Microsoft Flight has new competition

[dtrjones 356]

Hi all, almost everybody has heard of Prepar3D, but up until now it's been for the commercial sector. Well no longer as an academic version retailing at $49 has emerged for home use!!!

 

http://www.prepar3d.com/prepar3d-academic/

 

This really changes the picture a little, I wonder what all your throughts are for Flight now that Prepar3D is a viable option for the home user. $49 dollars doesn't sound a lot to get FSX on steriods and a lot of addon's are compatible.

 

How does this change the picture with Flight if at all. I must say I'm a fan of Flight, not so much in it's current incarnation but what it could become. The little hops accross Hawaii are certainly fun though. I enjoyed bush flying in FSX and I would say Flight's offering is a clear improvment above FSX and Prepar3D as well. Ofcourse people who felt let down by Flight's true simulation capbabilities now have another option so that is good news as well.

 

All in all Prepar3D AND Microsoft Flight is a win - win for simulation enthusiats everywhere.

 

Cheers,

Dave.

[Vox-tm 0]

To be fair, despite some fairly minor improvements in Prepar3D, it's essentially still FSX. With a decent modern gaming rig, you can get perfectly acceptable performance from FSX... and will no doubt find it in the 'bargain bin' of most gaming stores for alot less that $49. And that's without a watermark.

[dburne 2]

Hmm actually I do not think much about it and am really not enticed.

I have a solid install of FSX, with some really nice addons, that runs fairly well on my system - certainly acceptable for what I want to see.

I see no reason to invest in basically another copy through Prepare3d at this time. Maybe later down the road when /if it offers much more than what we get with FSX and the addons available for it.

 

I would not even think of comparing with Flight, as I view them as two very different products that do very different things - certainly does not affect my enjoyment with Flight, or FSX for that matter.

 

Apples and oranges really imho.

[RoboRay 126]

As someone who essentially skipped FS9 and FSX, Prepar3d is very interesting to me. In the event that Flight development stagnates or simply fails to build on it's "simulation" aspects and goes fully down the Xbox chute, I will most likely find myself trying P3D. It's also possible that I will find myself using both. After many years of being ground-bound, Flight has finally gotten me interested in flying for real again and I'm going to need some serious retraining to get back in the seat. P3D is obviously a more capable platform for that.

[Guest]

I also think P3D is still FSX but with a few fixes. I certainly wouldn't call it FSX on steroids yet! Just look at the P3D forum and read how people still try to tweak it to get rid of the well known old problems... It certainly didn't give me the excitement that Flight is giving me. It looks just as outdated as FSX. Maybe when version 2.0 is released it may become interesting. Maybe.

[RYR738 9]

When P3D gets to version 2 and is DX11 compatible I will certainly take another look at it.

For now all my flying is in Flight.

 

Fred.

[frankla 44]

1) Prepar3d has been extensively modified to use multi core capabilities. Also the code has been so modified as to allow under water simulation. So to say it is the same as FSX is really not true.

 

2)As for tweaks and performance? We don't know if Flight would be performing as well as it does if it had AI, ATC, high res clouds, automobiles, animals, etc..

 

3)I wonder why MS is allowing it? Could it be because they realize they are never going to expand Flight to have more complex simulation aspects?

 

4)Keep in mind that not only Pr3pared is being constantly updated, but that third party developers such as Orbx are actively working on improving the platform.

 

The only thing I don't like about it though is the Prepar3d watermark on the top corner of the simulation.

[JimmiG 244]

Eligibility

Academic licensing can be purchased for educational efforts at or below the undergraduate level.

 

So you're still in breach of the licensing agreement if you purchase it for your own entertainment use.

 

1. License Grant. Subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA, Licensor hereby grants Licensee a fully paid-up, nontransferable, nonsublicensable, nonexclusive license during the Term of this EULA to use the Software, but only on no more than one computer at any one time, only by no more than one user at any one time, and only for purposes other than personal/consumer entertainment.

 

No matter how seriously some take this hobby, almost everyone still falls under the "personal/consumer entertainment" category.

[Chase 303]

[alert]A forum member that includes ANY reference to the P3D EULA, especially dissection or interpretation, will be suspended or banned depending on prior incidents. AVSIM is NOT a court room or a legal office. This is not appropriate discussion here. Consider yourself warned![/alert]

[Simmo W 24]

Now im expecting to get flamed! Anyone who follows our blog knows- I think Xplane 10 and Flight are the future, not p3d. Esp as Aerosoft are porting their sceneries over- I just bombed Keflavik. in a Zero, at 40 fps, in a very challenging plane.

 

I really hope LM make big leaps for V2 though- they need to.

[xplanery 250]

Flight does not compete with true whole world simulators such as FSX, X plane 10 and Prepar3d. They are totally different class really... Flight is fun little game to fly around with small planes and nice graphics, but so far it has not been able to provide whole simulation experience which would simulate all aspects of flying (like ATC, realistic systems and all that)... To really simulate complete general aviation flight you need something more than MS Flight.

 

But of course if lack of ATC and complex systems (or as complex as GA aircrafts have) does not bother you, then Flight can offer some nice basic flying too, but not total simulation.

[jcomm 5,943]

Simmo!!! I poll your Blog daily! A great BLOG BTW!

 

Nice to see you around :-)

 

 

 

Now im expecting to get flamed! Anyone who follows our blog knows- I think Xplane 10 and Flight are the future, not p3d. Esp as Aerosoft are porting their sceneries over- I just bombed Keflavik. in a Zero, at 40 fps, in a very challenging plane.

 

I really hope LM make big leaps for V2 though- they need to.

[LHookins 3,104]

Flight does not compete with true whole world simulators such as FSX, X plane 10 and Prepar3d. They are totally different class really... Flight is fun little game to fly around with small planes and nice graphics, but so far it has not been able to provide whole simulation experience which would simulate all aspects of flying (like ATC, realistic systems and all that)... To really simulate complete general aviation flight you need something more than MS Flight.

 

But of course if lack of ATC and complex systems (or as complex as GA aircrafts have) does not bother you, then Flight can offer some nice basic flying too, but not total simulation.

 

You are trying to redefine "simulation" in too narrow terms.

 

I think Antlab said it best when he referred to a "complex simulation." That describes very well the difference between Flight and some others. I've done complex simulations in the past, and now I'm looking for something a little lighter. Something more fun. If I want a complex simulation, I'll go launch the space shuttle again.

 

I've graduated from complex simulations to simpler ones that require more skill on my part. Like soaring. No complex systems there, it's just you and the sky.. and your skill in finding thermals (not the world class ones in FSX) and trying to stay aloft long enough to get to a declared destination.

 

Hook

[frankla 44]

[alert]A forum member that includes ANY reference to the P3D EULA, especially dissection or interpretation, will be suspended or banned depending on prior incidents. AVSIM is NOT a court room or a legal office. This is not appropriate discussion here. Consider yourself warned![/alert]

 

I am stunned at the level of your scolding. Even though I am not sure I understand the offence (which I really don't ), I am sorry for breaking any rules. However, it feels lousy to be threatened with a ban and scolded like a little child when I didn't even know that what I was saying was wrong. So, that I avoid walking in this mine field again, please explain what EULA is and if the ban on discussion of its kind is unique to P3D? Furthermore, please let me know if I was warned about this rule in any of the agreements I made when I joined AVSIM, so I can go back and refresh my memory of the terms of use.

 

While I appreciate that AVSIM is a privately owned community and we are all guests here at AVSIM, this place has become a lot less welcoming and a lot less tolerant since I joined over 6 years ago. While us members need to be gracious guests, one would think that AVSIM, as a host, has a moral obligation to not offend and alienate its guests. As your above reaction is an indication of the recent attitude in AVSIM, I feel very not welcomed.

 

Sincerely,

Frank Lavizadeh

[RYR738 9]

Flight so far has been a breath of fresh air for me. Since I retired as an airline pilot I found fying even the incredible PMDG NGX got very boring after a short while.

They have indeed created a masterpiece for FSX but it is serious stuff. If I was starting my career all over again I would love it.

Since I started in the Flight beta in early january I really started to get more interested in the fun and enjoyment side of flight simulation.

I am having a ball at the moment reading up about aerobatics on various sites and then trying that stuff out in the RV-6.

I am lost in a world of spins, stalls, rolls and loops and never enjoyed flight simulation so much. Serious XP grinding too......ha ha ha.

( now if I could just steal that Xtra 300 from FSX !!)

 

Fred.

 

This is news to me.. What is EULA?

European Ugly Ladies Association. :Just Kidding:

 

Actually it stands for End User Licence Agreement. Stadard with any piece of licenced software. ( that stuff that no one ever reads.)

 

Fred.