Hopefully the 'Caribbean Release' looks as good as the competition.

13 hours ago, jcomm said:

... because it's time to, XP week starting 😜

And also because we needed a thread to contrast with that other

😍

 🤣

😂 A-M-E-N!

 

"and it's the only decent civillian --> FLIGHT <-- simulator ..."

I implore you to give the A2A Comanche for MSFS a try. Crazy good - IMHO the best Hi Fi addon in that sim, bar none. Definitely on par to any peers in XP.

Unfortunately, there's no version for XP, so for GA piston in XP I fly the SimCoders Marchetti. Still great after all these years! (JRollon had one flying in MSFS quite awhile ago, but still unreleased ...)

 

"Last night took the Toliss 32N, then the VSL DC-3 and ended up with a couple flights in the Bell 212 and the VSL R-66... Wow, feels so so good, as usual... It's my preferred --> FLIGHT <-- simulator 😍"

 🤣

I recently picked up the T-6A Texan II in both XP and MSFS. Not much time in them yet, but both fly really well so far (I'm a sucker for a fast turboprop!). BlackBirdSims version is literally Military Grade. AoA's is well done, and not sure yet if it has as many bells and whistles as BBS' version, but I LIKE it.

Still loving the SA 315 Llama for XP. Stunningly well modeled and keeps you on your toes. Just now trying out the FlyInside B206 for MSFS, and from first impressions, that's probably "The One" for MSFS.

P.s.: sorry, for some reason I can't delete quoted emoticons while posting from my phone 😧

Edited July 18, 20241 yr by UrgentSiesta

4 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

I implore you to give the A2A Comanche for MSFS a try. Crazy good - IMHO the best Hi Fi addon in that sim, bar none. Definitely on par to any peers in XP.

It's even better in VR!

6 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

😂 A-M-E-N!

 

"and it's the only decent civillian --> FLIGHT <-- simulator ..."

I implore you to give the A2A Comanche for MSFS a try. Crazy good - IMHO the best Hi Fi addon in that sim, bar none. Definitely on par to any peers in XP.

 

I have it OFC, and it's indeed 2nd to no other in MSFS... but it's cheating in comparing both regarding FM since the A2A Comanche does the calculations outside of the sim FM engine, just as it more or less did in FSX / P3D...

It's actually when I read stuff from Totoro (ex-Totoritko) that I find indeed both sims are not good enough for someone taking it REALLY seriously when building an accurate representation of a RW aircraft. Totoro simply doesn't use ** any ** of the sims FM engine because no matter what he tries, and he really knows what he is talking about and doing, he never finds satisfaction, even in XP's supposedly sophisticated FM, so he uses XP, and probably one day MSFS too, just as a "scenery browser".

When any sophisticated aircraft developer says - well, we use an external FM - I think to myself - "another one bites the dust", not addon, but simulator wise... And please, don't think I believe XP is that much better than MSFS 2020 flight model wise... for me it's just a tad better, and addons, like the recently released PMDG 777 are good examples of how well within the sim limitations aircraft can be made and shine ! (and I am very critic about PMDG and how "fat stomach" they are...).

So, dear @UrgentSiesta, @Strider1, and some others, I am with you, and I fully share your opinion on various aspects of flight simulation, and after many years responding to that Sim OCD Uninstall Syndrome 🤣 I finally found out how good a 1 TB disk can be ... (and I am resisting due to other considerations to re-install DCS World which I wiped from my disks around 2 years ago..., because it's best aircraft are still a THE REFERENCE!!! ).

Ah! the T-6... When I used it in P3D, the default one, I always given up after a couple minutes due to the total lack of proper torque effects... I never used an XP or the recently released MSFS 2020 versions though, but I might give both a try, although right now I am saving my $$$ for the Flight Factor 777 v2, which I am tempted to believe will LOVE on pair with the PMDG 77W...

Guys, each for it's own pluses, XP and MSFS are ASTOUNDING! LOVELY! GREAT and THE BEST !!! (DCS is better though 🤣)

Edited July 19, 20241 yr by jcomm

On 7/18/2024 at 2:30 PM, mSparks said:

its not a minimum requirement by any means.

But it gives you far more flexibility to use the machine without thinking about how much you are using. Linux is also pretty smart at keeping stuff in ram that may be needed later, the less it needs to swap stuff around the smoother everything runs generally, the more you can cache in ram for later the faster everything runs the next time you need it.

Ok that's good to know. 

Do you find Linux better than Windows for XPlane?

Cheers

Jay

1 hour ago, jkeye said:

Do you find Linux better than Windows for XPlane?

I should probably preempt my answer to this with why I'm on linux.

for the last 15 or so years my primary use of my desktop PCs has been big data/AI/simulation development - not related to aviation. For that windows isnt an option, very few other developers in that space even build their kit for windows, and when they do its very much a minimum effort build filled with issues and no solutions. Its now been more than 10 years since I had a desktop PC with windows installed on it. I "game" on a playstation, as xplane got great Ive not even turned the playstation on in over a year.

I started with xplane on linux at the xplane 10/xplane 11 crossover, when I started my helicopter flight training. Ive never had an issue with it that wasnt reasonably easy to fix or a just bugs applicable to all xplane users.

right now probably half or maybe even more of 3rd party developers in direct contact with Laminar in their slack group develop on linux then make sure it works on the other OSes (myself included), a lot/majority of the arty guys are macOS based.

While I love my macbook, I would put Linux a way ahead just on versatility (e.g. mac xplane VR not available atm) and cost for desktop, but I'm also not an arty type. for photoshop professionals linux isnt an option - but with gimp and blender maturing linux is actually probably the better option - blender especially seems to come in several times faster for rendering on linux than windows across numerous benchmarks.

TLDR: Xplane 12 on linux is awesome for everything I want from it, I have no use case for windows. I have never felt like I am missing out on stuff that didnt have good linux options.

YMMV

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by mSparks

3 hours ago, mSparks said:

I should probably preempt my answer to this with why I'm on linux.

for the last 15 or so years my primary use of my desktop PCs has been big data/AI/simulation development - not related to aviation. For that windows isnt an option, very few other developers in that space even build their kit for windows, and when they do its very much a minimum effort build filled with issues and no solutions. Its now been more than 10 years since I had a desktop PC with windows installed on it. I "game" on a playstation, as xplane got great Ive not even turned the playstation on in over a year.

I started with xplane on linux at the xplane 10/xplane 11 crossover, when I started my helicopter flight training. Ive never had an issue with it that wasnt reasonably easy to fix or a just bugs applicable to all xplane users.

right now probably half or maybe even more of 3rd party developers in direct contact with Laminar in their slack group develop on linux then make sure it works on the other OSes (myself included), a lot/majority of the arty guys are macOS based.

While I love my macbook, I would put Linux a way ahead just on versatility (e.g. mac xplane VR not available atm) and cost for desktop, but I'm also not an arty type. for photoshop professionals linux isnt an option - but with gimp and blender maturing linux is actually probably the better option - blender especially seems to come in several times faster for rendering on linux than windows across numerous benchmarks.

TLDR: Xplane 12 on linux is awesome for everything I want from it, I have no use case for windows. I have never felt like I am missing out on stuff that didnt have good linux options.

YMMV

Thanks for that explanation!

I sort of depend on Windows out of familiarity-do you know if are there versions of Linux that I can run "on top of Windows" to see how X-Plane performs-I remember many years ago there was a CD that would load a Linux version on boot up.

Cheers

 

On 7/18/2024 at 11:45 PM, jcomm said:

Totoro simply doesn't use ** any ** of the sims FM engine

Link?

On 7/19/2024 at 4:45 PM, jcomm said:

It's actually when I read stuff from Totoro (ex-Totoritko) that I find indeed both sims are not good enough for someone taking it REALLY seriously when building an accurate representation of a RW aircraft. Totoro simply doesn't use ** any ** of the sims FM engine because no matter what he tries, and he really knows what he is talking about and doing, he never finds satisfaction, even in XP's supposedly sophisticated FM, so he uses XP, and probably one day MSFS too, just as a "scenery browser".

 

46 minutes ago, blingthinger said:

Link?

I can kind of vouch for this.  At the very least, he'll make some fine tuning to certain areas of the flight model.  But in most other areas, he'll use code to override the flight model.  We have a running joke about some areas of making aircraft, where we say to each other "We'll just hammer it until it does what we want."

It's not be cause the FDE in X-Plane is bad or wrong.  Saso (totoro) just wants more out of it. 

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by GoranM

1 hour ago, blingthinger said:

Link?

Read about how the cl650 was created on Times of xp11 where hebeven programed the geopotential height variation due to temperature outside of the sim because it simply wasn't there...

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by jcomm

3 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Read about how the cl650 was created...

That's exactly what I want to do. The googles aren't giving me anything useful.

23 minutes ago, GoranM said:

fine tuning to certain areas of the flight model

So it's not a 100% replacement? I know it's not uncommon for high end 3rd parties to override the engines and fuselage. 

3 hours ago, jkeye said:

Thanks for that explanation!

I sort of depend on Windows out of familiarity-do you know if are there versions of Linux that I can run "on top of Windows" to see how X-Plane performs-I remember many years ago there was a CD that would load a Linux version on boot up.

Cheers

 

https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/309880-linux-questions-is-xp012-another-version-for-linux/&do=findComment&comment=2733807

3 hours ago, jkeye said:

I should probably preempt my answer to this with why I'm on linux.

I've walked in your shoes.

Made a decision many years ago that I was no longer going to allow work to determine my playtime platform.

Hasn't been without some inconveniences, but I'll never go back to being mono-platform.

On 7/18/2024 at 8:45 PM, jcomm said:

I have it OFC, and it's indeed 2nd to no other in MSFS... but it's cheating in comparing both regarding FM since the A2A Comanche does the calculations outside of the sim FM engine, just as it more or less did in FSX / P3D...

True. But I honestly don't care how the devs deliver enhanced realism 🙂

Similar to how SimCoders work their magic in XP (tho that is more around engine logic than FM, IIRC).

And let's not forget that XP's aero engine has been continually upgraded, and substantially so with v12 and subsequent versions. Which means it (still) needs tweaking.

What I prefer about XP is that it "forces" an aerodynamic baseline on every single addon, rather than forcing a dev to figure out & implement "the basics." Which is an outgrowth of its predictive engineering focus, but it certainly benefits those of us who just want to vfly. 🙂

 

Quote

It's actually when I read stuff from Totoro (ex-Totoritko) that I find indeed both sims are not good enough for someone taking it REALLY seriously when building an accurate representation of a RW aircraft. Totoro...really knows what he is talking about and doing, he never finds satisfaction, even in XP's supposedly sophisticated FM, so he uses XP, and probably one day MSFS too, just as a "scenery browser".

IIRC, this is also true of the FF A320 (?).

 

Quote

And please, don't think I believe XP is that much better than MSFS 2020 flight model wise... for me it's just a tad better, and addons, like the recently released PMDG 777 are good examples of how well within the sim limitations aircraft can be made and shine ! (and I am very critic about PMDG and how "fat stomach" they are...).

Nah, XP's flight model really is significantly better in so many ways. I'm reminded every time I fly/ride in a GA / Commuter aircraft, particularly on takeoff, landing and in any sort of gusty conditions.

E.g., I'll happily ride around in A2A's Comanche in MSFS (or P3d), but I put away the BlackBird nee MilViz C310 shortly after buying it.

Whereas I can get a lot of that "feeling" in many XP addons right out of the box, so to speak.

I'm not an XP diehard. I go wherever the best FM (and systems, secondarily) are. And that generally keeps me coming back to XP even when I wander off to other sims for specific reasons.

 

Quote

 I finally found out how good a 1 TB disk can be ...

1TB...? Those are ROOKIE numbers! 🤣

 

Quote

(and I am resisting due to other considerations to re-install DCS World which I wiped from my disks around 2 years ago..., because it's best aircraft are still a THE REFERENCE!!! ).

DCSW is fantastic - you gotta RE-install 😁 . It's worth it if for no other reason than the HYPER fidelity of HeatBlurs incomparable F-14 (well, it seems their new F-4 has further raised the bar 😉).

Even if you limit yourself to flights in the Marianas... it's entirely worth it. 

Not to mention all the other great aircraft addons there that are at least as well developed as any addon in any other sim. 

 

Quote

Ah! the T-6... When I used it in P3D, the default one, I always given up after a couple minutes due to the total lack of proper torque effects...

The IRL T-6 was designed to mimic a jet to the degree possible. It has a "Trim Aid Device" which automatically applies control deflections to limit/cancel P-Factor & Torque effects.

Jet mimicry is another reason it has a single Power Control Lever rather than the more traditional turboprop power, condition, & prop levers.

They don't want the fledglings to learn how to manage TPs when they are highly unlikely to ever even see one in service. 😉

 

Quote

I never used an XP or the recently released MSFS 2020 versions though, but I might give both a try, although right now I am saving my $$$ for the Flight Factor 777 v2, which I am tempted to believe will LOVE on pair with the PMDG 77W...

So many planes, so little time.

I, too, am wondering how the FF will compare to PMDG. "Favorably" is my estimation 🙂

 

Quote

Guys, each for it's own pluses, XP and MSFS are ASTOUNDING! LOVELY! GREAT and THE BEST !!! (DCS is better though 🤣)

Yep. The blinding tribalism in flight sim is insane... 

Now, I gotta sign off and go fly 🙂