INSANE REALISM | *MAJOR* Updates for X-Plane 12 | Real Airbus Pilot | X-Plane 12.3 BETA

 

There's not much to dislike.  Just the scenery needs a nice upgrade, but we know it's being worked on by the best in the business.  Mister X.

X-Plane is created by a professional pilot, backed by one of the most talented teams of programmers and artists ever put together, who has flown several different planes, personally customized his most recent aircraft, and also happens to be an engineer.

Makes comments like these, from April 2021, age like milk.

 

 

Anyway, it certainly is a very bright future for Laminar and everyone using X-Plane.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2025Sep 7 by GoranM

1 hour ago, GoranM said:

... backed by one of the most talented teams of programmers and artists ever put together ...

Not only programmers and artists, but several of them are RW pilots and flight instructors themselves - that's what I know for sure, maybe there are also some engineers amongst them (?). That's the reason why they don't know how to build a 'revolutionary' flight sim, but a games company had to take care of it (SCNR). 😁

2 hours ago, GoranM said:

Just the scenery needs a nice upgrade, but we know it's being worked on by the best in the business.

…and once that is done, XP12 will finally feel fully modernized. The default scenery is one of the biggest barriers that prevents many users from sticking with XP12 long enough to appreciate its major advantages over MSFS.

The weather system is superb overall, but there’s one frustrating bug: low clouds often get cut off at the horizon or appear too translucent, which makes distant clouds show through and creates a distracting cut-off effect.

How long before the "influencer" real world pilots who rave about MSFS being the greatest ever simulator start showing some XP content now that audience sentiment is shifting a little bit... 🙄

2 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

…and once that is done, XP12 will finally feel fully modernized. The default scenery is one of the biggest barriers that prevents many users from sticking with XP12 long enough to appreciate its major advantages over MSFS.

The weather system is superb overall, but there’s one frustrating bug: low clouds often get cut off at the horizon or appear too translucent, which makes distant clouds show through and creates a distracting cut-off effect.

It’s normal to hit a few teething problems in the early stages of 12.3, and it looks like you’ve already run into one. Once 12.3x stabilizes, I’d bet those issues will disappear.

Just now, FPVSteve said:

How long before the "influencer" real world pilots who rave about MSFS being the greatest ever simulator start showing some XP content now that audience sentiment is shifting a little bit... 🙄

A lot of people are starting to come back around, simply because the quality being put out now can’t really be ignored.

From the outside, it seems like some creators avoid XP coverage just to dodge being “cancelled” or branded a “fan b*y” by a handful of toxic MSFS voices. I’ve seen plenty of YouTube comments aimed at creators that are downright vitriolic and demoralizing. It’s only a small minority of simmers, but they tend to shout the loudest and most often.

I think LR’S more focused approach to development is paying off.  They are not trying to be everything to everyone at once.  My guess is the scenery upgrade will be the major selling point for XP13 just as weather/ lighting was for XP12.  A living / breathing scenery solution rather than static orthos has great potential to leapfrog anything out there today.
 

As a VR flyer myself they still have a ways to go catch up which keeps me elsewhere at the moment, but as the saying goes “slow and steady wins the race.”  

28 minutes ago, Gilandred said:

I think LR’S more focused approach to development is paying off.  They are not trying to be everything to everyone at once.  My guess is the scenery upgrade will be the major selling point for XP13 just as weather/ lighting was for XP12.  A living / breathing scenery solution rather than static orthos has great potential to leapfrog anything out there today.
 

As a VR flyer myself they still have a ways to go catch up which keeps me elsewhere at the moment, but as the saying goes “slow and steady wins the race.”  

I agree with the XP13 comment - it's a major selling point they'd be foolish not to capitalise on if they get it right.

Having said that ... will they release it as 13, or skip and go to 14 for luck? 😂

 Agree, ground scenery needs lots of work to be modern, but once it's right will be a huge selling point, be it 12. whatever, 13, or 14

With an up-2-date scenery engine and an even more fine tuned ATC, maybe AI Traffic without being as heavy and more natural than the present one, xp12 Will, again, be the best civil flightsim! 

Ah! And thermals too please, and be Bold LR andmske it ut to convergence and wave for soaring guys like me 😁

9 hours ago, GoranM said:

Makes comments like these, from April 2021, age like milk.

 

 

Anyway, it certainly is a very bright future for Laminar and everyone using X-Plane.

The truly shocking thing is that quite a few people within the MSFS community itself are constantly questioning the ongoing viability of MSFS! It's like they just can't enjoy the good things and have to find something - anything - negative to obsess over...SMH

And FWIW, Greazer's opinions on many things aren't generally held in high regard, even over there.

6 hours ago, Gilandred said:

My guess is the scenery upgrade will be the major selling point for XP13

Ahem, SURELY we're not going to have to wait for v13 for modern scenery...?

I guess new scenery engine will come only with xp13 or whatever will be the next XP version.

Otoh, the final version of X-Plane 10 was 10.51, and the final version of X-Plane 11 was 11.52 so they might address part of it until xp12.5 😁

Edited September 7, 2025Sep 7 by jcomm

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

I guess new scenery engine will come only with xp13 or whatever will be the next XP version.

Otoh, the final version of X-Plane 10 was 10.51, and the final version of X-Plane 11 was 11.52 so they might address part of it until xp12.5 😁

My guess is the engine goes in 12 and  scenery for it goes in after

So rebuild with the new technology using the assets they basically have now, with an overhaul of the assets that really make use of it for a new major release.

similar to they did with vulkan.

Not seen anything public or private saying as much, but imho they proved that approach with the graphics engine, so it makes sense to follow the same approach for the scenery engine.

Of course, absolutely no one is going to complain if it all comes earlier.

As a side note, i landed back on default scenery while tracking down the cpu time thing; the new lighting, clouds and vegitation / seasons really go a very long way to making it not as obviously bad as it was before, really took me by surprise, much more "this could be better" rather than the painful eyes bleeding horrorshow that was common with default XP11 scenery.

Seriously considering a new psu and a 5080 so I can enjoy it at max settings in VR. But I know if I buy it now then im going to get stung by the move to a new process node for the next generation of gpus.

Edited September 7, 2025Sep 7 by mSparks

7 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

The truly shocking thing is that quite a few people within the MSFS community itself are constantly questioning the ongoing viability of MSFS! It's like they just can't enjoy the good things and have to find something - anything - negative to obsess over...SMH

Very true.  It's like the flight sim communities very own soap opera channel over there.

7 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

And FWIW, Greazer's opinions on many things aren't generally held in high regard, even over there.

I try not to go too hard on Greazer, because he is a customer of mine.  Sometimes I just wish he would stop making these kinds of posts (and others I've seen him make).  As one MSFS developer has already told me, "The MSFS community will eat their own."