I wasn't that much impressed by the last Q&A session, just as many of you, and for some reason LR decided to bring it down.

One of the reasons was there really being no significant announcements on their plans for the version of X-Plane I use - desktop - while a good deal of emphasis was put into the mobile version.

While I have to accept the relevance given to a mobile version, because it must, by this time, be a good source of budget compared to the desktop versions, and I have to respect the wants of all of those potential users that are on it, I really would like to continue to see improvements, fine tuning, and "lovely" new features announced for us desktop users.

It's completely impossible to not compare XP to MFS, and the last Episode really shows how much MFS moves after all in the direction of where X-Plane has been for quite a long time. For those who discuss / compare the approaches followed by the various flight simulation platforms presently available, and some of those that existed in the past and were, somehow, revolutionary, it only reinforces the fact that Austin's choice and the way he keeps modeling the flight dynamics in he's flight simulator is, after all, better said, has always been - revolutionary and pretty much ahead of the competition for quite a long time.

Austin's team has grown considerably from what it was in the nineties, and early 2000s, and today he can count on other specialists for systems, scenery and other aspects of the simulation. But let's not forget, for the good and for the bad, that as far as I know, it's a "one man show" when it comes to the flight dynamics development. 

I really think that Austin's latest videos, and the new Energy he is again putting into the modeling of some really neat features from an FDM perspective should be acknowledged as an effort to keep on doing, even better, what he has been doing since X-Plane was released in 1995.

Austin's "epiphanic" ideas, and the way some of the new features are brought into X-Plane's core, now about to go "Experimental" to "Stable" in terms of FDM have given us users, for the good and for the not so good, lot's of reasons to keep enjoying the way X-Plane simulates flight.

There's certainly a lack of fine tuning in some aspects, there's certainly still a lot to do, but, very honestly and while I can't but take my hat off to the MFS initiative, it is not possible to forget that X-Plane has, after all, provided me some of the best moments in terms of civil flight simulation since I started using it long ago.

I just hope they find a way for my Moon to be put to good shape and in time, and the daylight to be made to agree more with Real World lighting depending on date and place on Earth in the next versions. Heck Austin!  Don't you love the Moon ???? 

Edited November 26, 20196 yr by jcomm

Vulkan will be the way forward for X-Plane 11.

The way it supports VR out-of-the-box is a big bonus for me. VR in Prepar3d is just too messy and cluttered experience.

 

Think they are doing a right thing , and to my knowledge mobile platform is bringing in some needed finance.  But i wouldn't bother about the mobile flight sim , not for me. But as more and more stuff is getting ported over to handhelds it does make sense.

Just my thought , they should concentrate much more on vulkan and the opening up the weather system and that stupid water, . I couldn't care for the seasons for now nor the ATC.  

The problem with LR is they keep stuff in the backlog and from experience it gets harder to clear it up.

 

Nice post Jcomm! Yes it is true that some of the directions in which MFS will be moving have been somewhat already explored in XP as well. Flight dynamics first and foremost, but also the attempt at having a "living" atmosphere, with turbulence, slope lift, wake turbulence, downdrafts, icing, etc. The big problem is that the implementation has often been from average to, in some cases, downright poor, and more importantly, without noticeable improvements over the years. And this compounded with the eternal delay of those few big features which we always talk about.

Anyway, that being said, I reckon that LR has indeed some definite plans for improvements after Vulkan, and probably they couldn't talk about them yet. The one thing that is certain, is that the competitive pressure will produce good results in the short term and, if XP will "survive" in the desktop market (i.e. retaining a certain market share of users), also in the long term.

A final consideration about the flight model. As I wrote in the MFS forum, there are a lot of unknowns abouth the new MFS flight model. It's the one thing we know less about. As anyone who followed Austin's work through the years knows, this kind of flight model has a lot of intricacies that must be taken care of. Just think at the continuous improvements that Austin had to make over the years (or rather decades!) to make it more accurate.

All of this to say that I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the new MFS flight model will be less perfect than we think, and possibly less capable in a few areas compared to XP (as already demonstrated by the lack of rotary wings for now). So another area where XP could play its cards.

If we let them do what they need in there time without pushing them we will get good results, I am sure many of you have seeing what happens when you push people to hard, it all goes to . that yucky stuff that cant be mentioned on a forum.

So lets let them be .

José, I still see you are looking for perfection. Although I‘m the second best uninstaller I now have a constant usage of XP11. Btw, there is always room for uninstalling, I went thru weeks of uninstalling weather, clouds and seasons. 
I have given up looking for perfection and found peace. To me XP11 is a basic software for the things I love, my add on planes, GA jets at this time, ORBX and Mr. X scenery and XEnviro. It is not perfect, but I like to consume what I have. It can be compared to my family, pets, cars and house and even my whole life. I try to be happy with the things I have, I have a lot, nothing is perfect but it’s a gift to have such a good life. And I try to have the same attitude concerning XP. Man, I sound like a pastor on christmas evening now, lol.

Don‘t look at the beautiful girls and the brand new BMW‘s. It will lead to divorce and a low bank account. Don’t look at the upcoming MS sim, it might be looking good but maybe it’s a word not allowed.

I often compare what I have in XP now to the early days, Sublogic ATP and FS4. It was like the stone age. But I had so much fun and I was happy.

However, I wish you‘ll get all your special wishes soon. 

53 minutes ago, Ralf Maylin said:

José, I still see you are looking for perfection. Although I‘m the second best uninstaller I now have a constant usage of XP11. Btw, there is always room for uninstalling, I went thru weeks of uninstalling weather, clouds and seasons. 
I have given up looking for perfection and found peace. To me XP11 is a basic software for the things I love, my add on planes, GA jets at this time, ORBX and Mr. X scenery and XEnviro. It is not perfect, but I like to consume what I have. It can be compared to my family, pets, cars and house and even my whole life. I try to be happy with the things I have, I have a lot, nothing is perfect but it’s a gift to have such a good life. And I try to have the same attitude concerning XP. Man, I sound like a pastor on christmas evening now, lol.

Don‘t look at the beautiful girls and the brand new BMW‘s. It will lead to divorce and a low bank account. Don’t look at the upcoming MS sim, it might be looking good but maybe it’s a word not allowed.

I often compare what I have in XP now to the early days, Sublogic ATP and FS4. It was like the stone age. But I had so much fun and I was happy.

However, I wish you‘ll get all your special wishes soon. 

I Ralf !!!

But I did find my stable platform - and it's the one I've been actively enjoying since months now... Yet, the civil sim platforms are still in my thoughs and wishes, and XP11 / XP12 as well as MFS have their place there too...

 

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

I Ralf !!!

But I did find my stable platform - and it's the one I've been actively enjoying since months now... Yet, the civil sim platforms are still in my thoughs and wishes, and XP11 / XP12 as well as MFS have their place there too...

 

Just use the 412 and have fun. 

@jcomm

M in the process of making a collective with the help of someone at discord , PVC pipe , Pro Mircro . Hall sensors , magnets 🙂

This guy. 

 

http://hc625ma.org/   

 

Awesome stuff from him

Edited November 27, 20196 yr by HumptyDumpty