I am a loyalist FSX user and will possibly soon be transitioning to P3D. However, I am keen to gather unbiased views on XPX from FSX users, now that it has had some time to settle in. From the pics I have seen, it actually looks very promising in parts, and unconvincing in others - this is purely my view based on screenshots I have seen. It made me want to consider buying - but more to the point of using it as a parallel sim and was wondering what exactly the benefits and or merits would be in making that shift.

 

I am particularly interested in views from FSX users whi are new adopters of XPX concerning the sounds and user interface and the overall 'value added' benefit that that XPX actually offers to a hardcore FSX user.

 

Is it really just about preference? And why are opinions so strongly divided as to which camp people choose to be in?

 

I have posted this here as I am keen on balanced views from FSX users, and not biased views from Only XPX users. Nor am I keen to start a mud flight between the two. This is purely for views on the merits of both.

 

Thanks

I enjoyed the IMC in XP - far superior to FSX. The feeling of being in the 'soup' is much more realistic than FSX. Flying approaches to minimums and breaking out of the clouds is more realistic in XP...

 

That's about all I liked in XP...

Thanks Ryan

I should clarify that I don't own the full version, just tried the demo. However I did take the time to setup all my controllers and configure settings so it looked decent... user GoranM from the XP forum did a nice job of helping me out, especially when it came to balancing cloud settings with the rest. What's kept me away from it is the lack of scenery at default airports, lack of quality default aircraft, and lack of high fidelity addons. Though Carenado is sure pumping out the addons lately :)

Understood. But as FSX started out in much the same way back in 2007, I am hopeful that XP will evolve in much the same way as FSX has over the years. Any comments on sound fidelity ? That is one item I particularly disliked from videos I had watched of XP9. Completely canned and flat sounding.

 

I will not have access to my PC for the next two months , so cannot view the demo first hand. Just seeking opinions at this point

 

The demo was ok... I guess I don't remember the sounds being too bad or too good.

As a longtime FSX user I tried the XP10 demo just for fun, and its graphics were certainly nothing to write home about.

And there were a zillion new key command combinations to learn (yawn).

Also, wings wrongly flexed DOWN under load instead of UP, so it doesn't say much for the XP10 team if they let that almighty blooper slip past them unnoticed..

So i'm happily sticking with FSX..:)

How on earth did that slip by....

 

Thanks

 

I bought X-Plane 10 to check it out (I had a version of X-Plane a few years ago, and was unimpressed by it, but thought it was time to give it another try).

 

The user interface still sucks on it; looking like a DOS game from 1992 does not help endear one to it after having played with FSX. Say what you like about FSX (and Austin Meyer frequently does), FSX has a great GUI which trounces X-Plane's GUI by a country mile. In fact, the GUI and the key mapping is the toughest part of switching to X-Plane, although apparently they are finally going to have a go at improving it if the recent TS chat is to be believed. The fact that one has to have disk 1 in the drive to run XP is also not good, although you can buy a dongle which negates that need, for 30 bucks.

 

There are some very good payware planes available for it, such as the X-Aviation DC-3, which is as good if not better than any DC-3 you can get for FSX, and there's a cool B727 and a B737 on the way for it too. It has sloped runways, which is a feature that is lacking in almost all but a few FSX runways, and that adds a good deal of realism. Flight models on payware craft are good, but on the default planes, they are mostly bloody awful, but then again that's true of some FSX default planes as well. Thus the advent of more decent payware for XP in recent months has made it a more interesting and viable proposition for those spoiled by the wealth of things available for FSX, but there is still a long way to go with it, although having said that, at least you can make your own scenery for it with relative ease, since the capability to do so is built into it.

 

It ain't the go to replacement for FSX yet, but it is going to be, of that I'm fairly certain.

 

Al

I enjoy flying in x plane. It feels a lot like out should. That is of after after I spent weeks learning how to use plane maker and managed to make the default 172 perform as it should. It was a rewarding experience. It demonstrated to me that the sim does a pretty good job with good input.

 

I do not enjoy anything that takes place on the ground such as taxi, takeoff or landing. Light aircraft, which is all I fly, weathervane unrealistically into the wind even in the most gentle crosswinds. Having to hold a left rudder during taxi to counteract a crosswind from the right of 5 knots is not correct.

 

I like the way that random failures are implemented.

 

TrackIR is not implemented very well, but it works. Plug Ins improve the behavior.

 

Scenery at airports is poor but you can add your own quickly using the provided tool. My home airport looks just right after a couple of hours.

 

Sounds are poor but there are some good freebie upgrades out there.

 

Overall I favor FSX, but I keep checking out XP from time to time I own XP 9.

I'm really looking forward to finally see XP receiving a bit more attention. Same as others, I wasn't impressed at all with 9 and the releases before it. I've got some friends being very avid XP flyers and none of them could talk and teach me away from MS sims. However, number 10 was different and seeing Aerosoft being involved also helped on developing faith, so to speak.

 

I haven't bought much for it, a few planes, very few. But since I find the new '10' ways and tech more promising than sitting on FSX or P3D and hoping for wonders, I'm happy so far.

 

The single season basis is a downside, one which I don't understand to be honest. The FDE feels different (on my payware planes) and I'm happy with the more alive character. The weather display doesn't cause the downsides I know from MS sims and the interface is a thing to get used to. Other than FSX at default, the XP scenery is ok or even nice on some details. Flying at night really is amazing and bad weather also looks great.

 

Seems like the freeware stuff also is present for XP and gets adjusted for version 10. So one may find a few things to start with, but without spending hundreds of Dollars first.

 

I hope they keep the pace and develop the sim further. Even more so on new planes and scenery, which make sense to buy for a really new sim. It's not that I use it extremely often due to my well staffed FSX, but I look at it as some growing investment.

 

I don't understand why they are stuck with the strange tech to operate knobs and switches though. This really is a pain for me, while the graphics, even on the older XP9 based planes, are quite good.

I am exactly as you... MS FS loyalist for 25 + years. X-Plane 10 has so much impressed me now with the purchases of the Canadair 300, 787 Dreamliner and the super awesome Jrollon CRJ-200... I have not gone back to FSX in 2 months! Just a little because I miss my PMDG NGX..but X-Plane with a Commercial Addon is very very satisfying! Some parts are better than FSX, many are not, but the crisp graphics, smooth flying, detailed feeling of scenery, amazing real terrain worldwide (that's a big one for me, as some little island in the pacific is as good as the USA), plus easy add-on scenery that is really sharp .... I love it now!

Agreed, I think the Jrollon folks (that's a team, right?) really have set a mark in the XP world with their CRJ. I also saw some very promising upcoming planes (a great 737 Classic for example), some very nice current ones (that DC-3 Alan mentioned) and the planned Aerosoft things for instance. Carenado also is present and received good reviews so far.

 

Seems like the some dev's names are new for a MS sim guy, but the quality already is very reasonable or even top notch. It's just a totally different sim, which may distract or even annoy folks at first. However, I really recommend everyone to try that XP night flying. A blast in my eyes. Should work fine with the demo version.

 

Personal preference will decide about things, but trying doesn't cost you more than a download. Being used to pure MS ways may cause some learning time being necessary though.

Depends on where you fly, scenery in some areas are nice, especially Europe. But scenery in some other countries (Asia) are really lacking. Imagine an island with multi-million population, in xp10, with maximum graphic detail, you see about 1000 houses, the rest are just trees, trees, trees, I can't recognize the area at all. In FSX, the scenery are much closer to reality, at least I can see a lot of highrise buildings and houses, not an island filled with trees.

I also miss the blue or green water in FSX. In XP10, the water is black and the coloration are all depends on reflection.

I also don't like the AI system. Even an airstrip with a very short runway, you can see an AI 747 trying to take off and then hit a small hill nearby (but it didn't crash!). The AI 747 continue to 'crawl' along the hill and flying~ what a sight!

When I fly the default aircraft, I normally lower the sound volume because the sound quality is really low.

I do like some features, especially the dynamic shadow, 3D clouds and atmosphere scattering in scenery.

I also don't like the AI system

 

That's probably my biggest complaint with XPX. As of right now, there doesn't appear to be a 3PD that is working on a traffic program because of the way it is implemented in X-Plane.