To P3d or not to P3d

[sparkie66 81]

 

 

Wow, that's pretty funny. A massive assumption, of course, and untrue most certainly. Could you speak of your own experiences and let others speak of theirs? Without the judgement?

 

This is why I opened with "my 2ct", but if it pleases you better than read "I think I know why" because that is what I meant, and that is also why I keep trying p3dv2, I want to like it but do not, yet.

 

Furthermore, claiming my statement is untrue...isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Browsing the forums seems to back up my claim. In the p3d forums, p3d is the best sim, in the xpx forums, xpx is the best etc. So if you ask if you should buy XPX in the XPX will probably yield mostly affirmative answers.

 

XPX isnt there yet either, for that matter, but at present my very humble opinion is that it offers more than p3d in terms of smoothness, addons. Ofc the weather engine is very bad, that is why I bought p3dv2 hoping for a better total sim experience.

 

I guess if someone askes to p3d or not, the more useful answer is  "P3Dv2.2: love it" as opposed to my views. 

[spirit_66 2]

..........- but please at least give X Plane demo a try - just so you know.

That's what I did but I couldn't find anything attractive from my point of view. I prefer to stick with P3D v2.x but as the saying goes: "One man's meat is another man's poison"

Spirit

[Boomer 1,619]

Very difficult situation but here's my take as a long time flight simmer.

 

FSX is an unfinished broken unstable pig of a sim, requiring massive amounts of payware add-ons to be worth one's time.

 

P3D is the pig in nicer attire, but a pig none-the-less, also requiring many addons to be worthwhile.

 

And both are still 32 bit.

 

XPX may have the most potential IN THE FUTURE but has a long way to go right now, including good ATC (or a good ATC add-on) and viable AI traffic.  But it is 64 bit.

 

Reading the tea leaves about where to invest, I would go with XPX long term.  For now I will stay with FSX.  If and when PMDG releases a heavy for XPX AND the ATC and AI issues are addressed, I will ponder making a move then.  Trouble is, I am dubious that the ATC and AI issues are even priorities for Austin.

[carlito777 712]

Why do these threads always come up? Try the different flight sims either through a demo or buy them and if you don't like them, then get a refund. These threads lead to nothing but collecting opinions from others which certainly don't help to take your own decision. Everybody is different. Some like X-Plane and don't like P3D. I certainly love P3D and think X-Plane looks like a cartoon. But all these opinion are worthless to take a decision because you have to form your own subjective opinion to reach a decision. And for AVSIM it woud be a welcome relief to server loads when people stop raising these useless topics. Sorry to be harsh, but that's my opinion...

[Boomer 1,619]

Why do these threads always come up? Try the different flight sims either through a demo or buy them and if you don't like them, then get a refund.

 

Because for most of us funds are limited and I know of no software you can get refunded on because "you dont like it", sir.

 

Software EULAs are generally massively biased against the consumer.

[carlito777 712]

Because for most of us funds are limited and I know of no software you can get refunded on because "you dont like it", sir.

 

Software EULAs are generally massively biased against the consumer.

 

Sorry, but that's not true. Lockheed Martin has a very generous refund policy. A lot of people in this forum have tried P3D2, didn't like it and got a refund without any problem.

 

And X-Plane has a demo. What's the problem?

[Boomer 1,619]

I stand corrected on the matter, sir.

 

On another note...

 

IMHO FSX can still muster some good visuals:

 

[carlito777 712]

Nice pictures! And yes, FSX is certainly still a strong contender. It's still a close call between FSX and P3D if you take everything into account. There are pros and cons for both... But I think P3D is the future...

[Boomer 1,619]

 

 

But I think P3D is the future

 

If it can move to 64 bit, perhaps.

[sparkie66 81]

 

 

Why do these threads always come up? Try the different flight sims either through a demo or buy them and if you don't like them, then get a refund. These threads lead to nothing but collecting opinions from others which certainly don't help to take your own decision. Everybody is different. Some like X-Plane and don't like P3D. I certainly love P3D and think X-Plane looks like a cartoon. But all these opinion are worthless to take a decision because you have to form your own subjective opinion to reach a decision. And for AVSIM it woud be a welcome relief to server loads when people stop raising these useless topics. Sorry to be harsh, but that's my opinion...

 

Not harsh, I feel the same way. Personally I think these threads keep coming up is because we simmers do not have a goto flightsim atm. FSX, p3d, XP all have some elements right, but none have the whole package.

 

And this is in a time where other companies produce stuff like DCS-A-10  / DCS world etc, that is visually stunning and, in my case, the fps limit is the refresh rate of my monitor...(let's not talk about games like farcry 3, with almost real visuals and 1000's of moving parts like leaves in the wind etc, screaming along >60 fps)

 

While it may be a space sim and not a flight sim, look at elite dangerous. Same there, visually stunning solid fps.

 

if you take that into consideration, I feel frustrated that I am left with unfinished or obsolete programs for flight simming. I for one hoped to find the goto sim with p3dv2. 

 

Ofc people can fly different sims, but personally I just like to invest my time and money into 1 sim for at least a couple of years and i think many ppl feel that way, thus these threads come up from time to time. 

 

Gross generalization on my part but: current available flight sims are all sub par (meaning fsx/p3dv2/XP), so it's like picking the best of the worst. And all that talk about which is the future, doesnt really rock my boat. How old is fsx? p3dv2 is marginally better in what 15 years? I'm 39 now, I would like to have a DCS like flightsim for civil aviation NOW, not in another 15 years. It's not like the technology is lacking.

 

fsx is the least to blame by the way, it's old.

 

/rant

edit to add:

 

for the OP: while im certainly no XP10 ######, you might want to try it (demo) if only for the hassle free installation and 0 tweaking. Adding scenery is a simple drag and drop in the correct folder, same with aircarft. You can even move the entire xp folder to another drive and start it no problem.

 

basic xp, plus some scenery from simheaven and a couple of free airports will give you an idea. Weather depiction sux bigtime though. 

 

I'm on a beta version now, but the stable releases have never crashed on me, ever. Alt tab all you want  

[Moby 0]

I've been using FSX since it was released, mostly because of the lack of addons that suit my taste X-plane has never been an option. In my view P3D V2.2 is a completely different sim than FSX. About 4 months ago, I decided P3D was matured enough for my use to replace FSX. The list of improvements in P3D v2.2 are many but I'm gonna list the ones that, in my view, matter the most to the end user. Hopefully I won't forgett any.

 

The graphics engine has been completely rewritten. It now support DX11, and the sim is able to unleash the power found in modern graphics card. Because of this I bought a Nvidia GTX780 and was really impressed by the result. You get all kinds of visual treats that just isn't technically possible in FSX. If I'm not mistaken effects like HDR/glare/realistic aircraft self shadows does not give such a big negative FPS hit due to DX11. Some addons look better in P3D because of, like the Airbus X Extended A320/A321(This is just a screenshot I took that show the cockpit of the A321). 

 

P3D is more stable than FSX ever was. Some unlucky few does encounter problems but for the majority of user P3D is alot more stable. I like doing medium/long flights like EDDF to OMDB and sometimes KJFK to EDDF. For long flight a stable sim improves the experience imensly.

 

Not all addons are available for P3D yet, but that list is growing fast. FS dream team, fly tampa, REX, Active Sky Next, Carenado, Aerosoft, ORBX, the list goes on. more people are already migrating to P3D and addon makers are recognizing this. Sometimes updates from P3D can cause unexpected problems with addons, but those are fixed as soon the addon developer brings an update. Since the FSX hasn't been patched since ACC/SP2 this wasn't really a problem before.

 

If you have an old computer you won't get much improvements on performance, but if you a modern computer with a powerful GPU and CPU, P3D is better equipped to utilize that power. My current P3D installation has been setup with very few problem, and little to none tweaking. In that respect i'm kind of a casual simmer, I prefer to fly rather than spending hours editing CFG files. I have off course touched the setting provided inside the sim, but I haven't touched the CFG files.

 

P3D just works, and really good too. That the main reason I jumped from FSX to P3D

[Arwen 289]

Most people will advise you to buy p3d v2 though. And I know why; because they really WANT to like p3dv2, which makes them partially blind to the huge shortcomings of the sim in its current and near future state. I really want to like it too, but after several installs, i've come to the conclusion that i really do not like it atm.

 

Perhaps the main reason that people here will advise someone to switch to P3D is because this is the P3D forum.  My guess is that most posters in this forum actually do really like P3D, otherwise they would stop using it and find a sim that they like better.

 

I bought P3D v.2.0 on the day it was released and have had next to no problems with it.  In the nearly 8 months that I have been using P3D, I have experienced CTD only three times, and that was all due to the flight planner bug (and I fly almost every day).  As I posted earlier, I OWN X-Plane 10, so I have nothing to gain from liking P3D more. So I gave X-Plane 10 an honest try for more than three months, before P3D v.2 was released, and concluded that it just wasn't the flightsim for me.  And I still have X-Plane 10 installed, and updated to the latest version, and I still occasionally take a flight in it, and it still doesn't give me the same immersion that I get with P3D (I do now have a lot of Orbx stuff and ASN and the 3 A2A GA).  On my system (with next to no tweaking), P3D actually runs better than X-Plane 10 does and, in my opinion, flying feels more realistic, and the sim just looks better to me (even without any addons).

 

To each there own.  If your sim of choice is X-Plane 10, then that's totally fine.  But please don't accuse me and others here of preferring P3D, just because we "really WANT to like P3D" . . . because, not only are you wrong, your statement is rather insulting. We're really not that stupid.  Once I decide that P3D was a better sim for me, than X-Plane 10, I stopped posting on the X-Plane forum. I view all the AVSIM forums as support forums, and I no longer need support (nor can I help others) in a forum where I am pretty much no longer using the forum's sim. And it would seem petty to go there and complain, when I've moved on to a better sim (for me).

[shivers9 1,174]

Most people will advise you to buy p3d v2 though. And I know why; because they really WANT to like p3dv2, which makes them partially blind to the huge shortcomings of the sim in its current and near future state. I really want to like it too, but after several installs, i've come to the conclusion that i really do not like it atm.

 

So this begs the question....Why is a X-plane user here is this Forum. 1. Is he trying to find a new sim or 2. Is he trolling on behalf of X-plane. Hummmmm :Thinking:

[Guest]

This is why I opened with "my 2ct"

 

Nothing wrong having a negative opinion of a product, but your 2ct would be more helpful to a reader if you list some specific details of exactly what it was you didn't like ... you really haven't provided anything specific.  Of course being specific means you open the door for counter views/information ... but that's all part of the process of providing an opinion.

 

 

 

X Plane was and is still owned and programmed by a practicing pilot - which must count for something.

 

LM = Lockheed Martin ... they design and produce real world aircraft for commercial and military use ... that's pretty much top of the food chain when it comes to knowing the most about aircraft and flight simulations.  More specifically: http://sim-industries.com/product-portfolio/ ... Lockheed Martin have a wealth of resources from which to draw ... certainly more than a private pilot.

 

 

 

I know there are threads that are like this, but I've done a lot of research in FSX and P3D. Why? Because I haven't bought either yet.

 

LM offer a 30 day refund, so essentially you can try it first.  XP10 has a demo also.  I don't believe there is a demo for FSX (correct me if I'm wrong)?  I'd would highly recommend you try all three before making a decision if you are just looking for a single platform to grow with.

 

All 3 platforms have issues, none is perfect ... if you're getting back into flight simulation you will have to be willing to:

 

1.  Turn a blind eye

2.  Work through problems using resources available (AVSIM is great resource for solutions to problems)

3.  Make the best out of your choice/choices, perfection is a few decades away on the home front so aim your expectations 

 

Whatever platform you decide with, I'm certain you'll be able to find enjoyment, learning, and maybe even some fun

 

Cheers, Rob.

[sparkie66 81]

Arwen, sorry. I will refrain from giving my opinion before i check with you If you approve. My bad.

 

Some people see insults in everything, but call someone else petty almost in the same sentence.