Best damn flightsim I've ever used in ten years!

 

I was a naysayer like a few above, complaining that there is no opening launch screen, no realtime weather, the ATC window is opaque. The P3D'ers came back to me and said "yea, but the better performance makes up for that". And they were right.

 

And if you fly in wrap-around displays it's a simmers dream! Just last night I went back to FSX (yes, still fully installed, tweaked and useable), and loaded up that default Pacific Northwest flight in the trike (switched to the default 172), and was seeing my CPU pumping away at 100% getting 14-20 fps across my three displays. Same scenario in P3D, higher settings, more weather, CPU at 80%, 29.9FPS (locked at 30). Once again, it convinced me.

 

What's all this talk about tweaking? I installed, set up Nvidia Inspector according to Word Not Allowed (thou art almighty sim God!), and haven't touch a thing since. Oh, things like shimmer and stutters are a thing of the past for me.

 

Can't recall a single addon I haven't been able to port over and use. And I am sure I use many that you use out there. I'm also sure there are some that won't work... just haven't come across it yet. And if a developer doesn't want to follow and support "FSnext", so be it, that's where our paths will go their separate ways. There are always new developer talent popping into the flightsim scene (think Opus), so I'm not worried that my favorite airplane or airport won't be there.

 

Clutch

It says something that after four updates it still needs to be tweaked to get optimal performance...

 

What would be nice to know though is why so many got FSX running so bad that P3D feels like a real step upwards. I've done a week of benchmarking FSX Acceleration vs P3D, and see no significant difference in fps or "smoothness". That on a clean Windows 7 64 bit, latest drivers, FSX and P3D install. Optimal Computer performance has been measured beforehand with 8 different benchmarking and stability testing suites.

 

I run P3D and FSX. I see no significant difference on my computer, but think it's nice to have two different setups, one with only ORBX stuff and the other with different stuff. Also, I like to support the devs at LM for doing what they are doing. Maybe they'll be the ones making FS11 (P3D 2.0), although I wouldn't be shocked if LM does a Microsoft and shut down the whole thing.

I've purchased pretty much every consumer flight sim since the old sublogic sims of the early eighties. I enjoy aspects of each and every one and have have no bias for or against any.

 

The only negative against P3D is that some of your beloved addons may not run with it. Everything else is a positive period.

 

Been trying to train myself over these last few months to stop looking at the FPS counter in P3D but some addictions are hard to break lol.

I was a naysayer like a few above, complaining that there is no opening launch screen, no realtime weather, the ATC window is opaque. The P3D'ers came back to me and said "yea, but the better performance makes up for that". And they were right.

 

Why the label? I'm not naysing in my posts, nor are most others I'm reading. I remain extremely interested in the platform. There are pros and cons, and just as those of you who've moved have done so for good reasons, many of us who've chosen not to (at least yet) have done the same. Let's continue the discussion in that spirit. Discussing the differences so users can make up their own minds is valuable and worthwhile.

 

As for performance, most well-designed benchmarks I've seen show performance to be pretty much a wash with equivalent configurations. Not denying that some users aren't seeing performance benefits (and there are all kinds of reasons why one install can run better than another), just saying that I've not seen good data to support substantial performance increases on average.

 

Scott

Why the label? I'm not naysing in my posts, nor are most others I'm reading. I remain extremely interested in the platform. There are pros and cons, and just as those of you who've moved have done so for good reasons, many of us who've chosen not to (at least yet) have done the same. Let's continue the discussion in that spirit. Discussing the differences so users can make up their own minds is valuable and worthwhile.

 

As for performance, most well-designed benchmarks I've seen show performance to be pretty much a wash with equivalent configurations. Not denying that some users aren't seeing performance benefits (and there are all kinds of reasons why one install can run better than another), just saying that I've not seen good data to support substantial performance increases on average.

 

Scott

 

A new install will often run significantly better than one that has been installed for some time, and has been changed with a lot of addon additions & deletions.

 

A fresh install of Windows and Flight Sim, will often "initially" give far better performance.

And, unless they change things, you have to reinstall the sim with every new patch.

That's certainly not been my experience. I created a "Super Administrator Account" and ran the installers for 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and most lately 1.4 without having to do a wipe and new install of P3D...

 

Why the "SA" account? Simple reason is that with "SA" privileges, I have absolutely full control of my own system. Of course, the downside is that those who're either fumble-fingered or not nearly as knowledgable as they think they are have the ability to completely FUBAR their operating system, but... B)

 

Windows 7 has got a super administrator account which, by default, is disabled. Such account is automatically created when Windows 7 boots up for the first time but, for security reasons, is hidden from view. Let’s see how to turn it on thanks to a simple query in the Command Prompt.

1. Click Start.
    
   
2. In the Search field, type CMD.
    
   
3. On the list of available programs, right click the Command Prompt icon and click Run as Administrator.
    
   
4. In the black window, type: net user administrator /active:yes
    
   
5. Press Enter.
    
   
6. The system should return you with the following message: The command completed successfully.
    
   
7. Now, exit the Command Prompt and click the Start icon.
    
   
8. Log off from the current account and in the Account window you should now see the Administrator account.
    
   
9. Done!
    
   
10. If you want to turn off the Admin account, type: net users administrator /active:no
    

Interesting. I think I've never used that account.

 

Well, does it work around some of the flaws that 'update process' introduces? For example, the texture folder will get reverted back to its default state regarding the default textures. So if you had REX, Shade or any other setup running, you are now back to default.

 

The default planes and their liveries will get overwritten. If you had extra configs or repaints installed, they are gone. Well the folders may be there, but the aircraft.cfg is default now.

 

Your scenery library only features the default entries, dll.xml and exe.xml aren't there, the cfg for the sim is default, the controls are back to standard.

 

The folders of the default scenery are reverted back. So if you had an addon running being in need of a fixed APX12400.bgl or if there was one disabling the default bgl for the vehicles, you now have the 'old' files back in place. If you had a special magdec.bgl or some extra autogen entries in the default.xml, you need your backup. Same goes for textures of e.g. GEX, not supporting P3D officially and, now, both being in need again to get copied over. Hopefully properly.

 

I'm sure one can work around those things with a proper backup just before installing the new version, but, on the small details, there's no marker reminding you about this or that. So, unlike a patch to a new version, that 1.4 installer simply overwrites all there is from 1.3 and you have to make sure to bring the addons, tweaks and mods back into place.

 

Reminds me of that method with using 'repair' from the FSX disks. The state your sim is after the procedure may well be a mixture of default and addon files and keeping track of all the changes may be easy on simple installations, but a ton of work on older or more dense packed ones. And I only know the latter. :mellow:

 

If the elevated user account helps with some of the steps, even better. But this isn't exactly what I'm up to every 6 months or so, just because LM has mainly edited some default scenery file deep within that system. If they had a patch, taking care of all the changes and applying them to a present installation, it would make things easier and one wouldn't have to jump through loops or wonder if the previous addon state is still operational.

 

 

I think a tricky installation justifies itself if the changes are significant. But if the changelog just reads that the stutters from 1.3 got fixed (thanks for those by the way) and that some default scenery area now shows three more buildings, it's questionable I think. As said before, a tweak&fiddle sim when it comes to the details.

 

Even if there are folks not being in need of any tweaks in the cfg, they are in need to use extra tools to allow for a proper installation of FSX only addons and they are in need to be creative every 6 months to avoid reinstalling the whole sim.

 

I'm not saying that they will fail, but they have a task to perform which FSX does not incorporate, anymore.

 

 

I also wanted to respond to the, on the first look, valid 'P3D receives support' argument. While I think that it is true and that the LM devs indeed do look for some of the user's wishes, you may gain support for the actual sim but lose the one on the addons.

 

Since there are plenty of companies silently allowing the operation of their software in P3D but not supporting it, you may well end up with 'sorry, you are running P3D and we don't officially support it' in their forums. Case closed.

 

So that win of being able to ask LM about this or that bug or extra button in the interface comes with the not officially supported tag or, even worse, with that fear on the license troubles like some big devs show. Pretty much a tradeoff.

 

And regarding the license trouble, this isn't about to change as long as the sim stays within that non-entertainment regime. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm a little confused about the lack of a launch screen. How do you get around this?

 

Thanks, Bruce

You either work your way through the menu after the initial flight is loaded or you use a small tool. I think it's sort of like loading a saved flight then. Haven't tried that one.

Thanks, CoolIP

I'm a little confused about the lack of a launch screen. How do you get around this?

 

Thanks, Bruce

 

Search for SimLauncher - allows you to easily configure a startup for P3d

Interesting. I think I've never used that account.

 

Well, does it work around some of the flaws that 'update process' introduces? For example, the texture folder will get reverted back to its default state regarding the default textures. So if you had REX, Shade or any other setup running, you are now back to default.

The "SA" account returns one's access to the level of the DOS v3.1 command prompt. It is extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands... :excl:

 

As for the silent update versus what amounts to a new install, the programming overhead to allow for the former would be formidable, and quite likely prone to error(s) due to the inevitable unanticipated mods one may have already made to the core program. It's a classic "Rock<=>Hard Place" situation. :lol:

 

Since my only choices are to [1] uninstall the current version prior to installing the new version, or [2] simply overwriting the current with the new, the outcome either way is the same. The only thing I'm saving is time. I make a clone of the entire ..\Prepar3D sim folder to another hard drive so I keep a fallback option available in the case of catatrophic failure, or to allow me to more easily keep track of the changes I've made since the last version install.

And you are posting such dangerous things? Kidding.

 

I think it's a good tip. Same goes for this.

I make a clone of the entire ..\Prepar3D sim folder to another hard drive so I keep a fallback option available in the case of catatrophic failure, or to allow me to more easily keep track of the changes I've made since the last version install.

I would love to try Prepar3D but I'm still reading, analyzing and interpreting the EULA.

 

- Sent from my rooted, Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE smartphone via Tapatalk because haters gonna hate.

 

 

I would love to try Prepar3D but I'm still reading, analyzing and interpreting the EULA.

 

If I were to read the EULA for every piece of software I own I would never have time to actually use the applications.

 

Just "accepted" the 13 page appstore EULA that popped up on my iPad and never bothered to read a single word of it. Incomprehensable law babble...