Since the cat is out of the bag ...

[torium 207]

However... from their blurb, it looks like 45 airports and 39 cities only are available. Seems a bit meagre, considering that the default 60$ FSX package (which is also part of the ESP package, no?) contains 20000+ airports and airstrips as well as cityscapes in most countries.

John Nicol (Lockheed Martin) says:- "The 45 airports are high-detailed airports with geo-specific buildings and layouts etc. There are still nearly 25,000 worldwide airports in the database, which is the same as FSX."http://www.prepar3d....viewtopic&t=576

[EagleSkinner 36]

John Nicol (Lockheed Martin) says:- "The 45 airports are high-detailed airports with geo-specific buildings and layouts etc. There are still nearly 25,000 worldwide airports in the database, which is the same as FSX."http://www.prepar3d....viewtopic&t=576

Ah! Great news, thanks.

[Guest]

John Nicol (Lockheed Martin) says:- "The 45 airports are high-detailed airports with geo-specific buildings and layouts etc. There are still nearly 25,000 worldwide airports in the database, which is the same as FSX."http://www.prepar3d....viewtopic&t=576

That doesn't mean they will be good looking... P3D comes with Norfolk, which is a showcase for P3D. Well, it doesn't come close to any of the cities you see in Orbx Anacortes or Diamond Point. When you are used to that it still looks like FSX default. There is no one in the world who would mistake a screenshot of Norfol for the real thing. So we still have a long way to go. :( (BTW Of course even the Orbx cities don't look like the real thing.)

[mgh 89]

John Nicol (Lockheed Martin) says:- "The 45 airports are high-detailed airports with geo-specific buildings and layouts etc. There are still nearly 25,000 worldwide airports in the database, which is the same as FSX."http://www.prepar3d....viewtopic&t=576

It's interesting that John Nicol says both types of P3D licences are for for non-entertainment purposes. Edited January 8, 2012 by mgh

[Guest]

It's interesting that John Nicol says both types of P3D licences are for for non-entertainment purposes.

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/358920-the-one-and-only-prepar3d-eula-topic/

[mgh 89]

Thank you, I'd missed that thread but had seen others where it was implied the LM were saying something different.

Edited January 8, 2012 by mgh

[CaptKornDog 282]

Kept my mouth shut in most of the Flight threads so far. Some dead-on posts, many complaining (though understandable), many arguing, some shallow, some exaggerated, some way out in left field.My opinion and concern is pretty simple and goes beyond Flight. I think most of us agree that Flight isn't going to be what we hopes for. My concern is that now that we turn to other companies for sim platforms (or rumored sim platforms)...Flight, P3D, Aerosoft's sim, etc...there will be no consistency in the addons, resources, or even user base. With so many possible platforms, I fear that addons will be so spread out and incompatible that a true, modern, immersive experience from scenery to weather to planes (not to mention IVAO/VATSIM support which will hurt user numbers) may not be achievable for many years to come. At least not nearly the same experience we have now with primarily FS9/X.Divided we fall.

[xgibbousx 0]

We're not interested in X-P. It has too many warts for us to justify the time and effort, and far too small a user base. We can make FSX/P3D look and perform better than X-P even with current engine limitations, soon to be solved.

Given the recent MS Flight debacle, I don't think it'll be too long for some great talent to make an ORBX quality scenery add on for X-Plane 10. It'll be interesting to see how successful the product is when it does happen. I'll be buying it for sure and so will many others I suspect since everyone is ready for something new. It also looks like PMDG is giving X-Plane 10 a good shot. I have to say that I'm betting on X-Plane 10 over P3D :]

[RYR738 9]

Another alien !! :(

[cmdrnmartin 1]

Another alien !! :(

Or yet another sign of things to come, as more and more people go see what Laminar has to offer.

[greggerm 312]

Divided we fall.

So true... but taking some of your concerns one-by-one, there really aren't as many legitimate options as you might think...* Flight - (Non-Factor) - No freeware community input, and limited 3rd party developer input, limited to those willing to play by MS's rules. Plus, it's not currently expected to be a player for the flight sim enthusiast. Developers working with Flight are not going to be in competition for the customers who currently use more robust simulators.* Prepar3D - (Minimal Factor) - Developers working with P3D today are primarily developing for FSX, and making the most minor of tweaks to get it working and/or legally licensed for use on P3D. I would wager that companies will simply create content for FSX and port it over, rather than dedicate specific resources to P3D development. This makes it a very interesting platform, especially if their v2 release (towards the end of 2012 or early 2013) makes major improvements to the core.* Aerosoft's Sim - (No Factor) - D.O.A. - Aerosoft shelved the project some time ago when they realized just how involved creating a new sim from scratch is. That being said, Aerosoft has put some weight into the X-Plane environment from an add-on perspective, and will dual-develop for FSX and XPlane for some time.* X-Plane - (Maybe a Factor) - Although still a niche simulator, X-Plane may enjoy a small boost in reactionary sales due to people being upset over MS Flight. Unfortunately, in its current state X-Plane might end up being an $ bucket of cold water over the head for some MSFS converts. In a change from what MSFS users are used to, the X-Plane development process is an ongoing one, and they are still hammering out bugs, performance hiccups, and other major items a month and a half into release. XPlane10 is also admitted to being unfinished from a scenery perspective, and this has a significant impact on the out-the-window experience (*if you value that sort of thing). This method is something long-time X-Plane pilots are used to, but converts will need abundant patience and a serious change in expectations about what you get "out of the box".X-Plane is truly the only "other" platform which will be developed for, and isn't entirely ready to pick up the mantle of being the simmers platform of choice in my humble opinion. Aerosoft is out of the picture, P3D and FSX are so similar that a decent developer will undoubtedly create content for both as opposed to just one of them, and MS Flight is a non-factor due to the intended audience.Thankfully, FS2004 and FSX aren't going anywhere in the short term, so simmers who enjoy both of those platforms can continue to do so for the foreseeable future.-GregEdit: Spelling Edited January 9, 2012 by greggerm