UTX, WOAI etc. Do they exist?

[Geofa 108]

Well I suppose at is always does-it comes down to how you use the sim.I use a flight sim to practice my rw flying technique, general ifr practice,engine out failures, flying approaches to unfamiliar airports I am about to visit, and the general workload.If I can't get most of the instruments I use in the plane-the cockpit has no use for me. If the plane doesn't fly remotely close to the numbers (and in ifr flying you largely fly by numbers ) then it does no good for me for ifr practice. If I can't get or find, or make an aircraft I fly,or one close to it, it doesn't do me any good. (You can check out my Beech Debonair in the file library I made 10 years ago for xplane-despite all the work I did on it it was a bust for me and why I left xplane at that point). It is interesting the only way I could get this plane to remotely fly like the real one was to change all the dimensions on the airfoil. I finally decided more important to get it to fly remotely correctly rather than to look correct.But the biggest for me is if it doesn't remotely control or feel like any aircraft I have flown I really can't get going at all. I am always baffled by the raves about the flight models.Then there is the clunky interface-and I am still not sure I can use my hardware at all which includes a goflight module and an elite hardware radio stack. I invested lots recently for these things to improve my reality-I'm not ready to take a step back here.Does it have great potential? Sure. May it be the only game in town-yes. The detailed landing gear and sun glasses are nice. There are some other things if I recall like forest fires that are nice.As far as support-I wrote when I was making my Debonair that there were no fuel flow/manifold gauges which made it kind of hard to design /fly any kind of complex single. I got a reply I'll look into it. I still don't see any.Was a surprise to me though that my "flawed" Deb was one of the hotter downloads of the time-but of course there were not that many aircraft to choose from.A few years later in fs2002 I was able to make the Deb in 99% accurate representation-in all respects.Like all things simming-we have individual needs. Not really a question of which is better-but the fact that xplane just doesn't really cover any of my needs.

[MatthewS 761]

Still looking for the FSX style AI packages in X-plane, the kind of thing from Just Flight, MyTraffic, UTX, WOAI etc. Do they exist?

There's a plugin called FS-IMPhttp://www.fsimp.com/According to the website it directs the AI Traffic. Apparently it can also direct AI Traffic via SID and STAR procedures. It uses the PMDG format procedure files. So if it finds a procedure file for a given airport, it will parse those procedures and direct the AI Traffic using the correct SIDs or STARs. Will even stack planes on approch if heavily congested airspace!

If I can't get or find, or make an aircraft I fly,or one close to it, it doesn't do me any good. (You can check out my Beech Debonair in the file library I made 10 years ago for xplane-despite all the work I did on it it was a bust for me and why I left xplane at that point).

10 years ago! I imagine that X-Plane has improved a lot in those years.

[McCrash 3]

That statement was a bit tacky! I had X-Plane and will never buy it again. I do commend Austin for his hard work, but I think that sim lacks a whole lota 'missing'.

[Murmur 3,944]

X-Plane has advantages and disasvantages compared to MSFS.It depends on what are your interests and your use of the sim.For example, for IFR training X-Plane has various advantages:.the weather system is purposely designed to enable precise ifr training, in terms of precise clouds base, runway visibility, the ground is never visible in overcast conditions, etc.;.the failures modeling is much better than MSFS, you have various options to fail every single instrument and system of the aircraft. It works natively on any aircraft and not only on purposely designed add-ons;.the failures in itself are generally more realistic, see e.g. the various and realistic failure modes of the ASI and compare them with the totally unrealistic "airspeed-goes-to-zero" ASI failure of MSFS;.some things like carburator icing, wing icing, windshield icing are natively modeled (also anoxia at altitude as well, actually);.in general, various aspects of it are purposely designed for training, e.g. the 3d-path that can be reviewed using the flexible replay mode comes to mind, but not only;The general twitchiness of the flight model is not true for all aircrafts. There are various aircrafts designed to behave in a much more stable manner, see for example the modified "tuned-down" C172 available on X-Plane.org.I think go-flight hardware is compatible with X-Plane ( http://www.goflightinc.com/support.shtml ).If, as will probably be the case, X-Plane will become the major and dominating flight simulator software in the next years, all hardware vendors will quickly support it.I think fuel flow/manifold gauges have been added and have been there for years!Another example: if you are a helicopter nut, X-Plane, even if not perfect, has a lot of advantages in terms of flight modeling over MSFS (just ask at the guys at hovercontrol). Though, full-sized controls are required to achieve max realism, or otherwise you'll have to add "fake" artifical-stability in the options (or use helicopter models purposely designed with these limitations in mind);Other examples: X-Plane is better with autogyros (and vtol aircrafts in general) and amphibians/seaplanes (due to the superior modeling of water interaction).So, at the end of the day, it all depends on what your interests are. I agree with the fact that overall FSX is still quite ahead, mainly because of AI traffic, ATC, less twitchy default flight models and better scenery in terms of autogen/airports.If, in the near future, X-Plane will fill most of these gaps (maybe helped, I hope, by more and more developers moving from MSFS to it), it's going to become the de-facto standard replacing the unfortunately halted MSFS as the dominant flight simulator.Marco

[boshar 6]

If I can't get or find, or make an aircraft I fly,or one close to it, it doesn't do me any good. (You can check out my Beech Debonair in the file library I made 10 years ago for xplane-despite all the work I did on it it was a bust for me and why I left xplane at that point).

While the version you made in FS98 (same year 10 years back remember?) is still the best ever? What about the FS2000 version. Stil flyable in FS-X because you used the real numbers or did things change in the code in 10 years time. You must have had a real horifying experience to keep a grudge that long...

[Geofa 108]

"10 years ago! I imagine that X-Plane has improved a lot in those years"That was kinda my point...at least in the areas of my concern.