Finally purchased prepar3d! Very confused!

[flyinpilot212121 724]

good day everyone!!!

 

I have been simming for quite sometime now, fs95. I went through the verions up until fs9. I left simming for the last 2-3 years due to personal reasons.

Im finally in a position to be able to come back to it and have decided to start fresh and go with prepar3d. i gave it a quick run and im very impressed with the program. It looks very good out of the box and runs well.

 

having been out of it for the last 3 years, im currently trying to sift through the forums on some information, But it is so overwhelming and feel I wont be able to get back to the level I was at when using fs9. So for my question..

 

Is there anything I should know about this program, example must do tweaks?

Is there any free AI traffic such as project AI i think it was called?

Are there any Must have programs that I should start with, such as weather engines etc.

Im going to be getting back into it very slowly...for my first order of business, I would like to find a decently priced airliner so I can start to toy around with the program and get from point A to point B using a passenger airliner.

 

I feel very lost and don't know where to start lol...Im sure ill get there, but wow is this overwhelming!!!

 

Oh, Im using a ch yoke and rudder pedals..can i just calibrate all this stuff from within prepar3d?

Does track IR work in prepar3d? lol

 

So many questions, so little time lol.

 

thanks for any help you can offer!!

 

 

[richie894 45]

P3D is not like FSX. You don't need to do tons of tweaks. It is pretty much ready to go.

 

 

To start I recommend Active Sky 16 which generates the weather along with REX soft clouds.

 

Also EZDOK is a must have. Lets you move around the cockpit and gives you better camera angles. Plus gives shaking effects in the cockpit for bumps when taxiing or turbulence in the air. It works with TrackIr5.

 

Then add on aircraft will then depend on your flying. Long haul, short haul, GA etc. If you are just finding your feet I recommend the Aerosoft Airbus bundle as it is easier to manage than the PMDG products. You have a checklist option built in and option for a co pilot to handle it all, so you can focus on flying.

[Dean33 69]

Active Sky 16 is a great start.

 

Instead of Ezdoc I'd try free trial of Aivlasofts Simplecam. No shakes but it's simple and inexpensive.

 

Whilst the Airbus is good and the checklist function is useful my problem with this advice is your budget. Can you afford Airbus and the PMDG 737 - because eventually you'll want that!

 

On scenery enhancement you probably want to look at ORBX FTX Global unless you plan to only fly in one of their 'full' areas

 

Enjoy.

[Guest]

Also EZDOK is a must have.

 

Not for me. And not for everyone. I am happy with TrackIR and don't use any 'view addon'. Not even in airliners. This isn't a must have like AS2016 is (see below).

 

 

Can you afford Airbus and the PMDG 737 - because eventually you'll want that!

 

He wants a 'decently priced airliner' so forget about PMDG. Besides, why would anyone eventually 'want that'?! I am a very happy simmer without ANY PMDG products. My favorite (and only) airliner is the Aerosoft Airbus 318/319. Very happy with it.

 

@Gerry

 

- Don't tweak. Set the sim up using the options screens and you're good.

 

- The Aerosoft Airbus is a decently priced and perfectly working airliner: highly recommended, also because it comes with checklists including audio so you don't need to buy extra addons (like FSCrew) for that. The systems aren't as deep as PMDG but everything a regular pilot would do or use on a regular day is there. Highly recommended.

 

- For weather you can't get any better than Active Sky 2016. For additional textures you might consider something from REX or (cheaper) the new ASCA which is an interesting addition to Active Sky 2016.

 

- For scenery: Orbx offers the best out there. For starters (and since you want to fly an airliner) go for FTX Global to give the entire world a graphic boost: it will replace all default textures with much better ones.

 

- You can calibrate your controllers from within P3D.

 

- TrackIR works like a charm. Make sure you install the SP2 Simconnect which can be found somewhere in the Redist folder which is inside the P3D folder.

 

- I don't use addon AI so I can't help you there.

[kakusso 12]

Best GA - A2A Simulations

Best civil jets - PMDG 737, 777 and Aerosoft Airbus

Best prop - MJC8 Q400

 

Weather - Upcoming Rex Skyforce 3D or Active Sky 16

 

Terrain - Orbx FTX Global, Vector, photoreal scenery is the absolute best but expensive and requires a lot of disk space.

 

Best tool - P3D Tweak Assistant (PTA)

[Christopher Low 5,324]

I agree with Richie and Jeroen with respect to tweaks. In short, leave it alone!

[Poppet 703]

What everyone else said ^^

 

Also,  don't pump it full of Add On's straight away,  Take things nice and slow,  Get the default Prepar3D up and running insuring you have a smooth good working Sim, Familiarize yourself with your Graphics settings and find your sweet spot for your system,  Also familiarize yourself with your folder locations.   Then when you decide to start Installing stuff,   Do one at a time, Check everything is Ok and only then Install the next Add On.

 

Install an Add On,  Restart computer,  Check for smoothness and everything is Ok,  Wash-Rinse-Repeat  

 

Nice and slow :smile:     

[richie894 45]

For AI I use World of AI. Free and I get a great mix of traffic. Although the installer is for FSX. So I install the packages into my FSX folder and then just copy the files over to my P3D folder it works just fine.

 

Another nice add on if you are using default ATC is editvoicepack. There is a free version and it allows you to use the correct airline call signs and expands the current vocabulary.

[Bobsk8 12,489]

Ez Dok, Active Sky  16, and don't tweak it, it doesn't need any. 

[flyinpilot212121 724]

Thanks every one for the great suggestions and Info!!

It seems pretty unanimous that i should look into active sky...but really...Active sky 16 lol.. last time i was simming it was active sky 6.5 lol.

Ill definetly check out the airbus. I would like a 737 eventually but it is very expensive as im just starting out again and need to pace myself or else the bank will be knocking for the keys to my house...

 

back in the fs9 days it was near impossible to find a decent airbus it seemed, i am very interested in an airbus!!!

 

Ill fore go the tweaks, I naturally assumed that tweaking was pretty much an expectation with flight sims..

 

thanks for the edit voice pack reminder, I forgot about it, I like to have authentic call signs.

 

Oh, BTW, does vatsim support prepar3d?

[Psybear 23]

For AI, My Traffic Professional 6 by Burkhard Renk  works well with edit voice pack and is actually under perpetual development. Poppet's patience advice is well stated.

[flyinpilot212121 724]

Thanks, The one thing I will do is be patient and take it one step at a time, In my past experience I overloaded my sim with add-ons rather quickly, And i think by doing that it caused more headaches and work in the end...I will start with the bare minimuns as to what I feel I want, and build from there one by one..

 

1..Aircraft

2..Weather

3..Scenery, prefer a global one click does it all type

 

Then i will start to pick and choose specifics, such as individual airports etc etc.

[CFIJose 5,485]

P3D IS FSX. :smile:

 

I don't use P3D, and never will, but what I'm about to suggest is the must have add-ons for FSX/P3D:

 

1) Scenery: FTX Global + Vectors + LC NA & EU + Freeware Mesh Package. (I guarantee that these add-ons will transform your sim experience.)

2) Weather: A16 + REX4 Texture Direct + Soft Clouds. (Same as above)

3) Airports: Too many to mention, but if you want a list of the best, just ask.

4) ATC: I use default + Editvoicepack and it's better than the payware that I've tried.

5) AI Traffic: WOAI is free and easy to install, but My Traffic Pro 6 would be a better option.

6) Utilities: FSUIPC, EZDOK, the GTN 750, and FSC for flight planning.

7) Airplanes: PMDG (777, 737) Realair (Lancair & Duke) and A2A has a Comanche 250 that kicks....

 

If you do not have an SSD, run and get one. Most payware addons can be bought on sale, so wait for sales and save some money.

 

Lastly, if you're a VFR flyer, then FTX regions are a must have. Check out all their amazing add-ons at fullterrain.com.

[Guest]

Active sky 16 lol.. last time i was simming it was active sky 6.5 lol.

 

Well, there certainly have been quite a few versions of AS but in this case 16 stands for 2016. So it's not a version number. If they had kept on using version number I think (not completely sure) AS16 would have been called AS10. After 6.5 there was ASE, AS2012, ASN and now AS 2016. Or something like that.

[flyinpilot212121 724]

P3D IS FSX. :smile:

 

I don't use P3D, and never will, but what I'm about to suggest is the must have add-ons for FSX/P3D:

 

1) Scenery: FTX Global + Vectors + LC NA & EU + Freeware Mesh Package. (I guarantee that these add-ons will transform your sim experience.)

2) Weather: A16 + REX4 Texture Direct + Soft Clouds. (Same as above)

3) Airports: Too many to mention, but if you want a list of the best, just ask.

4) ATC: I use default + Editvoicepack and it's better than the payware that I've tried.

5) AI Traffic: WOAI is free and easy to install, but My Traffic Pro 6 would be a better option.

6) Utilities: FSUIPC, EZDOK, the GTN 750, and FSC for flight planning.

7) Airplanes: PMDG (777, 737) Realair (Lancair & Duke) and A2A has a Comanche 250 that kicks....

 

If you do not have an SSD, run and get one. Most payware addons can be bought on sale, so wait for sales and save some money.

 

Lastly, if you're a VFR flyer, then FTX regions are a must have. Check out all their amazing add-ons at fullterrain.com.

 

thanks for the info!! its appreciated.

 

 

Well, there certainly have been quite a few versions of AS but in this case 16 stands for 2016. So it's not a version number. If they had kept on using version number I think (not completely sure) AS16 would have been called AS10. After 6.5 there was ASE, AS2012, ASN and now AS 2016. Or something like that.

 

Oh ok got ya lol..As I said Ive been gone for a few years and it now seems that so much has changed in such a short amount of time.

 

I did have fsx, bare bones off of steam, but using prepar3d on my system it runs so much smoother and I find it more immersive, but im tallking right out of the box and on my system, which is not a powerful system by any means, and not comparing to start anything, just my observation on my end!