Leave to Xplane what Xplane does best... A personal view....

[jcomm 5,938]

A flight simulator should have a rendering engine and a physics engine of its choice and the scaffolding for many subsystems with a nice API.

 

Ditto!!!!

[JasonHarris 96]

Ditto!!!!

 

Now I really would support xplane enhancing their api. If things are still the same as there were a little while ago LR does not offically support an API for xplane and it is done as a side project.

 

If thats the case I could understand why a 3rd party AI program might not jump in to those murky waters.

[Tierborn 188]

X-Plane just needs some (well, quite a bit of) time. It'll become a very very fine simulator in about 1-2 years.

 

agreed ..... if it doesn't lose steam before then. Every version of Xplane had unrealized potential. Perhaps with Microsoft not having a new version, xplane will get the market attention needed to realize its potential.

[Aerodynamic 0]

I'm impressed so far. There are a couple things I'd really like to see added in XPX. First off, a better default GPS. The one included now sucks and has severely limited functionality. Austin needs to get that in the works ASAP. I fly in the 3D pit view and I'd like to have a more functional GPS to use for flight plans and procedures. The second item I hope for is not really an XPX complaint per se, but I'd like a more thorough library of objects for editing scenery. I downloaded the Openscenery X package and was very disappointed. Everything I looked for was not included. I'm researching now on how to make my own objects and import them into scenery, but I am not an "artist" and I usually prefer to spend time flying instead of tweaking.

[William J.S.S 173]

Can you elaborate more on the lack of ability to use XP10 online with Vatsim? Does the interface not work well? Does the scenery not line up? This is the one showstopper for me, as I fly only online with VatSim, and would not cross over if this was a no go.

[Timmer 2]

Can you elaborate more on the lack of ability to use XP10 online with Vatsim? Does the interface not work well? Does the scenery not line up? This is the one showstopper for me, as I fly only online with VatSim, and would not cross over if this was a no go.

 

I'm the only one that mentioned VATSIM in this thread -- was that question to me? (I may have missed a statement.) I use XPX on VATSIM and it was the easiest plugin to set up -- much easier than FSInn, although it may not have all the features or be very accurate on the models.

 

Just go xsquawkbox .net and download the plugin, drop it in and configure your information in the XPX addon menu and ta-da. The only issue I've had is the USA-West server doesn't connect for me so I use North which works well enough. I do get disconnects now and then.

[LAdamson 240]

For example, in FSX there are issues with the fuel mixture code for pistons that requires one to lean out the engines at much lower altitudes than in reality. There is no way to fix this by a third-party unless they completely use their own engine simulation. The same goes for many systems in XP. It'd be great to just have a nice system so PistonPete developer makes a great piston subsystem module and you download that and drop it in your Flight Sim folder and you get all those features. Etc etc.

 

Nothing to do with X-Plane, but....

 

FSX gets critical at 6000'. You should be thinking of leaning around 3000', just as mountain flying books suggest, because of density altitude. Never the less, by 5000'...........you had better already been leaning, because if you don't, you've lost available power. I fly out of a 4600' msl airport. Leaning is important right after engine start, and especially during the run up before takeoff. Unless, I land at a much lower elevation airport, I'll never be back to full rich, for the entire flight. I also operate X-Plane the same method.

[N1G 88]

I think right now, what they are doing is fairly optimized and for many, the sim is fairly smooth. I just have a funny feeling they are afraid to put any AI out there in fear of losing smoothness. The airline models look absolutely gorgeous which in turn, adding too many of them, the FPS will suffer I believe. I think they are being very careful right now with what they want to improve on, due to avoid weighting down what they have tuned at this time. I think if they were to add even mild AI it will hit the FPS hard. I am only saying this because I believe the AI models themselves are heavy, but also the code necessary to have the AI do what good AI does. Judging the amount of time it has taken LR to get to where they are now, adding much more will be very risky. I also believe that the HDR is giving them fits for the same reason. It won't be pretty if they did what they need to do to make it work correctly. My opinion only and I have no facts to back this up. Maybe by the time they implement AI and HDR there will be some new processors out there that may provide what they will need in order to move forward. My opinion only and I have no facts to back this up. I just have a feeling!!

 

Bob

[JasonHarris 96]

I think if they were to add even mild AI it will hit the FPS hard. I am only saying this because I believe the AI models themselves are heavy, but also the code necessary to have the AI do what good AI does.

 

I agree in part, I think AI currently has some impact but thats not why I have it turned off. I also dont think the it's necessary to have such heavy code and I really dont believe that it's doing what good AI does.

 

As far as I can see we have the dumbest AI in any game I have played, all it does realistically is fly when its in the air.

 

I would toss the heavy flight model given to AI and replace it with basics like spawning in the right spots, at the right airports. Ability to move once spawned and not sit around blocking all day.

 

I really think the AI is as dumb as bricks.

[jcomm 5,938]

I would toss the heavy flight model given to AI and replace it with basics like spawning in the right spots, at the right airports. Ability to move once spawned and not sit around blocking all day.

 

+1!

[Alec 370]

No way in hell you can convince Austin of that. It looks like that's one of the things he's most proud about X-Plane 10, the realistic Flight Model of every AI Aircraft, even if it's limited to 20...

 

Since I'm only interested in Flying Online, I hope there's no 20 limit for VATSIM or IVAO.

[JasonHarris 96]

I have had an interest in AI for a long time, I was right in to my lisp machines, prolog, all the magazines that were about.

 

AI was fairly crude but one thing that was used as a measure is how well you could fool someone in to thinking that it was a human, not a computer you were interacting with.

 

Thats why the AI airplanes in xpx have nothing in common with AI in other areas or other simulators. I couldnt give a stuff that they chew up cpu cycles and use BET because I cannot see it, it doesnt enhance the game for real people at all.

 

When they start to act like there are pilots in control then the AI is doing it's job and no one would care if they used a very basic flight model while in the air.

 

I would be very surprised if people that like to have some traffic in the air feel any different then I do.

[kannwar 47]

No way in hell you can convince Austin of that. It looks like that's one of the things he's most proud about X-Plane 10, the realistic Flight Model of every AI Aircraft, even if it's limited to 20...

 

Since I'm only interested in Flying Online, I hope there's no 20 limit for VATSIM or IVAO.

 

If this guy wants to capture the FSX market share he's going to have to start listening to what the customer wants instead of telling everyone how great his current system is and how it doesn't need to be fixed.

 

If I were in his shoes I'd be looking closely at why people like FS9/FSX and what features, as a minimum, would be required to draw those people over. For those who fly with realistic (relatively) AI addons, this is an important aspect.

[William J.S.S 173]

Can anyone who uses XP10 on vatsim comment on the 20 aircraft limit? Does it carry over? Man I would have to kiss those large vatsim events goodbye and that is something I love about Vatsim/FSX.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Timmer 2]

Hello William,

 

I don't believe there's any effect since the 20-aircraft limit is the AI-controlled planes. XPlane has nothing to do with other pilots on the network: the plug-in simply inserts plane objects at the positions as reported by the network.

 

I'd be wholly shocked if this weren't the case but I am just making an assumption based on how these usually work -- also there's a new plugin in development that looks to be using the same concept without a network and bypassing the built-in ATC and throwing plane objects around XPlane so you can have tons of aircraft. There's one way to find out for 100% certain...