What I really like with XPLANE11 vs FSX and P3D, is the simplicity of the installation of addons.

The folder structure is so much cleaner and easier to cope with.

 

With FSX and P3D we have 4 to 5 folders to cope with and addons are spread around here , there and everywhere.

 

I really hope the folder structure in MSFS2020 and installation of addons are not as in FSX and P3D.

Edited April 16, 20206 yr by vv1918

Yes but scenery management by editing an .ini file in the simulator you mentioned is not user friendly especially when it comes to modify priorities between actual scenery / libraries / overlays and Ortho layers. A GUI with groups is the way to go. I think the new MSFS has this covered judging by the way Asobo work.

 

Editing the scenery_packs.ini file in XP is just so simple and the scenery priority order is so intuitive too. It's when you add things like ORBX Central and xOrganizer into the mix that it gets all "screwy".

I'm with the original poster on this one!

This is true. That's one of the two things where XP really excels the competition. Simple addon philosophy and good flight model.

Somehow I expect that it will get a little more complicated in MSFS though.

MSFS looks to be a Windows Store game. Windows Store apps are inside locked-down directories with obscure names that are hard to navigate. Most likely MSFS will get around this by putting an add-ons folder in appdata, similar to Minecraft

12 hours ago, Fizzelle said:

Editing the scenery_packs.ini file in XP is just so simple and the scenery priority order is so intuitive too. It's when you add things like ORBX Central and xOrganizer into the mix that it gets all "screwy".

I'm with the original poster on this one!

Editing such files goes in my opinion against the basic practices of good usability. Now my UI designer (for a living) instinct is speaking here 🙂 I think in 2020 editing .cfgs, .ini or any other file to install, set, tweak and initiate parameters in any software should not happen but rather have  user friendly and intuitive interfaces where things are sorted clearly and visually while displaying the proper flags to tell the user if items are problematic, missing, conflicting etc.

Comme ca 🙂

Edited April 17, 20206 yr by Claviateur

Would be nice for Asobo to get what's good in a sim and in the other. Well, in a way they already did actually. On the XP side of things the night lighting, the flight dynamics, i think those are pretty XP-inspired. Noise generated clouds also, before P3D v5, were only present in XP (even tho it was via an addon).
 

I don't know how the camera system is, but i think in this regard XP gives the best easy to use way of doing it, with the easy presets.. but maybe it's already present, who knows 😉

There will be a MARKETPLACE in the new sim, so I hope that we'll be able to purchase, install and manage all add-ons in there. Would be awesome 🙂

I think the external addon method that P3d introduced is a good way to keep from hunting for files in p3d sub-directories...it just needs to be mandatory.  XP11 is decent too, but as someone else mentioned I don’t really like the way they deal,with scenery addons in the ini file.

1 hour ago, regis9 said:

I think the external addon method that P3d introduced is a good way to keep from hunting for files in p3d sub-directories...it just needs to be mandatory.  XP11 is decent too, but as someone else mentioned I don’t really like the way they deal,with scenery addons in the ini file.

All methods except all-in-one user friendly add-on place with great UX are outdated and don't belong in today's world.

ORBX with their FTX central is one of the exceptions. Everything should be like that 🙂

Edited April 21, 20206 yr by Thomasso

Oh well yeah, if I can get a single user interface (like orbx direct or steam) for literally everything that would be amazing, but I'm not sure how well that would work in the mod-heavy world of flight simulation.  I'd be very happy to be proven wrong though! 🙂