The Living, Breathing World

[Simmo W 24]

Sorry, I hadn't finished my post. The new scenery tools will enable rapid development of CUSTOM airport sceneries, unlike, from my own experience, the drab box shapes of DEFAULT fsx scenery.Plus yes, it'll be even better with the sloped runways.I'll use this post to reserve YMML for my own customizing for the default distribution!

[Andydigital 93]

I was saying that X-Plane lacks any Airport buildings and associated scenery, not the airports themselves.I wouldn't get too excited about the sloped runways either I have seen them I do own XP9 (only for support purposes) and I am not that impressed by the way aircraft react to them, then there's the bug where you cannot stop when its raining, the water feels like ice and all laws of physics go out the window with the Xplane DVDs following them shortly afterwards. I know the friction model in FS is a bit of a joke but XP9 makes FS look quite good in that regard when its raining.I am not exaggerating either, one day I slide about 2000 feet off the end of the wet runway when my speed was down to about 20 knots at the time of leaving the runway, I was only in that little Mooney type aircraft (not sure what it was supposed to represent).

[GoranM 3,778]

I was saying that X-Plane lacks any Airport buildings and associated scenery, not the airports themselves.

Not sure what airports you're talking about. I'm assuming you're talking about ALL airports lack any kind of buildings and scenery. That isn't true.

I wouldn't get too excited about the sloped runways either I have seen them I do own XP9 (only for support purposes) and I am not that impressed by the way aircraft react to them, then there's the bug where you cannot stop when its raining, the water feels like ice and all laws of physics go out the window with the Xplane DVDs following them shortly afterwards. I know the friction model in FS is a bit of a joke but XP9 makes FS look quite good in that regard when its raining.

I'm curious, what support do you do for x plane? Your signature says you're a beta tester for HiFi. To address your post, I think sloped runways are VERY important. Ever tried landing on one? It's not easy. But seeing as you're an FSX enthusiast, you're dismissing the sloped runways as unimportant.On top of that, landing on a wet runway IS like landing on ice. Ever heard of hydro planing? Tires sometimes don't come into contact with the runway. They slide on the water. So in that sense, the physics are VERY realistic.Small edit:You HAD to drag this thread into a pointless FSX vs X Plane thread.

[manuthie 242]

Come on guys - denying the obvious not very helpfull. Obviously he was talking about the lack of airport buildings besides the default airport (and maybe LOWI in case it will be ported over from XP9). It is not surprising that a company with just a few employees lacks the manpower to create airports for the whole world. However there are a few things to consider:- they said they will try to auto-populate empty airports- if i remember correctly Tom said that one of his next tasks once XP10 is released might be to create some additional airports (not sure where I read it though)- Once the new WordEditor is out it will be quite ease to create airports with buildings and decoration of a reasonable quality. Users can create and submit airports and they will be distributed as updates. I bet that will happen very fast if it is indeed as easy as it sounds. So empty airports may only be a problem for the first months after release.So yes - initially most airports will be empty or only populated by random airport buildings. There is light on the horizon however ...

[alainneedle1 97]

Nice to see you here in the XP forum Alain, and I could not agree with you more. The treatment of the roads and going through undersized buildings, over-sized houses, blurry parking lots, etc. is so 2006. I am really glad to see a modern simulator being built.Regarding your concern about dogs in your backyard, that will be a new simulator plug in called X-Poo version 1.0, which will include rising steam coming from the pup's gift. :)

I'll pass on the smell plug in if they make one....by the way how are women and dog poo alike...... the older they get easier they are to pick up .....

[GoranM 3,778]

Come on guys - denying the obvious not very helpfull. Obviously he was talking about the lack of airport buildings besides the default airport (and maybe LOWI in case it will be ported over from XP9). It is not surprising that a company with just a few employees lacks the manpower to create airports for the whole world. However there are a few things to consider:- they said they will try to auto-populate empty airports- if i remember correctly Tom said that one of his next tasks once XP10 is released might be to create some additional airports (not sure where I read it though)- Once the new WordEditor is out it will be quite ease to create airports with buildings and decoration of a reasonable quality. Users can create and submit airports and they will be distributed as updates. I bet that will happen very fast if it is indeed as easy as it sounds. So empty airports may only be a problem for the first months after release.So yes - initially most airports will be empty or only populated by random airport buildings. There is light on the horizon however ...

I have no problem admitting the obvious. I just choose to do so to rational people.

[Andydigital 93]

Please do enlighten me, what was so irrational about my comments or experiences with XP9 to warrant your wrath. If you must know my support role is in regard to VRinsight hardware which I do on a voluntary basis for them. Just for your info FSX and FS9 users make up for 99+% of those enquires and I am stating fact here not trying to start an argument. I really do wish XP was better than it is then MS would have some serious competition to push it harder and make flight simulation better for us all. My fingers are crossed that XP10 will be that catalyst to better things, but I've been disappointed too many times in the past to get too excited about the future just yet.

[Murmur 3,944]

Gotta love those naysayers, you just can't please 'em

[GoranM 3,778]

Please do enlighten me, what was so irrational about my comments or experiences with XP9 to warrant your wrath. If you must know my support role is in regard to VRinsight hardware which I do on a voluntary basis for them. Just for your info FSX and FS9 users make up for 99+% of those enquires and I am stating fact here not trying to start an argument. I really do wish XP was better than it is then MS would have some serious competition to push it harder and make flight simulation better for us all. My fingers are crossed that XP10 will be that catalyst to better things, but I've been disappointed too many times in the past to get too excited about the future just yet.

I don't know if I have "wrath". I've actually calmed down quite a lot over the years.It's 1130pm down here and I don't have time to go quoting specifics, but one thing off the top of my head, which I find irrational, is your comment about how we shouldn't get too excited about runways that follow the terrain. That's one of the things MSFS has never had and that has desperately been requested over the years. I know. I was one of them. It just seems you were brushing off a positive feature about x plane that was non existent in FSX for almost 19 years. Sure X Plane has its faults. It always has. As has every piece of software ever written for any OS ever written in the history of computer programming. But we are, in a sense, celebrating the arrival of some very advanced, new technology that X Plane 10 has to offer, and here you are telling us how the ground physics are crap. I flew the default F-16 in FSX the other day. I was sliding all over the runway. I hate pointing out negatives for ANY platform. The times I do point out the negatives is when I'm trying to make a point. To address the other points, I have to say, I have never heard of VRInsight. I might be one of the few, but I have honestly never heard of them. Do you have some kind of figures to show this 99+% of FSX and FS9 users compared to x plane users. Seeing as you felt it was important to state the percentage, why not show some hard data. Do you REALLY wish X Plane was better than FSX? Your actions and previous statements indicate otherwise.Going by these screenshots that were posted at the top of this thread, and the screenshots I have seen of Flight...FSX or Flight don't stand a chance. So it looks like you will get your wish.BTW, I think it's admirable you are doing volunteer support for VRInsight. I did the same thing for two different FS9/FSX payware developers. You definitely would have heard of them.

[alpilotx 505]

Speaking of a living breathing world.. i remember Ben Supnik posting a video in which he showed off a Cirrus Jet with heat-blurr coming out of the exhaust.. Back then he said that they were experimenting with it. and still needing to finetune it and whatnot.. It looked pretty good back then, and i wonder if the effect will actually be in the release version. Anyone have any idea?I'm talking about this video: http://dev.x-plane.c.../self_light.mov

Yes ... it should be in. It works in our test versions since some months already. But only if deferred rendering (called the HDR setting) is on.

[LAdamson 240]

To address your post, I think sloped runways are VERY important. Ever tried landing on one? It's not easy. But seeing as you're an FSX enthusiast, you're dismissing the sloped runways as unimportant.

A comment here.MSFS also worked with the idea of sloped runways. The problem is, and it HAS been a problem in X-Plane, is the lack of elevation points to make these runways totally realistic. Some runways work out, but some are exaggerated to the point.........that they'd never let that go in real life. They would have done some excavation work, before asphalt..........for sure!In other words, when you land on an X-Plane sloped runway, don't make the assumption that the real one is going to have the same look to it. Sometimes the slope adds to the effect , and sometimes...........it's just to far fetched.edit: With MSFS, you can choose to land your Piper Cub, on just about any sloped hill or mountain, with or with out some type of road. The aircraft will decelerate uphill, and gain speed going down. It's the airports that MSFS ultimately chose to flatten, because the layout of airport buildings (from Jeppeson charts), which are included by default, just doesn't work, when the runway elevations get too much slope due to not having reworked elevation points, every few feet. You'd have to take tens of thousands of airports, and rework these all by hand, to make it realistic across the board.L.Adamson

[Geofa 108]

I must say these screenshots are incredible and a new high in those departments for sure. This next couple months will be an exciting time for flight simmers!

[Janov 2,383]

I think everyone agrees that having sloping runways is great - but it is hard to implement correctly. While XP9´s runways look good if the underlying terrain isn´t too steep, it does create "unusuable" runways once in a while. There is an option to "flatten" the runways - I just don´t like having to go to the menu all the time if a runway seems too slopy to me.I am not 100% sure, but I think XP10 will use a special system of "flattening" the area within the airport boundary...to an extent that you will still have sloping runways, but not so wild that you can´t use them. Sort of a smoothing algorythm aplied to the underlying terrain.Jan

[Mountain Man 142]

...these screenshots have been pumped up to maximum detail (or at least very close to it)...

That was my question. Is that maximum detail, or is that what we can expect to see on current hardware? I'm just trying to get a realistic idea of what to expect.

[Geofa 108]

That was my question. Is that maximum detail, or is that what we can expect to see on current hardware? I'm just trying to get a realistic idea of what to expect.

I would expect just like when fsx came out that you may be able to crank some detail to the max if you turn completely other off others (like autogen, trees if you wish to see maximum road effects), and otherwise find a sweet spot that gives a good balance of detail for how you are flying at the moment, and what details are important to you.I wonder if like fsx it will allow you to save preset settings for different flying conditions.