I luv LR ...

[uwespeed 506]

Although some postings in this thread were deleted, I take the chance to seize on one of the suggestions and raise a thread, why I luv X-Plane and LR. One (first) example is: when I started gliding lessons, I had to struggle following the tow plane when I had to do it myself for the very first times (and not the instructor). After drifting too far to the left, and trying to recover to get behind the tow plane again by steering to the right, initially I always "overran" and drifted too far to the right. Same applied in the opposite direction. Then came winter, and I couldn't exercise in the real plane. So, I tried it in X-Plane until I got the hang of it. Then, spring came and my instructor was gobsmacked.

Second example: due to lack of time, meanwhile I abandoned gliding but still practise it in X-Plane. However, I'm still a supporting member in the club and if I want to get a flight, I can get it to the net cost price. I did so, after some years of not flying any more and one of my club colleagues even gifted me the cost for that flight, as he had to preserve his amount on starts and landings. But that's not, why I luv X-Plane 🙂 ... This colleague also was very positively surprised about my flying skills. There are even more examples, but that's it for the moment.

So, let us know: what are your impressions/examples/reasons why you luv X-Plane and LR?

 

[tonywob 4,770]

From a developer point of view... the sim is very open and doesn't have locked/hidden features only LR can use. Most of the file formats are easy to read, use, generate and understand, and are actually pretty well documented. WED is a fantastic piece of software and is only getting better, and LR clearly care deeply about keeping the sim open and tweak-able by anyone who cares to try. It's as good as opensource software without actually being opensource :).. Unlike the other sims, I feel I can do almost anything I want with the scenery system given time and dedication, as it doesn't hide or lock away features or try to compete directly with 3rd party developers.

Some other things:

- Easy to chat directly with the LR team, resolve bugs or get help and even suggest features. There is a good developer community behind the sim and that community is well supported by LR.

- A lot of freeware, which is what attracted me originally. On other sims, a lot of things are payware e.g. I was looking for a way to connect Skydemon to MFS the other day and the only working option was a payware plugin.. That being said, due to how easy the SDK is to use on MFS, there is a very good freeware scenery community, but it certainly wasn't the case on P3D.

- It runs on Mac OS, Linux and Windows and doesn't require special store accounts, a constant internet connection and runs out of a folder (no installers, etc). Also easy to uninstall so @jcomm will be happy.

- The lifecycle of the sim and the features we get during a major release which can run for a few years. 11 bought us Vulkan, 10 bought us 64-bit, the GNS units etc... For a $60 pricetag, that's an amazing deal and it's very well supported

- They know their market. They don't try to target gamers or try to be something they're not by removing features at the cost/expense of others. I love the fact that I can just open the sim, I don't need to listen to music, intros, have to turn off "achievements" and can just use the sim as I want. They are not trying to compete with MFS and have been around and survived through FSX, MS Flight, P3D, DTG FS, etc... 

- The airport scenery gateway... A great idea, and we went from most airports looking like barren, lifeless wastelands in XP10 to most airports having accurate layouts, plausible buildings and generally looking decent. Whenever I fly in to a default airport I don't know in real-life, it often has buildings, markings are correct, taxiways and parking match up to my charts on skydemon etc. This should get even better in XP12 with the addition of new art assets etc..

 

 

[jcomm 6,009]

I actually never uninstall it 🙂

I have it backed up on an external disk ...

Shhhhh

Regarding uwes's notes, I fully subscribe his description on how a good simulation can actually help maintaining proficiency when we go flying for real.

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by jcomm

[Pastaiolo 1,688]

What i liked, especially coming from the other side of the fence with FSX, was:

• Night lighting, vastly superior
• Crisp ground textures
• A "feeling" of floating when piloting planes
• Drag and drop scenery and planes to install them, plus portability of the whole folder
• Superior helicopter dynamics compared to other sims
• Airport Gateway
• Numerous freeware projects

[jarmstro 2,405]

There are things to like (no, no. I won't debase myself by writing the slang word 'luv') and things that have made me despair. Not least the complacency and lack of investment that has led to the sim looking so out of date. Three men in a shed will no longer cut it. New blood, money and energy was necessary four years ago but was not forthcoming.

Edited February 17, 2022 by jarmstro

[mtaxp 666]

52 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

Three men in a shed will no longer cut it. New blood, money and energy was necessary four years ago but was not forthcoming.

3 men is not the case for years now, they hired an art team and more coders.

They chose the right path, focused on simulation aspects and rerwrite of the rendering engine while silently worked on graphics for post Vulkan/Metal.  Otherwise you will be complaining that v12 will break most of your addons and it will be a chaos.

So soon we get the fruits, new great graphics, good performance and most important an already rock solid simulation wise platform with a proper SDK. We won't have to wait more than weeks for high quality addons to be updated, they are already in the process to be ready when the time comes.

Yes, developing a flight sim to this level takes YEARS. Lastly, adding more and more coders won't really make a "fast forward" effect as you may think and there is a very recent example;

The HS CL650 sets a new standart for home simulation addons and was done from the ground up by 2 developers in 3 years "only".

While other companies, 4X-5X bigger, on other platforms that are also 1000X bigger, are struggling to port an already exisitng product that might end up not just inferior to the CL650, but also inferior to the same product on another platform.

So, thank you LR for taking the right track, can't wait for x-plane 12!

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by mtaxp

[Humpty 751]

47 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

There are things to like (no, no. I won't debase myself by writing the slang word 'luv') and things that have made me despair. Not least the complacency and lack of investment that has led to the sim looking so out of date. Three men in a shed will no longer cut it. New blood, money and energy was necessary four years ago but was not forthcoming.

Three men in a shed came this far and from I am seeing and reading on this forum is just frustration why the other sim is not like XP 😆

[jcomm 6,009]

The only thing they miss in the dev team is a Sonant Alpaca...

[mtaxp 666]

4 minutes ago, Humpty said:

Three men in a shed came this far and from I am seeing and reading on this forum is just frustration why the other sim is not like XP 😆

Imagine the steam deck x-plane 12 out performs the sales of others, this will be a brutal knock out if I may say.

[jarmstro 2,405]

10 minutes ago, mtaxp said:

3 men is not the case for years now, they hired an art team and more coders.

They chose the right path, focused on simulation aspects and rerwrite of the rendering engine while silently worked on graphics for post Vulkan/Metal.  Otherwise you will be complaining that v12 will break most of your addons and it will be a chaos.

So soon we get the fruits, new great graphics, good performance and most important an already rock solid simulation wise platform with a proper SDK. We won't have to wait more than weeks for high quality addons to be updated, they are already in the process to be ready when the time comes.

Yes, developing a flight sim to this level takes YEARS. Lastly, adding more and more coders won't really make a "fast forward" effect as you may think and there is a very recent example;

The HS CL650 sets a new standart for home simulation addons and was done from the ground up by 2 developers in 3 years "only".

While other companies, 4X-5X bigger, on other platforms that are also 1000X bigger, are struggling to port an already exisitng product that might end up not just inferior to the CL650, but also inferior to the same product on another platform.

So, thank you LR for taking the right track, can't wait for x-plane 12!

 

XP11 was released in November 2016. I am afraid I stand by what I said. Third party planes notwithstanding.

[mtaxp 666]

3 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

XP11 was released in November 2016. I am afraid I stand by what I said. Third party planes notwithstanding.

Yes, it takes that many years.

[mSparks 2,094]

9 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

XP11 was released in November 2016. I am afraid I stand by what I said. Third party planes notwithstanding.

I know 2016 sounds like yesterday, but its 6 years ago now.....

[jarmstro 2,405]

2 minutes ago, mtaxp said:

Yes, it takes that many years.

It doesn't take, or shouldn't take, six years unless you are falling back on your laurels.

[uwespeed 506]

1 hour ago, jarmstro said:

...

As it was to be expected - the self fulfilling prophecy. However, you might not have recognised the irony with regards to a posting in another subforum ("luv" aren't originally my words).
BTW ... between XP11 (partly outdated) and its successor XP12 (almost finished) there are only around 5.5 years. I don't mention the war ... ermm ... the competitor (there it was 14 years), it could make some people angry .... Even here LR is ahead 😄 .

 

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

I actually never uninstall it 🙂

I have it backed up on an external disk ...

Aahh ... so you aren't the uninstaller, but the "deleter" and "recopier" 😉 .

 

Ok, more things why I luv 😄 X-Plane (apart from what the others and I already wrote above). Crisp buildings (even from close), varying friction on dry, wet and icy runways, correct propwash modeling, midair refueling with wake turbulence, blackout and redout, carrier landing, Space Shuttle approach, helicopters. That's still not everything I can think about - and with XP12 it will get even better ...

 

[mtaxp 666]

Just now, jarmstro said:

It doesn't take, or shouldn't take, six years unless you are falling back on your laurels.

Based on what? Your experience as a coder?