I was under the impression that ORBX would be ready to go within days of P3DV2's release.

Have you noticed the difference?

 

:lol: point taken

 

 

I was under the impression that ORBX would be ready to go within days of P3DV2's release.

 

FTX Global will be ready for release, but the regions and airports will take some months maybe more to roll out according to the latest announment...

 

http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/68089-orbx-products-and-p3d-20-compatibility/

to the OP: just goto youtube, type FSX or XP and see what is possible.. endless movies demonstrating both sims.

to the OP: just goto youtube, type FSX or XP and see what is possible.. endless movies demonstrating both sims.

 

I'm sorry, but with all due respect, YouTube is a horrid place to go looking for movies demonstrating sims. This pretty much goes without saying for FSX, especially with the advent of FSRecorder's render feature, allowing youtubers to make unrealistically smooth and detailed videos. This initially sucked me in, but my hopes were smashed because my sim looked nothing like the YouTubers'.

It's been said that "fail to plan, plan to fail." This is so true when flying is involved but it can be applied to building a flight simulator. You need a strategy. This could quickly turn into another guide, so I'll try to keep it simple:

 

1) Computer (Intel 4770 @ 4.5, GTX 780, 512 SSD, Win 7 64)

2) Controllers (Yoke, pedals, throttle, Goflight Modules, Track Ir)

3) Simulator: FSX (A ton of add-ons, but not complete) P3D V2 (It's the latest and greatest, but it will take time to get add-ons) Like XPX, it will be in development for years.

 

FSX is a good starting point. REX Weather add-on, ORBX FTXG (along with Vectors, LC, & Mesh) + ORBX Regions, there's a ton of airports, several AI programs, many great airplanes, utilities, and a few ATC program options. Start slowly and only buy what you will use.

 

With the right computer FSX can be a stable and smooth platform. If you choose P3D, be prepared to wait and don't expect all developers to produce for a commercial product.

 

FSX has been around for 7 years and is still not complete. Developers are still creating great add-ons and will be for many years to come.

I'm sorry, but with all due respect, YouTube is a horrid place to go looking for movies demonstrating sims. This pretty much goes without saying for FSX, especially with the advent of FSRecorder's render feature, allowing youtubers to make unrealistically smooth and detailed videos. This initially sucked me in, but my hopes were smashed because my sim looked nothing like the YouTubers'.

 

I understand waht you said, but just want to tell how it could look, wat you can do in the sim, and some demo's.

He asked for example to use a prop plane to fly into remote fields, nobody yet answered. Of course its possible, just look at youtube for all kinds of possibilities.

 

On the hopes smashed, yeah, as long as you keep it simple then its all right, but addin JFK and depart with the PMDG747 and with a lot of traffic, its a slideshow. Even on a i7.

And an mega airport without traffic seems like the Langoliers movie to me.

Thats why I use FS9 again..

I've not heard about VATSIM or Virtual Airlines, ...

 

1) Replicate a flight I took with my wife's uncle, from a local airfield out to Flamborough Head on the coast (where I live), a.... I need really good VFR for that. 

 

Rather than a specific VA, given the variety of activities to be simulated I would recommend FSEconomy (http://www.fseconomy.net/

 

and be aware that many Brits were disappointed by ORBX England - it's not 'real', it's abstract based on generic building blocks and land-use categories, so you might think "that looks a bit like england" but it won't look EXACTLY like you remember. For that you need photoreal scenery (which has it's own drawbacks...)

Cheers

Keith

I've not heard about VATSIM or Virtual Airlines, B. is the latter anything like a real job with ... commitment! :0

I'm making choices at every post, this thread is incredibly useful and I thank everyone posting for their advice. You are saving an avid aviation fan lots of wasted money and many wasted hours.

 

My two main 'dream' goals are to:

 

1) Replicate a flight I took with my wife's uncle, from a local airfield out to Flamborough Head on the coast (where I live), and then return. I took the controls for most of this, so its quite an experience. I need really good VFR for that.

2) Fly a short haul BA Airbus A320 flight from Heathrow to Gibraltar. Never been there, but I stayed at the Isle of Wight and saw the Gibraltar planes flying over endlessly. (And the place appeals to me). I've flown out of Heathrow several times.

 

To be honest, 3, 4, 5 etc are all flights I've taken to fantastic airports around the world. I'd love to replicate them,. Dubai, Athens, Fiumicino, Brisbane, Brunei, Singapore ...

(EDIT: Sorry, flights I've taken in Real Life)

VATSIM is an online ATC network. Yes, real virtual controllers and you fly online with other pilots. You also follow real world procedures for the most part. It's a lot to learn but shows the possibilities of what you can do in the future. Virtual airlines too!

 

For Virtual Airlines, (VAs). You can join say, British Airways, United Virtual, or a fictional airline like Intercity Virtual .. With virtual airlines, I believe you get out of it what you want to put in. There are many to choose from. I like the structure it adds to my flying.

(Check out my blog as my first post is about why I joined a virtual airline and some details about them, link in my SIG).

 

To be honest, I wouldn't worry about joining a VA or Vatsim yet. You are in the beginning stage! It just shows you the future possibilities and how amazing flight sim has become.

 

For you the first things will be getting FSX up and running smoothly on your machine.

Again I highly recommend the Matt Davies YouTube video I mentioned.

 

Second, there can be a decent learning curve to some of these payware aircraft especially the airliners! So you need to start reading and learning! For example, for the A320 I would get the Aerosoft Airbus extended. Then you need to learn how to fly her, how to program a route, how to controller her each phase of flight etc. You need to learn what a SID is, a Star, a Jetway, and how to follow routes to a destination.

 

A good checklist can be very helpful.

 

As per YouTube, you have to be careful in that some of the most realistic looking FSX videos are made using other video enhancing software to spice them up.

But there are actual videos of people flying FSX as it normally looks and you can learn a lot from YouTube tutorials.

 

I would suggest FroogleSim's Airbus Extended videos to start with as in one video he flies it to Gibralter.

 

B.

this will answe your question...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMRKx8hZjXw

I'm not sure virtual airlines are for me, but then who knows where I'll be in a year with this hobby. As of today I've taken the plunge and ordered my essential software for the arrival of the PC. I opted for FSX in the end, probably because it is easy to start up, accessible and ready advice is available in spades, as this thread has shown. I hope I can return the favour in a year or so. I now have FSX Gold, and X-Plane is waiting for me at the post office. For FSX I bought the following: REX, which seems the standard effects, weather and texture 'buff' for the game. For flying VFR in the UK I opted for the Generation X photorealism, I appreaciate Orbix's work, but I've been all over the UK and I will constantly be flying over places I know well, so photorealism seems best, and I really do want to learn the discipline of flying VFR. I picked up all of Wales and England ( a 3 volume set) and if it gets alot of use I may go on to purchase areas for Scotland and Ireland.

 

To provide a bit of realism I've bought Playsims VFR Airfields for Northern England, again, I may expand those, I'll have to see what the defaults are like first. For Europe I bought Ultimate Terrain X: Europe. That should scratch alot of itches snd allow me to learn to fly in a place I know. I have a yoke and throttle set up ready, something I always envied back in the early 90s. After that I think I will take the advice offered and go to shareware for most other things if possible, payware where that isn't. I am a big fan of the Airbus, so if Aerosoft's offer is a package deal, I may buy that when I'm ready to progress from single prop to airliner.

And thanks z06z33 for your offer of help on PC tweaks ... I may take you up on that in the future ... I will bookmark this thread just in case ...

 

 

For flying VFR in the UK I opted for the Generation X photorealism,

 

I bought what I thought was a fantastic computer to run FSX on and I added a few add-ons like REX+overdrive, FTX Global, My traffic 5.4, and the PMDG 737, and it brought the system to a screeching halt. I was astonished that this 8 core, 4.3 GHZ OC'd, 32 GB RAM, GTX 780 computer was struggling with this game. I was getting like 9 FPS in the PMDG at a busy airport.

 

I tried adding tweaks but it seemed to me the more tweaks I added the worse the game ran. I probably messed something up in adding the tweaks so if you can follow one of the tweaking guides I would recommend it because the more add-ons you have running the less FPS you are going to have. 

 

One advantage I think you are going to have is by using photo scenery you can have autogen set to 0 so you should get a pretty nice FPS boost from that. 

Hey keep in mind that the most realistis aircrafts will not be in p3dv2,
sure thers Aerosoft ,CS,QW but there not even close to PMDG.
L.M. is launching a new or a updated simu with new visual effect and better multihtread that is yet to be tested , but wheres are the aircfaft to fly , didnt see L.M. working toward a 1011 that will compete PMDG . that is if you  desire to fly a fully advance  state of the art airliner with fully fonctional VNAV etc.

 

But if you want to fly Vfr  and fly outside the window  and look at the water , fog , birds ... go P3DV2 .

that is if you  desire to fly a fully advance  state of the art airliner with fully fonctional VNAV etc.

 

So you're telling me that the Aerosoft Airbus Extended X that I've been flying for the better part of this year has been navigating LNAV with pixie dust!?  :lol: 

 

Honestly though, I'm getting a bit tired of people thinking PMDG are the last word in payware tubeliners. I mean, dang, RSR and co. deserve the rep, they've put out some absolutely sublime aircraft, but others like Aerosoft, Majestic and iFly aren't basic simulations by a long shot. 

So you're telling me that the Aerosoft Airbus Extended X that I've been flying for the better part of this year has been navigating LNAV with pixie dust!?  :lol: 

 

Honestly though, I'm getting a bit tired of people thinking PMDG are the last word in payware tubeliners. I mean, dang, RSR and co. deserve the rep, they've put out some absolutely sublime aircraft, but others like Aerosoft, Majestic and iFly aren't basic simulations by a long shot. 

 

 

Yup! Agree!!!   I would put Majestic ahead of PMDG with their shared cockpit (Pro version), and the fact that the Q400 does not lower fps which is amazing for what it is.  If they could make more aircraft, I would pre-order NOW!!!.   PMDG are great, but they are not the only ones out there now.   

 

To OP,

Check out the UK2000 airport add ons, you might find them interesting.

B.