I really do hope that P3D v4....

[JLSeagull 191]

... can recreate the epiphany moment that I have recently experienced with XP11.

Why?  Well.... As an avowed FSX'er since the year dot - and latterly a D'er (but not according to SWMBO), I have resolutely avoided XP after we had a very brief collision a couple of years ago. No-one died, there were no witnesses and we both dusted ourselves off and went our seperate ways.

Several weeks ago, in a moment of grape-induced curiosity, I bought the dreaded foe in order to lay to rest all of my lingering doubts and to finally affirm to myself that this 'alternative' Sim really was the imposter that I had always known it to be.

 

Bad move.

 

To fly, rooftop-level, over Innsbruck in XP11 is an absolute revelation in scenic graphics (try it in P3D and you will immediately understand). To have an aircraft illuminate its own way to a hangar or gate at night (and any object that falls in its path), is simply astonishing. Scenery to die for and most of it Freeware or DonationWare!!

I could go on and on about this Sim ... but there simply isn't enough space or time in my Life to talk.... I am back flying.

 

I really do hope that P3d v4 can recreate the epiphany moment that I have recently experienced with XP11...

...because then - WE, as a flight sim community will have the very best of both Worlds!!

 

 

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

...but then again, you'll always have Paris....

[JLSeagull 191]

Hey Mitch.... I've been around the Periferique enough times to make even You dizzy!

[rototom 198]

The visual experience is no doubt impressive in X-plane. Even version 10 was amazing. We are also starting to see some of the big complaints being addressed, which is also great. It's good that you took the time to really look at it and I think you will probably come across several things that it does really well. However, there is still lots of work to make everyone happy, and that probably won't ever happen. Right now a combination of FSX(P3D for others) and X-plane gives me most of what I like.

As for P3Ds future, I'm thinking it needs more work then LM cares to invest to meet the needs of the entertainment market. It's 6 years in the making and 3 major releases haven't shown us much; but I'm sure their commercial clients are happy. In fact I spoke with one and they are happy and still using version 1.4, which by the way, works flawlessly if you don't flood it with addons. So lets wait and see what P3D v4 brings to the table, maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Kuragiman 227]

Yep!  I avoided XP10 and 11 like the plague.  I swore by P3D as God's gift to flight simming but I too finally said screw it and bought a copy.   They can't improve if no one buys the product was part of my rational and I want competition in the sim market!  I want a fierce fight between companies because WE end users benefit when people actually have to compete for a paycheck.

I griped that there was no scenery for USA.    I was wrong.

I griped that there was no heavy metal to fly.   I was wrong.  Tons of it from Boeing and Airbus and a good MD-80 to boot.  Tons of GA planes if that's your thing too.

I griped about the bad ATC.... well.. this gripe is still there.  The ATC blows chunks and there are few choices for 3rd party solutions and what is out there is only half functional from what I've seen and read.   No, VATSIM is not the solution to this problem so stop saying it.   Vatsim is a CRUTCH to a working AI ATC program.   I want coverage 24/7 at every airport at any time of day or night.  Vatsim does not provide this.

I griped about the lack of good AI traffic.   This is still true but about to improve big time I think.   World Traffic 3 I hope will fix this.  World Traffic 2 requires WAY to much end user fiddling to get airports working because airport designers either are lazy, unfamiliar with the new standards or have not yet gotten around to updating their airport projects to 10.50+ standards that WT2 kind of needs to work correctly;  Proper ATC network, Proper gate labels and assignments to air carriers, etc.   I am working on KAMA-Amarillo again with complete 3D custom modeling this time around and my airport works great with World Traffic 2 now.   When I completed the taxi ways and aprons my next step was to build the ATC network before I put a single object anywhere on the airport.    I then built the ground routes and the flight package for KAMA.    Total time to do this, 1 hour and some change.   Stop leaving this important data out of your airport builds designers!  PLEASE!  I am begging you!   Larger airports will take longer than an hour but its still easy to do... but not easy to do for the end user when they have 100 airports they need to fix because you didn't put the data in there!  *shakes fist*   Again... Vatsim is NOT the solution to this problem.   I like to see more than 10 airplanes at my airports, thanks.

I griped about the weather engine.... and.. well.. it still sucks too but xEnviro with freeware 4k Clouds for xEnviro took some of the sting out of the weather.  Laminar also updated the default engine to not suck nearly as bad as before but it still pails in comparison to the likes of Rex, OPUS and Active Sky.  No where close imo.   Please, Laminar.. 3rd party devs.. SOMEONE that's not me, GET ON THIS!  It is a vital part of flying!  

 

Overall, I have flown XP11 now for almost 2 months and love it.   It renders better, flight modeling is better and performs better on my hardware than P3D ever did.   I have 100% of the USA covered in Ortho scenery now with Autogen overlays and it crushes anything out there on P3D.   Unles P3D V4 has some epic overhauling I don't think I'll be picking up another license.

 

[JLSeagull 191]

10 minutes ago, Kuragiman said:

Overall, I have flown XP11 now for almost 2 months and love it.   It renders better, flight modeling is better and performs better on my hardware than P3D ever did.   I have 100% of the USA covered in Ortho scenery now with Autogen overlays and it crushes anything out there on P3D.   Unles P3D V4 has some epic overhauling I don't think I'll be picking up another license.

 

Hi Brian ..... and Welcome to the new Club. I'm with you on this one bro!

[Desaix 235]

I will never understand this pressure to go back to PRD. It's because of the many bucks invested there? Because of the quality aircrafts available? We have enough planes to deal for the next year and I believe in 2018 we'll see many more addons because XP11 is starting to become a rewarding platform for payware developers.

I'm enough happy with XEnviro, don't feel the urge to go back to ASN & co. , WT3 will fill the gap for AI traffic withmore ground routes being generated and tested (we badly need a common downloadable database) , PIlot2ATC is getting better and better and I know tha author is interested to develop an API to integrate somewhat AI traffic. Lot of airports are coming, just bought a dozain during last black friday and still have to test some of them. Community is alive.

What I miss is maybe a career addon like FSPassengers.

Yesterday I finished a conversion of a FSX airport with a L18 photoreal and did a test flight: never had such an immersive Wow experience, really no urge to go back. And that was still XP10, still have to dig into new XP11 rendering. No hurry for me with such a good sim as XP10.

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

49 minutes ago, J.L.Seagull said:

Hey Mitch.... I've been around the Periferique enough times to make even You dizzy!

LOLOLOLOL!   Dave, that made me break out in a very hearty laugh!   Cheers!

 

Mitch

[JLSeagull 191]

28 minutes ago, Desaix said:

I will never understand this pressure to go back to PRD. It's because of the many bucks invested there? Because of the quality aircrafts available? .....

Riccardo - For me, personally, there is no pressure to go anywhere. Like all flight simmers, I have tread a very weary and expensive path (as have most of us), tro obtain the very best PC systems and the very best scenery packages.that money can buy for P3D. To suddenly find that there is a better alternative Sim out there is a very hard pill to swallow..... 

[pilot83 387]

24 minutes ago, Kuragiman said:

I griped about the weather engine.... and.. well.. it still sucks too but xEnviro with freeware 4k Clouds for xEnviro took some of the sting out of the weather.  Laminar also updated the default engine to not suck nearly as bad as before but it still pails in comparison to the likes of Rex, OPUS and Active Sky.  No where close imo.   Please, Laminar.. 3rd party devs.. SOMEONE that's not me, GET ON THIS!  It is a vital part of flying!  

 

Watch closely the next update of xEnviro, seems they will use a new technique in the formation of clouds called "particle", hoping its a step forward in xp weather.

 

[Kuragiman 227]

Just now, pilot83 said:

Watch closely the next update of xEnviro, seems they will use a new technique in the formation of clouds called "particle", hoping its a step forward in xp weather.

 

Yeah I saw that.   It's not just HOW they look, but how they are formed that needs to change.   They need to be able to depict towering thunderheads and other bad weather visuals like AS16 can and soon Skyforce3D.   Skyforce3D can even depict Tornadoes!

[JLSeagull 191]

3 minutes ago, Kuragiman said:

Yeah I saw that.   It's not just HOW they look, but how they are formed that needs to change.   They need to be able to depict towering thunderheads and other bad weather visuals like AS16 can and soon Skyforce3D.   Skyforce3D can even depict Tornadoes!

You want Cloud Nirvanna ya b**ger! Go for it B.

[Raven9000 272]

44 minutes ago, Desaix said:

I will never understand this pressure to go back to PRD. It's because of the many bucks invested there? Because of the quality aircrafts available? We have enough planes to deal for the next year and I believe in 2018 we'll see many more addons because XP11 is starting to become a rewarding platform for payware developers.

I'm enough happy with XEnviro, don't feel the urge to go back to ASN & co. , WT3 will fill the gap for AI traffic withmore ground routes being generated and tested (we badly need a common downloadable database) , PIlot2ATC is getting better and better and I know tha author is interested to develop an API to integrate somewhat AI traffic. Lot of airports are coming, just bought a dozain during last black friday and still have to test some of them. Community is alive.

What I miss is maybe a career addon like FSPassengers.

Yesterday I finished a conversion of a FSX airport with a L18 photoreal and did a test flight: never had such an immersive Wow experience, really no urge to go back. And that was still XP10, still have to dig into new XP11 rendering. No hurry for me with such a good sim as XP10.

I'll never understand this pressure tro stay on one side....

 

Newsflash: your computer can store and run more than one program!

[Kuragiman 227]

49 minutes ago, Desaix said:

What I miss is maybe a career addon like FSPassengers.

This.   I love FSPassengers and I really love FSCaptain.   Would love to have to programs like that in XP11

[Kuragiman 227]

50 minutes ago, Desaix said:

Yesterday I finished a conversion of a FSX airport with a L18 photoreal and did a test flight: never had such an immersive Wow experience, really no urge to go back. And that was still XP10, still have to dig into new XP11 rendering. No hurry for me with such a good sim as XP10.

I having bad like with converting airports over myself.   Any great secrets you can share on porting them properly?  A YouTube video you like?