Another first impression thread...I really enjoyed the newer UI, I remember version 9 probably 9.4ish maybe, and I remember it being horrendous. I was actually a little happy with the way it guided you to set up your joysticks, and beyond the user error of it assigning an axis to "roll" when I was trying to click off screen it went very smoothly. After hearing all of the horror stories of FPS this and FPS that, I was very surprised to see the sim running at 60+ FPS on my default load up, I started switching things on and hit HDR... WHOA!, little bit of a slide show, but I took off 4x and put it to FXAA and put my frame limiter to "half of refresh rate" and I was back to a golden smooth experience. I turned my textures up one notch and left pretty much everything else the same. I do get a tad bit slow when I am 500 to 1k ft. below or above the clouds but it really was negligible. So most of the fears I had going into XP actually weren't what I thought they would be.Now I only messed around in the 747 so I can't speak for other A/C... But the 747's panel was a little hard to read, I am running at 1920 resolution but the writing just seemed to be a little bit blurry. The flight model itself felt just a tad bit off for some reason, I just didn't get the sense that I was flying a heavy plane... I can't really explain what it was but it almost reminded me of the default A320 that came with FSX. This may be because it is a default A/C and FM's for other A/C will feel different.I have to say right now overall I am pretty pleased with what I saw, ground textures look great. The default FM for the 747 leaves something to be desired but that I am sure just comes with the territory of default aircraft... I will say my biggest complaint is with the free look mouse solution... I mapped the free look and the hold look to my joystick, and my x52 pro even has a mouse emulator which helps but it is a real pain in the rear to look around and then click on the cockpit, to me it pretty much makes my track ir worthless (since you have to be in mouse look to use it) and then if you want to click on something the game fights over trackir's positioning of the mouse and the actual position of your mouse.Hopefully over the next few months we will get some stuff ironed out, but overall I am pleased with the sim. I think it has a ton of potential, and I look forward to seeing where we go from here.

Nice review, thanks !are you sure the frame rate limiter is useful ? AFAIK, it's an "upper" limiter, it means your fps can't go up. But maybe it has some other positive effect ?Pascal

snwboardn, wait until you try to fly a GA plane in real weather in XPX. They dance like drunken leaves in turbulences and winds - it's completely different from FSX, where planes tend to stay smooth even in less favorable weather - but it's also completely unrealistc compared to real life.I like XPX for some reasons (and it DOES run fine on my rig, even with lots of eye candy), but two things turn me away from it constantly: The much too nervous airplane behaviour (which can't be cured, and it's my understanding that Austin insists that it IS realistic - like he has never flown a real plane himself - and he won't change that) and the total lack of airport buildings or vehicles. Apart from that, AI traffic is a joke (747 taking off from small airports), and even basic ATC in FSX shines against what XPX is trying to throw at us.If XPX wants to become a serious contender in the simming world, it doubt it will happen before X-Plane 11...

snwboardn, wait until you try to fly a GA plane in real weather in XPX. They dance like drunken leaves in turbulences and winds - it's completely different from FSX, where planes tend to stay smooth even in less favorable weather - but it's also completely unrealistc compared to real life.

Drunken leaves? That's a new one.

I like XPX for some reasons (and it DOES run fine on my rig, even with lots of eye candy), but two things turn me away from it constantly: The much too nervous airplane behaviour (which can't be cured, and it's my understanding that Austin insists that it IS realistic - like he has never flown a real plane himself - and he won't change that) and the total lack of airport buildings or vehicles. Apart from that, AI traffic is a joke (747 taking off from small airports), and even basic ATC in FSX shines against what XPX is trying to throw at us.

Actually, I made two threads with a modified flight model of the Cessna 172 that took me 3 minutes to "cure" (while drinking a cup of coffee in one hand...that's how small the problem was) and it has been stated by FSX users AND X Plane users that my mod flies MUCH better and MUCH more stable. So the problem isn't in the turbulence (which I actually believe to be realistic), it's in the flight models.

If XPX wants to become a serious contender in the simming world, it doubt it will happen before X-Plane 11...

It already is a serious contender.ActiveSky is coming to X Plane 10. Carenado are developing for X Plane 10. PMDG are considering it sometime in the next few years. Aerosoft are LOVING it. If possible, could you please post some charts and graphs on the wind effects on a common aircraft you are familiar with, an aircraft in X Plane and an aircraft in FSX so we can draw comparisons on your observations. If anything, it will definitely help in making a much more realistic flight model. Heck, I'd even be willing to give you a credit on my next payware project if you can show me some of your expertise in this area.

Another first impression thread...I really enjoyed the newer UI, I remember version 9 probably 9.4ish maybe, and I remember it being horrendous. I was actually a little happy with the way it guided you to set up your joysticks, and beyond the user error of it assigning an axis to "roll" when I was trying to click off screen it went very smoothly. After hearing all of the horror stories of FPS this and FPS that, I was very surprised to see the sim running at 60+ FPS on my default load up, I started switching things on and hit HDR... WHOA!, little bit of a slide show, but I took off 4x and put it to FXAA and put my frame limiter to "half of refresh rate" and I was back to a golden smooth experience. I turned my textures up one notch and left pretty much everything else the same. I do get a tad bit slow when I am 500 to 1k ft. below or above the clouds but it really was negligible. So most of the fears I had going into XP actually weren't what I thought they would be.Now I only messed around in the 747 so I can't speak for other A/C... But the 747's panel was a little hard to read, I am running at 1920 resolution but the writing just seemed to be a little bit blurry. The flight model itself felt just a tad bit off for some reason, I just didn't get the sense that I was flying a heavy plane... I can't really explain what it was but it almost reminded me of the default A320 that came with FSX. This may be because it is a default A/C and FM's for other A/C will feel different.I have to say right now overall I am pretty pleased with what I saw, ground textures look great. The default FM for the 747 leaves something to be desired but that I am sure just comes with the territory of default aircraft... I will say my biggest complaint is with the free look mouse solution... I mapped the free look and the hold look to my joystick, and my x52 pro even has a mouse emulator which helps but it is a real pain in the rear to look around and then click on the cockpit, to me it pretty much makes my track ir worthless (since you have to be in mouse look to use it) and then if you want to click on something the game fights over trackir's positioning of the mouse and the actual position of your mouse.Hopefully over the next few months we will get some stuff ironed out, but overall I am pleased with the sim. I think it has a ton of potential, and I look forward to seeing where we go from here.

If your mouse is still active with TrackIR on, you haven't configured something right, probably in the joystick page in X-Plane. Go to Settingsjoystick & equipmentequipment. When you get to the equipment page, click the TrackIR button, (the third down from the top), After that you shouldn[t have a problem. I would suggest you asighn a button on your joystick to pause the TrackIR, as it is a pain to drag a manipulator in X-Plane without moving your head. :smile:If your TrackIR is still worthless, come back tell us how you are setup, and I'll bet someone here will help you.Regards,

Goron-perhaps xplane can be made better by actually taking the critics in stride?Drunken leaves may be a new one but it is perhaps a good description.I have never had a plane slide off the runway with brakes on in moderate winds, blow backwards, or exhibit the overly exagerated effects it seems winds/turbulence produce in xplane (as many have written in the turbulence thread).In fact I find I can seldom use rw because the turbulence/wind factors are so over exagerated...and where I live high winds are a normal so it is a problem. When I end up crashing, stalling in the sim with 15 mile an hour winds there is something wrong.I had a look in my logbook last night and won't bore you with all the well into the 20 knt flights I have had-almost one per page. Even took my commercial multi exam with gusts to 34 after the examiner challenged me to. If you wish I'll list all the aircraft I am familair with, all the winds and icing conditions, but I think it will get boring.Yes your 172 is better-but it still needs lots of work...and I have also provided critics for another aircraft and am hopeful the flight models will be improved too. I am tired of just flying my f33 but can't really enjoy much else that is available right now.Xplane is a serious contender, but to contend, it needs to improve, and there are lots of things which imho need to change-sooner than later.

Nice review, thanks !are you sure the frame rate limiter is useful ? AFAIK, it's an "upper" limiter, it means your fps can't go up. But maybe it has some other positive effect ?Pascal

I really can't say for sure, for me it was here are my settings these all feel fluid. To me it seemed to reduce the stutters, and I have a very smooth feeling when I fly, which is the only thing I care about.

If your mouse is still active with TrackIR on, you haven't configured something right, probably in the joystick page in X-Plane. Go to Settingsjoystick & equipmentequipment. When you get to the equipment page, click the TrackIR button, (the third down from the top), After that you shouldn[t have a problem. I would suggest you asighn a button on your joystick to pause the TrackIR, as it is a pain to drag a manipulator in X-Plane without moving your head. :smile:If your TrackIR is still worthless, come back tell us how you are setup, and I'll bet someone here will help you.Regards,

I will go through my settings today and see what the problem is. So you can use your mouse independently from your trackir? For example I can look around and then without doing anything use my mouse to click around the cockpit?

I will go through my settings today and see what the problem is. So you can use your mouse independently from your trackir? For example I can look around and then without doing anything use my mouse to click around the cockpit?

Yes that is correct, if TrackIR is active you should be able to use your mouse, it does in mine, I might suggest if for some reason you can't get your mouse to work right I would assign a button to mouselook, then if you're in TrackIR, you need to use the mouse hit "W" key, use the mouse then to switch back using a joystick button, having said all that, this kind of workaround shouldn't be necessary.

yep I got it... thanks!

If possible, could you please post some charts and graphs on the wind effects on a common aircraft you are familiar with, an aircraft in X Plane and an aircraft in FSX so we can draw comparisons on your observations. If anything, it will definitely help in making a much more realistic flight model. Heck, I'd even be willing to give you a credit on my next payware project if you can show me some of your expertise in this area.

Easy one, even without charts. Show me A F33 that, without engines running and parking brakes applied, is slowly turning around its own axis on the apron with winds of 12 miles per hour.Goran, do me a favor: Show me a plane that flies as expected in XPX. Payware, freeware, I don't care. I will instantly buy it. But for now, I haven't found a single one with 6 seats or less. Even the F33 from Carenado shows strange behaviour, as I said...

I have my F33 Bonanza from Carenado setting on a ramp facing 174 degrees, the wind is at 15 knots from 129 degrees, that is a 45 degree quarting headwind, and the brakes are holding if I use maximum braking effort (key "V"). Just checked even Key "B" holds it in place.PS I really haven't seen anything too strange in the Carenado F33, perhaps not perfect, but pretty darn good if you ask me. :(

Edited January 22, 201214 yr by wb5okj

Goron-perhaps xplane can be made better by actually taking the critics in stride?

No one minds criticisms for x plane. But saying something CANNOT be fixed, when many developers know it CAN, is a little far.

Drunken leaves may be a new one but it is perhaps a good description.

I cannot even begin to imagine a "drunk leaf". When someone is drunk, they are usually slow and sometimes immoveable.

I have never had a plane slide off the runway with brakes on in moderate winds, blow backwards, or exhibit the overly exagerated effects it seems winds/turbulence produce in xplane (as many have written in the turbulence thread).

I swear to you, I have never had this happen to me in X plane. I have tried to duplicate it, but just can't.

I had a look in my logbook last night and won't bore you with all the well into the 20 knt flights I have had-almost one per page. Even took my commercial multi exam with gusts to 34 after the examiner challenged me to. If you wish I'll list all the aircraft I am familair with, all the winds and icing conditions, but I think it will get boring.

You're a lot braver than I am.

Yes your 172 is better-but it still needs lots of work...and I have also provided critics for another aircraft and am hopeful the flight models will be improved too. I am tired of just flying my f33 but can't really enjoy much else that is available right now.

Never said the C172 was perfect yet. I need weeks for that. I have a description of what needs fixing from someone and I'm working on it slowly.

Easy one, even without charts. Show me A F33 that, without engines running and parking brakes applied, is slowly turning around its own axis on the apron with winds of 12 miles per hour.

I don't have the F33. It may very well be happening, but as far as I know, the ground friction might need adjusting. Flight model fix. Takes a couple of minutes. Maybe you could post a video of what is happening.

Goran, do me a favor: Show me a plane that flies as expected in XPX. Payware, freeware, I don't care. I will instantly buy it. But for now, I haven't found a single one with 6 seats or less. Even the F33 from Carenado shows strange behaviour, as I said...

Sure...http://www.x-aviatio...1d135b83dd10b3dhttp://www.x-aviatio...&products_id=59Enjoy...!