FSLabs A320 or upcoming AS A320 for v4?

[mokeiko 39]

Very well said Alan.

Fly safe

[signmanbob 592]

48 minutes ago, garrett_frank said:

An addon sound pack is required to get proper sound for a $140 aircraft addon?

It's not required at all. For some reason my computer setup is having problems with the stock engine sounds.  FSL is working on fixing it, but I had the Blue Star Sky sound packs anyway, so I just used them and they fixed the problem so I don't have to wait for the fix.

[Chock 17,769]

11 minutes ago, Alan_A said:

But if I don't settle on it, it doesn't mean that I didn't understand what it has to offer.

Couldn't have said it better, it's all down to choices. This is exactly why I will praise (and have) the Virtualcol ATR-42 as much as I will praise the FSL A320; the boxes they tick are very different and they couldn't be further apart in terms of realism or price tag, but they both hit the targets they are aiming at and depending on the mood I'm in and the time I have available, they both suit me on occasion.

[spearmint_flyer 579]

I am going FSLABS all the way from now on. It isn't just the systems fidelity. It also the small things. How the FSLABS rattles and creeks when crossing the center line on takeoff or taxi. How the engine sounds are different depending on where you set the camera on the wing view and how it simulates internal sounds instead of the exterior sounds which is unrealistic and it goes on and on from there.. So no, for me its FSLABS forever from this point forward. 

[_Gladius_ 24]

I’m glad that there are add-ons that fit a broad range of needs, and so I’m glad that products like the FSL A320 exist.  For some reason I had the expectation that it would be $100, and I was considering getting it.  But $140 is too steep for my needs/desires.  I was quite happy with my AS A320 in FSX, and so I’ll pay the upgrade fee for that whenever it comes out. I have the PMDG 737NGX that will satisfy my itch for systems fidelity.

[Mitch24 194]

I feel like $140 for an aircraft add-on is way too much given that FSLabs doesn't have a reputation like PMDG.. I just can't get there with the A320... I want to but the pictures and videos on youtube just don't do it for me.. or have me saying "WOW!" I need this... 

PMDG is legitimate for selling addons like the 777 at that price because they have a track record... with the NGX...

[odourboy 1,288]

4 hours ago, Alan_A said:

Pretty decent amount of detail in this thread on the Aerosoft preview forum.

Thank you Alan for pointing out this thread. There is indeed done great nuggets of information about what to expect from the upcoming AS release. I have the older Airbus X for FSX, which I manually ported into P3D v3. It's now retired along with P3D v3. I always felt it was a very decent simulation with some nice extras such as the fuel planner and FS2crew. Mathias has indicated a brand new sound set which, as has been pointed out, can really add to the immersion factor of a model. Dynamic light update will be nice as well. The cockpit sharing won't be of any use to me,  but I can understand the appeal. All and all, it sounds like we're not getting a brand new aircraft by any means, but a solid upgrade. So, as muvh as I'd like an Airbus in the fleet now, I think I'll at least wait for the AS release before I pull the trigger. 

[Chock 17,769]

55 minutes ago, Mitch24 said:

FSLabs doesn't have a reputation like PMDG.. PMDG is legitimate for selling addons like the 777 at that price because they have a track record... with the NGX

 

You are aware that Lefteris Kalamaras - the main guy behind FSL - worked for PMDG for eight years as their Technical Director and Lead Developer aren't you? He worked on their NG and their 747 amongst other things. He is one of the founders of Vatsim and was voted as Microsoft's Most Valued Professional three years on the trot, and one of those awards was won when he was at PMDG making their stuff, so quite a lot of their reputation in making decent Boeing sims is down to him. FSL are hardly new kids on the block and with a track record like that it is no great surprise that their A320 is as good as everyone says it is, and as anyone who has it will confirm, their Concorde is too.

[signmanbob 592]

1 hour ago, Mitch24 said:

I feel like $140 for an aircraft add-on is way too much given that FSLabs doesn't have a reputation like PMDG.. I just can't get there with the A320... I want to but the pictures and videos on youtube just don't do it for me.. or have me saying "WOW!" I need this... 

PMDG is legitimate for selling addons like the 777 at that price because they have a track record... with the NGX...

Ha, ha...if you don't know, you should just ask "Does FSLabs have a reputation like PMDG?" You would have a lot of positive responses and It would go better for you. 

[Mitch24 194]

1 hour ago, Chock said:

You are aware that Lefteris Kalamaras - the main guy behind FSL - worked for PMDG for eight years as their Technical Director and Lead Developer aren't you? He worked on their NG and their 747 amongst other things. He is one of the founders of Vatsim and was voted as Microsoft's Most Valued Professional three years on the trot, and one of those awards was won when he was at PMDG making their stuff, so quite a lot of their reputation in making decent Boeing sims is down to him. FSL are hardly new kids on the block and with a track record like that it is no great surprise that their A320 is as good as everyone says it is, and as anyone who has it will confirm, their Concorde is too.

Just because some of the developers went over to FSLabs doesn't mean they have the same reputation as PMDG.. the ability to produce the quality that they did before an add-on of that price. 

[Chock 17,769]

1 hour ago, Mitch24 said:

Just because some of the developers went over to FSLabs doesn't mean they have the same reputation as PMDG.. the ability to produce the quality that they did before an add-on of that price. 

Not 'some of the developers' the lead developer, who was also the technical director too. That's not an insignificant role, it's essentially the main roles and the driving force behind the production of what a company creates. Thus it was in very large part the work Lefteris did whilst he was at PMDG which is the foundation for the reputation they enjoy today. 

I'm not suggesting he was solely responsible for their success, obviously a lot of that is to do with the management having the drive to make things happen too, but to suggest Lefteris is nothing to do with it would make about as much sense as suggesting Paul McCartney was nothing to do with the success of The Beatles because he isn't in The Beatles any longer.

And that drive is now part of FSL and is what got their Concorde done and the A320, which it is worth noting, was tried by very many companies unsuccessfully before FSL managed to pull it off and until they did so, it was a popular opinion that it couldn't even be done for an ESP platform, so if that doesn't tell you that he is the guy who gets things done, then nothing will.

[YukonPete 585]

The FSL A320 cost me close to $200 Canadian but for me it's worth every penny! I have a hanger full of junk that I never use that cost 1/3 of the price.  $200 for a superb product that has a life span of at least 4, 5 or more years is nothing. You want top notch quality then IMO its worth every cent. If you want cheap bang for your buck go with the AS A320.  

[swiesma 625]

6 hours ago, Lenny777 said:

$190 Canadian? No thanks for FSlabs. I'll stick with  Aerosoft. I don't play  with system failures anyway. It's a decent enough Airbus simulation. I've flown XP10-11  JARDesign A320, and 330,  A350 by FF. Aerosoft is a capable simulation. Lots of liveries and repaints and interior in fact looks  better on Aerosoft's. I love the FS2Crew integration which hopefully will be ported over to v4.

If you want the best A320 Simulation you gotta pay for it and it’s worth it. 

Bur for simply flying from a to b without anything else - you go with the AS Bus. 

I will never understand why people complain about the price for such a complex software. Years of development and people need to get paid for their work. And if you don’t like the price - don’t buy it. But looking at the specs of the Fslabs Bus it is well worth the price. 

[ShawnG 1,823]

14 minutes ago, swiesma said:

If you want the best A320 Simulation you gotta pay for it and it’s worth it. 

Bur for simply flying from a to b without anything else - you go with the AS Bus. 

I will never understand why people complain about the price for such a complex software. Years of development and people need to get paid for their work. And if you don’t like the price - don’t buy it. But looking at the specs of the Fslabs Bus it is well worth the price. 

It isnt worth it, if you don't use the features that set it apart.  I would suspect that the actual amount of people who want a bazillion points of failure in a flight sim is pretty low.  And full props for them for trying something new, but I've never had the urge to record my own cabin announcements either.  I was interested in this product merely because it was going to be available sooner than the Aerosoft product, and I was prepared to give them a hundred bucks.  One forty changes the equation, and it's a legitimate argument.  It's also not just the monetary price either. There is a price in computer resources to figure into as well.  i have a pretty beefy system, that is running well now, and I'm not keen on dialing back on the goodies, just to accomodate a robust simulation of the cargo bay fire detection systems to name one of many things I am not that excited at worrying about.

 

it is by all accounts an excellent product.  If that's your type of product, you will get your money's worth I have no doubt.  But if it isn't, it is just not worth the cash outlay.  I have no ill will towards them (probably only because I wasn't sunk in to the product for money on a previous version like some are).  They do need to recoup their time and work, but pricing themselves out of the regular market might not help them do that either.  Less people buy the plane at 140 than 100 or 80 or 50.  Most (not all) of their expenses do not scale up with sales because it's a purely electronic product.  Barring them doing something silly, like selling it insanely cheap won't scale the support costs up too much either (every simmer on the planet would buy it if it was five bucks, but that would include a whole heap of non serious simmers that would clog up support)  Probably they feel they will charge top dollar for it now to take advantage of being the only airbus out now for v4, to try to get addicted simmers hungry for the hot new thing, even if they don't need the features, and then have a sale later (like maybe the day the AS releases) in which they sell it for the price that More simmers will pay for.  

Either way, this thread is about which airbus to buy.  The price of the FSL is a legitimate topic of conversation, as is the fact that the aerosoft product isn't available yet.  My own thoughts are to wait.  The fsl product will still be available later, perhaps discounted, perhaps not, and the AS bus will be available later as well, at a better price point that fits the needs of most simmers.

[Guest]

What Alan said! Couldn't have said it better!

I am waiting for the AS Airbus even though I know the FSLabs one is superior in many ways. But the AS Airbus simply suits my style of simming better. All the extra's the FSLabs Airbus brings are totally wasted on me. And I own the previous AS version so it won't cost me too much, which also is nice.