fsx-se FSX: SE. A Dead End?

[Douglas729 1]

The term 'beefy hardware' seems only applicable when flying beefy aircraft.

 

I enjoy gliding the Alps in either FSX on a Mini-ITX or FSX:SE on a laptop both with borderline hardware and both without a hiccup.

 

I like the responsibility of pulling my own weight and occasionally avoiding a near miss due to flying by the seat of my pants....it's fun and takes some balls.

 

I respect those that fly an Airbus but you can understand I'm certainly not motivated to fly one myself considering all the quandaries associated with the heavy hardware involved.

 

'ignorance is bliss'

[Wobbie 938]

So, I saw/read/watched it on the intenet, so it IS true!

Anyhow, my thoughts go to those poor developers.

What will they do?

Because:

We have FS9 - still being developed for (believe it or not)

We have FSX

We have FSX:SE

We have the DLC releases by Dovetail

We have P3D

We will have whatever Dovetail is going to come up with

We will maybe eventually get P3D 64bit

 

All these have different auto install & licensing issues for the devs.

 

All this makes it very interesting for the developers..

 

Where is the holy grail of marketing for them?

 

Maybe 3 different releases..

Bronze for the gamers  - Simplified for the newbies (FSX:SE)

Silver for the hobby guys

Gold for the lads/gals that want super detailed.

 

I realise that there were licensing issues involved, but imagine if Dovtail had done what Lockheed Martin did with P3D when they bundled in a bunch of previously payware aircraft.

This would have diferentiated them very nicely.

[Pete Dowson 558]

So there we have it, please take note all you "Commercial Members" - why are you all pushing and promoting this new thing as the future FSX?

 

Why?

 

This place was previously a nice and honest place for good advice with regards to our great hobby, now it stinks with how to make these:

 

I take EXTREME objection to this slight. I am more an enthusiastic hobbyist, a user, than a person with commercial interests. Yes, FSUIPC sales pays for my hobby, but it is my hobby first and foremost, and I have always been honest and up front with what I see and learn.

 

It is nonsense to suggest that a license to DTG which prohibits "significant functionality" changes to FSX also prohibits improvements and fixes. Significant functionality means new features and additions.  No one has suggested they have done or will do anything like that.

 

They have, however, made useful fixes, to things like cache clearance to reduce memory hogging -- as described in their list of changes. And the update this month did further in this direction, also giving a small perfomance increase again.

 

I have also had to delve into the code quite a bit in order to make FSUIPC work with FSX-SE and the code is significantly different in many places -- importantly, in G3D and SIM1 modules which are most certainly part of the "core".

 

The comparisons I have made are comparing exactly like with exactly like. Same sceneries (NOT re-installed ones, shared ones), same textures, same add-ons running, same traffic (again shared, not re-installed), and even the same CFG -- my FSX-SE CFG is just a copy of my FSX.CFG, as is the Scenery CFG, the DLL.XML and the EXE.XML.

 

And to counter another false assumption earlier, the Zooms and views are also completely identical, using the same values in the same places and controlled by OpusFSX..

 

On my system, under heavy load, FSX-SE performs much better and smoother than FSX-ACC. Under lighter loads there's little difference at all. The little optimisations the later compilers make are not going to make an enormous difference EXCEPT when it matters. At lighter loads other things come into play.

 

I've no idea why you are so prejudiced about "commercial members" as to not believe me.  And I find it very insulting. I've been involved with Flight Simulators now since the first Apple II version, and have been developing software (nearly all freeware) for them since FS4. I only started earning money with this to help pay for this hobby with FS2004 in 2006 when my other income dried up. I am now really retired, being 72 this year, but I am still enthusiastic enough to continue and try to help develop the hobby.

 

If I were really interested in making more money by pushing something, I would have been pushing P3D. But the truth is I don't like P3D (yet, anyway). And if I really wanted to make money I would have charged again for a P3D version of FSUIPC, not just included it, as I have with FSX-SE, as part of the standard existing FSUIPC4 license.

 

If you don't want to spend all that money on FSX-SE (like the whopping £3.99 I paid), then don't, but don't call folks liars when they describe their good experiences with it, and don't be so nasty as to ascribe ulterior motives!

 

I suggest you post an apology.

 

Pete

[Sirxamoc 22]

Glynn first off great comparison, that is why I dumped last fall FSX for P3D, now I am in a quandry, I really like FSX-SE but I still like P3D, the only thing now that is making me hold on sticking with just one is both FSX-SE and P3D have issues with current retail software. 

 

As far JJIB's comments, me thinks thou protest too much!

 

Pete I first off thank you for the work you do, and even though you refer to it as a hobby I know it is work.  The problem I see is that no one else seems to be stepping up like you as far as making the programs that you have to make us simmers happy or make it easier for others to enjoy this hobby.

 

What we see here as far as P3D - FSX - FSX-SE -Xplane is what happens when a need is created in a vacuum.  For years I have bought every single version of MS Flight Simulator.  Never did I look at Xplane that was really it's only minor competitor.  Then Microsoft bails on a very successful platform and for how many years have we gone making FSX and for the die hards FS9 to keep going.   So the field was stable, programmer knew they had a captive market and they knew the parameters for their platforms.  Now first here comes Prepar3D, and whoa, but like FSX but not quite, but now we are at Version 2.4 and very stable with 2.5 coming soon out of Beta.  Now of all things Steam says wait we can make this tried and true FSX run better!  Now the game is on, we have 3 active players now biding for a niche in the sim market.  You have to love capitalism as it will eventually decide who will survive!

 

We the flight sim community first must thank those that have taken the time to learn, create, and share thier gifts to us.  Then we must thank those that create and offer for a price their art (someone try and argue that it is not!) and sell it to us.  Most of us are big boys and girls and know when to buy and not, so for those that want to complain about these people that add to my hobbies addiction, go somewhere else and vent your personal injustices.

 

Oh and as far a FS9, got it great program but if it was so great why did not Steam or Lockheed Martin use it?  Tried to purchase a copy the other day just to see how it would operate on my system, the cheapest I have been able to find is $40 and the most expensive was for over a $1000 on ebay.  But again, why was its basic platform not picked up if it was the best.  Like all things when looked through Darwins prsim, the strong will survive!

 

I apologise for the rant, but give thanks for those that do try and help us!

[JJiB 0]

"I suggest you post an apology.

Pete"

 

You have my respect for all you have done in this hobby, I´m very sorry that you feel insulted.

 

I thought that other "CM´s" would have reacted on my post - but no - they are silent, because there is a problem here at Avsim, you figure it out yourself, very easy to spot.

[Glynn 405]

 

 

because there is a problem here at Avsim, you figure it out yourself, very easy to spot.

 

I have been here over ten years and see no problems with Avsim, yet in 29 days you have spotted that there is something wrong with the site.

 

Don't keep us in suspense, what do you feel is wrong ?

[n4gix 4,947]

I thought that other "CM´s" would have reacted on my post - but no - they are silent, because there is a problem here at Avsim, you figure it out yourself, very easy to spot.

Actually another "CM" did reply to your post, even though I wear a "Global Moderator" tag, I am remain a commercial developer for Milviz. "Problems" here at AVSIM are dealt with on a daily basis.

[JJiB 0]

The problem????

 

You are moderators, old guys in the hobby, employed by dev´s or have your own company.

 

Don´t you see a pattern, don´t you see how many people are kicked out on a regular basis here???

 

I´m not a noob, had many names before, got kicked out because I don´t agree with all the hidden marketing agenda bull we have to endure here.

 

NickN left the place, xxxxx too, and many more, why????

 

Read this thread, and be educated:

 

http://www.simforums.com/forums/steam-version-of-fsx_topic50967.html

[AviatorMoser 353]

The problem????

 

You are moderators, old guys in the hobby, employed by dev´s or have your own company.

 

Don´t you see a pattern, don´t you see how many people are kicked out on a regular basis here???

 

I´m not a noob, had many names before, got kicked out because I don´t agree with all the hidden marketing agenda bull we have to endure here.

 

NickN left the place, xxxxx too, and many more, why????

 

Way off-topic here. Can we suppress the urge to derail the thread?

[Glynn 405]

 

 

I´m not a noob, had many names before, got kicked out because I don´t agree with all the hidden marketing agenda bull we have to endure here.

 

Why keep coming back then ?

 

I am not a betting man but if I were, I would wager you will not make 30 days this time around.

[n4gix 4,947]

He can't reply because I 'banned' him from this topic and kicked the matter up 'higher' for evaluation.

[KingGhidorah 209]

That was quick!

[Pete Dowson 558]

He can't reply because I 'banned' him from this topic and kicked the matter up 'higher' for evaluation.

 

I don't think he's a very nice person, and seems to have his own agenda. i really don't understand what he thinks he sees "going on here" that the rest of us don't. It's very sad when these places, full of normal gentle discussion, are spoilt by such people, and it does put one off visiting.

 

Pete

[n4gix 4,947]

"Higher" agreed and this person is now officially personna non grata (again).

 

@Pete: it wasn't particularly clever of him to admit to having been previously "kicked out" and didn't leave too much choice. There are no "second chances" at AVSIM.

 

Unfortunately, there are those in the world who seemingly use being banned from AVSIM as some weird "badge of honour" as though it were a military decoration for courage or something...

[gtrbarbarian 1]

I think it comes down to this: non-developers don't understand the time and energy that goes into writing software. Many times without solid requirements, a product comes out of the mind of a developer, started as a nebulous idea that he or she must mold into an actual functioning product. I'm not going to make a comparison to Michelangelo and removing rock to get at the sculpture inside, but it's not far off. This person wears many hats, part visionary, part artist, part engineer, part project manager, part tech support, part business person, part sys admin, part tester, part risk mitigation... 

 

The non-technical person has no way to relate to what it takes to write great software. That combined with the general sense of entitlement in the world today, means product users expect features to be done yesterday, they expect there never to be bugs and thus never service packs, and product updates when a platform (like se) changes had better be instantaneous! They expect that every user's pc with widely different hardware and capability will run said software exactly the same without fail....and hey you want how much $$$ to do that?    Then they come on here and make a statement like "##### I bought XXX and it DOESN'T WORK ...BUYER BEWARE I GOT ROBBED!!11!!" ... makes me cringe and roll my eyes...I'd say the large majority is user error or a simple config change to get things working. But hey, users don't want to trouble shoot!

 

I get a chuckle every time someone here on avsim belly aches about the price of certain advanced aircraft or other add-ons, and the sheer thanklessness that they show to freeware devs that now might be charging a nominal fee after bringing this hobby to what it is today.... it takes money, time and effort to build these things folks!