SP2 Post is Live

[RFields5421 1]

Thanks for the info Phil.While almost everyone has some disappointment about what was fixed/ not fixed - I'm sure even the most negative members of the community can take heart in the future.Yes, this is the end of the FSX path from ACES. There will be great work from addon developers which the SP process have kept on the sidelines.But the future for the next version of FS - for the first time I have real confidence and belief that the development team is actually listening to the FS community and addressing their concerns.Now, we'll talk about AI later !!!

[Guest LSflyguy]

I don't know about "intelligent," but your post is factually incorrect in so many ways: 1. I just bought Vista Home Premium (full OEM version) at my local MicroCenter for $79.99. NOT $300. It's still on sale now, btw. 2. In case you hadn't noticed, computer technology is constantly advancing. So AGP motherboards are a thing of the past. You can buy a very good PCI-E motherboard for around $100, and a good DX10-compatible graphics card for around $110. I know, because I just did. 3. Which "decent" CPU costs $300? Even a quad-core q6600 costs a lot less than that. Check the hardware forum and you'll find that even a $120 Core 2 Duo can give you outstanding FSX performance. I'd say the price of upgrading your hardware is a little over $400 for very good FSX performance, rather than the bloated estimates you've supplied above. It's hardly Microsoft's fault that hardware technology doesn't stay stuck in the Stone Age. COMPETITION: Exactly how many flight sim products has Microsoft "bought out"? Fly2!? Nope, cancelled by its manufacturer. Flight Unlimited? Nope, also cancelled by the manufacturer. How about Pro Pilot? Nope, Sierra dumped it. And nearly every combat sim, with the notable exception of Ubisoft, has been cancelled by its manufacturer. So exactly WHICH of these has been "bought out" by Microsoft? Your argument is pure rubbish. (Note that some of these products were actually profitable at the time of their cancellation, too.) FSX ACCELERATION: A money grab? So is Microsoft FORCING anyone to buy it? It's a reasonably-priced addon with a lot of cool features. Personally, I'd pay for it if it was JUST the F-18 ALONE. Compared to other commercial addons, it's a bargain. AND NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO BUY IT! As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft should be congratulated for giving us even more toys to play with, at a price that's very affordable. How many people would pay $30 for an addon product consisting of ground physics and crepuscular rays anyway? It's not even a serious point. In fact, the Acceleration/SP2 releases are VERY good news for the future of Flight Simulation. Progress may be more difficult than expected, but considering it's one of the most complex pieces of software you can buy, I commend ACES for moving foward in a positive direction.

[Guest]

> This has been said over and over but just about every version of FS has required some investment > in hardware, welcome to the world of gamingThis is not the world of gaming, only FS. Other games like Crysis run fine on old/dx9 hardware. As for that other guy, he'll probably need to consider spending a few hundred more on a new power adapter and motherboard too. At which point you'd have to ask if its better just to buy a whole new computer! All that for cockpit shadows and tweaked bloom and water shaders :-lol

[Guest Nickio20]

You know you are quick to label a basher. I dont have any history of saying negative things nor am I a regular poster at all. I am a honest paying customer who sees this nothing more than a very nicely marketed scam. Unlike most of users here I dont believe in sticking it out and saying - There is always the next FSX. So next time around they'll know that they can just apologize and get away with it. They have done it before and do it again! Because the bottom line is IMHO they did not deliver what I paid for. We all knew including ACES that DX10 was not going to look anything like that shot.They promised it with release of Vista initially- did not happen.Then they said they need more time- ok thats fine, I put up with that. Yet they did not even deliver after all of that time- so the result Frustrated paying customer(s). So why am I the basher when I'm a lied to customer (fact!). Its not my problem they cant keep their promise, yet im the bad guy.But you wont even listen to me because you already have me labeled as a Basher- Instead of supporting the community. As you sure know its not Phil making the decision to release before it is really ready- its the business. And that is who I am really upset with. The truth is we are the reason for this happening, if we didnt sit there and take it, pay for it, and put up with it- there is a very good chance something revolutionary would've happend by now- like A truly good release of FSX with everything you guys want.My opinion is that I am not satisfied for what I paid for- how is that bashing?!Its not HOW much it costs that I was trying to prove btw- its the Utilization Factor, which for me (missions and aircraft from FS is really low because they are not of the highest or comparable quality to todays aftermakret addons)

[Guest Nickio20]

You know you are quick to label a basher. I dont have any history of saying negative things nor am I a regular poster at all. I am a honest paying customer who sees this nothing more than a very nicely marketed scam. Unlike most of users here I dont believe in sticking it out and saying - There is always the next FSX. So next time around they'll know that they can just apologize and get away with it. They have done it before and do it again! Because the bottom line is IMHO they did not deliver what I paid for. We all knew including ACES that DX10 was not going to look anything like that shot.They promised it with release of Vista initially- did not happen.Then they said they need more time- ok thats fine, I put up with that. Yet they did not even deliver after all of that time- so the result Frustrated paying customer(s). So why am I the basher when I'm a lied to customer (fact!). Its not my problem they cant keep their promise, yet im the bad guy.But you wont even listen to me because you already have me labeled as a Basher- Instead of supporting the community. As you sure know its not Phil making the decision to release before it is really ready- its the business. And that is who I am really upset with. The truth is we are the reason for this happening, if we didnt sit there and take it, pay for it, and put up with it- there is a very good chance something revolutionary would've happend by now- like A truly good release of FSX with everything you guys want.My opinion is that I am not satisfied for what I paid for- how is that bashing?!

[slashed2 53]

World of gaming applies though, I can remeber Nascar 2.0 from papyrus and the only way to play it full throttle was to upgrade the computer which I did a few years later. Oblivion is another one that older computers can't handle and sliders have to be dropped etc....It's the continuing cycle for most apps. Condider this, I'm on a dell latitude with a pentium 3 and 27 gb of hard disk space with windows xp sp2 and run complex queries on an Access database and also run macros in excel which take in some cases about 40-45 minutes to run.Running them on my core2duo cuts that time down to 5 minutes. No matter how you slice the gaming/FS/app world, computing power makes a world of difference. These computers can only handle so much information thrown at them no matter how optimized the code.

[Jeff Nielsen 1,403]

C'mon guys, don't let our passions get in the way of our friendships.Phil opened the thread; that means you gotta take the good and the bad.I think he gave credit or no credit without personally attacking Phil. Everyone has to make their own decisions as to whether or not they see the value, right?Edit: Hats off to Phil and team for their commitment and following through with what they could. The dedication we all can agree on, is very good. :-)

[Guest Daniel42]

I'm happy with every single 'DX9' fix that got in and getting more and more curious about Acceleration. And as far as DX10 goes, let's see what promise Train Sim II will hold for FSXI.DanielPS:>well worth $30. (I must have found a bug in Acceleration, 1 Euro currently = $1.4 So $30 / 1.4 = 21.4 Euro. Still I'm seeing in the shops over here: Microsoft suggested retail price: 45 Euro, thats close to $30 * 1.4. :^)

[Guest LSflyguy]

Phil, Thanks much for the update, and also your honesty and forthrightness. I'd much rather have the "realistic" assessment from you -- warts and all -- than someone blowing a bunch of smoke at us. Here's my question: Most benchmarks using SP1 and the current-gen Intel CPUs show the Core 2 Duo slightly outperforming a similar quad-core in FSX. Is there anything in SP2 that is likely to change the balance of core usage in favor of a quad-core? As someone who's about to finish a new build, I really appreciate the hardware tips (and recommended optimizations) you've given us. Thanks, - Lee

[PhilTaylor 45]

Thats some sort of goof-up that will be corrected over the next few weeks. I believe once we release a version for the UK, Amazon will decide to sell it now instead of waiting :-).

[slashed2 53]

I'm wondering if Phil is dreading this thread... just about 8am I believe in Seattle....good luck.

[Chalkman 0]

That's great to hear. Thanks for the update and keep up the good work Phil.

[PhilTaylor 45]

yes, working catapults, plural, for takeoffs.yes, working arrestors and meatball for landings.yes, the F-18 has a working tailhook.

[PhilTaylor 45]

Microsoft Games Studio is a different division than Microsoft Windows. Yes, I would like it if they took that down. No, I dont control that and actually dont let it bother me.

[PhilTaylor 45]

I believe, given the expectations we mis-set last year, that a humble tone is appropriate for SP2. And yes that should not rub off on Acceleration as it is really good and a really good value.I am overwhelmed with "day job" tasks right now, so I havent had time for the feature shots that I mentioned are coming later.We analyzed the magic screenies, came up with was in them, and realized there was nothing for the pilot. From there it was easy for VC Shadows. The reason world lighting and godrays arent in was simply time and resources. Not enough time given how heavily loaded the graphics and terrain team is.Without going through the new, more efficient code paths there isnt a way to be more efficient.