Hi,

since I wasn't so smart and bought addons for P3D a couple of years ago, because they were on sale, without even owning P3D, I am kind of sitting on them. Without having used them once. Therefore I am considering buying P3D v5. I think it still might be worth, since I have the A2A Cessna 172 and the FSLabs A320 and some flytampa airports (EHAM, KBOS, CYYZ). A lot of FSDT airports for FSX which are have free updates as far as I know and some aerosoft airports for Europe, which have free updates. I don't expect FSLabs moving to MSFS too fast, so I could use P3D to do my training until it's ready for msfs (if that's gonna happen).

What would I need to "invest" to have fun with it? The only thing that comes to my mind is EzDok. Since I have the FSX version, I could update this one for 10$. Is there anything else? So according to that, I would need to spend around 70$?

ActiveSky P3D comes immediately to mind.

1 hour ago, 737_800 said:

What would I need to "invest" to have fun with it?

You could "invest" a lot or nothing.

The thread below is a list I put together recently for P3D v4.5, which would for the most part also apply to P3D v5.

Cheers R

 

9 hours ago, Rogen said:

You could "invest" a lot or nothing.

The thread below is a list I put together recently for P3D v4.5, which would for the most part also apply to P3D v5.

Cheers R

 

Thank you. I did not know that there is free option available for shadiing. Is that recommanded in p3d v.5 too? Otherwise I think I would not need all of that. I just want to use P3D for Training, so to learn flying the A2A and A320 primarily. Important is that I can move around and the basics work. I also have ORBX Global and Trees for FSX ( which are freely available for P3D as updates).

11 hours ago, w6kd said:

ActiveSky P3D comes immediately to mind.

Could I use also MSMetar, instead? My FSX ActiveSky is not qualified for P3D upgrade, so I would avoid it. Are there freeware cloud/sky textures avail?

 

Otherwise, it looks like I would be ready for 70$. Honstly, I don't want to spend more for it. Since MSFS will be my main platform. I wished I hadn't bought the addons before hand, then I would even have to buy P3D now.

Just have a look at it with the things you have already and then look what you need to add or improve. Maybe you do not like P3D5 and return it. Why should you buy already addons for it before you got it?

20 minutes ago, blaunarwal said:

Just have a look at it with the things you have already and then look what you need to add or improve. Maybe you do not like P3D5 and return it. Why should you buy already addons for it before you got it?

Why should I not like it? It's based on FSX, just improved. And I already have the FSL A320 which I want to fly at any cost. As far as I can see, I have these addons already:

ORBX Global

Orbx Trees

Aerosoft Prag

Aerosoft Helsinki

Aerosoft Athens

Aerosoft Skiathos

Aerosoft Frankfurt

Flytampa Vienna

Flytampa Kai Tak

Flytampa Boston

Flytampa Toronto

Flytampa Amsterdam

FSDT Vancouver

FSDT Dallas Fort Worth

FSDT Charlotte Douglas International Airport

FSDT Chicago O'Hare

FSDT Fort Lauderdale

FSDT Las Vegas McCarran

FSDT Memphis International Airport

FSDT Los Angeles

FSDT New York

FSDT Houston George Bush International

FSDT Geneva Cointrin International

FSDT Zurich Kloten Airport (LSZH)

Flightbeam Washington Dulles International Airport

UK2000 Stansed

UK2000 Luton

GSX Ground Services For FSX

 

Will this be compatible with P3D v5? I know that FSDT offers free upgrades and also Flightbeam (I think). Frankfurt need to be updated for 7-9$ I guess. Other Aerosoft come with free upgrades. Flytampa is fine, expect Vienna and Kai tak, since that are boxed Version, so I have no clue if I can get P3D installers for them.

Of course I would not buy anything before I get P3D, just informing beforehand to estimante the final cost.

Edited May 27, 20215 yr by 737_800

Some people just don't like P3D5 after seeing MSFS. I use a lot of addons from before v5. What could run in v4 is mostly possible in v5 too. Airplanes like FSL A320 need to be a dedicated v5 version, because of the program code they use. Simple planes like a Boeing Stearman, I use a model from FSX till today and it looks still awesome and works without flaw. 

Aerosoft sceneries usually work fine, but just today read, Aspen does not. So there's just trying each one and if it does not work, ask here for help. I got a lot of sceneries working too but I don't have everyone that is available. You can spend endless money buying addons even after the release of MSFS. 

With ORBX Global you have an important addon to fly airliners. So there's only the need for a decent weather program, if you want this. Either REX or Hifi-Sim Active Sky. I use the latter today and had REX before. With REX I I don't like the long time they needed to get their program ready for v5. So they lost me to Active Sky. 

I also use all three TOGA products, EnvTex, EnvSound and EnvShade. You can buy it one by one or just try without. It adds to a realistic look and feel but I think one can live without it. A weather engine is more important and you should get cloud textures for Hifi too (or REX). 

Vienna and Kai Tak should work. They have now an universal installer, which needs the serial number of the scenery you have. Just try it, maybe you get the latest version with this. 

GSX should work too. I don't know about UK2000 products.  You need to try. All others should be fine. Often you can just direct the installer to another path. Sometimes you need to manually add a scenery. There's a tool called Addon Manager by Lorbi-Si, which is free and helps you adding sceneries outside of P3D. You can also add them with the add-on.xml method, in case you have parts like effects, simobjects etc beeing part of the scenery.

All this is lots of work and a steep learning curve in the beginning. So I'd get P3D5, install it and have a look at it in vanilla state. Decide if you want to keep it. Then add your addons, one by one and learn how this is done. FSX was different and not only the look changed, also file management is a bit different. Easiest are ORBX products. Just download Central and let it do it's work. 

Dan

Just to throw this in for good measure since you mentioned "tools" in your opening post...

 

Payware: Chase Plane for customizing internal cockpit views as well as external views

Freeware: Simbrief for online flight planing if you're into that sort of thing

Payware Weather: fully agree with comments made above by Dan re Hifi ASP3D and REX

Freeware: If flying offline and interested in AI traffic, I would suggest installing AIG OCI for oodles of AI aircraft to create the busy effect at all those add-on airports you have

Freeware : ATCAPI to smooth AI flow/operations on the ground at airports if you have the AI enabled and things get too busy!

Freeware; Orbx Volanta for active flight tracking

I would recommend Orbx openLC’s they are a step up from the global you have already, but only if you going to use v5 on a fairly regular basis. 
 

Also Orbx Vector for V5 looks nicer to me than default. Default has improved but the roads look kind of bright white and not good to my eyes! 
 

These are all nice to haves, so only if you plan to fly v5 a lot. 
 

Orbx seem to have sales fairly regularly so worth keeping an eye on the website. 
 

Just my tupence worth 😎