I don't think Austin has an account here.

 

Sometimes I have to cut & paste posts so that he reads it.

 

Anyway, I'm not sure but I believe Ben does have an account at AVSIm (?)

 

But, sometimes, being isolated from the "crowd" is not such a bad idea :-)

Take for example seasonal textures or regional autogen....

 

Laminar say they would perhaps like to see third parties make these features because it's a pretty large undertaking.

 

The third parties are reluctant to do it because it's a pretty large undertaking, and X-Plane's user base perhaps isn't large enough to get a good return on the investment.

 

X-Plane's user base isn't large enough to support the kind of third party development required because X-Plane still lacks key features like seasonal textures and regional autogen.

 

It's a circular argument, and one that needs to be broken.

 

The engine that powers XP10 is excellent and can truly blow FSX and P3D out of the water. The move to 64bit was a tremendous advance for desktop flight simulation, and I applaud the XP third party devs who embraced it so quickly. However, Laminar are failing to follow through with what they have achieved so far. The momentum gained by X-Plane in the last year or so needs to be maintained otherwise XP will end up slipping into obscurity again.

 

I get the impression there is no overarching vision on the part of Laminar as to exactly what they want X-Plane to be. It's almost as if there is a chronic lack of leadership and a laissez faire attitude prevails. X-Plane 10.25 is currently a Ferrari driving along the slow lane of the motorway at 55mph. It's begging to be let loose.

 

The time I've spent with 10.25 and some of the newer addons in the last month or two has been nothing short of a revelation. This is truly some of the most impressive and truly ground breaking stuff that I have ever seen in all my years flight simming. I want to believe in X-Plane, but it appears Laminar are happy to continue driving their Ferrari at 55mph.

The closest we'll get to X-Plane developers here would probably be Andras AKA alpilotx. He works/worked on the scenery for X-Plane, and regularly posts and answers questions here.

X-Plane's user base isn't large enough to support the kind of third party development required because X-Plane still lacks key features like seasonal textures and regional autogen.

 

It's a circular argument, and one that needs to be broken.

 

Luckily JohnMaxx from Skymaxx Pro is working on this, so hopefully it will be another thing ticked off by a third-party developer. 

Sometimes I think we should have a flight simulator with a "Fantasy World".

 

The complex processes, both because of the data requiered and the amounts that have to be payed for that data, and then the process of making it as "real as it get's" to RW, is probably one of the major obstacles to building a flight simulator with "World" coverage.

 

If I was as tallented, and "rich" as Austin, I would create a "Fantasy World" for my flight simulator. It could more or less mimic the main characteristics of mother Earth, but it would be an imaginary  World on it's own.

 

From version to version, patch to patch, it could evolve.

 

Weather and it's synthesis for a flight simulator is another problem. Weather Generator developers strive to bring their weather as close to real as the RW Weather looks under some circumstances. They do their best, but they would certainly easily do much better if instead of trying to replicate RW Weather, they adopted a "weather-theme" approach, with a vast choice of themes and possibility to set different parts of the Globe with their own themes, and even with a dynamic evolution process, or simply by simulating a Global Weather System, with it's local phenomena, etc... and with much more quality and complexity than what they can do when trying to "guess" how the RW Weather will look ...

 

Well... friday ideas.... :-)

 

 

Luckily JohnMaxx from Skymaxx Pro is working on this, so hopefully it will be another thing ticked off by a third-party developer.

 

I've not been following WinterMaxx too closely but from what I gather he's adding snow via shaders? How well would this approach work for temperate winters such as those in the UK where we don't usually get heavy snow coverage? Or indeed spring and autumn textures?

 

I hope it works out but from what I can gather it isn't seasonal textures as such, but an effect added over the top of the existing textures.

I don't think Austin has an account here.

 

Sometimes I have to cut & paste posts so that he reads it.

 

Anyway, I'm not sure but I believe Ben does have an account at AVSIm (?)

 

But, sometimes, being isolated from the "crowd" is not such a bad idea :-)

Totally agreed:

In many cases being isolated from the "crowd" is indeed a good idea - but i also dare saying that in equaly many cases it is also a good idea to join in.

Sure, nothing new, but well ...

So:

Back to patiently waiting about what the future of XP will be holding for us.

Without any clear future XP "feature/fix/update-roadmap" or so from Laminar, this can again be all that we flightsimming enthusiasts are hoping for :smile2:  ...

- ... or nothing :(

But i sure try to remain confident.

:wink:

 

 

If he can afford to fly privately and own/maintain several private planes, I'm sure he could afford to take on more developers/artists.

 

I think his money is earned in other fields, not X-Plane! He is developing technology for real planes and other stuff.

 

 

but an effect added over the top of the existing textures.

 

If that works it might be better than just textures as this is was snow does - it goes over the existing stuff!

 

 

I'm sure AM could buy a lot more luxury planes with the rewards if he knuckled down and hired some more artists and developers!

As I said before - I don't think the money comes from selling X-Plane.

How much do I want to believe in X-plane? Well I just purchased a new graphics card with X-plane specifically in mind.

 

How much do I want to believe in X-plane? I just purchased a 1 terabyte drive and installed nothing but windows and xplane on it , so no other programs would be running in the background, sucking cpu cycles.

 

But I'm also aware of x-planes slow, meandering always-in-beta, never-finished history, and eventually other sims will populate that drive.

 

What happens then is just as much up to laminar is it is up to me.

 

The ball is in their court.

But I'm also aware of x-planes slow, meandering always-in-beta, never-finished history, and eventually other sims will populate that drive.

 

 

Xplane will be never finished unless Austin decides to shelve it and move on.

 

I believe this never finished scenario to be a very good thing. For example making use of new technology as it appears like 64bit, also making use of new graphics as the card manufacturers constantly improve and innovate. I should also mention the constantly improving and streamlining of code which gives the end user (and scenery, aircraft developers etc) an ever improving flight simulator.

 

That's my take anyway, and from my personal perspective as a linux user, the other sims don't rate a mention with the exception of Flightgear.

 

Regards

Xplane will be never finished unless Austin decides to shelve it and move on.

 

I believe this never finished scenario to be a very good thing. For example making use of new technology as it appears like 64bit, also making use of new graphics as the card manufacturers constantly improve and innovate. I should also mention the constantly improving and streamlining of code which gives the end user (and scenery, aircraft developers etc) an ever improving flight simulator.

 

That's my take anyway, and from my personal perspective as a linux user, the other sims don't rate a mention with the exception of Flightgear.

 

Regards

 

When I say unfinished, I mean really basic stuff. We all know about the long awaited seasonal textures, the ATC, the numerous unlit buildings, the cloud situation (Insta-fog) recently ameliorated by SkyMaxx, the AI, the oft mentioned torque issue...... (which is apparently about to finally be addressed, though I have read threads about it from years ago)

 

Really, what would we say if a new sim came out missing all of that, and years later hadn't got around to addressing it yet, or was just beginning to look at it?

 

But. We tend to go on waves of enthusiasm, and often don't like to puncture the bubble. We start feeling loyalty, and when questions are asked can become defensive, most especially when the developers are people we feel close to by long familiarity or correspondence.

 

It can interfere with questions that legitimately should be asked at a certain point.

 

I see the same thing In X-plane I saw in another sim: Potential. And as before, you have to wonder If this sim will ever reach it.

Morale among XP users seems to go in waves. 

 

This is exactly my observation.

 

There are 2 or 3 times a year when everybody is happy and enthusiastic -- the times when new products are released. When it gets more quiet again, everybody seems to think that the end of X-Plane is near.

I

Well, I use several sims. I actually like XPX, and right now it has my attention, but there can really only be one primary sim where the majority of my money for add-ons goes. If you were a developer, who would you go with? The number one sim?

Well, exactly this is the problem for developers. There is no longer a clear number one. FSX is at the end of its lifetime for developers. Since they pretty much pulled everything out of it. If you want to continue  you have to generate improvements without any additional Resources, and this is expensive.

 

P3D V2 has its licencing model, a limited compatibility and several limitations of FSX still in place., or the new way X-Plane 10, with several problems but you can use the memory that you want. Add to this that it will take up to 2 years till your product is ready and you see the real problem developers face. There is no longer an easy answer.

 

The simulators are very complex so they take a lot of time, especially if you have to play it safe and have to work with a limited staff. Especially the question of seasons itself is more a question for X-Plane 11 or 12. As Ben described Snow could in fact arrive much faster. Although this year the lack of snow is no bug but in europe an example how realistic X-Plane 10 is.

The way I see it is that the natural path of least resistance for FSX users is P3D, and that's also the most obvious path for FSX developers, as it requires the least retooling and has a much smaller learning curve, as well as the backing of LM and an already fully realized world.

 

X-plane has a 64 bit engine on its side, and potentially way cooler technology, but is so focused on BET and advances so slowly that major parts of the plausible world lay unfinished, with no earthly time frame for basic completion in sight.

 

Anyway, I guess in the end, I see that X-plane (again) has a great opportunity, but history shows that they tend to wander past such opportunities with what looks from the outside like a nearly complete lack of competitive aggression. They are not a "hungry" company.

 

In the real world that hands the advantage to LM on a silver platter, and gives 3rd parties little choice on where they should focus their efforts, even if x-plane has some sexy bits they otherwise would have loved to get their hands on.

 

As mentioned earlier, X-plane is stuck in a circular pattern that only they can ultimately break out of. I wish them luck!

This is exactly my observation.

 

There are 2 or 3 times a year when everybody is happy and enthusiastic -- the times when new products are released. When it gets more quiet again, everybody seems to think that the end of X-Plane is near.

I agree.

... and another reason why it would be certainly most appreciated if Laminar finally chances the current situation and really begins to do more to let XPlane rise and shine!

A good start would be a road map of future features/fixes/patches/updates under construction and so on for instance - all properly and clealy communicated from time to time - some kind of sending out a life sign ...

:smile:

T

 

In the real world that hands the advantage to LM on a silver platter, and gives 3rd parties little choice on where they should focus their efforts, even if x-plane has some sexy bits they otherwise would have loved to get their hands on.

Not quite. LM is simply not in the same market. The whole civil flight sim market is so tiny that no bigger company is interested in it. Many people will simply stay in FSX, some will go to P3D V2 and others will go to X-Plane. There is no longer such a central dominator. Laminar is too small and LM has no interest (otherwise they would have bought the entertainment rights, too)..

 

There are only some 3rd party developers who try to push in this direction (to use their well established development processes). The core developers have the simple problem that they have to care for their real customers.

 

In fact it is obvious that this is a longer trend. Previous versions like FS9 had a huge freeware market, but in FSX this was in comparison tiny.

 

The difference between XP-10 and earlier versions of X-Plane is: There are a number of 3rd party developers who are developing for X-Plane 10 together with Laminar! The influence of the external developers is bigger than ever before. From the outside some moves don't make sense but this is always the problem. If you don't know the code you can't tell where the problem really is.

 

LM on the other hand has the big problem: If they want to solve some of their core problems they will have to break the compatibility!

I

A good start would be a road map of future features/fixes/patches/updates under construction and so on for instance - all properly and clealy communicated from time to time - some kind of sending out a life sign ...

:smile:

Errm , the problem is: this is not really how the development process works. Sometimes you find out that your fix for one problem has a fundamental problem, so it can't work, while you find at the same time a rather simple and e4fficient solution for another problem.

The normal development process is a bit chaotic, since you can't really know how long a certain fix might take till it is really finished! And you don't want to publish this since it would look really insane.