A friend, the same who drove me into DCS World, and now is pushing me into IL2, ( probably his avenge for having called his attention to X-Plane's World, which he now rather prefers... ), usualy tells me - don't lose your time searching for the bugs... they're always be there - use the damn sim!!!!

 

I think exactly this is what I wanted to say.

I think exactly this is what I wanted to say.

Agreed, what we're all (presumably) looking for is 'flow', where we become immersed in the activity so much that we forget the passage of time in the real world. But different things have the possibility of breaking the flow for different people. For example some may notice a lack of fidelity in the physics model that I'm simply not aware of, that would ruin their experience. On the other hand I may notice a lack of structures at the airport that reminds me I'm playing a game rather than really flying a plane.

 

A sim that caters for as many as these personal whims as possible would get the biggest following, if that's indeed what LR are aiming for...

So the conclusion is whatever fix, update, patch and improvements we will see in our sims in the future we'll still be here most of the time discussing how it could/should/will be even better. 

From my 33 years of flight simming most developers do follow forums, do pick up ideas, and do listen and improve...most....

 

The 3d mesh system was adapted by MS after looking at the praise pro pilot picked up(though the sim was hugely maligned by the fs crowd at the time). Real weather downloads and their possibility were urged by many in the late 90's and the next version of fs had this feature. I know for a fact the ms people though at the time did not communicate thru the forums followed them avidly.

 

A responsive company listens to their customers and adapts. Forums are a wonderful vehicle for customers to share their experiences good or bad.

 

If I ran a company I'd have 1 employee reading all forums ( not just avsim) and reporting on a weekly basis, and listening and adapting where possible..period.

I'll be honest and say for me a lot of Xplane10's wow factor has rapidly diminished. FSX has proven this year it's the little engine that won't quit. The amount of breakthru products this year has me starting up XPX less and less. From Weather, to Textures, to DX10, and A2A/PMDG/Dash etc..etc. FSX has sharpened it's fangs into XPX deeper. I know there are a few more products in the pipeline that are set to drive the fangs in even deeper. While I enjoy waiting on the next XPX release updates, there just hasn't been anything from launch that has a "Wow" factor.

I'll be honest, to me XPX feels kind of stalled at the moment. The flood of 3rd party developers hasn't really come. even aerosoft seems to be assessing it commitment to XPX with just a handful of their sceneries released for XPX. Pmdg could take up to two years to fully get to grips with the sim and whist we do get a trickle of quality add ons (Goran's saab 340 for example.) there's still no glut of choice when it comes to scenery for example.

 

Even worse are the subtle signs that xp11 is under development, leaving XPX with perhaps another two years before it's replaced, hopefully more.

 

Then fsx like a Phoenix from the flames has had a slew of new products that are pushing the aging sim back to prominence. In fact the best thing that ever happened to fsx is no fs11 because we're now seeing add ons that work around and beyond its many bugs.

 

Meanwhile we're still waiting for atc to work, seasonal textures to be implemented and the release of regional autogen to de-Americanise the world. It's always coming, always.

 

Sorry to be downbeat, but that's how i see XPX at the moment. Stuck.

 

Best wishes,

Jess B

 

 

If I ran a company I'd have 1 employee reading all forums ( not just avsim) and reporting on a weekly basis, and listening and adapting where possible..period.

 

Can I send you my details? :-)   I'll accept part of the payment in flying time, even on the right seat :-)

 

 

Sorry to be downbeat, but that's how i see XPX at the moment. Stuck.

 

I have to agree with you Jessica...

 

I think Austin knows it too... I just don't understand why they do not oppenly talk about what's going on... They risk loosing a big opportunity!

Lol-jc. Unfortunately I don't own a company and I have for a variety of reasons been on a 1.5 year hiatus from rw flying...which is why I have increased urgency for a sim...any sim...to recreate the experience as well as possible.....

 

 

Sorry to be downbeat, but that's how i see XPX at the moment. Stuck.

 

"Stuck" it is mainly if you want to see X-Plane as some kind of FSX successor, because the requirements to meet such an expectation are not yet fulfilled and probably will never really be fulfilled.

 

Within the borders of the X-Plane universe, however, everything is fine -- like it has been the many years before. If you're X-Plane user since, say, v7, v8 or even v9, v10 has features and addon availability & quality you only dreamt of some years before. For "old" X-Plane user, v10 is no reason to change to FSX/P3D.

 

I think Austin knows it too... I just don't understand why they do not oppenly talk about what's going on... They risk loosing a big opportunity!

 

Maybe Austin is simply content with what he's got and doing He, as individual. Not as a business man.

which is why I have increased urgency for a sim...any sim...to recreate the experience as well as possible.....

 

I'm not using it anymore, but the only thing that comes to my mind is MS FLIGHT, albeit the limitations...

Then, if you don't mind flying a ww2 p51d, take DCS for a ride... But it lacks all of what we like - VOR's and NDBs, a good GPS, etc...  and of course, a Cessna, Piper or a Beech, or...

 

MS FLIGHT makes you feel like being there, but you'll be all by yourself :-(

The ATC is great in MS FLIGHT and the AI too!!! ( any proposition over a void set is true... )

 

Within the borders of the X-Plane universe, however, everything is fine -- like it has been the many years before. If you're X-Plane user since, say, v7, v8 or even v9, v10 has features and addon availability & quality you only dreamt of some years before. For "old" X-Plane user, v10 is no reason to change to FSX/P3D.

Isn't that a problem though? You make it sound as if X plane doesn't need to change. Btw, I started using x plane on version 6. In XPX we have a great deal of potential. If that's all it is though, then why bother making another version if everything is fine?

 

I'm not expecting loyal x plane flyers to jump ship, but the gains made with users like Robert, who couldn't shout it from the rooftops loud enough upon moving to XPX, will be lost and x plane will continue to be the 'nearly' sim. Personally I want more. Not to compete with fsx, but to compliment, or even top.

seasons are being made for XPX by the same dev releasing the Cloud/Sky addon soon.  XPX already has rain/snow.  We just need the different seasonal ground textures....I think :lol:

Isn't that a problem though? You make it sound as if X plane doesn't need to change.

 

It is not a problem for Austin, for Laminar or for the old user core. It becomes a problem if people invested money in X-Plane 10 based on a hope -- the hope that changes towards their own requirements would happen faster.

 

And of course constant changes to X-Plane happen and should continue to happen!

 

We just can't have it all at once with such a small company with mainly freelancers working on important tasks. Bigger and more comprehensive changes could only happen if Laminar became a bigger company with lots of full time employees, and Austin changing his views on the development priorities. I'm not sure if I would want this.

 

 

x plane will continue to be the 'nearly' sim. Personally I want more.

 

 

Yes, I think you are right, it will. Sims by bigger companies and with an established addon market will always be several steps ahead. I think the ideal solution for many would be a 64-bit P3D that is allowed for entertainment, so PMDG could produce for it, too.

I think the ideal solution for many would be a 64-bit P3D that is allowed for entertainment, so PMDG could produce for it, too.

this will never happen, Lockheed Martin will never license P3D as a "Game/Entertainment", they will keep it as a Training Sim.

this will never happen, Lockheed Martin will never license P3D as a "Game/Entertainment", they will keep it as a Training Sim.

 

And still people are hoping