Speculation - maybe not too far fetched though 🤐

Since we're fantasizing about a new version coming soon, here's what I'd like to see:

1. A new scenery engine using Google (or perhaps LM proprietary?) satellite imagery and a smart object rendering process that places the appropriate types of vegetation, buildings, and other things on the ground in their precise real-world location, basically what MSFS does but better.

2. A weather generating system similar to the existing one that ActiveSky can interface with and provide historical weather for.

3. Backwards compatibility with P3D aircraft.

4. Depiction of seasonal changes affecting ground color and vegetation.

5. Full compatibility with existing AI traffic.

Perhaps I've forgotten something, but that's my dream sim.

Dave

I think you’re a beta tester in disguise.

LM have practically already said their new simulation toolkit will be the 64bit Unreal engine, wouldn't have been possible without the Unreal engine's move to 64 bit.

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/lockheed-martin-engages-unreal-engine-for-aerospace-simulation-r-d

How or it they integrate to P3D is unknown, or perhap their "new" new sim will be something entirely built around Unreal with no backwards compatibility.

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2022/gaming-technology-the-future-of-training.html

I would imagine P3D itself would live on for quite some time in some sort of compatable form as it is widely used outside of the consumer market and business hates  big and potentially breaking changes foisted upon them.

And Unreal does have it's followers, like BlacksharkAI for a ready built world platform plugin, just like MSFS except it's based on the Maxar’s satellite imagery instead of Microsoft's Bing imagery.

https://blackshark.ai/blackshark-ai-launches-globe-plugin-for-unreal-engine-making-the-whole-world-available-in-3d-to-anyone/

Of course such services wouldn't be free and I'd expect subscription would be part and parcel, as it is for pretty much everything now.

The above said for the immediate future I'm hoping for a well and truly "fixed" 5.3 as 6.0, something that doesn't choke on polyline 3D, maybe with dev tools updates for WYSIWYG type building without the need to constantly restart the sim, some form of streaming scenery plugin, or even a better and more accurrate scenery layout built upon open street maps and compatibilty tools like effects updaters, that sort of thing.

Of course until released speculation is all there is 🙂

Cheers

I would be thrilled to see the next iteration of p3d ship with Unreal engine as well as a sim that maintains compatibility with past addons.  Plus satellite imagery.  I just don't see that happening.  But I'd be delighted to be wrong!

Here is the release dates for the previous versions

v4 - 30.05.2017

v4.1 - 10.10.2017

v4.2 - 12.02.2018

v4.3 - 25.06.2018

v.4.4 - 28.11.2018

v.4.5 - 09.04.2019

Intervals between minor versions (average): 136 days

Full v4 cycle - 23 months

v.5 - 14.04.2020

v.5.1 - 28.10.2020

v.5.2 - 09.06.2021

v.5.3 - 01.12.2021

Intervals between minor versions (average): 198 days

v5 cycle for now - 34 months

What we can say with 99% probability, based on the previous cycle, there is unlikely that 5.4 version will be released. Between v4.5 and 5.0 there is one year difference, we have now above the year between now and 5.3 release date. My bet for 6.0 release is early Q2'23 (april/may)

I also think that no one should expect a 5.4 version, but because it's been that long since the release of 5.3, I can't help but wonder how big of changes we will see in v6. The longer it takes a company to make the new version, the more (and bigger) changes we can expect there to be...

Let's see, V3 $200, V4 $200, V5 $200, unless this dreamed about V6 is a free to all who recognized they were not a 70 year old student count me out. 

I like PlaneJoe. I follow him from some time. 

1 hour ago, CW46 said:

Let's see, V3 $200, V4 $200, V5 $200, unless this dreamed about V6 is a free to all who recognized they were not a 70 year old student count me out. 

Why not use the Academic version for $60?

17 minutes ago, pgde said:

Why not use the Academic version for $60?

You must have missed this:

 

1 hour ago, SierraDelta said:

You must have missed this:

 

Are you an admin? I was responding to his post about the cost. Thanks for nothing.

On 2/11/2023 at 10:26 PM, dave2013 said:

Since we're fantasizing about a new version coming soon, here's what I'd like to see:

1. A new scenery engine using Google (or perhaps LM proprietary?) satellite imagery and a smart object rendering process that places the appropriate types of vegetation, buildings, and other things on the ground in their precise real-world location, basically what MSFS does but better.

2. A weather generating system similar to the existing one that ActiveSky can interface with and provide historical weather for.

3. Backwards compatibility with P3D aircraft.

4. Depiction of seasonal changes affecting ground color and vegetation.

5. Full compatibility with existing AI traffic.

Perhaps I've forgotten something, but that's my dream sim.

Dave

+ backwards compatibility with P3D scenery.  In V5, object bleed thru were common when using V4 scenery in V5. I hope they don't make the same bungle.

Edited February 15, 20233 yr by Butch1

I, for one, am a bit surprised how long we’ve been sitting in silence while waiting for a v6. Thank you to the poster above for linking the timeless for v4 and v5… makes me think, considering how long it has been since v5 and 5.3 has been out, that something big may be coming. But of course I love to speculate. 
 

as for my North Star for v6:

-an improved graphics engine that improves or replaces the auto-gen system. I’m actually not a fan of using satellite imagery with AI, because of the lack of seasonal ground textures, unless that can be changed too.

-incremental improvements to EA. EA was an absolute game-changer. The lighting in the sim looks so much better with it on. But fix the horrible 360 degree dawn and dusk textures than can’t be changed by texture or shader mods. 

-As for TruSky, a modified system that allows for local weather systems and cloud structures. 

And of course compatibility with all our add-ons 🙂  
 

 

Well, if the rumors regarding the new graphic engine are true, then it would explain why P3Dv6 takes so long to appear indeed.  The few articles mentioning that seemed to imply that new engine was only for professional users somehow... it was not really clear, so I personnally hope that's wrong and "normal" users can also enjoy that new version.