After having less than satisfactory performance with some payware (plus a too intrusive copy protection scheme), I have a few Euros in the JustFlight bank.

And this time, I want to do it right and bug people before clicking "Buy" again.

 

So which payware aircraft is

• complex,
• yet has minimal to no framerate impact at all,
• does not eat VAS for breakfast
• and is available from JustFlight?

 

I can think of at least two, but want to see if I'm missing any.

1) Majestic Dash

2) QW BAe 146/RJ (although it is apparently a bit hard on VAS)

 

 

For reference, this is what I own so far:

RAZBAM Metroliner (good framerates, bit of a VAS hog), JF Tristar Pro (excellent framerates, huge VAS hog), SkySims DC-9 (very good framerates, average VAS use), Feelthere ERJ (good framerates at low display refresh rates, excellent VAS use), Flysim Learjet (very good framerate, bit of a VAS hog).

Both 1) and 2) are OK on frames. The Dash is the more complex of the two.

(I love the Metroliner...bags of character and a great VC.)

 

Hi Bjoern,

I think most would put the Q400 at one of the best and most detailed aircraft ever made for flight sim... I've seen the developer and genius mentioned in the same sentence... I have it but have yet to take the time to master it - as you may have gathered I'm not a big tube liner guy - LOL - and that Q400 is a tube if it's anything... I can vouch for frame rate friendly even on my old 2700K - never paid much attention to VAS myself - also probably no work required by a modder - I would think it's complete... Given your criteria - this would be the plane to get...

I did like the Feelthere ERJ a great deal in FS9...

Regards,
Scott

Hi,

The Feelthere EMB 175/195 are excellent and meet your criteria - both are available from JustFlight: https://www.justflight.com/product/embraer-175-and-embraer-195-download

DJ

Thanks for the input so far. Forgot about the E-Jets, which are a prime example as well.

 

If someone, who has ModelConverter installed, has time, can he/she open the .mdl files (exterior and interior) of the Majestic Dash and QW 146 and post the number of drawcalls, polygons and texture vertices from the object information screen?
This is usually a good indicator for the performance and memory impact of a model.

I can help with the QW146, using the RJ85 I have this:

Exterior model:

Interior model:

Doesn't look too bad. Comparison:

Metro: 409/319k/329k (ext); 972/347k/417k (int)
Learjet 35: 347/222k/190k (ext); 786/240k/214k (int)
L-1011 Pro: 218/101k/106k (ext); 736/148k/172k (int)
DC-9-30: 420/60k/67k (ext); 290/92k/115k (int)
ERJ-145: 112/47k/50k (ext); 153/56k/75k (int)

Like the Metro on the exterior, like the L-1011 on the interior.

Thanks for checking!

Dear Bjoern

I think the Q400 is far the best choice. I have a couple hundred hours in real planes as pilot and instructor, and of all FSX add-ons, it is the only one where I actually "feel" that it is a simulator, and not a toy. All other add-ons are just toys in comparison with the Dash. I would happily remove all add-ons, and leave only this one on my PC. Razbam Metroliner is also a very good plane, but it uses FSX flight model.

Regards

Csaba

Thanks for the input. From what it is able to do, the FSX flight model isn't that bad, it's just that there aren't enough FDE developers with enough time to replicate flying characteristics accurately enough.

I wonder if the Q400's Pilot Edition will be on sale again someday. That'd make it a no-brainer.

I would agree with those who suggest that the Majestic Q400 should fit your requirements perfectly -

- It has very good systems depth

- It doesn't have frame rate issues and gives a smooth performance even on my medium level system

- Its VAS footprint appears to be about half that of many other well-known airliner add-ons with complex systems, which considering the quality of the internal and external modelling and the depth to which the systems are modelled is impressive

Furthermore its flight dynamics are good and, like its real world counterpart, it can be a little challenging to land. The sounds, which I always feel contribute a lot to the sense of immersion, are also excellent. In my opinion it is one of the few turboprop addons that has realistically reproduced the changing sounds when the props are advanced out of beta (reverse) range. Most turboprop sound sets have too rapid a transition out of the beta range whereas in reality the sounds gradually change over a few seconds. 

If you like turboprops, you can't go wrong with this one!

Bill

Alright, alright. Looks like there's no way around the Q400.

31 minutes ago, Bjoern said:

Alright, alright. Looks like there's no way around the Q400.

Give in...you'll love it.

Majestic Dash q400 the best choice.