[27FEB15] Latest News/Release Planning Notes, etc

[Scramjet333]

But Xplane has an awful weather engine and hardly any high quality addons..... PMDG will show us how much potential the platform has or hasn't got.

Actually, it's pretty decent - at least you get weather radar input by default and you don't need add-ons. I do agree that it needs work (mainly the sudden changes in weather as you fly), but it's certainly better than what you get with stock FSX. If you do want some improved weather, there's the XP GFS NOAA weather plugin.

 

'Hardly any high-quality add-ons'? I suppose you haven't seen HD Mesh Scenery v3, Tree Lines and Farms, World2XPlane, the x737, IXEG 737, Rotatesim's MD-80, MC's 787, several new airport scenery in the U.S. and Australia by MisterX6 and ISDG respectively. All of these rival the payware in FSX. And the best deal? They're ALL free. $0. Nada.

 

The X-Plane community doesn't usually pay for anything unless it's really, really good, because we usually can make it ourselves, or at least, make something that works to the extent we want it. That's not to say there aren't decent payware in X-Plane (check out FF 757/777, Peter Hager's A380, JARDesign A320, Carenado's, Aerosoft's and Alabeo's GA planes, SkyMAXX Pro v2 for clouds/weather, and several airport scenery all around).

 

It's just not logical to expect a single or two working adults/schooling teenagers who made a freeware contribution to have the same resources as a large, dedicated company, and hence the quality will be lesser than what you expect as a payware. And hence, with about $500 worth of add-ons, you can make FSX exceed X-Plane in quality and 'realism'. But in general, we're a very freeware-oriented community and are very happy with what we already have/will be having.

 

That said, I still hope PMDG's project will really pull out all the stops and set a new standard for other payware and even freeware devs in X-Plane to look up to as a benchmark.

 

@Kyle, I've got one question - does PMDG intend to release its X-Plane aircraft through the X-Plane.org Store in addition to its usual release methods?

[ferrariman15]

Actually, it's pretty decent - at least you get weather radar input by default and you don't need add-ons. I do agree that it needs work (mainly the sudden changes in weather as you fly), but it's certainly better than what you get with stock FSX. If you do want some improved weather, there's the XP GFS NOAA weather plugin.

 

'Hardly any high-quality add-ons'? I suppose you haven't seen HD Mesh Scenery v3, Tree Lines and Farms, World2XPlane, the x737, IXEG 737, Rotatesim's MD-80, MC's 787, several new airport scenery in the U.S. and Australia by MisterX6 and ISDG respectively. All of these rival the payware in FSX. And the best deal? They're ALL free. $0. Nada.

 

The X-Plane community doesn't usually pay for anything unless it's really, really good, because we usually can make it ourselves, or at least, make something that works to the extent we want it. That's not to say there aren't decent payware in X-Plane (check out FF 757/777, Peter Hager's A380, JARDesign A320, Carenado's, Aerosoft's and Alabeo's GA planes).

 

It's just not logical to expect a single or two working adults/schooling teenagers who made a freeware contribution to have the same resources as a large, dedicated company, and hence the quality will be lesser than what you expect as a payware. But in general, we're a very freeware-oriented community and are very happy with what we already have/will be having.

 

That said, I hope PMDG's project will really pull out all the stops and set a new standard for other payware and even freeware devs in X-Plane to look up to as a benchmark.

Kyle has already said that he doesn't want an Xplane vs FSX debate started. I have Xplane and am part of the Xplane community as well. IMO the weather engine is awful, the textures you get with Skymaxx or great but several times I've been flying in Xplane in lovely VMC to then have a weather update happen and go straight into hard core IMC. Also had clouds coming out of the ground etc etc. There are a handful of high quality addons like the FF757, Fly J Sim aircraft, Dreamfoil helicopters and Skymaxx. The IXEG 737 isn't released yet so we don't know whether or not it will be as fantastic as it looks. Virtually all the others you have mentioned I would not call high quality at all, and no where near PMDG or A2A standards. Anyway I really don't wish to get into the FSX/P3D vs Xplane debate as I don't want to annoy the mods, so can we leave it there please.

[Scramjet333]

Kyle has already said that he doesn't want an Xplane vs FSX debate started. I have Xplane and am part of the Xplane community as well. IMO the weather engine is awful, the textures you get with Skymaxx or great but several times I've been flying in Xplane in lovely VMC to then have a weather update happen and go straight into hard core IMC. Also had clouds coming out of the ground etc etc. There are a handful of high quality addons like the FF757, Fly J Sim aircraft, Dreamfoil helicopters and Skymaxx. The IXEG 737 isn't released yet so we don't know whether or not it will be as fantastic as it looks. Virtually all the others you have mentioned I would not call high quality at all, and no where near PMDG or A2A standards. Anyway I really don't wish to get into the FSX/P3D vs Xplane debate as I don't want to annoy the mods, so can we leave it there please.

Clearly, 'high quality' is quite normative. To each his own. And yes, let's stop here. I also don't want to annoy the mods.

[uehm]

Welp, guess that's a no for tonight. Oh well.

[HuskyPup]

Welp, guess that's a no for tonight. Oh well.

 

I'm still hopeful, though i am pretty sure i have my hopes up and gunna be heavily disappointed by the end of the day, its still only <Insert time here> I have to keep telling myself, and reminding that these guys don't run on the same kind of schedule that normal businesses do. 

 

As much as i think they deserve the break, I find myself kind of being selfish and hoping they didn't take the 'take the weekend off' people seriously, i mean - there really isn't any replacement for the NGX, I've looked at a few that already do work with Steam edition and well... really none can compare to it - so i just hope it really does come out either today or tomorrow

[uehm]

I'm still hopeful, though i am pretty sure i have my hopes up and gunna be heavily disappointed by the end of the day, its still only <Insert time here> I have to keep telling myself, and reminding that these guys don't run on the same kind of schedule that normal businesses do. 

 

As much as i think they deserve the break, I find myself kind of being selfish and hoping they didn't take the 'take the weekend off' people seriously, i mean - there really isn't any replacement for the NGX, I've looked at a few that already do work with Steam edition and well... really none can compare to it - so i just hope it really does come out either today or tomorrow

 

Exactly. I tried the iFly version of the plane and it didn't even come close to the PMDG version of it. 

 

Still, incredibly awesome that they're working really hard to try to fix it -- really appreciate it, devs!

[77west]

Hmmm.... no news since RSR's post yesterday. I hope something else is not broken!

 

Its now almost 9pm in Virginia so I dont have much hope for a release this weekend.

 

Oh well I have another 2 hours or so on EK86 LSZH-OMDB anyhow.

[teopereira]

Is this "Steam" edition so extraordinary to justify such huge efforts of addon companies to make their products compatible? Did you really note a significant FPS/smoothness improvement?

[uehm]

Is this "Steam" edition so extraordinary to justify such huge efforts of addon companies to make their products compatible?

 

I'd say so, you don't have to deal with Microsoft's terrible DRM and there are several performance improvements to it.

[Scramjet333]

I'd say so, you don't have to deal with Microsoft's terrible DRM and there are several performance improvements to it.

Not only that, but Steam is likely to bring in a huge influx of new flight simmers who are looking for add-ons. Dovetail breathed life into a dying product, and FSX will likely hang around for another year more than without its Steam release.

 

I have to hand it to MS: they have a reputation for making good products last very long (Windows XP, Office, FSX, FS2004), and bad products disappear very quickly (Vista, Windows 8, Games for Windows).

[uehm]

Not only that, but Steam is likely to bring in a huge influx of new flight simmers who are looking for add-ons. Dovetail breathed life into a dying product, and FSX will likely hang around for another year more than without its Steam release.

 

I have to hand it to MS: they have a reputation for making good products last very long (Windows XP, Office, FSX, FS2004), and bad products disappear very quickly (Vista, Windows 8, Games for Windows).

 

Exactly. FSX:SE consistently has over 700 players on it, and over 1500 reviews. Really think it helped FSX increase it's market share even more.

[rsrandazzo]

Gents-

 

(Okay- that skips a few of you...sorry...)

 

We are still letting the testing team run with the latest build, which they finally received around 0600Z Saturday.

 

Today was spent correcting a few really minor items in the product, which is a good sign... 

 

The majority of work Saturday, was done with the Operations Center, as the NGX has had a really really hard time playing nicely in FSX and FSX-SE due **entirely** to a majestically screwed up registry methodology adopted by Dovetail for FSX-Steam Edition.  (In fact, whomever engineered it, along with whomever approved it should be beaten savagely, sacked, rehired, beaten a second time and then tossed from the back of a moving train....)

 

We think that as of around 0500Z/01MAR we are beyond the troubles with the OC- but the whole testing team needs to play with it and see if they can break it or find some other small detail we missed.

 

 

We are planning to let the testing team percolate a bit longer- as we have one user experiencing CTD issues that we cannot say for certain are unrelated to the NGX.  (I'm 99.9% certain they are unrelated- but I like to give these sorts of things some time...)

 

Go enjoy your sunday...  I'm going to subject myself to yet another day of abuse at the hands of the beta team... 

[biokemisten]

I'm going to subject myself to yet another day of abuse at the hands of the beta team... 

 

Haha.

[NoBeJellyBro808]

Ok good to hear hopefully it will be released sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Gomes

[anden145]

I don't think, that they will hold up the P3D version with relation to the FSX:SE version - or vice versa...