I thought I was finished

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Simming on my old system grew rather stale.  Some add-ons, especially Carenado's jets, choked my framerates.  I loved flying fast and high in the flight levels but my stock aircraft weren't immersive enough.  Since getting my new system a few weeks ago I have rediscovered my passion for simming, outside of the web my main use for my computer.  Flight after flight I have enjoyed P3d and Xp11, switching back and forth between the sims depending on what I want to do.  I am in love with XP11's stock landclass and mesh, very real in tandem with some excellent default aircraft.  P3d's handling of photoreal scenery is outstanding, and it's fluid high framerates on a mid range system just add to the excellence of their sim.  For years I had heard about P3d's taking on FSX and enhancing it, my new system was a chance to jump in.  They care for their product, aiming it at those of us who have been students in real life and for potential students.

How many of us have imagined that sims would have evolved to this point thirty years ago.  When I had FS on my Atari ST I thought that was as fluid as sims would get, flying out of the default Oakland scenario.  I hesitated to switch to PC's, the Atari ST was a faster platform at that time being based on the Mac's CPU.  But I made the switch when Windows 3.1 came of age, that's when I first started as a developer writing my first program, CDBase, which cataloged music.  I released as shareware and actually got paid by a couple of enthusiastic users, Wow, I thought, my fifteen minutes of fame.  I also wrote a student lottery program for my college pro bono which they used for allocating classes to their 10,000 plus student body.  Microsoft gave me my first copy of VB for free when they came to visit my users group in Napa.  They launched my career as a computer technician and instructor that year, back in 1989, having met Bill Gates two years earlier.

I enjoyed writing add-ons for MSFS.  Landclass Assistant, Autoland, my Trike.  When I made them I hadn't thought about distributing them, but I figured why not, better to share since the effort was already done.  Later I wrote art programs for schools to use all the while working my day job in software instruction and development.

Avsim has been a gracious host to my efforts all these years, other sites have picked up my work from here, I just looked the other way in the end.  Today, since I have downloaded visual studio, I am thinking of new ideas for P3D once I learn how to manage SimConnect.  I'd like to add more freeware in a year or two if a unique idea comes to mind.  Perhaps a new autoland module if I can remember the algorithms I used back in the days of FS98.

Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble on, it's good to have the forums to bounce ideas off of now that I have two new sims to work on.  Mostly I have to practice my landings, unlike real life it is hard to get the right perspective in the pattern, I find I have to pan around a lot or open another window, I only get lined up in the last mile or so.  Takeoffs I have down pat, just as I did when I took lessons.  My instructor was going to let me solo some years ago, but I could not get rental time in on the aircraft due to the season.  Plus I did not want to get my shirt ripped off LOL.  I remember his name, Jason Bullard out of Falcon Field in Mesa AZ.  He was an MSFS fan an he respected my experience right away, letting me perform the takeoff on my own.  His only admonishment was to scan the instruments less and keep my eyes outside more, a habit he found with MSFS simmers.  He loved to take the controls and let me experience weightlessness, a real blast.  He was younger than I was but all pilot, deft at the controls and cool headed.  I don't know if he still works out of Falcon, but if he does he's a great instructor with a great feel for the air and a great compassion for his students.

John

[spilok 1,132]

As a devoted FSX simmer for as long as it has existed, and all the other Microsoft Flight sims before that, I also decided that Prepar3dv4 (64 bit) was the way I HAD to go.  I did, and I've never looked back.

 

Stan

[John_Cillis 2,406]

21 minutes ago, spilok said:

As a devoted FSX simmer for as long as it has existed, and all the other Microsoft Flight sims before that, I also decided that Prepar3dv4 (64 bit) was the way I HAD to go.  I did, and I've never looked back.

 

Stan

Just finished an exquisite flight in the Malibu from Napa to Reno over photoreal scenery, hand flew takeoff and landing and let the autopilot handle cruise.  I don't have MSE Nevada but the scenery blended in just fine.  Might get MSE Nevada when I am brave enough to handle another long download.  I'd like to have Nevada and Arizona so I have contiguous photoreal scenery out to my home state which will allow hours and hours of photoreal flying.  I could create it using FSEarthtiles, but that takes a long time to manage.

If I can only learn how to use OrthoXP for Xplane, I have it on my system but I cannot get it to work having looked at all the tutorials, I must be missing something.  Either my python install isn't right or my OrthoXP install isn't right, they error out when the script runs.

John

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I decided to get MSE Southwest, just took off out of Reno, my first state download.  I am downloading Arizona now.  Might take a couple of days to add Utah and New Mexico.  Makes for fine VFR flying at the right resolution, not too hard on the system.  I like how Megascenery adds a few buildings to the area they use.  All the Reno hotels were there as I took off, landmarks for VFR flight.  Since I used to live in that part of the states it is nice to be able to fly it.

John

[tttocs 301]

On 9/15/2017 at 9:57 PM, Cactus521 said:

 I like how Megascenery adds a few buildings to the area they use.  All the Reno hotels were there as I took off, landmarks for VFR flight.  Since I used to live in that part of the states it is nice to be able to fly it.

 

John, any buildings you see are scenery objects poking through from the base FSX/P3D (not to be confused with Autogen).  They're not from Megascenery which is a pure photo product in its current versions.

 

Scott

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Megascenery does add some buildings.  In Reno they added all the major hotels, which weren't there in the default P3d scenery.  They also updated San Francisco and LA.

John

[klamal 282]

51 minutes ago, Cactus521 said:

Megascenery does add some buildings.  In Reno they added all the major hotels, which weren't there in the default P3d scenery.  They also updated San Francisco and LA.

John

Unless you're talking about their smaller areas that they've done in the past, their later series photo real products do not add buildings. The buildings you are seeing are "placed autogen" or custom library objects. Either way, the key is that they are placed. So they will be there no matter what is underneath-photo real or land class.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

16 hours ago, klamal said:

Unless you're talking about their smaller areas that they've done in the past, their later series photo real products do not add buildings. The buildings you are seeing are "placed autogen" or custom library objects. Either way, the key is that they are placed. So they will be there no matter what is underneath-photo real or land class.

As I said, they do not exist in the default P3d scenery, also I do not enable autogen.  Go and look for yourself, post a screenshot with the default scenery showing the reno hotels.  The only thing there are generic buildings in the default scenery.  They were added by MSE, MSE even advertises the custom additions to certain cities within their scenery.  MSE has its drawbacks, they do not use custom AFCADS for the airports, so certain airports do not line up with the scenery.  Fortunately Blueskyscenery has some AFCADS for download for free, for use with Photoreal scenery.

John

[klamal 282]

1 minute ago, Cactus521 said:

MSE even advertises the custom additions to certain cities within their scenery

Ok, I'll take your word on it then.  I don't really care enough to go check it out myself.  

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Trust me, the generic buildings there are quite dull.  Vegas however has always been the best generic scenery since FSX.  Love cruising the strip in my trike.  XP11 just added the strip in their latest upgrade as well as adding terminals for McCarran.

John

.

[tttocs 301]

Not trying to start an argument, but I've got a lot of MSE products and I've yet to see them add any structures anywhere (at least not since their older products when they used to do some autogen), nor do I see them advertising that they do,  They do highlight the various cities covered in the new products, but I've not found them touting new structures.

No matter - glad you're enjoying them and once again enjoying simming.  I've taken a rather long hiatus as well, but I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a system upgrade which I expect will have me echoing your sentiments.

Enjoy!

 

Scott

[John_Cillis 2,406]

5 minutes ago, tttocs said:

Not trying to start an argument, but I've got a lot of MSE products and I've yet to see them add any structures anywhere (at least not since their older products when they used to do some autogen), nor do I see them advertising that they do,  They do highlight the various cities covered in the new products, but I've not found them touting new structures.

No matter - glad you're enjoying them and once again enjoying simming.  I've taken a rather long hiatus as well, but I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a system upgrade which I expect will have me echoing your sentiments.

Enjoy!

 

Scott

Expect to pay about $1000 for a system of my specs, more if you want a 4GHZ plus machine.  My specs are adequate if I limit AI to about 25 pct and AA to 4X.  Even a 4X scenery renders fabulously--take a look at my Utah screenshots in the screenshot forum.  It has a natural look into the distance, even with the default LOD.

John

[tttocs 301]

The new build will be 7700K, and water-cooled so I should be well into the 4GHz range by the time I'm done configuring.  Looking forward to being as re-enthused as you are.

Scott