Ryan, that's one of the most important pieces of info in the thread!

Howard, I can assure you, there's no need for a super computer to run X-Plane. As a matter of fact, I get way better performance in X-Plane than in FSX. I reinstalled FSX just to run the FSLabs A32x (early adopter) and I will be uninstalling (FSX) soon. P3D is very good performance-wise and will certainly gain momentum when they port the sim to 64 bit architecture.

 

The thing that frustrates me about XPX, is the pace at which development progresses. 5 years and we're still waiting for this run to end. They've shown us the capabilities of the next generation and it looks to be a marked improvement over the current version. PBR, 3D sound and a revamped GUI should have been part of the XPX run.

 

You can be certain they've been working on X-Plane 11 for a good, long while and it's almost ready for showtime.

 

just my opinion.

HD meshes. It really looks fantastic but has to be seen to be believed. It's as real as it gets as they say.

NOO! You do not couple photoscenery mesh with HD Mesh or UHD Mesh. I think it should be already clear (but its important to repeat it, so everybody knows): you CAN NOT MIX different mesh sceneries. Period. You can only have one or the other active at the same time! X-Plane will always only load the one with the highest priority (per scenery_packs.ini) but never (never!!!) mix mesh sceneries.

 

And yes, all photoscenery you get nowadays IS mesh based (so the above rule definitely applies to it). And Ortho4XP even generates its own / pure mesh (and does not lend anything from other meshes).

I didnt say anyone needs a super computer but you will need a powerful one to run high end add-ons and eye candy. I'm at 4ghz on my now dated 2500K and 20 fps is common in urban areas

 

Outside of big cities 30-40 is more common

NOO! You do not couple photoscenery mesh with HD Mesh or UHD Mesh. I think it should be already clear (but its important to repeat it, so everybody knows): you CAN NOT MIX different mesh sceneries. Period. You can only have one or the other active at the same time! X-Plane will always only load the one with the highest priority (per scenery_packs.ini) but never (never!!!) mix mesh sceneries.

 

And yes, all photoscenery you get nowadays IS mesh based (so the above rule definitely applies to it). And Ortho4XP even generates its own / pure mesh (and does not lend anything from other meshes).

 

:smile: My bad, sorry Andras.

What plane do you fly?

:Big Grin:  :Big Grin:  :Big Grin:  :Big Grin:

Look up N328SL. A retired 777 pilot owns it these days.

This is a great thread. Some really interesting posts.

Right now I'm at 75% P3D and 25% XP10.  I only fly PMDG's twinjets, and once PMDG converts them to XP10, I might fully switch.  But since I love to see good competition, I'm looking forward to an eventual 64-bit P3D and the DTG simulator.  One thing is for sure, our hobby doesn't get boring.

I'm really interested to hear if anyone has moved from good old FSX to Xplane and what are your thoughts and opinions.

Hey Rocklife!

 

Tried it. hated it!

 

-

 Oscar

Hey Rocklife!

 

Tried it. hated it!

 

-

 Oscar

 

Possibly the least helpful post on an otherwise well argued thread

Possibly the least helpful post on an otherwise well argued thread

 

Well, at least I know where Oscar stands!

Compared to FSX the default weather is not too bad i think, you get a real sense of speed when you fly through clouds and with quality addons like the IXEG 737 you also have incredible non repetitive rain and snow effects on the windshield.

 

I really like the IXEG, its systems may not be fully complete yet but I think the flight dynamics are superior to anything in FSX/P3D exclusive maybe the Majestic Q400 and the A2A/realair stuff.

 

The default scenery is a bit bland and repetitive but with the free airports available at X-plane.org and tools like Ortho4XP for lifelike photoscenery and World2Xplane for OSM overlays it really is very good.

 

Marcel

This is a great thread. Some really interesting posts.

Howard,

 

Check out what is possible with clouds in this thread:

 

http://www.avsim.com/topic/494912-ventura-sky-beta-3-is-here-for-everyone-to-try/page-3

 

I've not seen clouds that look this good in FSX with AS16 & Soft clouds.

 

It's just an example of the wonderful freeware & payware combos available for XP.

Another thing about clouds is that in XP 10 the landing and Taxilights show on the clouds

This is a great thread. Some really interesting posts.

Howard,

 

I installed XP last year, knowing absolutely NOTHING about it. I read some stuff about it during installation and the biggest gripe appeared to be the GUI....to be honest, I don't find it bad at all, my attitude was that this is a different sim to what I am used to, so I need to expect it to be different. Right now I prefer the XP interface to P3D but probably because I know where to find anything.

 

Money wise, migrating to XP cost me a very small fraction of what I spent migrating from FSX to P3D...both MS based sims need a lot of add-ons to make them look top notch, and most if not all those add-ons are payware. XP has a similar requirement but most add-ons are actually free.

 

Scenery is a bit of a mixed bag, default airports are not as populated as default P3D BUT the data used for XP is not from 2005, which is a BIG difference. Again, you can improve your default airports and they are all free. If you own old FSX airports, there is a tool to convert them to XP, but of course you can not redistribute. I tried this, and what struck  me is how archaic the Microsoft based scenery engine truly is. When you convert, you will find the beautiful runway lights are nothing but large 2D pictures blended into the scenery, and the halo and illumination are also "painted" manually by the developer....which explains why at night the apron lights don't illuminate your aircraft. XP is 10 years more modern, you simply add a light pole to your scenery and it will illuminate the area, including your aircraft...it will cast shadows on any object you place, and dim when the conditions are right. Some of the payware scenery coming out is truly amazing...see if you can find a video of SBGL scenery for X-Plane, truly incredible stuff.

 

As far as aeroplanes are concerned, it is true XPlane does not have A2A, Majestic, Aerosoft, FSL....but then again neither did FSX or P3D until about 5 years ago.....there is a new breed of developers in XPlane and they are very small teams improving with every product they bring out, it will take time but I think the future is good.

 

Weather is the biggest gripe in XPlane, mostly centered around the limitation of 3 layers of wind and cloud. If we can be honest, default weather in FSX/P3D is nothing to holler about either and relies on very good payware developers to enhance the experience. There are some payware add-ons which also enhance this experience in XP and it is hoped the upcoming XP11 will address some of the shortcomings. If we can be objective, back until 2013/14 the weather injection to FSX/P3D was entirely METAR based and caused horrendous pop ups and wind shifts all over the place even with [ayware weather injectors, so the MS Sims have improved only fairly recently, hopefully XPlane can follow.

 

The best course of action is entirely up to you of course, all I can suggest is try it with an open mind, don't try a different flight sim expecting it to be the same as your existing sim as it defeats the purpose....it has it pros and cons just like every sim.....I enjoy flying to the big airports in it without sweating on a VAS counter, but enjoy P3D as well for flying my other add-ons....the beauty of choice.

 

Cheers

One last point. Check out this video Howard: